Le «retour» de Bush
 divise le Canada
LE FIGARO: L'ancien président américain prononcera le 17 mars à Calgary sa première conférence à l'étranger. Des Canadiens s'opposent à sa venue.

Photo de George W. Bush grâce au Figaro
«Une conversation avec Geor­ge W. Bush» : tel est le thème du premier discours d'une série de dix allocutions que l'ancien chef de la Maison-Blanche donnera au Ca­nada, en Europe et en Asie à compter du 17 mars. Le palais des congrès de Calgary, la métropole de l'Alberta, attend 1 500 convives pour un déjeuner-conférence pendant lequel l'ancien président évoquera «ses huit importantes années passées à la Maison-Blanche et donnera son opinion sur les défis de la planète au XXIe siècle».

150 000 dollars de cachet

«L'Alberta est une province très conservatrice et Bush y est considéré comme quelqu'un de très proche de l'industrie pétrolière. Il a choisi un lieu sûr pour tester son image», explique au quotidien Calgary Herald l'analyste politique David Taras, tout en précisant que l'ex-dirigeant des États-Unis est perçu au Canada comme un «président raté».

Si les organisateurs de l'événement refusent de dévoiler le cachet de Bush, celui-ci est évalué par plusieurs sources à 150 000 dollars. Dans son livre Dead Certain («Sans l'ombre d'un doute»), le journaliste Robert Draper rapporte ces propos de l'ex-chef de l'État américain : «Je ne sais pas combien gagne mon père, mais c'est plus de 50 000 ou 75 000 dollars par discours. Clinton gagne aussi beaucoup d'argent.»

La visite de George Bush devrait être perturbée par de nombreux manifestants. Depuis l'invasion de l'Irak en 2003, la population canadienne a montré de l'hostilité envers le prédécesseur de Barack Obama. >>> Ludovic Hirtzmann, Montréal | Mardi 03 Mars 2009

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Soon It Will Be Prime Minister Wilders!
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain's controversial ban on the anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders has pushed his Freedom Party into the lead for the first time, according to Dutch opinion polls.

Geert Wilders. The next premier of the Netherlands? Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Mr Wilders has benefited from the publicity provided by Dutch and international headlines that followed a decision last month to ban him from showing his anti-Muslim film, Fitna, in the House of Lords.

His attempt to enter Britain, his detention and subsequent deportation, following an order by Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, have made the Dutch MP into a free speech martyr and celebrity in the Netherlands.

New opinion polling now puts Mr Wilders ahead of the Christian Democrats, who lead a coalition government.

"How happy I am about this. These are of course just polls, but it is an enormous sign of confidence from the Dutch voter," said Mr Wilders.

"As far as I am concerned, elections can be held tomorrow, then I will be the next premier". Geert Wilders Leads Dutch Polls >>> By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

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Nicolas Sarkozy menacé de mort
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: FRANCE | Le président Nicolas Sarkozy ainsi que plusieurs élus et ministres UMP, dont Rachida Dati et Michèle Alliot-Marie, ont reçu au cours des dernières semaines un courrier anonyme les menaçant de mort

Photos grâce au Figaro
Le président Nicolas Sarkozy ainsi que plusieurs élus et ministres UMP, dont Rachida Dati et Michèle Alliot-Marie, ont reçu au cours des dernières semaines un courrier anonyme les menaçant de mort, accompagné d’une balle de calibre 38 (9mm). La section antiterroriste du parquet de Paris, a-t-on appris mardi de sources judiciaires, a été saisie de l’enquête.

Le courrier, une lettre-type, consiste en deux pages dactylographiées de propos décousus, explique-t-on de sources judiciaires. Il s’adresse aux ministres, députés et sénateurs "pourvoyeurs de lois liberticides, de lois fachistes", les accuse de distiller la haine. On ignore pour le moment d’où ont été expédiées ces lettres.

