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Most Russians consider the current state of affairs in the relations with the United States of America strained. The index has reached its peak since 2001. Only four percent of the polled said that the relations between Russian and the USA were normal. The Western style of democracy was destructive for Russia, 46% of Russians said

Plenary sessions : A comprehensive long-term approach on migration and asylum policies, in cooperation with third countries, as well as immediate delivery on agreed urgent measures, must take centre stage at Thursday’s meeting of EU leaders, said MEPs in a debate with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Luxembourg's presidency representative Nicolas Schmit on Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

So John Kerry sat down and had a conversation Professor Graham Allison
And I think you know what always perplexes me is, I mean, we’ve been through Oslo, Wye Plantation, Madrid, countless negotiations. Most people I talk to have a pretty damn good sense of exactly what has to be done and where it goes. It’s a question of making the judgments and having courage to go there. And so we’re not finished. We have another 16 months in this Administration, and I can assure you we’re going to stay engaged and continue to try to work through these issues, because there are options and there’s a better other side of the current conflict that we’re witnessing.But while Kerry informs us that he is one of those who know exactly what has to be done, and what peace should look like, one really has to wonder.

Keep in mind that Kerry is coming off an "understanding" with Iran that is based on a variety of unilateral concessions that the US and the West have made to Iran.


Is that the kind of deal that Kerry sees Israel making with Abbas?

After all, like Iran, Abbas is not known for keeping his agreements. Just recently, Abbas conveniently found the Oslo Agreement to be null and void -- after pocketing the gains.

The troubling thing is that when you think about it, there are some questions that need to be asked of Kerry about what seems to feel are relevant to a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs -- and what isn't:

• Is terrorist group Hamas going to be part of this peace deal? If not, is Abbas really going to go ahead with this. And will Hamas really just sit back and watch?
  
  
• Speaking of Abbas, does Kerry's vision of a peace agreement really depend on Abbas, who is in the 11th year of his 4th year term as president of Palestine.
  
  
• And does peace really include a peace partner who names stadiums after terrorists who kill Israeli civilians?
  
  
• Under a peace agreement, will Abbas be required to stop spending millions on stipends for Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons?
  
  
• Can Kerry point to any sign that Abbas has actually encouraged peace with Israel during all these years -- that would be helpful, no?
  
  
• Even putting aside the current Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israelis, can Kerry point to any indication that the Arabs living in the West Bank want peace? Are there any polls that indicate a sizable majority view the idea favorably?
  
  
• As mentioned earlier, is Israel really supposed to make those hard choices Kerry talks about for an agreement with someone who arbitrarily chooses to abrogate the Oslo Agreement that helped bring him to power null and void?

Just What Does John Kerry's Idea of Israel-Palestine Peace Look Like?
 Credit: Business Insider
Is Kerry just going to rush -- once again -- into an agreement where there is no foundation or preparation to ensure its success?

Or was the Iran Deal just practice for another huge concession to the Islamists?



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Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza and Abbas and Iran.

Does postponing her first trip to China for "important matters" mean tax cases imminent?

Danes are known for being fastidious about appointments. So it’s a really big deal that Margrethe Vestager, the EU competition commissioner, has cancelled her first trip to China. She was supposed to be there on Thursday and Friday.

The commission admits that something is up: “Due to important matters requiring her presence and full attention in Brussels, the commissioner will have to postpone the visit to China,” said a spokesperson.

We may be reading too much into these runes at the Brussels Blog, but there is a clamorous army of lawyers in Brussels simultaneously saying that we are reaching endgame in the landmark tax avoidance cases involving Fiat, Starbucks, Apple and Amazon.

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Plenartagung : Der Präsident des Europäischen Parlaments Martin Schulz verurteilte die Bombenanschläge in Ankara: „Dieser brutale Terroranschlag auf friedliche Demonstranten war ein Anschlag auf die Demokratie“. Er äußerte sich besorgt über die Eskalation der Gewalt und die zunehmende Polarisierung in der Türkei im Vorfeld der Parlamentswahlen.

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2015 - EP

Le porte-avions russe Amiral Kouznetsov (Source : RIA Novosti) Mistrals / Egypte : DCNS et le ministère égyptien de la Défense ont signé le 10 octobre dernier le contrat portant sur la vente des deux BPC ex-russes à l'Egypte. Les deux bâtiments (dont...

Plenartagung : Vor rund einem Jahr haben die EU und die Ukraine ein Assoziierungsabkommen ratifiziert. Die EU-Abgeordneten diskutieren am Mittwoch (14.10.) mit EU-Justizkommissarin Věra Jourová über die jüngsten Entwicklungen. Erwartungsgemäβ werden die Ergebnisse des Pariser Gipfels vom 2. Oktober zwischen Frankreich, Deutschland, Russland und der Ukraine thematisiert werden sowie die bevorstehenden Kommunalwahlen in der Ukraine. Einen Überblick des Ukraine-Konflikts finden Sie in unserer Zeitleiste.

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2015 - EP

BUK-M1 Missile System

Dutch investigators took to analyzing the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 after it was shot down over Ukraine by what was suspected to be a BUK anti-aircraft missile. The Netherlands took the lead in the investigation and collection of wreckage from the contested region in Eastern Ukraine as many of the victims were Dutch nationals, the plane departing from Amsterdam that day. Dutch analysts came to the conclusion that the plane indeed was struck by a missile from a BUK anti-aircraft system that showered the  left side t of the airplane with distinct bowtie-shaped shrapnel. Fragments pierced the skin of the aircraft as well as the left windscreen, directly injuring part of the crew from the blast. Criticisms were made over not taking appropriate precautions such as warning airliners to avoid flying over that region of Ukraine. While the investigation concluded that the plane was hit by an older version of the BUK missile, it only specified that the missile was of Russian design, but not that the shooters were part of Russian, Ukrainian or rebel forces.

