DAYEE PICTURE: The Bosque Del Apache in New Mexico. From National Geographic.
Can China Change its Economic Course? (Fareed Zakaria) from the Washington Post
"... many wonder if China’s model of a pro-growth dictatorship is the best path for developing countries. Some have questioned whether Western democracies — with their dysfunctions and paralysis — can compete with China’s long-range planning. Now, as its growth slows to almost half its pace in 2007, the Chinese system faces its most significant test."
Global Attitudes Reflect Shifting U.S.-China Power Balance, Survey Concludes (William Wan) from the Washington Post
"People around the globe believe that China will inevitably replace the United States as the world’s leading superpower, but that doesn’t mean they like the prospect, according to a new study on global attitudes. The survey that the Pew Research Center conducted in 39 countries confirms much of the conventional wisdom in Washington about the shifting balance of power between the United States and China."
This is without doubt my biggest foreign policy bugaboo -- because as I have been chronicling here for several years now, this conventional wisdom is simply bunk. And it's dangerous bunk the more people in the US and China believe it. Make no mistake, China has already arrived as a very big regional player. But a superpower that surpasses the US?! They are many decades away from anything approaching "global superpower" status. An economic superpower -- perhaps. But the fundamental military power, requisite political and economic stability, and willingness to lead on global issues are not there -- and may never be. As I have noted here, power is routinely a product of perception, and the Chinese have been remarkably effective at presenting themselves to the world as a far more advanced, stable country than they really are. The museums story below picks up on the Chinese obsession with "selling" themselves as big players in the world.
Republicans, White House in Talks Toward Big Fiscal Deal from National Journal
"GOP senators and Obama's chief of staff have been meeting for weeks to set a course that might avoid a crisis when America hits its debt limit in the fall."
Richard Cordray Approved as Consumer Watchdog Director: Why You Should Care (Martha C. White) from Time Magazine
"In the brief period of time that the CFPB has been operational, it has done a decent job of fulfilling the simple pledge “to stand on the side of consumers … and see that they’re treated fairly,” as Cordray put it earlier this year."
Trayvon's Death Is an Outrage, But ... (Joe Klein) from Time Magazine
"Thanks to immigration, stronger laws and years of hard work, our poisonous biracial era is ending."
Senate Filibuster Deal An Embarrassment For Mitch McConnell from the Huffington Post
"McCain was there, according to several sources who spoke about private, behind-the-scenes talks on the condition of anonymity, because he and and several other Republicans grew fed up with their own side's stalling tactics and went around McConnell (R-Ky.) to cut the deal with Reid and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), avoiding a "nuclear option" rules change to pass the nominees."
Has the G.O.P. Gone Off the Deep End? (Thomas Edsall) from the New York Times
"Has the G.O.P. Gone Off the Deep End? Disaffected conservatives are increasingly anxious about the ideological intransigence of Republican legislators."
Hispanic Media to GOP: “Cuidado!” (Chuck Todd et al.) from First Read
"If you want to see how big of a potential problem Republicans have with Spanish-language media right now in this immigration debate, look no further than what Univision TV anchor Jorge Ramos said earlier this week."
Marco Rubio Stumbles from Politico
"The very issue Rubio (and Harris) thought would be a game-changing, legacy-builder looks like a big liability for the Florida senator, at least right now. In the process, the self-confident presidential hopeful suddenly looks wobbly, even a little weak, as he searches for what’s next."
Now Issa’s on the Hot Seat (Alex Seitz-Wald) from Salon
"With the IRS scandal narrative imploding, the people who started it will face questions today."
PA-GOV: Pennsylvania Republicans Looking to Push Out Their Governor from the National Journal
"Tom Corbett is one of the most unpopular politicians in the country. Now his own party is turning on him."
Illinois State Senator Barack Obama Led Fight On Racial Profiling from the Huffington Post
"In 1999, a fresh-faced state senator on Chicago's South Side heard constituents complain that police were free to pull over drivers because they were black. So Barack Obama proposed a bill to tackle racial profiling. When it failed, he revised it and proposed it again and again."
Get a Clue, McDonald’s: The Other Insult No One’s Talking About (Paul Campos) from Salon
"McDonald's got heat for telling its staff to have two jobs. Its financial planning advice is even more offensive."
CHINESE MUSEUM NUGGET!!
Museum Forced to Close in China After Claims that Most of its 40,000 Antique Artefacts were Fake from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"The Jibaozhai Museum closed its ticket offices yesterday. It followed claims its extensive collection of ancient relics were knock-offs."
I am SERIOUSLY beginning to wonder -- is ANYTHING you hear about China these days actually true? Or are it's "rise" and assertions of global power largely illusory -- not just a Potemkin village but a Potemkin country, the ultimate in propaganda!?
COMIC STRIP DOCUMENTARY NUGGET!!
“Even If You’re A 300-Lb Black Kid, You Still Wanna Be Calvin” (Andrew Sullivan) from The Dish
"Scott Beggs is super-psyched about the upcoming documentary on the creator of Calvin and Hobbes:"
KITTY LIVING NUGGET!!
From a Luxury Cat Condo to the Dog House! Family Moves their Eight Felines (and Chihuahua) Out of Custom Designed Home and into a Trailer from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Their former creature comforts featured an elevated feline freeway and floor-to-ceiling scratching posts in their San Diego abode, known for a quarter century as 'The Cats' House'."
No comments:
Post a Comment