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So New York Times columnist Tom Friedman and former Times executive editor Bill Keller are both saying that the massive NSA spying program on all Americans’ communications is a needed thing because if they don’t do it, then maybe there could be another major terrorist strike on the US, and democracy would be erased in [...] The post The Stunning Illogic Of The New York Times – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

The Group of Eight leaders meeting in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, having called for an international conference on the ongoing crisis in Syria to be held “as soon as possible” could not agree on much else that might end the civil war anytime soon there. The White House now is reportedly in private agreement with [...] The post War By Another Name In Syria – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

At the G-8 Summit in Northern Ireland, Russia faced pressure from the other seven attending nations to push Bashar al-Assad, its Syrian ally, to negotiate his abdication with the West. Since Assad and his Syrian government forces, well supplied by Russia with weaponry, are now winning the Syrian civil war, that outcome is extremely unlikely—and [...] The post Down The Slippery Slope In Syria – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

A suicide bombing in northern Iraq on Wednesday killed the lader of a provincial political party, along with four family members, on the eve of regional elections, AFP reported. Yunus al-Ramah, head of the United Iraq party, was attacked at his home in the town of Al-Hadhr, in Nineveh province. “The suicide bomber targeted people [...] The post Head Of United Iraq Party Killed On Eve Of Elections appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

A new understanding of the genetic process that can lead to cervical cancer may help improve diagnosis of potentially dangerous lesions for some women, and also raises a warning flag about the use of anti-viral therapies in certain cases – suggesting they could actually trigger the cancer they are trying to cure. The analysis provides [...] The post Genetics Of Cervical Cancer Raise Concern About Antiviral Therapy In Some Cases appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

It’s as if they didn’t learn a thing from the 2012 elections. Republicans are on the same suicide mission as before – - trying to block immigration reform (if they can’t scuttle it in the Senate, they’re ready to in the House), roll back the clock on abortion rights (they’re pushing federal and state legislation [...] The post Why The GOP Can’t Learn – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

By Humayun Bayani Yesterday’s ceremony held in Kabul for official handover of security from the NATO/ISAF forces to the Afghan government marked an important moment in the recent Afghan history, after a decade-old international intervention in Afghanistan. Yet another ceremony held hundreds of miles far from Kabul in Qatar announcing official opening of Taliban’s office [...] The post A Moment Of Pride Or Concern As NATO Hands Over Security Responsibility And Taliban Open Office In Qatar... To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

The core values of peacekeeping lie in the principles of consent of the parties, impartiality and the non-use of force except as a last resort. If the very blue berets that work to keep peace indulge in active combat against one of the entities in conflict, would it not render redundant the principles on which [...] The post Should The UN Fight In A War? – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

By President Barack Obama Hello, Berlin! (Applause.) Thank you, Chancellor Merkel, for your leadership, your friendship, and the example of your life — from a child of the East to the leader of a free and united Germany. As I’ve said, Angela and I don’t exactly look like previous German and American leaders. But the [...] The post President Obama’s Speech At The Brandenburg Gate – Transcript appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

Fortum said Wednesday it is satisfied with today’s voting result in the ENVI Committee of the European Parliament on the so-called backloading proposal of the EU’s emissions trading scheme (ETS). Backloading of allowances is a first, but modest, step in strengthening the European carbon market and establishing a clear price signal for CO2-free energy production. [...] The post Fortum: Backloading To Be Implemented Quickly appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

Shots fired by riot police using rubber bullets and teargas injured two reporters covering protests against fuel prize hikes on June 17. Anton Nugroho of Jakarta-based Trans 7 TV, was hit in the left eye by a rubber bullet at a protest in the western province of Jambi. According to local press reports, Aroby Kilerley [...] The post Indonesia: Two Journalists Badly Injured By Shots Fired By Riot Police appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

A Taliban suicide bombing that killed an Afghan official yesterday was only a few hours later followed by a startling announcement that there are talks planned between the US and Afghan governments on one hand and the Taliban on the other. The talks are to be held in Qatar. Is this some sort of a [...] The post US-Taliban Peace Talks: What A Joke! – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

By Dr. Subhash Kapila The United States possibly would have preferred to delay its strategic pivot to Asia Pacific till 2014 by which time the planned draw-down of US military forces from Afghanistan would have commenced. China seems to have forced the US hand in doing so by igniting the South China Sea conflicts, first with Vietnam [...] The post South China Sea Conflicts Ignited United States Pivot To Asia Pacific – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

The United States House of Representatives should reject an expansive immigration enforcement bill that would worsen existing abuses within the US immigration system, according to Human Rights Watch. House Resolution (HR) 2278, the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act (or “SAFE Act”), passed the House Judiciary Committee on June 18, 2013, by a vote of 20 [...] The post HRW Calls For US To Reject Extreme Immigration Enforcement Bill appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

Top officials of the U.S. central bank are discussing how much and how soon to reduce their efforts to speed up economic growth. The chairman of the Federal Reserve will report their decisions Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Ben Bernanke has previously said the bank will cut stimulus efforts if the unemployment situation improves further [...] The post Stock Markets Watch Bernanke appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

