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S. Korea, China to cooperate on Pyongyang GPS jamming

S. Korea, China to cooperate on Pyongyang GPS jamming

South President Lee Myung-bak and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao agreed to cooperate on devising measures to address North Korea’s jamming of satellite traffic navigation signals during their talks here on Monday.

The leaders exchanged their views on the safety of passenger flight operations in South Korea, China and Japan, said Kim Tae-hyo, senior presidential secretary for national security.

In recent weeks, hundreds of aircraft and ships in South Korea have been affected by Global Position System disruptions, which Seoul authorities claim were caused by the North’s electric jamming waves.

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South Korea cautions against deployment of US tactical nukes

South Korea cautions against deployment of US tactical nukes

Seoul officials and experts cautioned against the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula proposed by some in the United States, which they fear could refuel an atomic arms race in Northeast Asia.

The US House Armed Services Committee on Thursday approved an amendment to the fiscal 2013 national defense authorisation bill that calls for the re-introduction of the sensitive weapons to South Korea, according to the diplomacy publication Foreign Policy.

While the South Korean government is not openly criticising the idea, concerned ministries say that Seoul remains fundamentally in favour of denuclearisation of the peninsula and that such developments will bring little security benefits for Seoul.

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East Africa: U.S. Army Africa Commander Engages Leaders in Djibouti, Ethiopia

East Africa: U.S. Army Africa Commander Engages Leaders in Djibouti, Ethiopia

During a whirlwind trip to East Africa, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, commander, U.S. Army Africa, and a small group of advisers visited U.S. Army troops at Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa in Djibouti and attended meetings with African Union mission leaders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 24-27.

Initially, Hogg traveled to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, where he, along with USARAF Command Sgt. Maj. Hu Rhodes, USARAF’s Political Adviser Alan Latimer and Security Cooperation Desk Officer Ron Stafford took part in a series of briefings with Air Force Brig. Gen. Eugene Haase, deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. Following the CJTF-HOA briefings, Hogg met with Texas Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve troops currently working in and around Camp Lemonnier.

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Sanctions if Nato supplies not restored: Defense Minister Mukhtar

Sanctions if Nato supplies not restored: Defense Minister Mukhtar

Federal Minister for Defence Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar said on Sunday that Pakistan might face sanctions if it did not allow Nato supplies as it would be a violation of international conventions.

Pakistan suspended Nato supplies after a US attack on its Salala post along the Afghan border in November killed at least 24 soldiers.

“Pakistan has signed international conventions under which it will not be easy for it to keep Nato supplies suspended as it may lead to sanctions,” the defence minister said while talking to reporters at a luncheon hosted by PPP leader Munir Ahmed Khan.

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Russia’s military brass threatens preemptive strike if NATO goes ahead with missile plan

Russia’s military brass threatens preemptive strike if NATO goes ahead with missile plan

Russia’s top military officer has threatened to carry out a pre-emptive strike on U.S.-led NATO missile defense facilities in Eastern Europe if Washington goes ahead with its controversial plan to build a missile shield.

President Dmitry Medvedev said last year that Russia will retaliate militarily if it does not reach an agreement with the United States and NATO on the missile defense system.

Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov went even further Thursday. “A decision to use destructive force pre-emptively will be taken if the situation worsens,” he said at an international conference attended by senior U.S. and NATO officials.

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US neutrality stance broken, triples military aid to Philippines in 2012

US neutrality stance broken, triples military aid to Philippines in 2012

The United States will nearly triple its military funding for the Philippines this year, the Philippine foreign ministry said on Thursday, as tensions rise with China over disputed islands and Washington bolsters its alliance with Manila.

However, the Philippines expressed concern over what it said was a sharp decline in its share of U.S. foreign military financing (FMF) despite Manila’s central role in the U.S.’s military “pivot” back to Asia.

Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario said the Philippines accounted for over 70 percent of total FMF allocation for East Asia in 2006, compared to 35 percent this year.

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Philippines seeks US help to build its military

Philippines seeks US help to build its military

The Philippines is asking for more U.S. military hardware and says it’s in Washington’s strategic interest to help.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Wednesday the Philippines is submitting a list requesting patrol vessels and aircraft, radar systems and coast watch stations.

His comments come after high-level talks in Washington this week, and amid a continuing standoff between the Philippines and China at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

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USARAF: U.S. Soldiers ‘train the trainer’ in Africa

USARAF: U.S. Soldiers ‘train the trainer’ in Africa

“The AMISON mission is a shift from peacekeeping operation to a more kinetic-oriented operation, and these changes require a different approach to training and preparation,” Buzzurro said. “Our mentoring team brings combat experience from both Iraq and Afghanistan which combined with the instruction of the ACOTA program enhances the capabilities of the unit to accomplish its mission.”

ACOTA is a State Department, Bureau of African Affairs Program that originated in 1997 to enhance the capacities and capabilities of its African Partner Countries, regional institutions, and the continent’s peacekeeping resources as a whole so they can plan for, train, deploy, and sustain sufficient quantities of professionally competent peacekeepers to meet conflict transformation requirements with minimal non-African assistance.

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China-Russia relations reach new heights

China-Russia relations reach new heights

Cooperation between China and Russia has huge potential, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang said in Moscow yesterday.

“The China-Russia all-around strategic partnership is unprecedented at the moment, and I believe the cooperation between the two countries could reach a new high, as there is a wide range of areas that we could jointly develop,” said Li during his meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

“Of course, the way ahead is always not smooth, but we are good neighbours, good friends and good partners.”

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Increased U.S. military presence prompts unease in Philippines

Increased U.S. military presence prompts unease in Philippines

The squad from the U.S. Army’s 196th Infantry Brigade was moving quietly through the hills of Luzon Island when the staccato bursts of machine gun fire sent them into action.

About a dozen soldiers fired into the surrounding mountains, while a small contingent broke away to make a direct assault on the hidden gunmen. After a brief, intense gun battle, the squad cleared the area.

The firefight was part of joint military exercises in which the message, at least in part, appeared to be clear despite proclamations to the contrary.

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New armed group takes control of Timbuktu

New armed group takes control of Timbuktu

A new armed group on Friday tightened its grip on the Malian city of Timbuktu as the Tuareg rebels reached the center.

Members of the National Liberation Front of Azawad (FLNA), which was set up this month, on Thursday arrived in vehicles and seized control of entries to the east and south of the ancient city.

On Friday the group, which says it has neither a secessionist nor Islamist agenda, moved into Timbuktu’s central area.

“Around 100 vehicles full of armed FLNA fighters came today to the (central) Sans Fil area of Timbuktu. They are armed to the teeth,” said a Malian security source in the town.

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Chinese Army vows to ‘safeguard’ territory in China Sea

Chinese Army vows to ‘safeguard’ territory in China Sea

The Chinese military has vowed to “fulfill their duty” to safeguard the South China Sea.
“China’s military forces will collaborate closely with related governing bodies, including fishery administration and maritime law enforcement, to jointly ensure the country’s maritime rights and interests,” the China Daily quoted Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng, as saying.

This was the first official remark from the armed forces of China following a standoff with a Philippine warship in waters off China’s Huangyan Island on April 10.

Analysts claimed that the comments were also in response to growing domestic demand to ensure sovereignty in the South China Sea.

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Turkey and China host biggest EU outposts

Turkey and China host biggest EU outposts

Staff numbers at embassies highlight EU interest in Turkey, China, the Western Balkans and in multilateral bodies, as well as member states’ ongoing reliance on bilateral diplomacy.

