Putin Says Russia Faces Investment Hurdles In Europe - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2010

Putin Says Russia Faces Investment Hurdles In Europe - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2010

Putin Says Russia Faces Investment Hurdles In Europe

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (left) will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel later today.

November 26, 2010

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said Europe is putting up barriers to Russian firms as he pressed for closer economic ties.

Speaking at an economic forum in the German capital, Berlin, Putin said many Russian firms were keen to invest in Europe but often faced "resistance."

"Russian capital is simply not allowed to enter European businesses, although it is in Europe's interest from the economic and even social points of view," Putin said.

"I could give you many examples of how Russian businesses that try to acquire shares in European concerns often face politically and economically motivated resistance."

Earlier, German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told the same meeting that Putin's suggestion for a joint Russian-EU economic zone was "an interesting proposal," but said that "a lot of study of it would be needed."

The gathering was attended by representatives of German corporate giants such as Volkswagen, Deutsche Bank, and Siemens.

Later today, Putin is due to hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel, during which the fate of E.ON Ruhrgas's $4.5 billion stake in Russia's gas giant Gazprom is expected to be discussed.

compiled from agency reports

Is Fox News Chief Roger Ailes Legitimately Insane? | AlterNet

Is Fox News Chief Roger Ailes Legitimately Insane? | AlterNet

Is Fox News Chief Roger Ailes Legitimately Insane?

Last week, we reported on Roger Ailes' awful rant against NPR, calling them “Nazis” for firing Juan Williams. He later apologized to Abraham Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League, for his hateful running-of-the mouth–but then said a better word choice would have been “nasty, inflexible bigot,” so that wasn't all that successful. For its part, NPR ran a considered, thoughtful piece on Fox News' anti-Semitic rhetoric, citing Glenn Beck's prolific spewing along with Ailes' comment. Even Major Garrett, former Fox News Chief White House correspondent, was taken aback by Ailes' comments, telling NPR, "I don't even know — I don't even know where that comes from. It's um. Wow."

So we all know about Beck, who constantly gets a pass from Fox for his statements. But what if Ailes is going beyond merely creating a culture of anti-Semitism and insanity on the Fox premises. What if, as Gawker suggested recently, Roger Ailes is, in fact, actually batshit crazy?

We fear that Roger Ailes' own paranoia has got the best of him. This is a man who's already acquired a permit for carrying a concealed handgun and who told the New York Times "I've got a bad leg, I'm a little overweight, so I can't run fast, but I will fight" in case of terrorist attack at his place of employment, and who is shadowed by private bodyguards at all times, and who bought the newspaper in the small town where he lives in order to buffer himself from criticism. He has become so insulated from the normal human experience of life that he has become untethered from reality. It's actually sad to see.

Like the DSM-IV analysis leveled by the excellent documentary The Corporation, Gawker proceeds to apply the qualifications of Paranoid Personality Disorder to Ailes, to a pretty accurate, alarming conclusion. So while he leveled accusations at Jon Stewart for being quote-unquote crazy (which Olbermann quickly skewered), perhaps Ailes should be worrying less about NPR and progressive media, and more about himself. Read more at Gawker.

By Julianne Escobedo Shepherd | Sourced from AlterNet

Posted at November 22, 2010, 6:31 am

Columnists: 'Tea party' trouble on foreign policy

Columnists: 'Tea party' trouble on foreign policy

Columnists: 'Tea party' trouble on foreign policy

By DANA H. ALLIN and STEVEN SIMON / McClatchy-Tribune JournalStar.com | Posted: Sunday, November 21, 2010 11:50 pm

The "tea party'' agenda in the midterm election focused largely on domestic issues. But the Republican gains in Congress that the movement fueled will have profound foreign policy consequences.
Bipartisanship in foreign policy has all but disappeared, and the first victim is likely to be the Obama administration's New START treaty with Russia. This agreement, which is both modest in its cuts and extremely favorable to U.S. concerns, has been the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's attempts to reset U.S.-Russian relations.

FACT CHECK - Half-Truths in Nuke Arms Treaty Debate - NYTimes.com

FACT CHECK - Half-Truths in Nuke Arms Treaty Debate - NYTimes.com

FACT CHECK: Half-Truths in Nuke Arms Treaty Debate

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: November 19, 2010

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WASHINGTON (AP) — In their showdown over an arms-control treaty with Russia, Democrats and Republicans are charging each other with undermining national security.

