Saturday, March 31, 2012

Bias breeds disillusionment

US pro-Israel bias, evidenced again in Geneva, has even the top levels of the Palestinian leadership thinking about ditching the two-state solution, writes Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has voiced deep disillusionment over the "diluted and duplicitous" American stance towards the issue of Jewish settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Palestinian officials in Ramallah called the American position unacceptable and incompatible with the rule of international law. "The US says it is against settlements and settlement expansion, but what we see on the ground is that the US government is voting against any international resolution critical of the Israeli settlement policy."

Health care hole grew $17 trillion since Obamacare

The Washington Free Beacon

The federal government’s unfunded health care obligations have grown by a whopping $17 trillion since the passage of President Obama’s controversial reform bill, a Senate Budget Committee study has found. Read & Comment

Cyber claim: China has infiltrated every U.S. compan

Cyber claim: China has infiltrated every U.S. company

The Blaze

The April issue of Smithsonian Magazine focuses on Richard Clarke, a former counterterrorism czar who says every U.S. company has been penetrated by China through cyberspace and remains vulnerable to attack, and that the United States made and launched the infamous Stuxnet worm. Read & Comment

Friday, March 30, 2012

Japan Heading for Energy Death Spiral?

The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/japan-heading-for-energy-death-spiral/255266/

Steve Clemons - Steve Clemons is Washington editor at large for The Atlantic and editor in chief of Atlantic Live. He writes frequently about politics and foreign affairs.

Japan Heading for Energy Death Spiral?

By Steve Clemons

In banning a UN probe, Israel is joining the worst of clubs

http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/in-banning-a-un-probe-israel-is-joining-the-worst-of-clubs-1.421162

Published 03:36 28.03.12
Latest update 03:36 28.03.12

In banning a UN probe, Israel is joining the worst of clubs

It is doubtful there is any country that sees the UN as a fair arena, but it is the only arena in which there are reasonable and more or less agreed upon criteria for the conduct of countries.

By Zvi Bar'el
The decision by the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish an investigative committee on the matter of the settlements is not the problem. This committee will, after all, not discover anything the American administration, the Quartet countries, the European Union and all of Israel's friends haven't known for years. No secret room will be unearthed all of a sudden. The damage caused by the settlements is obvious, documented and detailed in thousands of documents that have already turned yellow.

Turkey and the bomb

Published 26 March 2012 http://www.euractiv.com/global-europe/turkey-bomb-analysis-511752

Policymakers worry that an Iranian atomic weapon will force the country's neighbours to explore the nuclear option, but that is not the case for Turkey, writes Sinan Ülgen.

Sinan Ülgen, a former Turkish diplomat, is the chairman of the Istanbul-based Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM) think tank and a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe. He contributed this commentary in exclusivity for EurActiv.
"Turkey, along with Egypt and Saudi Arabia, are the countries most often cited as likely to develop indigenous nuclear capabilities to counter Iran. Analysts point to statements last December by Saudi Prince Turki Al-Faisal as firm evidence of this risk. Prince Turki was plain: a nuclear-armed Iran would cause Saudi Arabia to reconsider its own nuclear options. As a result, it is feared, an Iranian bomb would be the first step toward a disastrous regional proliferation cascade.

Is America Getting Ready For A Resource War?

from War News Updates by War News Updates Editor

Has America Reported For Duty In The Resource Wars? -- Daniel McGroarty, Real Clear World

March has been a big month in the Resource Wars - the long-term scramble by the world's major powers to secure access to strategic metals and minerals essential to economic growth and national security. Exhibit A: The announcement that the U.S., European Union and Japan are initiating a World Trade Organization (WTO) action against China for its restrictive export policies on a range of technologically-critical metals know as Rare Earths.

But for all the ink it received, the WTO Rare Earths case may just be the second most important action the White House has taken this month on the strategic resource issue.

Read more ....

What Iran Can Do to Strike Back

http://consortiumnews.com/2012/03/30/what-iran-can-do-to-strike-back/

What Iran Can Do to Strike Back

Is All Criticism of Israel Antisemitic: Put Simply, Yes.

