NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Cuban leader Fidel Castro is reportedly gravely ill after undergoing at least three failed operations and complications from an instestinal infection, according to the Associated Press. The AP cited a report from Spanish newspaper El Pais as saying Castro is laid up with "a very grave prognosis." The AP also quoted a Cuban diplomat in Madrid as saying the report is untrue. End of Story
The Spanish newspaper said in a report posted on its Web site on Monday that Mr. Castro, who has not been seen in public since July 26, had suffered from diverticulitis, a serious ailment caused when the bulges that sometimes form in the colon of older people become infected. スペイン語の新聞に拠ればカストロは癌ではないが憩室炎に悩んでいるという。
In Mr. Castro’s case, that later led to peritonitis, which is an inflaming of the stomach lining, the newspaper said. Describing his condition as “very serious,” the paper said Mr. Castro was being fed intravenously. カストロの病状は深刻で、静脈注射で栄養を与えているという。
"As many of you know, over the last few months I have been thinking hard about my plans for 2008," Obama said in a statement on his presidential exploratory committee Web site. 「貴方方も知るとおり、私は過去数ヶ月間、2008年大統領選挙出馬を真剣に考慮してきた」と オバマは自己のWebサイトに書き、大統領選出馬準備の開始を告げた。
He is expected to face two daunting challenges, one to raise up to $100 million for his campaign and the other, to compete with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, among many others, in what would be the longest and most expensive presidential campaign in history. 彼の行くてにある、大きな難関のひとつは$100Mを超える政治資金を集めること、もうひと つはヒラリー・クリントンとの対決である。
His announcement today was the filing of a presidential exploratory committee, a step that allows him to immediately start to raise money in advance of a more formal announcement of his candidacy, which Obama said would come next month. 今日の準備開始宣言によって、大統領選挙調査委員会を作ることになり、この仕組みによって オバマは正式出馬以前に政治資金を集めることが可能になる。オバマは来月に正式の発表をす る事になるという。
"We took measures in October in Doha and measures in Abuja (in December) and I believe these measures are working well. Inventories in the fourth quarter have come down ... which puts the market closer to balance," Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said in New Delhi. "Do not panic. Actually there is no reason for a meeting." ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 今日の石油価格の変動、NYSE先物化核のチャート(5日間) ttp://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=CLG07.NYM&t=5d $53くらいだったものが、$3以上下落して、現在$51.03(-3.35%)
What does Obama's move mean for the other candidates either already in the race or likely to be in it soon? Here's The Fix's take: オバマの08大統領選挙出馬意思の表明が他の民主党候補者にどういう影響があるかを簡単 に以下に示す。
Clinton was scheduled to hold a press conference today to discuss her recent trip to Iraq, but her office postponed it shortly after the news of Obama broke. (Clinton's advisers quickly made clear that the decision to cancel the event had been made yesterday and was IN NO WAY related to Obama's announcement today, a point confirmed by Sen. Evan Bayh's office, according to the New York Times' Caucus blog.) She is set to hold the press conference tomorrow, and it's possible that Clinton will choose to use that moment to refine her position on the war -- a move that could step on the effusive press coverage of Obama. ヒラリーは最近のイラク訪問について、今日記者会見する予定だったが、オバマのニュースが 出たのでそれを延期した。記者会見は明日になる。次回の記者会見で、ヒラリーはイラク戦争 に対する自身の政策を修正することになるかもしれない。それは(一貫してイラク戦争反対を いってきた)オバマの影響ともいえる。
Clinton's team insists that her timeline for announcing will not be dependent on any other candidate. But that pledge will be sorely tested between now and Feb. 10 when Obama has said he will make a final decision on the race. ヒラリーの選挙チームは他の候補者の影響を受けていないと主張するが、今からオバマだ最終 的に出馬判断を決める2月10日までの間に、そうであるかをテストされよう。
Clinton has long been expected to maker her intentions clear by the end of January. Rather than forming an exploratory committee, the New York senator could well announce she is officially in the race -- drawing a subtle contrast with Obama's exploratory effort. ヒラリーは1月末に08大統領選挙への意思を明示すると広く期待されている。ヒラリーは選挙 準備の為の調査委員会を作る事無しに出馬表明するかも知れず、オバマとの違いを見せるよう な手段に出でるかもしれない。
Chief U.S. negotiator Chris Hill met his North Korean counterpart in Berlin on Tuesday to discuss resuming the talks and the BDA issue was expected to be on the agenda. ヒル国務次官補は北朝鮮の代表とベルリンで会合し、6者会合の再開とDBA資金凍結の問題 を討議した。
"There are a number of North Korean accounts in Banco Delta Asia that the (Treasury) accountants are looking at. They are comparing these accounts," said one U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. アメリカの、匿名の高官は「DBAには北朝鮮の口座が幾つもあって、財務省はそれらをチェ ックしている。彼らはその口座を比較している」という。
It is possible that accounts reflecting "legitimate" business activity could be segregated from "illegitimate" accounts and "a lot of resources are being applied to make that kind of assessment," he said. 「口座が正当なビジネス行為に利用されているのであれば、それらを違法行為に使われている 口座と区別して、分離する(segregate)事が可能であろう。そうの類のアセスメントを行なう 為に、多くの資源が投入されている」
But a second U.S. official said: "They are taking another look at this (BDA) issue. There is active discussion within the administration on whether to make concessions and if so, how far, how fast and under what conditions." 別の高官は「政府内ではDBAについて議論している。この件で譲歩(concessions)を行なう べきであるか、もし行なうなら、どの程度に、どういう条件の下に、何時行なうかの議論がある」 と述べた。
West warned of accidental war Tehran sends goodwill message
Region under pressure Britain is joining an American military campaign to blunt Iranian influence in Iraq and the Gulf. In a move likely to heighten tension in an already volatile part of the world, US forces have been ordered to detain Iranian agents in Iraq and to strengthen substantially America’s military presence in the Gulf.
Two Royal Navy minehunters have arrived in the Gulf to reinforce a naval frigate on patrol in the area. “We are going after their [Iran’s] networks in Iraq,” Zalmay Khalilzad, the outgoing US Ambassador to Baghdad, said. The aim was to change the behaviour of the Islamic regime in Tehran, he added.
Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, accused Tehran of “very negative behaviour”. Twice in the past few weeks US forces have detained Iranian officials in Iraq, first in Baghdad and last week in the northern city of Arbil.
America has accused the Iranians of supporting militant Iraqi groups. Iran insists has insisted that all those detained were performing normal diplomatic duties. Although Mr Gates was recently an advocate of opening dialogue with Iran, as recommended by the Iraq Study Group, he told a Nato meeting yesterday that now is not the time to talk. Tehran’s behaviour justified America’s decision to beef up its presence.
“We are simply reaffirming that statement of the importance of the Gulf region to the United States and our determination to be an ongoing strong presence in the area for a long time into the future,” said Mr Gates.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier group entered the Gulf in December. It will be joined by the USS John C. Stennis carrier group. This is the first time since the invasion of Iraq four years ago that the US has deployed two carrier strike groups in the Gulf at one time.
In addition, President Bush has ordered the deployment of an air defence battalion equipped with Patriot missile batteries to protect America’s Gulf Arab allies from possible air attack from Iran.
Britain’s contribution is two minehunters HMS Blyth and HMS Ramsey, which will remain in the Gulf for an unusually-long two-year mission to keep shipping routes open in the event that Iran attempts to block oil exports.
The White House has insisted that it has no plans to take military action against Iran. But Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, described the build up as an evolving strategy to confront Iran’s “destabilising behaviour”.
"We anticipate some additional discussions this afternoon and perhaps tomorrow morning," Hill said during an event organized by the American Academy in Berlin. ヒル代表は「話し合いは、今日の午後と、多分明日朝にも行なう」とした。
Officials said Washington's willingness to talk directly with Pyongyang ? as North Korea has long demanded ? suggested it may now be ready to compromise over a crackdown on the communist state's finances, despite the defiant nuclear test by North Korea last October. アメリカ政府が北朝鮮と直接交渉を続けていることから、北朝鮮への金融制裁問題で妥協する 用意がアメリカ側にあるのでは、と見る向きがある。
Several officials in Washington said they believed the Bush administration was inclined to find a solution to the dispute over North Korea's accounts at a Macao bank, which it has called "a willing pawn" in Pyongyang's illicit financial deals. ワシントンの何人もの高官が、ブッシュ政権は北朝鮮との間の懸案事項であるBDAについて 解決を図る方向に傾いていると信じる、と述べている。DBAは、北朝鮮の違法な金融取引の 「便利な駒」だとしていた。
The separate meeting of U.S. and North Korean financial officials are set to resume next week in New York. ヒル次官補らの会談とは別枠で、来週からニューヨークで北朝鮮との金融制裁問題の協議が行 なわれる予定。(後略)
Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for Clinton, said, "The field is shaping up as a strong field. It's an exciting time to be a Democrat. We obviously wish Sen. Obama well."
Edwards' camp sounded a similar note. "The country's going to face some tremendous challenges in 2009 and we need the very best candidates to run," said Edwards adviser Jennifer Palmieri. "He thinks that anyone who has good ideas on how we tackle these problems should get into the race."
Advisers confident on finances An Obama adviser said the exploratory committee hopes to raise $7 million by the end of March. Under federal election law, an exploratory committee can transfer its assets directly to a presidential campaign. Most political professionals involved in presidential politics believe that Obama's celebrity and his ability to reach small donors through the Internet position him well to meet the financial challenges ahead. His advisers also expressed optimism that he will be financially competitive. "I am highly confident," said John Rogers, a friend of Obama's and a prodigious Democratic fundraiser for many years. "People around the country who know that I'm engaged in this process have been calling me, people from coast to coast, Republicans and Democrats. They're experienced fundraisers and people wanting to get involved for the first time. I've never seen anything like it." ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 当面のオバマの二つのチャレンジは、ヒラリーやエドワーズを予備戦で破ること、選挙資金を 集めること、なのだけれど後者は比較的楽観論が多いような。前者は、メディアの応援が今後 変化しないか、ヒラリーなどとの関連で、どう動くのかにも拠るように思える・・・
tp://money.cnn.com/2007/01/17/markets/bc.markets.oil.reut/index.htm?section=money_markets Oil hits 20-month low, eyes $50 mark January 17 2007: 8:49 AM EST ロイター:石油価格は20ヶ月来の安値をつける、$50の壁も視野に (しかしその後反発)
Yet it is probably not an out-and-out battle between the two groups. Cheng Li, a sinologist at Hamilton College, New York, thinks their emergence marks the beginning of the CCP dividing into two factions, both competing for the upper hand but also cooperating to ensure the unity to maintain stability and the party's grip on power.
Having been on the defensive since Jiang retired and suffering the ignominious loss of Chen, the Shanghai clique is doubtless lobbying hard for a decent quota of posts in the new Politburo Hu will unveil at the first plenum of the 17th Central Committee this year.
Its prospects would appear good. Many able candidates for Politburo posts are associated with the Shanghai clique, and Vice President Zeng will help Hu choose the new members. In any case, if Li's interpretation holds, Hu needs the Shanghai clique's cooperation to execute his policies effectively.
状況は簡単に割り切れるようなものでも無さそうなのだけれど、17大の年にあたるので:
While the big upsets, arguments and disputes that make up political theater in open societies will remain hidden, the audience will almost certainly be enjoying a rich and spicy stream of rumors this year.
Clinton ? a likely candidate for president in 2008 ? did not call for a fixed deadline for withdrawing all American forces, saying only that the troops should leave Iraq “eventually.” Nor did she endorse blocking money for the new troop deployment. Those two positions are favored by many antiwar Democrats who are expected to be a force in the presidential primaries, and by at least one likely rival in 2008, former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. ヒラリーはブッシュ大統領のイラク兵力増強に反対しているが、即時の撤退とか軍事費の制約 を課してブッシュ政権のイラク戦争を縛るといった政策には賛成していない。その点でエドワ ーズ上院議員や民主党左派と一線を画する。
Instead, Mrs. Clinton called for capping the number of American forces in Iraq to the total number there on Jan. 1 ? before Mr. Bush proposed adding forces. That total is roughly 140,000. She also proposed making a new threat to Iraqi government leaders to force their cooperation: the loss of American funds to train and equip Iraqi forces, rebuild the economy, and, to make the pressure more acute, to provide security for the leaders themselves. ヒラリーはイラクのアメリカ兵の上限を14万人に制限することを主張している。さらにイラク 政府にアメリカの政策への協力を求めるために、イラク軍の教育訓練への支援の取り消しなど を材料に使って圧力をかけるべきと言う。
She also called for sending more troops to support the American military mission in Afghanistan, which she referred to as “quite a success story.” And she opposed any shift of forces out of Afghanistan as part of the troop expansion in Iraq. ヒラリーはさらに、アフガニスタンの作戦は「とても成功している」として、さらに多くのア メリカ兵を贈るように求め、アフガニスタンからイラクへの兵力のシフトに反対した。 (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 オバマやエドワーズのような民主党左派の即時撤退論とは一線を画するとはいえ、兵力の上限 をつけることが軍事的意味があるとも思われないけれど。
AEI:軍事技術開発の分野を含めて、研究開発により多く支出すべきである By ニュート・ギングリッチ
Throughout history, national security has been dependent on economic prosperity, and visa versa. An economically strong America is better able to defend itself. Likewise, the nation's ability to defend itself is a prerequisite to maintaining the infrastructure and other elements of a strong national economy. 歴史において見られるように、国家の安全保障は、その国の経済の発展に依存している。 経済の発展は、しかし国の安全保障に依存している。経済的に強いアメリカはより良く自国を 守ることが出来る。そして国の安全保障の能力は、強い経済を維持するための前提条件でもあ る。軍事的な技術開発が、民間の技術開発に波及するような「デュアル技術」になる可能性は 大変高いわけで、レーダー、レーザー、ステルス、GPS航法、・・など軍事技術開発が産業に 貢献する例は多い。軍事技術が民間に大きく寄与している別の分野はコミニュケーションであ り、その象徴がインターネットである。
Last year, the president took the next logical step--his most important new economic proposal--doubling basic research in the physical sciences and engineering at three key research agencies that fund basic university research: the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy Office of Science and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
National security and economic competitiveness are linked in reality--they should be linked by national policy as well.