Who's right?

The Obama administration is pushing for a vote this year on the treaty, known as New START; Republicans want a delay until a new Congress convenes in January.

A closer look at the claims in the debate:

EDITOR'S NOTE — An occasional look at assertions by government officials and how well they adhere to the facts.

THE CLAIM: Opponents say it will limit U.S. options for future missile defense. "New START could hamper our ability to improve our missile-defense system — leaving us unable to destroy more than a handful of missiles at a time and vulnerable to attacks from around the globe," Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., wrote in the National Review in July.

5 Reasons Why Russia Will Never Join NATO | Opinion | The Moscow Times

5 Reasons Why Russia Will Never Join NATO | Opinion | The Moscow Times

5 Reasons Why Russia Will Never Join NATO

19 November 2010

By Michael Bohm

On Sept. 22 in New York, the NATO-Russia Council met for the first time after ties were severed in the aftermath of the Russia-Georgia war of 2008. On the eve of the meeting, Ivo Daalder, U.S. ambassador to NATO, dropped a hint about future NATO membership for Russia. While referring to Article 10 of the alliance’s charter, which says NATO membership is open to any European country, he stressed that this article certainly applies to Russia — as long as it meets the alliance’s requirements. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, head of a panel working on a new mission statement for NATO, and former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson have also supported the idea of working toward NATO membership for Russia.

Ariel Cohen: US Analyst-West should better monitor Russia | The Valdai Discussion Club

Ariel Cohen interview with EurActiv: US Analyst-West should better monitor Russia | The Valdai Discussion Club

27 April 2009

By Ariel Cohen

There is "little appetite" today in the Western world to monitor Russia's "influence operations" and "active measures" vis-à-vis the EU, Ariel Cohen, a senior researcher with the conservative US Heritage Foundation, told EurActiv in an interview.

We are seeing a lot of tension in Russia's near abroad – in Ukraine, in Georgia and in Moldova. Does this have anything to do with the EU's push to launch its the Eastern Partnership initiative on 8 May in Prague? Is Russia somehow trying to counter this initiative?

I am sure Moscow is not happy with the Eastern Partnership policy, because it views it as a Western encroachment into what some among the Russian post-Soviet elite believe is Moscow's "privileged sphere of interest". Yet, I think that along with examining Moscow's policies in Central and Eastern Europe and in the former Soviet Union, one needs to examine European policy, or lack thereof, on the Eastern partnerships.

Economic power shifting from U.S. to China, Soros says - The Globe and Mail

Economic power shifting from U.S. to China, Soros says - The Globe and Mail

Economic power shifting from U.S. to China, Soros says

TIM KILADZE

TORONTO— Globe and Mail Update

Last updated Monday, Nov. 15, 2010 10:12PM EST

Global governance is faltering and China's grip on the global economy is getting tighter, says philanthropist and former hedge fund manager George Soros.
Mr. Soros chose not to attack the U.S. for revving up its printing presses in its new round of quantitative easing, focusing instead on China's foreign exchange policies. Speaking at a gala hosted by the Canadian International Council in Toronto, Mr. Soros said China's devalued currency manipulates global trade and distorts the global economic recovery.

Time for the Human Approach / ISN

17 November 2010

Time for the Human Approach

Javier Solana, former NATO Secretary General

Dmitry Medvedev’s proposal for a new post-cold war security order offers a significant opportunity for the world. But both the West and Russia need to move on from conventional security logic, and think in terms of the human.

By Javier Solana and Mary Kaldor for openDemocracy

---

Recently, there has been much talk of a 'reset' in the West's relations with Russia. It was started by President Obama but has been taken up by President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel and, in the last week, by the Secretary General of NATO. But rather little has been elaborated about what this 'reset' might mean or how Western countries might respond to the proposal by president Dmitri Medvedev for a new European security architecture, first put forward in June 2008. Medvedev also published a draft European security treaty in November 2009. In a paper presented in Moscow today, we will be arguing that the EU should seize the opportunity offered by Medvedev's initiative and the new interest in revising and rethinking relations with Russia to propose a human security architecture for Europe.

