AEI:アメリカ下層階級の特質 By Charles Murray ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 29日のWSJのOpEdコラムに掲載された評論。WSJと違ってAEIのサイトのものは購読 契約なしに読めるので、この手のアメリカ社会の問題分析に興味のある向きにはお薦め。優れた 評論と思える。
Why has the proportion of unsocialized young males risen so relentlessly? In large part, I would argue, because the proportion of young males who have grown up without fathers has also risen relentlessly. The indicator here is the illegitimacy ratio--the percentage of live births that occur to single women. It was a minuscule 4% in the early 1950s, and it has risen substantially in every subsequent decade. The ratio reached the 25% milestone in 1988 and the 33% milestone in 1999. As of 2003, the figure was 35%--of all births, including whites. The black illegitimacy ratio in 2003 was 68%. By way of comparison: The illegitimacy ratio that caused Daniel Patrick Moynihan to proclaim the breakdown of the black family in the early 1960s was 24%.
But illegitimacy is now common throughout the population, right? No, it is heavily concentrated in low-income groups. Perhaps illegitimacy isn't as bad as we used to think it was? No, during the last decade the evidence about the problems caused by illegitimacy has grown stronger. What about all the good news about falling teenage births? About plunging welfare rolls? Both trends are welcome, but neither has anything to do with the proportion of children being born and raised without fathers, and that proportion is the indicator that predicts the size of the underclass in the next generation.
The government hasn't a clue. Versions of every program being proposed in the aftermath of Katrina have been tried before and evaluated. We already know that the programs are mismatched with the characteristics of the underclass. Job training? Unemployment in the underclass is not caused by lack of jobs or of job skills, but by the inability to get up every morning and go to work. A homesteading act? The lack of home ownership is not caused by the inability to save money from meager earnings, but because the concept of thrift is alien. You name it, we've tried it. It doesn't work with the underclass.
台北タイムズ:アメリカは中国共産党を理解し始めたようだが By 林保華 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 林保華は、最近のゼーリック国務副長官の演説が、中国共産党の独裁体制を批判したことを 重要視していて、国務省のトップレベルがこうした問題を直接口にして批判することを画期 的とみる。アメリカと台湾は、台湾の軍備購入予算が議会でデッドロックしていることで些 か摩擦があるが、それは台湾の国内問題というべきでアメリカと台湾の関係を危うくするも のではないとする。その上で年末の選挙に触れて:
KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) seem to deliberately paint themselves as pale blue, while People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) has abandoned the consensus he reached with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), once again joining the ranks of the dark blue.
If Soong uses the arms bill and the year-end elections to blackmail Ma and Wang, will they then place the nation first, or will they look to individual and party interests and join the blue-turned-red anti-US ranks?
US policy toward Taiwan is not without problems, but it is definitely not a matter of betraying Taiwan. Rather, it is a matter of misunderstanding China and of pragmatic needs. If it really were betraying Taiwan, where would Taiwan be today? Some of those who so forcefully oppose the US and the arms bill are in fact trying to be China's supporters and attempting to change the status quo. That is something we must all be aware of.
Now, thanks partly to a freer flow of information helped by the internet, by mobile telephony and, more rarely, by a slightly less constrained domestic press, hardly a week goes by without some protest coming to light.
To millions of Chinese, particularly boys and girls in the provinces who constitute the main audience for pop-oriented variety shows, Hong Kong and Taiwanese speech has come to mean being cool. The reason is simple. Most of the music and performers making teenage hearts throb here have long originated in the freer atmospheres of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
As a result, some hosts and hostesses of mainland variety shows have taken to throwing Taiwanese slang words and Hong Kong tones into their on-air speech, associating themselves with the cool radiating from those two centers of the Chinese-language pop industry. Saying "very pretty" with a drawn-out hao hao piaoliang ye as they do in Taiwan, for instance, has been branded more with it than the direct hen piaoliang of standard Mandarin.
をいっているわけで、歴史問題は相互の不信であるといっているわけです。この証言の最初のところ でヒル次官補は"Japan is, in many ways, a model for what we hope many countries around the world can and will achieve," とのべて、戦後の日本の民主主義と貢献を讃えています。
U.S.-Japan Alliance Evolving To Meet New Threats Assistant secretary of state calls alliance "a model" for other countries
・・・ However, frictions remain, fed by territorial disagreements, including East China Sea energy exploration; historical disputes; and other issues of concern. For its part, Beijing shares with some of its neighbors, including the Republic of Korea, a lingering distrust of Japan's view of its past. Tokyo, in return, is concerned about inaccuracies in and the anti-Japanese tone of textbooks in China and Korea. Given the growing common interests of the nations of Northeast Asia, these differences constitute unfortunate obstacles to taking full advantage of the tremendous opportunities that exist in the region. As Deputy Secretary Zoellick suggested last week, part of the solution is greater dialogue. For our part, we will continue to stress to our allies and partners in the region the importance of finding mutually satisfactory and amicable solutions to these issues.
The website of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, or the central government of the People's Republic of China, www.gov.cn, will open on a trial basis on October 1, a spokesman for the Council's General Office announced here Thursday.
The website, with simplified and traditional Chinese versions first, will provide the governmental affairs information and data and on-line services of the Chinese central and local governments and their subordinate departments, he said.
TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- A Japanese court Friday ruled that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a Tokyo war shrine violated the constitution, but rejected a group of Taiwanese plaintiffs' demands for compensation.
A Japanese court has ruled that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a controversial war shine violate the constitution. 日本の裁判所は議論の多い小泉純一郎首相の靖国神社参拝を憲法違反とした。
BEIJING (AP) ? Exiled activists seeking more freedom for China’s mostly-Muslim northwest warned Friday that Beijing’s hard-line control could lead to increased separatist violence, as the Communist Party prepared to mark 50 years of rule over the area.
The Xinjiang region is populated by ethnic Uighurs, who are Turkic-speaking Muslims with a language and culture distinct from the rest of China. A high-level government delegation was in Xinjiang to celebrate the 50th anniversary Saturday of its establishment as an “autonomous region” under Beijing’s control
“Continued hopelessness could lead to violence,” the German-based World Uyghur Congress, which uses an alternative spelling for Uighur, said in a statement. “If the Chinese leaders do not want to turn East Turkistan into another Chechnya, then they must stop violating the basic human rights of the Uyghurs immediately.”
Rebiya Kadeer, a prisoner of conscience in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, also known as East Turkistan, in China, also has a chance of bringing the prize home for women. She is a prominent symbol of the Uyghurs' struggle for basic human rights. ttp://www.newsahead.com/content/view/789/71/
A worldwide group of exiled Uighur Muslims has criticised China over what it called oppression and exploitation in the Xinjiang region, and warned the region was being turned into a time bomb.
The statement also widely diverged from China's interpretation of the historical background of the region and the circumstances surrounding the establishment of Xinjiang. It said the late Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong estalished Xinjiang in 1955 after earlier promising the people of East Turkestan self-determination and full independence. "China's founder Mao Zedong died three decades ago, but China's strategic, political and economic objectives in East Turkestan have remained unchanged," the WUC said.
"The present Chinese leaders are continuing the same policy to transform East Turkestan completely into a Chinese colony, culturally assimilate the Uighur people, and economically exploit their natural resources."
September 28, 2005: On September 25th, the first of a new generation of GPS satellites was put into orbit. This bird offers many new goodies, like a more powerful GPS signal, making it easier, and faster, for receivers to pick up a signal, and report where the user is. There are also two new encrypted signals for military users, which will increase the accuracy of smart bombs. Along those lines, there are new encryption and anti-jamming capabilities for military users. Seven more of these GPS IIR-14 (M) satellites are to be launched over the next few years. There are currently 28 GPS satellites in orbit, providing coverage for the entire planet, as well as spare satellites to take over if one in-use breaks down. By the end of the decade, military users will have access to the better accuracy and anti-jamming features over most of the planet.
BERLIN Germany's Social Democrats are calling into question the political future of their own chancellor, Gerhard Schroder, with some party leaders saying it is no longer a question of if, but when, Schroder will quit.
That most likely would pave the way for Angela Merkel, the conservative leader, to become chancellor of Germany as head of a coalition of her Christian Democrats bloc and the Social Democrats.
Michael Muller, deputy parliamentary leader of the Social Democrats, said Thursday that Schroder would resign soon. When asked when, he referred to the last parliamentary election set for Sunday in Dresden.
"I don't think it will be after Dresden," said Muller, who represents the left wing of the Social Democrats. "It could be after he has completed the negotiations for a grand coalition."
