UP-FRONT MIDDLE EAST SITUATION NUGGET!!
Why Libya Matters To The Middle East's Future from NPR's Fresh Air program
"George Washington University political scientist Marc Lynch explains how the future of Libya has become a key part in the rapidly changing transformation of the Arab world — and why the United States and its allies decided to intervene."
An OUTSTANDING hour-long discussion of what's going on in the Middle East right now. A must-listen!!
U.S.-Led Assault Nears Goal in Libya from the New York Times
"An American-led military campaign to destroy Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s air defenses and establish a no-fly zone over Libya has nearly accomplished its initial objectives, and the United States is moving swiftly to hand command to allies in Europe, American officials said Monday."
The Key to Success in Libya Is Setting Low Expectations (Anne Applebaum) from Slate
"Obama's reluctance to intervene is his most important tactical asset."
Barack Obama: the Softly-Softly President (Alex Spillius) from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"President Obama may be under attack from all quarters over Libya, but he knows what he’s doing, says Alex Spillius."
Libya: Can Britain and France Really Run this Conflict? (Con Coughlin) from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"America doesn't even want to be in Libya, and the Germans are just getting in the way. ... The first problem Europe encounters when it comes to conducting independent operations is a distinct lack of military capability."
"Too Late and Too Weak": The Republican Candidates Pummel President Obama's Libyan Strategy (John Dickerson) from Slate
"Certain interventionists in the GOP may be unhappy about Obama's pace, but most Americans are not anxious for a protracted Libyan intervention. And there's no Republican challenger whose foreign policy credentials are so sterling that this moment provides a rationale for their candidacy. And the cautious Obama is actually the one voters chose in the 2008 election—a president who would be deliberate, focused on international cooperation, slow to take military action, and wary of a longer commitment. Voters seem to sympathize."
How the Left Got Libya Wrong (John Judis) from the New Republic
"With some notable exceptions (like Juan Cole), all I have found is opposition to the Obama administration’s decision to intervene in Libya. So I ask myself, would these opponents of U.S. intervention (as part of U.N. Security Council approved action), have preferred:..."
The Problem With Partners (David Brooks) from the New York Times
"These days we are all co-religionists in the church of multilateralism. The Iraq war reminded everybody not to embark on an international effort without a broad coalition. Yet today, as an impeccably crafted multilateral force intervenes in Libya, certain old feelings are coming back to the surface."
In Egypt, Assessing Tahrir’s First Ballot Box from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The need to establish stability during a period of great uncertainty was a central issue in Egypt's constitutional amendment referendum held on March 19. Advocates of a "yes" vote championed an immediate path to political, economic, and social stability through amendments to the most offensive provisions of the constitution, which would be followed by parliamentary and presidential elections in the coming months.
Griping About Libya (Kevin Drum) from Mother Jones Magazine
"I'm not likely to blog very much about Libya, but I have to say there's an air of unreality surrounding a lot of the commentary that's starting to get on my nerves. Criticizing Obama for not consulting Congress is one thing. It's not as if this is some kind of unprecedented break with past practice or anything, but still. I get it. But the "dithering" complaint? Give me a break. When did it suddenly become a personality defect to decline to intervene in a foreign rebellion the instant it broke out? Isn't there anyone left who appreciates the fact that Obama still retains a few shreds of anti-interventionist instinct and moves in a deliberate fashion?"
War Power: The President's Campaign Against Libya is Constitutional (Jack Goldsmith) from Slate
"I depart from the critics of the Libya action, and from Sens. Obama and Hillary Clinton themselves circa 2007, and from the academic writings of Legal Adviser to the State Department Harold Koh on this one point: I do not believe that the military action in Libya is unconstitutional."
The New GOP Warmongers (Matt Latimer) from the Daily Beast
"The Republican Party blasted Obama for being slow to open fire on Libya. Matt Latimer on how the GOP has betrayed its roots—and attacks anyone not urging all combat all the time."
As I noted yesterday, I'm surprised about how scrambled both the left and right have become over this Libya conflict.
