France - it could be No

France is facing an alarming split between rulers and ruled. At the core of the EU project from the start, the political class agrees that the EU constitution is a fine thing. The voters though are revolting. The suspicion is that they will vote no at a referendum, more from the BBC..., just as the politicians are telling each other how much better the EU is than the US more from Foreign Policy... It may be that being the world's biggest aid donor and the biggest buyer of agricultural products from the developing world is not a big vote winner in domestic terms.

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US - up in arms over EU arms to China

The EU looks certain to lift it's arms embargo with China. The US Congress looks certain to restrict technology transfers to the EU if that happens. No amount of recent photo opportunities with President Bush have resolved the basic issue - that the US isn't willing to risk their own technology being used against them. The argument is that the current superiority of the US on the battlefield is as much about communications technology as guns and bombs, so the EU restrictions on exporting guns and bombs does not address the main concern. more from the LA Times...

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Japan - co-operating with China on hot air

Diplomatic relations may be poor between Japan and China but economic relations seem to be growing warmer, especially on swapping technology for greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto agreement allows for developing countries to swap some of their credit on things like CO2 emissions for developed countries help in upgrading heavy industry. For Japan, struggling to meet it's reduction targets under the agreement, diplomatic troubles won't stand in the way more from the Asahi Shimbun...

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S.Korea - don't mention the abductees

The Japanese public is outraged by the abduction of dozens of it's citizens by North Korea in the 70's but the South Korean public is not so moved by the abduction of hundreds of it's own people. This may be because they are aware that raising the issue won't help, or is it just a convenient forgetfulness ? more from the Asia Times...

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Kyrgyzstan - candidates ruled out by courts

As independant media comes under increasing pressure in the run up to Parliamentary elections in Kyrgyztan the courts have withdrawn some opposition candidates from the election. Are the charges trumped up to get the awkward politicians out of the way until after the elections ?. Their supporters think so and are continuing to protest in various parts of the country more from IRIN News...

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Russia - a hint of orange

Two popular liberal youth groups have agreed to co-operate in opposing what they see as President Putin's increasingly authoritarian style of rule. Could it be the start of a democracy movement ? Some observers think so, but pro-Kremlin youth groups also exist. The recent 'monetization' of benefits may have tipped the balance in favour of protest more from the Moscow Times...

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Macedonia - keeping it local

Macedonia goes to the polls in March when local government elections will see many powers devolved to municipalities. With high stakes some may be tempted not to play fair. Any violence though will dash hopes of impressing the EU with free and fair elections that are seen to create stable institutions more from the IWPR...

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Spain - it's a 'Si' with a small s

Spain has voted 'Yes' to the EU constitution but with a low turnout (42%) opposition groups have called the whole exercise a failure. Of those who voted, a clear majority were in favour which suggests opinion was divided between support and indifference more from the BBC...

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US - orthodox failed by links to the old country

The priest recently arrested in Greece on trial-fixing and icon stealing charges had a bit of previous. Greek Orthodox church goers in a Chicago suburb recognized him as the priest who fled four years ago over embezzlement charges. Before that he had left Greece after a series of similar charges dogged his career in the Church. The Bishop who agreed to take charge of him in America said he didn't know about his previous problems more from the Chicago Tribune...

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Japan - the carrot is mightier than the stick on N.Korea

A public opinion poll has shown about 75% of Japanese think sanctions should be imposed on N.Korea following the recent failure to return the remains of abducted Japanese citizens. In practise though that might not have the desired effect. A commentary, in Japan Today, points out the bare facts that it's China who currently supplies N.Korea with what it needs, not Japan. The real bargaining power is in what's on offer - future trade and aid - rather than what is currently exchanged which puts the governement in a difficult, and unpopular, position more from Japan Today...

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S.Korea - issue of rights at issue with the North

A human rights conference has stirred up defensive attitudes in the South Korean media this week. Can discussing human rights be threatening ?. It can if you think such discussions are 'undiplomatic' concerning the North, or are a deliberate weapon in a propoganda war. Such points have been forcefully rebutted by an editorial in the right wing press more from the Chosun Ilbo... Other media have also noted the protests more from the JoongAng Daily

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Tajikistan - I wish I was in the land of cotton...

Cotton, 'white gold', is the number one cash crop for Central Asian states but in Tajikistan you'd be richer if you grew potatoes and less likely to bothered by oppressive state policies like forced labour. A recent report has suggested the regions dependance on a single cash crop actually fosters a less free society as the state runs a plantation style economy more from EurAsianet...

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Azerbaijan - a cleaner army

Having borrowed money from the IMF Azerbaijan has to clean up his act as far as corruption is concerned. A good excuse for a purge then ? Some suspect recent anti-corruption drives are more politically motivated more from the IWPR...

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Greece - counting workers that count

The Greek government has the same worries over immigrant workers as the rest of the EU but recently reported studies have put the issue in perspective. They show immigrants earn less than Greeks but contribute more to national insurance schemes. Mostly young they also use less social services - for now more from the Kathimerini Daily News...

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Spain - early warnings

The legalisation scheme Spain has adopted for immigrant workers is not the first in the EU but it will have the biggest impact. Not all member states are happy about that. Italy and Belgium have tried similar small-scale schemes in the past but this latest policy will effect hundreds of thousands of workers who can then work anywhere in the EU. Germany and the Netherlands want more 'warning' of that sort of thing more from the EU Observer...