Au total, dix noms de personnalités politiques sont cités dans ce courrier, dont six l’ont reçu: le senateur-maire UMP de Béziers (Hérault) Raymond Couderc, le 9 février, le président Nicolas Sarkozy, le sénateur-maire de La Canourgue (Lozère) Jacques Blanc, la ministre de l’Intérieur Michèle Alliot-Marie, la ministre de la Justice Rachida Dati la semaine dernière et le maire de Bordeaux Alain Juppé lundi. >>> AP | Mardi 03 Mars 2009

TAGES ANZEIGER: Dati erhielt mysteriösen Drohbrief mit Kugeln

Unbekannte verschicken in Frankreich eine ganze Serie von Morddrohungen an konservative Politiker. Von den Tätern fehlt noch jede Spur.

Foto von Rachida Dati dank dem Tages Anzeiger
Die jüngsten Empfänger von anonymen Drohbriefen, die mit Neun-Millimeter-Kugeln gefüllt waren: Justizministerin Rachida Dati und Innenministerin Michèle Alliot-Marie. Bisher habe man noch keine Hinweise auf die Absender, hiess es aus Justizkreisen. >>> vin/ap | Dienstag, 3. März 2009

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Brown Goes a-Brown-nosing!
THE TELEGRAPH: US president Barack Obama has reaffirmed his belief in the special relationship between Britain and America following talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the White House.

Photo of Obama and Brown together in the White House courtesy of The Telegraph
Sitting alongside Mr Brown in the Oval Office, Mr Obama said Britain's friendship to the US in Iraq and Afghanistan would not be forgotten.

He added: "Great Britain is one of our closest and strongest allies and there is a link and bond there that will not break."

The president was speaking after around an hour of talks which were dominated by the economy, with both men agreeing that improvements were needed to the regulation of the global banking system.

Mr Obama said: "The relationship is not only special and strong but will only get stronger as time goes on."

Mr Brown became the first European leader to hold talks with Mr Obama since his inauguration in January. Barack Obama Reaffirms Belief in 'Special Relationship' with Britain >>> | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

MAIL Online: Downing St Left Embarrassed after President Obama Scales Down First Meeting with Brown

Downing Street was left scrambling to avoid a diplomatic embarrassment today after the White House ruled out a formal press conference to mark Gordon Brown's first formal meeting with Barack Obama.

Officials denied the Prime Minister was being snubbed after it emerged that the new president would not make himself available for the traditional joint appearance before the White House media.

Mr Brown's aides are trying to make the best of what is a distinctly low key visit compared to the family hospitality lavished on Tony Blair by George Bush when they met for the first time. >>> By Benedict Brogan | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

DAILY EXPRESS: Not So Big After All? Brown Snubbed by Obama

GORDON Brown was left red-faced today after he was snubbed by new American president Barack Obama – at their first formal meeting.

The prime minister arrived in the US today expecting a full press conference in front of the world’s media to mark the event. 



But he touched down on America soil to be told by the White House that it would be a much more scaled down affair - in the Oval Office. 



The embarrassment for Downing Street comes after Obama sent a bust of Sir Winston Churchill back to Britain - despite it enjoying pride of place in the Oval Office for nearly 10 years. 



Today White House authorities defended the schedule change for the two leaders, claiming the new arrangement was 'more intimate'. >>> By Julia White | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

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Synagogue Hails Dutch Lawmaker as a Hero
BALTIMORE JEWISH TIMES: In his home continent, Dutch politician Geert Wilders is something of a pariah, banned from the United Kingdom and facing prosecution in the Netherlands for his harsh views of Islam.

His calls to end immigration from Muslim countries and ban the Koran—he compared it to Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” and said it incites to violence—have earned him broad condemnation in Europe and forced him under the protection of a security detail, a rarity for Dutch leaders.

But in some quarters of the American Jewish community, Wilders is more akin to a hero. At the very least, he was greeted as such by about 250 people last week at a Conservative synagogue in this Boston-area town.

The boisterous crowd at the Ahavath Torah Congregation gave Wilders, who heads the Dutch Party for Freedom and serves in the parliament, a standing ovation and shouted “Bravo” at the conclusion of his speech. >>> Penny Schwartz, Stoughton, Mass., JTA Wire Service | Monday, March 2, 2009

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The Obama Economy
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: As the Dow keeps dropping, the President is running out of people to blame.