Yet, with its higher wages, more expensive land and energy shortages, Shanghai has found it hard to compete. Although several multinationals have moved their Asian head offices to Shanghai and retail chains such as WalMart and B&Q have helped the city record a 63 per cent rise in foreign direct investment into services in the first half of this year, manufacturing FDI fell 11 per cent in the same period.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan says: "Now that the fog of war is clearing, we're starting to see that a lot of things we were told were happening in fact did not happen."
While Mr. Brown faulted "a hysteric media" for passing on such stories, many of the wilder tales were presented by Mayor Nagin and Eddie Compass, the police chief who has since resigned. Mr. Compass couldn't be reached for comment. Mr. Nagin and Mr. Compass's successor yesterday declined further comment.
In New Orleans, D-Day came on Sept. 2, four days after Hurricane Katrina passed. After massing troops outside the city and hammering out an invasion strategy, Louisiana National Guard Maj. Gen. Bennett Landreneau briefed President Bush on the plan. Shortly after noon, a 1,000-man force that had taken several days to assemble, moved into the heart of the city to battle the insurgents holding the Convention Center downtown.
China has scored its first big diplomatic success and little the US do will detract from that. South Korea moves away from its alliance with Washington day by day. It remains to be seen whether Beijing and Seoul will be happy with a nuclear armed North Korea next door. So, what's to lose by saying goodbye to the North Koreans? ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー よくわからんけれど、ハロランはアメリカ軍部に近いから、この評論は国防省などにある 国務省(の外交政策)や中国(の北朝鮮政策)に対する不信感を表明しているのであろう と思われ。
ttp://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2005/54176.htm Princeton University's Celebration of the 75th Anniversary Of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs Secretary Condoleezza Rice Princeton University New Jersey September 30, 2005
There are those who worry that greater freedom of choice in the Middle East will only liberate and empower extremism. In fact, the opposite is true: A political culture of transparency and openness is not one in which extremist beliefs can ultimately thrive. Extremism is most dangerous when it lurks in the dark and hides underground. When there is no political space for individuals to advance their interests and redress their grievances, then they retreat into the shadows to grow ever more radical and divorced from reality. We saw the result of that on September 11th and now we must work to advance democratic reform throughout the greater Middle East.
ttp://www.heritage.org/Research/AsiaandthePacific/tst093005a.cfm Committee Defense Review Threat Panel on Asia by Peter T.R. Brookes Testimony September 30, 2005 Testimony of Peter T.R. Brookes Senior Fellow for National Security Affairs and Director, Asian Studies Center Before the Committee Defense Review Threat Panel on Asia Armed Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives September 27, 2005
For now, in general, India does not necessarily see China as an imminent threat. Although they fought a 1962 border war that remains unresolved, the Sino-Indian relationship is stable and may even improve as economic and trade ties increase.
In addition, while Indian strategists see China’s military buildup as mainly directed at its neighbor Taiwan, they have taken careful notice of reports about Beijing building military airfields in southwestern China near India and about its presence in nearby Burma. Both are far from the Taiwan Strait. But by most accounts, Delhi is not interested in a confrontational relationship with Beijing at the moment, much less the notion of containing China.
Western and Indonesian intelligence agencies have consistently warned the group was plotting more attacks. Last month, Mr. Yudhoyono said he was especially worried the extremist network was about to carry out more attacks. "I received information at the time that terrorists were planning an action in Jakarta and that explosives were ready," he said late Saturday.
The American ambassador in Iraq, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad started what can be called as last moment negotiations with the Shiite and the Kurds with the aim to amend the draft constitution to ensure the support of the Arab Sunni in the referendum, weeks before it is held.
He indicated the main points included in the paper are first: that Iraq to be one united country and the constitution to preserve this unity. Second: confirming the use of the Arabic language in Kurdistan. Third: the constitution to be only changed by a referendum, rather than getting two thirds of the votes of the parliament. Worth noting, that in the US, a wide and very diverse country politically, a change of the constitution is very difficult, to ensure that the principals in it are well protected(ry
Edward J. Lincoln Senior Fellow, Asia and Economic Studies Contact Info:Phone: (202) 518-3474 E-mail: [email protected] Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Expertise:Japanese and East Asian economics and development; U.S. policy toward Asia. Languages:Japanese. Experience: Before joining the Council, Lincoln spent a total of 16 years at the Brookings Institution, a career interrupted by a stint of three years at the American Embassy in Tokyo as Special Economic Advisor to Ambassador Walter Mondale in the mid-1990s. Lincoln, a frequent public speaker and television commentator, writes a regular column for Newsweek Japan, and his articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, The Brookings Review, and elsewhere.
Education: B.A., Amherst College; M.A. and Ph.D., Yale University. Selected Publications: Arthritic Japan: The Slow Pace of Economic Reform (Brookings, 2001), Troubled Times: U.S.-Japan Economic Relations in the 1990s (Brookings, 1999), and several other earlier books and monographs. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 上にあるように、ブルッキングス研究所の典型的なリベラル、モンデール時代の経済アドバイザー、 ニューズウイーク、日本経済、フォーリンアフェアーズなどの寄稿の常連で、いわば一昔前の典型 的なリベラルなアメリカン人の知日派と言うわけです。
Google Inc. has offered to blanket San Francisco with free wireless Internet access at no cost to the city, placing a marquee name behind Mayor Gavin Newsom's effort to get all residents online whether they are at home, in a park or in a cafe.
For now, Google's Sacca said his company's Wi-Fi ambitions were limited to the Bay Area. However, others believe Google has much bigger plans.
"This is really exciting because they're not going to just do this in San Francisco, if they are serious about it," said Jeff Thompson, a founder of TowerStream, a company in Middletown, R.I., that sells wireless Internet connections to businesses, including some in San Francisco, but did not submit a proposal to the city.
しかし、出国したのはそのうちの959万人で、586万人には出国記録がないという。マレーシア の不法残留外国人で一番多いのはインドネシア人、次が中国人のようだ。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー CIAファクトブックによれば、マレーシアの人口は2400万人くらいなので586万人の不法滞在 は四分の一くらいになり、いくらなんでも多杉にみえる。マレーシアの公式のエスニック分布は: Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, Bumiputera 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% ttp://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/my.html#People (The term bumiputera, meaning 'sons of the soil,' applies to both indigenous populations in East Malaysia and to Malays)
A British-trained engineer was last night linked to the Bali attacks as the possible bomb-maker. Azahari bin Husin, 48, who studied at Reading University in the 1990s, is understood to be a key member of Jemaah Islamiyah, the terrorist group who carried out the 2002 bombings. The group has already been blamed by security officials for the latest atrocity.
U.S. Department of the Treasury Press Room September 28, 2005 Statement of David Loevinger, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa, Middle East, and Asia, U.S. Department of the Treasury Testimony Before the House Committee on Ways and Means
国務省ファイル:David Loevinger財務省次官補の議会証言、日本経済の停滞の終焉について
Japan's struggle to emerge from the deflation, sluggish growth, and banking sector problems may finally be coming to an end. The Koizumi Administration made clear that restoring growth would require structural reforms such as increasing competition in domestic markets and improving the efficiency of financial intermediation, and could no longer rely on fiscal stimulus. The Koizumi government also brought tougher banking regulation, which forced the banks to raise capital and deal with their problem borrowers. Corporate restructuring has strengthened firms' finances and reduced excess debt and capacity.
There are also growing signs that the labor market is finally strengthening: the number of full-time employees rose recently for the first time in seven years, and the number of part-time workers fell for the first time in a decade. While exports, especially to China, helped fuel the early stages of Japan's current recovery, household consumption and investment have been the key growth engines in recent quarters. So, at least for the Japanese economy, after several false dawns, a new day may have finally arrived.
Speculation is growing about the make-up of the new administration. With Schroder almost certain to leave rather than serve under Merkel, the post of vice-chancellor is expected to go either to Franz Muntefering, the SPD chairman, or to Peer Steinbruck, former state premier of North-Rhine Westfalia.
Merkel’s team is expected to include Edmund Stoiber, the acerbic Bavarian president who ran unsuccessfully against Schroder in the 2002 election, and Wolfgang Schauble, a veteran former CDU leader confined to a wheelchair since he was paralysed in an assassination attempt in 1990.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of three communities in the shadow of the Ilamatepec vo lcano, which towers near Santa Ana, the country's second largest city, 40 miles from San Salvador, the capital. "The volcano has entered an eruptive phase that consists of ashes and gases," Interior Secretary Rene Figueroa said.
