Amazing image of gas and flame releases form the sun. From NASA.
BIN LADEN'S DEATH:
ANALYSIS AND KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED:
"The property was so secure, so large, that American officials guessed it was built to hide someone far more important than a mere courier. What followed was eight months of painstaking intelligence work, culminating in a helicopter assault by American military and intelligence operatives that ended in the death of Bin Laden on Sunday and concluded one of history’s most extensive and frustrating manhunts."
Ten Thoughts on Osama bin Laden's Death (Toby Harnden) from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"So what does bin Laden’s demise mean? Here are some initial thoughts:"
Operation Is Blow to al Qaeda, Taliban from the Wall Street Journal
"Osama bin Laden's death is likely to have a dramatic impact on the dynamic between the U.S. and Pakistan, where relations recently have been strained, and in the Afghan war, the longest in U.S. history."
Afghans Fear West May See Death as the End from the New York Times
"While senior political figures welcomed the news of his death, they cautioned that it did not necessarily translate into an immediate military victory over the Taliban, and urged the United States and NATO not to use it as a reason to withdraw."
Sorry dudes. Bin Laden's death provides Obama and US authorities the biggest opening yet for them to turn DECISIVELY for the exists in Afghanistan AND Iraq. It allows them (at least rhetorically and politically) to claim that the wars were not a COMPLETE WASTE or resources and human beings. This shift won't happen quickly -- but the opening for a clear, clean transition exists now. I hope that Obama clearly moves in this direction. Will it leave things undone or incomplete in Afghanistan and Iraq? Yes -- and it was always destined to turn out that way. Only in neo-con fantasies were we ever going to establish functioning, pluralistic democracies in either places.
The War on Terror Is Over (Peter Beinart) from the Daily Beast
"Bin Laden’s death gives the U.S. a golden opportunity to bury the war on terror—a distraction, Peter Beinart argues, that distorted America’s foreign policy for too long."
How the US Tracked Couriers to Elaborate bin Laden Compound from MSNBC
"First a name, then an extraordinary house with high walls — and no telephone or Internet. Bin Laden and a son are among five killed in a firefight."
White House Time Line : Obama Gives Order, Bin Laden Is Killed from ABC News
"The SEALS raided the compound. A firefight ensured. Bin Laden fired back, as did others in the compound. After 40 minutes of fighting, bin Laden, two couriers, and one of bin Laden’s adult sons were killed, as was a woman used as a shield by one of the male members of al Qaeda. Two other women were injured. "
The Pursuit of bin Laden (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"His narrative of American weakness was wrong."
In Arab World, Bin Laden’s Confused Legacy from the New York Times
"In the Middle East, reactions to Bin Laden’s death predictably ran the gamut Monday —from anger in the most conservative locales of Lebanon to jubilation among Shiite Muslims in Iraq, victims of carnage committed in the name of Al Qaeda. But most remarkably perhaps was the sense in countries like Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere that the name Bin Laden was an echo of a bygone era, riven by ossifying divides between West and East, American omnipotence and Arab impotence, dictatorship and powerlessness."
You betcha! The timing of bin Laden is weighted with significance as, more than his actual physical death, the 'Arab Spring' spells the death of the movement bin Laden led. The 'Spring" has shown Arabs (secular and religious) that they do not need to resort to decades of violent jihad to achieve meaningful change in their part of the world. The revolts in Tunisia and Egypt have achieved more in 20 weeks in 2011 than Al Qaeda achieved in 20 years of terrorism and mass murder. In most circles in the Middle East, bin Laden and Al Qaeda are increasingly being viewed as (at best) irrelevant.
The Osama News (James Fallows) from the Atlantic
Fallows shares a series of reactions to the news of bin Laden's death. Marc Ambinder of the Atlantic has similar reactions HERE.
