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 USA | UK | China | Middle East | India | Blogorama | Energy |
New York Times
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Let the Usurpers Writhe
Roger Cohen
7/2/2009
Cohen says President Obama should refrain from talk about engagement with Iran for awhile because to do otherwise would allow its illegitimate leaders to gloat that the US only respects force and would betray the Iranians who came out for a democratic election to make their voices heard. Cohen then explains the behind-the-scenes machinations that have the current regime worried and scrambling to rebuild power internally and support after the election debacle, while also explaining how religion figures into the election process in a country where legitimacy of a leader is thought to come from God.
Cohen is a New York Times columnist.
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An Affair to Remember
Gail Collins
7/2/2009
Collins looks at the recent developments in the case of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford concerning his trips to Argentina and New York, whether he paid for them with his own funds, and how his constant discussions about the topic are beginning to trouble fellow Republicans. Collins humorously looks at the tradition of having affairs in New York and suggests it might also be a good place for Sanford to work on his marriage for a reconciliation weekend.
Collins is a New York Times columnist.
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When Our Brains Short-Circuit
Nicholas D. Kristof
7/2/2009
Evidence shows that human brains routinely misjudge risks that require forethought. As an example, Kristof compares politicians' overreaction to a proposal to move terrorists to Supermax prisons--from which no one has escaped--to their underreaction to the threat of global climate change. Threats that are imminent get more response from people than those that are off in the future, and people are more responsive to changes that are instantaneous than those that are gradual. He says as long as we acknowledge that we are wired this way and compensate with rational analysis, we can overcome these shortcomings.
Kristof is a New York Times columnist.
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Honduras's Coup Is President Zelaya's Fault
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
7/2/2009
The coup in Honduras this past week is a direct result of the actions of ousted President Manuel Zelaya. Elected as a center-right candidate in 2006, Zelaya declared himself a socialist in 2007 and moved Honduras into the orbit of Venezuela. Honduras joined Petrocaribe and Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America and the Caribbean, both organizations created by Hugo Chavez to broaden his political and economic influence. Zelaya then moved to change Honduran law to allow for his ongoing re-election, a move decried as unconstitutional by every judicial and legislative organ in the country. The coup itself was an unconstitutional act, and the military's pre-emption of the political process has complicated international response and given hope to Zelaya's regional supporters.
Alvaro Vargas Llosa is the editor of "Lessons From the Poor" and director of the Center on Global Prosperity at the Independent Institute.
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For Obama, Court Cases That Matter
David Broder
7/2/2009
Two recent Supreme Court decisions suggest that the body considers the American race question to be largely closed on a national and institutional level. They voted to overturn the New Haven decision, arguing that the failure of black candidates to pass the promotional exam is at this point merely circumstantial and does not constitute a civil rights violation. Likewise, their ruling on the Texas case suggests very clearly that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has run its course and fulfilled its purpose. The president's nominee, Judge Sotomayor, possesses a markedly different view of these same concerns, and her nomination process should produce a lively conversation over the role of race in American law.
Broder is a twice-weekly columnist for The Post, writing on national politics.
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Russia's Grand Inquisitor
David Ignatius
7/2/2009
At a conference in Moscow entitled "What Does Russia Think?", Russian speakers convened to discuss their country's needs, desires, and struggles which, while significant, are not new. Wrestling with its national identity and the concept of freedom vs. security is classically Russian, going back to the time of Dostoyevsky, the writer whose paradoxical "Grand Inquisitor" offered the people security in exchange for their freedom. Prime Minister Putin is enormously popular among Russians and much discussion centered around him and his czar-like leadership, while President Medvedev was barely mentioned. Russia, where anti-American sentiments are politically foundational, longs to have its national interests validated, yet finds itself unable to define those interests.
Ignatius is a twice-weekly columnist for The Post, writing on global politics, economics and international affairs.
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Time for an Israeli Strike?