The EU’s top 10 delegations in terms of staff numbers are: Ankara (137), Beijing/Hong Kong (116), Moscow (102), Belgrade (100), Tel Aviv/Ramallah (97), Kiev (93), Sarajevo (92), New Delhi (87), Washington (86) and Nairobi (85). The EU also has 187 people posted to various branches of the UN, the WTO, the African Union, the OECD economic club and democracy watchdogs the OSCE and the Council of Europe.

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The rise of Turkey as a superpower

The rise of Turkey as a superpower

Turkey’s rise has been engineered by its brilliant, proud, and often prickly prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A devout Muslim, Erdogan has revolutionized Turkish politics by challenging his country’s historic commitment to secularism and introducing a greater role for Islam in Turkish politics. Under his leadership, Turkey was, for a time, the only country that managed decent relations with all the regional powers, including Israel, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

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West Africa bloc to send troops to coup-hit Bissau: sources

West Africa bloc to send troops to coup-hit Bissau: sources

West African regional bloc ECOWAS plans to send more than 600 troops to Guinea-Bissau in coming days to protect institutions and political figures after a military coup there, a senior ECOWAS source and another informed official said on Wednesday.

If ECOWAS follows through, the move risks triggering renewed conflict in the impoverished nation since the military junta that seized power on April 12 has warned it would treat any foreign troops dispatched to Guinea-Bissau as occupiers.

A regional security force in Guinea-Bissau could provide the country’s politicians cover to form a caretaker government and create a fresh roadmap to democratic elections.

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Tajikistan, Russia Inch Closer To Deal on Troop Presence

Tajikistan, Russia Inch Closer To Deal on Troop Presence

Russia and Tajikistan are getting closer to a deal that would extend the presence of Russian troops in the Central Asian nation beyond 2014, Russia’s foreign minister said Tuesday.

It is expected that the lease for the three Russian-controlled garrisons in the former Soviet republic neighboring Afghanistan will be extended by 49 years — a prospect first floated by outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in September.

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Philippines Deploys 2 More Warships to Scarborough Shoal, Urges Other Countries Against China

Philippines Deploys 2 More Warships to Scarborough Shoal, Urges Other Countries Against China

The Chinese-Filipino dispute over the islands in the South China Sea known internationally as Scarborough Shoal is entering its third week, and tensions between the two countries show no signs of dissipating.

The Filipino government is raising the stakes by sending more ships and a plane to the area it refers to as Panatag Shoal and which China calls Huangyan Island.

In China, China Youth Daily and other news outlets reported on Monday that the commander of the Philippine navy, Rear Admiral Alexander Pama, told the Philippines’ ABS-CBN news that his country would dispatch two more warships and an anti-submarine airplane to Scarborough Shoal.

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South Sudan leader’s Beijing trip goes on amid tensions

South Sudan leader’s Beijing trip goes on amid tensions

The visit by South Sudan’s president to China was not rescheduled despite escalating tension between Sudan and South Sudan.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan in July after decades of civil war, but the two states never agreed on a border, how much the landlocked South should pay to transport its oil through Sudan and the division of national debt, among other issues.

Beijing will offer to mediate and ease the tension during Salva Kiir Mayardit’s April 23-28 visit and will try to ensure the safety and interests of Chinese people and assets in the two African countries, experts said.

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China says considering sending observers to Syria

China says considering sending observers to Syria

China said on Thursday it was considering sending observers to monitor a week-old truce in Syria that has so far failed to put an end to a year of bloodshed.

China is “seriously studying” the idea, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told a daily news briefing.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said an expanded UN monitoring mission for Syria would be composed of “an initial deployment” of up to 300 unarmed observers who would supervise a fragile week-old ceasefire between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and opposition fighters seeking to oust him.

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Viet Nam, China army brass urge stronger defence ties

Viet Nam, China army brass urge stronger defence ties

High-ranking army officers of Viet Nam and China have affirmed the importance of defence ties in the comprehensive co-operative strategic partnership between the two Parties and States.

The statement was made by Senior Lieutenant-General Do Ba Ty, chief of the General Staff of the Viet Nam People’s Army, and his Chinese counterpart Chen Bingde during talks in Beijing on Monday.

They expressed their pleasure at the development of the two countries’ defence ties, saying that the two sides had effectively implemented the protocol signed between the two defence ministries in 2003, along with other co-operative agreements.

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New Cold War for Resources Looms in Arctic

New Cold War for Resources Looms in Arctic

To the world’s military leaders, the debate over climate change is long over. They are preparing for a new kind of Cold War in the Arctic, anticipating that rising temperatures there will open up a treasure trove of resources, long-dreamed-of sea-lanes and a slew of potential conflicts.

By Arctic standards, the region is already buzzing with military activity, and experts believe that will increase significantly in the years ahead.

Last month, Norway wrapped up one of the largest Arctic maneuvers ever — Exercise Cold Response — with 16,300 troops from 14 countries training on the ice for everything from high intensity warfare to terror threats.

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The security situation in the SCO region is generally stable

The security situation in the SCO region is generally stable

On April 12, 2012, the Seventh Meeting of the Secretaries of the Security Councils of the SCO Member States was held in Beijing. Chinese State Councilor Meng Jianzhu chaired and spoke at the meeting.

Meng Jianzhu said that China is the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this year. The 7th Meeting of the Secretaries of the Security Councils of the SCO Member States, which marks the prelude to a series of SCO summits, has laid a solid foundation for the successful holding of the SCO summits this year and for the Organization to better perform the functions of safeguarding regional peace, security and stability in the next 10 years.

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Uzbekistan & Tajikistan on the brink of war?

Uzbekistan & Tajikistan on the brink of war?

Without a mediator, the Tajik-Uzbek conflict could lead to another civil war in Tajikistan and to a serious destabilization of the whole of Central Asia. For Russia, this means it has to urgently develop a new strategy.

The relations between Dushanbe and Tashkent have worsened considerably lately and both countries are on the brink of open conflict as a result of this. Uzbekistan, knowing that Tajikistan is completely dependent on it has completely cut off the country from gas and transport. Tashkent claims that the blockade is purely economic: the Tajiks do not pay for the transit of gas and it is therefore more profitable to sell gas to the Chinese.

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US Army Africa(USARAF) conducts first AT/FP Level II training in Africa to U.S. personnel

US Army Africa(USARAF) conducts first AT/FP Level II training in Africa to U.S. personnel

Mike Miller, an AT/FP instructor with Department of the Air Force, said it is important to build relationships with the country team and regional security officers due to the unique situation in Africa. To conduct current and future operations, the country team and RSOs are utilized to help conduct joint exercises and other operations.

“Inside AFRICOM (Africa Command), both U.S. Army Africa and U.S. Air Force Africa’s unique mission faces security challenges, and force protection has to be in the forefront, and to do that successfully, you have to have a good relationship with both DoD in-country and DoS. It was an excellent opportunity to get some training for all those organizations,” Miller, a Chicago, Ill. native, said.

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Is NATO’s “Smart Defense” Program a Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

Is NATO’s “Smart Defense” Program a Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

The NATO juggernaut is rolling forward to next month’s summit in Chicago. A key theme of the summit will be improvements to the Alliance’s capability to defend its members and meet evolving threats. NATO has promised concrete deliverables in Chicago including a long-term capability strategy for the so-called “Smart Defense” initiative which focuses on greater prioritization, specialization and cooperation among the NATO members so as to improve actual military capabilities. NATO has already announced that this strategy will consist of three parts: what is called a tangible package of multinational projects to address critical capability shortfalls; a set of longer-term multinational projects that include missile defense, Alliance ground surveillance and air policing; and, strategic projects for 2020 covering areas such as joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and air-to-air refueling.

