Hillary Clinton Questions Cristina Kirchner's Mental Health
THE GUARDIAN: Secret cable sent to US embassy in Argentina asks diplomats to find out how president handles stress

The embassy cable questioning the mental health of Cristina Kirchner has been leaked at a sensitive time in US-Argentinian relations. Photograph: The Guardian
Hillary Clinton has questioned the mental health of Cristina Kirchner and asked US diplomats to investigate whether the Argentinian president is taking medication to help her "calm down".

The US secretary of state painted Kirchner as a volatile and emotional leader who suffered from "nerves and anxiety", according to a secret cable sent to the US embassy in Buenos Aires.

Clinton asked diplomats a series of questions in December last year which could infuriate Kirchner and sabotage a recent rapprochement between Argentina and America.

In a section headed "mental state and health" she asked how the first lady-turned president was managing "her nerves and anxiety" in a blunt tone which suggested US concerns.

"How does stress affect her behaviour toward advisers and/or her decision-making? What steps does Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner or her advisers/handlers take in helping her deal with stress? Is she taking any medications?

"Under what circumstances is she best able to handle stresses? How do Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's emotions affect her decision-making and how does she calm down when distressed?"

The cable appeared to have been prompted by diplomatic spats which, according to the US embassy, showed Kirchner's government "to be extremely thin-skinned and intolerant of perceived criticism". >>> Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent | Monday, November 29, 2010

WikiLeaks Cables 'Attacks World Community'

Queen Continues Gulf Trip [Nov. 26] With Stop In Oman
The Queen impresses the Sultan of Oman with her art knowledge as she continues her five-day state visit to the Gulf

WikiLeaks Cables: 'Rude' Prince Andrew Shocks US Ambassador
THE GUARDIAN: Duke railed against France, British anti-corruption investigations into BAE and American ignorance, leaked dispatches reveal

Prince Andrew spoke 'cockily' at a business brunch in Kyrgyzstan, a leaked WikiLeaks cable claimed. Photograph: The Guardian
Prince Andrew launched a scathing attack on British anti-corruption investigators, journalists and the French during an "astonishingly candid" performance at an official engagement that shocked a US diplomat.

Tatiana Gfoeller, Washington's ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, recorded in a secret cable that Andrew spoke "cockily" at the brunch with British and Canadian business people, leading a discussion that "verged on the rude".

During the two-hour engagement in 2008 at a hotel in the capital, Bishkek, Andrew, who travels the globe as a special UK trade representative, attacked Britain's corruption investigators in the Serious Fraud Office for what he called "idiocy".

He went on to denounce Guardian reporters investigating bribery as "those [expletive] journalists … who poke their noses everywhere".

In the cable from the US embassy to Washington in October 2008, Gfoeller wrote: "Rude language a la British … [Andrew] turned to the general issue of promoting British economic interests abroad. He railed at British anti-corruption investigators, who had had the 'idiocy' of almost scuttling the Al-Yamama deal with Saudi Arabia."

The prince, she explained, "was referencing an investigation, subsequently closed, into alleged kickbacks a senior Saudi royal had received in exchange for the multi-year, lucrative BAE Systems contract to provide equipment and training to Saudi security forces."

The dispatch continued: "His mother's subjects seated around the table roared their approval. He then went on to 'these (expletive) journalists, especially from the National [sic] Guardian, who poke their noses everywhere' and (presumably) make it harder for British businessmen to do business. The crowd practically clapped." Read on and comment >>> David Leigh, Heather Brooke and Rob Evans | Monday, November 29, 2010

The Swiss Have Voted to Deport Foreign Criminals Automatically. Let's Copy Them
The Swiss have had their say on excluding foreign criminals. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
TELEGRAPH BLOGS – ALEX SINGLETON: The Swiss know how to stand up for themselves. In a referendum yesterday, they voted in favour of the automatic deportation of foreigners who commit serious crimes. Needless to say, the latte liberals at Amnesty International are appalled and – revealing their utter contempt for democracy – are calling on Swiss politicians to ignore the will of the people.

Amnesty’s reasoning is that deportations could cause convicts to be sent back to countries where they could face persecution. But this is a ridiculous argument: no one is forcing visitors to Switzerland to commit offences. If people don’t want to be sent back home, why don’t they just desist from rape, robbery, murder and fraud? The new Swiss policy is so obviously a sensible idea that we ought to copy it here. >>> Alex Singleton | Monday, November 29, 2010

Mr. Singleton suggests that we should follow the lead of the Swiss, and also deport foreign criminals. I agree with him: We should. But there’s one big problem: The British are bereft of organizational skills. In fact, they couldn’t organize a sex orgy in a brothel! – © Mark

The Lessons of the Puritans

Is China Reading Your eMail?

