Palms reflected in rain puddles in Florida. From National Geographic.
Libya Rebels Demand Algeria Return Gaddafi Family from Reuters
"The development threatened to create a diplomatic rift just as the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) worked to consolidate its position as Libya's new government. An NTC spokesman said the council would seek to extradite the Gaddafis."
Is the new Libyan government about to declare war on Algeria? No. But if you are the Algerian regime, you've got to worry about what the NTC might do to "assist" the Arab Spring revolt that is already underway in Algeria. It has not gotten the coverage of many other countries in the region -- but it has been in evidence from the beginning.
The Free Shores of Tripoli (James Kirchick) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Libyans are ecstatic about the overthrow of Qaddafi, and they love America."
Oh really? We'll see.
America’s Secret Libya War (John Barry) from the Daily Beast
"The U.S. military has spent about $1 billion on Libya’s revolution, and secretly helped NATO with everything from munitions to surveillance aircraft. John Barry provides an exclusive look at Obama’s emerging 'covert intervention' strategy."
NATO’s Teachable Moment from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"...it would be a mistake to deny the serious problems revealed by the six-month campaign. This was NATO’s first attempt at sustained combat operations with the United States playing a support role. Europe’s military capabilities fell far short of what was needed, even for such a limited fight."
Score One for Interventionism (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times
"It will be two decades next year since the outbreak of the Bosnian war — and since the debate on interventionism began to rage, becoming one of the most acrimonious moral questions of our times. Now Libya, a successful Western intervention, will be placed on the scales."
Libya and the Future of Humanitarian Intervention (Stewart Patrick) from Foreign Affairs Journal
"The fall of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi is a significant foreign policy triumph for U.S. President Barack Obama. By setting overall strategy while allowing others to shoulder the burden of implementing it, the Obama administration achieved its short-term objective of stopping Qaddafi's atrocities and its long-term one of removing him from power."
African Union Rattled by Gadhafi's Collapse from the China Post [of Taiwan in English]
"The toppling of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi by rebels has left the African Union (AU) sidelined, members divided and anger high at a Western-led bombing campaign, analysts say."
The AU, for the most part, has been buddy-buddy with Gadhafi for decades -- so no surprise here. Half their member governments are authoritarian regimes and have a great deal to fear if the 'Arab Spring' goes south of the Sahara.
No Soft Power Here: Leadership with Chinese Characteristics (Richard Zalski) from the Asia Sentinel [of Hong Kong in English]
"A common theme in the international media and academic papers emphasizes China’s rise vs. America’s decline and presents China as the coming superpower. However, the question is how China can lead the globe if it is not trusted in its own turf."
Accidental Release of US Cables Endangers Sources from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"A WikiLeaks file containing the original leaked US State Department cables has inadvertently been released onto the Internet. The documents have not been edited to protect sources, meaning that the lives of informants could be at risk."
No surprise here. From the very beginning, when Wikileaks did their big document dump of state department documents, their was very little evidence of meaningful "editing" of that material. It actually takes a substantial amount of expertise to really vet such a diverse collection of communications -- expertise that Wikileaks has never had. Moreover, the sheer volume of material Wikileaks had makes meaningful review a mathematical impossibility. Remember -- we're talking about tens of thousands, purportedly hundreds of thousands of documents. And no -- throwing caches of documents to a universe of anonymous bloggers for review won't cut it!
Growing Concerns Over Fracking (AUDIO) from NPR's Diane Rehm Program
"The S.E.C. has asked oil and gas companies for details about a controversial natural gas drilling method. Growing concerns over fracking and the role of natural gas in the U.S. economy."
In New Memoir, Dick Cheney's Domestic Spying and Attempts to Rewrite History from Time Magazine
"One of Cheney’s most surprising claims involves the Bush administration’s internal crisis over domestic surveillance by the National Security Agency."
A very interesting story. HERE's more reaction to Cheney's book.
Romney’s Plan to Beat Perry (Marc A. Thiessen) from the Washington Post
"If Perry fails to implode and continues to surge in the polls, Romney eventually will have to go on the attack — an assault his advisers say will commence “at a time of our choosing.” Romney strategists are quick to note that in his book, “Fed Up!,”"
I actually don't hear much of a plan here. I don't see anything that will seriously offset Perry's strengths.
Why Mitt Romney Will Fail (Ana Marie Cox) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Most pundits still think Romney's the Republican frontrunner for 2012, but no one loves a loser – and Romney's not much loved."
Perry Calls for Aggressive Foreign Policy from the San Antonio Express News
"Despite being asked by convention leaders to appear as state governor and not a presidential candidate, Gov. Rick Perry endorsed an aggressive foreign policy doctrine, including support for the concept of pre-emptive strikes, in his welcoming remarks Monday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention. ... “It's a dangerous world that we live in today,” Perry said. “As the 10th anniversary of the attacks of 9-11 approach, we must renew our commitment to taking the fight to the enemy, wherever they are, before they strike at home.”"
Of course. These days, GOP foreign policy is given purely by domestic political concerns.
Is Rick Perry Dumb? (Jonathan Martin) from Politico
"Doubts about Perry’s intellect have hounded him since he was first elected as a state legislator nearly three decades ago. In Austin, he’s been derided as a right-place, right-time pol who looks the part but isn’t so deep — “Gov. Goodhair.” Now, with the chatter picking back up among his enemies and taking flight in elite Republican circles, the rap threatens to follow him to the national stage."
E-BOOK NUGGET!!
Oh, the Pages that Glow! from the Boston Globe
"In snaring young readers, will e-books succeed? Seems 98 3/4 percent guaranteed."
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