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Arab Spring negotiator meets with Saakashvili’s political foe

Arab Spring negotiator meets with Saakashvili’s political foe

Wisner arrived on invitation of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Georgian president’s main political competitor, and has already met with the Georgian businessman at his business-center on a hill above Tbilisi.

No information was available about in what capacity Wisner is visiting. After the meeting Wednesday, the guest said he received good information about the current reality of Georgian political life.

“I’m enormously interested in Georgia’s future, the future of Georgian democracy. Over the past 20 years I’ve followed your history as closely as Americans normally can or are able to do and I believe very much in the course that you’ve set for yourselves to have vibrant democracy that contributes to stability throughout this region of the world and that is in harmony with the most fundamental values of Euro Atlantic community and my country,” Wisner said.

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Philippine Warship in Standoff With Chinese Vessels

Philippine Warship in Standoff With Chinese Vessels

The Philippines’ largest warship was engaged in a tense standoff with Chinese surveillance vessels Wednesday at a disputed South China Sea shoal, after the ship attempted to arrest Chinese fishermen but was blocked by the surveillance craft.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario has summoned Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing in an attempt to resolve the impasse diplomatically. Del Rosario’s office said in a statement that the Scarborough Shoal “is an integral part of Philippine territory” and Filipino authorities would assert sovereignty over the offshore area.

The Chinese Embassy has accused the Philippine warship of harassing the fishermen.

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China Buys Inroads in the Caribbean, Catching U.S. Notice

China Buys Inroads in the Caribbean, Catching U.S. Notice

China’s economic might has rolled up to America’s doorstep in the Caribbean, with a flurry of loans from state banks, investments by companies and outright gifts from the government in the form of new stadiums, roads, official buildings, ports and resorts in a region where the United States has long been a prime benefactor.

The Chinese have flexed their economic prowess in nearly every corner of the world. But planting a flag so close to the United States has generated intense vetting — and some raised eyebrows — among diplomats, economists and investors.

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UK firms in secret talks on joining Burmese gold rush

UK firms in secret talks on joining Burmese gold rush

British businesses are looking to invest once more in Burma, as Western multinationals prepare for a gold rush inside one of South-east Asia’s least developed – and potentially lucrative – economies.

JCB, Shell, HSBC and Standard Chartered are among the British firms said to be interested in Burma’s potential.

The Independent understands the Foreign Office has held meetings with some British companies that have expressed an interest in investing in Burma. Officially, UK Trade and Investment does not encourage British firms to do business in the country. But a number of key British businesses privately indicate they are considering investing in Burma if reforms are brought in and EU sanctions against the state are lifted.

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Number of Russian spies in the UK back to Cold War levels: Security services

Number of Russian spies in the UK back to Cold War levels: Security services

Up to half the staff at the Russian embassy in London could be involved in intelligence gathering, a senior source told The Daily Telegraph.

About 40 Russian spies are believed to be operating in this country at any one time. Some are involved in traditional state espionage, while others monitor London-based oligarchs or engage in industrial spying.

There are fears Russia will intensify its efforts over the coming months while the British security services focus on the Olympic Games and Diamond Jubilee.

Britain’s close relationship with America is also hugely attractive for Russia, which sees it as a “back door” to US intelligence, one expert warned.

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Chinese playing politics U.S.-style

Chinese playing politics U.S.-style

In China, there are no elections, no slugfest debates, no $1,000-a-plate fundraisers. But lately the country seems to be taking a page from American politics, complete with campaign-style dirty tricks and a politician who wouldn’t seem out of place pressing the flesh on the convention floor.

As in the United States, this is a transition year for China. In October, the Communist Party convenes to choose a successor to Hu Jintao, who is retiring as the party’s secretary-general and, next year, as president. Vice President Xi Jinping has a lock on the top job, but seven seats out of the nine on the Standing Committee of the Politburo are also up for grabs.

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The Iran-Israel military sandwich

The Iran-Israel military sandwich

News often means the opposite of what it appears to say in the Middle East, as demonstrated by the “news bombing” over recent days regarding the Israel-Iran tensions. Reporting about the possible military attack on Iran and the story that Azerbaijan has given an air base to Israel has led to the Caucasus region, particularly Azerbaijan, becoming sandwiched by the rising Iran-Israel antagonism. New information anonymously leaked to the media, allegedly from former senior US diplomats and military intelligence officers, claims that Azerbaijan is allowing Israel to locate a military air base on its territory.

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China Sees U.S. as Competitor and Declining Power, Insider Says

China Sees U.S. as Competitor and Declining Power, Insider Says

The senior leadership of the Chinese government increasingly views the competition between the United States and China as a zero-sum game, with China the likely long-range winner if the American economy and domestic political system continue to stumble, according to an influential Chinese policy analyst.

China views the United States as a declining power, but at the same time believes that Washington is trying to fight back to undermine, and even disrupt, the economic and military growth that point to China’s becoming the world’s most powerful country, according to the analyst

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Foreign Policy Junta: Trained in The U.S.A.

Foreign Policy Junta: Trained in The U.S.A.

The United States has a long history of inadvertently (and sometimes not so inadvertently) training future coup plotters around the world.

AMADOU HAYA SANOGO

Country: Mali

Training: U.S. military officials have acknowledged that Sanogo “participated in several U.S.-funded International Military Education and Training (IMET) programs in the United States, including basic officer training,” though it’s not yet clear which courses he took. He has affirmed receiving U.S. training in several interviews, but has declined to elaborate. Until this month’s events, the United States allocated $600,000 per year for military training in Mali as part of an effort to combat Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

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NATO: Member nations should share military systems

NATO: Member nations should share military systems

Two F-4 Phantom jet fighters under NATO control streaked off the runway at a former Soviet air base in Lithuania this week in response to a report that an aircraft had lost communications as it neared Finnish airspace.

It was all an exercise — a simulation — but one with a point beyond mere rehearsal: NATO officials hope that, at a summit in Chicago this May, member nations will put aside concerns over sovereignty and agree in principle to create joint defense capabilities.
The idea is that, in a time of dwindling defense budgets, it makes sense to have coordinated programs in which specific countries agree to buy certain weapons systems — and forgo others — to create a coherent whole.

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LEND Network To Connect Leaders In Emerging Democracies

LEND Network To Connect Leaders In Emerging Democracies

The United States and Estonia will lead a groundbreaking new effort to support leaders in emerging democracies.

This was announced by the U.S. State Department after a meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her visiting Estonian counterpart Urmas Paet in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.

The LEND Network (for Leaders Engaged in New Democracies) will leverage expertise from the Club de Madrid, the world’s largest forum of democratically elected former Presidents and Prime Ministers, and 21st century technologies developed by Google and OpenText to connect leaders who have successfully navigated the challenges of democratization with leaders in emerging democracies.

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How Russia Plays the Great Game

How Russia Plays the Great Game

Russia is playing a careful balancing game in Central Asia – stirring up worries about the U.S. military presence is just part of the game.

In keeping with their post-Soviet realpolitik, Russian officials consistently voice support for NATO’s Afghanistan mission. After all, they don’t
want NATO forces to withdraw from Afghanistan too soon for fear that the Afghan War burden will be dumped on them. But should the alliance’s stabilization effort succeed, Russians will be the first to demand the departure of Western troops. And in the meantime, Russian officials are determined to constrain NATO’s military presence in Eurasia by making it dependent on Moscow’s goodwill.

