ビジネスウイークの結論は: SOUND SECTOR. Meanwhile, permit data have remained strong, although they have moved lower in recent months -- suggesting the possibility of a more throttled pace of construction in 2006. Overall, recent indicators point to a moderating, but not collapsing, housing market. We still believe the slowing we expect in 2006 will be gradual, and consistent with a solid housing sector overall.
Japanese consumer confidence is at a 15-year high as exports climb, companies hire and wages rise, propelling the economy toward its longest postwar expansion. Sustained economic growth may encourage the Bank of Japan to end its five-year deflation-fighting policy by cutting the cash it provides to the banking system, a precursor to raising interest rates.
The economy is in a ``sweet spot right now, there's higher economic growth and rising wages,'' said Jesper Koll, chief economist for Japan at Merrill Lynch & Co. in Tokyo. ``Clearly the hyper-stimulating policy that the Bank of Japan has been running is no longer warranted.''
"The real question is whether the Livedoor affair gets as big as Recruit and involves lots of politicians," added Sone, referring to a huge shares-for-favors scandal that forced then-prime minister Noboru Takeshita to resign in 1989.
The widening scandal, which has already led to a decline in Mr Koizumi's approval ratings, may have a significant impact on his successor, yet to be named.
The opposition is calling for Mr Takebe, his son, Mr Horie and others to testify in parliament.
Mr Takebe had earlier faced criticism of comments he made in support of Mr Horie during last year's election, when he called the Livedoor founder "my younger brother, my son". He also asked Mr Horie last year to advise the party on its finances and public-relations activities, according to media reports.
The better-than-expected economic-growth figures fanned expectations that an interest-rate increase may be in the cards. For months, speculation has been growing about when the central bank may shift away from the policy it has taken since 2001 of keeping rates at zero and flooding the markets with excess cash in an effort to encourage lending and recovery.
QUESTION: Yesterday in a statement, Banco Delta-Asia announced it has officially closed all of its accounts with North Korea in relation to their implementation of new money laundering policies and procedures. Has the State Department had any reaction to this or have they heard anything from North Korea?
MR. MCCORMACK: Well, we -- the North Koreans have talked about this issue in public quite a bit. As for contact with Banco Delta-Asia, I don't have the latest for you. I know that -- I do know that they were quite concerned about this issue and that they were talking to us, as well as others, about what remedial steps they might take.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) return to six-party talks. Has the United States heard any sign from North Korean delegation in New York? So, you have (inaudible) U.S. and (inaudible)?
MR. MCCORMACK: We haven't heard that the North Koreans are coming back to the talks. As for the New York channel, on any given day, there's some exchange of information. We don't have diplomatic relations with North Korea, so the New York channel is a way to pass information, anywhere from logistics to clarifying statements. So, as for the New York channel, you know, this is, I know, a source of continuing fascination among the press corps, but it is merely a channel through which we exchange information because we don't have diplomatic relations with North Korea.
The new passport combines face recognition and contactless chip technology. The chip, embedded in the cover of the passport, holds the same information that is printed in the passport: name, date of birth, gender, place of birth, dates of passport issuance and expiration, passport number, and photo image of the bearer. Previously issued passports without electronic chips will remain valid until their expiration dates.
To address privacy concerns, the Department has incorporated an anti-skimming device in the passport front cover. The Department also included basic access control (BAC) technology to prevent skimming and eavesdropping. The anti-skimming device and the BAC technology, when taken together, will mitigate unauthorized reading of the e-passport.
Bruce: Yes. Certainly the European left’s ultimate values nowadays are not liberal ones. Multicultural ”tolerance” for non-liberal cultural traditions clearly takes precedence over liberal values such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equal rights, and individual self-determination. Across Western Europe, all these things have been trampled on in the name of ”respect for other cultures.”
What might have aroused the censors was the implication of a parallel with today's corrupt Communist Party. Mr. Yuan's conclusion -- an indictment of the Party's historical fictions -- probably didn't digest well, either. In a country of 1.3 billion people, Beijing's select leadership circle seeks to retain control through its tight grip on information and historical accounts.
While this could be something of an intramural battle within the party, it might also be a serious crack in the Communist great wall. The willingness of the protesters to stand up at least reflects a lack of fear, and perhaps a real yearning for more freedom of expression. (これは、中国共産党という壁の内側の戦いという側面があるのだけれど、それでも共産党の言論 支配体制への亀裂という意味では、大きな意味があるのかもしれない。抗議行動に立ち上がるとい うのは、少なくとも体制を恐れぬ所業であるので、言論の自由への真の切望を意味するかもしれない)
If the WFP's new plan goes forward, Kim will be in the pleasant position of receiving free goods, enjoying plenty of control over who gets what, and taking credit for the handouts. Part of the WFP plan, for example, is to provide supplies for food-processing factories where the government will hire the workers, operate the plants, and in some cases -- how many is not clear -- "transport the product to the beneficiary institutions."
There is no question that many people are hungry, and, as the head of the WFP office in Pyongyang, Richard Ragan, described it in a recent interview, "living on the edge." In the field of good works, one of the worst dilemmas is what to do when a tyrant holds hostage his own population -- trading on their deprivation to lever out of well-meaning donors whatever it is he really wants. But in North Korea, the WFP -- America's main conduit for aid into the country -- is losing whatever leverage it ever had. Big brother China and eager-to-appease South Korea are shipping substantial aid with few strings attached. Meanwhile, the U.S. is trying to corral Kim over matters as mortally important as nuclear bombs. This new program whipped up by the WFP to suit Kim's palate sends just one message: Yes indeed, we are chumps.
Recent experience has indicated to the US that there are limits to the extent that military force can be used to disarm dangerous nations. Experience has perhaps begun to persuade certain European states that the comfort blanket of “diplomatic solutions” cannot be employed to extinguish every emerging fire.
Mr Blair opined yesterday that he saw Britain’s links with Germany as an “alliance and friendship I hope, not a rivalry”. The shared values run far deeper than any differing opinions. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー シュローダーの危うい独自価値観のドイツ外交の時代は、すでに過去のものになってこれから 歴史家がその意味と評価をおこなうのだろうけれど、それは一時的な体調不全のようなものと 見なされるのかも。もっとも、欧州のかなり急速な外交方策の変化をまじめに論じている国内 のメディアは少ないけれど。
Yasukuni has become the site for an exculpatory interpretation of the second world war that plays down or even denies the atrocities that flowed from Japan's militarism, and plays up the notion of Japan as victim not aggressor.
Yet roughly 20m Asians died in the 1930s and 1940s, thanks to the Japanese, and many were enslaved, tortured, raped or subjected to medical experiments, including vivisection.
・・・
As it happens, after the enshrinement of the war criminals in 1978, Emperor Hirohito stopped visiting Yasukuni, a stay-away continued by his son, Akihito.
さらに、ナベツネ氏の最近のご乱行について
In particular, Mr Watanabe reserves his bile for Mr Koizumi?partly, perhaps, out of personal pique that the prime minister does not hang on his every word, as predecessors did. Equating Tojo with Hitler, Mr Watanabe told the New York Times last week that “Mr Koizumi worships at a shrine that glorifies militarism. This person Koizumi doesn't know history or philosophy, doesn't study, doesn't have any culture. That's why he says stupid things, like, ‘what's wrong about worshipping at Yasukuni?' Or, ‘China and Korea are the only countries that criticise Yasukuni.' This stems from his ignorance.” The Yomiuri is now running a series of articles examining Japan's wartime record, and promises to come up with a “verdict” by August. It is unlikely, though, to lay the past to rest.
But a close look at events involving Freezing Point, which was forced to stop publishing last month, underscores some of the tension and complexity surrounding China's media.