As 2009 opened, three weeks before Barack Obama took office, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 9034 on January 2, its highest level since the autumn panic. Yesterday the Dow fell another 4.24% to 6763, for an overall decline of 25% in two months and to its lowest level since 1997. The dismaying message here is that President Obama's policies have become part of the economy's problem.

Americans have welcomed the Obama era in the same spirit of hope the President campaigned on. But after five weeks in office, it's become clear that Mr. Obama's policies are slowing, if not stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic recovery. From punishing business to squandering scarce national public resources, Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence -- and thus a longer period of recession or subpar growth.

The Democrats who now run Washington don't want to hear this, because they benefit from blaming all bad economic news on President Bush. And Mr. Obama has inherited an unusual recession deepened by credit problems, both of which will take time to climb out of. But it's also true that the economy has fallen far enough, and long enough, that much of the excess that led to recession is being worked off. Already 15 months old, the current recession will soon match the average length -- and average job loss -- of the last three postwar downturns. What goes down will come up -- unless destructive policies interfere with the sources of potential recovery.

And those sources have been forming for some time. The price of oil and other commodities have fallen by two-thirds since their 2008 summer peak, which has the effect of a major tax cut. The world is awash in liquidity, thanks to monetary ease by the Federal Reserve and other central banks. Monetary policy operates with a lag, but last year's easing will eventually stir economic activity.

Housing prices have fallen 27% from their Case-Shiller peak, or some two-thirds of the way back to their historical trend. While still high, credit spreads are far from their peaks during the panic, and corporate borrowers are again able to tap the credit markets. As equities were signaling with their late 2008 rally and January top, growth should under normal circumstances begin to appear in the second half of this year.

So what has happened in the last two months? The economy has received no great new outside shock. Exchange rates and other prices have been stable, and there are no security crises of note. The reality of a sharp recession has been known and built into stock prices since last year's fourth quarter.

What is new is the unveiling of Mr. Obama's agenda and his approach to governance. Every new President has a finite stock of capital -- financial and political -- to deploy, and amid recession Mr. Obama has more than most. But one negative revelation has been the way he has chosen to spend his scarce resources on income transfers rather than growth promotion. Most of his "stimulus" spending was devoted to social programs, rather than public works, and nearly all of the tax cuts were devoted to income maintenance rather than to improving incentives to work or invest. >>> | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

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Jihad TV in Europe
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: It's time to shut down Hezbollah and Hamas broadcasts to the Continent.

Their propaganda notwithstanding, Hamas and, two years ago, Hezbollah suffered devastating military defeats that may diminish their ability to attack Israel with rocket fire. But these Iranian-backed terrorist organizations are deploying another dangerous weapon in their war against Western democracies -- terrorist television stations.

Thanks to Arab satellite companies, Hezbollah's al-Manar and Hamas's al-Aqsa TV stations can still beam their incitement and hatred into European living rooms, radicalizing Muslim immigrants throughout the Continent.

Al-Manar, however, is not a mere propaganda tool. Founded in 1991 by Hezbollah guerillas, it is an operational weapon in the hands of a deadly terrorist organization. Following a 2006 letter to then-President George W. Bush signed by a majority of the U.S. Senate, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the U.S. Treasury Department designated al-Manar as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity. This designation placed, for the first time, a media outlet on the same terrorism list as al Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah itself.

The designation highlighted the role of al-Manar as more than just a station with objectionable content. The Hezbollah outlet was actively involved in recruiting and fund raising for Hezbollah, and providing preoperational surveillance for terror attacks. Undersecretary of Treasury Stuart Levey has observed that al-Manar is an "entity maintained by a terrorist group" and is therefore "as culpable as the terrorist group itself." >>> By Mark Dubowitz and Roberta Bonazzi | Wednesday, February 18, 2009

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Islam erobert Österreich!