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India/Balkans Package?: Turkey prepares for partition of Iraq

India/Balkans Package?: Turkey prepares for partition of Iraq

According to a senior government official who I talked to last week, Turkey has set things in motion to beef up a contingency plan for the future of Iraq in the face of the increasing likelihood that the country may be divided along sectarian lines under the joint pressure of the militant Shiite regime in Tehran and its co-conspirators in Baghdad.

The fallback position for Turkey now or Plan B for the future of Iraq is to create a united front, consisting of Sunni Arabs and Kurds, against the Shiite majority. Because of the sensitivity of the partition issue, the official spoke under the condition of anonymity.

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Losing Geopolitical Battle in Syria

Losing Geopolitical Battle in Syria

The 3rd Millennium crusaders US, UK, France and other NATO members along with their ‘democracy lover’ Arab clients in Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh and Qatar with an Islamists ruled Ankara have been halted at Homs in Syria with stiff military ,political and strategic resistance internationally by Moscow and Beijing in UNSC and elsewhere. The delicate task of defusing the violent conflict situation and then working out some solution to save face has been entrusted to Kofi Annan; former secretary general of UNO, not Washington’s favorite .Kofi had described US led 2003 invasion of Iraq against the UN Charter and hence illegal .So an agreement on Annan is a significant trend in itself.

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Flashpoint Region: Supply of Weapons to South Caucasus

Flashpoint Region: Supply of Weapons to South Caucasus

The South Caucasus can no longer be viewed as a region in regard to which the balance of forces is arranged. The states of the south Caucasus were not given the opportunity to be more independent, their policy was practically aimed at the external actors.

In the course of a number of years the impression was that the United States and Russia mostly had shared goals. Now one can claim confidently that the United States, Russia and other great powers were interested in limited factors of the states of the South Caucasus because not only the possibility of ousting their opponents but also the possibility of holding active operations of political and military character is there, having a larger scale of importance than just regional.

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Syria intervention talk as diplomacy withers

Syria intervention talk as diplomacy withers

A year of sanctions, diplomacy and harsh rhetoric failed to stop Syria’s bloody crackdown and oust President Bashar Assad. With frustration running high, Turkey and other countries that have staked moral credibility on ending the violence are increasingly looking at intervention on Syrian soil, a strategy they have so far avoided for lack of international consensus and fears it could widen the conflict.

Diplomacy has not yet run its course, but more treacherous options, including aid to Syrian rebels, are likely to come up at a meeting of dozens of countries that oppose Assad, including the United States and its European and Arab partners, in Istanbul on April 1.

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US navy to position three aircraft carriers near Iran

US navy to position three aircraft carriers near Iran

The US navy will have three aircraft carriers positioned near Iran in the coming days, and is doubling the number of minesweeping ships and helicopters based in the Gulf.

Israel, meanwhile, is keeping up rhetoric that makes many think the Jewish state — the Middle East’s sole if undeclared nuclear power, which is not involved in the talks — is serious about possibly attacking Iran, with or without US support.

A majority of Israel’s 14-member security cabinet now supports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in launching a pre-emptive strike on Iran in a bid to end its nuclear programme, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on Thursday, citing political sources it did not identify.

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Chinese foreign minister on Beijing’s firm foothold in Africa

Chinese foreign minister on Beijing’s firm foothold in Africa

China’s burgeoning influence around the world has reshaped global affairs, not least, the economic and political issues. In a recent interview with more than 500 journalists at the Great Hall of the People, China’s Foreign Affairs minister Yang Jiechi spoke on a wide range of issues and underlined his country’s foreign policy and external relations.

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CIA chief holds closed-door meeting on Syria with Turkish prime minister

CIA chief holds closed-door meeting on Syria with Turkish prime minister

Top U.S. officials are reaching out to American allies in the Mideast to get a better read on the escalating crisis in Syria.

CIA chief David Petraeus on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss the violent crackdown by Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad on anti-government forces, according to Agence France-Presse.

U.S. embassy spokesman T.J. Grubisha said Petraeus met with Erdoğan and Turkish National Intelligence Organization chief Hakan Fidan and “discussed areas of mutual concern, including regional security issues and counter-terrorism cooperation.”

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Exclusive: U.S. dangles secret data for Russia missile shield approval

Exclusive: U.S. dangles secret data for Russia missile shield approval

VBO is at the heart of what Russia wants as the price for its cooperation, said Riki Ellison, head of the private Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, who has close ties to missile defense and military officials.

VBO tells how fast an interceptor is going when its rocket-booster motor fuel is spent and the motor burns out.

With VBO and certain other technical data, Moscow could more readily develop countermeasures and strategies to defeat the system and transfer the information to others, Ellison said.

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Iran muscles in on Azerbaijan

Iran muscles in on Azerbaijan

Wars between Russia and Persia in the early 19th century ended the rule of local khans and established the present border between Azerbaijan and Iran, as the former was made part of the Russian Empire (and later Soviet Union) while “southern Azerbaijan” became part of the Persian Empire. Since 1991, the independent Republic of Azerbaijan has emerged as an autonomous player in Caspian Sea and world energy markets with significant offshore deposits of oil and gas.

With a population just over 9 million scattered over an area of 86,600 square kilometers (approximately the size of Portugal), including Nagorno-Karabakh, the 20% of Azerbaijan’s land surface occupied by Armenia since the 1994 ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh War, Azerbaijan’s energy resources and geopolitical location have given it over the past two decades an international profile far higher than could otherwise be expected.

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U.S. Teaming With New Yemen Government on Strategy to Combat Al Qaeda

U.S. Teaming With New Yemen Government on Strategy to Combat Al Qaeda

The Obama administration is embarking on an ambitious and potentially risky plan to help the new government in Yemen overhaul its military to combat the Qaeda franchise that has exploited the political turmoil there to seize control of large swaths of the country’s south.

The plan’s two-pronged strategy calls for the United States and Yemen to work together to kill or capture about two dozen of Al Qaeda’s most dangerous operatives, who are focused on attacking America and its interests.

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US drones circle over the Philippines

US drones circle over the Philippines

A United States-supported airstrike that destroyed with causalities an Abu Sayyaf hideout on the remote island of Jolo in the southern Philippines represented the first known use of the unmanned aerial assault craft in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) counter-insurgency operations against terrorism-linked rebel groups.

The drone attack early this month reportedly killed 15 Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah operatives, including three most-wanted terrorist leaders – Zulkifli bin Hir (alias Marwan), Gumbahali Jumdail (alias Doc Abu), and Mumanda Ali (alias Muawayah) – and raised the level of US-Philippine military cooperation.

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US making ‘strategic bet’ on India in Asia, says scholar

US making ‘strategic bet’ on India in Asia, says scholar

India gets a key place in the US pivot toward the Asia-Pacific region because Washington is making “a strategic bet” that India will promote peace and security in the long term, according to a US scholar.

The unexpected attention given to India in Pentagon’s new strategic guidance “raises interesting questions about how India fits into the United States’ vision for security in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Amer Latif in a commentary.

Noting that Washington and New Delhi have been actively building their defence relations through defence sales, exercises, and high-level military engagements, he said: “Despite the impressive progress in recent years, questions still remain about India’s commitment and ability to be a security provider in Asia.”

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USAID’s role in covert work questioned

USAID’s role in covert work questioned

It was part of John F. Kennedy’s New Frontier: a government agency to work with developing countries around the world and spread democracy in the process.

Fifty years later, the U.S. Agency for International Development faces skepticism from other countries about its true purpose and warnings from critics who say it has strayed too much into the world of clandestine operations.

The imprisonment in Cuba of USAID subcontractor Alan Gross, who secretly brought in communications equipment to the country, has raised questions whether the aid agency has endangered its workers, even those who operate in the open.