News Leaks In ‘Public’s Interest’

Feds Open Criminal Investigation Into WikiLeaks Disclosures

U.S. On Damage Control After WikiLeaks Dump
White House working to minimize fallout from release of sensitive diplomatic documents

Wikileaks : observer le régime iranien et ses méthodes d'intimidation
L'ayathollah iranien Ali Khamenei, Guide suprême, en mars 2010. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Les Etats-Unis ayant rompu leurs relations diplomatiques avec l'Iran en 1980, après la prise d'otages à l'ambassade américaine de Téhéran, la diplomatie de Washington doit s'appuyer, pour observer le régime, sur des contacts et des informations obtenus par ses ambassades ailleurs dans la région. Un réseau de "Iran Watchers", chargés de surveiller les événements en Iran, est ainsi révélé par la masse des télégrammes diplomatiques.

Il ressort des documents du département d'Etat obtenus par WikiLeaks et révélés par Le Monde que la complexité et l'opacité du régime iranien sont, pour les Américains, une énigme. Ils guettent le moindre indice. Par exemple, ces informations livrées en août 2009, par un contact dans une république d'Asie centrale. A l'époque, les remous politiques en Iran semblent à leur apogée, après la réélection contestée, en juin, du président Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. >>> Le Monde | Dimanche 28 Novembre 2010

Des musulmans de Suisse cherchent à contrer l'interdiction des minarets
Un minaret à Bussigny, près de Lausanne. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Le Conseil central islamique suisse a annoncé, lundi, le lancement d'une initiative populaire visant à abolir l'interdiction des minarets. La votation sur l'interdiction des minarets est intervenue il y a un an à l'initiative de l'UDC (droite nationaliste populiste), qui a remporté dimanche une nouvelle victoire en faisant approuver le durcissement du renvoi des étrangers criminels.

"Si on veut abolir l'interdiction des minarets en Suisse, il faut le faire en empruntant la même voie utilisée pour introduire cette interdiction", expliquent dans un communiqué les représentants du CCIS. Un comité d'initiative "le plus large possible" doit être créé d'ici à la fin décembre 2010 au plus tard. Des contacts ont été pris avec différents acteurs des milieux politiques, culturels et scientifiques. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Lundi 29 Novembre 2010

Datendesaster erschüttert Washington
Bild: Spiegel ONline
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die ganze Welt kann nachlesen, wie Amerikas Außenpolitik funktioniert - die Enthüllung der Geheimdepeschen schockiert US-Diplomaten: Sie müssen nun wütende Kollegen in vielen Ländern besänftigen. Experten sehen die Beziehungen zwischen Botschaftern und ihren Gastländern schwer beschädigt.

Die Veröffentlichung von mehr als 250.000 vertraulichen Dokumenten des US-Außenministeriums durch die Internetplattform WikiLeaks hat Amerikas Hauptstadt in helle Aufregung versetzt. Die Enthüllung, die auch die Schlagzeilen von Medien in aller Welt bestimmt, schockiert vor allem Diplomaten.

"Diese Datenpanne ist ein schwerer Schlag für die US-Diplomatie", sagte Charles Kupchan, früher im Nationalen Sicherheitsrat des Weißen Hauses für Europa zuständig, SPIEGEL ONLINE. Die Enthüllung blamiere Washington. Nun würden Informanten wohl kaum noch mit amerikanischen Diplomaten sprechen wollen - aus Angst, die Unterredungen könne bald jeder nachlesen. >>> Von Gregor Peter Schmitz, Washington | Montag, 29. November 2010

Wikileaks-Enthüllung ist für Araber brandgefährlich
WELT ONLINE: Die veröffentlichten Dokumente offenbaren knallharte Positionen der Regierenden aus den arabischen Staaten gegen den Iran.

Angespannte Beziehungen: Mubarak (Ägypten, l.) und Abdullah (Saudi-Arabien) versus Ahmadinedschad (Iran, r.) Bild: Welt Online
Die arabischen Regime sind nach dem jüngsten Wikileaks-Coup in eine Art Schockstarre gefallen. Denn die von der Internet-Plattform Wikileaks publizierten Dokumente der Diplomaten ohne Maulkorb sind für sie nicht nur peinlich, sondern zum Teil auch politisch brandgefährlich.

Geheime Depeschen über die dralle ukrainische Krankenschwester des libyschen Revolutionsführers Muammar al-Gaddafi mögen vielleicht einen Wutanfall in Tripolis nach sich ziehen. Wirklich brisant sind sie nicht.

Doch der Dauerkonflikt zwischen sunnitischen und schiitischen Muslimen im Irak, im Jemen, im Libanon, in Saudi-Arabien und Bahrain könnte durch die nun bekanntgewordenen Berichte aus den arabischen Hauptstädten weiter eskalieren. Das ohnehin schon große Misstrauen der Araber untereinander dürfte wieder zunehmen, was die Beilegung der vielen Krisen in der Region weiter erschweren dürfte – von der Palästina-Frage bis hin zum Krieg der Houthi-Rebellen gegen die jemenitische Regierung. >>> dpa/ab | Montag, 29. November 2010

WikiLeaks Is Threatening National Security, Says Downing Street
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The leak of thousands of confidential diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks is damaging to national security, Downing Street said today.

