A sheepherder on the road to Timbuktu in the west African country of Mali. From National Geographic.
Egyptian Democracy’s Growing Pains (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"The political battle for Egypt’s future began in earnest last month when the country’s ruling military council held a referendum to approve its amendments to the constitution. The Muslim Brotherhood, backing the military, easily won that first test of Egypt’s new democracy, with 77 percent of the public supporting their recommended vote of “yes.” But the secular Tahrir Square revolutionaries are fighting back, forming new political parties and continuing their campaign for democratic change. And the Brotherhood, although clearly a formidable force, is beginning to fracture, with several Islamist parties planning to offer candidates in Egypt’s parliamentary elections in the fall."
NBC’s Brokaw: Saudis ‘So Unhappy' With Obama They Sent Emissaries to China, Russia Seeking Enhanced Ties from NBC via CNS News
"Reporting from Baghdad, Iraq yesterday, NBC’s Tom Brokaw said the Saudi Arabian monarchy is “so unhappy with the Obama administration for the way it pushed out President Mubarak of Egypt” that it has sent senior officials to the Peoples' Republic of China and Russia to seek expanded business opportunities with those countries."
Quite predictable. The latest installment in "Dictators of the World Unite!" Faced with a choice of bad outcomes, I think Obama made the right choice. It COULD be that the Saudis will choose to align themselves with the Chinese. In the long run, I'm skeptical that the Chinese will do them much better if howling crowds emerge in Riyadh.
Syria: The Republic of Fear from Newsweek
"Recent protests in Syria have brought brutal government crackdown—and renewed paranoia among dissidents."
Iran's Blue-Collar Revolution from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Has President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lost his working-class support base?"
What Mongolia Can Teach the Middle East (Elbegdorj Tsakhia) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The popular upheavals in Tunis, Cairo, and Tripoli gripped Ulaan Bator only a generation ago. Now it's our turn to help the Arab revolutions fulfill their potential."
Those outrageous Mongolians! At it again!
China and Imperial Germany (James Holmes) from The Diplomat
"Nye declares, in effect, that Germany then was far more menacing than China is today. In January he wrote in Foreign Policy that ‘China is a long way from posing the kind of challenge to America that the Kaiser’s Germany posed to Britain in 1900.’ ... Yes and no. China resembles Imperial Germany more than Nye allows, while the differences suggest that Beijing will mount a sterner, more stubborn challenge to US maritime supremacy than Berlin ever did vis-à-vis Great Britain. History affords scant comfort either way."
As historical analogies go, I find the China=Imperial Germany comparison a useful one in that it showcases how a powerful country's people and leaders can dramatically misread their actual geo-political place and let insecurities and pride lead them down very dangerous paths. In my view China suffers from a similar bi-polarity.
All you need to see is something like the following item, not to be reminded of the unstable multi-polar world of pre-World War I Europe:
Is a Sino-Indian War Really Possible? (Vikas Kumar) from East Asia Forum
"Both the Chinese and Indian media suffer from hysteria over an impending Sino-Indian War and occasionally indulge in competitive jingoism."
A European Foreign Policy Scorecard from the European Council on Foreign Relations
"The European Foreign Policy Scorecard is an innovative project that will provide a systematic annual assessment of Europe’s performance in dealing with the rest of the world. The project starts with 2010 – “year zero” for the new foreign policy framework that was created by the Lisbon Treaty."
It's actually quite amusing to see how the Europeans rate their own joint foreign policy efforts.
What's Behind France's Newfound Global Ambitions? (Uri Friedman) from the Atlantic
"As events unfold in Libya and the Ivory Coast, many foreign policy analysts are dissecting a puzzling question: What exactly is going on with France? France--which vehemently opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq--is suddenly flexing its muscles on the world stage."
Behind France's Burka Ban (Timothy Garton Ash) from the Los Angeles Times
"What harm comes to society from women with their faces covered?"
Government Shutdown: John Boehner's Moment of Truth (Matt Latimer) from the Daily Beast
"With a government shutdown looming, the speaker faces a choice about the budget that will demonstrate whether in fact he is the GOP's Houdini. Matt Latimer on how Boehner has no choice but to disappoint."
Gitmo Fatigue at the Supreme Court (Linda Greenhouse) from the New York Times
"Is the Supreme Court finally finished with Guantánamo? It’s beginning to look that way. On Monday, without comment or noted dissent, the court turned down three separate Guantánamo-based cases. "
I shudder to think about the histories that will be written about Gitmo and the seeming wholesale abdication of basic norms of due process that it has showcased.
For Moderates, No More Fence-Straddling on the Budget (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post
"Political moderates and on-the-fencers have had it easy up to now on budget issues. They could condemn “both sides” and insist on the need for “courage” in tackling the deficit. Thanks to Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget and the Republicans’ maximalist stance in negotiations to avert a government shutdown, the days of straddling are over."
GOP EPA Ban Rejected By Senate Democrats from the Associated Press via Huffington Post
"Senate Democrats have defeated a Republican effort to ban the Environmental Protection Agency from controlling the gases blamed for global warming."
This is VERY good news. This had been a HIGH PRIORITY item on the GOP's "to-do" list. For those who declare that it makes "no difference" whether the Dems or the GOP are running things, here's an area where it makes a serious difference!
Success Breeds Apathy (Reid Wilson) from the National Journal
"Firing up the base is a lot easier when you’re out of power; just take a look at Wisconsin."
In WI, Scott Walker's 'Waterloo': 19 Counties Flip To Democrats In Wisconsin Supreme Court Race from the Huffington Post
"Nearly 1.5 million people turned out to vote, representing 33.5 percent of voting-age adults -- 68 percent higher than the 20 percent turnout officials had expected. JoAnne Kloppenburg has already declared victory, with the vote tallies showing her beating incumbent David Prosser by just a couple hundred votes. The race is expected to head to a recount. Significantly, 19 counties that went for Walker in the 2010 elections this time flipped and went for Kloppenburg, including LaCrosse (59 percent), Sauk (56 percent) and Dunn (56 percent)."
In WI, Walker Blames Madison For Supreme Court Election from TalkingPointsMemo
"Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) reacted Wednesday afternoon to the super-close state Supreme Court race -- in which liberal-backed challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg now leads incumbent conservative Justice David Prosser, thanks to popular reaction against Walker's anti-public employee union legislation. Walker's response: Blame it on Madison."
Glenn Beck's Fox News Show Ending from Media Matters for America
"Glenn intends to transition off of his daily program, the third highest rated in all of cable news, later this year."
Very odd announcement from Fox.
Glenn Beck: Exit of a Fear Monger (John Avlon) from the Daily Beast
"Beck’s departure from Fox News marks the welcome removal of an incendiary talk-show host who reveled in apocalyptic shtick and the politics of incitement, writes John Avlon."
Beck will have no trouble locating some new fear-mongering frontier to settle in. As I have noted before, however, Beck is destined to follow the path of that great patriot, Walter Winchell. By the time the 1960s rolled around, this radio gasbag was a permanent resident of has-beens-ville. So it shall be for Beck -- and many other right-wing incendiaries.
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