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U.S. Losing The Information War Abroad

U.S. Losing The Information War Abroad

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the agency in charge of critical U.S. information programs to countries such as Iran, China and Russia, can only be described as a failed enterprise in need of emergency surgery.

Just as the new Voice of America (VOA) director,David Ensor, was praising the VOA Russian Service as a model of innovation during a speech to mark the broadcast’s 70th anniversary, theRussian Service was posting an apology to Alexei Navalny, a famous Russian anti-corruption lawyer, opposition leader and blogger, for publishing an online interview with him, which he described as “100 percent fake.”

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Japan’s stealth forex interventions sold 1.02 tril. yen in Nov.

Japan’s stealth forex interventions sold 1.02 tril. yen in Nov.

Japan sold a total of 1.02 trillion yen ($13.3 billion) in unannounced market interventions in early November to stem the sharp rise of the Japanese currency against the U.S. dollar, Finance Ministry data showed Tuesday.

The stealth interventions followed the record 8.07 trillion yen intervention on Oct. 31 as the yen touched a postwar peak of 75.32 yen against the dollar. That action was immediately announced by the ministry and the Bank of Japan.

The series of moves reflect the intensity of Japanese monetary authorities’ efforts to shield the economy from the yen’s rise, which has significantly slowed the country’s exports and led to the first annual trade deficit in more than three decades last year.

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US Eastern Pivot Causes Rift: China sanctions against Philippines urged

US Eastern Pivot Causes Rift: China sanctions against Philippines urged

China should impose “sanctions” against the Philippines after the latter offered to allow more US troops on its soil, state media said on Sunday, amid growing tensions over disputed waters in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

In sharp contrast, China’s foreign ministry called for greater efforts toward “peace and stability” in the region.

“We hope that relevant parties will make more effort toward peace and stability in the region,” the foreign ministry said in a brief statement faxed to Agence France-Presse on Sunday.

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“Dirty money, blackmail, pressure to recognize Kosovo”

“Dirty money, blackmail, pressure to recognize Kosovo”

A combination of pressure, blackmails and dirty money induced a part of African countries to change their stand, although they had been refusing to recognize an attempted secession of a part of a sovereign state’s territory for a long time, Jeremić stated after several bilateral meetings held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Serbian chief of diplomacy is attending the African Union (AU) Summit there.

In an interview for Tanjug, Jeremić said that only a small number of countries changed their stand on the issue of Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence and that a considerable number of countries in Africa still do not recognize Kosovo.

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India, Pakistan closer to oil deal import from Turkmenistan

India, Pakistan closer to oil deal import from Turkmenistan

India and Pakistan are closer to agreeing on a transit fee and a joint strategy to develop gas fields and import the hydrocarbon via a pipeline from the Central Asian Republic of Turkmenistan, oil ministers of two countries said.

The statements came during joint press conference by Indian Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister S Jaipal Reddy and his Pakistani counterpart Dr Asim Hussain, after bilateral talks on energy cooperation here.
Turkmenistan has world’s fourth largest reserves of natural gas. India & Pakistan are both keen to tap this source through a pipeline via the Central Asian country’s eastern neighbour, Afghanistan.

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AEI Resident Scholar: US considering ‘air strikes’, not invasion of Iran

AEI Resident Scholar: US considering ‘air strikes’, not invasion of Iran

How serious is the current crisis over Iran? Can it be solved by sanctions?

The crisis with Iran is very serious. There is no trust between Washington and Tehran. There is a sense in the United States and Europe that time is running out and that, absent stronger measures, Iran will achieve the capability to make nuclear weapons.

Iran will only reverse course if the costs of its defiance become greater than it can bear. None of the sanctions in place right now will compel Iran to change its policy. Only overwhelming sanctions leading to Iran’s economic collapse can work, but with Russia and China shielding Iran, such crippling sanctions appear unlikely.

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Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Azerbaijan develops its partnership with NATO”

Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Azerbaijan develops its partnership with NATO”

The issues of defense reforms, practical cooperation, security in the region, future development of Azerbaijan-NATO relations, including the beginning of Individual Partnership Plan, operations, energy security were discussed during the political dialog last year. The 28+1 (NATO member countries and Azerbaijan) meeting on energy security was held in NATO headquarters last year.

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David Arkhangelski : “Azerbaijan is a potential market for armament and military technology”

David Arkhangelski : “Azerbaijan is a potential market for armament and military technology”

There are series of fields where Azerbaijan and Georgia should boost cooperation. Security zone is a many critical as we face a lot of identical threats like terrorisms, trafficking and solidified conflicts.

Azerbaijan has a really engaging and quick building military-industrial complex. Georgia would be meddlesome in a technological team-work with your country. Azerbaijan is also a intensity marketplace for armament and troops technology.

I would like to underline a significance of a preparation in counterclaim field, sell programs and knowledge pity would be profitable for both a countries.

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Kremlin Walks a High Wire on Iran’s Nuclear Program

Kremlin Walks a High Wire on Iran’s Nuclear Program

Russia built for Iran its first nuclear power plant, then refused to sell to Tehran the anti-aircraft missiles to defend it.

A high-ranking Russian told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday that it “remains unproven” that there is a military component to Iran’s nuclear program.

On the other hand, he added, Tehran’s decision to enrich uranium violates international resolutions designed to keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb.

As tensions rise between the West and Iran over Iran’s nuclear program, Russia is trying to play a highwire balancing act.

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Gulf states show rising confidence to rattle Iran

Gulf states show rising confidence to rattle Iran

The Iranians have watched as frustrated bystanders while the leader of its most influential ally, China, began a tour of Gulf Arab states with talks in Tehran’s top regional rival Saudi Arabia. Two other major Iranian oil customers – South Korea and Japan – also had high-level delegations in the Gulf to discuss supply guarantees if they fall in line with U.S.-led pressures to cut back on Iranian imports.

Iran sharply warned its neighbors about making any deals that could undercut its critical oil income. The Gulf rulers barely blinked.

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Balance of Power: Changing Geometrics of Asia-Pacific & Containment of China

Balance of Power: Changing Geometrics of Asia-Pacific & Containment of China

Asia-Pacific, as the name suggests, refers to a large part of the earth, whereby countries and continents surround the vast Pacific Ocean. More than being merely a geographical entity, this region has many strategic, economic & political connotations to it. Groupings like ASEAN, ASEAN+3, EAS, APEC etc. provide the various contexts in which the politics, economics and security of the region is defined.

Importance of this region can be gauged from the fact that the countries in Asia-Pacific account for over 40% of the world’s population, 55% of the world’s GDP and about 45% of global trade. And these numbers are rapidly growing.

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Russia’s ‘democracy package’ for Syria

Russia’s ‘democracy package’ for Syria

The Russians have been talking a lot about a Yemeni solution for Syria, without going into too much detail. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov even said it publicly, twice, in less than a week, impressed by the win-win deal between Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his opponents.

Sources close to Moscow say that a “Russian Initiative” will be announced for Syria by late January, modeled after the Yemeni one.

The initiative, apparently, will be the brainchild of both the Americans and Russians, but it will be packaged and marketed as a Russian deal, from A to Z.

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China wants to set up bases in Pakistan, reveals intelligence report

China wants to set up bases in Pakistan, reveals intelligence report

China might be allowed to use Pakistan’s military facilities, a secret intelligence report accessed by Headlines Today has revealed.

The intelligence report has set alarm bells ringing in the government circles. Moreover, all this is being done without any public announcement.

China has been keen on building military bases in federally administered tribal areas (FATA) in the northwest region of Pakistan. In the last few months there have been several high level meetings of Pakistani and Chinese officials.

