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Semaine du
21 au 27/01/2007
Etats-Unis, Monde
arabe - Visa
Denied: How Anti-Arab Visa Policies Destroy US Exports, Jobs
and Higher Education
Source: Institute for Research Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep)
January 25, 2007
"In the aftermath of 9/11 US visa processing
in the Arab world has ground to a halt. US
consulates formerly striving to outsource key visa
processes to travel agencies before the terror attacks are now
paralyzed and fearful. Under funded and insufficient
security review processes leave Arab executives, prospective
students, and vacation travelers in limbo for years or looking
for alternative destinations. Shabby treatment of those
who successfully run the visa gauntlet leaves many vowing
never to return to the US. How much
has it cost?..."
Etats-Unis, Monde
arabe
- Through
the Lens of Cultural Awareness: A Primer for US Armed Forces
Deploying to Arab and Middle Eastern Countries
Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth
"“Conducting the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) and
projecting United States (US) influence worldwide has meant an
increasing number of US diplomats and military forces are
assigned to locations around the world, some of which have not
previously had a significant US presence. In the current
security environment, understanding foreign cultures and
societies has become a national priority. Cultural
understanding is necessary both to defeat adversaries and to
work successfully with allies. As indicated by recent
experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, understanding
Islamic cultures is particularly important. This document
defines a way US military leaders can prepare for and conduct
military operations through the lens of cultural awareness. It
provides a method for helping military commanders, staffs, and
trainers engage successfully in any type of operation with an
emphasis on postconflict stability operations..."
Etats-Unis, Irak
- Things
Fall Apart: Containing the Spillover from an Iraqi Civil War
Source: Brookings Institution, Saban Center for Middle
East Policy January 2007
"With each passing day, Iraq sinks deeper into the abyss
of civil war. President George W. Bush has staked everything
on one last-chance effort to quell the fighting and jumpstart
a process of political reconciliation and economic
reconstruction. Should this last effort fail, the United
States is likely to very quickly have to determine how best to
handle an Iraq that will be erupting into Bosnia- or
Lebanon-style all-out civil war. The history of such wars is
that they are disastrous for all parties, but the United
States will have little choice but to try to stave off
disaster as best it can..."
Etats-Unis, Energie
- State
of the Union 2007: Recognizing the Threat of Strategic Oil
Dependency
Heritage January 24, 2007
"In the State of the Union
address, President Bush called a spade a shovel. Building on
his earlier statement that America is “addicted to oil”..."
Irak, Moyen-Orient
- The
Kurds in Post-Saddam Iraq
Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS) December 12, 2006
"Iraq's Kurdish community, repressed by previous Iraqi
governments, has become a major force in post-Saddam Iraq. The
Kurdish-inhabited regions of northern Iraq are relatively
peaceful, development is proceeding there, and the Kurdish
leaders now occupy senior positions, including the presidency.
However, there are concerns that the Kurds are using their
political strength to serve their own interests at the expense
of a unified Iraq..."
Turkmenistan,
Etats-Unis - Turkmenistan’s
Political Succession: Developments and Implications
Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS) January 18, 2007
"This report discusses the political succession in
Turkmenistan following the death of long-time authoritarian
leader Saparamurad Niyazov in December 2006. Implications for
Turkmenistan and U.S. interests in Central Asia are examined..."
Afghanistan,
Etats-Unis - Afghanistan:
Narcotics and U.S. Policy
Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS) December 12, 2006
"Opium poppy cultivation and drug trafficking have become
significant negative factors in Afghanistan's fragile
political and economic order over the last 25 years. In 2006,
poppy cultivation and opium production reached record highs,
in spite of ongoing efforts by the Afghan government, the
United States, and their international partners to combat
poppy cultivation and drug trafficking..."