Death of a Failure (Ross Douthat) from the New York Times
"They’ve taught us, instead, that whatever blunders we make (and we have made many), however many advantages we squander (and there has been much squandering), and whatever quagmires we find ourselves lured into, our civilization is not fundamentally threatened by the utopian fantasy politics embodied by groups like Al Qaeda, or the mix of thugs, fools and pseudointellectuals who rally around their banner. They can strike us, they can wound us, they can kill us. They can goad us into tactical errors and strategic blunders. But they are not, and never will be, an existential threat."
The Political Consequences of Osama bin Laden’s Death (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"The simple fact is that there is and will continue to be a huge desire for the details of how, when and where he was killed as well as analysis of what it means for American foreign policy. Media coverage for days — if not weeks — will be dominated by the news. That landslide of coverage/attention will force anyone operating in the political space to respond to it. So, while this news is not political, it will cause major reverberations in the political world."
Bin Laden Killing Caps Extraordinary Week for Obama (Anne E. Kornblut) from the Washington Post
"For President Obama, this may well be remembered as the most extraordinary week of his presidency, and not simply because his administration succeeded in finding and killing the nation’s most sought-after enemy."
NATO Doubts Claims that Strike Killed Gadhafi Family Members from the McClatchy News Service
"NATO has found no evidence to support claims by the Libyan government that an airstrike in Tripoli killed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's youngest son and three grandchildren, two military officials told McClatchy Sunday."
Medvedev Wants to Stay on as Russian President, says Leading MP from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Medvedev set to defy pact with prime minister Vladimir Putin and seek second term, claims prominent politician."
A can't help but view this as good news for what's left of Russian democracy. Medvedev is the ONLY figure on the Russian scene right now who could credibly challenge Putin. Now, it is unlikely that Medvedev will win in any election - but who knows?
Air Force Looks to Use Tiny Drones to Track Targets by 'Painting' Them with Goo from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"A walking target! the U.S. Air Force want to step up the pressure in conflicts around the globe by employing a whole new way of tracking the enemy. The Air Force is looking to introduce a tiny drone that surreptitiously 'paints' an individual with some kind of signal-emitting powder or liquid that allows the military to keep tabs on him or her."
Explaining America's Addiction to Hard Work (Margit Kossobudzka) from Gazeta Wyborcza [of Poland in English]
"When work hours increase from 17 to 60 a week, the percentage of people on the Old Continent who identify themselves as generally happy drops from 28 to 23 percent. Meanwhile, under the same circumstances, the general wellbeing of Americans remains unchanged. Where do these differences come from?"
House GOP Faces Reality of a Deal from Politico
"...they face perhaps the toughest stretch of their young majority — an epic debate and eventual vote on raising the national debt ceiling that will once again create a clash between their conservative ideals and the cold reality of deal making in a divided Washington. On top of that, House Republicans have stumbled on other fronts."
How to Fix Our Flawed Election Coverage: In Presidential Contests, the Press Regularly Elevates Candidates for All the Wrong Reasons (Conor Friedersdorf) from the Atlantic
"What standard should journalists use when deciding which presidential candidates to take seriously? Forget shame. What's required is a press corps that rethinks its role in the nomination process. The dirty little secret of political journalism is that right now a lot of broadcasters, writers, and editors are just thoughtlessly going along with the herd."
The Tables Turn in Town Halls, and Maybe DC (George Zornick) from the Nation
"Over the past two weeks, town halls are once again a big political story. Ever since Republicans in the House of Representatives passed Representative Paul Ryan’s draconian budget, which cuts taxes on top earners while essentially ending Medicare, there have been widespread reports of angry voters challenging Republicans who voted for it."
The Persistence of Conspiracy Theories (Kate Zernike) from the New York Times
"The endless debate over Obama’s birth certificate and the paranoid style in American politics."
CIVIL LIBERTIES HISTORY BOOK NUGGET!!
Book review: 'The Fear Within' by Scott Martelle (Wendy Smith) from the Los Angeles Times
"The former L.A. Times reporter writes persuasively about laws curtailing American civil liberties in times of stress.
No comments:
Post a Comment