Word: fight
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Merkel faces a re-election fight in September. Her main opponents are her current partners in government, the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Both parties will be measured by their response to the financial crisis. An early test comes on Jan. 18, when the first of several key state and municipal elections takes place in Hesse. According to polls, Merkel's CDU has a good chance of beating the SPD. It was against this political backdrop that Merkel this week dropped her vehement opposition to cutting taxes, under pressure from allies within her conservative alliance. "The people expect tax relief," said...
...most powerful woman - when the financial crisis hit, Merkel seemed to wilt, clueless as to how to respond. But now she is moving out in front again, showing that Germany is keen to play an active role in resolving international crises. Germany was quick to supply troops to fight pirates in the Gulf of Aden, and Merkel has been urging a cease-fire in Gaza and has taken the lead in European efforts to deflate the gas war between Russia and Ukraine. Germany is not worried about going without heat - its gas reserves cover about 25% of its annual...
...global recession, Putin probably feels he has much to gain by trying to jack up gas prices and [get] badly needed revenues flowing into state coffers again," says Fabio Liberti, an expert on Russo-European affairs for the Institute of International and Strategic Relations in Paris. "Meanwhile, picking a fight abroad to distract and provoke public opinion when things look bad at home is a common political ruse - especially by Putin...
...fulfill Israel's main condition for ending its offensive: rendering Hamas incapable of firing missiles into Israel, through either military defeat or an effective arms embargo. And while Israel hasn't officially accepted the Sarkozy-Mubarak plan, its response to the proposal contrasts with its earlier vows to fight on. "Israel welcomes the initiative of the French President and the Egyptian President to bring about a sustainable quiet in the south," said Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev on Wednesday afternoon. "In principle, we have fundamental agreement. Our commitment is to make that framework, and make it succeed...
...there has been little sign of massive fight-to-the-finish confrontations. Retreating to remain intact in the face of a heavily armored enemy force supported by air power is a well-established part of the guerrilla-warfare playbook. The fact that so much of Hamas' military capability has not yet been committed to the confrontation underscores the fact that its leadership is not feeling desperate. Hamas leaders believe their key weapon is the mounting pile of civilian casualties and inevitable humanitarian crisis that accompanies military action in a densely populated urban setting. The longer the Israeli military operation endures...