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Iran closes border with Pakistan over military arrest

Iran closes border with Pakistan over military arrest

Iranian border guards accused of killing a Pakistani civilian on the weekend “unintentionally” entered Pakistan in pursuit of drug traffickers, the commander of Iran’s police border guard said Tuesday.

“Three Iranian border guards pursued the drug traffickers and unintentionally and due to darkness entered Pakistani territory and were arrested by Pakistani forces,” Hossein Zolfaqari was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

Two smugglers were killed in the incident and another was wounded, he said, without giving their nationalities. He said 500 kilogrammes (1,100 pounds) of drugs were seized.

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Pakistan, India swap lists of nuclear sites

Pakistan, India swap lists of nuclear sites

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and India Sunday exchanged lists of their respective nuclear installations and facilities as well as lists of prisoners in each other’s custody, as required under bilateral agreements between the two South Asian nuclear neighbours.

Senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Indian High Commission exchanged the respective lists here at the Foreign Office.

The exchange of the two lists is a routine annual exercise simultaneously carried between Islamabad and New Delhi on January 1 and July 1 every year.

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Turkey: Cold War v2.0

Turkey: Cold War v2.0

Amidst its growing engagement in the Middle East and the Arab Spring, as well as its resurrecting Kurdish insurgency problem, Turkey
installed the NATO Missile Defense Shield in September 2011. Many observers interpreted Turkey’s decision as a move against Iran, as a
response to its expanding nuclear and missile capabilities, while Turkish officials indicated that the installment of this missile
shield in Turkey was agreed upon much earlier and has nothing to do with Iran. The purpose of the missile shield also exposed differences
within NATO countries.

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A Kremlin PR Strategist Tries to Defuse Discontent and Undermine the Protesters’ Leaders

A Kremlin PR Strategist Tries to Defuse Discontent and Undermine the Protesters’ Leaders

The Kremlin’s chief political strategist sought to soothe the discontent of street protesters on Friday, a day before a rally expected to draw a large crowd, saying in an interview that the government had already acquiesced to many of the protesters’ demands.

“The system has already changed,” the strategist, Vladislav Y. Surkov, a former advertising man who has shaped the Kremlin’s public messages for years, said in the interview published in the newspaper Izvestia.

His comments continued what appears to be a two-pronged effort to defuse street protests with concessions, while simultaneously attacking the protesters’ already splintered leadership with accusations of foreign backing.

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Fallout is just beginning in North Korea

Fallout is just beginning in North Korea

There are many surprising things about Kim Jong-il’s sudden death, not the least of which is that it took two days for the rest of the world to hear about it. Yet most surprising is the sanguine reaction of the global and especially the Asian markets. On Monday, or actually Sunday as we now know, the world woke up to its first leaderless nuclear power. Coming as close as anyone could to filling his seat was his youngest son, who is in his late twenties. There’s no way these facts were accurately priced into markets that took just a relatively minor dip as a first response. The news from North Korea appears to have been taken far too lightly, and just a few days out, it’s disappearing from the front pages.

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Falklands war may be over, but the diplomatic conflict rumbles on

Falklands war may be over, but the diplomatic conflict rumbles on

The war may have been officially over for almost 30 years, but the diplomatic conflict over the Falkland Islands rumbles on. The decision by several South American nations to close their ports to ships flying the archipelago’s “illegal” flag is only the latest attempt by Argentina to get the disputed sovereignty back on the agenda.

Having affirmed its claim for the islands in its constitution in 1994 – just four years after the two countries resumed relations – Argentina treated Las Malvinas as a priority throughout the years that followed, with President Nestor Kirchner campaigning vigorously on the issue in 2003 and the United Kingdom remaining implacably indifferent.

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UK Isolation: France Says Agencies should downgrade ‘Greece-like’ UK

UK Isolation: France Says Agencies should downgrade ‘Greece-like’ UK

Relations between France and the UK plumbed new depths on Thursday when the head of the French central bank said ratings agencies should downgrade the UK before France and the country’s finance minister compared the British economy to that of Greece.

“A downgrade does not strike me as justified based on economic fundamentals,” French central bank chief Christian Noyer said in a interview with a French local newspaper.

“Or if it is they should begin by downgrading the UK, which has a bigger deficit, as much debt, weaker growth and where bank lending is collapsing.”

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Top Turkish military council reviews preparedness for war

Top Turkish military council reviews preparedness for war

Top Turkish military council has said it reviewed Turkish military’s preparedness for war following a key meeting.

A statement released by General Staff in its web-site on Thursday said Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) discussed activities of Turkish military in domestic and border security, adding that it reviewed Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) preparedness for war.

The statement didn’t elaborate threats Turkey face and said it assessed Turkish army’s needs and necessary steps to address these requirements to this end.

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Philippines sends newest warship to disputed waters in sovereignty battle with China

Philippines sends newest warship to disputed waters in sovereignty battle with China

The Philippines launched its newest warship on Wednesday, a former US coast guard cutter that President Benigno Aquino said would be deployed to waters at the heart of a territorial dispute with China.

Aquino said the 115-meter (378-foot) Gregorio del Pilar would lead patrols in the parts of the South China Sea that the Philippines claims exclusively as its own and where exploration for potentially lucrative gas fields is underway.

“The Gregorio del Pilar, named after the newest general of the Philippine revolution, will take the lead in patrols for our sovereignty, and in ensuring that our waters are crime-free,” Aquino said.

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Pakistan: U.S. Drones In Its Air Space Will Be SHOT Down

Pakistan: U.S. Drones In Its Air Space Will Be SHOT Down

Pakistan will shoot down any U.S. drone that intrudes its air space per new directives, a senior Pakistani official told NBC News on Saturday.

According to the new Pakistani defense policy, “Any object entering into our air space, including U.S. drones, will be treated as hostile and be shot down,” a senior Pakistani military official told NBC News.

The policy change comes just weeks after a deadly NATO attack on Pakistani military checkpoints accidentally killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, prompting Pakistani officials to order all U.S. personnel out of a remote airfield in Pakistan.

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‘Blow-fly zone’ takes hold over Syria

‘Blow-fly zone’ takes hold over Syria

Russia’s announcement of major Mediterranean drills, is designed to prevent another attempt at manufacturing cover for an invasion, or lighter warmaking, such as an embargo on arms and ammunition, jamming of military communications, or sabotage. Russian officials say that there is no special plan for the Admiral Kuznetsov to call on the Syrian port of Tartus.

The blow flies this time are being sent in to sniff and snuff out the prospects, before Assad and his men are corpses. The blow-fly zone is a Russian military trip-wire – the first such strategic move outside the borders of the old Soviet Union for more than 20 years.

It isn’t known whether (but it can be expected that) they will be supported under the Mediterranean by hunter-killer submarines to add uncertainty and nervousness for the British and US submarines around the US surface squadron, already in position in the Eastern Mediterranean.

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Arabs, Turks attempt to redefine Arab uprisings, political trajectories

Arabs, Turks attempt to redefine Arab uprisings, political trajectories

It was the 25th in a series of gatherings organized by Zirve University and the Abant Platform, yet this time participants found a rare opportunity to discuss political developments elsewhere and the possible role Turkey might have in this political turmoil.

Comprising largely Turkish intellectuals both from Turkey and from around the world, Arab and Western commentators, activists and professors also joined in during the three-day event. Discussions primarily centered on redefining the Arab Spring, ways to cushion the pain of the transition period in post-revolution Arab nations and Turkey’s contribution to political developments participants hoped signaled the birth pangs of consolidated democracies.