The aircraft was brought down when it was trying to cross the borders "during the last few days," Seyed Nezam Mola Hoveizeh, a member of the parliament, was quoted by the local Fars News Agency as saying. イランの国会議員 Seyed Nezam Mola Hoveizehに拠れば、この数日間にイランは国境を越えて 侵入しようとしたUAVを撃墜した。議員がローカル通信社に語った。
The lawmaker gave no exact date of the shooting-down or any other details about the incident, but he said that "the United States sent such spy drones to the region every now and then." 議員に拠れば詳細は明らかではないが、「アメリカは未だに、そういうスパイ航空機を送り込 んでいる」という。(後略)
A video address in which he announced his intentions Tuesday was a blue-sky plan of optimism, one offering few specifics. It was designed to make the point that he ? as opposed to any other Democratic candidate ? was the fresh, unifying face of the party. オバマが出馬意思を表明したビデオは、彼の野心を楽観的に表し、具体的政策には殆ど触れて いないにだが、他の民主党の候補に無い、彼の特徴、つまりフレッシュな党を統合する顔を示 すものである。
The dynamic among Edwards, Obama and Clinton, not to mention other Democrats, is likely to touch off a curious scramble inside the party. ヒラリー、エドワーズ、オバマ、そして他の民主党の候補たちのダイナミクスは民主党内部の 奇妙なスクランブルに火をつけそうである。
In Washington, Obama's announcement caused a stir among Democratic political operatives, who rushed to make inquiries about joining his campaign. A list of telephone numbers for local offices in Iowa, New Hampshire and Chicago ? none of which have even opened yet ? was being circulated via e-mail. ワシントンではオバマのアナウンスメントが民主党関連の政治関係者に動乱を呼び起こした。 彼らは、オバマのキャンペーンに参加すべく問い合わせに殺到した。アイオワ、ニューハンプ シャー、シカゴなどのオバマの事務所の電話番号のリストが電子メールで回覧されているが、 その事務所というのは、どれひとつとしてまだ開設されていないのである。(後略)
Fighter jet parts and other sensitive U.S. military gear seized from front companies for Iran and brokers for China have been traced in criminal cases to a surprising source: the Pentagon. ジェット戦闘機の部品など軍事物資がイランや中国へ、フロント企業により流されていること が確認された。ペンタゴンがソースである。
In one case, federal investigators said, contraband purchased in Defense Department surplus auctions was delivered to Iran, a country President Bush has branded part of an "axis of evil." あるケースでは、国防省の余剰部品のオークションで入手された部品がイランに輸出されている。 この例はパキスタンの武器ブローカーがアメリカからの部品をイランに横流ししたものである。 余剰部品の処理は、まるでスーパーマーケットのバーゲンセールのようなものになっている。 (後略)
【ニューヨーク17日時事】世界の民主化の状況を監視する米人権団体「フリーダムハウス」 は17日、今年の年次報告書を発表し、アジアで民主主義が後退していると警告した。(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 ttp://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=70&release=457 Freedom in the World 2007: Year Marked by Global "Freedom Stagnation," Setbacks for Democracy in Asia Washington, D.C.,January 17, 2007
・・・a GOP colleague of Obama’s in the legislature admitted, “In Republican circles, we’ve always feared that Barack would become a rock star of American politics.” ある共和党の議員がいうように「共和党の中では、バラク・オバマがアメリカ政界のロック・ スターに成ることが警戒されていた」
Obama is a better politician than recent contenders like Al Gore, Howard Dean, and John Kerry. And one can imagine Hillary Clinton seething at the injustice that yet another gifted charmer is posing a threat to her political ambitions. オバマは、近年の大統領選挙の挑戦者である、アル・ゴア、ハワード・ディーン、ジョン・ ケリーより良い政治家であり、ヒラリーはその政治的野心に脅威を与える魅力にあふれる男 の登場に、怒り狂っていると想像することも出来る。
The Democratic party is in a perpetual search for the next JFK, and it is Obama’s abiding strength among Democrats that he better fits that template than anyone else in the field. 民主党はいつも次のJFKを探していて、それがオバマの強みである。JFKのテンプレート に他の誰よりも良く当てはまるのが彼である。
It probably will force the once pro-war Hillary to conclude that she has to move farther left, thus reinforcing her image as an over-calculating politician (her latest Iraq trip can be thought of as her “find an excuse to get more left on the war” tour). (オバマの反戦の姿勢の為に)かってはイラク戦争支持者の立場をとっていたヒラリーは 左傾化せざるを得ないであろう。彼女は計算しすぎの政治家であるので、自分のイメージ をたかめるために、そう動かざるを得ない。(彼女の最近のイラク視察は、イラク戦争に ついて左傾化した姿勢を取ることの言い訳を見つけるものに成りかねない)
But voters have turned once before to a newcomer with thin experience in the midst of a dangerous international environment. His name was Jimmy Carter.
The last snowfall recorded at Los Angeles International Airport was in January 1962, according to the National Weather Service. ロサンゼルス国際空港に雪が降ったのは、前回は1962年1月である。
The well documented phenomenon that leads to very low, unseasonal temperatures, driving rain, hail, snow or all of the above whenever Al Gore visits an area to discuss global "warming". Hence the "Gore Effect." 「ゴア効果」とは、大変低温の、季節ハズレの気候や雨、霰、雹、雪などが、アルゴアの 訪問先で、彼が「地球温暖化」の議論を行なう場合に発生する現象。
Naimi said that long-term oil market stability requires a steady flow of capital into projects to expand supply and infrastructure. "This occurs only when prices truly reflect long-term demand and supply fundamentals," he said. サウジのヌアイミ石油相は、長期的な石油市場の安定性の為に石油供給のインフラへの 継続的な資本投下が必要と述べた。
He also told the conference that the oil price rise in the last two years had been due to a combination of insufficient investments and rising energy demand over a 15-year period from the mid-1980s through the 1990s. 彼はまた、最近2年間の石油価格高騰は、石油供給への資本投下の不足と需要の増大によ るものと延べ、それは1980年代中旬以降の15年間につみあがったものとした。
AP通信によると、中西部オクラホマ州では凍結路での交通事故などで23人以上が死亡。 氷の重みで送電線が切れるなどして、停電も数十万世帯で続いている。カリフォルニア州南部 のロサンゼルスでも雪がちらつき、各地で44年ぶりに最低気温の記録を更新した。 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 She was in Santa Monica when she called her sister in Westwood and could hear her children screaming in the background about white stuff piling up in their backyard. She raced to the neighborhood off Montana Avenue and found what looked like snow on rooftops as well as on lawns. Her sister's children had pulled out their ski gear and were playing in the backyard. "This was the first time I made a snowman in L.A," said Naylor, a Los Angeles native. "We used dried cranberry for the eyes and a baby carrot for the nose because it was a baby snowman." ttp://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cold18jan18,0,1404930.story?coll=la-home-local 降雪にはしゃいでいる子供や親たちもいるような・・
Illinois Senator Barack Obama's announcement this week that he's likely to enter the Presidential race adds a dash of glamour and excitement to the Democratic field. But all of his media attention doesn't change the basic truth of the 2008 primary contest: The race is between Hillary Rodham Clinton and everybody else. 今週、イリノイ州のバラク・オバマが08大統領選挙に出馬の意向を表明したことは、民主党の 大統領選挙に向けての活動に活気と興奮を追加することであろうが、彼の集めるメディアの注 目は2008大統領選挙予備戦の基本的事実を変えるわけではない。民主党大統領候補を争う戦い は、ヒラリーと、その他の戦いである。
Mr. Obama is already moving left on national security -- which is dangerous ground for a political rookie amid what the Pentagon calls "the long war" on terror. ・・・ There are cycles in politics, and, after eight years of Republicans in the White House, Democrats in 2008 will have the public's normal desire for change on their side. On the other hand, they will also have to show they can be trusted on national security in a post 9/11 world, especially running against the likes of Republicans John McCain or Rudy Giuliani. Mrs. Clinton's studied middle-ground on security suggests she understands that. The main Democratic drama of the coming months will be whether her party really trusts that she and her husband have learned enough not to repeat the mistakes of the 1990s.
アメリカ陸軍は最初の2基のTHAAD(Theater High Altitude Air Defense)発射ユニット を注文した。これは高高度の防空ミサイルシステムで、ひとつのユニットあたり24ミサイル を有し、三つの発射台と制御通信ユニット、Xバンド・レーダーの組み合わせになっている。 1ユニットあたり$310Mで、発射されるミサイルは18フィート長、1400ポンドである。これは パトリオットと同じくらいの長さだが重量は二倍である。
"If early and meaningful action is not taken" in reforming programs like Social Security and Medicare, then "the U.S. economy could be seriously weakened, with future generations bearing much of the cost," Mr. Bernanke said in prepared testimony to the Senate Budget Committee 上院財政委員会で証言したバーナンキFRB議長は、「早期の、意味のある社会保障や 健康保険制度の改革が無ければ、アメリカ経済は深刻な弱体化に直面する」と述べて 「将来の世代が、多くのコストを負担することになる」と警告した。
"The U.S. believes China's development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "We and other countries have expressed our concern regarding this action to the Chinese." アメリカ政府NSCの広報官、Gordon Johndroeは「アメリカ政府は中国が衛星攻撃の兵器を テストした事について、両国の宇宙空間での共同利用の精神に鑑み、そうした兵器が不適切 であると信じる。アメリカと、その他の国は中国の行為に憂慮を表明するものである」とした。
Using a ground-based medium-range ballistic missile, the test knocked out an aging Chinese weather satellite about 537 miles above the earth on January 11 through "kinetic impact," or by slamming into it, Johndroe said. このテストは地上からの中距離弾道ミサイルを用いたもので、中国の古い気象衛星を高度537 マイルの宇宙空間で、1月11日に「キネティック・インパクト」によって(つまりミサイルの 打ち込みで)破壊したものという。
Canada and Australia had joined in voicing concern, he said. Britain, South Korea and Japan were expected to follow suit, an administration official added. カナダとオーストラリアがアメリカの抗議に同調しており、英国、韓国、日本も同様の同調 を示すと期待されていりとした。 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 中国の衛星破壊兵器については、レーザー兵器だとか、そうではないとか諸説が言われていた ようだけれど、「キネティック・キル」であるとする見方が最終的であるような。 ttp://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/18/0235229 (スラッシュ・ドット)
"U.S. intelligence agencies believe that China has successfully tested an anti- satellite weapon by destroying one of their old weather satellites. The test, if confirmed, would be an order of magnitude more provocative than earlier reports of Chinese blinding lasers being tested. Arms Control Wonk has a good writeup on what this will mean for U.S. policy."
U. S. intelligence agencies believe China performed a successful anti-satellite (asat) weapons test at more than 500 mi. altitude Jan. 11 destroying an aging Chinese weather satellite target with a kinetic kill vehicle launched on board a ballistic missile.
The attack is believe to have occurred as the weather satellite flew at 530 mi. altitude 4 deg. west of Xichang located in Sichuan province. Xichang is a major Chinese space launch center. Although intelligence agencies must complete confirmation of the test, the attack is believed to have occurred at about 5:28 p.m. EST Jan. 11. U. S. intelligence agencies had been expecting some sort of test that day, sources said.
U. S. Air Force Defense Support Program missile warning satellites in geosynchronous orbit would have detected the Xichang launch of the asat kill vehicle and U. S. Air Force Space Command monitored the FY-1C orbit both before and after the exercise. The test, if it occurred as envisioned by intelligence source, could also have left considerable space debris in an orbit used by many different satellites.