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Saudi Man Beheaded for Killing Father
IOL.CO.ZA: Riyadh - A Saudi man was beheaded in the Muslim holy city of Medina after being sentenced to death for killing his father, the interior ministry said.



Ahmad al-Khyeeri was put to death on Monday for shooting his father in a dispute, the ministry said in a statement on the official SPA news agency.



The announcement did not say when the murder occurred.



The beheading brought to 13 the number of executions announced by the Saudi authorities since the beginning of the year.


A total of 102 people were executed last year and a record 153 in 2007.



Under Saudi Arabia's strict sharia system of Islamic justice, the death penalty can be applied to crimes of rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking. [Source: IOL.co.za] AFP | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

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As If We Needed the Archbishop of Canterbury to Tell Us This!
THE TELEGRAPH: The recession could lead to an increase in support for right-wing political groups, the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has warned.

Dr Williams said that public anger, caused by rising unemployment and falling house prices, may lead to xenophobia and prejudice.

He claimed the recent election of a British National Party councillor in Kent was a warning sign that must not be ignored.

His comments come amid growing concern about the social unrest that could be triggered by the worsening economy.

Last week it emerged that riot police fear Britain is heading for a "summer of rage" as middle-class victims of the recession join activists to hold mass protests outside bank headquarters.

Thousands of workers at oil refineries and power stations across the country staged walkouts recently after Italian and Portuguese staff were given jobs at Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Lincolnshire ahead of local workers.

A leaked Home Office memo written last year also predicted that crime and racial tensions will rise during the recession, while funding cuts could make it more difficult for police to cope.

The letter written by Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, warned that financial hardship could increase hostility towards immigrants and drive voters into the arms of the far-right BNP – which could in turn see victims of racism turn to terrorism. >>> By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

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Frank Gaffney: Coalition to Stop Shariah

YOU TUBE: Al-Jazeera Reporter Asks about Shariah-Finance


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Shariah Finance

Ophir Falk – Opinion: No Nonsense Government
YNET NEWS: Netanyahu fully understands he must tackle key issues of our time

Photo of Bibi Netanyahu courtesy of YNet News
Winston Churchill was probably the greatest leader of the 20th century. Yet, while leading his people during the dark days of the Battle of Britain and on various other fronts, he earned little recognition from his constituency, losing their vote after the war. Years after the dust of World War II had settled, the British people acknowledged his feats and re-elected him for office.

It is no coincidence that a black-and-white portrait of the legendary British PM decorates the desk of Israel's prime minister-designate. Benjamin Netanyahu's first term as PM from 1996 to 1999 will not be remembered as Israel's finest hour, but he is determined to make his upcoming term just that.

Raised in an ultra-Zionist home, Netanyahu is a leader with vision and historic perspective. He fully understands that he has the responsibility and opportunity to tackle the key issues of our time, most and foremost ensuring Israel’s security and prosperity.

On February 10th 2009, the people of Israel spoke at the ballots. Some were at first reluctant to understand the statement made but today matters are clearer to all. Benjamin Netanyahu was given a clear mandate to form a government and steer Israel in the right direction.

There is a wide public consensus concerning the challenges that Israel must address immediately. Topping the list are a) confronting the Iranian threat; b) dismantling the Hamas threat; and c) preventing a deep economic depression.

The establishment of a Palestinian state is not on that list. >>> Ophir Falk | Monday, March 2, 2009

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Hillary Clinton en mission impossible au Proche-Orient
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: ANALYSE | Hier en Egypte pour financer la reconstruction de Gaza sans favoriser le Hamas. Aujourd’hui à Jérusalem pour faire plier Netanyahou. Demain à Ramallah pour tenter de sauver le président palestinien. La cheffe de la diplomatie américaine ne fait pas sa première visite sous les meilleurs auspices.

La bonne nouvelle, c’est que la communauté internationale a promis hier à Charm el-Cheikh, en Egypte, une aide de 4,5 milliards de dollars pour la reconstruction de Gaza et la relance de l’économie palestinienne, six semaines après la guerre. De quoi réjouir le président Mahmoud Abbas, qui en réclamait 2,8 milliards.