U.S. Nukes in Europe Unnecessary - Council on Foreign Relations

U.S. Nukes in Europe Unnecessary - Council on Foreign Relations

U.S. Nukes in Europe Unnecessary

Author:	Micah Zenko, Fellow for Conflict Prevention

November 17, 2010

When NATO leaders gather in Lisbon this weekend to endorse the alliance's new Strategic Concept, the most contentious component will be the role assigned to U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.The Obama administration (incorrectly) claims that America's nuclear umbrella over NATO requires tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, and (justly) asserts that reductions in U.S. bombs in Europe must be matched by limitations of Russia's vastly larger tactical nuclear arsenal.
In squaring these positions, the United States should bring home its two hundred nuclear weapons from Europe.

Soros: China has better functioning government than U.S. | FP Passport

Soros: China has better functioning government than U.S. | FP Passport

Soros: China has better functioning government than U.S.

Posted By Joshua Keating Tuesday, November 16, 2010 - 11:35 AM 

If nothing else, Glenn Beck probably has his top story set for tonight's show:

"There is a really remarkable, rapid shift of power and influence from the United States to China," Mr. Soros said, likening the U.S.'s decline to that of the U.K. after the Second World War.

Publish Post

Because global economic power is shifting, Mr. Soros said China needs to change its focus. "China has risen very rapidly by looking out for its own interests," he said. "They have now got to accept responsibility for world order and the interests of other people as well."

Glenn Beck's Anti-Semitic Attack on George Soros - The Daily Beast

Glenn Beck's Anti-Semitic Attack on George Soros - The Daily Beast
The Fox host’s stunning two-day tirade against George Soros is a new low on American television. Michelle Goldberg on the roots of his hatred—and the Anti-Defamation League’s response.
Anti-Semitism, like all ideologies, tells a story about the world. It’s a story about almost occult Jewish power, about cabals that manipulate world events for their own gain. In classic anti-Semitic narratives, Jews control both the elites and the masses; they’re responsible for the communist revolution and the speculative excesses of capitalism. Their goal is to undermine society so that they can take over.

AFP: Go forth and blog, tweet and post, US Catholic bishops told

AFP: Go forth and blog, tweet and post, US Catholic bishops told

Go forth and blog, tweet and post, US Catholic bishops told

(AFP) – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON — Roman Catholic bishops in the United States should go forth and blog, tweet and preach on the "new digital continent" of social media, a church leader said Monday.
"The church does not have to change its teachings to reach young people, but we must deliver it to them in a new way," Bishop Ronald Herzog told the general assembly meeting of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in Baltimore.

Happiness index to gauge Britain's national mood | Politics | The Guardian

Happiness index to gauge Britain's national mood | Politics | The Guardian

Happiness index to gauge Britain's national mood

Despite 'nervousness', David Cameron wants measure of wellbeing to steer government policy
Datablog: see how our happiness rating compare

Joseph Stiglitz has called on world leaders to move away from a purely economic concept of gross domestic ­product. Photograph: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

• Allegra Stratton, political correspondent
• guardian.co.uk, Sunday 14 November 2010 20.06 GMT

The UK government is poised to start measuring people's psychological and environmental wellbeing, bidding to be among the first countries to officially monitor happiness.
Despite "nervousness" in Downing Street at the prospect of testing the national mood amid deep cuts and last week's riot in Westminster, the Office of National Statistics will shortly be asked to produce measures to implement David Cameron's long-stated ambition of gauging "general wellbeing".

Alexander Lebedev: Full address to Society of Editors conference - Press Gazette

Alexander Lebedev: Full address to Society of Editors conference - Press Gazette

Alexander Lebedev: Full address to Society of Editors conference

15 November 2010

By Alexander Lebedev

The owner of The Independent and the London Evening Standard last night delivered the opening address to the Society of Editors conference in Glasgow where he made an impassioned defence of liberal values and then later vowed to fight global corruption through establishing a foundation to fund investigative journalism.
Here is his address in full:
Good evening and thank you for inviting me to speak.
It is very good NOT to be surrounded by men with semi-automatic guns wearing balaclavas, but then thankfully this is Scotland, the land of Enlightenment.