King Abdullah of Sauid Arabia, US Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
David Cameron’s officials have been briefed personally by the United States ambassador to London as No10 braces for further embarrassing revelations from WikiLeaks throughout this week.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: "Clearly we condemn the unauthorised release of classified information. The leaks and their publication are damaging to national security in the United States and in Britain, and elsewhere.

“It's important that governments are able to operate on the basis of confidentiality of information.”

Asked what it was that was “damaging” the spokesman added: "It has the potential to be damaging (to national security) but the very fact that this is inhibiting the conduct of governments ... governments need to be able to operate on a confidential basis when dealing with this kind of information, and the very fact that it is being leaked is damaging."

However, No10 stopped short of backing calls from US politicians to declare WikiLeaks a terrorist organisation. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Monday, November 29, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: WikiLeaks US embassy cables: live updates >>>

U.S. Fears Iran Has Long-range Missile

Is Obama Losing Israel's Respect?
Deputy speaker of the Knesset weighs in

First Details of Damaging Leaks

FOX NEWS: U.S. in Damage Control After Vast Leak of Diplomatic Cables: WASHINGTON -- The release of more than 250,000 classified State Department documents forced the Obama administration into damage control, trying to contain fallout from unflattering assessments of world leaders and revelations about backstage U.S. diplomacy. >>> Associated Press | Monday, November 29, 2010

US Skeptical About Turkey's Reliability As A Partner
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan arrive for a reception at the G20 summit in Seoul November 11, 2010. Photograph: International Business Times
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES: The U.S. has many doubts about its long-term ally Turkey's dependability as a partner, according to diplomatic cables that were leaked by WikiLeaks on Sunday evening.

Confidential cables from the U.S. Embassy in Ankara describe Islamist tendencies in the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Germany's Der Spiegel, which received some of the leaked documents, said.
The Turkish leadership is depicted as divided, and PM Erdogan's advisers, as well as Foreign Minister Ahmeet Davutoglu, are portrayed as having little understanding of politics beyond Ankara, the magazine said.

Turkey and the U.S. shared a cordial relationship since 1947, when U.S. guaranteed the security of Turkey and Greece from Soviet forces. Turkey remained a close ally of the U.S. through the Cold War and through the late 1990s and post-World Trade attacks in the U.S.

Cordial relationship with the U.S. was believed to be crucial to Turkey's security.
However, the relationship has been strained since the Iraq war, as Turkey grows warier about the creation of an independent Kurdish state. >>> IB Times Staff Reporter | Monday, November 29, 2010

Explosive! WikiLeaks Document Dump Exposes Muslim Governments' Hypocrisy
THE HUFFINGTON POST: WikiLeaks is in the process of dramatically transforming foreign affairs and international relations. It is revealing over 250,000 cables from US embassies worldwide to the State department and other classified documents. The consequences of this 'mega-scoop' will be very far reaching indeed.



For the United States the issues are both strategic as well as ethical. On a strategic level the leaks -- which expose frank assessment of foreign leaders by senior American officials and American thinking on many critical issues -- will complicate Obama administration's ability to deal with its allies and may increase global cynicism about US intentions.



Many of the allies will be angry and distrustful. They will also be afraid of being candid in the future. All players in the future will be trying to second-guess each other, unwilling to articulate what their real intentions and goals are. After all, nobody wishes to read a summary of their confidential dialogue with Americans in the New York Times. The revelations may also reverse many of the hard earned diplomatic gains made by the State department over the years in acquiring support for US policies from many nations.



On the ethical level, the key question is: What will the American public do with the knowledge that the US government has allies who are known criminals; that it says one thing in public and pursues another policy in reality; that bullying seems to be a standard operating procedure and intervening in every affair seems to be a natural instinct of US foreign policy. Will the Senate, or the House, call for hearings to hold the administration accountable? Will there be a public outcry?



The revelations so far about the Muslim world are eye opening. Muslims, even some American Muslims have raised criticism of American foreign policy to the level of religious ritual. Often Muslim radicalism and alienation is explained as a direct consequence of US foreign policy alone (the point being that US foreign policy is anti-Islam and subversive to Muslim nations). Therefore Muslim anger and radicalism against the U.S. while often expressed in unjustifiable ways is still understandable.



But now that the shenanigans of Muslim nations, most importantly their collusion with America's so called anti-Islam foreign policy, is exposed, what will Muslims do? Will they also hate Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Qatar and other nations just as much as they hate America? Or will they recognize that nation states have interests and they pursue them in whatever ways they can; and understand that US foreign policy neither advances nor targets any religion? Read on and comment >>> Muqtedar Khan, Associate Professor of Islam and Global Affairs at the University of Delaware | Sunday, November 28, 2010

Muqtedar Khan’s website >>>