氷点という週刊誌の名前の由来について解説していて:
A week before the scheduled Jan. 3, 1995, launch, brainstorming editors offered several suggestions such as "Hot Point" and "Focal Point," reflecting the media's obsession with "hot" trends. In a moment of pique, the new chief editor snapped back: "Damn these Focal Points and Hot Points. Let's call it Freezing Point." The response was classic Li: irreverent, outspoken and focused on content over form. Li estimated that 40% of the parent newspaper's nearly 1 million subscribers signed up primarily because of the supplement.
氷点という出版物の性格について:
From the beginning, Li and Lu focused on social problems and the plight of ordinary people in a country where reporters more often take their cue from politics.
But they also forged operating principles that helped ensure their survival, resisting censorship when they could and compromising when they had to.
"They wouldn't initiate a lie, and when they had to lie, they didn't do it in a creative way," said Pu Zhiqiang, a lawyer, free-speech advocate and longtime reader. "They only repeated the lie that the leadership forced them to make. They never saw themselves as the traditional throat and tongue of the party," a Mao-era phrase used to describe the state media.
特異な、戦闘的な姿勢を見せている李前編集長について:
Most editors in China would disappear quietly. Li mounted an aggressive fight against the Propaganda Department, speaking out to foreign media and organizing high-level supporters.
This week a petition surfaced on the Internet signed by 13 influential scholars and ex-officials denouncing the shutdown and implicitly criticizing censorship policies. In a one-party state that likes to project an image of unanimity, the willingness of Mao's secretary and biographer Li Rui, former Propaganda Department chief Zhu Houze and ex-editor Hu Jiwei of the party's main mouthpiece, the People's Daily, to add their names has attracted attention.
Analysts say the fact that Li has not been more severely punished and that others also have signed petitions suggests that the regime is not as powerful as it was a decade ago. It also may signal that opinions are far from unified.
Because a potential Japanese Raptor force would be focused on patrolling its native skies -- as opposed to waging combat operations in far-away and hostile territories like the U.S. models -- the JASDF could well opt to leave many of the air-to-ground capability upgrades planned for future U.S. models off their fleet, the Lockheed official said.
Thompson of the Lexington Institute said Feb. 14 that defense and State officials, and lawmakers in Congress, are likely to remain hesitant to export three key F-22A systems: its electronic architecture; “aspects of its low-observable” technologies; and its next-generation data links, such as the Tactical Targeting Networking Technology waveform system.
Additionally, another defense analyst who closely follows Air Force programs pinpointed the fighter's electronic attack, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems. In recent months, Air Force officials have stepped up their efforts to publicly tout the war plane's ISR capabilities.
The Japanese defense official told ITAF Feb. 15 that the JASDF plans to send an official to the United States later this year to discuss its fighter-replacement effort -- and the possibility of buying the F-22A -- with U.S. officials. “So, this year is the most important year for JASDF.”
Han said BNU hosts 30-40 scholars from leading Western universities annually. While most of these join the university faculty as guest lecturers and researchers for a semester, those who are hired as full-time faculty can expect $40,000 a year. ・・・ As a result of its improved pay scales, the Guanghua school currently boasts some 50 "returned scholars" (Chinese nationals who return to the mainland after studying abroad) and more than half of the faculty hold foreign PhDs. "These are not PhDs from any old university," said Zhang, himself a DPhil from Oxford. "We only look at Ivy League or Oxbridge-educated talent." ・・・ In 2004, Princeton Professor Andrew Chi-chih Yao, one of America's leading computer scientists, took up a place at Beijing's Tsinghua University to lead an advanced computer studies program. Though born in Shanghai, Yao is a US national. Peking University in its turn successfully wooed Tian Gang, a leading mathematician from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), to return to his native China and set up an international research center for mathematics.
The cartoon couple patrol the city's news and discussion websites to scare off anyone who might be tempted to use online anonymity to break China's laws, says Chen Minli, director of the Shenzhen City Public Security Bureau's Internet Surveillance Centre.
Each of the four military services has special-operations forces, which are overseen by U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa, Fla. For the most part, they fall into two categories. "Black units," such as the Army's elite Delta force and the Navy's SEALS, focus primarily on highly sensitive "direct action" missions such as hunting terrorists or rescuing hostages. "White units," like the Army's Green Berets, work closely training, advising and in some cases fighting alongside indigenous forces world-wide.
The Kurds aren’t trying to build an ethnic-identity state. They just want to build a secure one. And they’re doing a good job, such a good job in fact that hardly any U.S. troops need to be there. I saw a handful of off-duty soldiers in the lobby of the “Sheraton” when I was checking in. But I never saw them again and I never saw any others. Only 200 are stationed in the entire region.
The senior advisor in the Iraqi defense ministry Mohammed al-Askari told the press today that the ministry is looking forward to seeing Iraq become a member of the NATO and that the minister Sa'doun al-Dulaimi, the chief of staff and the higher commanders are planning to propose this plan to the new government once it's seated.
Al-Askari told al-Hurra TV tonight that the chief commanders in the ministry had been discussing this subject with great interest for a long time and that:
If al-Dulaimi gets a second term he will be working hard to convince the parliament about the necessity of joining the NATO as this falls in Iraq's strategic interests…. the recent changes in the Middle East region and Iran's intentions to pursue nuclear weapons is encouraging us to move in this direction.
WaPo:中国のWeb検閲のNGワード集(236種)WaPo調べ ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー Bao Tong、Chen Yonglin、Cui Yingjie、Ding Jiaban、Du Zhaoyong・・・ Beat the Central Propaganda Department、 17th party congress Chinese Communist high officials Police chase after and kill police Sons of high officials The Central Propaganda Department is the AIDS of Chinese society Villagers fight with weapons High-speed train petition Hire a killer to murder one's wife ・・・・ Epoch Times Mother and daughter accused each other, and students and teachers became enemies People who could escape have escaped, and had people to seek refuge with ・・・・ (英語訳されたNGワードなので、もうひとつピンとこない)
But by then, Li's memo had leaked and was spreading across the Internet in countless e-mails and instant messages. Copies were posted on China's most popular Web forums, and within hours people across the country were sending Li messages of support.
The government's Internet censors scrambled, ordering one Web site after another to delete the letter. But two days later, in an embarrassing retreat, the party bowed to public outrage and scrapped the editor in chief's plan to muzzle his reporters.
Now that the neoconservative moment appears to have passed, the United States needs to reconceptualize its foreign policy in several fundamental ways. In the first instance, we need to demilitarize what we have been calling the global war on terrorism and shift to other types of policy instruments. We are fighting hot counterinsurgency wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and against the international jihadist movement, wars in which we need to prevail. But "war" is the wrong metaphor for the broader struggle, since wars are fought at full intensity and have clear beginnings and endings.
The United States needs to come up with something better than "coalitions of the willing" to legitimate its dealings with other countries. The world today lacks effective international institutions that can confer legitimacy on collective action; creating new organizations that will better balance the dual requirements of legitimacy and effectiveness will be the primary task for the coming generation.
Kosovo in 1999 was a model: when the Russian veto prevented the Security Council from acting, the United States and its NATO allies simply shifted the venue to NATO, where the Russians could not block action.
The final area that needs rethinking, and the one that will be the most contested in the coming months and years, is the place of democracy promotion in American foreign policy. The worst legacy that could come from the Iraq war would be an anti-neoconservative backlash that coupled a sharp turn toward isolation with a cynical realist policy aligning the United States with friendly authoritarians.
A Wilsonian policy that pays attention to how rulers treat their citizens is therefore right, but it needs to be informed by a certain realism that was missing from the thinking of the Bush administration in its first term and of its neoconservative allies.
Mr. Bernanke offered few alternatives for prodding China to change, other than persuasion and technical assistance. Also last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow said the U.S. isn't satisfied with the progress China made after the initial revaluation last year. "It's time for more movement," he told Bloomberg television. "We will hold them to their commitments."
"I heard that the e-mail was faked and that means it (the DPJ) obtained a fake and talked about it in the Diet. That was extremely careless," Yamasaki said.