Media mogul Lebedev warns of threats to freedom | The Spy Report

Media mogul Lebedev warns of threats to freedom | The Spy Report

Media mogul Lebedev warns of threats to freedom

Monday, 15 November 2010 | By Cyril Washbrook

Alexander Lebedev, the newspaper proprietor, said that he would continue to fight corruption and threats to press freedom (Source: Society of Editors)

The Russian newspaper proprietor Alexander Lebedev has called for an unflinching fight against global threats to journalism, during a speech in which he criticised his home country's record on corruption and press freedom.

Republicans: Tea Party extremists go down in flames but centre-right thrives - Americas, World - The Independent

Republicans: Tea Party extremists go down in flames but centre-right thrives - Americas, World - The Independent

Republicans: Tea Party extremists go down in flames but centre-right thrives

By Guy Adams in Las Vegas

Thursday, 4 November 2010

GETTY IMAGES

Sharron Angle in Reno, Nevada, last night

It was always going to be a dry old do, since the host is a teetotal Southern Baptist. But it was impossible to escape the feeling of deflation which swept through the ballroom of the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas late on Tuesday when Sharron Angle, darling of the Tea Party movement, saw her bid for the US Senate roundly rejected by the voters of Nevada.

Why on Earth Would Americans Vote the Old Bush-Cheney Agenda Back into Power? Europeans Are Perplexed | | AlterNet

Why on Earth Would Americans Vote the Old Bush-Cheney Agenda Back into Power? Europeans Are Perplexed | | AlterNet

Even conservatives in Europe are scratching their heads over their transatlantic allies who appear to hate the idea of cheaper, universal health care.

November 12, 2010 |

By Steven Hill

For several weeks before the recent U.S. election, there was much nervous speculation among Europeans as they watched the fluctuations of the poll numbers. Now that the results are in, Europeans are perplexed by this turn back toward the politics of the Bush-Cheney era.

Bachmann steps aside, avoids House Republican-Tea Party tussle | Analysis & Opinion |

Bachmann steps aside, avoids House Republican-Tea Party tussle | Analysis & Opinion |

Tea Party kingmaker DeMint sees 'war in Washington' | Reuters

Tea Party kingmaker DeMint sees 'war in Washington' | Reuters

FreedomWorks gathers GOP lawmakers to refocus on tea party goals

FreedomWorks gathers GOP lawmakers to refocus on tea party goals

EUobserver / EU President issues stark warning against nationalism

EUobserver / EU President issues stark warning against nationalism

EU President issues stark warning against nationalism

The president speaking in Berlin (Photo: European Council)

LEIGH PHILLIPS

10.11.2010 @ 09:29 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy has issued a stark warning against growing nationalism, populism and anti-democratic forces across the EU, suggesting that the threat to peace in Europe remains a key issue.
"We have together to fight the danger of a new euro-scepticism," he said in a speech in Berlin on Tuesday night (9 November).

Tea Party seeps into GOP policy | The Australian

Tea Party seeps into GOP policy | The Australian

Tea Party seeps into GOP policy

• Brad Norington, Washington correspondent
• From: The Australian
• November 08, 2010 12:00AM

TENSIONS are emerging within the Republican Party after victory in last week's US mid-term elections.

Candidates backed by the ultra-conservative Tea Party movement have begun to flex their newfound muscle.
Republicans are being urged to stick rigidly to a set of principles drawn up by a Tea Party support group, FreedomWorks. The principles, which include tough spending cuts and the repeal of President Barack Obama's health reforms, appear to allow no room for compromise by the Republican Party's incoming House of Representatives speaker, John Boehner.

Lots of Russia Items on U.S. Congress Agenda | Opinion | The Moscow Times

Lots of Russia Items on U.S. Congress Agenda | Opinion | The Moscow Times

Lots of Russia Items on U.S. Congress Agenda

08 November 2010

By Matthew Rojansky

When U.S. voters overwhelmingly cast their ballots Tuesday in favor of a divided government, they did so largely on the basis of domestic issues, such as the economy, taxes and health care reform. But their votes will also have a significant impact on international relations, particularly related to Russia, a country that is high on U.S. President Barack Obama’s foreign policy priority list.
In the new 112th Congress, Democrats will still control the Senate, but only by a slim margin, and Republicans will enjoy a comfortable majority in the House. This could mean delay or reversal for the Obama administration’s Russia agenda.