The Associated Press

(The AP)--China has been the "most egregious violator" of a worldwide arms embargo, providing Sudan with the vast majority of its small arms and weapons used for mass murder in Darfur province. . .

The arms and also political support are being swapped for access to the African country's oil reserves, according to a report issued on the eve of the Summer Olympics in Beijing. . .

Recognizing fast-developing China's need for energy, William Hartung, a veteran foreign policy analyst and author of the report for… more

Reihan Salam and Ross Douthat lean heavily on it in their recently published book, Grand New Party.

In an interview, Salam defined "Sam's Club Republicans" as working class voters without a college education who are anxious about the economic future of themselves and their children and looking to government to help ease those concerns. Ignoring their needs would cost the GOP, he said.

"What's happening now is Republicans are in danger of losing the middle-class suburbs," Salam said. "When you lose… more

Satellite Strike Struck Diplomacy, Too (The article appears on websites of Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Tribune and FOX News.)

...Missile shields are one reason Washington has long resisted efforts in Geneva to negotiate a comprehensive treaty banning weapons in space. Some U.S. shield designs even envision using orbiting systems to knock out missiles. And the Americans aren't alone.

"Hit-to-kill" technologies are spreading, to China, Japan, Israel and India, for example, noted Jeffrey Lewis, an arms-control expert at Washington's… more

No blows likely over Kosovo split, but chill between Russia and West seen deepening (The Associated Press)

...Detaching Kosovo from Serbia will likely aggravate disputes over a host of sensitive security issues ranging from missile defense to NATO membership for the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine.

"There are several different issues coming together that's what makes it so dangerous," said Anatol Lieven, a Russia expert who is a professor at King's College London and a senior fellow of… more

Google CEO Named Chairman of Think Tank (The Associated Press)

Eric Schmidt, the chairman and chief executive of the world's largest search engine, needs to update his profile on the company Web site.

If he doesn't, his new chairmanship at the New America Foundation won't show up if Schmidt Googles himself.

On Thursday, the Google chairman and CEO became chairman of the Washington think tank whose various issues include telecommunications and technology policy.

His unpaid position will be… more

Airwaves Sale Is Payoff for Digital Move (The Associated Press)

Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at the New America Foundation, said, "It's quite likely the D block will have to be re-auctioned without the reserve price."

Foreign Investments Spur Concern on Hill (AP article appearing in Forbes and BusinessWeek) The flow of funds from overseas could bolster the U.S. dollar, and sovereign wealth funds are the type of long-term investors that can stabilize the financial markets, said Doug Rediker, co-director of the international finance group at the New America Foundation. ...

The Assosciated Press published a review of the surge in loan elimination in private schools for middle- to upper-class income students, and quoted Michael Dannenberg, Education Program Director with the New America Foundation.

... Michael Dannenberg, a scholar at the New America Foundation, notes that's also approximately the figure Congress spent this year to cut student loan interest rates from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent -- for the whole country. ...

Ultimately, however, other factors will play a much bigger role… more

President Bush once talked bullishly about Middle East peacemaking. He would "ride herd" on recalcitrant leaders, picking up the telephone whenever necessary and helping produce a long-elusive agreement.

In truth, Bush has been more a sporadic speaker than engaged enforcer during his seven years in office.

This week's peace conference is an effort by his administration to step more deeply into trying to help settle one of the world's most intractable conflicts. Two key questions are how much Bush himself will become… more

U.S. defense officials have signaled that up-to-date attack plans are available if needed in the escalating crisis over Iran's nuclear aims, although no strike appears imminent.

The Army and Marine Corps are under enormous strain from years of heavy ground fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Still, the United States has ample air and naval power to strike Iran if President Bush decided to target nuclear sites or to retaliate for alleged Iranian meddling in neighboring Iraq.

Among the possible targets,… more