EU - enforcing the rules

The EU is threatening to act on a novel clause in the accession agreement with Bulgaria and Romania to delay their entry to the EU by one year to 2007. The clause allowed the delay if insufficient progress had been made on meeting EU standards - both countries have been criticised over levels of corruption more from the EU Observer...

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Japan - softly softly censure

Just because Japan's neighbours are not rioting doesn't mean Prime Minister Koizumi can continue to visit the Yasukuni shrine in peace - resentment still simmers, and not just in China. South Korea's Foreign Minister did come to Japan this week but made it clear the shrine still causes offence. Some Japanese papers have pointed out the continuing negative effects this issue seems to be having more from the Asahi Shimbun...

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S.Korea - revolting farmers

The EU isn't the only place that's unwilling to open it's agricultural markets, S.Korea is also not keen to increase it's rice imports, even though rice from China would be very much cheaper. Under WTO rules not abiding by an agreement to increase imports by the end of this year would allow rice exporting countries to take action. Farmers and left wing politicians are outraged at the idea and are willing to get physical over the passing of such legislation more from the Joong Ang Daily... Some commentators have pointed out that since S.Korea lives by trade it'll be impossible to block such a move without ruining their own export industries more from the Korea Times...

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Tajikistan - no dice for Rice

Condoleezza Rice's recent visit to Tajikistan has not been well received in the media. Official sources have concentrated on links to Russia and China while opposition groups were also underwhelmed. They have claimed her rosy picture of multi-party politics is unhelpful wishful thinking more from EurasiaNet...

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Turkey - sticks and stones

Another lawsuit has been brought in Turkey against the writer Orhan Pamuk. This time it's for defaming the Turkish military. You might think the army would be big enough to take some harsh words from a writer but the Chairman of the Turkish Lawyers Association would not agree. He see's Pamuk's comments as demeaning Turkey, it's people and it's armed forces more from Zaman Daily...

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Greece - fruits of office

After nearly 20 years of rule by the Socialists the New Democracy party garnered popular support by promising to fight corruption. The results have not impressed everyone. Media reports are starting to complain that initial success is not being followed up more from the Kathimerini Daily...One journalist seems to have taken matters a bit far by offering a bribe to try and catch an official on the take still more...

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EU - making the cut

As the EU Commission President visits the White House all sorts of positive noises are being made about agreement on the cuts to agricultural subsidies that need to be made if the WTO 'Doha' round is to complete. In fact domestic pressures mean neither side is really in a position to make cuts. On the EU side the member states - like France - leave the Commission with no room to go beyond the cuts already proposed and deemed inadequate more from the EU Observer...Since all members have to agree to the new WTO rules to complete the round it's in everyone's interests to give ground - but only at the last minute more from the BBC...

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US - "bastardization" at the State Department

A former Chief of Staff at the US State Department under Colin Powell, Larry Wilkerson, has gone public with his views on why it's all going badly, foreign policy wise. It's that Rumsfeld-Cheney axis that's to blame, apparently. While not criticising the President or Republican ideology there is plenty of flak for the guilty men who subverted the normal decision making process on National Security issues. Anyone who remembers another former Marine Corps officer at the State Department during a previous war, who was very handy with a photocopier, (Daniel Ellsberg) will wonder if Wilkerson has more to say and if this is just an opening shot more from the Washington Post... A transcript of his speech reveals some amusing comments on the personalities involved but it's the structure of government, it's checks and balances, that seem to be his main concern more from the New America Foundation... Also, the fact that Rumsfeld and Cheney are from the business world seems to him significant - that the bottem line is not the bottom line when lives are at stake.

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Japan - fences to mend

Japan's relations with China continue to be difficult as the Prime Minister's visit to a controversial shrine is once more cited as the reason for halting a fence-mending trip to China. With the inaugural East Asia Summit due in December Japan's Asian neigbours are reported to be increasingly nervous more from the IHT...

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China - bouncing baby bids

You can buy all sorts on China's E-bay (Eachnet) but a baby boy will cost you twice as much as a girl. Police are investigating potential child trafficking online. It could all be a hoax but at $3,600 for a boy it seems a bargain more from the BBC...

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Armenia - complementary

Armenia, as a former Soviet state, has kept up close ties - especially military ties - with Russia. As peace with Azerbaijan is hinted at this may change. Some observers think a choice will have to be made between NATO and Russia more from EurasiaNet...

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EU - more plans

The EU is expanding at the same time as doubts about the whole project are growing among the voters in the founding countries - time for Plan 'D'. This 'confidence building' project has been suggested by the EU Commission but some fear it's a bit late in the day more from the EU Observer...

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China - are weeks still Golden ?

China has certainly been booming but the record growth has been dependant on foreign trade - some estimate as much as 70% of China's economy is accounted for by exports. The Chinese themselves are record savers and faced with dropping prices in many areas are not spending enough to kick start domestic demand. The governments solution in the past decade has been to create more holidays in the hope people would spend more. However, having hundreds of millions of people all travelling at the same time in these 'Golden Weeks' has created it's own problems more from the China Daily...

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Kazakhstan - time to talk

The OSCE is meeting in Kazakhstan to discuss media freedom in Central Asia. There should be plenty to talk about. Will they also be discussing their hosts new legal restrictions on demonstrations during the upcoming elections ? Or the harassment of opposition politicians and NGO's ? Human Rights Watch certainly hopes so more from Reuters...