エルサルバドルの首都、サン・サルバドールから40マイル離れた第二の都市サンタ・アナの近郊の Ilamatepec vo lcanoの三つのコミニティに避難命令が出された。内務省に寄れば火山は現在、ガス と灰を噴出するフェーズに移行している。火山灰などの噴出物は上空5万フィートに達している。
ttp://billroggio.com/ フォース・レイル・ブログ October 01, 2005 Iron Fist Update イラクのアイアンフィスト作戦の分析 By Bill Roggio ブロガーによる、イラクの作戦の分析と評価。メディアの解説よりは説得力のある分析で役に立つ。 このブログ記事へのコメントにも興味深いものがいくつか。その中でも: ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー Euphrates Valley and Syrian border are where most people seem to think Zarqawi is hiding. ttp://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=887 and the AP stories both cite intelligence sources saying they belive Zarqawi is in those areas hiding.
Interior Minister Bayan Jabor said documents found with Abu Azzam, said to be a lieutenant of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the most wanted man in Iraq, signalled a plan to send foreign Arab Sunni militants back home to widen the battlefield beyond Iraq.
"We got hold of a very important letter from Abu Azzam to Zarqawi asking him to begin to move a number of Arab fighters to the countries they came from to transfer their experience in car bombings in Iraq," Jabor told Reuters in an interview in Amman.
"So you will see insurgencies in other countries," said Jabor, a member of the Shi'ite Islamist SCIRI party, a key component of the Shi'ite- and Kurdish-led coalition government.
"Some of the experience has been transferred to Iraqis like Abu Azzam and others, but I believe some of the leaders of the Arab Afghans will remain in Iraq," Jabor added, referring to foreign Arabs, like the Jordanian Zarqawi, who had operated in Afghanistan alongside the likes of Osama bin Laden.
Jabor said foreign Arab militants now numbered less than 1,000 compared to between 2,500 and 3,000 six months ago. They were much weaker but readier to inflict more civilian casualties: "There are indications of a sharp weakening of the capabilities of the insurgents," Jabor said.
But Jabor warned that insurgents were escalating violence in the run up to the referendum to sow fear among Iraqis. "They will do their best until next week to increase attacks ... to scare Iraqis not to participate," Jabor said.
People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong's regime (1949-1975): 40 000 000 overall average estimate
Judith Banister, China's Changing Population (1984): 30M excess deaths
Wang Weizhi, Contemporary Chinese Population (1988): 19.5M deaths
Jin Hui (1993): 40M population loss due to "abnormal deaths and reduced births"
Chen Yizi of the System Reform Inst.: 43-46M deaths
Brzezinski:Forcible collectivization: 27 million peasants Cultural Revolution: 1-2 million TOTAL: 29 million deaths under Mao
Daniel Chirot:Land reform, 1949-56 According to Zhou Enlai: 830,000 According to Mao Zedong: 2-3M Great Leap Forward: 20-40 million deaths. Cultural Revolution: 1-20 million Total: 23.8 million - 63.8 million
Kurt Glaser and Stephan Possony, Victims of Politics (1979): They estimate the body count under Mao to be 38,000,000 to 67,000,000.
Cited by G & P: Walker Report 44.3M to 63.8M deaths.
The Government Information Office of Taiwan (18 Sept. 1970): 37M deaths in the PRC.
A Radio Moscow report (7 Apr. 1969): 26.4M people had been exterminated in China.
Guinness Book of World Records: Although nowadays they don't come right out and declare Mao to be the Top Dog in the Mass Killings category, earlier editions (such as 1978) did, and they cited sources which are similar, but not identical, to the Glaser & Possony sources: On 7 Apr. 1969 the Soviet government radio reported that 26,300,000 people were killed in China, 1949-65. In April 1971 the cabinet of the government of Taiwan reported 39,940,000 deaths for the years 1949-69. KMT cadre, rich peasants, landlords (1950-51): 800,000-3,000,000 Cultural Revolution (1966-75): 400,000-850,000
Combine this with the years-long campaign to vilify Dick Cheney and George Bush as shady oilmen, Halliburton as the World Headquarters of Evil, and the GOP-controlled Congress as an ATM machine for oleaginous K Street flimflammers like Jack Abramoff, and one could argue without much fear of contradiction that the Republicans have the makings of an image problem・・・(Jonah Goldberg, NRO) ttp://www.nationalreview.com/goldberg/goldberg200509300821.asp
Yet Hurricane Dan professed himself delighted with his successors. "They took us there to the hurricane," he told Larry. "They put the facts in front of us and, very important, they sucked up their guts and talked truth to power."
Er, no. The facts they put in front of us were wrong, and they didn't talk truth to power. They talked to goofs in power, like New Orleans' Mayor Nagin and Police Chief Compass, and uncritically fell for every nutso yarn they were peddled. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー メディアが大騒ぎして事件(ハリケーンとか被害とか)を思いっきりショーアップして見せることで 彼等が国民の代表であり、国民のために何か有効なことをやっていると勘違いしている(これは言わ ば1970年代のウオーターゲートから生まれたメディア万能論から来る勘違いだけれど)のは痛いだけ。
They appear to have been suicide bombers. Aside from the operational guidance it receives from al Qaeda's Middle Eastern headquarters, JI and its Philippine sister Abu Sayyaf also rely on funding from Arab financiers.
Al Qaeda's goal is to turn parts or all of the mostly democratic countries in the region into a unified sultanate that adheres to the Wahhabi form of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia. This seems far-fetched enough, but the tiny minority that believes such things is determined and can cause havoc. Indonesia's top anti-terror official said yesterday that the two JI operatives who masterminded Saturday's bombings and earlier ones were probably Malaysians.
アルカイダの目的は民主国家の全部か一部を、統一的なサルタンの国に変えることで、そうした宗教 国家は、サウジアラビアのワハービ派の指導するイスラム教の国となる。これは途方も無いことに見 えるけれども、そうしたことを可能と信じる極少数の過激派がいる。インドネシアのテロ対策のトッ プは昨日、土曜日の爆破事件を起こした二人のJIメンバーは多分マレーシア人だろうと言っている。 ・・・・ (このあとにインドネシアの大統領がテロに対する厳しい態度をとっているが、さらにそれを堅持し、 強化すべきであるとの論調があるけれど、当然のことなので省略) ・・・・ As for Indonesia's friends overseas, it bears repeating that this gigantic new democracy of 220 million people dwarfs all other Islamic nations, especially the mostly repressive tiny kingdoms of the Arabian peninsula. Mr. Yudhoyono is the country's first president to be directly elected, and he deserves foreign support.
That support will come mainly from the U.S., Australia, Japan and Britain, which also happen to be the "coalition of the willing" in Iraq. That's no accident. Indonesia's fight against Islamist terrorism is part of the same war being fought in Baghdad, London, Kandahar, Islamabad, New Delhi, Ankara, Madrid and all the other places where bombs have deliberately targeted civilians for death. Meanwhile, at this month's United Nations parley in New York, the assembled countries couldn't come up with a common definition of "terrorism." Perhaps they should consult the people of once-peaceful Bali.
http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/Report_Xinhua_Eng.pdf October 2005 Investigation : Gautier Battistella and Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders International Secretariat 5, rue Geoffroy Marie
Xinhua is de facto run by the Propaganda Department. The agency gets its editorial line from this organ of the CCP and sticks to it slavishly. One directive ? revealed by the Hong Kong press in 2004 ? laid down that the regional committees of the CCP should be consulted before publication of any information about a corrupt cadre. The Propaganda Department therefore, through Xinhua, gives orders to the entire press: “Don’t talk too much about Iraqi mass graves (…) Concentrate on the American invasion.”
The “internal reference” reports reach the highest levels of state. For the different government clans it is also a way of doing battle through the media. It is not unusual for a Party cadre to slip sensitive information to a journalist so as to damage a rival. But the sole victims of these little internal games remain the editors, accused of having defi ed the established order. The retaliation measures that can be applied after the publication of “reference news”escalates like this: withdrawal of newspapers from the newsstands, a ban on publication for a specifi ed period, salary attachment for the offending journalist/editor, dismissal and even imprisonment. At least 32 journalists are currently imprisoned in China, 12 of whom worked for offi cial media.
The content of reports: a propaganda handbook The “journalist translators” have to fulfil a quota of about 60 reports a month. They are paid“per item”, 40 yuans, which explains the fact that many subjects appear to be cock and bull stories, selected arbitrarily. But what happens when the quota of reports has been reached. Well, in fact, nothing. Work stops. The stakhanovists of news put down their tools. Those who see China from the outside, this triumphant country with 9% annual growth, gleaming buildings and broad avenues, probably do not realise the extent to which the core of the regime has not changed in 50 years. Here are a few examples of reports on the subject of news handled or unreported by Xinhua.