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China - challenges not opportunities.

You might think, from reading news items on outsourcing in the US and Europe, that one place that would have a good word for globalization would be China. That doesn't seem to be the case though. The huge growth in it's economy has been built on trade but the mainstream media paint a rather nervous picture of an encircled China. In fact, the news seems to echo many of the critics of globalisation who fear it will erode the powers of national goverments and undermine local cultures. Maybe Naomi Klein is doing some work for the Peoples Daily more from the People's Daily...

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Kyrgyzstan - election news not free or fair

This year will see both parliamentary and presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan as the first post-Soviet era President stands down. The recent variously coloured revoltions further West seem to have set the government thinking...and velvet doesn't feature. Press restrictions have been reported in the run-up to the polls more from IRINNews Some also see this as a trend towards a more authoritarian grip on state power symbolised by improving relations with Russia more from EurAsianet...

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Turkey - normalising with the neighbours

One, little mentioned, feature of the EU accession talks with Turkey is that relations with it's neighbours would have to be 'normalised'. However, Turkey has a closed border with Armenia...which isn't all that normal. This dates from 1993 and Armenia's conflict with Azerbaijan and was meant to encourage Armenian withdrawal from captured territory. Now it's an obstacle that has to be discretely removed (if public opinion will stomach it). Since Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have all been recognized by the EU as part of the EU neighbourhood policy (for relations with states that may join one day) some think they may all view Turkey in a less threatening light and these unresolved issues may finally settle the regions borders. more from EurasiaNet...

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Greece - unorthodox clergy

The Greek Church promotes a strict moral code, e.g. a clear line on the sinfulness of gays. Some leading Churchmen seem to be making the news for other reasons though. Trial fixing, art theft, drug dealers and 'dodgy clubs' all feature in recent lurid headlines in the Greek media more from the Kathimerini...

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France - not working late

Thousands of French workers have been protesting at government plans to scrap the 35 hour week. Is it really the thin end of the dreaded 'flexible economy' wedge ? The Socialists certainly think so. Despite the changes in the law not effecting the full quarter of workers who are in the public sector they are drawing a line in the sand, confident that 70% of the public will back them more from the BBC... However, France has been running a bigger overdraft than EU rules allow and unemployment is hitting 10% so it's time for some difficult choices. The rest of Europe, Germany and Italy especially, are looking on still more from the BBC...

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US - outsourcing is collar colour blind

The North West of the US has been mulling over the impact of globalisation recently. Does it it raise all boats equally or just all yachts ? Statistics seem to show the overall impact is small, only a couple of percent of job losses can be put down to outsourcing. That doesn't make it any less painful if you're one of those who lose out, especially if you're a white collar worker who thought their job more secure than most, but a recent article has pointed out that the government has choices other than knee-jerk protectionism. Many jobs are being lost, not to cheaper countries like China or India but to more productive countries like Canada, Sweden and the UK. If the US wants to compete it will have to match other rich countries investment in education, and that does include China and India more from the Seattle Times... It may also be getting harder to blame, for example, the Chinese for these problems as a recent survey seems to show more Americans view China favourably than they did 10 years ago (the reverse of the Japanese survey quoted yesterday)and like the idea of cheap Chinese imports still more from the Seattle Times...

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Japan - thinking long term about China

Relations may be strained now but since China's rise is inevitable, say some observors, Japan best think hard about how to improve them. In an interesting variant on the 'rise of China' prophecy a recent opinion piece in the Japanese media pointed out that China may not be as monolithic as it once was and sources of contention may not always be guided by the states deliberate policy, e.g. the suggestion is that neither the submarine incursion or the drilling disputes over mineral rights were on the direct orders of the Chinese political leaders. In which case, while calling the government to account, it is ultimately in Japans interest to make more effort to attract those, from this more fragmented China, who are more 'internationally minded' more from the Asahi Shimbun...

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China - the golden thread

With China in the WTO other members cannot impose tariffs to keep out cheap textiles but the Chinese have imposed their own export tariffs. A clever move to make the domestic market play for the future. If Chinese designers can compete globally those tariffs won't matter but, some commentators point out that it will be other developing nations that will pay the price more from the Asia Times...

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Georgia - government shaken by tragic death

The accidental poisoning of the Georgian Prime Minister has marked a difficult week for Georgia Zurab Zhvania had played a key role in the success of the new government, both in winning power and attempting to push through a programme of unifying the country and rooting out corruption more from EurasiaNet... His death, following a car-bombing on Wednesday that killed at least three people, has unsettled many who think his political skills will be sorely missed still more from EurasiaNet...

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Turkey - balance in the bazaar

Can Turkey's high tech economy be given a kick start by foreign investment ?. Bill Gates thinks so, as the government has found a nice spot in Istanbul for folk like him. Turkey is trying to both catch up with more advanced economies and also stay ahead of cheaper competition from places like China. So, tax incentives and a new development zone are being offered to tempt companies into 'Tecknokent' Turkey's Silicon Valley more from Zaman Daily... At the same time more traditional industries, like textiles, are still being sheltered by quotas to keep out too many cheap Asian imports still more from Zaman Daily...

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Albania - keep it clean

The Albanian tourist trade has not been helped by recent news of the militaries chosen storage site for chemical weapons - a field 40km from the capital. The WMD potential of 16 tonnes of deadly and unsecured chemicals has attracted the attentions of others though, especially the US more from the IWPR...

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