The Londoner

By Kim Sengupta Britain and France will today announce a landmark defence alliance ranging from military operations in land, sea and air to nuclear weapons. David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy will sign two declarations during a summit in London paving the way for the sharing of an aircraft carrier, sending a joint military force into battle, working together on cyber warfare and developing warheads for nuclear missiles. The British Prime Minister and the French President are said to have been personally involved in driving forward the agreement – to be ratified into a treaty after parliamentary approval – which, it is claimed, will lead to considerable savings in economically straitened times in a variety of fields, from the cost of research to maintenance of equipmentto wage bills for personnel. The two countries account for almost half of defence spending and 70 per cent of the research and development by the European Union, as well as providing more than 55 per cent of operationa

By  Janet Daley More than three centuries ago, the residents of America staged a rebellion against an oppressive ruler who taxed them unjustly, ignored their discontents and treated their longing for freedom with contempt. They are about to revisit that tradition this week, when their anger and exasperation sweep through Congress like avenging angels. This time the hated oppressor isn't a foreign colonial government, but their own professional political class. In New York last week I was struck by the startling shift of mood since my last visit, during Barack Obama's first year in office. This phenomenon took varying forms, of course, depending on the political orientation of my interlocutor, but the underlying theme of despair and disgust was almost universal. Liberal Democrats (who hugely outnumber most other factions in that city) were despondent and disappointed with the collapse of Obama's popularity. A few of them (remarkably few, actually) were ready to blame this

Glenn Beck is the darling of the right wing  On Sept. 12, a large crowd gathered in Washington to protest ... what? The goals of Congress and the Obama Administration, mainly — the cost, the scale, the perceived leftist intent. The crowd's agenda was wide-ranging, so it's hard to be more specific. "End the Fed," a sign read. A schoolboy's placard denounced "Obama's Nazi Youth Militia." Another poster declared, "We the People for Capitalism Not Socialism." If you get your information from liberal sources, the crowd numbered about 70,000, many of them greedy racists. If you get your information from conservative sources, the crowd was hundreds of thousands strong, perhaps as many as a million, and the tenor was peaceful and patriotic. Either way, you may not be inclined to believe what we say about numbers, according to a recent poll that found record-low levels of public trust of the mainstream media.  At any rate, what we can say with c

In a year and half,  Mr Johnson  will be in the final days of his battle with Ken Livingstone to win re-election as Mayor of London. It would be catastrophic for Mr Johnson, and for the  Tory  cause in London, if he could be painted by Mr Livingstone as a mere  Cameron  stooge, meekly obeying the heartless diktats of Downing Street on housing benefit and on many other things too. The chances are that in the spring of 2012, when the pain of the spending cuts will still be more apparent than the gain, the Conservatives will be deeply unpopular. The Cameron-Osborne strategy is designed to ensure victory at a general election in 2015 , by which time several years of belt-tightening will have given way to the wonderful prospect of tax cuts. Mr Johnson is naturally not going to sit idly by and let himself become an unlamented victim of this masterplan. He knows he can only win in 2012 by showing that he is a more redoubtable champion for London than Mr Livingstone would be.

From Daily Telegraph Mr Gorbachev, who pulled Russian troops out of Afghanistan in 1989 after a 10-year war, said the US had no alternative but to withdraw troops. "Victory is impossible in Afghanistan. [Barack] Obama is right to pull the troops out. No matter how difficult it will be," he told the BBC. Mr Gorbachev added that as the Soviets prepared to withdraw from Afghanistan, the US was training militants, "the same ones who today are terrorising Afghanistan and more and more of Pakistan". He said that because of this, withdrawal would be more difficult. "But what's the alternative - another Vietnam? Sending in half-a-million troops? That wouldn't work." His comments came amid news that Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, will attend a Nato summit next month, to discuss plans for Russian forces to return to Afghanistan. Nato officials said Russia had agreed to sell helicopters to Afghanistan and provide training. Moscow will allow

Related Posts: 1.  Why United States & NATO Are Not Winning In Afghanistan? 2. Barack Obama Has Successfully Alienated Everyone 3. America Will Start Leaving Afghanistan in June 2011 – Implications of Initial Surge & Eventual Withdrawal On Pakistan? 4. Distinction between Afghan Taliban & Pakistani Taliban -- Are The Two Groups Fighting For Different Causes? 5. Pakistan - Facing Contradictory Strategic Choices In An Uncertain Region