News Nuggets 528

A cowboy riding the plains of West Texas late last summer.  From National Geographic.

The New Rules: The Battle for Islam's Soul (Thomas Barnett) from the World Politics Review
"Beginning with the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the West has viewed the Middle East and North Africa primarily through the lens of radical fundamentalist political movements. That perspective has narrowed our strategic vision ever since, conflating Shiite with Sunni, evangelicals with fundamentalists, Persians with Arabs, Islamists with autocrats, and so on. But recent events in Tunisia and Algeria remind us that the vast bulk of history's revolutions are fueled by economics, not politics. In this, the struggle for Islam's soul is no different than that of any other civilization in this age of globalization's rapid expansion. "

Protests in Egypt and unrest in Middle East – Live Updates from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Cairo a 'war zone' as demonstrators demand president quit.  Protests continue in Tunisia and Lebanon"

Superpower and Upstart: Sometimes It Ends Well (David Sanger) from the New York Times
"… while no official would dare say so publicly as President Hu Jintao bounced from the White House to meetings with business leaders to factories in Chicago last week, his visit, from both sides’ points of view, was all about managing China’s rise and defusing the fears that it triggers."

The Broken Consensus: America's Contested Primacy (Eric Edelman) from World Affairs Journal
"The National Intelligence Council’s November 2008 report, Global Trends 2025, argued that “the international system—as constructed following the Second World War—will be almost unrecognizable by 2025 . . . [It] will be a global multipolar one with gaps in national power continuing to narrow between developed and developing countries.” This conclusion represented a striking departure from the NIC’s view in 2004 that the United States was likely to continue its dominance of the international system.  What changed in four short years?"

Between America and China: A 'Balance of Financial Terror' (Editorial) from Der Standard [of Germany in English]
"The Bank of China holds more than $2 trillion in foreign currency reserves. Just as China has no interest in allowing the yuan to appreciate by ten percent, as the U.S. demands, it also has no particular desire to send the dollar into a tailspin with all sorts of crises. Both of these actions would result in enormous losses."

India's Doctrinal Shift? (Nitin Gokhale) from The Diplomat
"The Indian Army is undertaking its first strategic transformation in more than two decades. And it has its sights firmly on China"

GOP Lawmakers Planning Meeting to Explore Alternatives in Afghan War from the Huffinton Post
"Three Republican lawmakers who have been outspoken on the war in Afghanistan are trying to push their party to start debating alternative policies and will be convening a meeting next month to start the debate."
I'm sure Dick Cheney isn't happy about these renegades.

British Economy Suffers Shock Contraction in Fourth Quarter by Reuters via CNBC
"The Office for National Statistics said that Britain's economy would have struggled to register any growth in the fourth quarter even without any snow disruption."
Deficit hawks in the US need to take note of this!

GM Selling More Cars in China Than US from the Associated Press via Huffington Post
"General Motors Co. sold more cars and trucks in China last year than it did in the U.S., for the first time in the company's 102-year history."
This is FANTASTIC NEWS!  One of the biggest problems US automakers have faced over the decades has been making cars that appealed largely just to US consumers [see the Hummer] rather than for a GLOBAL market.  This hopefully signals a clear shift towards that global audience.

DISPATCHES FROM THE BUSH POSSE!!
Bush White House Broke Election Laws, Report Says from the New York Times
"The Bush White House, particularly before the 2006 midterm elections, routinely violated a federal law that prohibits use of federal tax dollars to pay for political activities by creating a “political boiler room” that coordinated Republican campaign activities nationwide, a report issued Monday by an independent federal agency concludes."
No surprise.  Now what?

Mapping the State of the Union from the Daily Beast
"As Obama prepares to address Congress, The Daily Beast wondered what the 20 top State of the Union speeches of the past century would look like as individual Word Clouds. VIEW OUR GALLERY."
The "gallery" is a little lame -- but the list is interesting.

What Comes After No? from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"Now that House Republicans have muscled through a symbolic repeal bill, they will have to deliver their own alternative plan. Don’t expect much."

Senate Makes Headway on Rules Reforms from Politico
"There’s no deal yet on how to change Senate filibuster rules, but Democrats and Republicans are finding common ground in two other areas: ending the practice of so-called secret holds and smoothing the way for presidential nominees."
I guess something is better than nothing.

Ronald Reagan, the anti-Reaganite (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the Los Angeles Times
"100 years after his birth, Republicans clearly still venerate his memory, but they have moved so far to the right that his actual record wouldn't live up to their ideals."

Court Orders Rahm Emanuel’s Name Back on Chicago Mayoral Ballot from Raw Story
"Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel will be included on upcoming ballots as a candidate for Mayor of the City of Chicago, The Chicago Sun-Times reported."
This is SOOO Chicago!!  It's almost funny to contemplate the behind-the-scenes arm-twisting that must have gone on over the last 24 hours.

NY-Sen: Senator Surprise (Michelle Cottle) from Newsweek
"New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand was once dismissed as an undeserving political lightweight. Now, with two big legislative wins, her star is suddenly on the rise."
Interesting profile.  I had considered her a lightweight when she was appointed.  Guess not.

SURFING NUGGET!!
The Night Rider: Daredevil Surfer Who Lights Up Monster Waves in Pitch Darkness: VIDEO from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"It's perhaps not surprising that surfers have a reputation for daring that borders on madness - always pushing themselves and the boundaries of their sport in search of the biggest wave, the most thrilling run. But big-wave rider Mark Visser has now taken the sport into new territory after he took on 30ft monster waves off Maui - in pitch darkness."
The video is pretty amazing.