Although more of a "policy weapon" at this time, the test shows that the Chinese military can threaten the imaging reconnaissance satellites operated by the U. S., Japan, Russia, Israel and Europe. USAF radar reports on the Chinese FY-1C spacecraft have been posted once or twice daily for years, but those reports jumped to about 4 times per day just before the alleged test. (後略)
Although I’ve been skeptical about the quality of our intel on whether China had a direct ascent ASAT program (though not the capability), over the past six months (and especially since the reported laser tracking of a US satellite), lots of not-crazy folks have been saying China’s ASAT work seemed to have been ramping up.
If China has conducted an ASAT test, this is extremely bad. I had been hoping that the Bush Administration would push for a ban on anti-satellite testing, either in the form of a code of conduct. The Bush folks, however, have been fond of saying that wasn’t necessary, because “there is no arms race in space.”
Well, we have one now, instigated by an incredibly short-sighted Chinese government. (I suspect this test will have also created a massive debris problem). ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー この中国の衛星攻撃テストは、専門家に大変評判が悪いようで、「中国の軍人の極度に 近視眼的な政策の賜物である」という評価であるような。
NEW YORK -- Ending at least some of the speculation, Time Warner Inc.'s Time Inc. magazine unit announced Thursday a fresh round of layoffs. TIME社は噂されていた雑誌部門のレイオフを発表。会社側は人数を発表していないが 別の資料から編集スタッフを含む250人程度と見られる。
Like other magazine publishers, Time Inc. is shifting more resources toward online operations from print
Japan can certainly make a case for leaving the taps running. Personal consumption remains sluggish: wages are stubbornly flat, discouraging spending. The household consumer index shows confidence last month hit its lowest ebb in two years.
Stripping out energy, Japanese prices are still falling. Unfortunately, that is not the case championed by the hawkish Bank of Japan, which has been stressing its “forward-looking” credentials and a rosier outlook. And it is certainly not the line being peddled to markets, where swap futures were earlier this week implied an 80 per cent probability of an interest rate rise. ttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/d0501478-a6dd-11db-83e4-0000779e2340.html Japanese interest rates Published: January 18 2007
The White House reacted with alarm and anger last night after China successfully destroyed a satellite with a ballistic missile, the first space test of such offensive military technology by any nation in more than 20 years. 中国の衛星破壊テストに対して、ホワイトハウスは昨夜、警戒を示す反応をしている。 宇宙空間への軍事行動は、過去20年間どの国によってもなされてこなかった。 (既報部分の省略)
David Wright, of the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said that the satellite pulverised by China could have broken into 40,000 fragments from 1cm to 10cm, or up to 4in, roughly half of which would stay in orbit for more than a decade. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said last night: “The UK raised this issue with the Chinese authorities on Wednesday. Our concern is the possible effects of debris in outer space caused by the break-up of the satellite.” アメリカの「憂慮する科学者連合」のDavid Wrightによれば、中国の攻撃で衛星は4万個 の破片に分裂し、個々の破片の大きさは1cm から 10cm位で、その半分が宇宙空間に浮遊 し、10年以上留まるだろうという。英国外務省は「英国政府は水曜日に中国政府に問い合 わせた。衛星破壊の結果、デブリが発生することに関心を持っている」と述べた。
Robert Joseph, the State Department’s chief arms control and international security official, said that other nations and possibly terrorist groups were “acquiring capabilities to counter, attack and defeat US space systems”. 国務省の国際軍縮担当のRobert Josephは、先に外国やテロリストがアメリカの宇宙システ ムへの攻撃能力を持つようになる可能性について述べている。
He added: “No nation, no non-state actor, should be under the illusion that the United States will tolerate a denial of our right to the use of space for peaceful purposes.” 彼は、そうした可能性についてコメントし「如何なる国であれ、国以外の組織であれ、アメ リカが宇宙空間の衛星技術を平和裏に利用する権利を妨げるような行為に対して、それを許 容するといった幻想を持つべきではない」と述べている。
The US has been researching “satellite-killing” technology of its own, experimenting with lasers on the ground that could disable and destroy spacecraft. アメリカは衛星の破壊について独自に技術開発を行い、地上からのレーザーによって衛星な どを無力化する実験を行なっている。
Because of a lack of accuracy, early U.S. and Soviet ASAT programs both used nuclear warheads, including a successful U.S. "intercept" in 1963 that used a 1-megaton warhead. The Air-Launched Miniature Vehicle used a two-stage rocket fired from an F-15 Eagle fighter to insert a Miniature Homing Vehicle (MHV) into orbit. The MHV conducted a successful heat-seeking intercept in 1985 before being canceled, although the remaining ordnance might have been retained in storage.
Legality aside, the increasing visibility and aggressiveness of China's pursuit of offensive space capability represents a potential future threat to U.S. military dominance in space. In December, Robert Joseph, U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, issued a public reminder of official U.S. Air Force doctrine: The United States opposes any further ban on the weaponization of space. Although the U.S. Air Force rightly considers itself the master of its domain in space operations, these developments halfway around the world are a painful reminder that such dominance will not go unchallenged.
The U.S. military's technological edge rests heavily in space. With the assets currently orbiting the Earth, U.S. communication, navigation and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities are unsurpassed. From GPS-guided munitions and MASINT to launch detection and links to strategic forces, space is vital to the modern U.S. military. One or two ASATs cannot change that. But in a major military confrontation over Taiwan, for instance, a successful strike by a dozen Chinese ASATs would be a significant blow to Washington's situational awareness in the region -- and would result in massive U.S. retaliation.
Prudence would suggest that if two Chinese programs to develop the capability to control space have recently come to light, at least several more are in the works. And this is not China's first foray into space.
The U.S. Air Force is certainly far ahead of China -- or any other nation, for that matter -- in what the 2004 Air Force Counterspace Operations doctrine calls the "five Ds" of targeting an adversary's space system: deception, disruption, denial, degradation and destruction. Nevertheless, China's rise as a competitor should be of particular concern to the United States. Beijing's first attempts to control space will not be an effort to match U.S. capabilities but rather to become master of its own domain above East Asia. Facing the major competitor in all of space, China will tailor its offensive space capability specifically toward countering U.S. dominance -- at least in part. Tokyo and other challengers to Beijing's regional hegemony, however, will not be far behind.
The new cloud of debris orbiting the Earth is an indication of things to come should two space-faring nations face off in a major conflict. Especially in the case of the United States, space-based assets have become too essential an operational tool to be ignored any longer in times of war.
Fresh data from the International Energy Agency show oil consumption in the 30 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development fell 0.6% in 2006. Though the decline appears small, it marks the first annual drop in more than 20 years among the OECD countries, which drain close to 60% of the 84.4 million barrels of oil used globally each day. Industrialized nations' demand tiptoed into negative territory in 2002, but the dip was so slight that it registered as flat.
The fall in oil use by the industrialized world is a sign that the reactions to higher oil prices by businesses and consumers from the U.S. to Germany to Japan may be adding up to a cycle-turning downdraft in demand. The resulting shift in global cash flows could mean a big boost for oil consumers' economies at the expense of producers and exporters. この需要減少は石油価格高騰への対応であり、日米独などで特に石油使用の抑制の傾向 が見られる。そうしたシフトの傾向が継続するなら石油産出国の今後のキャッシュフロー などに影響を与える。
To be sure, global oil demand grew 0.9% in 2006, owing to steady growth in China and the Middle East. But that was down from growth of 3.9% in 2004 and 1.5% in 2005.
A top aide to Muslim Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was arrested Friday shortly after midnight in Baghdad in an operation led by the Iraqi government, which is under pressure from Washington to crack down on Shiite militias. アメリカからのシーア派武装派勢力の壊滅の圧力をうけているイラク政府は金曜日の深夜 バクダッドのオペレーションでサドル師の側近のトップを逮捕した。
Sheik Abdul-Hadi al-Darraji, Sadr's media director in Baghdad, was arrested at a house in the eastern neighborhood of Baladiyat, said Abdul Razak al-Nadawi, a spokesman for Sadr. The spokesman said one of Sadr's guards was killed during the operation. The house is adjacent to a mosque, the spokesman said. At least two other men were taken into custody, according to the U.S. military. サドル師のメデイア部長を勤めるSheik Abdul-Hadi al-Darrajiがバクダッドの自宅で逮捕 されたとサドル師の広報官が発表した。広報官に拠ればサドル師は逮捕に抗議している。
"The suspect allegedly leads various illegal armed group operations and is affiliated with illegal armed group cells targeting Iraqi civilians for sectarian attacks and violence," the statement says. アメリカ軍の発表文書は「容疑者は武装派の違法行為を指導し、イラクの民間人への宗派対立 暴力をおこなう武装派に関与している」としている(後略)
An abrupt American departure will greatly complicate efforts to help stem the terrorist tide far beyond Iraq; fragile governments from Lebanon to the Gulf will be tempted into pre-emptive concessions. It might drive the sectarian conflict within Iraq to genocidal dimensions.
Graduated withdrawal would not ease these dangers until a different strategy is in place and shows some progress. For now, it would be treated both within Iraq and in the region as the forerunner of a total withdrawal. President Bush's decision should therefore be seen as the first step toward a new grand strategy relating power to diplomacy for the entire region, ideally on a nonpartisan basis.
The purpose of the new strategy should be to demonstrate that America is determined to remain relevant to the outcome in the region; to adjust U.S. military deployments and numbers to emerging realities; and to provide the maneuvering room for a major diplomatic effort to stabilize the region.
Of the current security threats in Iraq ? the intervention of outside countries, the presence of Qaeda fighters, an extraordinarily large criminal element, the sectarian conflict ? the United States has a national interest in defeating the first two; it must not involve itself in the sectarian conflict for any extended period, much less let itself be used by one side for its own sectarian goals. ・・・・
Two levels of diplomatic effort are necessary:
The creation of a contact group, assembling neighboring countries whose interests are directly affected and which rely on American support. This group should include Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. Its function should be to advise on ending the internal conflict and to create a united front against outside domination.
Parallel negotiations should be conducted with Syria and Iran, which now appear as adversaries, to give them an opportunity to participate in a peaceful regional order.
In Beijing, meanwhile, a foreign ministry spokesman said Friday he was unaware of such a test. The spokesman, Liu Jianchao, added that China was against the militarization of space. 一方北京では、外交部広報官は金曜日に、テストについて知らないと述べ、中国は宇宙の軍 事利用に反対していると述べた。 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 ttp://pshweb02.881903.com/apps/news/html/news/20070119/2007011920544099800.htm <香港、商業電台、[19/01 星期五 20:54]>
"The brazenness of this is a bit frightening," says Mike Green, former senior Bush Administration Asia adviser. "It shows that the Peoples Liberation Army has considerable leeway ? a great deal of influence if not autonomy ? to increase their capacity even at considerable diplomatic cost."
Green notes that there have been occasions in the past when the PLA has appeared to directly breach a diplomatic agreement reached by China's Foreign Ministry, notably over the passage of Chinese submarines through Japanese home waters. And because U.S. officials fear that one scenario in which a conflict between the U.S. and China over Taiwan could occur involves an independent or rogue action by disgruntled generals, any sign of independent action by the military brass is cause for concern, says Green. ttp://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1580595,00.html Why China's Missile Test Is Troubling Friday, Jan. 19, 2007 By SIMON ELEGANT/BEIJING AND MARK THOMPSON/WASHINGTON (brazenness:【名】 厚かましさ) ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー このコメントに見る限り、マイケル・グリーンも、アメリカ国務省・中国外交部の協議とか 強調体制維持の努力を無視して、人民開放軍がヤリタイホーダイにやっている、という観測 であるような;
The main problem is that the BoJ, like a brilliant but shy mathematician, has communication issues. It is bad at explaining its definition of "price stability" and bad at explaining what it thinks is needed to get there. Though Toshihiko Fukui, the Bank's governor, is keen to increase "openness", a published policy framework and more frequent public comments are no use if they are ambiguous or imprecise.
There is a strong case for the government to set an explicit inflation target. The BoJ, unsure whether it could meet such a target in Japan's dislocated monetary environment, wants to keep maximum discretion. The government, meanwhile, finds it useful to blame the Bank when things go wrong in the economy. But playing these games risks the strengthening, but not totally solid, recovery in Japan. The managers of the world's second largest economy should be doing better than this.