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US-Australia-India Cooperation: An Anti-China Axis?

US-Australia-India Cooperation: An Anti-China Axis?

A recent multi think-tank publication entitled “Shared Goals, Converging Interests: A Plan for U.S.–Australia–India Cooperation in the Indo–Pacific,” has apparently been the source of an about-face by Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd.

Co-published by Australia’s Lowy Institute, India’s Observer Research Foundation, and the U.S. Heritage Institute, the authors called for a tripartite defense pact between the United States, Australia, and India in a world where “the rise of China…is posing the first serious challenge to U.S. military preeminence in Asia in half a century.”

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Why is Turkey Betting Big on the Syrian Uprising?

Why is Turkey Betting Big on the Syrian Uprising?

A new Syrian regime sympathetic to Turkey, would plug the last whole in Turkey’s quest for regional hegemony.

On the security front, Syria has remained the only country which has failed to cooperate with the Turkish war against Kurdish separatists, many of whom are said to now be funded and supported by the Assad Regime in retaliation for Erdogan’s policies.

Economically, Syria has remained one of Turkey’s largest trading partners, and a Sunni regime in place of Assad would ensure clear waters for future development of ties.

Lastly, the loss of the Allawite regime would constitute a major loss for Iran, Turkey’s primary non-Arab contender for regional domination, cutting off its primary hub in the Mediterranean Sea.

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In Turkey, Biden Talks About Iran and Syria

In Turkey, Biden Talks About Iran and Syria

In his meeting with the Turkish president, the senior administration official said, Mr. Biden acknowledged that there were fears in the Middle East about what would happen if the uprising in Syria managed to topple President Bashar al-Assad. But he argued that Mr. Assad himself was the greatest cause of instability and sectarian strife. “The problem right now is Assad,” Mr. Biden said in the interview. “Could something emerge that is more disruptive regionally? I don’t think so, but it could.”

While Mr. Biden runs the administration’s policy on Iraq, he does not have as central a role on Iran. But Mr. Biden, officials said, has been an influential voice in dealing with the upheaval in the Arab world, because he has dealt with many of the players as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

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NATO-Pakistan: New path of confrontation

NATO-Pakistan: New path of confrontation

Pakistan is not a NATO member state, but rather a strategic partner in military operations in Afghanistan. Islamabad and NATO have concluded an intelligence data exchange agreement.

U.S.-Pakistani relations were spoilt after the liquidation of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011. As Bin Laden had lived near Islamabad, Washington suspected the Pakistani authorities of providing assistance to the international criminal.

The bilateral relations were tested on Nov. 26.

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Post-Assad Syria would drop special Iran ties

Post-Assad Syria would drop special Iran ties

The collapse of the 40-year-long Assad regime in Syria would radically change Mideast politics since the nat’l council, poised to take over, reiterates it will cut Iran and Hezbollah ties, Al Ahram reported.

Syria would align itself with the Arab League and the Gulf, Syrian National Council leader Burhan Ghalioun told the Wall Street Journal in an interview in France. “Our future is truly tied to the Arab world and the Gulf in particular,” Ghalioun, the main Syrian opposition leader in exile was quoted as saying in a WSJ transcript.

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South-East Asia Game Is On: China VP pushes Myanmar military ties ahead of Clinton visit

South-East Asia Game Is On: China VP pushes Myanmar military ties ahead of Clinton visit

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping offered to boost military ties with Myanmar on Monday, days ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s historic visit to China’s isolated southern neighbor that has begun showing signs of political reform.

The calls by Xi, heir apparent to the Chinese leadership, to deepen military cooperation with Myanmar come after U.S. efforts to ramp up military engagement in Asia made Beijing jittery.

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Major events in Caspian countries’ oil and gas industry for last week (Nov. 21-26)

Major events in Caspian countries’ oil and gas industry for last week (Nov. 21-26)

Azerbaijan, EU discuss cooperation on energy prospects

Azerbaijani Minister of Industry and Energy Natiq Aliyev received a delegation headed by the European Commission’s Vice-President in charge of transport Siim Kallas. Both sides discussed the prospects of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU, Baku’s role in the EU energy security and of importance the recently signed agreement on transit of Azerbaijani gas through Turkey. The two sides also discussed the possibility of transiting Azerbaijan’s infrastructure on energy transportation from the east coast of the Caspian Sea to Europe.

Turkmenistan and China sign agreement on additional gas supplies

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Analysis: Syria and the unfolding hegemonic game

Analysis: Syria and the unfolding hegemonic game

In spite of mounting international and regional pressure on Bashar al-Assad’s regime, there is still no real prospect of a quick end to the on-going instability and instead Syria is set to enter a long and bloody civil war. And as political stalemate continues, a genuinely regional hegemonic contest between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey over this small but strategically important nation has begun to unfold.

Since the fall of Mubarak, Saudis have decided to drastically reduce their reliance on the US for securing their foreign policy interests. Riyadh has not only begun to strengthen its armed forces, but it has also decided to use its petro-dollar more aggressively seeking to buy influence in return for the provision of generous financial assistance.

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Former Mossad Head Yatom: Israel Can’t Afford Not to Strike Iran

Former Mossad Head Yatom: Israel Can’t Afford Not to Strike Iran

The Begin Sadat Center, a respected think tank based at Bar Ilan University, held a conference on November 23, 2011 on the subject of “Israeli Security in a New Regional Envornment”, which focused on the so-called “Arab Spring” and its implicatons. Its experts concluded that the Arab Spring is not going to result in democracy, despite original hopes in the West, and may make things even worse for Israel.

“As steep as the price for hitting Iran may be, a military strike on Iran will be less painful than the cost of living with an Iranian nuclear weapons threat,” argues former Mossad head Maj. Gen. (res.) Danny Yatom. “The backlash from a strike on Iran’s nuclear sites will not be as bad for Israel as will an Iran armed with nuclear weapons,” he says. “I don’t think that those predicting apocalyptic repercussions of a strike on Tehran are correct, and even if they are, Israel can’t afford to wonder if Tehran will go crazy and bomb us.”

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Russia’s new radar station ready to monitor missiles from Europe: commander

Russia’s new radar station ready to monitor missiles from Europe: commander

A new radar station in Russia’s Kaliningrad was ready to monitor missile launches from the entire European continent, a senior commander said Friday.

Commander of the Russian Air and Space Defense Troops Lieut. Gen. Oleg Ostapenko said the Kaliningrad radar station would significantly enhance Russia’s early warning system on missile attacks.

“It will allow us to efficiently monitor missile launches over the entire European continent, as well as from the North Atlantic area, including the functioning and systems of the European missile defense shield,” Ostapenko said.

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Breakdown: The Fallout From NATO’s Attack in Pakistan

Breakdown: The Fallout From NATO’s Attack in Pakistan

American troops have been evicted from a Pakistani drone base and main supply lines have been cut off after yesterday’s NATO attack that left 24 Pakistan soldiers dead, but details over what exactly happened are still murky. A NATO airstrike was called in at around 2 a.m. Saturday morning that resulted in a least 24 Pakistan soldiers being killed, and another 25 injured.

American troops have been given a 15-day eviction notice to leave an airbase in Pakistan that Americans have used for coordinating drone attacks in Afganistan in the past, The Guardianreports. Officials in Pakistan held an emergency meeting Saturday night to discuss the ramifications of the attack, which they’ve labeled as a “deliberate” strike against Pakistan’s military. Supply lines to US troops in Afganistan have also been cut off.

