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BY: Michael Coleman | The Washington Diplomat
Perhaps no other country in the world exists at the nexus of as many different geopolitical interests as Turkey. Nabi Sensoy, the Turkish ambassador to the United States, said his nation would not have it any other way.
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BY: Michael Slackman | The New York Times
Iran’s leadership has once again equivocated after agreeing to a deal that would ease its nuclear standoff with the West. But this time, that may be as much a product of the nation’s smoldering political crisis as it is a negotiating tactic, political analysts and Iran experts said.
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BY: Karen De Young | The Washington Post
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to soothe Arab uneasiness Monday over weekend statements she made praising the Israeli government's offer to "restrain" growth in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying it "falls far short" of the Obama administration's hopes and is "not enough."
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BY: Phil Sands | The National
The trade in olive oil and ceramics between Riyadh and Damascus may not be the most critical issue in the Middle East, but it serves as a barometer for the changing political climate in the region.
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BY: Liz Sly | Los Angeles Times
Ground forces chief Lt. Gen. Jacoby says for now any delay in the law, or the vote set for Jan. 16, may not affect U.S. withdrawal plans, though the election is an important factor in the timetable.
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BY: Oliver August | The London Times
The British oil giant BP will today take control of Iraq’s biggest oilfield in the first important energy deal since the 2003 invasion. The move has created uproar among local politicians invoking resentful memories of their nation’s colonial past.
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BY: Aunohita Mojumdar | Eurasianet
In Afghanistan, the loser of the presidential election may end up the winner, and the victor may be the one who reflects on the result as a severe political setback.
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BY: David Wood | Politics Daily
He is our man indeed. And Hamid Karzai's casual assumption this morning of another five-year term as Afghanistan's president, after the election runoff was canceled when his only opponent pulled out of the race, saddles the Obama administration with a king-size migraine.
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BY: Helene Cooper and Jeff Zeleny | The New York Times
President Obama on Monday admonished President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan that he must take on what American officials have said he avoided during his first term: the rampant corruption and drug trade that have fueled the resurgence of the Taliban.
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BY: Mehdi Jedinia | The Washington Times
If Iranians defy their government and turn out again Wednesday in new mass political protests, Mehdi Karroubi is likely to be among them.
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BY: Stephanie McCrummen | The Washington Post
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo will suspend its support of Congolese army units accused of deliberately killing 62 civilians during a controversial military operation against rebels in eastern Congo, U.N. officials said Monday.
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BY: Linas Jegelevicius | World Press
When it comes to foreign investments, Lithuania is trailing well behind its Baltic counterparts, Latvia and, particularly, Estonia, but very soon there might be some brighter light, even in the lingering gloomy economy downturn.
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BY: Valentina Pop | EU Observer
The EU should pay the Ukrainian gas debt and not be "stingy", Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday, raising fresh concerns about gas disruptions in the upcoming winter, just as Kiev prepares for presidential elections.
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BY: Fariz Ismailzade | Eurasia Daily Monitor
Recent weeks have seen unprecedented and potentially far reaching damage to the Turkish-Azerbaijani strategic partnership. Ever since Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) announced its intension to normalize relations with Azerbaijan’s arch-rival Armenia, the relationship between Ankara and Baku has cooled.
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BY: Blaine Harden | The Washington Post
North Korea's military, whose nuclear program vexes the Obama administration, has grabbed nearly complete command of the nation's state-run economy and staked out a lucrative new trade in mineral sales to China to make money for its supreme commander, Kim Jong Il.
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BY: Alex Rodriguez | Los Angeles Times
The Rawalpindi blast targets military officers gathered at a bank for their paychecks and pensions. Meanwhile, the U.N. says it is suspending some development efforts in the country's northwest.
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BY: Kingston Reif | World Politics Review
The test ban is clearly consistent with U.S. security interests. Because the United States does not conduct nuclear tests and has no plans or the need to do so, the United States should take advantage of the security and political benefits that would come with ratification.
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BY: William Booth and Steve Fainaru | The Washington Post
The number of minors swept up in Mexico's drug wars -- as killers and victims -- is soaring, with U.S. and Mexican officials warning that a toxic culture of fast money, drug abuse and murder is creating a "lost generation."
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BY: Juan O. Tamayo | The Miami Herald
Whether it's called an ``arms race'' or a ``coincidental modernization'' of existing stocks, a wave of weapons purchases by Latin American nations is causing neighbors to watch each other with growing mistrust and fear.
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BY: Nick Miroff | Global Post
That appears to be the logic behind a growing partnership between scientists in the U.S., Cuba, and Mexico working on a multinational plan to protect the gulf’s underwater ecosystems. This week, a delegation of about 30 U.S. researchers and ocean advocates have been in Havana for meetings with their Cuban and Mexican counterparts, and trip organizers said they’re aiming to create a regional protection strategy that all three countries would enforce.