Swiss financial group Credit Suisse has pulled out of its bid for a 500 million dollar stake in one of China's banking giants due to an administrative technicality, media reports here said. Credit Suisse's withdrawl now leaves rivals Bank of America and Singapore's Tamesek as the only foreign investors in CCB, China's third largest bank, the reports said.
Bank of America (BoA), UBS, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are just a few of the major foreign financial institutions that joined the bidding race. Considering the fact that the three SOCBs collectively have 900
billion yuan (US$111 billion) of non-performing loans (NPLs) on their balance sheets, why would BoA or RBS spend north of $3 billion for just a 10% non-controlling equity stake in a Chinese bank? There is no simple answer to this question.
What the future holds The Chinese government's tactic of using foreign buy-ins to accelerate the commercialization of financial institutions will not be limited to banks alone. On September 24, the government announced plans to allow foreign financial firms to take management control of domestic securities brokers for the first time. Many of these brokerages are on the verge of bankruptcy due to poor management controls and the extended slump in the stock market. This move will grant foreign investors full exposure to the potentially lucrative capital markets. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー このMin Xuの分析は割合良く出来ていて、1996年〜2005年の全ての外資の中国の銀行への出資の リストなどもついているので勉強になる。このリストから解るように、本格的に出資しているの は@バンカメ(CCB)、ARBSコンソーシアム(BOC)、BTamsek(CCB、BOC)、Cゴールドマン(ICBC) といったところ。中国は金融業界の近代化を外資を利用して、やらせる計画なのだろうけれど、 リスクが低いとは思えない。
ウイークリースタンダード:新しい中国の世紀への提案 by Max Boot ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー Max Bootの書いている中国脅威論とでも言うべきもので、現状分析をして、アジアにおける中国の覇権 追求を放置できない、と論じる。そこまでは普通なのだけれど、彼はもう一歩踏み込んでいて、アジア での日豪印シンガポールなどとの相互防衛協定やNATOのような集団安全保障を考えるべき、という。
More broadly, the United States should strive to create, if possible, an Asian analogue to NATO. The Bush administration is right to deepen U.S. links with old allies like Japan and Australia and to establish closer ties to newer allies like India and Singapore. That process needs to continue, especially in firming up the nascent U.S.-India entente. But it would be good, if possible, to move from bilateral relations to a regional defense framework so that states in the region would work closely not only with the United States but also with one another.
Max Bootはアジア諸国のGDPに対する軍事費が、中国のそれに比べて低すぎるので、改善を要すると 書いている。
While China spends 4 percent or more of its GDP on defense (probably a lot more),・・・・ The figures are: Japan 1 percent, the Philippines 1 percent, Thailand 1.3 percent, Australia 2.3 percent, Taiwan 2.4 percent, India 2.6 percent, and South Korea 2.8 percent. (The one exception is tiny Singapore, which spends a whopping 5.2 percent.) The United States should strive to reduce free-riding by its allies--one hopes with more success than we've had with our European friends.
There is only so much we can do to influence Chinese behavior. But we need to at least try to head off another 1914 or 1941--or even a 1950--before it's too late.
Max Bootはアメリカの中国政策が失敗すれば、英国がドイツや日本と対立した20世紀前半のような事態 が、アメリカと中国の間に起きる、という。
Oct. 3, 2005 ? Harriet Ellan Miers is White House counsel and was formerly President Bush's personal lawyer in Texas. She first served in the White House as staff secretary and was deputy chief of staff before she was named counsel upon Alberto Gonzales' transition to attorney general. When he was the governor of Texas, Bush once publicly introduced Miers as a "pit bull in size 6 shoes." In addition, Miers was named one of the Top 50 Most Influential Lawyers by the National Law Journal in 1998, and she received numerous other awards from groups including the Dallas Women Lawyers Association, the Anti-Defamation League and the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ブッシュのテキサス州知事時代からの付き合いのある法律家らしく、テキサスの女性法律家として 有名な人らしい。
Students in Guangdong will have to provide their real name and personal information when they access BBS via the universtity network, which is expected to prevent the publishing and spread of any "wrong opinions" and "harmful information" on the school network.
BBS, a popular tool for many Chinese university students, has also become a platform for them to share their thoughts, pictures, music and even videos with others. In these terms the BBS have also become a source of opinions that run contrary to official government policy, the government believes. The "Shui Mu Tsinghua" (SMTH) BBS run on Tsinghua University network is well-known throughout China, and is often referred to in local media. It was the springboard which built 'Internet star' "FRJJ" (Sister Lotus). SMTH has always been restricted by the Chinese government, increasingly so in recent times
BBSは中国の大学では人気があり、思想、画像、音楽、ビデオがうpされてシェアされているのだが 同時に政府への意見などがカキコされる場でもある。Tsinghua大学の、"Shui Mu Tsinghua" (SMTH) BBSは全国的に有名で、ローカルメディアにもしばしば参照される。ここからネットのスターが登場 することもある。SMTHは政府からの規制を受けてきた経過がある。
But they don't get a free pass on this one, either. Journalists have a saying, "If your mother says she loves you, check it out."' It's an affirmation of one prized journalistic skill: skepticism. We saw few skeptical reporters covering Katrina.
October 3, 2005: China's military spending has gone up at least fifteen percent a year for the past six years. But it's uncertain just how high that spending is. Like most Communist countries, the exact defense budget is considered top secret, and much false information is released to keep it that way. From visible activities, it appears that Chinese defense spending is at least the widely accepted $30 billion a year. But it may be closer to $100 billion, if you include a lot of military research, space activities (military communications and spy satellites) and investments in infrastructure (bases) is included. There is definitely a growth in military spending, and apparently no enthusiasm for reversing this trend.
The government has been running a propaganda campaign, for over a decade, to make people aware of the importance of China getting some respect, after a century of defeats and other humiliations. This resonates with many Chinese, and the government is exploiting this to build support for a larger military and more aggressive diplomacy. This is how wars get started. A century ago, Germany was building up its armed forces and looking for "a place in the sun." This led to two world wars and over 100 million dead.
Benedict has tried to reach out to Beijing, saying he wants to establish diplomatic relations and bring all of China’s Catholics under Rome’s wing.
The Communist Party-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association and Chinese Catholic Bishops College said soon after the four bishops were named that they could not come. They said the pope had shown “no respect” because the government had already told Rome they were too old and ill to travel. ttp://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=49351
According to the ministry, the North Korean government also plans to normalize its daily rice ration for a working adult to 500-700 grams from 250 grams on Oct. 10, which marks the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the North's Workers' Party. "We don't know how long the increase will last," Chung said.
But some question if Pyongyang has the ability to feed its 22 million people, who are heavily dependent on foreign aid since natural disasters and state mismanagement caused its economy to collapse in the mid-1990s.
"It's the issue of how long the North can support its decisions," Yoo said. "There might be a bigger harvest this year, but we don't know whether or not the North can ensure food security in the long-term." (コリアヘラルド、10、4) ttp://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2005/10/04/200510040034.asp
バリ島で新たなテロ事件が発生し、その首謀者と見られるマレーシア人のJI組織幹部である Azahari Husin と Noordin Mohammed Top の捜索が進められている。インドネシアは世界最大の 人口を持つイスラムの国であるのだが、そのイスラム社会の背景について、メディアで正しく報 道されているとはいえない。(だからここで説明しておきたい)
インドネシアは歴史的に見れば、仏教やヒンズー教の栄えた土地であり、ボロブドールの仏教 寺院跡や、ジャワのヒンズー寺院であるMajapahitなどの歴史的建造物を見てもそれは理解できる。 インドネシアにイスラムが到来したのは12世紀で14世紀ごろから根付き始めた。しかしながら、 インドネシアの庶民は、アラーの単一神信仰というわけでもなくて、水田の神であるDewiとか、 南の海の女神である Nyai Loro Kidulとか、台所の天使であるNini Tawekなどの信仰を共有する。
ttp://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/10/04/koreasuccessor.shtml Russia Says North Korea to Name Kim Jong-il’s Successor This Month Created: 04.10.2005 12:39 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 12:39 MSK, 2 hours 9 minutes ago MosNews North Korea could announce this month an eventual successor to leader Kim Jong-il, the Reuters news agency reported on Tuesday.
A diplomatic source in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang told the Russian news agency Itar-Tass that the successor is likely to be one of the incumbent leader’s sons.
“An announcement about the appointment of a successor could be made as early as this month, timed for the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the (North Korean Labour Party),” the unnamed source told Itar-Tass.
APで追加の情報。 ttp://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1182015 Meanwhile, air strikes by U.S. warplanes and dozens of helicopters set off explosions that lit the city skylines of Haqlaniyah, Parwana and Haditha before dawn Tuesday. Bridges across the Euphrates River between Haqlanaiyah and Haditha were bombed to prevent insurgents from using them.