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Turkey - flu

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found among poultry in Turkey and a cull is under way now. Although a global outbreak is possible co-ordinated action by governments can stop it's spread. The outbreak is thought to have been spread by wild birds from China, Mongolia and Russia more from the BBC... Those farmers whose livestock are destroyed face the loss of many years of investment still more from the BBC...

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Greece - naming convention

Greece and neighbouring Macedonia can't agree on a new name for the new state as 'Macedonia' is already the name of a Greek province. A UN brokered deal was rejected by Greece along with threats of a further price to pay if FYROM holds out. It seems a veto on EU and NATO membership is a possibility more from the Kathimerini Daily News...

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EU - funding globalisation

The EU commission is attempting to breath life into the old idea of 'compensating' member states hard hit by globalisation. Would that be the rich member states then ? New Europe certainly thinks so and rejected the last attempt to set up a fund whose strict rules seemed to count against new members and favour the older states, perhaps by design - a 7 billion Euro slush fund to keep French and Dutch voters happy ? more from the EU Observer...

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US - Bush polls poorly

George Bush may have been mistranslated when he was quoted as saying God had told him to invade Iraq but that sort of talk of divine inspiration doesn't usually do any harm at the polls at home. The trouble is, the polls at home aren't so good any more - only 40% of those asked recently seem to think he's doing a good job....or maybe that's Job. The religious right - the cause of so much suspicion in Europe - are annoyed that their favoured candidates are not being put up for the Supreme Court, while conservatives who are looking for the rolling back of the state are appalled at the amount of big spenders that seem to be running the show (as well as at the whiff of corruption going with some of that spending). That doesn't mean anyone will vote for the Democrats though more from Slate... That the 'mission from God' story got so much coverage - I counted 209 related stories in Google News today for 'George Bush +'mission from God'' may be because it plays to negative stereotypes of the US and fears about George Bush in particular. Outside the US perhaps many people are afraid he, and other top members of government and the military, just might be a bit too zealous for comfort more from the Guardian...

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Japan - not happy with the SOFA

Given it's strategic location, three quarters of the land area used by US military bases in Japan is in Okinawa. 80% of the people in the prefecture, by some estimates, are not happy with this 'burden'. As leases on some bases come to an end pressure is building to move them elsewhere, not just to other sites in Okinawa more from the Japan Times...

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China - mission statements

Five-Year Plans, set by secret session of a Central Committee, may seem a strangely old-fashioned Stalinist method of running the new China. Are they now more like strategy reports for the corporate board. The aims of the 11th plan are expected to include a move towards "green GDP" growth and measures to tackle the widening gap between rich and poor. Both of these are noted by many commentators as threatening social order and the Communist Parties grip on power more from Reuters...

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Uzbekistan - the persuaders

Local NGO's seem to now be seen as a US fifth column in states where authoritarian styles of government are enforced. Uzbekistan is now seeing a number of examples of NGO's being 'persuaded' to shut down. Any hint of foreign funding, rather than obvious political involvement, seems to make them a target for pressure more from EurasiaNet...

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Turkey - hearts and minds

After the nail-biting start to talks with the EU Turkey's ruling politicians have been doing some expectation setting at home. Foreign Minister Gul has said there is a rocky road ahead. In recent speeches he has listed the many areas in which the EU expects progress to be made but also a key area in which he expects the EU to do better - winning the hearts and minds of the Turkish people more from Zaman Daily... This could be the major stumbling block as the EU doesn't seem, on past performance, to feel the need to do any winning over. Perhaps the advantages of membership are supposed to be so obvious as to not need it.

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Bulgaria - about face

The new Socialist led government in Bulgaria - the result of months of coalition building with the Turkish Rights and the former ruling centre-right party - has started to rock the boat on some assumptions about 'new' Europe. Support for the US and EU can no longer be taken for granted. It's not clear yet if this reflects a permanent change of attitude more from the IWPR...

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EU - 25 + 1 maybe

Diplomats in the EU will continue talks today to reach agreement on the framework for accession negotiations with Turkey - also due to start today. Austria is holding out for a wording that will allow something less than full membership. Turkey will not attend further talks if this happens. It all seems a bit of a mess, with bad feeling on both sides now. Some observers think a cooling off period, to allow both sides to resolve their own 'issues', may be better than a forced compromise more from the EU Observer...

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US - religion: the wound not the bandage

A recent study, reported in the UK and US media, has examined the question of whether religion and social dysfunction go together. 18 prosperous democracies where ranked by scores for church going and prayer as well as ratings for things like violent crime and child mortality. From the results it looks like the sun doesn't shine on the righteous after all. The U.S. has the largest percentage of people who take the Bible literally and also has by far the highest levels of murder, abortion, teen pregnancy etc. more from the LA Times... This was one of the LA Times recent 'most e-mailed stories' so I can imagine Blue state mail software buzzing as 'I told you so' notes are sent to Red state cousins.

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Japan - High Court shrine action

A court in Osaka has ruled, as part of a case involving relatives of conscripted WWII soldiers, that Government officials are banned from "religious activity" - like visiting the Yasakuni shrine - as it broaches the separation of state and religion. Prime Minister Koizumi may be pondering the ruling. He has previously ignored such judgements and says his visists are to pray for peace more from the BBC.... The nature of this particular shrine means it's the source of a good deal of media coverage still more from the BBC...

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