La mauvaise nouvelle, c’est qu’il va falloir distribuer ces fonds sans passer par le Hamas, qui contrôle l’étroite bande de terre depuis son coup de force du 15 juin 2007. Et parvenir à surmonter le blocus israélien (même des cargaisons de macaronis et de lentilles ont buté contre la frontière!). Le tout doit être réalisé alors qu’Israël est à la recherche d’une coalition et que l’Autorité palestinienne ne préside plus grand-chose.

Qui réussira ce prodige? Les yeux se tournent forcément vers Hillary Clinton, nouvelle secrétaire d’Etat américaine, qui tente un pari en trois volets. >>> Andrés Allemand | Mardi 03 Mars 2009

leJDD.fr: Gaza: Des dollars pour quoi faire?

Près de 4,5 milliards de dollars ont été promis aux Palestiniens lors de la conférence sur la reconstruction de Gaza, qui s'est tenue lundi à Charm el Cheikh, en Egypte. Une somme colossale, qui vient s'ajouter aux 7 milliards déjà débloqués en décembre 2007 à Paris. D'où vient cet argent? A qui profite-t-il vraiment? Focus sur les mécanismes de l'aide internationale.

Comment sont chiffrés les besoins?

En amont de la conférence, le chiffrage a été réalisé par le Conseil économique palestinien pour le développement et la reconstruction (Pedcar). L'estimation proposée par les Palestiniens se montait à 2,8 milliards de dollars. Pour sa part, le Fonds monétaire international (FMI) a lui estimé à 2,25 milliards de dollars -dont 600 millions de dollars jugés nécessaires pour reconstruire et réhabiliter Gaza- les besoins d'aide internationale pour l'Autorité Palestinienne en 2009.

Qui sont les donateurs et combien donnent-ils?

Des Etats et les grandes organisations internationales sont les principaux contributeurs de l'aide: pays arabes et du Moyen-Orient, G8, les 27 Etats membres de l'UE, les grands pays émergents, mais aussi la Commission européenne, les institutions financières internationales et régionales (FMI, Banque mondiale, BEI, fonds arabes, etc.) ainsi que les Nations Unies. A Charm el Cheikh, les Etats-Unis ont promis 900 millions de dollars, la Commission européenne 554 milliards et les monarchies du Golfe 1,65 milliard sur trois ans. La Banque mondiale et les Nations Unies (par l'intermédiaire de leurs programmes d'aide comme le Pnud ou l'Unrwa), ont eux aussi déboursé plusieurs milliards de dollars.

A qui est versé l'argent?

Les fonds sont versés exclusivement à l'Autorité palestinienne dirigée par Mahmoud Abbas, seul exécutif politique palestinien reconnu par la communauté internationale. C'est donc le gouvernement de Salam Fayyad qui gère l'argent reçu et décide de sa répartition. >>> Par Christophe ISRAËL, leJDD.fr | Mardi, 03 Mars 2009

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Berlusconi lädt Ghadhafi zum G-8-Gipfel ein: Libyens Revolutionsführer als Vorsitzender der Afrikanischen Union
NZZ Online: Der italienische Regierungschef Silvio Berlusconi hat den libyschen Revolutionsführer Ghadhafi zum nächsten G-8-Gipfel im Juli auf der Insel La Maddalena vor Sardinien eingeladen. Ghadhafi wird als Vorsitzender der Afrikanischen Union (AU) zu dem Gipfel kommen.

Foto von Berlusconi und Ghadafi dank der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung
«Wir sind schon dabei, einen geeigneten Platz für dein Zelt zu suchen», sagte Berlusconi laut einem Bericht des Mailänder «Corriere della Sera» dem libyschen Staatschef.