European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson is expected this week to recommend the tariffs be phased in over the course of the year, starting at 4% in April and topping out at just below 20% this fall, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Fukuyama not much more than a decade ago announced "the end of history." In this article he says he was misread on that score and he really meant liberal democracy would lead to the end of history. Again: Well, maybe.
Fukuyama seems to be a man in a hurry. The Iraq War here he declares to be a failure after only three years. Nostradamus? [Don't say "Well, maybe" again-ed. Okay, I won't.] In my own way, I sympathize with Fukuyama. The opinion game is ruthless. You have no time to wait for history and must make pronouncements based on thin and fleeting evidence. Still, it seems very early to close the book on Iraq. I suspect there are many twists and turns yet to come.
Even Germany and Japan took a while to settle down after WWII - and that wasn't the Middle East. Sometimes I think people like Fukuyama (I'm being mean here) write these things to get their New York Times cards back, to be welcomed home into the fold and not to have to spend the rest of their lives writing for the Weekly Standard. Or worse yet, blogging.
米高級月刊誌ジ・アトランティック3月号 Demolition Men: Ariel Sharon and Junichiro Koizumi point the way to a centrist resurgence in American politics by Jonathan Rauch 「破壊者―アリエル・シャロンと小泉純一郎は、アメリカ政治に中道勢力を 復活させる道を示している」 ttp://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200603/sharon
EアメリカとEUは、以上の事情から、イラン核問題の解決に対して、ロシアや中国の協力が得ら れると思うような甘い期待をしてはいけない。イランであれ、ほかのならず者国であれ、真剣 な脅威に裏打ちされない外交交渉だけで成功すると思うのは誤りである。 (No negotiations with Iran, or any rogue state, can ever hope to achieve success without credible threats being brought to bear.)
Fイランの問題で欧米とイランが対立する場合、軍事オプションをも視野に入れた構図での戦略 が必要である。中国は究極的にはイランから得るエネルギーよりも、米欧から失う通商のほう が大きいことを、欧米は明確に示すべきである。ロシアにとっても欧州からの好意はイランか ら得るものよりも大きいのである。イラン問題に関しては、事態が悪化すれば、各国は難しい 決断を迫られる事にもなろう。 (But it should be made clear to Russia and China that they too would pay a price if they force the West into drastic measures. China is far more dependent on Western trade than on Iranian fuel and Russia needs Europe's good will. The time is approaching when everyone may have to make a tough choice between business and diplomacy as usual and the existential threat posed by Iran.)
Another senior DPJ lawmaker said only Hisayasu Nagata, the DPJ member in the House of Representatives who took up the e-mail issue at a Budget Committee session last Thursday, believes in its authenticity. ある民主党幹部は永田議員だけがメールの信憑性を信じているといっている。
Yoshihiko Noda, chairman of the DPJ Diet Affairs Committee, said Tuesday his party harbors strong interest in several bank accounts at home and abroad. 野田国会対策委員長は幾つかの国内外の銀行口座に強い興味があると火曜日に述べた 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 昨日までの英語配信記事と打って変わって、ようやくのことに、メールがガセであることを報道 し始めた共同通信英語記事。国外の読者をミスリードするに程があろうものを。
It appears that the "scandal Diet" is driving Mr. Koizumi and his administration into a corner. At the same time, the scandals seem to be blurring his political responsibility in a larger sense. He should make clear what he intends to accomplish during his remaining time as prime minister, and what legacy of reform he would like to leave. The Japan Times: Feb. 21, 2006
【大紀元日本2月21日】米紙「ウォール・ストリート・ジャーナル」は13日、ジェフリー・A・ ファウラー記者執筆の記事を掲載、中共のインターネット情報封鎖システムを突破するネット・ サーバー会社とソフトウェア「自由の扉」について報道した。「自由の扉」は、情報統制を受け ている大陸中国人が、現在アクセス禁止となっているウェブサイトを自由に閲覧可能にするもの である。(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 WSJのオリジナル記事は: ttp://online.wsj.com/search/date.html#SB113979965346572150 Great Firewall Chinese Censors Of Internet Face 'Hacktivists' in U.S. Programs Like Freegate, Built By Expatriate Bill Xia, Keep the Web World-Wide Teenager Gets His Wikipedia By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER February 13, 2006; Page A1
But the 17-year-old had loved the way those sites helped him put China's official pronouncements in perspective. "There were so many lies among the facts, and I could not find where the truth is," he writes in an instant-message interview.
Then some friends told him where to find Freegate, a software program that thwarts the Chinese government's vast system to limit what its citizens see. Freegate -- by connecting computers inside of China to servers in the U.S. -- enables Zivn and others to keep reading and writing to Wikipedia and countless other Web sites.
Behind Freegate is a North Carolina-based Chinese hacker named Bill Xia. He calls it his red pill, a reference to the drug in the "Matrix" movies that vaulted unconscious captives of a totalitarian regime into the real world. Mr. Xia likes to refer to the villainous Agent Smith from the Matrix films, noting that the digital bad guy in sunglasses "guards the Matrix like China's Public Security Bureau guards the Internet."
Bennett Haselton, a security consultant and former Microsoft programmer, has developed a system called the Circumventor. It connects volunteers around the world with Web users in China and the Middle East so they can use their hosts' personal computers to read forbidden sites. 前マイクロソフトのプログラマーであるBennett HaseltonはCircumventorを開発、これは中国や中東 のユーザーをボランティアのPCに接続させて、自由な情報アクセスを可能にさせる。
Susan Stevens, a Las Vegas graphic designer, belongs to an "adopt a blog" program. She has adopted a Chinese blogger by using her own server in the U.S. to broadcast his very personal musings on religion to the world. She has never left the U.S., but "this is where technology excels," she says. "We don't have to have anything in common. We barely have to speak the same language." ラスベガスに住むSusan Stevensは彼女のサーバーを中国のユーザーに提供してアクセスを可能にさせ ている。彼女は中国にいったことはないが中国語を話さなくても支援はできるという。
In Boston, computer scientist Roger Dingledine tends to Tor, a modified version of a U.S. Naval Research Laboratory project, which disguises the identities of Chinese Web surfers by sending messages through several layers of hosts to obscure their path. In addition to the Department of Defense, Mr. Dingledine had also received funding from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit group that supports free speech online. ボストンに住むコンピュータ科学者のRoger Dingledineは、海軍研究所のプロジェクトのモデファイ 版のプログラムで、中国のWebサーファーのIDを変装させて、アクセスのパスを誤魔化す方法を開発
Freegate has advantages over some of its peers. As the product of ethnically Chinese programmers, it uses the language and fits the culture. It is a simple and small program, whose file size of just 137 kilobytes helps make it easy to store in an email program and pass along on a portable memory drive. フリーゲートは簡単で小さなプログラムで中国語化されており137Kbで使いやすい
Mr. Xia says about 100,000 users a day use Freegate or two other censorship-defeating systems he helped to create. It is impossible to confirm that claim, but Freegate and similar programs from others, called UltraReach and Garden Networks, are becoming a part of the surfing habits of China's Internet elite in universities, cafes and newsrooms. フリーゲートの利用者は一日に10万人を越えている。UltraReach とか Garden Networks といっ た。新しいプログラムも開発されていて、中国の大学のインターネット・エリートやカフェや新聞 記者の道具になりつつある。
Michael Howard thinks independence may be inevitable, but it’s a long way off. “This place has potential, but it’s not yet ready to stand on its own. It’s a work in progress, and it’s at the very beginning of that process.”
Masoud Barzani seems to know this, as well. But he won’t let anyone forget the end game: “Self-determination is the natural right of our people,” he said. “When the right time comes, it will become a reality.”
An Interior Ministry spokesman said the attackers wore police uniforms, tied up the mosque guards and set the charges. National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, a Shi'ite, who blamed the attack on al Qaeda, told state television 10 suspects had been arrested. "They will fail to draw the Iraqi people into civil war as they have failed in the past," he said.