China may be seeking to show it can protect its increasingly global interests by testing an antisatellite missile, but the result could be the opposite -- eventual ignition of a regional arms race. 中国のミサイルを使った衛星破壊テストは、中国の持つグローバル化している権益を保護 することを求めていると言う事なのかもしれない。しかし、このテストの結果は、中国の 意図とは逆にアジア地域の軍備拡大競争をもたらしかねない。
"This test has caused a shudder across the region," said a senior Asian diplomat based in Washington. "The response from Japan and others won't be immediate, but the dynamic has now shifted in the region." ワシントンの、あるシニアな外交官は「このテストは、アジア地域一帯に振動(身震い)を もたらした」という。「日本やその他の国の反応は、即時には現れてこないけれど、アジア 地域のダイナミックは、今やシフトしたのだ」
Defense analysts say Japan is likely to continue to push for a more robust U.S. -Washington military alliance, and could potentially step up efforts to rearm. Japan has a sophisticated space program focused on civilian and commercial satellites, but analysts said these could easily be converted to military use. Relations between China and Japan have been rocky, and China's rise as an economic power has further fueled worries in Tokyo over its giant neighbor's intentions. 軍事アナリストは、日本は日米軍事同盟により積極的になるだろうという。さらに日本の再軍 備を強めることになるかもしれない。日本は民間の、商業ベースの洗練された宇宙開発計画を もっているが、アナリストは日本の宇宙開発は簡単に軍事目的に転用できるという。日中関係 は穏やかならざるものがあって、中国の経済的跳躍は日本政府をして中国の意図を疑うことを 加速させるものである。
Taiwan, which Beijing claims to be part of China despite that the island has in essence been independent for nearly six decades, could push the U.S. to sell it more weapons, arguing that China's growing antimissile capabilities significantly shift the balance of power across the Taiwan Strait, analysts said. 中国が自国領土の一部とする台湾は、過去60年間ちかく、実質的に独立しているのだが、アメ リカに対してより多くの武器弾薬販売を求めるかもしれない。中国のアンチ・ミサイル能力の 向上が台湾海峡の軍事バランスを大きく変えたと議論するだろうと、アナリストは言う。
"They want to push the Americans back as far as possible," said Dan Blumenthal, a former U.S. Defense Department official now at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington-based think-tank. "They want to dilute U.S. influence" in Asia and "make sure the costs are too high" for Washington to intervene in any struggle over Taiwan, he said. 前国防省勤務で、現在AEIの研究者であるダン・ブルーメンソルは「中国はアメリカの背中 を押して、アジアにおけるアメリカの影響力を劣化させたいのだ」という。「中国は、アメリ カが台湾海峡有事への干渉をすれば、随分と高価なものになると知らせたい」のであろうとい う。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーー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、予想通りの常識的な記事なのだけれど、この事件では、日本がどういう反応を(中長期で) するのかと、興味をもって(西側諸国に)見られている、といった面があるような・・・
スターバックスは、その会社が「ソーシャル・コンシャス」な会社だと宣伝していて、 「公平な取引」によるコーヒー豆を使っているとかいうわけだが、勿論それはマーケテ ィング・ギミックと言うべきものである。まあそういう会社なので、同社が最近その店 で販売するミルクに、成長ホルモン(rBGH)を使った牛のミルクを扱わないと発表した ことは不思議ではない。環境左翼グループは成長ホルモン(rBGH)を含むミルクは癌を 発生させるとか、科学的に否定されたデマを未だに騒いでいるのだから。 (中略) 現在アメリカの市場の20%のミルクは成長ホルモンを投与された牛から来ていて、成長 ホルモンの投与は牛のミルクの産出を増やすので、コストが安くなる。そして過去20年 にわたってDQNな環境左派グループの(Center for Science in the Public Interest) などが、成長ホルモンは癌の原因に成なるとキャンペーンを行なっている。このために 市場には「成長ホルモン・フリー」を売りものにした、より高価なミルクや乳製品が出回 っている。それらはガロン当たり40セントから2ドル程度高い。消費者は選択の自由がある ので成長ホルモン・フリーの製品がよいと思うならより高い価格を支払うことができる。
環境左派のグループは、何かにつけて科学的根拠を持ち出す傾向があるのだが、皮肉なこ とにそうした科学の出す結論を無視して省みないのは彼らである。コストの安い安全な食 品が開発され流通することは、アメリカの、特に低所得者層の生活の質を向上させる。そ れにもかかわらず、彼らグリーン・レフトはそうしたものを目の敵にする。(Organic Consumers Association)とか(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)とかは ナンセンシカルな主張をWebサイトに掲載して非科学的宣伝に努めている。
This is best evident from the so-called Princeton Project on National Security, the three-year bipartisan initiative of leading American thinkers from the government, academe and business that hogged the foreign-policy debate in the United States during the recent months.
The remarkably bipartisan initiative, co-chaired by ex-secretary of state George Shultz and former national security adviser Anthony Lake, was motivated by the realization that a strengthening of the intellectual underpinnings of US global strategy was called for. It aims at creating a "concert of democracies" that can help create a benign international environment for US global strategies. Its main finding is that the US doesn't have to rush into military means while facing the present dangers or long-term challenges or for seizing countless opportunities.
・・・the Princeton Project notes, "In the end, Kennan was proved right; contained from without, the Soviet Union ultimately crumbled from within."
このプリンストン・プロジェクトのいう6つの基本原則というのがあって: 1)"multidimensional" 2)it must be "integrated" 3)it must be "interest-based rather than "threat-based" 4)"hope rather than fear" 5)"pursued inside-out", which implies that the US should strengthen the "domestic capacity, integrity and accountability of other governments as a foundation of international order and capacity". 6)the strategy must be adapted to the information age
では、プリンストン・プロジェクトのアジア外交の基本スタンスはどうかといえば: In its application to Asia, the Princeton Project visualizes building a "trans-Pacific, rather than pan-Asian, regional order" in which the US "plays a full part", and in which " the US-Japan alliance remains the bedrock of American strategy in East Asia", and in which the US should also continue to strengthen ties with India ("Asia's other emerging power") on the basis of policies that calculate that "sustained economic growth in Asian countries other than China is the key to managing China's rise".
筆者が、その傾向から予言することは: Thus we may see the impending departure in the very near future of a US-led caravan of Asian-Pacific nations (Japan, Australia and India) heading to engage the ancient Middle Kingdom in ways that "help it become a responsible stakeholder" in the regional and global systems.
ただし、記しておくべきことは筆者が元インド外交官であるので、その見解がプロ・インド であるのは当然のデフォであること。 M K Bhadrakumar served as a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service for more than 29 years, with postings including ambassador to Uzbekistan (1995-98) and to Turkey (1998-2001).
男はロンドンのヒースロー空港到着時に監視カメラに撮影されており、30歳代前半で、長 身、短い黒髪で、中央アジア系の風貌だったという。リトビネンコ氏の友人は「クレムリン が送り込んだ殺し屋だ」と語っている。 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 ttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2556377.html January 20, 2007 Poison plot Police match image of Litvinenko's real assassin with his death-bed description Daniel McGrory and Tony Halpin
He reportedly travelled on the same flight as Dimitri Kovtun, a Russian businessman who is being investigated for trafficking the radioactive material used in the poison plot. Oleg Gordievsky, a former KGB agent and friend of Litvinenko, who has worked closely with police on the investigation, said: “This man is believed to have used a Lithuanian or Slovak passport. He did not check into any hotel in London using the name or that passport, and he left the country using another EU passport.”
According to police sources, until now it has not been revealed that Litvinenko visited a fourth-floor room at the Millennium Hotel to discuss a business deal. He had gone to the room with Mr Kovtun and another former Russian agent, Andrei Lugovoy. The three men were joined in the room later by the mystery figure who was introduced as “Vladislav”.
January 19, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- More than half of the 290 lawmakers in Iran's parliament have backed a letter assailing President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's budget preparations. In it, they attack his government for failing to present a budget on time and warn that it must be realistic in its basic assumptions. イラン国会の290人の議員の半分以上が、アハマディネジャド大統領の予算案を批判する 書簡を支持し、そのなかで予算のより現実的な設定を求めた。
The letter comes amid growing criticism of Ahmadinejad's economic and international policies, including an indirect rebuke from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. これは高まりつつある大統領へのイラン国内の批判を示すもので、大統領の経済政策や 外交政策に不満が高まっている。そのなかには最高指導者であるカメネイ師の間接的な 批判が含まれる。
Jamestown.org reported an increasing number of critical reports about Iran's secret contacts with insurgent groups in Afghanistan, specifically those groups fighting against the U.S. presence in the country. シンクタンクのジェームタウン財団はアフガニスタン武装派とイランの秘密組織の関連に ついて報告している。反米闘争を行なうグループとイラン秘密組織の連絡がある。
AJC.com reported that in Iran prices for vegetables have tripled in the past month, housing prices have doubled since summer ?- and as costs have gone up, so has Iranians' discontent with hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his focus on confrontation with the West. 先月に、イラン国内の野菜の値段が三倍に高騰、住宅価格は昨年夏以来、二倍に高騰して 一般的なインフレが進行中。この経済状況はアハマディネジャド大統領の政策への国内の 不満を高めている。
The Financial Times reported that a new political coalition is emerging in Iran in response to growing US pressure, especially over Tehran’s nuclear program, and in concern over the radical approach of President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad in both foreign and domestic policy. FTの報告によればイラン国内で新たな政治連合が生まれつつあり、これハアメリカの圧力 に関係している。特に核開発問題が焦点で、アハマディネジャド大統領の過激な政策を問題 視している。 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 最後に参照されているFTの記事のオリジナルは↓
“New informal regroupings are being formed based on concern?.?.?.? over the fate of the country and the regime,” said Behzad Nabavi, a leading reformist. “A common sense of danger [is overcoming] differences over democracy and cultural issues.”
The emboldened approach appears designed to create a consensus that leads Ayatollah Khamenei to rein in ? or even remove ? the president. “The leader is still quiet about election results, probably trying to analyse them, but he doesn’t seem happy with Mr Ahmadi-Nejad any more,” said one insider. “Mr Ahmadi-Nejad consults the leader less than any previous president but, if one day he ignores the leader’s orders, he’ll be finished within a week through impeachment by parliament.”
Inflation has hit Iranians hard, along with unemployment, which the government puts at 10 percent but which economists say could be 30 percent. The government says inflation is 11 percent, but experts estimate it at 30 percent.
The glowing object was spotted Wednesday, two days after a similar object, described as having a yellow ray and a red center, was sighted at the same time of day, the Fars News Agency reported Friday. 金曜日にイランの通信社がUFOがイラン国内で目撃されたと報じている。これは2日前に 同じような目撃があり、水曜日には黄色の光線が、中心部に赤い色を帯びて目撃された。
Witnesses said the object was flying at a low altitude. The sightings follow a UFO crash Jan. 10 in Barrez Mounts, Iran. Deputy Gov.-Gen. Abulghassem Nasrollahi of Kerman province said police and other authorities were investigating the incident. He said the crash could not have been an airplane or helicopter because all aircraft flying through the area on that day had been accounted for. 目撃者に拠れば、低空を飛んだという。この目撃証言は1月10日にUFOがイランのBarrez Mountsに衝突したとするものに続くものである。ケルマン地方の副知事Abulghassem Nasrollahi によれば、地方政府は事故を調査中である。(謎の)衝突事故は、彼によれば航空機やヘリ コプターではありえない。何故なら同日の全ての航空機の飛行は調査済みで自己の記録は無 いためである。
Iranian officials said the object involved in the crash, which is the latest in many similar incidents in the region, may have been a spy plane or high-tech espionage device. イランの高官は(謎の)衝突事故はスパイ航空機か、ハイテクの偵察機材ではないかと疑つて いるという。 ーーーーーーーー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、1月10日のUFOの衝突事件というのは・・・
ttp://smccdi.motime.com/ (イラン学生通信) Huge explosion rocks Iran's south central region SMCCDI (Information Service) Jan 10, 2007 SMCCDI:イランの南中央部で大きな爆発が起こる
ttp://daneshjoo.org/publishers/smccdinews/article_4593.shtml A huge mysterious explosion rocked Iran's main south central region in the early morning of today. The mysterious explosion is believed to have happened in the mountains located at about 100 KM of the city of Kerman. So far no official explanation has been given despite the fact that the shake impact of the explosion was felt in a big part of the region.
Hillary Clinton takes first step for 2008 race Sat Jan 20, 2007 9:17 AM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Saturday she planned to form an exploratory committee for the 2008 presidential race, the first step toward becoming a candidate for her party's nomination.
The sizeable field of candidates underscores the belief that, for all of Clinton's experience and credentials, there are Democrats who question whether she can win a general election. Clinton generates great passions, both among supporters and opponents, and polls indicate that if she cannot change her public image through the course of the campaign, she could be a divisive nominee for the party.
【ローマ20日共同】ローマ法王庁は20日、「中国とさまざまなレベルでの関係正常化 を目指す」とする声明を発表した。法王ベネディクト16世は近く、中国のカトリック信 者に向けて書簡を送る。法王庁からはこれまでも関係改善のアプローチが試みられてきた が、公式な声明で明言したことにより、事態が大きく進展する可能性も出てきた。 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ー ttp://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4485170.html Jan. 20, 2007, 8:52AM Pope seeks to improve ties with China By FRANCES D'EMILIO Associated Press Writer
Pope Benedict XVI has decided to write a letter to Catholics in China, and the Church will pursue diplomatic ties with Beijing as it tries to help its suffering faithful there, the Holy See said Saturday after two days of talks here about China.