Berlusconi hatte am Montagabend im libyschen Sirte mit dem Revolutionsführer die Ratifizierungsurkunden eines Freundschafts- und Kooperationsvertrages beider Länder ausgetauscht. Berlusconi entschuldigte sich bei dem Treffen auch für die italienische Kolonialvergangenheit in Libyen. >>> sda/dpa | Dienstag, 3. März 2009

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Iran : l'offre secrète d'Obama à la Russie
LE FIGARO: Le président américain proposerait à son homologue russe de renoncer à l'implantation d'un bouclier antimissile en Europe centrale si le Kremlin coopère pour empêcher l'Iran de se doter de l'arme nucléaire.

Barack Obama propose de renoncer à déployer un bouclier antimissile en Europe centrale si la Russie aide Washington à empêcher l'Iran de se doter de l'arme nucléaire, rapporte le New York Times dans son édition de mardi. Selon le journal américain, Obama aurait fait cette proposition dans une lettre remise en mains propres au président russe Dmitri Medvedev à Moscou il y a trois semaines par de hauts responsables de l'administration américaine, ajoute le quotidien. Le New York Times cite des sources gouvernementales ayant souhaité conserver l'anonymat, la lettre n'ayant pas été rendue publique. Mais ces derniers ont également précisé qu'il ne s'agissait pas d'une offre impliquant un engagement réciproque de Moscou mais plutôt d'une manière d'inciter la Russie à rejoindre les Etats-Unis dans un front commun contre l'Iran. Le journal américain rappelle que les liens militaires, commerciaux et diplomatiques avec Téhéran, donnent à Moscou une certaine influence sur ce pays.

Un haut responsable américain a confirmé la remise d'une lettre à l'agence Reuters: «La lettre avait trait à plusieurs sujets, dont la défense antimissile et la manière dont elle s'articule avec la menace iranienne». Moscou n'a pas encore répondu à l'offre d'Obama mais le quotidien russe Kommersant a déjà qualifié cette offre de «sensationnelle».

Barack Obama a promis une nouvelle approche diplomatique fondée sur la volonté de dialoguer directement et respectueusement avec la République islamique. Seule condition : que cette dernière «desserre le poing». Selon un responsable russe cité par le New York Times, la défense antimissile américaine devrait être évoquée dès vendredi à Genève lors d'une rencontre entre la secrétaire d'État américaine Hillary Clinton et le ministre russe des Affaires étrangères, Sergueï Lavrov. Quand à Barack Obama et Dmitri Medvedev, ils devraient évoquer le sujet lors de leur première rencontre officielle, le 2 avril prochain à Londres, à l'occasion du sommet du G20. >>> Jérôme Bouin (lefigaro.fr) | Mardi 03 Mars 2009

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Simon Scott Plummer: How the Ayatollah Overthrew the Shah
THE TELEGRAPH: Simon Scott Plummer examines Khomeini’s mesmeric hold over Iran and the Islamic world

The Islamic Revolution in Iran was the most significant event of the last half of the 20th century. Some would even rank its importance in modern history as second only to the fall of the Bastille. Along with the American and Soviet withdrawals from Vietnam and Afghanistan in 1975 and 1989, it marked the emergence of Islam as a global political force after centuries of impotence, and a corresponding decline in superpower hegemony. To read Con Coughlin’s book is largely to understand how a septuagenarian cleric who had spent 15 years in exile was able to overthrow an authoritarian monarch with a terrifying security apparatus and armed forces bristling with Western weapons.

By the second half of the Seventies the Pahlavi shah, Reza Mohammed, had alienated most of Iranian society, from the clergy to the merchants. But popular discontent went back much further than his reign. The granting by the previous Qajar dynasty of concessions to British American Tobacco in 1891; the Russian invasion of 1907; Britain’s majority stake in the Anglo-Persian Oil Company; the British and Soviet occupation from 1941 onwards; the CIA-backed overthrow of the prime minister Mossadeq in 1953; the last shah’s dependence on Washington: all these were waymarks on a road of national humiliation.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini offered a radical alternative to the puffed-up Pahlavis. His title denoted a considerable Islamic scholar. His lifestyle was simple and his opposition to the shah coherent and courageous. Yet these qualities do not fully explain the mesmeric hold he had over Iran and the wider Islamic world.