Somalie, Ethiopie
- Somalia:
The Tough Part Is Ahead
International Crisis Group 26 January 2007
"Somalia’s Islamic Courts fell even more dramatically
than they rose. In little more than a week in December 2006,
Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG)
forces killed hundreds of Islamist fighters and scattered the
rest in a lightning offensive. On 27 December, the Council of
Somali Islamic Courts in effect dissolved itself, surrendering
political leadership to clan leaders. This was a major success
for Ethiopia and the U.S. who feared emergence of a
Taliban-style haven for al-Qaeda and other Islamist extremists,
but it is too early to declare an end to Somalia’s woes.
There is now a political vacuum across much of southern
Somalia, which the ineffectual TFG is unable to fill. Elements
of the Courts, including Shabaab militants and their al-Qaeda
associates, are largely intact and threaten guerrilla war.
Peace requires the TFG to be reconstituted as a genuine
government of national unity but the signs of its willingness
are discouraging. Sustained international pressure is needed..."
Liban - Is
Lebanon Headed toward Another Civil War?
Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 1/25/2007
"Violent clashes in Beirut on January 25 between students
of rival political parties have overshadowed the promising
news that Lebanon received pledges of $7.6 billion at the
Paris III donor conference on Lebanon’s economy. The
violence, which was largely along sectarian lines, was the
latest in a series of escalating political/religious
confrontations. This troubling trend raises the specter that
Lebanon may once again be sliding toward civil war..."
Terrorisme -
Counterterrorism
2007 Calendar
National Counterterrorism Center
"The US National Counterterrorism Center is pleased to
present the 207 edition of the Counterterrorism (CT) Calendar.
This edition, the largest since the Calendar first appeared in
a daily planner format in 2003, contains many features across
the full range of terrorism-related issues. The Calendar marks
dates according to the Gregorian and Islamic calendars, and
contains significant dates in terrorism history as well as
dates that terrorists may believe are important when planning
“commemoration-style” attacks.
The CT Calendar is designed for anyone concerned with
terrorism or threat: law enforcement, intelligence, military,
security personnel, contingency planners, or simply citizens
concerned by terrorist threats. The Calendar is oriented
primarily to readers in the United States, but we hope that we
have also made it useful for citizens of other countries. We
welcome suggestions on ways to improve the Counterterrorism
Calendar..."
Médias -
MSF-USA: Special Report: The 10 Most Underreported Humanitarian Crises of 2006
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) 09/01/07
"The staggering human toll taken by tuberculosis and
malnutrition as well as the devastation caused by wars in the
Central African Republic (CAR), Sri Lanka, and Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), are among the "Top Ten"
Most Underreported Humanitarian Stories of 2006, according to
the year-end list released today by the international
humanitarian medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins
Sans Frontières (MSF).
The ninth annual list also highlights the lack of media
attention paid to the plight of people affected by the
consequences of conflict in Haiti, Somalia, Colombia, Chechnya,
and central India..."
Lire également, Read also :
The
Tyndall Report
Les
10 sujets de 2006 dont le monde devrait entendre parler
davantage - Département de l'information ONU 2006
Etats-Unis, Langue
- Lost
in Translation: A Review of the Federal Government’s Efforts
to Develop a Foreign Language Strategy
U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs,
Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the
Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia
"The hearing will examine the government's efforts to
increase foreign language education to meet our federal
workforce, national security, and economic competitiveness
needs..."
Internet, Médias
- Nieman
Foundation 2006 Winter Report: Goodbye Gutenberg
"Journalism is on a fast-paced,
transformative journey, its destination still unknown. That
the Web and other media technologies are affecting mightily
the practice of journalism is beyond dispute. Less clear is
any shared vision of what the future holds. Newsrooms are
being hollowed out, and editors who resist such cutbacks are
losing their jobs. Digital video cameras and tape recorders
replace reporters' notebooks as newspapers—and other news
organizations—train staff in multimedia storytelling. In
this issue, words about journalists' experiences in the
digital era transport our vision forward, while our eye takes
us on a visual voyage back to a time when newspapers wove
communities together..."