Emerging from the discussions "was the willingness to pursue the path of respectful and constructive dialogue with the government authorities, to overcome the incomprehension of the past," the statement said.
The Vatican has long indicated that it wants to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing, even at the cost of moving its embassy from Taiwan, but will not compromise on the tradition dictating that only the pope ? and not a local church ? can appoint bishops.
Taiwan's bishop were among those participating in the talks. The statement also paid tribute to bishops, priests and rank-and-file clergy in China who "without yielding to compromise, have kept their loyalty to the Seat of St. Peter, at times even at the price of great suffering." The Seat of St. Peter refers to the pope and his authority.
爆弾テロ事件は、昨年12月31日と1月1日未明にバンコク市内などの計9カ所で爆弾 が爆発。3人が死亡、約40人が負傷した。 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 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/20/ap/world/mainD8MP1E700.shtml 15 Questioned in Bangkok Bombings Thai police detain 15 for questioning over string of New Year's bombings that killed 3 BANGKOK, Thailand, Jan. 20, 2007 By SUTIN WANNABOVORN Associated Press Writer
Among the locations searched was a community radio station in Lopburi, north of Bangkok, where authorities believe the bombs were assembled, police and a local television station said. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 警察や政府が詳細を発表していないので、逮捕されたグループについて、背後関係などが 良くわからない。(憶測しかない)しかし警察の捜索はかなり念入りなものに見えるので、 情報を把握しているのだろうと思える。
America’s sense of entitlement to rights it concedes to no ally, let alone competitor ? comes at a cost. But the risk is that this episode will instead translate into a new surge of defence spending that will delight the arms industry but do nothing to enhance international security.
>>146 >プリンストン・プロジェクトのアジア外交の基本スタンス ttp://www.wws.princeton.edu/ppns/ スローター教授が民主党政権の国務長官になりたがってることは、同業者にはよく知られてます。 アイケンベリー教授も、民主党に影響力がある国際政治学者としては有数でしょう。 内容ですが、日本については、どう見ても2ちゃんで戯画化されてる「反日民主党」そのままです。 本当にありがとうございました。 @日本の改憲について中韓に拒否権を与える A日米同盟の意義を、アメリカの世界的な利害よりも中韓を安心させることに置く B日独の地理(外洋・大陸)と近隣諸国(反日・反独煽動の有無)の相違を無視して、 日本外交を日中韓関係に押し込める The United States should continue to make the U.S.-Japan alliance the bedrock of American strategy in East Asia. This alliance plays a critical role in reassuring Japan's neighbors, including China and South Korea, about Japan's intentions. However, we should encourage Japan to move very cautiously in revising Article 9 of its postwar constitution and to do so only in tandem with a new multilateral framework through which it can consult and reassure South Korea and China. Such a framework could serve to embed a stronger Japan within a more cooperative Asia, similar to the way that German reunification occurred in the context of deeper European integration.
同プロジェクトがヒアリングした日本人有識者 猪口孝(東大) 小笠原敏晶(ニフコ会長)(ジャパンタイムズ会長) 行天豊雄(国際通貨研究所)(元財務官、元東京銀行会長) 今野秀洋(日本貿易保険)(元経産審議官) 白石重明(経産省)(経済産業研究所、元・通商政策局企画調査室長) 玉本偉(国際問題研究所) ttp://sakura4987.exblog.jp/3976580/ 藤原帰一(東大) 船越健裕(外務省)(総政局総務課外交政策調整官) 丸山純一(外務省欧州局審議官)(現・金融庁国際業務担当審議官) 宮川眞喜雄(国際問題研究所)(東大公共政策大学院、元外務省) 森田朗(東大公共政策大学院) (日本人ではないが、関連して) Steven C. Clemons, New America Foundation ttp://www.sankei.co.jp/kokusai/usa/061201/usa061201002.htm
共和党候補ではジュリアーニ前ニューヨーク市長が34%で首位、2位は27%のマケイン 上院議員。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーー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://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/ Posted at 03:34 PM ET, 01/20/2007 Post-ABC Poll: Clinton, Giuliani Lead Primary Fields
#16-19日で、全米で1000人の調査なので、もう少し他のものも含めてみてみないと結論をいう #には早いような。エラーのマージンは4-5%ある。 The Democratic numbers have a four percent margin of error; the Republican side has a 5 percent margin of error.
>>169 御指摘感謝です。 >トーマス・クリステンセン プリンストン大学教授 ご存知かもしれませんが、昨年3月から大学を休職して、国務省東亜太平洋局 次官補代理として中国・台湾・モンゴルを担当してるよ ttp://www.state.gov/p/eap/71525.htm ttp://www.princeton.edu/pr/pwb/06/0306/1b.shtml 彼は以前、中国を刺戟せずに日米同盟を維持強化するのがいかに難しいかを論じてた "China, the U.S.-Japan Alliance, and the Security Dilemma In East Asia," International Security 23(4) (spring 1999): 49-80. ところが去年は(学者の立場で)中国も日本を刺戟してると強調してる "Fostering Stability or Creating a Monster? The Rise of China and U.S. Policy toward East Asia," International Security 31(1) (summer 2006): 81-126
Take this report for example (please note what is stated and when in the section about "Polls"). Excerpt from Bloomberg News - A recent WNBC/Marist poll found that 33 percent of Democratic leaning voters support Clinton for president, compared with 14 percent for Edwards and 12 percent for Obama. The Nov. 27-Dec. 13 poll was taken before Edwards's official announcement.
You see? It has already started ... the manipulation ... a poll that was reproted December 21, 2006 out of Iowa had Hillary fourth behind third place (are you ready for this) Tom Vilsack - WHO? - Tom Vilsack!
This from KCCI - DES MOINES, Iowa - The poll asked Iowa Democrats which candidates they would vote for if the 2008 Democratic caucus were held today. The top three candidates were Sen. John Edwards at 22 percent, Democratic U.S. Sen. Barack Obama at 22 percent and Vilsack at 12 percent. U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York came in fourth at 10 percent.
Hillary Is 'In It.' Last Name to be Determined Later. To the surprise of no one, Hillary's running. (And the logo is "Hillary for President, not Hillary Clinton for President.") Video here.
Beijing - China announced a number of key economic reforms on Saturday after closing a high-level conference on improving the management of its increasingly complex financial sector.
The meeting is only the third of its kind since 1997, when former premier Zhu Rongji convened what was then an emergency meeting in response to the spiralling Asian financial crisis of that year. この種の会議は1997年以降三度だけ開催され、前の朱首相が会議を行なったのはアジア金融 危機への対応を検討した時期であった。
At the last conference in 2002, policymakers set in motion the reform of China's currency regime as well as the decision to overhaul China's debt-strapped state banks in preparation for the opening of the sector to foreign competition last year. 2002年の同じような会議では中国の国営銀行の再建計画と通貨問題を話し合っている。
"This meeting is very significant," She Dinghuai, finance professor of Beijing University, said earlier. "It's very likely that very important measures on China's financial reforms will come out after the meeting and they will become the reference point for changes in the following years." 北京大學のShe Dinghuai教授は、この会議は重要な意味があるという。「中国の金融システム 改革が、この会議のあとに続くことになるだろう」
Some of the major and most controversial challenges lie in the ongoing overhaul of China's securities markets, creating a more flexible currency regime and giving more teeth to monetary policy. 中国では証券市場の改革、通貨制度の改革、マネタリ政策の効果向上などの課題がある。
"It is, in short, the place for big decisions about institutions and it thus does a lot to define the following five years," said Stephen Green, a senior economist at Standard Chartered. ? AFP スタンダード・チャーターのエコノミストStephen Greenは、これは中国の金融機関への計画 の決定で、今後5年間の方向を決めるものだという。
ブッシュ政権の宇宙開発ポリシーと言うのは: Office of Science and Technology Policy, "U.S. National Space Policy," October 10, 2006, at www.ostp.gov/html/US%20National%20Space%20Policy.pdf (November 20, 2006).
このブッシュ政権のポリシーは、クリントン政権のポリシーに比べて対照的でである・ クリントン政権のそれは: The White House, "Fact Sheet: National Space Policy," September 19, 1996, at www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/national/nstc-8.htm (November 21, 2006).
* Establishing that providing for space security is a necessary part of the U.S. government’s con-stitutional responsibility to "provide for the common defence"; 宇宙における安全保証の確保が、国家安全保障の基本的な責任であるとの認識
* Accepting the fact that space is already weaponized; 宇宙は既に軍事利用化されていいる事実の認識
* Linking defense operations in space to those conducted on land, at sea, and in the air; 宇宙における国防オペレーションの陸海空のそれとのリンク
* Recognizing the need for a broad set of capabil-ities to counter actions in space that are hostile to U.S. interests; and アメリカの国益に挑戦的な勢力に対する広範なカウンター能力の必要性の認識
* Asserting rights of passage through and in space and developing the capabilities to defend those rights. 宇宙の利用の権利とその権利防衛の能力の開発
Congress should understand that this general mandate for countering enemy space operations envisions a number of specific capabili-ties. These capabilities include:
* Blocking enemy access to preferential orbital slots by maintaining U.S. satellites in these slots;
* Targeting and destroying enemy satellite ground stations with offensive strike systems;
* Targeting and destroying enemy space and missile launch facilities with offensive strike capabilities;
* Targeting and destroying enemy launchers and missiles in flight with anti-missile defenses;
* Jamming or otherwise interrupting satellite communications with electronic warfare sys-tems and blocking enemy access to the radio spectrum through the pursuit of international claims to access;
* Temporarily disabling enemy satellites by various means, including directed energy systems; and
* Destroying enemy satellites with space-based and ground-based anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons.
BANGKOK, Jan 21 (TNA) ? National police chief Pol. Gen. Kowit Wattana has been ordered to further investigate the New Year's Eve bomb blasts here and in nearby Nonthaburi province transparently before pressing charges against and apprehending the real culprits, said Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, chairman of the Council for National Security (CNS).
"I've given an order that police must not arrest scapegoats," Gen. Sonthi said, adding that the national police chief would be held responsible if the real culprits are not held. 誤った捜査が行なわれるなら警察長官の責任を問う、と述べている。
Lt. Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha, commander of the First Army, said his army officers also joined in the interrogation of the suspects to ensure that no scapegoats were apprehended. He admitted that some of the suspects were retired military officers. "The bombers aren't our men but are those anti-government groups who want to create more chaos," said Lt-Gen. Prayut, adding that the mastermind could be influential people or politicians who had lost benefits. 第一陸軍の指揮官Prayut Chan-ochaは、容疑者が退役した軍の士官であるとしている。「爆 破事件の犯人は、我々の軍のものではなくて、混乱を起こそうとしている反政府の勢力であ る」という。彼は、事件の黒幕は、政変で利権を失った政治家や実力者だろうという。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー タイの事件はまだ詳細が良くわからないので判断のしようがないような。
Unless the establishment makes greater efforts to bridge this yawning gap, Thaksin may well get another turn. Whichever side comes out on top in this grand struggle, Thailand as we know it is coming to an end.
(Thitinan Pongsudhirak is Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.)
Second, it means that America’s allies are less threatening to third powers. One effect of the U.S.-Japan security treaty is that Japan only spends 1% of its GDP on its military and eschews the acquisition of nuclear weapons. As a consequence, China sees America’s security guarantee to Japan as less threatening than the build up Japan would undertake if the United States were to withdraw its guarantee. The point is that the provision of American security guarantees encourages caution and good behavior, and stabilizes regions that have potential for instability.
Third, a unified Western bloc, with American military power at its heart, acts as a powerful deterrent against external aggression. Obviously, this was the great achievement of NATO during the Cold War but it continues today in Taiwan (against China), the Middle East, and potentially the states of the former Soviet Union (against a resurgence in Russian imperialist designs).
If we assume that China remains on its current economic and military growth path over the next two decades, surpassing Japan in absolute GDP and developing power projection capabilities that could challenge U.S. military predominance in Asia, what will Chinese goals be, and to what extent will Chinese ambitions be compatible with U.S. interests? It is certainly easy to imagine scenarios in which U.S.-Chinese conflict occurs, such as an unprovoked Chinese effort to conquer Taiwan, or military aggression against other neighbors like Korea or Japan. But is it possible to imagine the United States accommodating a rising China, much as Britain accommodated a rising United States at the beginning of the 20th century? The latter, after all, is the most notable recent example of a major power shift not producing great power conflict.
So, keeping in mind all of the options, what should America’s response to China’s rise be. It is best to start with a clear articulation of the U.S. aim. We suggest that it is to integrate China into the Western order in such a way that allows it to realize its legitimate goals and aspirations. By definition this means that China would not be a threat to regional peace.