John R. Bolton
7/2/2009
With the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps controlling Iran and regime change looking unlikely, the case for Israel to use military force against Tehran is being made. The author is critical of President Obama's continued commitment to "engagement" with Iran, noting that Tehran's notorious dishonesty and the progress it's already made in nuclear proliferation would make even the most stringent sanctions ineffective. Bolton also criticizes the president's backup plan, which is to allow Iran to have a "peaceful" nuclear power program. Such a concept is unrealistic given Iran's aforementioned dishonesty and has little margin for error. Time is short, and Israel can not wait for dubious negotiations to drag on before it must decide what action to take against the Iranian regime.
The writer, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, was US ambassador to the United Nations from August 2005 to December 2006 and is the author of "Surrender Is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad."
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Russia Is Back on the Warpath
Cathy Young
7/2/2009
Young states that while the possibility may seem insane, the Russian media is abuzz with speculation about an imminent war in Georgia, less than a week before Obama's trip to Moscow. Some Western analysts are voicing similar concerns: the risk of renewed conflict is real. Young considers the Kremlin's motives and suggests that a crushing victory in Georgia would depose its Saakashvili, whom the Russians hate. Moreover, it would give Russia control of vital energy transit routes that could weaken its hold on the European oil and gas markets, humiliate the US, and distract Russians from their economic woes. She concludes that the West must reaffirm its support for Georgia immediately.
Young is a columnist for RealClearPolitics.com and the author of "Growing Up in Moscow" (Ticknor & Fields, 1989).
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Has Obama Turned on Israel?
Alan M. Dershowitz
7/2/2009
With many supporters of Israel wondering what kind of threat Obama's policies may pose to Tel Aviv's security, Dershowitz reflects on the issues that dominate American-Israeli relations, namely settlements, rockets, and Iran. He argues that getting tough on settlement expansion should not be confused with undercutting Israel's security. However, supporters of Israel should watch for changes in Obama's policies that could weaken the security of the Jewish state. With Iran's burgeoning nuclear threat, Dershowitz concludes that it's important to be vigilant for any signs of weakening support for Israel's security--and to criticize forcefully any such change.
Dershowitz is a law professor at Harvard. His latest book is "The Case for Moral Clarity" (Camera, 2009).
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Michael: The Last Celebrity
Daniel Henninger
7/2/2009
Michael Jackson was, in a particular sense, the last celebrity. He rose to fame in the 1980s when there was no World Wide Web and we didn't have myriad cable TV stations, says Henninger. Now, however, celebrity has lost its meaning. In a world run by marketing, innumerable media outlets overflow with people who are famous or anyway familiar. But these people aren't real celebrities. Reality TV has taken nobodies and turned them into somebodies. More incredible still in Henninger's view is that politicians are being restocked as celebrity inventory.
Henninger writes 'Wonder Land' for the Journal.
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Fuel Standards Are Killing GM
Alan Reynolds
7/2/2009
Reynolds considers what is needed for GM to survive. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards that Obama intends to enforce will be highly counter-productive, but regardless of how much damage the rules do to GM and Chrysler, Americans will continue buying fast vehicles from foreign car companies. These standards might just be another foolhardy regulatory nuisance--if they weren't likely to imperil any automaker overly dependent on the uniquely overregulated US market. Reynolds concludes that a higher gas tax is a better way to get green cars on the road.
Reynolds is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author of "Income and Wealth" (Greenwood Press, 2006).
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Financial Times
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Debt is capitalism's dirty little secret
Ben Funnell
6/30/2009
The only people who have really benefited from lightly-regulated capitalism are the elite, writes Funnel. Elite wealth has grown by staggering proportions, but the reason why there has been no revolution is that debt has allowed the rest of us to maintain living standards at artificially high levels. The question now is whether the debt load--currently $53,000bn in the US--can be lowered without sinking the economy. This will require many years of saving and lower economic growth, with inflation likely to reappear at some point. Funnel says we shouldn't abandon the capitalist economic model, as it is still the best one we've got, but we must learn to live within our means while also acknowledging that there are structural problems in Western economies that are going to require structural solutions.
The writer is an asset manager at GLG Partners.