Some of the initial impressions of the shoot down of MH17 concluded that a BUK missile likely did hit the plane, but suspicions of a Ukrainian SU-25 type ground attack aircraft bringing down the airline were also raised by critics. However, the maximum altitude of the SU-25 is restrictive and it often carries few air-to-air missiles. The investigation concluded that an older BUK missile, a type 9M38 or 9M38M1 was the missile used to bring down the Boeing airliner, and that other air-to-air missile types present in the region would not have matched the forensic patterns found on the wreckage of MH17. Another criticism was raised that perhaps the BUK system was used by Ukraine itself, since much of the Ukrainian army uses older Russian and Soviet weapons systems.  Russia claims to have withdrawn the older BUK system years ago from its own armed forces, and while there is suspicion on both sides of the conflict, the location of the BUK at the time of impact places the onus on rebel forces according to most investigations.

While the technical aspects of the BUK attack shed some light on how the aircraft was shot down, it does not give a clear answer as to who shot it down or the motivation for firing on a civilian airliner. Neither Ukraine, Russia nor the rebel forces have much to gain by shooting down an airliner full of Dutch, Malaysian and other international citizens, and claims by either side of a conspiracy to create such a tragedy on purpose holds little weight. It is most likely the case that the airliner was shot down due to ignorance, negligence and a radar system on the BUK that could not distinguish what kind of aircraft MH17 was. It would be logical for the leaders of the country that ordered the BUK into the region to make the crew and commanders liable for the attack in court, as prolonging the absence of justice for the victims of MH17 does nothing to improve the reputation of the parties involved in the shooting. Unanswered crimes will simply maintain a rift in European-Russian relations for generations and create the catalyst for more victims of senseless crimes between nations.

The Indian Air Force recently agreed to purchase Apache, pictured, and Chinook helicopters from Boeing. The deal, valued at around $3 billion, is the largest defense contract closed by the government of Indian Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: thehindu.com

Good relations between the United States and India, the world’s largest democracy, are crucial to stability in South Asia. The two countries took significant steps toward a stronger defense partnership in recent weeks, but major challenges still lie ahead.

At the end of Sept. 2015 the Indian Air Force finalized the purchase of 37 helicopters from U.S.-based Boeing, in a deal worth $2.5 billion (Foreign Policy reports the price at $3 billion). This deal was 2 years in the making, and is the largest defense contract reached by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government; it is believed to have an option to add 15 additional helicopters at a later date.

In 2012, while a deputy in the Defense Department, current Defense Secretary Ashton Carter developed the U.S.-India Defense Technology Trade Initiative, a broad-ranging series of joint defense projects. But development stalled for three years. Now, thanks to renewed emphasis from Modi’s government, things seem to be moving forward. Four short-term projects are underway, and discussions were arranged to explore longer-term efforts related to aircraft carrier and jet engine technology cooperation.

What’s more, on a visit to India earlier this year Carter signed a 10-year defense framework agreement to renew bilateral commitments. According to Sylvia Mishtra of the India-based Observer Research Foundation, “Defence ties are one of the brightest spots in the tapestry of cooperation between India and the U.S.”

Yet, as with many large-scale defense arrangements, there is some discord. One of the short-term Defense Technology Trade Initiative projects, concerning design and delivery of drones, has been delayed amid reports the units failed to meet Indian military specifications.

Looking at U.S.-India defense relations from a strategic perspective, there may be a larger-scale problem, which Foreign Policy‘s Akriti Vasudeva writes is “something historically emblematic of U.S.-India relations: mismatched expectations.” Vasudeva goes on to say that while with Defense Technology Trade Initiative represents a statement of commitment to strategic closeness by the U.S., India may not see it that way. Given the volatility of its relations with Pakistan–furthered by Pakistan’s recent defense ties to China–India may be hesitant to appear too closely linked to the U.S. (it also has defense relationships with Russia, Israel, and France).

The U.S. and India should have common strategic goals for keeping the peace in the region. What role India will play, or wants to play, in doing so is unclear. But coming to an understanding on this issue may help both nations better manage expectations and help get the defense projects back on track.

Créés pour assurer la formation générale des engagés volontaires de l’armée de Terre, les centres de formation initiale des militaires du rang (CFIM) se réorganisent afin de pouvoir répondre à la nouvelle politique de recrutement.

Premier site à accueillir le nouveau dispositif d'insertion professionnelle, le centre de service militaire volontaire (SMV) de Montigny-les-Metz ouvre ses portes.

Le 8 octobre 2015, le mandat du GTD Chimère s’est achevé après 4 mois d’opération dans la bande sahélo-saharienne.

Le 3 octobre 2015, deux Mirage 2000C de la Base aérienne (BA) 115 d’Orange et deux Mirage 2000D de la BA 133 de Nancy-Ochey ont été convoyés par C135 vers Niamey dans le cadre de la relève du Détachement chasse (DETCHASSE). Les 5 avions se sont rejoints au-dessus de la mer Méditerranée direction Dakar afin d’y faire une courte escale. Au cours de cette mission, les aéronefs ont été ravitaillés à trois reprises par le C135 du  groupe de ravitaillement en vol Bretagne de la BA 125 d’Istres. Moins de 24 heures plus tard, les équipages étaient déployés au Niger – sur base de Niamey, intégrant ainsi le dispositif de la force Barkhane.

Provides an overview, basic information and key events for this west African country.