Terraced rice fields in China. From National Geographic.
The Israel-Turkey Imbroglio (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times
"I sense some Israeli realization at last that this course — the terror-propagating Gaza sardine can, the ad-hominem outrage of the reaction to the Goldstone report on Gaza, the facile recourse to disproportionate force, the repetitive “no Palestinian interlocutor” complaints, the too spin-doctored slogans of constant existential threat — leads only to a dead end. Israel can do much better."
Actions Belie Turkey's 'Zero Conflict' Policy (editorial) from the Japan Times
"By supporting Hamas, Erdogan has allied Turkey with the most disruptive and extremist fundamentalist force in the Muslim Arab world — an organization that has its origins in the Muslim Brotherhood, the archenemy of all Arab regimes in the region (including, of course, Syria). Since Erdogan is a critic of Israel, Arab rulers cannot say this openly. But Arab governments — and their security services — are beginning to ask themselves whether Turkey's policies will undermine whatever internal stability their states possess."
As I've noted before, I think the Turkish government has badly miscalculated on their efforts to appeal as an arbiter of mid-east power politics. One has to seriously ask, why would they want to become embroiled in this region in the first place? For decades, they had occupied an enviable place of stability and neutrality quietly observing this area constantly teetering on the brink of all-out regional war. They had no real "skin" in the game, and no one related to them as if they did -- to their benefit I think.
Now, however, once they become the focus of one group's attention, what's predictable is that another group will show up to make them regret it. And, it's not as if they are going to up their own "ante" in the mid-east -- they're not going to commit game-changing weapons, soldiers or big-time bucks to what's happening there. All their actions will demonstrate is their LACK of real commitment. In this part of the world, with decades of empty-bag rhetoric from most of the muslim leaders there, folks there can usually spot show-boating when they see it. What good can come to Turkey if all their leaders accomplish is to join this seemingly never-ending parade?
Resistance Land (Andrew Tabler) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Hezbollah's new tourist park, meant to indoctrinate visitors with the ideals of the Islamic Resistance, may be the latest sign that another war is on the horizon."
The story is quite interesting -- although I am not nearly as pessimistic as the author on what it means. I'm surprised this place didn't make to the "World's Worst Amusement Parks" list from the same publication the other day.
Pity the Poor CEOs (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"All the buzz lately is that the Obama administration is “antibusiness.” And there are widespread claims that fears about taxes, regulation and budget deficits are holding down business spending and blocking economic recovery. How much truth is there to these claims? None."
Biggest Defaulters on Mortgages Are the Rich from the New York Times
"The housing bust that began among the working class in remote subdivisions and quickly progressed to the suburban middle class is striking the upper class in privileged enclaves like this one in Silicon Valley. Whether it is their residence, a second home or a house bought as an investment, the rich have stopped paying the mortgage at a rate that greatly exceeds the rest of the population."
Now that the wealthy are catching it in the teeth, maybe now the gov't will take some action.
Kabuki Democracy: Why a Progressive Presidency Is Impossible, for Now (Eric Alterman) from the Nation
"Sure, presidents can pretty easily pass tax cuts for the wealthy and powerful corporations. They can start whatever wars they wish and wiretap whomever they want without warrants. They can order the torture of terrorist suspects, lie about it and see that their intelligence services destroy the evidence. But what they cannot do, even with supermajorities in both houses of Congress behind them, is pass the kind of transformative progressive legislation that Barack Obama promised in his 2008 presidential campaign. Here's why."
Inside the GOP, a Shadow Battle for Control (Eleanor Clift) from Newsweek
As Democrats brace for midterm losses they fear could replay 1994, the real story may be on the Republican side, where a new generation of self-described young guns maneuvers to topple the old-guard leadership.
David Brooks' Neo-Hooverite Plea (Robert Shrum) from The Week
"The conservative N.Y. Times columnist is politely asking Obama to ignore basic economics, ignore the bond markets, and ignore Nobel laureate Paul Krugman — and to please steer the economy into a ditch."
President Obama Deftly Bypasses 'the Party of No' from the Editorial Board of the Baltimore Sun
"Mr. Obama was right to cut through the impasse this week by using his constitutional power to unilaterally fill important offices when Congress is in recess, as it is now. That was the only way to ensure capable leadership at the agency at a time when it is struggling to transform itself in the wake of this year's historic health-care reform legislation. With the appointment, Dr. Berwick will wield all the powers of a permanent appointee, though his tenure will expire when next session of Congress ends in late 2011."
How to Be and Not to Be a Responsible Opposition (Peter Feaver) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Debates about foreign policy will not and should not be suspended just because the country is at war. Nor will the broader partisan political process go on hiatus. The question is not whether there will be debate and disagreement. The question is whether or not it will be done responsibly."
In Search of the Craziest GOP Policy from the New Republic
"Is "one-world government," whereby the United States would cede all sovereignty to a manipulative international force, a real threat to the country? Republican leaders in many states seem to think so: The platforms they've written this year explicitly ban it. This is just one example of the kind of language that's working its way into state Republican platforms this election cycle, perhaps thanks to the growing influence of Tea Party conservatives. TNR searched for some of the most outrageous planks out there. Here is what we found:"
They have only SEVEN examples. They could have gone on for twenty or thirty without working hard.
MEDIA NUGGET!!
Fox News' Arab TV Network from The Week
"Rupert Murdoch is teaming up with a Saudi prince to launch a cable news network for the Arab world. Will Fox News' neo-con leanings pose a problem in the land of Al Jazeera?"
This sounds like one of the biggest, most counter-productive money pits in world media history. But who knows? Part would depend on the sugary non-news content he pared with his rah-rah US blather.
BAD NEWS IN ANCIENT ROME NUGGET!!
As Rome Modernizes, Its Past Quietly Crumbles from the New York Times
"The Eternal City is anything but. Collapses this spring at a couple of ancient sites here caused weary archaeologists to warn, yet again, about other imminent calamities threatening Rome’s precarious architectural birthright.
This kind of neglect drives me nuts!
NUCLEAR MOVIE NUGGET!!
An 'Inconvenient Truth' Film for Nuclear Analysts? from Foreign Policy Magazine
"A new film aims to be the Inconvenient Truth for the nuclear danger. But is terrifying people the only way to get the message across?"
One can only hope that this film might ignite a conscience in the opponents of the new START treaty.
ART NUGGET!!
The Mark of a Masterpiece: The Man Who Keeps Finding Famous Fingerprints on Uncelebrated Works of Art from the New Yorker
"Kemp, a leading scholar of Leonardo, also authenticates works of art—a rare, mysterious, and often bitterly contested skill. His opinions carry the weight of history; they can help a painting become part of the world’s cultural heritage and be exhibited in museums for centuries, or cause it to be tossed into the trash. His judgment can also transform a previously worthless object into something worth tens of millions of dollars."
BOOK NUGGET!!
Dead for a Century, Twain Says What He Meant from the New York Times
"Wry and cranky, droll and cantankerous — that’s the Mark Twain we think we know, thanks to reading “Huck Finn” and “Tom Sawyer” in high school. But in his unexpurgated autobiography, whose first volume is about to be published a century after his death, a very different Twain emerges, more pointedly political and willing to play the role of the angry prophet."
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