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It is time for hard choices on defence policy
Max Hastings
6/30/2009
Both of the UK's major political parties lack a cohesive defence policy, writes Hastings, so it is just as well that the Institute for Public Policy Research has just published an outstanding document called "Shared Responsibilities: A National Security Strategy for the UK". The report was authored by highly respected and knowledgeable defence mandarins and makes some intelligent but controversial calls, such as an increase in army numbers at the expense of the proposed £20bn F-35 Joint Strike Fighter scheme. Hastings is not convinced by the report's suggestion that the UK should strengthen military ties with Europe, as the idea is probably not viable. Despite its intelligent suggestions, he expects the document to be overlooked by the Labour government, though he is hopeful it may cause David Cameron's Conservatives to sit up and take notice.
The writer is an FT contributing editor.
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Chinese exports could crush fragile markets
Ben Simpfendorfer
6/28/2009
It is understandable that plenty of attention has been given to the ever-strengthening G2 relationship between China and the US, but Simpfendorfer says we mustn't lose sight of the impact of Chinese trade on developing countries. China's exports to emerging economies have surged, and it recently overtook the US as the world's largest exporter to the Middle East. This may be good news for China, but it has meant factory closures and concern elsewhere, notably in India. Simpfendorfer says this adds even more weight to the argument for a stronger renminbi to help level the playing field, as many governments in the emerging markets do not have sufficient fiscal resources to pay unemployment benefits or to fund economic reform.
The writer is chief China economist for The Royal Bank of Scotland and author of "The New Silk Road".
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Do not count on the Tories winning just yet
Niall Ferguson and Glen O’Hara
6/29/2009
Most commentators assume that David Cameron's Conservative party will win the next UK general election, but the authors argue that this may not necessarily be the case, even with the governing Labour party seemingly in its death throes. People may well be sick and tired of the Labour party now after 12 years in office, but when Labour overthrew the equally unpopular Conservatives in 1997 their rating was far higher at the polls than the current Conservative opposition. Mr Cameron's party suffers from being perceived as an English party (rather than a British one) in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and they have also lost votes to greens, nationalists, and other minority parties at recent local and European elections. So while Mr Cameron may be in pole position, an election victory is not a foregone conclusion.
Niall Ferguson is Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard. Glen O'Hara is Senior Lecturer in History at Oxford Brookes University.
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King does not have a monopoly of wisdom
Philip Stephens
6/29/2009
The demand by the governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, that the Bank be given more power is unlikely to have gone down well with the UK chancellor of the exchequer, Alistair Darling. Stephens says that Mr King needs reminding that his performance throughout the financial crisis hardly recommends him as a person who should be given greater control over the country's finances. There is probably little difference between the views of Mr King and Mr Darling on fiscal policy, but Mr King needs to learn when to make his views public and when they might be better kept private. A little humility from Mr King rather than his usual brazen self-confidence might have been a better idea when speaking in front of the chancellor at the annual Mansion House dinner yesterday.
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Chinaview
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China bars use of virtual money for trading in real goods
Chinaview
6/27/2009
China has unveiled the first official rule on the use of virtual currency in the trade of real goods and services to limit its possible impact on the real financial system. The most popular Chinese online credits are "QQ coins" issued by Tencent. com, which has at least 220 million registered users. In China, the virtual money trade topped several billion yuan last year after rising around 20 percent annually.
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Int'l financial, monetary systems need reform
Yang Lei, Chen Gang
6/26/2009
Yu Yongding, former Chinese central bank advisor, urged reform of international financial and monetary systems. He said the US economy is going to raise some 3.8 trillion US dollars in debt in the next five years. An increase in the debt and balance sheet of the Federal Reserve has led to concerns in some quarters about the stability of the dollar as a store of value.
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More Chinese firms plan NYSE floats
Bi Xiaoning
6/27/2009
Two Chinese companies have made waves on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with their recent floats, giving new life to the moribund global IPO market. Yang Ge, chief representative with NYSE's Beijing representative office, estimated that more than five Chinese companies will go public in the US in the second half of the year, with more following suit next year. According to Yang, the "A+N" model, meaning dual listed in China and the US, would offer more options for Chinese companies.
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Reform on the road
China Daily
6/26/2009
The use of government cars needs to be reformed. Chinese government spending on car purchases was 80 billion yuan in 2008, and use and maintenance amounts to around 300 billion yuan a year. The only way to prevent this vicious cycle from happening with government car reform today is for the higher authorities to have a strict and transparent audit of local finances, notes the writer.