"The operation's goal is to deny Al-Qaida in Iraq the ability to operate in the three Euphrates River valley cities and to free local citizens from the insurgents' campaign of murder and intimidation of innocent women, children and men," the U.S. military said in a statement.
Still, the final move of withdrawing from the power struggle will likely only come when Merkel offers his party a large carrot. しかしながら、シュローダーが最終的に闘争をやめるのは、メルケルがSPDに、おっきなニンジンを 提供したときだけであろう。
``We are starting to see a change in consumer behavior,'' said Michael Fitzpatrick, vice president of energy risk management with Fimat USA in New York. ``Consumers are cutting back because of high prices, rising interest rates and signs that the housing bubble is ending. Prices have probably begun the long steady process of grinding lower.''
``Gasoline demand normally drops off at this time of year,'' said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research in Winchester, Massachusetts. ``This year we are seeing an additional decline.''
U.S. gasoline demand averaged 8.8 million barrels a day during the four weeks ended Sept. 23, 2.8 percent below the same period a year earlier, according to the Energy Department. U.S. gasoline demand peaks during the driving season, which runs from Memorial Day in late May to Labor Day.
Crude-oil production in the Gulf of Mexico showed improvement as crews repaired damage from the hurricanes, a government report showed yesterday. Oil output from the Gulf region rose 80,000 barrels a day between Sept. 30 and yesterday, a U.S. Minerals Management Service report showed.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which produces about 40 percent of the world's oil, increased output by an average of 100,000 barrels a day in September, a Bloomberg survey showed. OPECは9月に生産量を日量10万バレル増加ささている
Daily production last month rose 0.3 percent to 30.51 million barrels, according to the survey of oil companies, producers and analysts. It was 30,000 barrels less than October 2004, which was the highest since 1979, based on U.S. Energy Department records.
In London, the November Brent crude-oil futures contract declined $1.90, or 3 percent, to $60.90 a barrel on the International Petroleum Exchange. Prices touched $68.89 on Aug. 30, the highest since trading began in 1988.
LENDING to China's real estate market may spawn as much as 525 billion yuan (US$65 billion) in new bad loans at Chinese banks, Ernst & Young LLP said.
China's real estate loans stand at about 6 trillion yuan, the report said. Bad loans to property developers at the nation's four largest lenders increased by 500 million yuan in the first quarter to 70.8 billion yuan, representing 10.1 percent of total property lending, the People's Bank of China, the central bank, said in August.
"This is fundamentally different from the temporary recoveries you saw in the 1990s," said Richard Jerram, chief economist at Macquarie Securities in Tokyo. "Those post- bubble problems have worked through the system."
UBS Securities raised its target for Japanese stocks last week, predicting the Topix index, which includes all issues on the Tokyo exchange's first section, to hit 1,503 points in the fiscal year starting in April. Morgan Stanley said in a report Monday that the Topix is on course for 1,600, although it didn't give a time frame.
ttp://usinfo.state.gov/eap/Archive/2005/Oct/04-377837.html You Are In: USINFO > Regions > East Asia Pacific Treasury Secretary Will Travel to Japan, China October 10-16 Snow to visit Tokyo, Shanghai, Chengdu en route to G-20 ministerial
The Secretary will be in Tokyo October 10-11 for meetings with economic officials. Secretary Snow is expected to meet with Japanese Finance Minister Tanigaki to discuss economic developments in the region -- in particular, the recent return to economic growth in Japan.
Following the G-20 meetings, Secretary Snow will lead the U.S. delegation at the U.S.-China Joint Economic Commission (JEC). Joining Snow for the JEC will be Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission Chris Cox, and Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Reuben Jeffery III.
ttp://usinfo.state.gov/eap/Archive/2005/Oct/04-485742.html You Are In: USINFO > Regions > East Asia Pacific Bush Says U.S. Developing Response to Potential Avian Flu Outbreak President urges global awareness, speedy reports to World Health Organization
As the world's leading energy consumer, the U.S. was fortunate to have large petroleum and gas reserves on its territory and a specialized energy industry with a world-wide presence. And yet these advantages are not enough to completely satisfy its demand for petroleum products.
France, which does not have such fossil fuel reserves, should be more directly exposed to fluctuations in the price per barrel. But as President George W. Bush recently noted, France chose another path to ensure its energy independence: While the U.S. hasn't built any nuclear plants since the '70s, France has constructed 58 in that period of time. Today, nuclear energy accounts for 78% of our electricity consumption.
The two oil crises of the '70s convinced us to accelerate the construction of facilities to produce safe and economically profitable nuclear energy. That strategy paid off: In 30 years, France's energy independence has risen from 30% to 50%. While turning toward nuclear energy might have seemed unusual 60 years ago, I believe that it was an especially visionary choice.
Sixty years ago, France stood in the vanguard. Today, all industrialized countries must have a similar vision in order to prepare for their children's future. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー まあなんというか、フランス式の世界乃中心是巴里論とでも言うべきマンセー評論なのだけれど、 この問題については現状ではフランスの言い分にも理が有るわけで・・
1つ目、盧大統領の側近たちによる不正だ(ry 2番目として盧大統領は国民と目の高さを合わせるのに失敗したこと(ry 3つ目、盧武鉉政府はアマチュアリズムと部処の間の対立でまひ状態に陥っている(ry 4つ目、執権与党であるウリ党は党の進路をめぐり、実用派と進歩派に別れ、深刻な内部対立状 態になっている(ry ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ttp://www.nautilus.org/fora/security/0578Klinger.html Policy Forum Online 05-78A: September 27th, 2005 South Korean President Battles Lame Duck Status By Bruce Klingner
CONTENTS I. Introduction II. Essay by Bruce Klingner III. Nautilus invites your responses ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー Bruce Klingner Analyst, Asia
Bruce Klingner is the Korea analyst at Eurasia Group and a member of the Asia practice. He holds a master's degree in national strategic strategy from the National War College, a master's degree in strategic intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College, and a bachelor's degree in political science from Middlebury College, specializing in international relations. Prior to joining Eurasia Group, Bruce was the director of analysis and senior Asian analyst at Intellibridge Corporation, a Washington-based research and consulting firm. He served twenty years in the United States Intelligence Community, with expertise in Asian, defense and remote sensing issues. During his career with the Central Intelligence Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency, he held analytic and management positions of increasing responsibility in support of senior US policymakers. His assignments included Executive Officer of the China-Taiwan Issue Group of CIA's Directorate of Intelligence; Deputy Division Chief of the Korea Issue Group; a rotational assignment to the Department of Commerce as an Intelligence Liaison Officer, and Chief of the Korea Branch at the National Photographic Interpretation Center (now National Geospatial Intelligence Agency). He has been published in the Asia Times, Korea Herald, and Nikkei Weekly.
About five years ago, the British Defence Evaluation and Research Agency did a rather extensive, and still largely classified, study using pilots flying aircraft simulators tuned to represent the characteristics of various aircraft. The pilots used the weapons and tactics of each nation. The benchmark was how many Su-35s (the advanced Russian warplane, then in development, based on the Su-27) that would be lost for each friendly aircraft. China, India and Russia use the Su-27, and advanced models of it. The results of this study were;
U.S. F-22 10.1 : 1 (10.1 Su-35s lost for each F-22) F-22はSu−35を10.1機、撃墜可能 European Typhoon 4.5 : 1 French Rafale 1.0 : 1 Russian Su-35 1.0 : 1 U.S. F-15C 0.8 : 1 U.S. F-18D 0.4 : 1 U.S. F-18C 0.3 : 1 U.S. F-16C 0.3 : 1
THE SUN ALSO RISES ? A SURVEY OF JAPAN A special report by the Editor, Bill Emmott, to be published in The Economist on October 8th 2005
In 1989, Bill Emmott published a book on Japan called The Sun Also Sets: The Limits to Japan’s Economic Power". After 15 years of stock- and property-price collapse, stagnation in economic growth, rising unemployment and political uncertainty, there are now at last some solid signs of economic recovery. It is time to mark the fact that the Japanese sun is going to rise again. More important, it is time to look at how this reviving Japan will be different from the Japan that entered its troubled period in the 1990s.
Companies have restructured themselves and paid down their debts; banks have greatly reduced their bad-debt burdens; changes in regulations and corporate law have produced new opportunities for business and new disciplines on managers. Most important of all, the Japanese labour market has changed substantially, with 30% of all workers now on part-time or temporary contracts. This has helped reduce labour costs, but has also depressed wages and hence consumer demand. But now, for the first time in several years, wages are rising again as new employment is being created. The stage is set for a sustained period of economic recovery, based on domestic demand rather than on exports.
