A colony of neon urchins off of Vancouver, British Columbia. From National Geographic.
An Allied Intervention in Libya (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"President Obama is turning a page, by letting other nations take the first whacks at Moammar Gaddafi, no question about that. But that strikes me as good strategy, not a feckless blunder. What’s increasingly clear watching the play of events over the past week is that Obama really does want to change the narrative about America and the Arab world — even at the cost of being criticized as vacillating and weak-willed."
Iran Looms Large in Libya Decisions (Gerald Seib) from the Wall Street Journal
"Those pushing for intervention worry that the lesson Iran will take away if Mr. Gadhafi survives is that leaders who give ground to democracy protesters (see Hosni Mubarak) are swept away. Meanwhile, those who brutally crush protesters (Libya's strongman) are the ones who hang on. For Iranian leaders already disposed to crushing their own pro-democracy dissidents, the message will be clear."
Libya in its Arab Context (Marc Lynch) from the Foreign Policy Magazine
"Libya matters to the United States not for its oil or intrinsic importance, but because it has been a key part of the rapidly evolving transformation of the Arab world."
The Coalition's Arab Allies: Firm Support or Window Dressing? from Time Magazine
"For now there appears to be widespread Arab support — if not actual military contributions — to force Gaddafi's military to stop its advance on the rebels, as a last-ditch effort to stop the monthlong revolt from crushing defeat."
Libya: Obama Crafts the Anti-Bush Doctrine (David Corn) from Mother Jones Magazine
"As he announces the US is prepared to use military force to stop Qaddafi, the president exorcises the ghost of George W. Bush."
I'm amazed (and probably shouldn't be) by how scattered all over the lot liberals are in their response to the war in Libya.
Conservatives are Wrong: Obama Doesn’t Need to ‘Take the Lead’ in Libya (Adam Serwer) from the Washington Post
"There’s been a lot of well-thought-out criticism of the Obama administration’s decision to intervene in Libya’s civil war with no clear objective, plan of exit or even comprehensive knowledge of the rebel forces. But one line of criticism, which is coming almost exclusively from the right, is thoroughly unpersuasive: The notion that America has to be seen as “taking the lead,”"
I totally agree with this line.
Yes, a Better America was Possible (Alex Slater) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"If the Obama administration does nothing else, it will always compare favourably with Bush's for its diplomacy over Libya."
I agree with this "very low threshold" assessment -- AND there are much bigger hurdles the coalition will have to meet.
Why Obama Doesn't Need to Ask Congress Before Attacking Libya (David Weigel) from Slate
"It's simple: Most of Washington doesn't want him to. To coin a phrase: If they want the president to do it, that means it's legal."
As a statement of fact, I think what Weigel says is true --BUT the perils of NOT getting Congressional authorization are enormous. This issue parallels what we see around the US's goals in Libya. Pay no attention to what is being said. Our goal is to eliminate Qaddafi. Period. Making civilians safe blah, blah, blah -- no. ANY outcome that leaves Qaddafi in power will be a failure. Now -- I firmly believe that Obama INTENDS to hand off this operation to the Europeans, the ones who have the most at stake in what happens there.
Note to readers: It looks like the Yemeni gov't is going down:
Senior Yemeni Officers Call for Ouster of President from the New York Times
"In a significant erosion of support for Yemen’s embattled president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, the country’s senior military figure and four other top generals on Monday threw their support behind protesters calling for his immediate ouster, joining a rising tide of defecting tribal figures and diplomats."
What's Happening In Yemen Explained (Nick Baumann) from Mother Jones Magazine
"The following is a basic primer on what's happening in Yemen. If you're already caught up on that, you can also skip straight to advice on how to follow the latest developments in real time."
Yemen in Crisis: A Special Report from Stratfor Global Intelligence
"A crisis in Yemen is rapidly escalating. A standoff centered on the presidential palace is taking place between security forces in the capital city of Sanaa while embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh continues to resist stepping down, claiming that the “majority of Yemeni people” support him. While a Western-led military intervention in Libya is dominating the headlines, the crisis in Yemen and its implications for Persian Gulf stability is of greater strategic consequence."
Special from Syria: Syria Ushers in Unrest Sweeping the Arab World (Robert Jordan) from Al-Masry Al-Youm[of Egypt in English]
"The demonstration marks the most visible sign that the revolutions and uprisings sweeping the Arab World have finally arrived in Syria. But the response of the regime was swift. Security forces fired into the crowds, killing at least three protesters and injuring hundreds, witnesses said. Though small by Egyptian and Tunisian standards, Syrian activists say the unrest shows discontent is swelling."
Japan's Nuclear Accident 'Beyond Belief' from the Independent [of the UK]
"Japan's nuclear experts admitted today that the Fukushima reactor disaster was worse than anything they ever imagined could have happened."
Is anyone genuinely surprised?! From the start, they have been models of corporate obfuscation.