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You can doubt the quality of the recovery, but you can't doubt the recovery
Economic Observer
6/22/2009
The majority of high-level Chinese government officials believe China can solve its problems while developing. However, not all problems can be solved while the economy is in the midst of development. As the economy gradually begins to recover, the government should actively attempt to resolve a variety of problems, including excess capacity, energy conservation, environmental protection, and financing social insurance.
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ynetnews.com
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Agreements must be honored
Dov Weissglass
7/2/2009
Weissglass protests the Obama Administration's denial of an Israeli agreement with Bush regarding settlement housing construction. He points out that the December 2003 public speech of Ariel Sharon set out the precise conditions of the agreement and of Israel's undertaking and that the Americans did not protest. The agreement is recorded in Israeli diplomatic records. Agreements must be honored by both sides.
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The cost of corruption
Bassem Eid
7/1/2009
Eid discusses corruption in the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas government in Gaza. Passports are in short supply in order to raise the price. Millions are spent on salaries, but there was no money to provide an office for his brother, sworn in as Minister of Jerusalem affairs in the Fayyad government.
The writer is the founder and director of the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group based in east Jerusalem.
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Kurdish leaders are drunk with power
Michael Rubin
7/1/2009
Rubin comments on upcoming Kurdish regional elections in Iraq and the political situation there. Kurdistan has descended into corruption, nepotism, and tyranny. Kurdish voters are disaffected. The ruling Barzani family is worried and has been trying to tamper with the elections. Kurdish elections may generate a revolt similar to the one in Iran.
Michael Rubin (www.michaelrubin.org) is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.
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Elmaleh's case echoes our liberal limits
Michael Young
7/2/2009
Young laments the Hezbollah intimidation that forced the cancellation of French Jewish comedian Gad Elmaleh. He notes that while some Jews such as Norman Finkelstein are lionized, others "don't make the grade." Hezbollah has set itself up as a Lebanese censor, backing its opinions with violence. The real battle in Lebanon between liberal opinion and its opponents has not been decided.
Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR.
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Prepared by the MidEastWeb News Service
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India and the Sub-Continent >>
The Indian Express (India)
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Don't ban it, question it
Javed Anand
6/30/2009
In recent years, the West--home to the bikini and the miniskirt--has shown increasing discomfort at the presence of the burqa in its midst. The looming terror threat has added a security dimension to the burqa ban demand. Yet many are fiercely opposed to a ban. Forcing women not to wear the burqa is nothing short of replacing one form of oppression with another, one form of paternalism with another, runs the argument. But, says Anand, a bright spark from India offers the best route out of this bind: don't ban the burqa, question it.
The writer is co-editor of "Communalism Combat" and general-secretary, Muslims for Secular Democracy.
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No two party system in India
Atul Cowshish
6/25/2009
While analysts continue to harp on the wide gap between the number of seats won by the Congress and the BJP--the two "main" parties in India--the tally notched up by the rest cannot be described as insignificant, says Cowshish. In a country where politics is now also established as a family business, the smaller parties are not moving towards oblivion. These parties will never morph into a monolithic unit--that would be against their nature--but fade they will not.
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Is Britain the new 'great Satan' in Iran?
Hasan Suroor
6/30/2009
While no doubt Britain has been stung by the Iranian attacks, nobody is really surprised. After all, the two countries have a long history of hostility going back to the 19th century, says Suroor. Even before the current crisis, London and Tehran were barely on talking terms as Britain led a belligerent campaign against Iran's controversial nuclear program and joined the US and Israel. For them, diplomatic relations have been strained for decades.
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Democracy and development
Muhammad Zamir
6/27/2009
The very question of the ability of democracy to deliver on citizens' needs and expectations has gradually emerged as a major challenge across the world. Development partners all over the world are now re-examining their experiences over the past decade. It is this factor that led the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance to carefully examine the nexus between democracy and development, says Zamir. This exercise has led them to carry out dialogues with partners in Latin America, in the Arab world, and in South and Southeast Asia.
Muhammad Zamir is a former Secretary and Ambassador.
