guardian.co.uk Politics:
British peer says she will show she is the best person for the job of European foreign minister over the next few months and yearsEurope's eight-year quest to establish a simpler and more democratic regime came to a dramatic climax last night when the Belgian prime minister, Herman Van Rompuy, and British peer Cathy Ashton (Read More)
The Guardian:
After a turbulent 500 years it is understandable – I sometimes feel like putting my feet up too – but it is a mistakeIt's not true that last night's appointments at the EU's Brussels conclave are without historic precedence. When the Italian politician Signor Caligula was president of the European commission during one of t (Read More)
The Guardian:
British peer Cathy Ashton receives cautious welcome to EU role from international relations experts in China, Russia and IsraelProfessor Feng Zhongping, director of the Institute of European Relations at the Chinese Institutes of Contemporary International Relations"She is quite popular outside Europe because of her positio (Read More)
The Guardian:
European newspaper front covers showing Herman Van Rompuy New European Council President and Lady Cathy Ashton the new EU Foreign Policy Chief
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The Guardian:
Pay no attention to the Eurosceptics. Cathy Ashton's posting as EU 'foreign secretary' is a major post-Lisbon developmentThe chorus of ill-informed and patronising calls of "Who?" that have greeted the appointments of the Belgian prime minister, Herman Van Rompuy, as the new long-term president (really chairman) of the Euro (Read More)
The Guardian:
On today's WashPost op-ed pages, Jim Comey and Jack Goldsmith, who worked in the Justice Department under GWB, defend Eric Holder's decision and say that in fact it's military tribunals that don't work that well:In deciding to use federal court, the attorney general probably considered the record of the military commission (Read More)
observer.guardian.co.uk:
Europe and Russia are embroiled in an escalating contest over Ukraine ‑ its direction, its stability, and its alliances. Diplomats, analysts, and EU officials are warning that the situation could worsen sharply within weeks, in an early test of Catherine Ashton's crisis management skills.The new EU foreign policy chief will (Read More)
guardian.co.uk Politics:
David Miliband says UK needs more time to shore up Afghan government The Afghan government could fall within weeks if Nato pulled out troops now, David Miliband warned today as he urged British opponents of the war to give the fight to rebuild the country more time.In an interview with the Guardian at the end of a visit to (Read More)
New York Times:
After spending $53 billion for relief and reconstruction in Iraq since 2003, the U.S. is concerned that Iraqis won’t be able to maintain the facilities once the Americans have left.
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The Guardian:
The mood in Brussels is bleak as experts agree politicking has triumphed over ambition in the appointment of two new leaders, writes Ian TraynorEurope's hopes of translating its economic power into global political clout have suffered a severe setback as a result of the timid choices on new leadership made this week, analys (Read More)
The Guardian:
By forcing a flawed model of democracy on Afghans, the US has made Afghanistan less stable and less democraticThe fiasco of the elections in Afghanistan has been widely lamented. Most laments focus on a single obvious fact: by winning a new term through fraud at the polls, President Hamid Karzai has weakened his legitimacy, (Read More)
The Guardian:
Ineluctably, a worm is turning deep inside President Barack Obama's policy of constructive engagement. Mr Obama needs something, somewhere to go right. He has filled audiences in Berlin and Cairo with hope. He has deployed his rich family history to shine a beam on all manner of problems. But there comes a point where visio (Read More)