Yes! He's young, gifted and black, and white, and Hawaiian, and Kansan, and charismatic, and Congregationalist, and Muslim. He rejects the way "politics has become so bitter and partisan,'' he represents "a different kind of politics." He smokes, which is different. He was raised in an Indonesian madrassah by radical imams, which is more than John Edwards can say. And he looks totally cool when he smokes! I haven't smoked since I was 14 but I'm thinking of taking it up again just because the sophisticated refreshing nicotine taste helps take the partisan bitterness out of the atmosphere. Barack Obama is Lauren Bacall to America's Humphrey Bogart. Lauren Barack coolly blows smoke, leans against the wall and purrs:
"You don't have to say anything and you don't have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow."
The madrassah stuff was supposedly leaked to Insight Magazine by some oppo-research heavies on Hillary Rodham Clinton's team. Which if true suggests that Hillary's losing her touch.
Whether the rest of the planet will be content with a non-speaking part remains to be seen. But increasing numbers of the American people reject the post-9/11 paradigm, and there will be a lot of votes for the quiet-life option in 2008. A doctrinaire liberal disciplined enough to pass himself off as a blank slate with sappy soft-focus multiculti bona fides would seem to offer the most symbolically appealing repudiation of the war years. And all we have to do is whistle: We don't have to say anything and we don't have to do anything, which suits us just fine.
And if Hillary thinks everyone's going to pursue stories about some long-ago madrassah, she has a sweetly touching faith in the American media.
・・・ Here, however, Mrs. Clinton proceeds at substantial risk. Yes, her political options are constrained by the reality of running in a party as substantially unhinged by the reality of George W. Bush personally as it is by the War on Terror itself. (Though it's pretty unhinged by the war, too.) And we're not suggesting that the war shouldn't be an electoral issue.
Far from it.
But making good on a promise to do "everything in my power" to constrain the president sounds a lot like a threat (if not a promise) to put personal political considerations ahead of America's national-security needs - something the Democrats have been doing, and paying a heavy price for, ever since the calamitous candidacy of George McGovern 35 years ago.
After all, if the unexpected ascendancy of Barack Obama sparks a seemingly panicked declaration of candidacy, what's going to happen when the going gets really tough?
``The next president must be able to get us out of Iraq, restore America's international standing and make us energy independent,'' Richardson said today on ABC's ``This Week'' program. ``I will outwork anybody.''
A Washington Post-ABC News poll taken Friday night showed Clinton with the support of 41 percent of Democrats and Obama with 17 percent. But with the first nominating contests still a year away, those numbers remain fluid. Political analysts note that the third candidate in the Post-ABC poll (with 11 percent), former Sen. John Edwards (D) of North Carolina, is well organized in the early states, and could upset the race with a strong finish in the first contest, the Iowa caucuses.
CSMは中道派のヒラリーへの支持は、民主党内で一致していないと指摘していて:
Last June, at a convention of liberal activists, Clinton was booed. In contrast, Obama was cheered by the same crowd, even though he has also hewed to the center on Iraq. Clinton's apparent status as a lightning rod of criticism may speak to her long tenure on the national stage and careful positioning on a range of issues that makes some progressives skeptical (though not unwilling to vote for her in the general election, many say, if she wins the nomination).
さらに、ビル・クリントンの与えた影響で、クリントン疲れともいうべき現象も:
"Clinton fatigue?" One of the many hurdles Clinton must face on the road to the White House has been dubbed "Clinton fatigue." Wrapped into that is her husband's turbulent eight years as president, including his marital infidelity and various investigations.(ry
CSMは女性候補が何処まで支持を集められるかについては疑問が残るという:
One dimension of the Clinton campaign that carries both risks and positives is her gender. A female nominee may make the already difficult South even harder to contest, with the exception of battleground state Florida. How the Mountain West, where the Democrats have made gains in recent elections, and the Midwest react to a woman nominee is an open question. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 民主党大統領候補の指名選挙(予備戦)までに、まだ1年間があるので、その間にイラクや イラン、北朝鮮や、中国(貿易赤字)問題、米国経済状況、社会状況など、おおくのものが 変化し得るわけで、メディアの支持がどう動くのかも予想し難い。現時点で各紙の分析など を見ると、ヒラリーはオバマより強力と見るプロの政治アナリストが多いようだけれど、そ れはヒラリー万能・無敵を意味しない。その意味でCSMのヒラリーの限界を分析するやり 方は慎重でよいものと思える。
“a rusty instrument” that “has no effect.”“The resolution was born dead,” he said. “Even if they issue 10 more such resolutions it will not affect Iran’s economy and politics.”
"The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation." -- Vladimir Lenin 「ブルジョアを破滅させる方法は、彼らを税金とインフレの臼で挽けば良いのだ」 ウラジミール・レーニン
Driven by soaring interest in sectors such as medical technology and alternative energy, venture-capital investment in U.S. companies surged to a five-year high of $25.7 billion in 2006, according to industry data to be released today. 最近の医療関連、代替エネルギー関連な度への投資の増加を反映してベンチャーキャピタルの 投資額が5年来の高い水準にある。
Venture investors hope to find the next YouTube Inc., a company that raised money from Sequoia Capital and others before being acquired by Google Inc. for $1.6 billion in November. ベンチャーキャピタルは次のぐぐるやようつべを見つけたい。
Amid the enthusiasm, some caution that too much money may be flowing into closely held companies, and that many venture capitalists will post losses as a result. "I'd characterize 2006 as a pretty intense year of new investment," says Matt Newton, a partner of Columbia Capital, a technology-focused venture-capital firm in Alexandria, Va. But, "there was probably a substantial amount of capital that was invested in the wrong opportunities." そうした投資熱を批判して、必要以上に甘い投資がなされ、幾つかのベンチャーキャピタル は赤字を出している。2006年は投資が過熱化したので、恐らく無駄な分野への多くの投資が なされた、とコロンビア・キャピタルのMatt Newtonが述べている。
The $25.7 billion venture capitalists invested last year was up 8% from 2005, according to Ernst & Young LLC and VentureOne, a market tracker owned by Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal. 2006年のベンチャーキャピタル投資は$25.7Bで、2005年に比べて8%うpしている。(後略)
Republicans didn't have that problem. They figured out specific issues that connected to their deeply held values, defined themselves clearly by those issues and then stood by them unequivocally. In 2004, they did it with eight words: War in Iraq. Cut taxes. No gay marriage. Those eight words sum up the reasons for George W. Bush's re-election. "What are our eight words?" I thought.
The truth is, the eight words are far more elusive than you might imagine. Believe me, I've spent two years trying to find them. Slogans are easy. Empty promises, like "better health care," are easy. But they don't stand for anything; they're typical political b.s. To generate our words, we need concrete ideas that clearly and concisely communicate our values. It's not yet possible for Democrats to boil down our core ideology into eight words.
For example, Democrats should commit to increasing reading and math scores 50 percent by dramatically increasing federal involvement, and funding, in public schools. We should increase the number of college graduates by 50 percent. We should call for reducing illegal immigration by at least 50 percent and increasing legal immigration. We should cut our dependence on foreign oil by 50 percent, and reduce cancer mortality, abortions and childhood obesity each by 50 percent. We should increase our ability to fight terrorism by 50 percent. Sounds like a lot. It is. Together, we can do it?and more. Families, from Appleby to Bailey to Zutter, deserve no less.
If Washington's caustic, partisan atmosphere is to change, the era of Bushes and Clintons needs to end in 2008.
Three times in American history have close relatives of former presidents won the office. John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, lost the popular vote to Andrew Jackson in 1824 but won in the electoral college amid charges of a "corrupt bargain." Benjamin Harrison, grandson of William Henry Harrison, lost the popular vote to Grover Cleveland in 1888 and also suffered as a "minority president" and mere figurehead. George W. Bush lost the popular vote to Al Gore in 2000.
Recent polls suggest that a significant body of Americans, perhaps 40%, will not vote for Hillary Clinton under any circumstances ? so it is unlikely that she could enter the Oval Office with a strong electoral mandate. The ironic upshot is that such a Hillary Clinton presidency ? weakened by low approval and beset by partisan sniping ? would mirror George W. Bush's presidency.
It needs new faces and new ideas if it is to confront advancing crises of war, debt and entitlement reform. And it needs a president who can assume office in 2009 swimming in the political capital that only a mandate can bring. The nation needs a candidate who can win 55% or more.
And that will not happen with a Bush or Clinton on the ballot.
>>228 の筆者は:By James Burkee, JAMES BURKEE, an assistant professor of history at Concordia University Wisconsin, is co-founder of the bipartisan political action committee Americans for Responsibility in Washington.
EU sets tough line on Iran U.N. sanctions Mon Jan 22, 2007 7:16 PM IST147
EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to apply U.N. sanctions on Iran "in full and without delay" and if necessary go further than a U.N. list in targeting those linked to Tehran's nuclear work. The EU move is the latest step by the West to ratchet up pressure on Iran to halt uranium enrichment after U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice was quoted at the weekend as warning companies of the risks of doing business with Iran.
Tehran maintains that its nuclear ambitions are limited to generating electricity. The European Union and the United States suspect Tehran is secretly seeking to build nuclear bombs.
The U.S. Treasury has also named Iran's state-owned Bank Sepah as a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction and no U.S. company or citizen is permitted to do business with it. European diplomats say the United States is thinking about further steps, one of which may be an oil embargo against Iran, and the EU has yet to agree whether it would follow such a move. They say it will face harsher sanctions if it ignores the resolution unanimously passed on Dec. 23 at the behest of the United States, Britain, Russia, China and France. The resolution gave Iran 60 days to suspend nuclear fuel-enrichment activity.
Even if there is no open attack, a financial war on Iran has already begun. The idea is to cause a social revolution within the country. The Sunday edition of French newspaper Le Monde has written of a secret report prepared by the Foreign Affairs and Defense Commission of the Iranian Parliament analyzing the social, economic and political consequences of extended sanctions on Iran. [7]
The 100-page report argues that full sanctions will cause increased social and political unrest in Iran, jeopardizing internal stability. It says that if there is a full embargo, Iran will be able to make do for only a year. In face of this eventuality, the Iranian government has announced the rationing of gasoline.
The fear, however, is not unwarranted because, as Newsweek's Michael Hirsch puts it, US Treasury Under Secretary Stuart Levey is leading a "financial crusade" against Iran. [8] The main targets of pressure are Iranian banks. Recently, the Treasury sanctioned Bank Sepah, the fifth-biggest Iranian bank, by declaring it off-limits because of its "suspicious transactions" linked to the Iranian government. In addition to going after Iranian banks, the strategy involves pressuring banks in Europe, the source of 40% of Iranian imports, and Asia.
The political repercussions of the financial squeeze are already visible: it is unnerving politicians, with rising criticism of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad from different factions within the government as well as the opposition.
Iran can expect to suffer terribly in the next few years, because the prize of the game is the Persian Gulf. The power that controls the Gulf will control global energy supplies(ry
ttp://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3218,36-857591,0.html?xtor=RSS-3208 L'embargo qui fait peur a Teheran LE MONDE | 20.01.07 | 13h35 ? Mis a jour le 20.01.07 | 13h35 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー これを仏英機械翻訳にかけると: tp://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lemonde.fr%2Fweb%2Farticle%2F0%2C1-0%402-3218%2C36-857591%2C0.html%3Fxtor%3DRSS-3208&langpair=fr%7Cen&hl=en&safe=off&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools
The embargo which frightens Teheran
At the beginning of September 2006 (well before the issued sanctions on December 23 by the Security Council of the United Nations), the commission of the Foreign Affairs and the defense of Majlis, the Parliament of Teheran, concluded a report/ratio of more than 100 pages analyzing at the same time economic, social consequences and policies of international sanctions.
This text, whose Le Monde was informed near close relation-Eastern sources, was written after six months of discussions implying of many economists and specialists in the oil questions. It was transmitted to the highest authorities of the mode, whose Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but were the subject of a restricted diffusion. ・・・・ ・・・・ The report/ratio of the Iranian Parliament concludes that the combination of a gel of the foreign reserves, imposition of an embargo on the Iranian crude imports and of a prohibition of exports of petroleum products refined towards Iran would accelerate the economic and social consequences negative for Iran. This report/ratio of Majlis tends to show that the policy of sanctions could exert the pressures desired on Iran (in particular by weakening the mode), provided Teheran does not react with reprisals, in particular military, directed against the Western interests.
これについて国防総省報道官は、予備調査が引き続き行われており、同ヘリの墜落原因は まだ特定されていないと話した。 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 WASHINGTON ? The U.S. military helicopter that crashed outside Baghdad, killing all 12 on board, was shot down by a shoulder-fired missile, CNN reported Monday. ttp://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/iraq/20070122-0624-iraq-helicopter.html
既報の事項をまとめているもの Just how much time Ahmadinejad has left may be a matter for the bookies. Although when he's gone, major issues will continue to keep the U.S. and its allies and supporters at odds with Iran, the removal of his shrill of level of rhetorice will improve the chances for a reduction in tension.