>>152 In the holy city of Najaf, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, revered by millions of Shi'ites and a key force for restraint in the face of Sunni insurgent attacks, made a rare call for protests and declared seven days of mourning. He insisted in a statement, however, that there must be no violence and in particular no reprisals against Sunni mosques.
A few Western countries have stupid laws, erratically enforced, against denying the Holocaust ... --M. Kinsley, Slate, two weeks ago.
Not that erratically, it turns out. Austrian prosecutors are asking to increase the three year sentence meted out to (despicable, creepy, infamous etc.) British writer David Irving for violating a criminal statute that penalizes anyone who "denies, grossly plays down, approves or tries to excuse" the Holocaust in print "or other media." ... Denying the Holocaust may or may not be the same thing as merely depicting the Prophet, but jailing someone for denying the Holocaust seems like the same thing as jailing someone for depicting the Prophet. The New York Post, shamefully, ran the story of the sentencing under a nyah-nyah headline of "Deny This!" We'll see how the Post's crack editorial writers reconcile this glee at Irving's imprisonment with their criticism of the administration ("Bushies betray free speech") for having failed to defend in stronger terms the "freedoms that Americans hold dear" in the case of the Danish cartoonists. ... The Anti-Defamation League, also shamefully, limits its criticism to "acknowledging that America's constitutional system bars prosecution for hate speech" before rushing to congratulate the Austrian court for having "sent an unmistakable and important message." I'm afraid it did. ... P.S.: See also Sullivan. ... 10:35
LAタイムズ(OpEd寄稿);現実世界のための外交 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ーー サブタイトルは Without changes, the State Department isn't ready to meet today's challenges. (アメリカ国務省が変身しないならば、現在の挑戦には対応できない)
The Samarra bombing bore the trademark of Sunni extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Al-Qaeda in Iraq organisation, which has declared war on the country's Shiites.(AFP) ttp://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060222/ts_afp/iraq2ndlead
ttp://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/ Wednesday, February 22, 2006 Holy Shia shrine bombed in Samarra. As if we didn't have enough problems already!
I believe there are foreign terror groups behind this attack and I don't think local insurgent would do such a thing, simply because this particular shrine had been in Sunni territory for a thousand years and the residents of Samarra had always benefited from the movement of religious tourism and pilgrimage.
ttp://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/2006/61852.htm Extension of Condolences to Iraqi People and Condemnation of Bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra President George W. Bush Washington, DC February 22, 2006
ブッシュ大統領声明:イラクの、サマラ、ゴールデン・モスク爆破事件へのお悔やみ
On behalf of the American people, I extend my deepest condolences to the people of Iraq for the brutal bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, one of the holiest sites in Shi'a Islam. The terrorists in Iraq have again proven that they are enemies of all faiths and of all humanity. The world must stand united against them, and steadfast behind the people of Iraq. This senseless crime is an affront to people of faith throughout the world. The United States condemns this cowardly act in the strongest possible terms.
I ask all Iraqis to exercise restraint in the wake of this tragedy, and to pursue justice in accordance with the laws and constitution of Iraq. Violence will only contribute to what the terrorists sought to achieve by this act.
The United States stands ready to do all in its power to assist the Government of Iraq to identify and bring to justice those responsible for this terrible act. And the American people pledge to work with the people of Iraq to rebuild and restore the Golden Mosque of Samarra to its former glory.
The Sunnis have far more to lose by a sectarian war than the Shiites, and they know this. al-Qaeda may have scored a short term gain with yet another shocking display of violence, but this could be another miscalculation that further alienates them in the eyes of the Iraqi people. If the Shiites and Sunnis play their cards correctly.
ウイークリー・スタンダード:親中国派(パンダ・ハガー)の復讐 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー (前国務省のアジア専門家、現ヘリテージ財団のフェローであるJohn J. Tkacik Jr.による ブッシュ政権の中国・台湾問題へのスタンスを解説する評論)
DON'T LET DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE Robert Zoellick's fondness for pandas mislead you. The Bush administration's China policy has been undergoing a quiet metamorphosis, and now has a new steeliness to it.
The question of the day at the February 3 meeting was, "How does the Taiwan president's stance affect the Taiwan Strait 'status quo' in the run-up to the Hu visit?"
"Not much," according to some administration China experts. Bush's National Security Council China director Dennis Wilder, I was told, launched the discussion with a recitation of China's unhelpful behavior in the Taiwan Strait over the past year and urged a policy of "balance." To be sure, Taiwan's infant democracy has given fits to the Bush administration. But China's behavior has been egregious.
NSCの中国専門家によれば「たいしたことはない」と言うものだったと、私はNSCの中国部長の Dennis Wilderからきいた。過去一年間の中国の台湾海峡問題でのあまりよくもない対応やバラ ンス確保政策をおもいだすべきで、台湾の幼い民主主義体制がブッシュ政権に様々の戸惑いを 起こさせることはあるにせよ、中国の行動は酷いものと言うべきなのである。
In short, China has done nothing to requite Taiwan's outreach. By the time of his November visit to Beijing, President Bush had become so dismayed that he inserted a paragraph praising Taiwan's democracy into his Asia policy speech in Kyoto--a paragraph that surprised every China watcher in Washington, including those in the White House. The president, it seems, was personally trying to maintain the balance.
We have since been reassured that Zoellick indeed has a special fondness for pandas derived from his service on a World Wildlife Fund advisory council, and that Mrs. Zoellick did indeed want such a photo. Zoellick also believed that his appearance with the panda would reassure the Chinese that he is still open to a "global dialogue"--provided the Chinese start to act like they're interested.
But more likely the Bush administration is near the end of its rope with China, which now looms as a new "peer competitor," against which the United States will have to devise a new Western Pacific strategy. Unless Beijing makes some significant contribution to world peace, nonproliferation, human rights, or--not to forget--its massive trade surplus with the United States by April, President Hu should not expect a warm welcome in Washington. And Deputy Secretary Zoellick is likely to chair the welcoming committee.
"The damage is very big for Maehara and other Democratic Party leaders unless there is information to prove links between Takebe and his son, and Horie," said Yasunori Sone, a political science professor at Tokyo's Keio University.
A failure by the Democrats to back up their allegations would come as a relief to the LDP, which despite a huge election victory last year has been backfooted by scandals and missteps.
The one bright side of all this is that more Sunni Arab leaders will lose their illusions about Sunni Arab power, and move more vigorously in making peace with the government.
Moscow reacts to Japanese foreign minister's statements http://en.rian.ru/world/20060222/43712155.html > On February 18, at an informal meeting between Cabinet ministers and > public organizations, Taro Aso proposed installing special receiving > equipment for residents of the four disputed South Kuril islands, to > enable people to watch Japanese TV, and reach their own conclusions > on where they would have better life, in Russia or in Japan.
> The Japanese minister also commented on the gas dispute between Russia > and Ukraine, in which Russian energy giant Gazprom temporarily cut of > supplies to its neighbor, after insisting on a five-fold price > increase.
Lenovo's results fell short of investors' expectations in its most recent quarter due to disappointing sales in Japan and other Asian countries outside of its home market, China.
UPDATE: here is what the Iraqi Islamic party website (Arabic) is reporting:
The Al-Qudus, Al-Shaheed, and Al-Abrar mosques in Sadr city were evacuated and occupied by the Mahdi army. In the Baladiyyat and Binook districts, the Ahmed Ra’ouf, Al-Qudus, Dhiyouf Al-Rahman, Al-Fayyadh, Al-Muhannad, Al-Hassan bin Ali, and Ibad Allah Al-Muttaqeen mosques have been taken over by armed mobs from Sadr city.
