Flood waters near Wyatt Missouri. From the Atlantic.
Rethinking ‘the Long War’ on Terrorism (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"Gen. John Abizaid used the phrase “the long war” to describe America’s battle with Islamic extremism after Sept. 11, 2001. ... Behind this decades-long battle, Abizaid said, was the political modernization of the Islamic world — the explosive process of change that he likened to the revolutions and anarchic movements that swept across Europe in the 19th century. This is the overarching conflict from which Barack Obama wants to withdraw American troops — not because the turbulence is over but because big American expeditionary forces aren’t the right answer"
Let's Make a Deal (James Traub) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The United States and the Taliban should be able to work out a compromise on Afghanistan. But will the Afghans be able to live with it?"
The Road Home from Kabul (Sen. John Kerry) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Drawing down troops from Afghanistan is the right move. Now it's time to focus on the real threat in the neighborhood: the one coming from Pakistan."
Obama’s Growing Trust in Biden Is Reflected in His Call on Troops from the New York Times
"Convinced he was seeing mission creep, Mr. Biden came home and pressed the president on a point he had making since the first troop debate in 2009: the United States needed to stop nation-building in Afghanistan. The military, he argued, was going beyond Mr. Obama’s goals of defeating Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from toppling the Afghan government and improving security. In ordering the withdrawal of 30,000 troops by next summer, Mr. Obama finally sided with Mr. Biden."
Iran Nuclear Experts Killed in Russian Plane Crash from YNET News [of Israel in English]
"Iranian nuclear efforts suffer major setback as five leading figures in design of its nuclear facilities perish in crash."
Wow -- five Iranian nuclear scientists die in a plane crash! Imagine that! Some real bad luck on their part.
Iran's Nuclear Threat to Europe: A Visit to Ahmadinejad's Nuclear Laboratory from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"A recent United Nations report reinforces suspicions that Iran's nuclear program may be serving military purposes -- and that it is being infiltrated and attacked by computer viruses. During a recent visit by SPIEGEL reporters to Tehran's contested nuclear laboratory, scientists wouldn't comment on the developments, but the sensitivity of the issue in Iran is clear."
Getting on in China: The Consequences of an Aging Population from the Economist [of London]
"Over the next few years China will undergo a huge demographic shift. The share of people over 60 in the total population will increase from 12.5% in 2010 to 20% in 2020. By 2030 their number will double from today’s 178m. ... Put another way, China’s “demographic dividend”—the availability of lots of young workers—which helped fuel its growth will soon begin to disappear. "
This is a KEY reason why China's economic road ahead will NOT be as smooth as it has appeared in the last two decades.
New York Passes Gay Marriage: This Is the Tipping Point (John Avlon) from the Daily Beast
"The marriage equality fight was a critical test of mainstreaming a cutting-edge issue. John Avlon on how America has finally come to embrace the era's defining civil rights issue."
New York Gay Marriage Legalization Transformed National Debate: Legal Experts from Reuters via Huffington Post
"When New York became the sixth and by far the largest state to legalize same-sex marriage, following a grueling overtime session in the state Legislature Friday, it immediately transformed the national debate over the issue, legal experts said."
The Biggest Victory for Gay Marriage Yet (Alex Pareene) from Salon
"Gay marriage in the third-most populous state in the nation, passed by the elected legislature and not through the courts. And voted for by Republicans. Plural! Just a few years ago, all of that would've seemed absurd or impossible. "
Did the Energy Agency Just Deliver a QE3 Quick Fix? (Larry Kudlow) from CNBC via RealClearPolitics
"Did the International Energy Agency (IEA) just deliver the oil equivalent of Quantitative Easing 3? The decision to release 2 million barrels per day of emergency oil reserves -- with the U.S. covering half from its strategic petroleum reserve -- is surely aimed at the sputtering economies of the U.S. and Europe following an onslaught of bad economic statistics and forecasts. This includes a gloomy Fed forecast that Ben Bernanke unveiled less than 24 hours before the energy news hit the tape. I wonder if all this was coordinated."
Of course it was coordinated. I've been predicting for months that he would do this. It is my recollection that both Clinton and Bush II did some version of this about 16 months out from an election.
Them That’s Not Shall Lose: Washington Doesn't Understand the Sting of Poverty (Charles Blow) from the New York Times
"“Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.” James Baldwin penned that line more than 50 years ago, but it seems particularly prescient today, if in a different manner than its original intent."
Reaping What They’ve Sown in Georgia (Steve Benen) from Washington Monthly
"Georgia Republicans recently passed a very harsh anti-immigrant measure into law, successfully driving a lot of undocumented workers out of the state. Republicans who championed the measure said the new law would improve Georgia’s economy. As Jay Bookman explained, now they’re saying something different."
They will find it MUCH HARDER to undo what they have done. Given the dominance of Tea Party sentiment among the GA GOP, big Ag in the state will have to move to the Dems if they really want to repeal this measure -- and I can't see them doing that.
John Boehner Debt Ceiling Talks May Determine His Political Fate from Reuters via the Huffington Post
"Republican John Boehner faces his greatest test yet as the leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, one that may determine his political fate and the country's fiscal well-being."
Huntsman Running a Cool Campaign in a Hot Climate from National Journal
"Will Huntsman’s slow-burn model of campaigning catch fire in a political environment against rivals who are frequently slinging explosives? His four day, five-state rollout as an official candidate, which ended on Friday in Nevada, has raised, but not yet answered, the question. In a primary season dominated by tea party ideologues and religious conservatives, Huntsman is trying to position himself as the candidate of reason."
Queen of the Tea Party: The Presidential Campaign of Michele Bachmann (Matthew Continetti) from the Weekly Standard
"“I think Bachmann’s chances of landing on Jupiter are higher than her chances of being nominated,” Republican strategist Mike Murphy told me in an April interview for Washingtonpost.com. Well, get ready for an interplanetary expedition. Bachmann is a far more serious candidate for the Republican nomination than her reputation would suggest."
Andrew Cuomo, 2016 Dem Frontrunner? (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"The passage of a same-sex marriage bill late Friday night in New York drew considerable national coverage to the Empire State and was broadly touted as a major victory for first term Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It’s also stoked talk that Cuomo is rapidly transforming himself into a first among equals when it comes to the jockeying for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination."
AUTO SHARING NUGGET!!
Personal Car-Sharing Takes Off as States Ease Insurance Laws from USA Today
"Seeing a business opportunity in millions of cars that sit idle at office parking lots or on weekends, several start-up companies have introduced "peer-to-peer" car-sharing services aimed at matching urban dwellers without cars and car owners looking to make some extra cash."
INDIA NUGGET!!
Once Upon a Time in Bombay (Ty McCormick) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"From horse-drawn carriages to rugby players, street scenes of India's megalopolis at the turn of the century."
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