World Economic
Forum - The
World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Ends With Concrete
Proposals to Tackle Global Issues
World Economic Forum 28 January 2007
"The World
Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos wrapped up Sunday
with climate change firmly at the centre stage of debate. In
17 sessions related to global warming, the Forum gathered the
world’s top academics, business leaders, NGO representatives,
UN agency chiefs, politicians and many others in order to
advance the discussion and explore practical opportunities for
progress through partnership. The meeting clearly illustrated
the deepening commitment of business to engage other groups in
addressing this issue.
Following are examples of some of the concrete developments
from this year’s Annual Meeting..."
Chomage - Global
Employment Trends 2007
International Labour Office (ILO) 25 January 2007
"The number of people unemployed worldwide remained at an
historical high in 2006 despite strong global economic growth,
the International Labour Office (ILO) said in its annual
Global Employment Trends (Note 1) released
today..."
Pétrole,
Irak - Iraq’s
Oil Sector: Issues and Opportunities
James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy December 2006
"Iraq holds an important place in the political
development and economic trend of the international oil market
both historically and at the present time. Iraq’s stated
proven oil reserves of 115 billion barrels -while perhaps
somewhat overestimated during the rule of Saddam Hussein- are
among the largest in the world. The country’s resource base
is considered the second largest in the world, second to Saudi
Arabia, and its oil export policy has been a critical element
in setting international oil supply and pricing for over 30
years. Iraq was a founding member of the cartel of the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and was
among the first oil producing countries to nationalize some of
its oil fields in 1961. Iraq’s Iraq National Oil Company
(INOC) was an early leader in international oil policy and
could play a similar role in the future, depending on the
inclinations of a new Iraqi government..."
Asie Centrale
- Economic
Dimensions of Security in Central Asia
By: Sergej Mahnovski, Kamiljon T. Akramov, Theodore W. Karasik,
RAND Corporation
"This report assesses the economic dimensions of security
in post-Soviet Central Asia and considers their implications
for the role of the United States. The September 11, 2001,
attacks on the United States led to the realization among
policymakers that instability, failed and failing states, and
economic and political underdevelopment present security
concerns not just to the states that suffer directly from
these problems but to the global community as a whole. In this
regard, Central Asia may be at a crossroads, as demonstrated
by the so-called “Tulip Revolution” in Kyrgyzstan and the
unrest in Uzbekistan in 2005. However, it is unclear whether
the states in the region have the institutional capacity to
implement sound and lasting domestic reform and what the
appropriate role is for the United States and the
international community. Although some have argued that the
U.S. military presence in the region could be used as a
vehicle for encouraging political and economic reform, the
record to date provides little grounds for optimism. In fact,
Central Asia will increasingly diversify its economic and
military relationships with neighbors such as Russia, China,
and Iran, potentially crowding out direct U.S. influence in
the region. U.S. policymakers should consider a lower-profile
military presence, a sharper focus of diplomatic and economic
resources on specific issues that may affect counter-terror
and counter-narcotics efforts in the region, and a nuanced
approach that engages alternative power centers, realizing
that the principles and interests behind U.S. involvement are
more enduring than any single regime is likely to be..."
Inde - India:
Linking into the global services economy
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu January 2007
"Over the last decade India has re-emerged as one of the
world’s leading economies. The very strengths that led to
its distinctive growth, however, are potentially its downfall.
This paper briefly discusses the factors that have contributed
enormously to the country's success—infrastructure, people
and technological innovation—and proposes a number of steps
to help ensure it's continued growth as a leading service
economy..."
Energie, Climat
- Global
Energy Scenario
Greenpeace January 24, 2007
"In his State of the Union address, we all waited for the
President to address the climate crisis facing this planet and
unfortunately, it never happened. Global warming has become
one of our biggest challenges and it is time to start focusing
on solutions. Our latest report,"Energy [R]evolution"
details how we can cut global CO2 emissions in half by 2050,
using existing technology, and still provide affordable energy
and economic growth..."
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