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Juggernaut Arabia

Juggernaut Arabia

Over this past year of Arab Spring revolt, Saudi Arabia has increasingly replaced the United States as the key status-quo power in the Middle East — a role that seems likely to expand even more in coming years as the Saudis boost their military and economic spending.

Saudis describe the kingdom’s growing role as a reaction, in part, to the diminished clout of the United States. They still regard the U.S.-Saudi relationship as valuable, but it’s no longer seen as a guarantor of their security. For that, the Saudis have decided they must rely more on themselves — and, down the road, on a wider set of friends that includes their military partner, Pakistan, and their largest oil customer, China.

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US overtures may lure Myanmar from China

US overtures may lure Myanmar from China

he first visit to Myanmar in a half-century by the top U.S. diplomat opens a door for that nation’s military-dominated government to reduce its international isolation and dependence on a staunch but mistrusted ally: China.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Myanmar, also known as Burma, on Dec. 1-2, to meet with government and opposition leaders. It is the culmination of a two-year effort to engage with a repressive regime the U.S. had long shunned.

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Israel-Kenya deal to help fight Somalia’s al-Shabab

Israel-Kenya deal to help fight Somalia’s al-Shabab

Kenya’s Raila Odinga and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu have promised to strengthen ties
Israel has offered to help Kenya secure its borders as it tackles Somalia’s Islamist group, al-Shabab, the Kenyan prime minister’s office has said.

It said Kenya got the backing of Israel to “rid its territory of fundamentalist elements” during Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s visit to the country.

Last month, Kenya sent troops to neighbouring Somalia to defeat al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda.

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Clinton Says U.S. Turning East As Asia-Pacific Region Becomes World’s ‘Center Of Gravity’

Clinton Says U.S. Turning East As Asia-Pacific Region Becomes World’s ‘Center Of Gravity’

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary, making a keynote speech in Hawaii on November 11, announced the shift in emphasis, as Washington seeks to recalibrate its foreign policy.

“The 21st century will be America’s Pacific century, a period of unprecedented outreach and partnership in this dynamic, complex, and consequential region,” she said.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, Clinton said Washington wants to build a “trans-Pacific system” for Asia that is modeled on the United States’ trans-Atlantic relationship with Europe.

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Dark days for Taiwan’s spies

Dark days for Taiwan’s spies

When Taiwan’s government last month announced budget cuts in military intelligence, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) insisted operations against mainland China would not be affected.

It’s only administrative expenses being whittled down, said the MND, and if anything, Taiwan’s strength in intelligence warfare will be boosted. However, media paint a vastly different picture, suggesting Taiwan’s future leaders will be completely deaf and blind to secretive developments across the Taiwan Strait.

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Wary of China’s growing influence, its southern neighbors court India

Wary of China’s growing influence, its southern neighbors court India

China’s growing power and muscle-flexing vis-à-vis its neighbors have now resulted in a regional balancing effort. Earlier this month presidents of China’s southern neighbors, Burma and Vietnam, made official visits to India – as much recognition of India’s growing economic and political heft as acknowledgement that India is a good bet as they seek strategic balance in a region transformed by China’s rapid ascent.

This is a time of great turmoil in the Asian strategic landscape, and India is trying to make itself relevant to the regional states.

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Wreckless Neo-PNAC Plan For US Hegemony In Central Asia

Wreckless Neo-PNAC Plan For US Hegemony In Central Asia

Why the Colombia model — even if it means drug war and armed rebellion — is the best chance for U.S. success in Central Asia.

All of this will take time. Afghanistan’s institutions are too weak today to allow us to accelerate our exit strategy beyond what the Obama administration has already done. And even the relatively happy “Colombia outcome” can hardly be guaranteed.

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Russia, China want India, Pakistan to become SCO members shortly

Russia, China want India, Pakistan to become SCO members shortly

Russia and China would like to seek India and Pakistan among the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, October 31, after a meeting between Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin and his Chinese counterpart Cheng Guoping.

“The sides called for accelerated SCO enlargement in keeping with the decisions of the Council of the SCO Heads of State made in Astana in June,” the ministry said, referring to admission of India and Pakistan as members and Afghanistan as an observer, and granting of the status of dialogue partner to Turkey.

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Apocalypse Redux? U.S. Natural Gas Find off Vietnam Could Raise Tensions with China

Apocalypse Redux? U.S. Natural Gas Find off Vietnam Could Raise Tensions with China

First, the good news…

U.S. oil company ExxonMobil is reporting a “potentially significant” gas discovery off the coast of Vietnam, stating in a press release, “We can confirm ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Vietnam Limited drilled its second exploration well offshore Danang in August 2011 and encountered hydrocarbons.”

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Turkey, Israel to face new crisis over Göktürk spy satellite project

Turkey, Israel to face new crisis over Göktürk spy satellite project

Speaking to Today’s Zaman, high-level officials from the Turkish Defense Ministry said: “For years, Israel has obtained images of our territory. For the first time, we will have a satellite for intelligence. Reciprocity is essential in international relations. If they observe Turkish soil, Turkey has the same right, too.”

Turkey’s defense and procurement authorities completed the deal with Telespazio for the construction and launch of the country’s first military satellite, Göktürk, in 2009. The 250-million-euro contract was signed on July 16, 2009 at a ceremony attended by representatives of Telespazio and top Turkish officials, including Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül and Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM) head Murad Bayar.

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China seeks military bases in Pakistan

China seeks military bases in Pakistan

Answering questions at the 10th Asia Security Summit, organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, Liang disclaimed moves to build naval bases at Gwadar and at a Sri Lankan port. Emphasizing his credentials as a member of the Chinese State Council and Central Military Commission, he said:

We will have a very serious and careful study of an issue of such importance to the government and the military like the reported move for establishing naval bases in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Indeed, we will have exact plans and set up a panel to discuss it if the move were for real. However, I haven’t heard of it.

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“Sounds of Cannons” Warning on South China Sea Dispute

“Sounds of Cannons” Warning on South China Sea Dispute

On Tuesday, a Chinese national newspaper, The Global Times, published a controversial editorial. It warns the countries involved in the South China Sea dispute to “mentally prepare for the sounds of cannons.”

The Global Times is published by the People’s Daily—the voice of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

The newspaper editorial criticizes Vietnam and the Philippines for advancing their own interests and exploiting the Chinese regime’s “mild diplomatic stance” over the South China Sea claims. It also states the Chinese military would resort to action if the Asian neighbors do not change their stance over the sea claims.

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Expert: build Nordic union ‘if the euro falls’

Expert: build Nordic union ‘if the euro falls’

As the eurozone crisis continues to dominate European political business, Gunnar Wetterberg, an analyst at white collar union Saco, has stated the case for a Nordic Union and currency, to counter the threat of a euro collapse.
Wetterberg argued in an opinion article in the Dagens Nyheter (DN) daily on Tuesday that a federal Nordic state would enable Scandinavian countries to be more resilient in the face of global financial storms.

“A united Scandinavia would be far stronger in the face of the outside world than the five countries individually, while an increasingly common domestic market would provide significantly better growth than today,” Wetterberg argued.

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Russia gets NATO ‘nyet’ on missile defense, but Georgia and Ukraine get green light for membership

Russia gets NATO ‘nyet’ on missile defense, but Georgia and Ukraine get green light for membership

NATO officials say they are willing to “cooperate” with Russia in the US missile defense system, while balking on the possibility of building a single system.

Unfortunately, NATO on Tuesday once again refrained from putting its money where its mouth is, offering Moscow cheap words, as opposed to priceless action when it comes to a genuine partnership in the construction of a European missile defense system, which the US says is needed to protect Europe from a ‘rogue’ missile strike. . . .

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