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Nukes for peace
Khalid Iqbal
6/29/2009
Pakistan has a national consensus regarding the necessity of its nuclear assets and the requirement for a flawless physical security and operational safety of these possessions. The nation needs nuclear weapons because the region is nuclearized and it needs to counterbalance India's overwhelming predominance in the conventional regime. Hence, any arms reduction proposition in the Pak-India context has to be a composite nuclear-conventional package, says Iqbal.
The writer is a former air commodore.
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Honour our fighting men
Syed Mansoor Hussain
6/29/2009
A significant portion of Pakistan's "conservative" political establishment is still in the thrall of the Taliban and holds its religious philosophy close to heart. But religion must be separated from politics. Moreover, Pakistanis badly need heroes and role models, says Hussain. It is time to provide them with real heroes and role models to replace the false ones made available to them by religious extremists in the past. It is indeed an opportunity for the mandarins of the media to explain and demonstrate to the young what the real "jihad" and martyrdom are all about.
Syed Mansoor Hussain has practiced and taught medicine in the US.
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Caring for the poor
Shahid Javed Burki
6/30/2009
The problem Pakistan faces today has two dimensions. The state needs to assist the poor to meet their basic needs. And it needs to engage the young in productive work. An answer to this problem was provided in the budget, says Burki. Islamabad is adding additional resources to a number of programs aimed at alleviating poverty as well as providing relief to the poor. Much of the effort will be focused on a relatively new mechanism created by the present government, called the Benazir Income Support Programme.
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Media Besieged by Taliban in Pakistan
Zafar Sopoori
6/26/2009
The Taliban's attitude towards the media in the Swat valley poses an alarming threat and terror to Pakistani journalists, says Sopoori. A climate of fear and self-censorship has turned this valley into one of the world's most dangerous places for journalists. Unquestionably the prominent reason behind rising violence against the already throttled media in the valley is the alarming surge in the Taliban movement, who has used every possible instrument of torture and terror to gag any independent and liberal voices, including the abduction and killing of journalists.
The writer is a freelance journalist and social activist.
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Mighty dragon in the sea
Thomas Mathew
6/23/2009
Despite declarations of friendly ties between India and China, there is a hidden distrust of each other. China would not welcome a competitor in India, so New Delhi has to guard against the dragon in the water, says Mathew. India is critically dependent on the Sea Lines of Communication for economic growth and its energy needs. India would also have to build a stronger navy to prepare for the impending competition for natural resources. Unfortunately, it may already be getting too late for India.
Mathew is Deputy Director-General, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi.
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Mr Karat, please admit you were wrong on N-deal
Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar
6/28/2009
Global analysts were completely wrong in seeing the Indo-US nuclear deal as a commercial triumph for the US military-industrial complex. In India, the Left Front said the nuclear deal would make India a junior partner of the US. Some Indian scientists opposed the deal fearing it would lead to US dominance in India's nuclear power plants. Yet, this was always untrue, says Aiyar. The Bush administration may have pushed through the deal with India, but the nuclear establishment there will continue to treat exports to India with caution.
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Blogorama >>
The World Affairs Blog Network - Cuba
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Which Latin American country matters most?
Melissa Lockhart
6/28/2009
Lockhart asks why Cuba garners such high levels of attention from Latin American countries, the US, and the EU when Brazil is the superpower of Latin America. She says the answer is ideological. Cuba receives more attention because America opposes its political system and treatment of human rights and because much of Latin America and the rest of the world support the revolution's symbolism.
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Coup in Honduras
Fausta Wertz
6/28/2009
President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras was arrested and brought to a base on the outskirts of the capital, Tegucigalpa. The author is liveblogging the coup with constant updates. She says Zelaya was detained shortly before voting was to begin on a constitutional referendum. He had insisted on holding the vote even though the Supreme Court ruled it illegal and everyone from the military to Congress and members of his own party opposed it.
Wertz is a Forbes business and finance network blogger.
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Definite and indefinite endings
TigerHawk
6/27/2009
Obama is preparing an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely. The author notes that wars only have "definite" endings in retrospect. Eventually the war on terror will end. When that day comes, there will be very little legal basis to detain jihadis at Gitmo or wherever they may be held, and we should release any who pledge not to take up arms again. However, that will not happen for decades.