The Lessons of Chernobyl (David Hoffman) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The Chernobyl accident was not a consequence of a natural disaster, but happened at the hands of people. ... Still, Chernobyl is worth pondering for another reason. The accident demonstrated the importance of full transparency at moments like this. Chernobyl was a ramrod against the Soviet Union's whole system of obfuscation and secrecy."
Germans Still Struggling to Resolve Issues of Race (Gary Younge) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"The country has no xenophobic far-right party, yet a book arguing that Turks have inferior genes is a runaway bestseller."
As Food Prices Skyrocket, House Committee Calls For Cutting Food Stamps Instead Of Agriculture Subsidies from Think Progress
"Vegetable prices increased by nearly 50 percent, driven in part by weather disasters damaging crops in place such as Australia and Russia. These trends are occurring at the same time that unemployment has remained unacceptably high, leaving many Americans with nothing but the social safety net standing between them and going hungry. But as National Journal’s Tim Fernholz reported, the House Agriculture Committee has called for a reduction in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps)"
Promise on Taxes Sparks GOP Rift from the Wall Street Journal
"Two decades after President George H.W. Bush abandoned his "read my lips" promise, some Republicans are chafing at their party's stand against new taxes."
My eyes practically fell out of my head when I read this! Would I ever live to see the day... To deal with MOST of the US's major problems, we MUST get passed this barrier.
The Mindless Middle (Douglas E. Schoen) from Newsweek
"Conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats both held their own, but our pollster shows that a large swath of the political center has tuned out."
In WI, Walker Guts Farmland Preservation Efforts from the Wisconsin State Journal
"The governor’s plans to eliminate the farmland conversion fee and a farmland preservation program still in its infancy gut key components of the Working Lands Initiative. The moves hand developers a victory and deal conservationists and those who want to keep farmland in the family a blow."
In WI, Seniors to March on Capitol, Protesting Walker's cuts from the Wisconsin State Journal
"The march might not be as sprightly as earlier ones on the Capitol Square, but it'll be spirited and determined just the same. Seniors and retirees are planning to protest on the Square on Monday against Gov. Scott Walker's state budget plan that would make major cuts in the state's SeniorCare program."
So -- who have we seen so far? Workers, teachers, police, students, firemen, farmers, ... and now seniors. Which major constituency is left? Outside the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, who voted for this guy?!
Wisconsin is Making the Battle Lines Clear in America's Hidden Class War (Gary Younge) from the Guardian [of the UK from February]
The brazen choices of the Republican governor shows the real ideology behind attacks on unions – in the US and beyond."
Growing Evangelical Clout Shaping 2012 Debate from US News and World Report
"Republican presidential candidates take note: the clout of social and religious conservatives is growing in politically crucial Iowa. And these activists are driving the debate here toward cultural issues — and away from the economy — just as the GOP sets out to find an opponent for President Barack Obama."
Poll: Public Already Losing Patience with New Congress from the McClatchy News Service
Once again, the public is getting increasingly disgusted with Washington. It sees a failure to adopt remedies for even the most basic, pressing issues of the day, as Congress struggles to craft a federal budget. And incumbents are getting worried about the political implications."
RECENT HISTORY NUGGET!!
George H.W. Bush: A Wimp He Wasn’t (John Solomon) from Newsweek
"A daring showdown with gun-toting rebels. The truth behind the Berlin Wall’s fall—and other secrets of George H.W. Bush. As the honors pile up, a new, truer view of him is emerging."
ECONOMICS BOOK NUGGET!!
Morals and Markets: A Review of Adam Smith: An Enlightened Life by Nicholas Phillipson from the New Republic
"He made sure his private notes and unpublished works-in-progress were burned before his death. Having lived unmarried with his mother for most of his life, he left behind very few intimates who could relate his story for posterity. And yet Smith was more than a profoundly important figure in the history of moral philosophy, economics, and liberal political thought; he was also, in his eccentric way, a quite charismatic man."
HEROIC PET NUGGET!!
Top 10 Heroic Animals from Time Magazine
"Video recently surfaced of a dog who refused to leave behind an injured hound amid the devastation in Japan. Animals have often shown bravery in extraordinary circumstances. TIME takes a look at some of history's most courageous animals."
RUSSIA NUGGET!!
Muscovite Lives, Entangled in History from the New York Times
"The Meyersons of Moscow are not oligarchs or ex-K.G.B. agents, gangsters or alcoholics. They are a pair of public school teachers who have little in common with the stock characters often depicted in tales of this land. They disdain Communism, but warmly recall childhoods in the 1970s. They bristle at what they believe Vladimir V. Putin has done to Russia, but don’t deny that things are far better now. Their ambivalence about their country’s standing, nearly two decades after Communism’s fall, is at the heart of “My Perestroika,” a new documentary that burrows into the lives of five Muscovites who came of age in the twilight of the Soviet Union."
No comments:
Post a Comment