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Governing Palestine |
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The international community faces a delicate task. It is right to set conditions for political dialogue and material assistance in order to compel the Hamas government to make clear choices and then take full responsibility for them. But the Palestinian political system, economy, and governing structures have become too fragile to withstand the impact of a coercive strategy aimed at bringing down the Hamas government and restoring Fateh rule.
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The Quadrennial Defense Review |
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As presented to the public, the massive effort that the Pentagon undertook with the Quadrennial Defense Review seems to have resulted in a reasonable and thoughtful list of a wide range of military capabilities that policymakers believe the US should invest in. But little guidance has been offered about the many budgetary tradeoffs and potentially difficult policy choices needed to invest limited defence resources wisely and for the long term.
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The future of Britain's nuclear deterrent |
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The British government has indicated that initial decisions about the long-term future of the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent capability are likely to be required within the life-time of the present Parliament, which could extend to 2010. It has not explained what aspects of the capability – warheads, missiles or submarines – may be the prime drivers of the decision timetable, nor what it regards as the prime considerations bearing on whether or how to renew the capability. A strategic case for continuance has to relate primarily to the very difficulty of prediction in a potentially dangerous word. For many observers, a crucial question will be how much a preferred renewal option would cost.
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Muslims in Europe |
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There are two important dimensions of the dilemma facing European governments attempting to integrate large Muslim minorities. The first is that non-Muslim resentment of Muslims living in Western Europe is increasing. Muslims have been largely disdained by Western European societies, but anger has not been a factor in the overall complexion of attitudes towards Muslims. Growing Muslim assertiveness, however, is clearly transforming non-Muslim opinion. The second is the still tight linkage between Muslims residing in Europe and politics in the Arab world.
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A Latin American shift to the political left |
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Latin America’s apparent tilt towards the political left has caught the attention of US policy-makers. The clear sense that things in the Western hemisphere are not developing in directions of which the US approves has led the Bush administration to quietly but substantially modify its policies toward the region – primarily at the rhetorical level – in order to shore up alliances and conserve influence.
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