Mosques in Baghdad attacked by armed rioters: The Umm Al-Qura and Al-Hamza mosques in Ghazaliya. Al-Khulafaa’ and Al-Fardous mosques in Hayy Ur. Al-Haqq and Al-Sada Al-Ni’am mosques in Al-Sha’ab. Al-Hajja Fawzia, Al-Faruq, Al-Hassan, and Ibad Al-Rahman mosques in Palestine street. Abu Ubaida and Al-Nida’ mosques in Qahira. Al-Rahma and Al-Battawi mosques in Shu’la. Malik bin Anas, Al-Samarrai, and Uthman bin Affan mosques in Baghdad Al-Jedida. Al-Mustafa, Ubaid Al-Kubaisi, Taha Al-Samarrai and Al-Bustani mosques in Saidiya. Badriya and Mus’ab bin Umair mosques in Talibiya. Al-Hamza mosque in Turath. Al-Rahma mosque in Al-Utaifiya. Al-Ani mosque in Waziriya. Hayy Al-Umal mosque in Baladiyyat. Al-Yassin and Al-Shuhadaa’ mosques in Dora. Fendi Al-Kubaisi mosque in Al-Shurta. The Al-Ashra Al-Mubashareen mosque in Basrah was attacked, and unconfirmed news that the shrine of Talha bin Ubaid Allah (a companion of Muhammed), south of Basrah has been set to fire by armed demonstrators.
The Islamic party’s Basrah branch at Al-Jaza’er district was also set to fire, following armed clashes between guards and Shi’ite demonstrators. Several members are reportedly still trapped inside, with Sunni parliament member Khalaf Al-Sheikh Eissa among them.
The Al-Fayhaa, Al-Salam mosques, and stores belonging to the Sunni Endowment Board have also been set to fire. A curfew has been imposed until morning. Sunni mosques in Diwaniya, as well as the Grand mosque and Hutteen mosque have been evacuated, and occupants arrested during noon prayers.
The official said Li Gun, head of the North American division of the North Korean Foreign Ministry, is likely to meet with State and Treasury Department officials on March 4 at Pyongyang's U.N. mission.
アジアタイムズ:中国とミヤンマーの穏やかならざる関係 By Larry Jagan ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 中国とミャンマーの関係について、あまりメデイアに出てこない内情がかかれていて 大変興味深いのだけれど、翻訳は省略。アメリカの圧力やASEANの圧力などで孤立化 する軍事政権は、ますます中国に政治的な、また経済的な財政支援に頼るようになっ ている。ミャンマー国内の不安定な状況は中国の頭痛の種になってきている。一方で ミャンマー国内には100万人といわれる中国人がビジネスそのほかの為に入り込んでい る。ミャンマー内部にも親中国派だけではなく親インド派があって、状況は穏やかで はない。
"Their greatest fear now is that Myanmar's second in command, General Maung Aye, who is seen as pro-India, may gain in influence," said a senior Asian diplomat in Yangon. "Any suggestion that he may take over from the country's main ruler General Than Shwe sends them into an apoplectic spin."
It also said that cellphones must be registered under users' real names and that text messaging will be controlled more tightly because of the spread of "illegal messages." The government was vague on details. For instance, the report did not describe what constitutes illegal messages or how they will be controlled, nor did it specify any penalties or say when the new rules will take effect.
Among intellectuals, the vast majority are for greater freedom of press and speech. A poll last year among local officials suggests that 60 percent think the problem in China is a lack of political reform. Among ordinary people, the understanding is weak.... However, we have seen again and again that when their interests are violated, they want the political system to change, and to provide channels to defend their interests.
A big issue is that peasants are not allowed to organize into any group that would allow resistance, or defend their own rights. Because it's forbidden, eventually the government will have to face illegal groups that will form to defend themselves.
○What about official fear of instability?
I'm not saying we don't want stability. We do. But our understanding of stability is very different from communist officials. We want a calm river of society that continually flows. The part officials' idea of stability is a dead body of water. Eventually it starts to stink.
A generation like mine, we may resist and rebel once, in Tiananmen, and see how it is. But we are rational. There is no way we are going to the streets. But what we will do is conduct a nonstop debate. Debate is the heart of our approach; it will not stop. There is hope. Ten years ago, Freezing Point would stay closed. I would be expelled from the party, kicked out of the newspaper. Now I'm not allowed to publish, but I keep a salary. For us to gain press freedom, if the truth is told, it will change things. The Berlin Wall looked like a very real wall, but it collapsed and disappeared quickly.
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross wrote an article, "Al Qaeda's Oil Weapon," in the "Weekly Standard" last year, a longer version of his September 27 CT Blog post. As he wrote, Saudi security forces found forged documents that would have given terrorists access to key oil facilities, following a shootout in the seaport of Ad-Dammam. The article also shows al-Qaeda's evolution of thought to explicit calls to attack these oil facilities to economically cripple the West. On December 7, Daveed posted about Al Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri's call for attacks on oil facilities in a video. "I call on the holy warriors to concentrate their campaigns on the stolen oil of the Muslims, most of the revenues of which go to the enemies of Islam." Daveed reminds me that the December 2004 tape by Osama Bin Laden includes this order (MEMRI translation): "Focus your operations on it [oil production], especially in Iraq and the Gulf area, since this [lack of oil] will cause them to die off [on their own]." An early attack by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq was of an oil terminal there, killing 3 Americans, but Evan Kohlmann tells me that he hasn't targeted oil facilities in his strategy. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー アルカイダがサウジの石油施設をテロの標的にするであろう事は以前から予想されていた為に、サ ウジアラビアもそれを警戒し、態勢を整えるようにしてきた。サウジアラビアには世界最大の石油 積み出し施設があり、サウジの石油産出の三分の二を扱うので、いわば格好のターゲットになると 指摘されてきたもの。石油価格が敏感に反応しているようだけれど、サウジアラビア政府も、こう いうテロは(経済的に被害甚大すぎる為に、死活的なものになるから)絶対に容認できないはずで、 対策を立てるものと思われ。
Oil production and exports from Saudi Arabia were unaffected after the incident, Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said in a statement from the state-owned Saudi Aramco oil company サウジアラビアの石油相は、今回の攻撃でサウジの石油生産と輸出には全く影響がないと発表した。
``This attack bears clearly the hallmark of al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden,'' Abdel Monem Said, director of Cairo's al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said in a telephone interview. ``The target was not Saudi Arabia's economy only, it was the global economy, and that reminds us of Sept. 11.'' カイロのシンクタンクのAbdel Monemは、今回の攻撃が明確にアルカイダによるものと述べた。 これはサウジのみならずグローバル経済の混乱を狙うもので、それは911と同じことだと語った。
No wonder the Chinese Christians say: although the Chinese lack any sense of religion and most of them do not believe in the western God, the universal benefaction of God will not forsake the suffering Chinese people. The Internet is God's present to China. It provided the best tool for the Chinese people in their project to cast off slavery and strive for freedom.
Jean-Marie Guehenno said the UN had investigated 295 cases under a new reporting system introduced last year. 国連PKFの監査官は昨年295件の訴えのあったケースを調査しますた。
He noted "how hard it is to change a culture of dismissiveness, long developed within ourselves, in our countries and in the mission areas." 「この文化を変えることは大変困難」 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 国連人権委員会は、まずは国連PKFの実態調査と見直しにこそ勢力を注ぐべきのような。
Although Arakawa skated an elegant program, one filled with spectacular spirals, to Puccini's "Violin Fantasy of Turandot," it was not the transcendent gold medal performance the Olympics often produces. So, ultimately, this competition will be remembered as much for who did not grab the gold medal as for who did.
"There was no unbelievable performance," said Hughes, who was here watching her sister Emily. "No one skated the performance of their life. It was a more subdued final. But every Olympics can't have that one amazing night."
And she did not seem nervous, which may have been her biggest accomplishment. "She expected to win the first medal for Japan," Arakawa's interpreter said, paraphrasing her answer. "She didn't feel any pressure."