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I can see Tehran from my house!
Michael Winship
6/27/2009
Winship recounts the story of Secretary of State Seward's purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. He says the treaty was signed remarkably fast for the era. He then compares the time politicians had to discuss issues back then with today's 24 hour news cycle and the instant decisions it demands. Regarding the situation in Iran, Obama is right not to make a hasty decision based on emotion. History is made by those who are ahead of public opinion, not by those who blindly follow it.
Winship is senior writer of the weekly public affairs program Bill Moyers Journal, which airs Friday nights on PBS.
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Russia's energy quest moves to Africa
David Abraham
6/26/2009
Abraham tracks Russia's new initiatives in trying to become a key global commodity supplier. However, Russia's domestic and international ambitions are bound by the lack of funds and a tight global credit market. With commodity prices low, Russia's ambitions will need to be scaled back. But as prices rise, so will the country's ability to follow through.
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Widespread or Systematic Attack Directed Against Any Civilian Population
JimWhite
6/26/2009
The author contends that US torture of detainees has not only been used against terrorists, but against regular people as well. He says thousands of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan have been detained, many of them have been tortured brutally to the point that over a hundred have died with many of these deaths classed as homicides. The abuse at Abu Ghraib was not about a few incidents, but rather a systematic pattern of torture as directed by US policy.
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Reports: Rafsanjani Has Enough Support to Remove Khamenei
Michael van der Galien
6/25/2009
Behind the scenes, Khamenei's arch rival Ayatollah Rafsanjani is believed to be working to remove the Supreme Leader and is even reported to be considering abolishing the post of Supreme Leader altogether in what would be the biggest constitutional change since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The author says that removing Khamenei may not satisfy the protesters demands, however. Many of them want an end to the theocratic regime. Modernization and other reforms are absolutely necessary but may not suffice.
Michael van der Galien is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of PoliGazette.
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Unimaginable Horror In Tehran Today
Steve Schippert
6/25/2009
Schippert relays an eyewitness account of a government attack that occurred in Baharestan Square in central Tehran. Busloads of protesters were stopped and unloaded from their buses as Basij thugs commenced a massacre with axes, clubs, guns, and gas. The author admonishes the Obama administration for its tepid "wait and see" approach to the demonstrations and suppression. He says the government of Iran must be condemned, not dealt with.
Schippert is the Managing Editor of ThreatsWatch and is the Producer of its FireWatch BTR radio program.
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The 'Neda video,' torture, and the truth-revealing power of images
Glenn Greenwald
6/24/2009
The most galvanizing image from the Iranian demonstrations is the video of female protestor Neda, who bled out after being shot by government troops. Greenwald compares the power of this image with the torture pictures released from Abu Ghraib. He points out Obama's hypocrisy in paying dramatic tribute to the "heartbreaking" impact of that Neda video in bringing to light the injustices of the Iranian government's conduct while simultaneously suppressing images that do the same with regard to our own government's conduct.
Greenwald is the author of the book "A Tragic Legacy."
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Mousavi, Celebrated in Iranian Protests, Was the Butcher of Beirut
Jeff Stein
6/24/2009
Three decades ago Mir-Hossein Mousavi was waging a terrorist war on the US that included bloody attacks on the US embassy and Marine Corps barracks in Beirut. Stein quotes former CIA and military personnel who claim that when Mousavi was Prime Minister, he oversaw an office that ran terrorist operatives abroad, from Lebanon to Kuwait to Iraq. Mousavi believed in Khomeini's theocratic vision and actively pursued the revolution agenda.
Stein is an investigative reporter specializing in US intelligence, defense and foreign policy issues.
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Gen. McChrystal has not lost his mind
Uncle Jimbo
6/23/2009
The top US general in Afghanistan, McChrystal, will soon formally order US and NATO forces to break away from fights with militants hiding in Afghan houses so the battles do not kill civilians. The author says that in the short run this could lead to more US casualties, but McChrystal is taking the "long war" view. This might be the only way to stop the cycle of violence and advance to the type of neighborhood-based strategy we used in Iraq.
Uncle Jimbo is a retired special operations master sergeant.