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Adjusts Clock From 7 to 5 Minutes Before Midnight; “ Deteriorating” Global Situation Cited on Nuclear Weapons and New Factor: Climate Change.
"The prospect of civilian nuclear power development in countries around the world raises further concerns about the availability of nuclear materials. Growth in nuclear power is anticipated to be especially high in Asia, where Japan is planning to bring on line five new plants by 2010, and China intends to build 30 nuclear reactors by 2020."
BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea hinted at flexibility in its position on six-party talks on Tuesday, raising hopes that a new round of negotiations aimed at dismantling its nuclear weapons program could make headway. 北朝鮮は火曜日に、6者会合の核廃棄の協議にむけて、ポジションの柔軟性を示唆する発言を 行なった
The North's chief negotiator, Kim Kye-gwan, made the comments in Beijing where he met his Chinese counterpart, Wu Dawei, and South Korean envoy Chun Yung-woo in a flurry of diplomacy surrounding the nuclear talks. 北朝鮮代表のKim Kye-gwanは中国代表、韓国代表と会合した後、北京で記者に話した。
"Everything can change," Kim told reporters after meeting Chun, when asked if there has been any change in the North's position. He did not elaborate. 「全ては変化し得る」と話したが、これは北朝鮮の立場に、何か変化があったか、との問に 答えたもの。
"We and the North agreed on resuming (the talks) in a few days, but the positions of the other countries involved need to be checked so there is no confirmation yet," South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted Chun as saying. "China will announce the schedule in a few days. 韓国の聯合通信は韓国交渉代表のChun Yung-wooの発言をつたえ「南北朝鮮は数日以内に会合 の再開されることで合意したが他国の立場を確認した後で日取りを確定する。中国がスケジュ ールを数日以内の発表するだろう」
何処を調査しているかといえば・・ I looked at a couple of indicators of online sentiment: the number of friends each campaign has tallied on MySpace; the number of wall posts they've garnered on their Facebook pages; the number of incoming blog links on Technorati; and the number of photos with the candidate's name mentioned in the description on Flickr. There are some additional measures to look at, which we'll get to later, but these four are pretty clean to compile so we'll start there. (The following numbers are from Sunday January 21, 2007.)
筆者のMySapce分析から、人気度をランキングすれば: Despite having a far less developed website and online team than the other top tier candidates, Barack Obama is leading the Democratic pack in terms of bottom-up enthusiasm online. He is beating Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and the rest of the Democratic pack across three of these four measures. バラク・オバマの人気はヒラリーやエドワーズを凌駕している。
具体的な数値で言うと; As of Sunday, Obama had the most friends on MySpace (22,538), the largest number of wall posts, where Facebook members add comments on his official page in support of his candidacy (2,637), and the largest number of incoming blog links according to Technorati (2,988). Only on Flickr was he outpaced, by John Edwards (who had 1,590 photos with his name in the descriptive text, compared to 882 for Clinton and 798 for Obama).
That said, Hillary Clinton is also doing very well online. Her MySpace page boasts 16,930 friends; on Facebook she has 2.240 wall posts; and her site has 2,222 incoming blog links. Edwards isn't that far behind, with 8,991 friends on MySpace (plus another 1,369 attached to his wife Elizabeth Edwards' page, which is not an insignificant factor), 649 wall posts on Facebook and 1,318 incoming blog links.
the White House said. Bush's plan would cut gasoline consumption by 20% in 10 years in part by boosting production of renewable fuels. Bush will also ask Congress for the authority to set the corporate fuel economy standard for cars and trucks, aides said.
ハドレィ安全保障補佐官の言葉は; In an interview late Friday, Stephen J. Hadley, President Bush’s national security adviser, raised the possibility that China’s leaders might not have fully known what their military was doing.
“The question on something like this is, at what level in the Chinese government are people witting, and have they approved?” Mr. Hadley asked. He suggested that the diplomatic protests were intended, in part, to force Mr. Hu to give some clue about China’s intentions.
“It will ensure that the issue will now get ventilated at the highest levels in China,” he said, “and it will be interesting to see how it comes out.”
The threat to United States interests is clear: the test demonstrated that China could destroy American spy satellites in low-earth orbit (the very satellites that picked up the destruction of the Chinese weather satellite). ・・・・ 国務省、軍縮担当次官であるロバート・ジョセフの批判: “This is a wake-up call,” said Robert Joseph, the under secretary of state for arms control and international security. “A small number of states are pursuing capabilities to exploit our vulnerabilities.” ・・・・ さらに、匿名のシニア外交官の批判: “What we heard, in essence, was, ‘We’ll get back to you,’ ” said a senior American diplomat. “It was unclear they even knew what was going on.”
Lebanon’s political crisis flared into violence yesterday as opposition supporters enforced a nationwide general strike in a renewed attempt to bring down the Western -backed Government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. 野党勢力の引き起こしたレバノンの全国ストが昨日、暴力化して、レバノンの政治危機が深ま っている。西欧が支持すシニオーラ政権を打倒しようとする野党勢力との対立が激化している。
At least three people were reported killed and more than 130 wounded as opponents of the Government blocked roads and rival factions fought each other with stones and sticks. Areas north of Beirut witnessed confrontations between rival Christian groups while Sunnis and Shia clashed in the capital. 少なくとも死者3人、負傷者130人が出ている。野党勢力のデモが警官隊に阻止され、投石が 繰り返された。スンニ派とシーア派が衝突し、キリスト教勢力との対立も起こっている。
Plumes of thick black smoke hung over Beirut and the main north and south highways. Roads were blocked with burning tyres and rubbish bins, and the airport was cut off from the city centre, forcing the cancellation of several flights. ベイルート市内で黒煙が立ち上り、市内のメイン・ハイウェイはタイヤを燃やし、ゴミを撒く などの行為があって通行が妨害された。そのため空港がベイルート市内から遮断され、幾つか のフライトがキャンセルされた。 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 ベイルートの混乱は、シリアとイランの後押しするヒズボラ勢力が、親西欧のシニオーラ政権 を倒そうとして起こしているもの。アメリカのイラクからの撤退などが万一起こる事になれば レバノン国内の混乱はさらに深まる事になりそうな・・・
Chinese citizens may be feeling in the dark, as well. In reporting the foreign ministry's latest comments, Chinese media only mentioned a space experiment ? not the anti-satellite missile test itself.
-- His recent proposal to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq, which has met with opposition from Democrats who now control Congress and some members of Bush's own Republican Party. Bush argued it was the best way to succeed and proposed establishing a special advisory council of bipartisan congressional leaders to consult on Iraq and terrorism. イラクへの兵力増強、イラク問題の勝利戦略
-- Increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps by 65,000 soldiers and 27,000 Marines over the next five years. 今後5年間で、陸軍6.5万人、と海兵隊員2.7万人の増員計画
-- Double the Strategic Petroleum Reserve's capacity to 1.5 billion barrels by 2027, and reduce U.S. gasoline consumption by 20 percent over 10 years through improved vehicle fuel standards and greater use of alternative fuels such as ethanol. He is not expected to announce mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions as called for by Democrats and Europeans. 戦略石油備蓄の倍増、ガソリン消費を10年で20%削減、自動車の燃費向上、代替燃料促進
-- Tax deduction of $15,000 for families and $7,500 for individuals who get private health insurance either on their own or from employers in an effort to reduce the number of Americans without health insurance, currently about 47 million. 健康保険の税額控除制度、個人健康保険の被保険者に、平均家庭で1.5万ドル、平均個人で 7500ドル
-- Renew call for immigration reform that would combine measures to secure borders against illegal crossings and provide a guest worker program for foreign workers willing to work in jobs that Americans have not taken. 移民政策の改定
・Immediately freeze U.S. contributions to the UNDP ・Suspend U.S. co-financing or voluntary funding of U.N. activities in North Korea
・Urge an independent Security Council-backed inquiry into U.N. activities in the DPRK, including UNICEF, World Food Program, and other U.N.-related operations.
・Demand that the UNDP suspend all funding to projects in North Korea until the independent investigation is complete
これに続いて、問題の勧告は:
Call upon South Korea to allow the independent commission of inquiry to review Seoul’s extensive unilateral provision of assistance to the DPRK. South Korea has provided approximately $5 billion in aid to Pyongyang during the past decade, including a secret $500 million payment to secure the 2000 inter-Korean summit. An independent inquiry could resolve lingering concerns over the extent and nature of South Korean largesse.
North Korea is helping Iran to prepare an underground nuclear test similar to the one Pyongyang carried out last year. Under the terms of a new understanding between the two countries, the North Koreans have agreed to share all the data and information they received from their successful test last October with Teheran's nuclear scientists.
A senior European defence official told The Daily Telegraph that North Korea had invited a team of Iranian nuclear scientists to study the results of last October's underground test to assist Teheran's preparations to conduct its own ? possibly by the end of this year.
As a result, senior western military officials are deeply concerned that the North Koreans' technical superiority will allow the Iranians to accelerate development of their own nuclear weapon.
"The Iranians are working closely with the North Koreans to study the results of last year's North Korean nuclear bomb test," said the European defence official.
"We have identified increased activity at all of Iran's nuclear facilities since the turn of the year," he said.
"All the indications are that the Iranians are working hard to prepare for their own underground nuclear test."
Intelligence estimates vary about how long it could take Teheran to produce a nuclear warhead. But defence officials monitoring the growing co-operation between North Korea and Iran believe the Iranians could be in a position to test fire a low-grade device ? less than half a kiloton ? within 12 months.
The precise location of the Iranian test site is unknown, but is likely to be located in a mountainous region where it is difficult for spy satellites to pick up any unusual activity. Teheran successfully concealed the existence of several key nuclear sites ? including the controversial Natanz uranium enrichment complex ? until their locations were disclosed by Iranian dissidents three years ago.
Western intelligence agencies have reported an increase in the number of North Korean and Iranian scientists travelling between the two countries.
The increased co-operation on nuclear issues began last November when a team of Iranian nuclear scientists met their North Korean counterparts to study the technical and political implications of Pyongyang's nuclear test.
The Iranians are reported to have been encouraged by the fact that no punitive action was taken against North Korea, despite the international outcry that greeted the underground firing.
This has persuaded the Iranian regime to press ahead with its own nuclear programme with the aim of testing a low-grade device, which would be difficult for international inspectors to detect.
<財政> ttp://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/wm1325.cfm January 23, 2007 State of the Union 2007: Fiscal Policy Challenges for Today and Tomorrow by Alison Acosta Fraser WebMemo #1325 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 本格的な評論や論文ではなくて、取り合えずの反応としてコメントしている、と言う 感じになっていて、いずれもプロ・ブッシュの保守的色彩の強いもの。
ttp://www.aei.org/research/contentID.20050518094358137/default.asp The 2007 State of the Union In advance of President George W. Bush’s 2007 State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, AEI scholars will consider domestic and international challenges likely to be highlighted in the speech, including Iraq and the wider War on Terror, the U.S. economic and tax policy, the environment, and health-care spending.
"The 2007 State of the Union " Conference, Tuesday, January 23, 2007, 9:30-11:00 a.m. Speakers include: Mark B. McClellan, Danielle Pletka, and Alan D. Viard
"Please Say This . . . " by David Gelernter Article in The Weekly Standard, January 22, 2007
ttp://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.25396/pub_detail.asp <イラク戦争> Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq--Phase I Report, by Frederick W. Kagan AEI study, January 5, 2007 Related event featuring Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman
ttp://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.25481/pub_detail.asp <地球温暖化、エネルギー> "A New Direction for Bush Administration Climate Policy," by Samuel Thernstrom and Lee Lane Environmental Policy Outlook, no. 1, January 2007 Related book by Lee Lane Related Environmental Policy Outlooks by Kenneth P. Green and Steven F. Hayward
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship has launched a second air strike against suspected al Qaeda operatives in southern Somalia, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified U.S. officials. WaPoはソマリアでAC130による、新たな空爆が行なわれたと匿名の米国高官の情報 を伝えた。この報道についてはまだ確認が取れていない。ペンタゴンはコメントを拒否して いる。ソマリア政府広報官は、そうした報告を知らないといている。ソマリアの戦闘への米 軍の参加は政治的に微妙な影響が予想され、国内で論争を呼びかねない。(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 WaPoの記事は↓ ttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012300210.html U.S. Stages 2nd Airstrike in Somalia; Ethiopians Leaving Capital By Karen DeYoung and Stephanie McCrummen Washington Post Foreign Service Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page A09 この記事を読んでも、具体的なことは良くわからないような。
The governor said there was a security breach but what I smell here is the stench of an inside job at the highest levels in Kerbala. Like I said earlier, this was not just a brazen attack by some militia or terrorists; behind this is a message and a threat from Iran and its surrogates to turn even the calm parts of Iraq into a dangerous war zone for America and the government in Baghdad.