The sense in the streets and the statements given by some Shia clerics suggest that retaliation attacks are organized and under control and are focusing on mosques frequented by Salafi and Wahabi groups and not those of ordinary Sunnis.
Looking at the geographic distribution of the attacked mosques, I found they were mostly in areas adjacent to Sadr city forming a line that extends from the New Baghdad district in the southeast to al-Hussayniya in the northeast.
The Association of Muslim Scholars is accusing the Sadrists in particular, actually it's not only the Association that accuses the Sadrists, most people here in Baghdad point out the role of Mehdi army of Sadr in carrying out most of the attacks.
○いつものようにシスタニ師が賢明にも安定化勢力として大きな影響を与えている Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has been helpful as usual in calling for calm(ry
○最悪の影響を与えているシーア派の指導者は、過激派のサドル師である。マハディ軍が暴動を起 こしている The worst Shiite leader of all is cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose Mahdi Army has taken over Sunni mosques in Baghdad -- ostensibly to "protect" them, but clearly as a show of force. The current situation is a reminder of what a mistake it was not to deal more intelligently and forcefully with Sadr back in 2003.
○シーア派の政治家の中には機会便乗的にデマを流して勢力拡大を狙う輩がいてAbdul Aziz al-Hakim などがそれである Meanwhile, some Shiite politicians are clearly trying to exploit the situation to weaken U.S. influence. Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Iranian-backed Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, accused U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad of having given the "green light" for the mosque attack
Though tens of thousands of Shiite supporters of militant cleric Muqtada al-Sadr defied the ban to march to weekly prayers in Baghdad's Sadr City stronghold, and his al-Mahdi army militia was involved in clashes, there was little bloodshed and the pulpit appeals may have nudged Iraq back from the brink of civil war. "We are not enemies but brothers," Sadr told his followers. ・・・・ "Anyone who attacks a Muslim is not a Muslim and he who assaults sacraments and mosques shall get his just punishment," said a statement from Sadr. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー これは一時間ほど前のタイムスタンプのある記事で、これによればサドル師は態度を修正したのか 暴力停止とイスラム団結を呼びかけるようになっている。政府や宗教各派の協議、圧力の為かもす れない(?)いずれにせよ、サドル師のトーンダウンは朗報では。
118 名前:名無しさん@6周年[] 投稿日:2006/02/24(金) 19:44:20 ID:O8mSK/Bl0 >>69 >She sang the entire national anthem, and stayed on the ice for more than a half-hour, clutching her medal. >The only time she let it go was to grab a Japanese flag.
What is not in doubt, though, is that Japan's recovery is solid and increasingly broad-based. 確かなことは、しかし日本の景気回復は堅固なもので、加速的に広範な分野を巻き込むものになっ ていることである。
輸出は引き続き堅調であり、企業収益が好調で、設備投資意欲も高い。
For the first time in over a decade, for instance, Japan has as many jobs on offer as there are applicants. Demand for workers is pushing up wages, and that is now clearly being felt in the shops. この10年以上に初めてのことだが、日本の労働市場で求人数が求職者数を上回っている。賃金が上昇 しつつあり、それが今や明確に個人消費に反映している。
Confidence is returning to the housing market, too. 消費者の信頼感が、住宅市場にも見られる。
What are the dark spots in this picture? Taking a mildly contrarian stance, Richard Jerram, Japan economist at Macquarie Research, finds a couple. One is fairly soft import growth for such a purportedly robust recovery. This in part reflects the extent to which the recovery is taking place not chiefly in the manufacturing sector, but rather in services, where import demand is relatively low.
A second, more worrying, blot, is that for all that the labour market has tightened over the past year, employment growth, at an annualised 0.5%, is still too sluggish. This, says Mr Jerram, could point to a skills mismatch in the economy, where people are insufficiently suited for the kind of jobs being offered; if he is right, then the situation is not likely to improve anytime soon.
A short and smart piece by Glenn Reynold on the op-ed page of today's WSJ (remember, there's a weekend edition now), on the blogs and the ports:
When the story first appeared, bloggers were overwhelmingly negative. My own reaction, on Feb. 12, was "color me unimpressed." Other bloggers were more pungent, but the story got little attention in the national media, which were mostly preoccupied with the Cheney quail-hunting story. ...(後略)
Mosques attacked/shot at without damage: 21 not 51 Moderately damaged: 6 not 23 Mosques destroyed totally: 1 not 3 Mosques occupied by militias: 1 not 2 (evacuated later). Civilians killed: 119 not 183
ウイークリー・スタンダード:長期の戦争 by William Kristol ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ウイークリー・スタンダードの看板ネオコン論者のひとりである、クリストルの書いている フランシス・フクヤマのNYTに書いたネオコン論への反論とも言うべきもの。
It would be nice to believe, as Fukuyama does, that "a long-term process of social evolution" is under way that will inevitably produce liberal democracy. It would be nice to enjoy the comfortable complacency of a historical determinism that suggests--as Fukuyama has it--that what we most need to do is to embrace a "good governance agenda" on behalf of a long-term process of "democracy promotion" that "has to await the gradual ripening of political and economic conditions to be effective."
Indeed, it would be nice if we lived in a world in which we didn't have to take the enemies of liberal democracy seriously--a world without jihadists who want to kill and clerics who want to intimidate and tyrants who want to terrorize. It would be nice to wait until we were certain conditions were ripe before we had to act, a world in which the obstacles are trivial and the enemies fold up. Unfortunately, that is not the world we live in.
At the Marines base in Manila, about 100 soldiers in full battle gear and three armoured personnel carriers put on a show of support for their sacked chief. One platoon commander had arrived with his men and vehicles to join them. アリヨ大統領が指揮官を解任した後で、マニラ海兵隊基地では100人の武装兵士、3台の装甲車など を擁した反政府派が解任された指揮官を支持している。
One respected Marines officer, brigade commander Colonel Ariel Querubin, called for civilians and soldiers to show their backing for Major-General Renato Miranda, saying his dismissal was "unjust". 尊敬を受けている海兵隊のAriel Querubin大佐は、解任されたRenato Miranda少将への支持を呼びか けている (中略) It looks like it's deeper than everybody thought," said Scott Harrison, managing director of Manila-based risk consultancy Pacific Strategies & Assessments. "I expect the next few days are going to be quite telling." マニラのリスク・コンサルタンシー会社、Pacific Strategies & Assessmentsの取締役であるScott Harrisonは「事態は多くの人の考えていたよりも深刻のようだ」という「今後数日は見物だと思う」
In its Web site (www.pilipino.org.ph ), the group said people should continue to hold protest actions and at least show the world that the people reject Mrs. Arroyo.
The I'd-like-to-teach-the-world-to-sing-in-perfect-harmonee crowd have always spoken favorably of one-worldism. From the op-ed pages of Jutland newspapers to les banlieues of Paris, the Pan-Islamists are getting on with it.
"We are no longer in deflation, in the classical sense of the word," Kaoru Yosano said on a program on public television broadcaster NHK.
"If conditions are met, I think it is all right for the BOJ to make the decision [to end the policy]," the minister said, adding there was "hardly any difference" between the economic outlook of the government and the BOJ.
与謝野氏は日銀よりの量的金融緩和政策変更の方針を示唆したが、しかし竹中氏は:
"The bank needs to more specifically define its criteria for ending its quantitative easing policy," said Heizo Takenaka, internal affairs minister and former economy minister, on a separate program Sunday.
"A framework of cooperation needs to be established between the government and the bank," he said on a TV Asahi talk show.
There's more. Indeed, as late as 2000, Saddam can be heard in his office talking with Iraqi scientists about his ongoing plans to build a nuclear device. At one point, he discusses Iraq's plasma uranium program ? something that was missed entirely by U.N. weapons inspectors combing Iraq for WMD.
This is particularly troubling, since it indicates an active, ongoing attempt by Saddam to build an Iraqi nuclear bomb.