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Chatham House Study Definitively Shows Massive Ballot Fraud in Iran's Reported Results
Juan Cole
6/23/2009
An authoritative study from a UK think tank shows that the official statistics of the presidential election in Iran prove that election fraud has taken place. Cole says Khamenei has effectively made a coup, which threatens to abolish popular sovereignty. That is what Mousavi and Karroubi and their followers are objecting to so vehemently. From the outside, Iran was often depicted as a totalitarian state, but from the inside it seemed to have wriggle room. The reformers are saying that the regime has just moved toward really being a totalitarian state and is now removing any space for dissent.
Cole is President of the Global Americana Institute.
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IRAN: Islamic Republic
Alexandra Zavis
6/22/2009
The author contends that the Islamic Republic is at a turning point. So far the dispute is still between factions of the leadership, but depending on what happens it may begin challenging the basis of the Islamic Republic itself. The strategic decision that Rafsanjani has to make is if he does not join the Islamic regime that is in power today, then his fate is locked with the fate of the opposition movement. He is waiting to see where is the center of gravity in these unfolding events and then he will decide where to go.
Zavis is a reporter for the LA Times.
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Watching Poverty Grow
Rashid Malik
6/19/2009
Almost 75% of Pakistanis live on an income below two dollars a day. Access to healthcare is difficult and expensive. For the large majority, government hospitals are the only resource and they are far and few. The amount of Rs. 6.48 billion allocated for the health sector is insufficient. More than half of the Pakistani population is illiterate. The allocation of a meager 0.8% of aid for education is pathetic. Generations of Pakistanis are condemned to a lifetime of hard labor on empty stomachs to pay for the war, army, ministers, senate, and parliament, says Malik.
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Energy >> |
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Dallas Morning News
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Security case for a national energy plan
Dallas Morning News
6/19/2009
America's energy choices affect its troops on the ground, its foreign policy options, and the nation's overall economic well being. Not only does America's oil consumption trend cost the US important leverage internationally, its entire economy is unnecessarily susceptible to economic shock. The US military could be important to the energy transition and should be a prominent player in any comprehensive energy strategy. The military could provide valuable real-world testing for energy-saving technologies that could be adapted for commercial use. The Internet, for example, started as a Defense Department project in the late 1960s. Military bases are essentially small cities; efficiencies learned there could be adapted to the broader population. Not to mention, of course, the shooting wars fought in places where one key strategic consideration is maintaining the flow of foreign oil to the US. It stands to reason that less oil needed reduces the need to fight.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-energy2_0622edi.State.Edition1.27cc69c.html
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Ethanol can fuel America's future
John Block, Clayton Yeutter, and Mike Espy
6/18/2009
We produced 9 billion gallons of ethanol in 2008, accounting for 7 percent of our gasoline sales. In doing so, we eliminated the need for more than 300 million barrels of imported oil. That's the equivalent of halting oil imports from Venezuela for 10 months or halting all oil imports for 33 days. It also saved us $30 billion. We still import about 70% of our oil at a cost of about $475 billion a year. Through greater reliance on biofuels, we can accelerate our own production, thereby creating jobs while simultaneously reducing our trade deficit. Promising research suggests that we'll soon be using feed stocks from products such as wood chips, agricultural waste, and even trash, while we also benefit from increasing productivity in corn ethanol. We should be wary of studies challenging the merits of ethanol, for many (if not most) of them have evaluated production processes that are now obsolete. Farmers worldwide have the production capability to provide both food and fuel, and they're prepared to do so if governments give them a fair chance. But will we not soon reach a situation where forests must be destroyed in order to open up additional cropland? Not in the view of the authors, who are all previous secretaries of agriculture. There is still a lot of land globally that could be farmed but is not being so used today for economic or other reasons. And even if we assume that no additional land is brought into production, the use of biotechnology and modern farming practices should double worldwide grain production by 2030.
John Block served as secretary of agriculture under President Ronald Reagan. Clayton Yeutter served as secretary of agriculture under President George H.W. Bush. Mike Espy served as secretary of agriculture under President Bill Clinton.