・・growing signs that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s outspoken president, has lost the confidence of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
アヤトラの対西欧の、今後の政策について、CFRの推測は: This split has important ramifications for Iranian foreign policy. “It seems that the decline of Ahmadinejad is in fact the decline of the Supreme Leader’s current policies,” writes Mehdi Khalaji of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “This could well mean that Khamenei may become more flexible toward the West, especially the United States.” The rift also may affect who succeeds the Supreme Leader, whose position wields far more influence over Iranian foreign policy than that of the president. The ayatollah’s death was falsely reported in the West earlier this month but local reports indicate his health is failing.
Experts say the Supreme Leader may be torn because Iran’s position on the world stage has arguably gained strength under Ahmadinejad’s tutelage. The threats of a Saddam- led Iraq and a Taliban-led Afghanistan are gone. High oil prices and divisions within the UN Security Council have added to Tehran’s leverage on the nuclear issue. And Iran has beefed up its supplies of conventional arms and missile defense systems, thanks largely to Russia.
Yet trying to protect Chinese from the Jay-Zs and Johnny Depps of the world is a symptom of a bigger problem: the cost of keeping out news and content spreading throughout the rest of the world. The policy is simply incompatible with thriving in the information age.
China may be the world's factory floor, yet its future needs to be as much about ideas and innovation as cheap labor. It's an open question how China can compete in a global information economy while limiting the flow of information.
Jay-Z and Starbucks have more to do with China's outlook than they realize.
ttp://regimechangeiniran.com/2007/01/montazeri-criticizes-ahmadinej/#more International Herald Tribune reported that Iran's most senior dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his nuclear diplomacy, saying it has harmed Iran. An excerpt:
"Some countries don't have oil and gas. Yet, they run their country and stand on their own. We have so much oil and gas but make useless expenditures work for others and don't think of our own people's problems and the price of basic commodities go higher and higher every day," Montazeri said ...
IHT(1月22日から抜粋):イランの反政府グランド・アヤトラ、Hossein Ali Montazeriが 大統領を批判;Hossein Ali Montazeriはアハマディネジュアド大統領の核政策、経済運営 を批判して「世界には石油やガスを産出しない国があって、それらの国でさえ自立して国を 運営している。イランには多くの石油やガスがあるが、不必要な支出を行いほかの人たちの 為に働いて、国民の問題を解決できていない。日常生活の必需品が日増しに高騰している」
One official said the targets were from the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC), a militant group defeated by government troops with Ethiopian armour and air power in a two-week war started before Christmas. A second source said the target was an al Qaeda operative. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment. ペンタゴンの広報官はコメントを拒否しているが、ある高官はソマリアの武装派勢力SICCが目標 といいい、別の高官はアルカイダ工作員(一人)が目標としている。
Main Radical Islamic Movement in Indonesia Crushed in 1962; Obama Attended School There Beginning in 1967. Indonesia's indigenous radical Islamic movement, Darul Islam, was crushed in 1962 by Soeharto's army and because they "failed to gain support from mainstream Muslims." The vast majority of Indonesian Muslims remain tolerant and inclusive, as they have been traditionally described." Barack Obama attended school in Indonesia beginning in 1967. [US-INDO Conference, 2/7/02 ; "Dreams from My Father," 1995]
Militant Madrassas Linked to Taliban Did Not Emerge Until Late 1970s, Early 1980s. Madrasah is the term used to describe an Islamic religious school. However, the type of madrasahs linked to the Taliban did not emerge until the Afghan war against the Soviets. During that war (1979-1989), a new kind of madrasah emerged in the Pakistan -Afghanistan region -- not so much concerned about scholarship as making war on infidels, and financed by Saudi wealth. [PBS Frontline, 10/25/01 ]
For Westerners, the question on China is, when will it crash? For the Chinese, the question is, how do you save the Party apparatus in the face of enormous economic and social stress? It should be recalled that Japan did not just fall apart one day. It experienced an enormous growth surge, followed by a managed decline of growth in which the pain was distributed economically. For China, the problem is the failure to slow growth. This failure has told the leadership that they need to increase the power of the state, and of the Party over the state. In a hundred ways, that is happening.
At the same time, China is becoming more insecure about its geopolitical position. Issues ranging from trade disputes to Taiwan are being exacerbated by the insecurity that clearly is being felt by Beijing. The regime sees the United States as a threat to its security over the long term, and is taking steps to assert itself against the United States. China's lasers hit U.S. satellites last year as a demonstration of prowess, and a Chinese submarine penetrated the perimeter of a U.S. carrier battle group. China is not about to undertake military adventures in 2007, but it also is not prepared to be a passive onlooker in the Pacific. There will be more friction.
BEIJING -- China appears close to ending tax breaks long enjoyed by foreign companies, a sign the government believes such incentives are no longer necessary to boost investment and growth. Since the 1980s, China has offered reduced tax rates to woo foreign investors. (ry
According to a draft of the proposed "Enterprise Income Tax Law" that has been circulating among businesses in recent weeks, the tax rate for foreign and domestic companies will be set at 25%, and most existing tax holidays will be phased out over five years. Currently, the corporate-income tax rate is 33%, but local governments and development zones have often offered foreign companies rates as low as 15% to set up in their jurisdictions. 最近ビジネス界に回覧されている「企業所得税改正案」の原稿によれば、国内および外資の 企業所得税は一律25%を適用する。現行の殆どの税控除制度を今後5年間で廃止する。現在の 企業所得税は33%であるが、外資企業が経済特区などにある場合、15%までの低い税率が適用 されている。
"Where I think the law has got its greatest impact is on the brand new investor," said Brendan Kelly, a tax partner in the Shanghai office of Baker & McKenzie LLP. Most foreign companies now operating in China are aware that they will have to deal with higher taxes in the future, he said. But "someone new to the marketplace may have been expecting a lot of tax holidays, and they may find it surprising how heavily this will impact them." 上海のBaker & McKenzie LLPに勤務する税理士のBrendan Kellyは「この税制改正は新規投資 に対して大きな影響を与えると思うが、すでに中国で営業している殆どの企業は税金が高くな ることを認識しているはずと思う」と述べた。「新しく参入して、多くの税控除を期待してい る人がいれば、この法律の改正でインパクトが大きいことに驚くかもしれない」(後略)
The Iranians saw an opportunity to use their militant and political assets in Iraq to delay a political resolution through a major escalation in Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence. As a result, the United States was buried deeper in Iraq, and Iran was able to strengthen its negotiating position substantially. The Iranian strategy involved activating Hezbollah, which manifested in the summer war between Hezbollah and Israel that left Israel politically and militarily paralyzed. Contrary to our prediction that the general trend for the Middle East would be toward political accommodation, the region witnessed a number of flare-ups that were largely attributed to the Iranian calculus in consolidating its gains in Iraq.(中略)
Baghdad remains the key. Without stability there, there can be no Iraqi state. But the proposed surge of 21,500 troops -- without a new, concerted diplomatic effort -- is unlikely to succeed in effecting a political resolution in Baghdad.
However, there is a key psychological element to this strategy. The United States will spend the coming months taking an aggressive stance against Iranian operations in Iraq, including additional raids on Iranian diplomatic offices and arrests of Iranian officials in the country who are suspected of orchestrating attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces. The U.S. military will be posturing to dispel the Iranian perception that the battleground will remain within Iraq's borders. The United States could also step up covert efforts to ramp up the militant activities of Iran's indigenous separatist groups, such as the Ahvazi Arabs in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan in western Iran. Coinciding with U.S. moves, Israel will accelerate its own psychological warfare campaign, using a variety of leaks and denials to heavily publicize Israeli military plans to strike Iranian nuclear sites. By upping the ante against Iran, the United States is placing a critical bet that the Iranians will reconsider their Iraq strategy and come to the negotiating table rather than risk a serious miscalculation. ttp://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=283013
Robert Joseph, who has a reputation as a hard-liner with deep skepticism about the potential for any serious deal with Pyongyang, plans to leave the government in February after completing work-related assignments in Ankara and Moscow.
Asked if a potential North Korea deal had anything to do with the decision, the senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: "I don't know. He just told me he just decided it's time to go."
However, Joseph's departure comes amid a flurry of diplomacy that U.S. and Asian officials increasingly believe is likely to produce the kind of nuclear freeze deal with North Korea that Joseph and other hardliners have long opposed.
Details about recent U.S.-North Korean negotiating sessions have been closely held within the U.S. government -- even from officials who might normally know about such matters.
But officials said they expect an agreement to include a U.S. compromise on releasing at least some of the $24 million in North Korean accounts frozen by Macao authorities in a Macao bank because of U.S. accusations about Pyongyang's counterfeiting and money laundering activities. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー この記事では明確な証拠や証言はないけれど、状況的にロバート次官の辞任が北朝鮮との 交渉進展に関係しているのではないか、といった憶測的な書き方をしているところがあって 如何なものかと思ふ。この記事の中には政府高官のロバート氏の勤務が6年になるので彼が 別の機会を求めているのだろう、と言うコメントも。しかし記事全体のトーンは北朝鮮への 融和策にロバート氏が反発して辞任とのスペキュレーションを振りまいている。それが正しい 可能性はあるにせよ、もうすこし事実や証言の裏づけがないと・・・
Q:北朝鮮のKim Gye Gwanは、ベルリンの会議が大変上手くいったと述べている、これについ て、その内容は? A:それはない・・ Q:次回の6者会合の前提条件・・ A:北朝鮮はアメリカに加えて6者会合のほかのメンバーの国とも協議している。北朝鮮の態度 に観測できるものは、それは非公式なものだが、全快の6者会合で我々の提示したアイデア に対する彼らの反応の可能性であろうと思う。 今の時点で、私が思うに、北朝鮮代表は我々がテーブルに挙げている提案に対する、フルセ ットの反応の指示を、本国から得ていないだろう。 (At that point, the -- I don't think the North Korean delegation had their full set of instructions in terms of how to respond to some of the ideas that were on the table.) 彼らは、先の6者会合で我々の提示した事について熟慮する時間があったのだろう。 いずれにせよ、本当のテストは、(来るべき)交渉でどう言う事になるのかということだ。 (But again, the real test is what happens in a set of negotiations.)
Japan should stop history suppression, says Roh Thu Jan 25, 2007 1:16am ET136
Japan should stop suppressing its militarist past and its leaders avoid visiting a Tokyo shrine critics say glorifies Japanese wartime aggression, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said on Thursday.
"Why is Japan trying to ignore the issue of the past?" Roh said at a news conference. "It should not be doing so."
"I don't want to consider whether or not to visit Japan and its timing with any kind of precondition in mind," Roh said. He did not say whether he was planning such a visit soon. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 中国は最近余りそういう事を言ってはいないけどノムヒョンは相変わらず。中国とは首脳 の相互訪問が再開されそうだけれど、韓国は・・
Minimizing space debris is just like protecting intellectual property and setting a market value for the renminbi. It's an obligation China must meet if it expects to take part in the free market. We'll never demilitarize space. But we can make it a safer place to work, and in the process move America's China policy along, too.
A Russian man arrested in Georgia last January in Tbilisi was carrying about 100 grams of uranium enriched by more than 90% which was smuggled from Russia’s North Ossetian republic via breakaway South Ossetia, Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili said in separate interviews to the New York Times and the Associated Press on January 24.
Merabishvili, who was visiting the U.S. this week, said that Russia refused any assistance despite Tbilisi’s request to cooperate in uranium smuggling case. "We were ready to provide all the information, but unfortunately no one arrived from Russia, not even to interview this person… It is surprising because it is in Russian interests to secure these materials. There are terrorist organizations in Russia who would pay huge amounts of money for this," the AP quoted Merabishvili.
The material seized by the Georgian law enforcers was tested by the U.S. Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration. "The material was analyzed by agency nuclear experts and confirmed to be highly enriched uranium," Bryan Wilkes, a spokesman for the agency, told the AP.
The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna will reportedly make the first official announcement with details about the case on January 26. The New York Times reported that the material was seized after a Georgian undercover agent in South Ossetia posing as a rich foreign buyer made contact with the Russian seller in North Ossetia.
Smuggler was identified as Oleg Khinsagov, who according to this report, was arrested in Tbilisi and subsequently sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.
John Tefft, the U.S. Ambassador to Tbilisi, told the New York Times that this uranium seizure, “highlights how smuggling and loose border control, associated with Georgia’s separatist conflicts,” pose a threat “not just to Georgia but to all the international community.” ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 共同通信が記事に書いていないことは、この事件でグルジア側が犯行について、ロシアに要請 しているにもかかわらず調査に協力していないという点で、気になる話。グルジアとロシアは 関係が悪化しているにせよ、ロシア国内からウランを持ち出したのだから、このロシアの調査 非協力は理解しがたい。