Events in the outside world ? such as high oil prices and a sharp slowdown in Japan’s main export markets, America and China -- may well affect this recovery. That could cause new problems for the Japanese economy. But the underlying trend is likely to remain positive, because there have been fundamental changes in companies and the labour market which are going to make the economy stronger and more resilient to external shocks.
The politics of Japan has changed fundamentally too. The old money-driven politics of the Liberal Democratic Party, with power and money shared between factions, has been destroyed by a combination of campaign-finance reform, electoral reform and the policies of Junichiro Koizumi, prime minister since 2001. His reform programme has set in concrete some crucial changes in the conduct of government, the role and power of the bureaucracy and the size of the government. Whoever succeeds him, probably in 2006, will continue with those changes, whether the successors are from the LDP or, after a general election, from the opposition Democratic Party of Japan. Moreover, public influence on politics and policy has increased markedly, thanks to a big expansion in NGOs (known as NPOs in Japan) and a new information disclosure law.
Lastly, the regional environment for Japan has changed drastically, with an emerging Chinese economic power, and richer and more stable neighbours such as South Korea. The security situation has worsened, thanks to North Korea; political tensions with China and South Korea are growing, thanks to territorial disputes and the legacy of history; but economic ties are strengthening all the time.
This survey will analyse all these changes and explore where they might lead Japan. It will set out the main themes as follows:
The new Japanese economy New Japanese business: entrepreneurs, changing corporate governance and new legal and corporate disciplines New Japanese politics The new East Asia and what it means for Japan The future: a look at Japan in 2015
Bill Emmott’s 1989 book made him famous in Japan and became a worldwide bestseller. This new look at a country beginning to emerge from the troubles that his book predicted will make this survey essential reading for The Economist’s global audience of business, financial and political leaders. It will be sought out by all those who do business in Japan or with Japanese companies abroad, visit the country frequently, or need to follow trends and developments there closely.
Thus the spotlight at the four-day meeting in the Soviet-era Jingxi Hotel will be on Hu to see whether he takes the opportunity to manoeuvre key allies into place, push forward a possible successor and cement his grip on power.
Another test will be whether Hu can seize control of Shanghai, the political stronghold of Jiang, 79, who still wields influence through political allies in China's financial capital and who dominate the party's all-powerful nine-member Politburo Standing Committee.
Li Keqiang, 50, a key Hu ally who has a doctorate in economics from Peking University and cut his teeth in Hu's stronghold, the China Youth League, is front-runner to become China's fifth generation leader, two independent sources said.
Hu is pushing to promote Li to become an alternate member of the Politburo and possibly director of the party General Office, the nerve centre handling classified documents and administrative and logistical affairs, the sources and political analysts said.
Last year, Jiang blocked another Hu ally, Liu Yuandong, a minister responsible for party relations with non-Communists, from replacing Chen Liangyu as Shanghai party boss.
Some sources argue Hu will not make drastic personnel changes because he still needs cooperation from Jiang allies to deal with problems ranging from mounting tensions between rich and poor, officials and the people, and corrupt and honest officials. "It'll be tantamount to a declaration of war if Hu makes Shanghai his target," one source told Reuters.
"Maybe there is some elasticity to petroleum demand after all," said analyst Andrew Lebow of Man Financial Inc. in New York. There was a particularly large selloff in gasoline futures, which Lebow attributed in part to technical trading. Light sweet crude for November delivery fell $1.05 to $62.85 per barrel in afternoon trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange, where futures fell $1.57 on Tuesday.
ttp://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=10/4/2005&Cat=2&Num=002 Venezuela interested in working with Iran in civilian nuclear ... Tehran Times, Iran - Oct 3, 2005 CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday his government is starting research into peaceful uses of nuclear energy. AP:ベネズエラのヒューゴ・チェべス大統領は核の平和利用に言及、イランとの共同開発に関心
“Strong and Decisive Leader” Summary Yes No (DK) 誰を強いリーダーと思うか? Rudy Giuliani 65% 20 15 John McCain 56% 26 19 Condoleezza Rice 55% 31 14 George W. Bush 51% 46 3 Hillary Clinton 51% 42 7 John Kerry 35% 56 9 Al Gore 27% 65 8
If the 2008 Democratic presidential primary were held today, for whom would you vote if the candidates were: (RANDOMIZE) 民主党大統領候補は誰に? -Democrats (±5%)- 27-28 14-15 Sep 05 Jun 05 1. Hillary Rodham Clinton 42% 44% 2. John Edwards 14 13 3. John Kerry 14 17 4. Al Gore 11 na 5. Joseph Biden 5 6 6. Wesley Clark 1 2 7. Mark Warner 1 1 8. (Other) 3 2 9. (Not sure) 8 13 10. (Would not vote in Democratic primary) 2 1
If the 2008 Republican presidential primary were held today, for whom would you vote if the candidates were: (RANDOMIZE) 共和党大統領候補は誰に? -Republicans (±5%)- 27-28 14-15 Sep 05 Jun 05 1. Rudy Giuliani 26% 29% 2. John McCain 23 26 3. Condoleezza Rice 18 na 4. Newt Gingrich 7 9 5. Mitt Romney 3 2 6. Bill Frist 2 3 7. George Allen 2 3 8. (Other) 2 2 9. (Not sure) 17 23 10. (Would not vote in Republican primary) 1 3
But even without SOX, as the law is commonly known, Chinese banks would have a difficult time listing in the U.S. Simply put, not enough is known about them because they are just not transparent enough. Thus they must go to Hong Kong.
Information on the dealings of managers of state-owned entities, especially banks, is political. The market will need to know everything it can about China's state banks as they come to market. How the government expects this to happen while every day websites are being closed down and journalists are being thrown in prison remains a mystery. These two systems cannot long endure within the same country.
"It would be entirely natural that they would want to send the message: 'Don't mess with us'," the official said. "It would not be outside the policy parameters of Tehran." He said evidence had emerged of links between Iran and a breakaway faction of the Mehdi army, the Shia militia headed by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. There was evidence of contact between Iran and some Sunni extremist groups, such as Ansar al-Islam. Iran has denied the charges.
October 06, 2005 SO DRIVING HOME FROM THE GYM I turned on the radio and got Bush giving a really first-rate speech on foreign policy and the war to the National Endowment for Democracy. Notable features -- besides its overall clarity -- are the naming of Iran and Syria, and his willingness to talk about a war against Islamic terror, not just generic "terror." Maybe he's been reading Bill Quick's critiques! posted at 10:41
That makes further structural change essential. The OECD argues that it needs to include: encouraging wider and faster commercial diffusion of the results of R&D; making the labour market more flexible and expanding worker participation; reversing a deterioration in the quality of higher education; developing broader and more dynamic capital markets and strengthening domestic competition.
That is a demanding agenda, but not beyond Korea's capacity to achieve. Regrettably, the will to tackle it appears to be weakening. Seoul is in the grip of reform fatigue and a deeply ambivalent attitude to global economic integration. Official determination to resist the crushing might of the chaebol conglomerates that control much of the economy has waned, while xenophobic defensiveness is on the rise.
・Chapter 1: Key challenges facing Korea ・Chapter 2: Economic prospects and macroeconomic policies ・Chapter 3: Getting the most out of public-sector decentralisation ・Chapter 4: Sustaining high growth through innovation: reforming the R&D and education systems ・Chapter 5: The labour market: enhancing flexibility and raising participation ・Chapter 6: Reform of the corporate and financial sectors
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in November, fell 65 cents to $62.14 a barrel in electronic trading. At one point this morning it dropped to $61.90 the lowest level since August 5.
In testimony to the committee, chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said none of the parties would help North Korea in the nuclear field until it ends its atomic programs and returns to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
In response to questions, Hill said the United States sees no future for the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO).
"[W]e think it's time to move to terminate it," he said. KEDO was established in 1995 to implement key provisions of the 1994 Agreed Framework that would have given North Korea two light-water reactors in exchange for an end to Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs. Members of KEDO include the Republic of Korea, Japan, United States and the European Union.
Hill said the United States is "utterly committed" to making the Six-Party Talks succeed. The United States will be going into the next round of talks in November "in a positive spirit and doing all we can to achieve success."