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Entrepreneurs Will Reinvent GM's Castoffs
Rep. John Campbell
6/18/2009
Saturn was truly an American innovation with a great concept, rethinking how cars had been built and sold over the previous 50 years. But Saturn was an entrepreneurial idea, smothered inside one of the world's biggest nongovernmental bureaucracies--GM. The one area where Saturn remained true to its mission, however, was at its retail-dealer level. Roger Penske is now buying this legacy. He wants an excellent, dedicated and creative dealer body through which to sell and service cars. Penske is already the distributor in the United States for the Smart car (built by Mercedes), which has demonstrated significant success. He will have the option of having other manufacturers build Saturn branded cars and/or sell other brands with the promise of Saturn treatment and service. Suppose an upstart electric car company wanted national distribution for its cars. Perhaps Saturn would be a good place to get that. Or suppose Peugeot, Renault, or other foreign automakers wanted back in the US market. Saturn stores could prove to be a ready and willing conduit. This sort of "Best Buy" of car retailing, or "contract manufacturing" instead of a company owning the plants that build its cars, is a new and untried concept in the car business. It's risky, but it just might work.
Rep. John Campbell is a second-term congressman representing California's 48th district.
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The Big Chill
Pete Du Pont
6/19/2009
Congress shouldn't fight global warming by freezing the economy. The Manhattan Institute's Jim Manzi concludes that the benefits of Waxman-Markey would not be much--the costs would be ten times the benefits. The cost of reducing emissions turns out to be greater than the cost they impose on societies. According to Charles River Associates, by 2025, just 16 years from now, the cost of natural gas would rise 56%, electricity 44%, and motor fuel 19%. Annual household purchasing power would annually decline by an average of $1,827 and America will lose 3.2 million jobs. There are alternatives. Many government subsidies actually encourage carbon emissions by reducing the cost of energy from coal and petroleum. Eliminating them would be a good first step in letting the market, as opposed to the government, control energy emission costs. Nuclear power is the only emission-free energy technology that can significantly reduce carbon emissions, but the government has made the construction of nuclear plants almost impossible. Energy development and creation have been essential to America's success over the past several centuries, and they are important for America's future. But the Obama-Waxman-Markey legislation has it backwards. By reducing energy availability, their proposals would kill jobs, reduce purchasing power, shrink the economy, and raise the cost of every fuel we use. We need nuclear power, more oil and gas to support our increasing energy needs, and a clear understanding that depriving us of energy, as this bill would do, would be a very substantial mistake.
Mr. Du Pont, a former governor of Delaware, is chairman of the Dallas-based National Center for Policy Analysis.
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Bullets and Barrells
Thomas L. Friedman
6/20/2009
Oil is a key reason that democracy has had such a hard time emerging in the Middle East, except in one of the few states with no oil--Lebanon--because once kings and dictators seize power, they can entrench themselves, not only by imprisoning their foes and killing their enemies, but by buying off their people and using oil wealth to build huge internal security apparatuses. Therefore, the big question in Iran today is: Can the green revolution led by Mir Hussein Moussavi and backed by masses of street protestors do to the Islamic regime what Ayatollah Khomeini and the Iranian people did to the shah's regime--break its spell so all its barrels and bullets become meaningless? Having voted with their ballots, Iranians who want a change will have to vote again with their bodies. A regime like Iran's can only be brought down or changed if enough Iranians vote as they did in 1979--in the street. Any real moderation of Iran's leadership would have a hugely positive effect on the Middle East. But we and the reformers must have no illusions about the bullets and barrels they are up against.
Thomas L. Friedman is a three-time Pulitzer prize winner and a columnist for the New York Times.
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Climate Trap
New York Times
6/15/2009
Without the enthusiastic participation of China and, of course, the United States, negotiations in December in Copenhagen aimed at writing a new global agreement to replace the expiring 1997 Kyoto Protocol are almost sure to fail. The old trap is the two countries hiding behind each other so that neither would have to do anything difficult or expensive. This dance has to end. Washington's leverage over Beijing is not great. Its best option, by far, is to set a positive example: to press ahead with Mr. Obama's initiatives, to keep investing in cleaner technologies, to enact meaningful legislation. This may not be enough to get the Chinese to do what's necessary, but it will take away an important excuse.
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