Libya's Only Part of Mideast Equation from the Los Angeles Times
"Four other countries should matter more to the U.S. The revolutions or protests in Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain will affect democracy in the region, the Shiite-Sunni balance of power and the fight against terrorism."
U.S. Secretly Backed Syrian Opposition Groups, Cables Released by WikiLeaks Show from the Washington Post
"The State Department has secretly financed Syrian political opposition groups and related projects, including a satellite TV channel that beams anti-government programming into the country, according to previously undisclosed diplomatic cables."
The release of this information is bad news for the Syrian protesters. One of Assad's few claims to legitimacy in Syria is his opposition to Israel and the US -- he will now be able to claim (seemingly with some basis in reality) that the protests are a US/CIA-inspired plot. He will be under increased pressure now to crush the protests with whatever violence is required.
Talking 21st Century Statecraft from The Diplomat
"Thom Woodroofe speaks with one of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s top advisers about e-diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific."
Arab Spring a mixed blessing for Iran and Turkey (Omer Taspinar) from Today's Zamen [of Turkey in English]
"Which regional power benefits the most from the revolutionary democratic change taking place in the Arab world: Iran or Turkey? This question is sometimes posed in reference to the two countries’ very different political systems providing two very different models for the Arab Spring in the region."
China's Military Gets Expeditionary (Gabe Collins) from The Diplomat
"In the fifth in our series on understanding Asia-Pacific sea power, we look at the PLA’s growing expeditionary capabilities and its greater implications."
Al-Jazeera Has Fans in Obama W.H. from Politico
"In the halls of American power, the Arab Spring has brought Al-Jazeera in from the cold. Seven years after then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called the broadcaster’s reporting “vicious, inaccurate and inexcusable” and President George W. Bush joked about bombing it, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised it as “real news” in her recent Senate testimony. Not only that, her staffers, as well as those of the CIA and the Obama White House, were attending the Congressional Correspondents’ Dinner as Al-Jazeera’s guests. "
Yes -- the Bush folks ignored Al Jazeera, and it SHOWED. One only needs to recall the pathetic, heavy-handed PR efforts of Karen Hughes to see how insulated from Arab public opinion they all were back then. In the early weeks of the "Arab Spring" moreover, US cable news channels were so remote from what was happening, who else was there but Al Jazeera -- who was actually doing an *excellent* job of covering one of the most important stories of our time.
Iran Accuses Siemens Over Stuxnet Virus Attack from Reuters News Service
"An Iranian military commander has accused German engineering company Siemens of helping the United States and Israel launch a cyber attack on its nuclear facilities, Kayhan daily reported on Sunday."
Obama: From Wimp to Winner (Andrew Romano) from the Daily Beast
"Obama outmaneuvers his opponents—and his allies—every time. In this week's Newsweek, Andrew Romano looks at how the president's pragmatism gets results."
On Climate Change, the GOP is Lost in Never-Never Land (Fred Hiatt) from the Washington Post
"The Republican self-deception that draws the most attention is the refusal to believe that Barack Obama is American-born. But there are Republican doctrinal fantasies that may be more dangerous: the conviction that taxes can always go down, but never up, for example, and the gathering consensus among Republican leaders that human-caused climate change does not exist."
America’s Elites Have a Duty to the Rest of Us (E.J. Dionne)from the Washington Post
"At other moments in our history, the informal networks of the wealthy and powerful who often wield at least as much influence as our elected politicians accepted that their good fortune imposed an obligation: to reform and thus preserve the system that allowed them to do so well. They advocated social decency out of self-interest (reasonably fair societies are more stable) but also from an old-fashioned sense of civic duty. “Noblesse oblige” sounds bad until it doesn’t exist anymore."
House First-quarter Fundraising Winners and Losers from Politico
"For several House GOP first-termers and relative political newcomers who were swept into office in November, the first fundraising quarter was an opportunity to prove they have political strength in districts that typically favor Democrats. That didn’t happen."
You can bet Nancy Pelosi is paying close attention to this dynamic as she and the House Dems look to take back the House next year.
As Reelection Push Begins, a Report Card on Obama's Political Challenges (Marc Ambinder) from the National Journal
"Despite high marks for likability, he remains undefined for many voters."
I think Ambinder (like many pundits) misses a key element here: the US has gone through three years of profound economic hardship, foreign and domestic politics has been in upheaval, and Americans have rarely been more bitterly divided on the fundamental issues of the day. And YET, his report card has 3 As, 3 Bs, and 2 Cs!
The Mission: Mitt Romney’s Strategies for Success (Ryan Lizza) from the New Yorker
A long profile of the Romney campaign.
"Romney is a passionate advocate of each new stance he takes."
What’s Donald Trump Really After? from Politico
"Trump is making the “types of moves that one makes if they’re actually running,” said one top Republican consultant familiar with his efforts."
Top Ten Reasons Why Sarah Palin is Running For President (Tony Lee) from Human Events
"...conventional wisdom holds that Palin is setting herself up to be an entertainer, a conservative money maker, or a right-wing flame thrower who seeks only to rouse up the conservative base and get rich quick off of it. If those who proffer these theories had listened to and read her words closely, they would know that Palin has been telling everyone that she is running for president in 2012. Here are ten reasons why."
Now, I don't buy Lee's argument here. I don't think Palin plans to run -- but the prospect of The Donald AND Sarah trying for the nomination is too rich a scenario not to at least contemplate -- if for no other reason than for the laugh factor! You could envision primary debates where Romney would be the only remotely sane person on the stage!
RELIGION NUGGET!!
Will the Last Person to Leave the Church of England Please Turn Out the Lights (Adrian Hamilton) from the Independent [of the UK]
"The Church of England is an institution in decline, with fewer worshippers than ever and dissent in its ranks. Could salvation come in the form of severing its ties with the State?"
BRITISH COLONIAL HISTORY NUGGET!!
The Endgames of our Empire Never Quite Finished – Just Look at Bahrain (Madeleine Bunting) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"The discovery of the Mau Mau boxes reveals a lot more about the British government than just archival mismanagement."
ANCIENT ROME NUGGET!!
Tyrannical Roman Emperor's Home Reconstructed (PICTURES) from Discovery News
"Nero left behind a legacy of bloody terror, but he had a stunning palace, which tourists can now view virtually."
RICHARD NIXON NUGGET!!
Diminishing Nixon (Marvin Kalb) from the National Interest
"Unlike most other presidents, Richard Nixon seems never able to rest in peace. Apparently, not even at the Nixon Library."
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