Six-Party Talks Still Face "Perilous" Times, State's Hill Says ttp://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20051003-06.html (米国大使館、北朝鮮ファイル) ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 北朝鮮核問題について、韓国ソースの記事はうかつには信用できないものばかりだと、個人的に は思っているます。
WASHINGTON ? The United States wants to terminate the existing multilateral consortium for providing light-water nuclear reactors to North Korea by the end of this year and replace it with a "new, more secure" arrangement to deal with the Korean Peninsula's denuclearization, a top U.S. negotiator said Thursday. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー KEDOを今年中にやめて、核廃棄のための("new, more secure" arrangement)に置き換えたいとい っているようですが、このアレンジメントというのは6者協議のワーキンレベルグチームのようなも のを言っているのだろうと思います。その目的は「朝鮮半島非核化」といっているわけばので。
EnCana Corp. is selling its oil assets in Ecuador to a Chinese consortium for $1.42 billion in a deal it said reflects more its own plans to focus on North America than the Andean country's political instability. Reuters reported. The deal with a consortium led by Chinese giant CNPC leaves rival Indian bidder ONGC out in the cold on a major deal for the second time in less than a month
Last month, violent demonstrations curtailed oil exports from Ecuador, the second-largest South American supplier to the United States after Venezuela. Protesters demanded oil companies invest more in the communities where they drill. The protests ended as foreign firms promised to invest more in local development projects, something EnCana has said it has always done since entering the country in 1999. Before the protests, EnCana had been in a dispute over an interest in one concession that the government said was acquired without its approval. EnCana Chief Executive Gwyn Morgan had said state-owned oil companies were logical buyers for the assets, partly due to their higher tolerance for political risk.
The company first announced it was selling the assets and other international holdings last year as part of a plan to focus on U.S. and Canadian natural gas and oil sands. It says it is concentrating on "resource plays," in which reserves are large but require busy drilling and recovery technology to boost output steadily. Encana has since jettisoned its North Sea and U.S. Gulf coast holdings and a host of conventional Canadian properties.
Latin America's Security Puzzle ラテンアメリカの安全保障の現状 by Stephen Johnson Testimony September 21, 2005 ステファン・ジョンソン Senior Policy Analyst for Latin America, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies Before the Committee on Armed Services U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. September 21, 2005
Chavez will inherit Fidel Castro’s leadership of the hemispheric left, and, armed for the moment with petrodollars, attempt to subvert democratic governments and U.S. allies in the region through oil extortion and supporting local activists. Near-term targets are Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. Longer term, are Panama, Central America, Mexico, and the cultivation of sympathizers in the United States. He would likely attempt to prop up a communist government in post-Castro Cuba and build a nuclear weapon.
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ttp://www.economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?story_id=4454244 SURVEY: JAPAN The sun also rises Oct 6th 2005 From The Economist print edition Japan is at last ready to surprise the world by how well it does, not how badly, writes Bill Emmott, editor of The Economist これはかなりマジな、数字を示しての日本経済の現状評価(と見通し)の議論。
James Thomson, manager of the Rathbone global opportunities fund, agrees. He recently visited China and has come back certain that private investors should avoid Chinese funds. "Strong economic growth entices investors," he says. "But Chinese companies have a history of value destruction. You would have lost 75 per cent of your money if you had invested in China over the past ten years."
Now, a joke is circulating in Tokyo about Chinese students on a course there. Someone asks them why they spend so much time with other Chinese rather than with Japanese students. Their answer: because we are afraid the Japanese might teach us communism. The way things are going, the joke might soon become obsolete.
中国の8月までの貿易黒字が$60B(600億ドル、6兆円)に達し、今年一年では$100B(10兆円) に上る見通し、と中国通商部が発表した。これとは別に中央銀行総裁のZhou Xiaochuanは貿易 黒字の問題に関連して人民元の見直しを行わざるを得ない(Zhou Xiaochuan said China should re-examine its yuan exchange rate policy)とのべた。
ttp://www.rogerlsimon.com/ October 07, 2005 A New Blogosphere Movement? Abolition of the Nobel Peace Prize. [Maybe they meant the Nobel Prize for Comedy.-ed. I hope so.] ノーベル平和賞というのは、廃止したほうが良いと思う(あるいは、これはノーベル・コメディ賞 というべきかすらん)
シンガポールの法廷はインターネットでのイスラムとマレー人に対する人種・宗教偏見を煽る 行いをしたとして、ブロガーの Benjamin Koh Song Huat 27歳と Nicholas Lim Yew 25歳に 有罪を宣告し、前者を懲役1ヶ月、後者を懲役1日(象徴的な懲役刑)と5000シンガポールドル の罰金とした。二人は華僑系で、シンガポールの人口の80%は華僑であるがマレー人が15% を占めている。この裁判はシンガポールでインターネット言論と人種・宗教対立を煽ること を禁じた国内法の、最初の判例となった。この法律ではそうした行為をしたものに3年以内の 懲役刑を命じることが出来る。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー シンガポールらすい判決。これを日本で適用したらハン板や東亜はどうなることやら。
Saturday, October 08, 2005 1:24:05 PM ET By Benjamin Kang Lim ttp://www.metronews.ca/reuters_international.asp?id=100585 One focus will be on whether Hu can maneuver protege Li Keqiang, 50, who cut his teeth in Hu's power base, the China Youth League, into the decision-making Politburo, which currently has 24 full members and one alternate member. "Li Keqiang is very likely to become the fifth generation leader," a source with ties to the leadership told Reuters, requesting anonymity. Hu is the country's fourth generation leader after Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang. Another independent source said Li's star was rising, despite mediocre performances as provincial party chief in Henan and in the northeastern rustbelt of Liaoning.
音楽などをブログにうpする "podcasting" は中国でも流行しているが、このサウンドは「with a stranger, a soundtrack consisting of a mixture of polite chitchat and grunts and groans.」 というものである。
Hu congratulated Kim and the WPK on the achievements made by the WPK and the DPRK people in economic development, promoting foreign relations and its endeavor to achieve peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula.
Washington’s chief negotiator in six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, Christopher Hill, reportedly said the Stalinist country must discuss its human rights record, plans to develop biochemical weapons, support for terrorism and other illegitimate activities before the U.S. is ready to normalize ties.
Reports on Sunday said Hill made the remark in a closed-door address right after signing a statement of principles that ended the fourth round of the talks on Sept. 19. He said other parties in the talks must take a clear stance in the next round slated for November if the U.S. is to agree to build the North a light-water reactor, a measure he was wary of. Hill’s speech at the seminar has already attracted plenty of speculation.
Just because the U.S. accepts the statement of principles does not mean that it agrees with North Korea’s political system or its human rights record and treatment of its people, the assistant secretary was quoted as saying. He said Washington will continue to express concern over such issues.
He also said Pyongyang must verifiably dismantle not only its plutonium program but also a uranium enrichment program the U.S. claims it operates. Turning to an ambiguous provision in the accord that discussion of a civilian-use light-water reactor for North Korea will come “at an appropriate time,” Hill said that time was after Pyongyang dismantles all its nuclear programs, admits inspectors and shows consistent transparency, according to sources.
U.S. Warned of 'Concrete Measures' if N.Korea Ships Nukes <朝鮮日報、Oct.9 21:54 KST> 北朝鮮が核技術輸出なら、断固たる措置に出るとヒル代表が警告
In tougher talk than is customary from Washington’s chief negotiator in six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, Christopher Hill reportedly told a closed-door seminar right after the last round of talks that if Pyongyang were to engage in the proliferation of nuclear weapons or technologies, the U.S. would be forced to take "concrete measures" to protect itself and its allies. ヒル代表は6者協議合意のあとの非公開のセミナーで、北朝鮮が核爆弾や核技術の輸出を行えば米国 は米国と同盟国の安全保障のために断固たる措置をとる、と語った。
The “concrete measures” could include not only economic sanctions through the UN Security Council but also military action. North Korea has aroused suspicions that it could be shipping nuclear materials or nuclear technology when it exported missiles through third countries. Washington is more worried that nuclear weapons could make their way out of the North than that the Stalinist country is arming itself. この断固たる措置というのは国連安保理での経済制裁にとどまらず、軍事行動をも意味し得る。北朝 鮮は核燃料を輸出したとの疑惑があり、米国は北朝鮮の核爆弾保有より核技術拡散をより深刻な問題 ととらえている。
In 2003, Washington started the Proliferation Security Initiative, a group of countries that agree to intercept any ships suspected of trafficking weapons of mass destruction. North Korea says the initiative is a “scheme aimed at crushing our country to death.” 北朝鮮は2003年に米国のPSIを北朝鮮を壊滅させるための行為とよんでいる。
ブッシュ米政権はシリアを「テロ支援国家」に指定している。同誌は作戦内容に触れていないが、 空爆などを検討している可能性がある。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9629607/site/newsweek/ Dangers in Damascus By Michael Hirsh and Kevin Peraino
U.S. officials even debated launching military strikes inside the Syrian border against the insurgency. But at an Oct. 1 "principals" meeting, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice successfully opposed such a move, according to two U.S. government sources who are not authorized to speak on the record.