The FBI uses drones for domestic surveillance purposes, the head of the agency told Congress early Wednesday. Robert Mueller, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, confirmed to lawmakers that the FBI owns several unmanned aerial vehicles, but has not adopted any strict policies or guidelines yet to govern the use of the controversial [...] The post FBI Director Admits Domestic Use Of Drones For Surveillance appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

By Khalil Hanware and Arab News Staff Saudi Arabia topped the list as foreign direct investment (FDI) into Arab states rose by 9.8 percent last year. Despite unrest in some of them, FDI in Arab states exceeded $ 47 billion in 2012 compared with $ 42.9 billion the previous year, the Kuwait-based Arab Investment and [...] The post Saudi Arabia Tops Arab World With $ 12.2 Bn FDI Inflow appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

By Dr. Abdulaziz Sager In mid-December 2012, President Obama in an interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters tried to explain US policy toward the Syrian revolution, saying “Not everybody who’s participating on the ground in fighting Assad are people who we are comfortable with.” This comment was a direct reference to the US government’s decision to [...] The post US Cohabitation With Hezbollah Terror – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

Iranian Foreign Ministry has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief to avoid politicizing Tehran’s nuclear issue. “If the International Atomic Energy Agency’s expectations are beyond Iran’s obligations [under the Non-proliferation Treaty], this will require the definition of a new framework which we are currently negotiating,” the ministry spokesman, Seyyed Abbas Araqchi, said. [...] The post Iran Says IAEA Chief Should Avoid Politicizing Nuclear Issue appeared first on... To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

By Jaya Ramachandran Forty-nine of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable courtiers spanning across Asia-Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean are no longer threatened by a modern-day Damocles’ sword – not until July 1, 2021 at least. The group known as the least-developed countries (LDCs) can in fact request further extension of the waiver on [...] The post The World’s Poorest Heave Sigh Of Relief – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

By D Suba Chandran In the last few years, there have been efforts to reorient India’s Lookeast Policy, at the foreign policy level, primarily by the PMO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New Delhi. Simultaneously, there have also been multiple efforts by the PMO and Ministry of Home Affairs to improve the situation [...] The post The Guwahati Initiative: Northeast As The Centre Of Regional Universe – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

Representatives from the United States and the Taliban will meet in the coming days for their first formal talks to try to find a peaceful settlement to the war in Afghanistan, senior US government officials said Tuesday. Speaking on the condition of anonymity during a background briefing, the senior officials from US President Barack Obama’s [...] The post US Agrees To Meet With Taliban appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

Urging “maximum restraint” amid widespread anti-Government protests in Turkey, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Navi Pillay, the world body’s human rights chief, called today for constructive dialogue to defuse tensions in the country. “The atmosphere is still clearly highly combustible,” said Ms. Pillay, who is the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “It is [...] The post Turkey: UN Officials Urge Restraint, Dialogue To Defuse Tensions appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

Over 30 people sought medical help, 11 were hospitalized and more than 6,000 local residents were evacuated on Tuesday from a village near an ammunition depot in central Russia where a fire caused massive explosions of stored artillery shells, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said. The fire at the Volga Federal Ammunition Testing Site in the [...] The post Thousands Evacuated In Central Russia Ammo Depot Explosions appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

More people are refugees or internally displaced than at any time since 1994, with the crisis in Syria having emerged as a major new factor in global displacement. UNHCR’s annual Global Trends report, released on Wednesday, covers displacement that occurred during 2012 based on data from governments, NGO partners, and the UN refugee agency itself. [...] The post Number Of Refugees In World At 18-Year High appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

By Kent Klein U.S. President Barack Obama is in Berlin, where he will speak Wednesday at the historic Brandenburg Gate and meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The president arrived in Berlin after two days at the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland, where the leaders focused much of their attention on efforts to [...] The post Obama To Speak At Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

(RFE/RL) — A senior U.S. official says President Barack Obama is planning to propose that the United States and Russia cut their strategic nuclear warheads by a further one-third. The official said Obama will deliver the proposal in a speech on June 19 in Berlin. Under the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty that the Obama [...] The post Obama To Urge US, Russia To Reduce Nukes By One-Third appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

A bizarre fact of modern life is that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a regular tweeter. Just before the presidential election on 14 June 2013, this message appeared on his Twitter page: ““a vote for any of these candidates is a vote for the Islamic Republic [and] a vote of confidence in the [...] The post Rohani May Propose, Khamenei Will Dispose – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

A lawsuit filed against the NYPD accuses the city’s police of regularly violating the civil rights of Muslims. The suit claims that the NYPD unconstitutionally profiles and intimidates them, thereby discouraging them from practicing their religion. Civil rights lawyers filed the lawsuit in a federal Manhattan court on Tuesday. Shortly thereafter, supporters of the suit [...] The post Bloomberg And NYPD Sued For Spying On Muslims appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview

“Terrible Songs”: A Volume Of Poetry By Lulzim Tafa, Abbreviated Biography Lulzim Tafa was born near Pristina, capital of Kosovo, on February 2, 1970. He is one of the renowned poets of the turbulent times of 1990 in Kosovo, a country that was constantly experiencing ethnic cleansing and mass killings of its people by the [...] The post “Terrible Songs”: A Volume Of Poetry By Lulzim Tafa – Book Review appeared first on Eurasia Review. To continue reading this article, click on the headline. - EurasiaReview