"What was most disturbing," said John Tierney, the ex- FBI agent who translated the tapes, "was the fact that the individuals briefing Saddam were totally unknown to the U.N. Special Commission (or UNSCOM, the group set up to look into Iraq's WMD programs)."
Perhaps most chillingly, the tapes record Iraq Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz talking about how easy it would be to set off a WMD in Washington. The comments come shortly after Saddam muses about using "proxies" in a terror attack.
それでは、なぜ捜索でWMDが見つからなかったのかといえば;
"The short answer to the question of where the WMD Saddam bought from the Russians went was that they went to Syria and Lebanon," said John Shaw, former deputy undersecretary of defense, in comments made at an intelligence summit Feb. 17-20 in Arlington, Va.
"They were moved by Russian Spetsnaz (special ops) units out of uniform that were specifically sent to Iraq to move the weaponry and eradicate any evidence of its existence," he said.
The LDP has not escaped entirely from the Livedoor incident. The public perception that Mr Koizumi’s reforms encouraged Mr Horie’s get-rich-quick philosophy has led to widespread criticism that deregulation has ushered in a more unequal society.
ISO 3166 Codes (Countries) Country A 2 A 3 Number ---------------------------------------------------------------------- JAPAN JP JPN 392 KOREA, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KP PRK 408 KOREA, REPUBLIC OF KR KOR 410 UNITED STATES US USA 840 UNITED KINGDOM GB GBR 826 CHINA CN CHN 156 TAIWAN TW TWN 158
The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) 4-letter airport indentifier codes uniquely identify individual airports worldwide. They are used in flight plans to indicate departure, destination and alternate airfields, as well as in other professional aviation publications.
CAIRO, Egypt A report says security forces have fatally shot at least five suspected terrorists believed to be involved in a foiled attack on the world's biggest oil processing complex in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya (ahl-ah-rih-BEE'-yah) television quotes Saudi security sources as saying the forces exchanged fire with the suspected terrorists for about two hours Monday morning in a suburb of the Saudi capital of Riyadh (rih-YAHD').
The report quotes police as saying they confiscated weapons and ammunition from the house where the suspects had been holed up.
If there's going to be a civil war in Iraq, it won't be the Sunni Arabs versus everyone else (the Sunni Arabs would lose that one quickly), but between pro, and anti-Iran factions. That's a more even split, although the anti-Iran faction would still have an edge in numbers (if not in guns and money.)
ストラテジーページ:日本がF-22を買いそうな雰囲気になってきたわけだが問題は・・ ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 最近伝えられている日本へのF-22の輸出商談について皮肉っぽいコメントを書いていて、日本 の戦闘機についての政策が今まで様々に変わってきたことを揶揄しているところがある。日本 はアメリカ製航空機のライセンス生産しながら、何とか独自開発がしたくて膨大な資金を投入 してきたと指摘、F-16をベースにしたF-2は一機$100Mくらいになっているから、この値段なら F-22は一機$200Mでもずいぶんお買い得になる(性能比と価格比のバランスから見て)として いる。唯一の問題は、日本人がF-22を国内生産するとか言い出さないかということである。 (a $200 million F-22 looks pretty attractive. But that's only if the Japanese don't try to build the F-22 themselves. )日本での国内生産とかになれば、一機$500Mくらいに なりかねない、と予測。
"Promoting democracy and modernization in the Middle East," writes Francis Fukuyama in a new book, "is not a solution to the problem of jihadist terrorism; in all likelihood it will make the short-term problem worse."
Yet simply because it took centuries to establish a liberal-democratic order in Europe, it does not follow that it must take centuries more to establish one in the Middle East. Japan took about 100 years to transform itself (and be transformed) from a feudal society into a modern industrial democracy. South Korea made a similar leap in about 40 years; Thailand went from quasi-military dictatorships to a genuine constitutional monarchy in about 20. As the practice of liberal democracy has spread, the time it takes nondemocratic societies to acquire that practice has diminished.
But, say the critics, Islamic and particularly Arab countries are uniquely resistant to change. Between 1981 and 2001 the number of non-Islamic countries rated "free"--that is to say, both democratic and liberal--increased by 34, according to Freedom House. By contrast the number of free Islamic countries remained constant at one, in the form of landlocked Mali. During the same period, the number of Islamic countries ranked "not free" increased by 10.
But democracy also offers the possibility of greater liberalism and greater moderation, possibilities that have been opened with the courageously pro-American governments of Hamid Karzai, Jalal Talabani and Saad Hariri. And as we stand with them, it seems to us that America's bets are better placed promoting democracies--even if some of them succumb to illiberal temptations--than acceding to dictatorships, which already have.
Life is coming back to normal in Baghdad and marketplaces and offices are open again after being shut for 4 days. Although there were a few security incidents today people are mostly looking at these as part of the usual daily situation and not related to the latest shrine crisis.
It's not a secret who was behind the attack on the shrine and I am sure that who did it were the Salafi/Wahabis whether Iraqi or foreigners and with external support from parties planning to disrupt the political process in Iraq.
Actually the past few days showed that our new army is more competent than we were thinking. But the latest events have also showed the brittle structure of the interior ministry and its forces that retreated before the march of the angry mobs (if not joined them in some cases) and I think the statements that came from the meetings of our politicians pointed this out so clearly when Sunni politicians said they wanted the army to replace the police and police commandos in their regions and this indicates growing trust between the people and the army.
Now the government has rise to the level of the challenge and proceed to take the most important and critical step and disband religious militias of all sorts and limit the influence of clerics-of any sect-in the decision-making process. I think this is the best time for the new government to tackle this issue as the government now has all the factors that make such a move legitimate and necessary.
U.S. ambassador said the risk of civil war from last week‘s sectarian violence was over. "That crisis is over," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad declared.
ttp://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/iraq/20060227-1550-iraq.html (APイラク続報) The captured al-Qaeda figure was identified as Abou al-Farouq, a Syrian who financed and coordinated groups working for Iraq's most wanted terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi 逮捕されたアルカイダ幹部は、シリア人のアルカイダ会計担当でザルカウィの下で働いていた Abou al-Farouqである。
“Clearly the terrorists who plotted that attack wanted to provoke a civil war. It looked quite dangerous in the initial 48 hours, but I believe that the Iraqis decided to come together.” アメリカ大使「テロリストのモスク攻撃はイラク内戦を狙ったもので、最初の48時間は危険な様 子であったが、イラク国民が団結してそれを乗り切った」
The Defense Ministry said Iraqi security forces have killed 35 insurgents and arrested 487 in raids across the country since the bombing last Wednesday of the revered Shiite shrine in Samarra. イラク国防相によれば、イラク警察は、ゴールデン・モスク爆破以降に35人の武装派を殺戮し487 人を拘束した。
QUESTION: My question is Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian announced in Taipei a decision to stop the operation of the National Unification Council and the application of National Unification guidelines. What's your response to his decision?
MR. ERELI: Well, it won't surprise you to learn that our policy on Cross-Strait relations has not changed. Our one China policy is based on the three communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act. We are, of course, opposed to any unilateral change to the status quo by either side and we do not support Taiwan independence.
I would note today that President Chen reaffirmed his continuing commitment to the pledges he made in his 2000 inaugural address not to change the status of the status quo across the Straits and we continue to stress the need for Beijing to open a dialogue with the elected leadership in Taiwan.
On the question of the National Unification Council, it's our understanding that President Chen did not abolish it and he reaffirmed Taiwan's commitment to the status quo. We attach great importance to that commitment and we'll be following his follow-through carefully.