Gen. John Abizaid, commander, U.S. Central Command, earlier cited several encouraging signs in Iraq. He said the main battles against the insurgency had shifted to western Iraq, "which is a good sign, a good indicator that Iraqi and U.S. forces are having an effect elsewhere." Also, he said, infiltration of foreign fighters across the Syrian border "remains a concern, but it's down." ttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/01/AR2005100100527.html WaPo,10月1日
al Qaeda will lose Haditha as an important base. As al Qaeda's bases are destroyed and areas of operation are reduced, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the commander of al Qaeda in Iraq, lashes out. Zarqawi declares civilians are legitimate targets; "Islam does not differentiate between civilians and military (targets) but rather distinguishes between Muslims and infidels... Muslim blood must be spared ... but it is permissible to spill infidel blood." Desperate times call for desperate measures.
ttp://billroggio.com/ Near Samarra, a suicide bomber was stopped before it reached its intended target (detonating and tragically killing a child). In the town of Dalish, a known car bomb manufacturer and his partner were killed in a raid. The citizens of Iraq are providing valuable intelligence and tips. 今日、サマラの近郊で、自殺攻撃を仕掛けた犯人が目的の場所に行く前に見つかり、自爆する事件が あって、(自爆に巻き込まれて)不幸にも子供が一人犠牲になった。ダリッシュの町で自動車爆弾の 製造犯人として知られる男とその仲間が検挙された。この事件ではイラクの市民の通報によって検挙 が可能になった。
With the assistance of Iraqi civilian tips, more than 50 improvised explosive devices were discovered and neutralized on the roads of North Central Iraq. Weapons seizures included five mortar systems, more than 50 mortar rounds, 75 artillery rounds, nearly 70 rockets and 10 anti tank mines. イラク北部の中心部の道路で、イラクの民間人による通報により、50個以上の仕掛け爆弾が発見され、 処理された。爆発物は5個の追撃砲弾によるもの、50個の砲弾によるもの、75個の砲弾を含むもの、 70個のロケット砲弾と10個の対戦車地雷を使ったものなどがあった。
This is one deadly arsenal that will be unavailable for the expected attacks on the upcoming referendum on the constitution. これらは土曜日の憲法審査投票のために準備された酷い爆発物なのだが、早期に発見されたので被害は 食い止められた。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー テロリストの爆弾攻撃は相変わらず酷いように見えるけれど、イラクの民間人の通報で発見処理され るというのは、それでもまだマシになってきたような。テロリストをレジスタンスなどと呼んできた 国内マスコミはイラク民間人への大きな被害や、こうした市民の米軍への協力をなんと呼ぶのかすらん。
これは、イスラム原理主義テロのブログで参照されていた文献でICGがインドネシア のテロリスト・グループとその運動の歴史などについてまとめているもの。今年2月の 発表だけれどたいへん充実した資料で,インドネシアのテロについてこれを読むまで 全く知らなかったことが多くあって眼から鱗という感じになってしまった。PDF53ペ ージ。スハルト時代からのテロ計画や首脳暗殺計画、イランとインドネシアでイスラム 原理主義が政治と社会に与える影響の違いの比較など、とても勉強になる。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ttp://www.crisisgroup.org/library/documents/asia/indonesia/092_recycl_militants_indon_darul_islam__austr_embassy_bombing.pdf RECYCLING MILITANTS IN INDONESIA: DARUL ISLAM AND THE AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY BOMBING Asia Report N°92 ? 22 February 2005
というのは、ビートルズの"A Day in the Life,"にある台詞で、ジョン・レノンは毎日の ニュースに現れる鬱陶しくて厄介そうな事件についての感情を込めて歌っているわけであ るのだが、ポール・マッカートニーはこれを"Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall."と言う言い方であらわしている。
The U.S. and other wealthy World Trade Organization members should trim farm aid by 60 percent, U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman said. The European Union and Japan need to go beyond that -- slashing their agriculture spending by 83 percent -- because they spend far more on their farmers than the U.S., he said.
WTO加盟の日米欧などの先進国は農業補助金を60%削減すべきであると、米国通商交渉代表の Rob Portmanが語った。アメリカに比べて政府補助金の多いEUと日本は83%の政府農業補助金の 削減を行うべきである、と述べた。(後略) ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー まあこれは、アメリカとEUの禿げしい交渉になりそうな戦いの先制パンチというべきものでは あろうけれど、アメリカがそうした方針で進むと、中長期では日本も真剣に考えないといけない 事態になるの鴨。
"As to the issues we have had with Uzbekistan on military access to K-2, we have been very clear: We will continue to fight the war on terrorism. We will continue to do it effectively. We have many ways to do it,"
Japan will also send more than 100 ground SDF troops and helicopters for transport in response to a request from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
Senior Vice Foreign Minister Shuzen Tanigawa visited the earthquake stricken region on Monday and met with local government officials to discuss further aid. Tanigawa is to stay until Friday. 外務副大臣の谷川氏がパキスタンの震災地域を訪問し地方政府と支援の会談している
Experience: Contributing editor to The Weekly Standard (current); editorial features editor (1997-02), the Wall Street Journal, and writer and editor (1994-97); writer and editor, The Christian Science Monitor (1992-94).
Education: M.A. in Diplomatic History, Yale University (1992); B.A. in History, University of California, Berkeley (1991).
Honors: In 2004, Max Boot was named by the World Affairs Councils of America one of "the 500 most influential people in the United States in the field of foreign policy." Boot's "Savage Wars of Peace" was awarded the 2003 Wallace M. Greene Award for best nonfiction book on the Marine Corps, and selected as one of the best books of 2002 by the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Christian Science Monitor. Two-time finalist, Gerald A. Loeb Award for Business Journalism; twice selected as one of America's 30 leading business journalists under 30 by the TGFR Newsletter. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 外交評議会のメンバーの中でも、各種新聞雑誌に安全保障や外交関連の記事を書いている売れっ子 ライター、保守派でネオコンといっても良いくらい、といったところではないでしょうか。歯切れ の良い(調子良すぎることも)評論を書くので人気があるのだと思いまふ。
Pentagon spokesman Greg Hicks said Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has no plans to visit Japan in the immediate future.
“It would be difficult to justify such a visit by the secretary when the work on our alliance transformation and posture realignment effort is not at a suitable stage,” Hicks said. “Discussions on the U.S.-Japan alliance transformation and realignment are on an accelerated time line, and officials from both governments are committed to coming to an agreement in the near term.”
“Differences remain and negotiations are ongoing,” Hill said. “It’s a very sensitive and complicated issue.” The talks come amid increasing calls in Japan for the United States to streamline its military presence ? for which Japan pays $5 billion a year in maintenance costs ? as well as Washington’s move away from bases abroad.
Although semiconductor sales growth has been flattish, industry forecasters see signs of the beginning of an upswing that could run for several years. Barring an unexpected recession, growth in chip sales could rise from 4 percent this year to 6 percent in 2006 -- and peak at 8 percent or so by 2008. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 今年末から半導体・ハイテク(インテル、IBM、マイクロソフト、アプライド・マテリアル) が回復し、2008年ころまで好況が続くという予測が出てきた模様で、日本の電気屋さんにも朗報 と思われ。いままでの不況から需要が回復し、企業のハイテク化IT投資も増加しそう、という 景気の良い話;
ttp://billroggio.com/ フォース・レイル(イラク・ブログ) October 10, 2005 Recent Operations on the Euphrates By Bill Roggio Created by Steve Schippert, Marvin Hutchens and Bill Roggio
The agreement was a major victory for American officials, who had spent weeks urging Iraq's Shiite and Kurdish leaders to make changes that could soften Sunni opposition to the charter and forge a broader consensus. The Americans had voiced fears that if the constitution passed over strong Sunni opposition, more would turn toward violence.
It was too early to tell whether a public endorsement of the constitution by those two groups would translate into a much broader acceptance among Sunni Arabs.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Baghdad, has been trying to persuade the governing Shia-Kurdish coalition to reach a compromise with Sunni opponents of the constitution, which they fear will marginalise the Sunni minority that once ruled the country.
Details of the proposed deal remained sketchy, but, according to news agencies in Baghdad, if the constitution is approved on Saturday the next parliament - due to be elected in December - would revise the document and put it to a second referendum next year.
ttp://www.islamonline.org/english/news/2005-10/11/article12.shtml The US embassy in Baghdad has been exerting efforts to convince the Shiites and Kurds to meet demands by the Sunnis in the constitution draft. In addition to US officials, British diplomats and UN representatives were also involved during the conclusion of the accord.