There must have been something in his appearance and way of speaking to generate the wave of joy when he returned home in 1979, and of grief when he died 10 years later. In dealing with notorious figures, it is easy to underplay their personal charisma. >>> Simon Scott Plummer | Thursday, February 26, 2009

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Wilders Now a Celebrity in US and Prime Minister in Poll
NIS NEWS BULLETIN: THE HAGUE - Controversial MP Geert Wilders has reacted with pleasure to a poll according to which his Party for Freedom (PVV) would be the Netherlands' biggest party. "As far as I am concerned elections can be held tomorrow; then I will be the next premier."

The PVV would according to prominent pollster Maurice de Hond win 27 seats in the 150-member Lower House if elections were held now. This is one more than the Christian democrats (CDA). This is the first time the PVV has emerged as the biggest party in a poll.

The PVV has risen in recent weeks thanks to apparent setbacks. First, the Amsterdam appeal court ruled that Wilders must be prosecuted for incitement to hatred and insulting of Muslims as a group. And subsequently, the UK refused him entry to the country.

In the US on the other hand, Wilders was greeted by neo-conservatives - as by a growing portion of the Dutch population - as a martyr for freedom of speech. The contrasts with Europe are great. A conservative philosopher said of his impact in the American media: "He is more than a hero. He is a celebrity".

Wilders says his criticism of Islam is dealt with much less frenetically in America. "In the Netherlands, the elite consider that you may not speak as I do, but here (in the US) freedom is in the genes. (...) I notice that in this country, at least arguments are exchanged. The Netherlands and Europe could adopt this as an example."

According to Wilders, the Pentagon shares his fears of a 'Eurabia'. "I have spoken with Pentagon staff, and they fear for the stability of Europe if the influence of Islam grows further." >>> | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

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Barack Obama Fights Presidential Eligibility Claims
THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama is being forced to repel a series of writs challenging his presidential eligibility, as conspiracy theories claiming he is not an American citizen refuse to go away.

Photo of President Barack Hussein Obama courtesy of The Telegraph
The most common allegation lawyers are having to refute is that a certificate of Mr Obama's birth in Hawaii is false, leading accusers to conclude that he was born outside the country and is therefore disqualified to fill the highest office in the land.

Other challengers have contended that his Kenyan father was British, even though that would not exclude him from occupying the White House.

Both claims are untrue. Officials in Hawaii said they had viewed Mr Obama's original certificate and confirmed it stated he was born in Honolulu on Aug 4, 1961. A certified version of the certificate released by his campaign last summer when the theory began circulating showed the same. Birth notices in Hawaii papers record a birth to his mother and father on the same day.

But that has not stopped the theorists, who have been dubbed "the Birthers" and who see Mr Obama as a fifth columnist. Their accusations are often tinged with racism and antipathy to Islam, the religion of his father. During his campaigns Mr Obama faced an online rumour mill that he was a Muslim, though he has worshipped at a Christian church for 20 years.

The conservative website WorldNet Daily claims to have received 300,000 signatures for an online petition challenging Mr Obama's legitimacy.

Orly Taitz, a California dentist and lawyer, who was herself born overseas, is representing soldiers challenging Mr Obama's right to be president, including retired Maj Gen Carroll Childers, who compared the Democrat to "Hitler, Stalin, Saddam, Mao, and Kim Jong Il".

"He is an interloper, a usurper, a fake, a scam artist, a Chicago crook, a recipient of bribes and gratuitous income for which he paid no tax, a socialist (perhaps only a communist or Marxist), and a grave danger to the future of the America that I love and have protected since I was 17 years old," Maj Gen Childers wrote in a statement on the website for Ms Taitz's Defend Our Freedoms Foundation. The rumour got closest to the mainstream when Richard Shelby, an Alabama senator, gave it credibility during a recent meeting with constituents.

Asked for his views on the notion, the Cullman Times, an Alabama paper, quoted Mr Shelby as saying: "Well his father was Kenyan and they said he was born in Hawaii, but I haven't seen any birth certificate. You have to be born in America to be president." >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | Monday, March 2, 2009

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