Semaine du 24 au 30/12/2006


Infotech - The Year in Infotech
Technology Review 26/12/06

"Technology Review picks the year's most significant advances in information technology..."

Voir également, See also :

The Year in Nanotech
"Dazzling displays, handheld sensors, cancer killers, and nanotube computers..."

The Year in Energy
"Biowaste to fuels, cars that plug in, lithium-ion batteries that don't explode, and cheap energy from the sun..."

The Year in Biotech
"Brain Chips, Gene Chips, Magical Pills, and Stem-Cell Cures..."

The year in environment
"Despite a growing global awareness of the threat we face from climate change, humans have continued to have a massive effect on the atmosphere during 2006..."

A year of invention
"For more than 30 years, patent sleuth Barry Fox has trawled the US patent applications for New Scientist. Here we provide a round-up of his most interesting, surprising and sometimes alarming, discoveries of 2006..."

The year in tech
"Some of this year's discoveries would be on the Christmas list of any caped crusader..."


... The Year in Online Video ... The Year in Browsers ... The Year in Games ... The Year in Security ... The Year in Science ... The Year In Medicine ... The year in biology and medicine ... The year in astronomy ... The year in human spaceflight ... The year in videos ... 


Gestion de crise - The Impact of Police and Media Relations on a Crisis
Naval Postgraduate School (thesis Castro) 09/06

"Effective crisis management and communication is crucial during any catastrophic event, otherwise fear, panic, and mass hysteria can prevail. The public relies heavily on the government (police) and the media for information during a crisis. This thesis focuses on a joint police and media response plan and outlines a preparation plan to assist the public during a terrorist attack or similar crisis. Historically, the police and the media have had opposing views regarding sharing and disseminating information to the public. This report studies the inherent mistrust between both organizations and proposes strategies to overcome the suspicion and build a partnership. Proven community policing models within the Philadelphia Police Department are examined as a potential template for a police and media partnership. Survey results and focus group responses from the police, media, and the community are presented. This document examines national and international lessons learned and offers best practices on providing timely and accurate information, educating and informing the public, and improving communication and trust between the police and the media. The proposed police and media training curriculum breaks down the cultural barriers and develops mutual respect for each individual profession..."


Iran - The Iranian petroleum crisis and United States national security
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Published online before print December 26, 2006

"The U.S. case against Iran is based on Iran’s deceptions regarding nuclear weapons development. This case is buttressed by assertions that a state so petroleum-rich cannot need nuclear power to preserve exports, as Iran claims. The U.S. infers, therefore, that Iran’s entire nuclear technology program must pertain to weapons development. However, some industry analysts project an Irani oil export decline [e.g., Clark JR (2005) Oil Gas J 103(18):34-39]. If such a decline is occurring, Iran’s claim to need nuclear power could be genuine. Because Iran’s government relies on monopoly proceeds from oil exports for most revenue, it could become politically vulnerable if exports decline. Here, we survey the political economy of Irani petroleum for evidence of this decline..."


Iran - Iran: Election Results Show Anti-Ahmadinejad Vote
RFE/RL December 19, 2006

"Iran's Interior Ministry has released the final results from the December 15 elections for the Assembly of Experts, and they give former President Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani -- a moderate conservative -- a rousing victory with more than 1.5 million votes.

Rafsanjani's victory in the Assembly of Experts -- the powerful body that oversees the work of Iran's supreme leader -- is regarded as a setback for hard-line President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

Partial results from the municipal councils elections also show that Ahmadinejad's allies losing badly to reformers and moderate conservatives in city councils all over the country..."


Lire également, Read also :

Iranian President's Allies Defeated In Local Elections
RFE/RL December 21, 2006

Iran Confirms Rafsanjani's Election Victory
RFE/RL December 18, 2006

Iran: Early Election Results Seen As Bad For President
RFE/RL December 18, 2006

Iranian Ministry Confirms Former President’s Election Lead
RFE/RL December 17, 2006


Jordanie - Jordan and Iraq: Between Cooperation and Crisis
By Scott Lasensky, USIP Special Report No. 178, December 2006.