The Brotherhood Will Soon be Left Behind (Katerina Dalacoura) from the Financial Times [of the UK]
"The opening of Egypt’s political system – partial though this will be, given the continuing control of the army – will provide the space for the Brotherhood to operate more freely. This may help increase its popularity in the short term at least. But at the same time it will also expose the poverty of its political message. This poverty has already been in evidence for many years."
Gaza Strip Residents Seek to Join the 'Arab Spring' (Jon Donnison) from the BBC
"The demonstrators in Gaza say they have been inspired by the uprisings elsewhere in the region. You sense they see an opportunity to try and make a change. They are calling for an end to the division between Hamas and its secular rival, Fatah."
This is an interesting development.
Leaked: What the Mideast Really Thinks of Iran (James Kirchick) from World Affairs Journal
"One of the diplomatic world’s biggest open secrets is that Arab leaders desperately want the United States to put an end to Iran’s nuclear program—by force, if necessary. The persistence with which they have been making this case to American policymakers, however, has been matched by a studied determination to hide their campaign from public view."
Putin Can't Have It Both Ways on Libya (Editorial) from the Moscow Times [in English]
"The coalition military operation against Libya that began on Saturday should have given Prime Minister Vladimir Putin a compelling reason to support U.S. President Barack Obama."
In Japan, Company's Handling Of Nuclear Crisis Sparks Anger from NPR's All Things Considered program
"Junichi Moshitate grew up in the town of Minamisoma near the Fukushima nuclear plant and worked faithfully for TEPCO for 18 years as a security guard. ... "Now I just feel hatred towards TEPCO," he says. "It is very difficult for me to say this since I have worked for them for 18 years. But I just think they should come clean with all the information they have.""
Hopeful Message About the World’s Poorest (David Leonhardt) from the New York Times
"While people may debate the causes of those troubles in Africa — corrupt and autocratic governments, feckless foreign aid, postcolonial hangover — everyone seems to agree that Africa is a story of failure. But is it? In a new book called “Getting Better,” Charles Kenny — a British development economist based in Washington — argues that the answer is absolutely not."
Has the GOP Really Taken Taxes Off the Table? (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post
"Not to steal Bill Maher’s schtick, but new rule: if you’re not willing to consider tax increases, you’re not serious about deficits. Full stop. Just as rigid pacifists aren’t credible on national defense and dogmatic Christian Scientists are rarely consulted on health-care policy, a politician who has made an ideological vow to refuse to even consider tax increases is not interested in reducing deficits -- and that’s true no matter how often they say the word “deficits.”"
Wisconsin's Radical Break (William Cronon) from the New York Times
"Mr. Walker’s conduct has provoked a level of divisiveness and bitter partisan hostility the likes of which have not been seen in this state since at least the Vietnam War. Many citizens are furious at their governor and his party, not only because of profound policy differences, but because these particular Republicans have exercised power in abusively nontransparent ways that represent such a radical break from the state’s tradition of open government. Perhaps that is why — as a centrist and a lifelong independent — I have found myself returning over the past few weeks to the question posed by the lawyer Joseph N. Welch during the hearings that finally helped bring down another Wisconsin Republican, Joe McCarthy, in 1954: “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”"
Cronon is an EXCEPTIONAL historian at U of WI.
OH, WI, MI: Snyder Quickly Falls Out of Favor from Public Policy Polling
"Over the last few weeks we've found that voters in Ohio and Wisconsin have quickly soured on their new Republican Governors, John Kasich and Scott Walker respectively. But Michigan's Rick Snyder wasn't like Kasich and Walker. He campaigned as a moderate and won by 18 points in a state bluer than either Ohio or Wisconsin while his counterparts were just squeaking by in their races. You would think that even if Snyder's popularity has fallen after two months in office it hasn't fallen as far as Kasich and Walker's. Think again."
Look for Gov. Corbett of PA to follow suit.
EXTINCT RABBIT NUGGET!!
Biggest Bunny Ever Never Hopped, Had No Enemies from Discovery News
"No floppy-eared Easter-type bunny, this rabbit had small ears, smallish eyes and enormous heft."
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