#事実関係を伝える。武部、安倍、小泉など自民党首脳が、謝罪に満足していないことは #記事中に記述があるけれど、一般の受け取り方やアナリストのコメントは無し。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーー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://en.chinabroadcast.cn/706/2006/02/28/[email protected] Japanese Opposition Lawmaker Apologizes over E-mail Fuss <新華社、中国ラジオ・インターナショナル、2006-02-28 16:17:03>
新華社・CRI(英語配信):日本の野党国会議員がメール疑惑事件で謝罪
The Democratic Party was also dragged in a difficult situation for the e-mail fuss. Last weekend, the Yomiuri Shimbun published an editorial titled "dithering over e-mail makes DPJ look stupid".
同じような記事はほかにもあって、SlateにはDaniel Grossが、ブログの成長が止まった 事を取り上げて、ブログはたそがれだ、という評論を書いている。 (ttp://www.slate.com/id/2136437/nav/tap1/ Twilight of the Blogs Are they over as a business? By Daniel Gross)
My bet: Within a couple of years blogging will be a term thrown around loosely -- and sometimes inaccurately -- to describe a style and rhythm of writing, as well as the tools to publish that writing. This is already happening: One of the chief problems with some chronicles of blogging's demise is their confusion about definitions, a confusion that's mirrored in efforts to measure blogs' popularity or to say anything that can apply to bloggers as a group.
The possibility that blogs have peaked as a business, meanwhile, has sometimes been misinterpreted as a death knell for blogging itself -- a claim, it should be noted, that I don't find in the Slate column. Big blog acquisitions were always destined to be a passing thing as big media companies tried to catch up -- soon the media empires will all have their own blogs, and deals like Time Warner's $25 million acquisition of Weblogs Inc. will be emblematic of a brief, bygone time. But the failure of blogging to launch a huge number of well-heeled companies or keep attracting VC money won't mean the end of blogs -- instant messaging, for one, hasn't foundered despite the difficulty of turning its popularity into profits.
Blogging is easier, faster and more conversational than traditional Web publishing, but that doesn't change the fact that relatively few people actually yearn to be publishers. Nor do they particularly care what category the things they read fit into, or what technological tools produced them. That may not sound like the stuff of revolution or VC riches, but it also doesn't sound like a fad or a failure.
Then the White House will have to convince Congress that altering longstanding nuclear nonproliferation law is essential to managing relations in the new security environment. Getting Congress on board is doable, but no small task.
China: Time to Change 中国は変化すべきとき By Andy Xie (from Shanghai)
Summary & Conclusions 報告書の結論
Rising internal tension over inequality and external friction over China’s trade success suggest that China’s government-led and export/investment-driven development model may be reaching its limits. It is in China’s interest to change the model before the tension reaches the point of triggering an economic crisis.
ttp://www.state.gov/r/pa/scp/2006/62209.htm Fact Sheet Bureau of Public Affairs Washington, DC February 27, 2006 The United States and India: A Growing Strategic Partnership アメリカとインド、成長する戦略的パートナーシップ
Then the great civil war sort of fizzled out; our own frenzy subsided; and now exhausted we await next week's new prescription of doom -- apparently the hyped-up story of Arabs at our ports. 内戦の危機が去れば、アメリカ国内では次の、政治的対立からの論争の テーマが持ち出されるのだろう。アラブによる港湾管理の話とか。
Few observers suggested that the Samarra bombing of a holy mosque by radical Muslims might be a sign of the terrorists' desperation -- killers who have not, and cannot, defeat the U.S. military. After the furor over Danish cartoons, French rioting and Iranian nuclear perfidy, the entire world is turning on radical Islam and the terrorists feel keenly this rising tide of opposition on the frontline in Iraq. サマラの聖なるモスクの爆破というのはイスラム過激派の絶望の証拠であろう。彼等はアメリカ軍 に太刀打ちできない。マホメッドの風刺漫画事件だのフランスのパリ郊外の暴動事件だのイランの 核開発だのといった事件が続いた後で、イラクのイスラム過激派は前線での彼らの存在を顕示する 必要があったのだろう。
In sum, after talking to our soldiers in Iraq and our planners in Washington, what seems to me most inexplicable is the war over the war -- not the purported absence of a plan, but that the more we are winning in the field, the more we are losing it at home. イラクのアメリカ兵氏と話したりワシントンの戦略計画担当と話した後で、私から見て確かだと思 われる事は、不可解なことには(イラク)戦争についての(アメリカ国内の政治)戦争の存在であ る。イラク戦争でアメリカが勝利すればするほど、アメリカ国内ではイラク戦争への評価が下がる ということが起こっていて奇妙なのだ。
February 27, 2006: In the southwest, where most of Iran's oil, and Arabs, are found, two bombs went off in government offices. There were four injuries. These bombings have been going on since last Summer. The government blames foreign instigators.
"Localized difficulties also persist, but I think, at the strategic level, this crisis -- a mosque attack leading to civil war -- is over," Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, said in a telephone interview. "It was a serious crisis. I believe that Iraq came to the brink and came back."
At the end of that meeting, just before midnight on Saturday, the Iraqi prime minister, flanked by the leaders of the major political parties, solemnly announced at a news conference that the country would not have a civil war -- a moment of "terrific political symbolism," the Western diplomat said.
"Great crises such as this can fragment, polarize people or pull them together," he said. "I hope in 10 years, in 15 years, in 20 years, people will look at this crisis as a turning point in getting Iraqis to come together against a common enemy."
March 1, 2006 -- THE reporting out of Baghdad continues to be hysterical and dishonest. There is no civil war in the streets. None. Period. Terrorism, yes. Civil war, no. Clear enough?
バクダッドからのメディアの報道は、相変わらずヒステリカルで、正しくない。バクダッドの 市街に内戦などはない。そんなものは無いのだ。ピリオド。 テロリスムはある、内戦は無い、これで充分メイ量では無いか? (中略) You are being lied to. By elements in the media determined that Iraq must fail. Just give 'em the Bronx cheer.
Nigeria has criticised Washington for failing to help protect the country's oil assets from rebel attack, forcing it to turn to other military suppliers, including China, for support.
Nigerian security sources said China was becoming one of Nigeria's main suppliers of military hardware. They said new supplies would include dozens of patrol boats to secure the swamps and creeks that from the launching pad for rebel attacks.(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 武器輸出が、有効な外交的パワーになるというケースがあって、こういう面では平和主義的な 武器禁輸政策を維持する日本からは想像しがたいような国際関係の現実が。しかし考えてみれ ば対テロ用途の軍事器機、装置、製品などは、現実的に輸入を必要とする国も多くあろうに。
ttp://www.slate.com/id/2137134/ The End of Fukuyama Why his latest pronouncements miss the mark. By Christopher Hitchens Posted Wednesday, March 1, 2006, at 6:59 AM ET
And these nuances matter, because Fukuyama now tells us that the book that made him famous, The End of History and the Last Man (1992), "presented a kind of Marxist argument for the existence of a long-term process of social evolution, but one that terminates in liberal democracy rather than communism." Alas, the purity of his Marxism was soon to be corrupted by the likes of William Kristol and Robert Kagan, whose position was "by contrast, Leninist(後略)
The positives: the influx of terrorists into Iraq has given the United States access to kill or capture experienced terrorists and jihadi sympathizers, where they were previously lying dormant in their home countries, beyond the reach of the U.S. military. This has given the U.S. intelligence on al-Qaeda’s networks and exposed the terrorist group’s support mechanisms and lines of communications. U.S. and Iraqi military and intelligence services are gaining valuable experience in identifying and fighting terrorists.
The negatives: there is the very real concern about ‘bleedback’, where jihadis gain experience on the battlefields of Iraq and return to their home countries to train others and conduct terror attacks. Coalition soldiers and the Iraqi people are paying with their lives, and the future of Iraq remains in doubt as the terror campaign continues.
The Reuters story actually has far less detail than Iraq the Model, but it confirms the readers account about some prisoners being executed or released "by mistake". Nowhere to be found in the Reuters report, however, is Iraq the Model's report that about 48 convicts had died under torture before they could be executed, and that's an historical mystery waiting to be solved.