"Jordan wants a strong, stable, moderate, and unified Iraq. Having wrestled with the dilemmas of an assertive Iraq for many years, Jordan—like Iraq's other neighbors—now faces a myriad of challenges presented by a weak Iraq. The kingdom, for years a linchpin in the U.S. strategy to promote peace and stability in the region, is now less secure in the wake of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Jordanian leaders worry that Iraq is becoming a haven for terrorist groups, a fear dramatically heightened by the November 2005 suicide bombings in Amman. Jordan also has an interest in the development of an Iraq that does not inspire radical Islamist politics in Jordan. Moreover, the kingdom is anxious about growing Iranian involvement in Iraqi politics, and—more broadly—increasing Iranian and Shiite influence in the region..."


Moyen-Orient - Islamist Movements in the Arab World and the 2006 Lebanon War
By Amr Hamzawy, Dina Bishara, Carnegie Endowment, Carnegie Paper No. 75, November 2006

"Recent electoral successes by Islamist parties throughout the Arab world have shown those movements to be viable political opposition to many undemocratic regimes. Most analyses examine those movements only within their individual domestic political environments. Yet equally important is the impact of broader, regional issues on domestic politics and the resulting tensions with ruling regimes. The 2006 Lebanon War was such an issue and one that had a profound impact on Islamist political movements, testing their respect for pluralism and tolerance, and reframing their relations with their own domestic leadership..."


Europe - Danger and Opportunity in Eastern Europe
RAND Corporation November/December 2006

"The recent emergence of nationalist and populist forces in eastern Europe, coupled with the rise of Russia, now threatens to derail efforts toward further EU integration, weaken NATO, erode the continent’s stability, and damage U.S. interests. Washington must ensure that the region’s new politics do not damage the European project, for a strong and cohesive EU is in everyone’s interest..."


Etats-Unis - The Iran-Contra Affair 20 Years On
Documents Spotlight Role of Reagan, Top Aids (Pentagon Nominee Robert Gates Among Many Prominent Figures Involved in the Scandal). National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 210, November 2006.

"On November 25, 1986, the biggest political and constitutional scandal since Watergate exploded in Washington when President Ronald Reagan told a packed White House news conference that funds derived from covert arms deals with the Islamic Republic of Iran had been diverted to buy weapons for the U.S.-backed Contra rebels in Nicaragua..."


Etats-Unis, Religion - The Mighty and the Almighty: Religion's Role in International Affairs - A dialogue between former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Professor Susan Thistlethwaite
USIP October 5, 2006

"Given the increasing role of religion in international affairs, how should the U.S. government relate to religious communities and factor religious issues into policymaking? Is it time for the traditional secularization of foreign policy to be rethought? How do the religious convictions of policymakers factor into decision-making?

These and other issues will be explored through dialogue between former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and Prof. Thistlethwaite in the context of Secretary Albright's new book, The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs..."


Risque pays - OSAC’s Top 10 Overseas Security Trends for the U.S. Private Sector in 2006
US Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, December 27, 2006

"OSAC Says Radicalism, Corruption, Intellectual Property Theft Among Growing Threats. Increased political radicalism, rising crime and corruption, pirating of intellectual property, and military conflict were among the top security challenges of 2006 confronting U.S. businesses, nongovernmental organizations and academic institutions operating abroad, according to a year-end analysis by the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)..."


Risque climatique - 2006 Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report
AON 12/06

"Even though an average number of tropical systems developed across the Northern Hemisphere over the last twelve months, severe weather outbreaks, monsoon flooding, wildfires, earthquakes, tropical systems and severe winter storms all produced significant damage and fatalities during the past year. These disasters are described in detail in the 2006 Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report, released by Aon's Impact Forecasting unit. The report summarizes the climatic conditions and natural catastrophes that occurred from January to December 2006. A forecast for the first five months of 2007 and the initial Colorado State University forecast for the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season are included as well..."


Risque management - Fraud Risk Management: Developing a Strategy for Prevention, Detection, and Response
KPMG 06

"This white paper provides an overview of fraud risk management fundamentals, identifies regulatory mandates from around the world, and spotlights critical practices that organizations have found to be effective when tailoring a business-driven anti-fraud program..."


Investissements - Report On U.S. Holdings of Foreign Securities At End-Year 2005
U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 29, 2006

"The survey measured the value of U.S. holdings of foreign securities at year-end 2005 of approximately $4,609 billion, with $3,318 billion held in foreign equities, $1,028 billion in foreign long-term debt securities (original term-to-maturity in excess of one year), and $263 billion in foreign short-term debt securities. The previous survey measured U.S. holdings at year-end 2004 of approximately $3,787 billion, with $2,560 billion held in foreign equities, $993 billion in foreign long-term debt securities, and $233 billion in foreign short-term debt securities..."