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/03/29/is-all-criticism-of-israel-antisemitic-put-simply-yes/

Read this and, more interestingly, the comments in response to it.

Lawyers tested in court over anti-terrorism act

America’s dream unravels

By Edward Luce

As other nations rise, the US is in relative economic decline – and the country’s political system is making things worse

Japan Heading for Energy Death Spiral?

Democrats Ignore Real Racism while Exploiting Trayvon for Obama 2012

The usual "Democrat" suspects are despicably exploiting Trayvon Martin to inspire racial hatred and anger for political gain, fueled by their own racial prejudices and resentments.

Israel Shields Public from Risks of War with Iran

by Gareth Porter

IPS — The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been telling Israelis that Israel can attack Iran with minimal civilian Israeli casualties as a result of retaliation, and that reassuring message appears to have headed off any widespread Israeli fear of war with Iran and other adversaries.

Mitt Romney: In Your Heart, You Know He’s A Loser

by Justin Raimondo

Is GOP throwing the election? asks Justin Raimondo

Not-So-Smooth Operator Obama increasingly comes across as devious and dishonest.

Not-So-Smooth Operator

Obama increasingly comes across as devious and dishonest.

THE PIVOT TO THE PACIFIC, AND MORE FROM CRS

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2012, Issue No. 29
March 30, 2012

Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

THE PIVOT TO THE PACIFIC, AND MORE FROM CRS

The growing emphasis on Asia as a focus of U.S. national security planning, known as the "pivot to the Pacific," is discussed in a new report from the Congressional Research Service.

"Underlying the 'pivot' is a conviction that the center of gravity for U.S. foreign policy, national security, and economic interests is being realigned and shifting towards Asia, and that U.S. strategy and priorities need to be adjusted accordingly," the CRS report says. "For many observers, it is imperative that the United States give more emphasis to the Asia-Pacific. Indeed, for years, many countries in the region have encouraged the United States to step up its activity to provide a balance to China’s rising influence."

"There are a number of risks to the 'pivot,' however. In an era of constrained U.S. defense resources, an increased U.S. military emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region might result in a reduction in U.S. military capacity in other parts of the world. Another budgetary consideration is that plans to restructure U.S. military deployments in Asia and minimize cuts in the Navy may run up against more restrictive funding constraints than plans yet assume."

"Additionally," the report says, "the perception among many that the 'rebalancing' is targeted against China could strengthen the hand of Chinese hard-liners. Such an impression could also potentially make it more difficult for the United States to gain China’s cooperation on a range of issues. Additionally, the prominence the Obama Administration has given to the initiative has raised the costs to the United States if it or successor administrations fail to follow through on public pledges made, particularly in the military realm."

Congress is fully entitled to review the emerging policy, which is predicated on congressional action and cooperation, the CRS report said.

"Given that one purpose of the 'pivot' or 'rebalancing' toward the Asia-Pacific is to deepen U.S. credibility in the region at a time of fiscal constraint, Congress’s oversight and appropriations roles, as well as its approval authority over free trade agreements, will help determine to what extent the Administration’s plans are implemented and how various trade-offs are managed."

A copy of the report was obtained by Secrecy News. See Pivot to the Pacific? The Obama Administration's 'Rebalancing' Toward Asia, March 28, 2012.

FAS In-Depth: March 30, 2012 20th Anniversary of the Open Skies Treaty

FAS In-Depth: March 30, 2012

Note: This weekly FAS Member newsletter analyzes a current security threat and FAS work on this issue. If you have any ideas for upcoming content, please contact Katie Colten, Membership Coordinator, at kcolten@fas.org.

20th Anniversary of the Open Skies Treaty

March 24th marked the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Open Skies Treaty, which established a program of allowing countries to conduct unarmed, aerial surveillance of member countries with the goal of allowing members to gather information about military forces and activities of concern. The treaty was first signed by President George H.W. Bush on March 24, 1992 and was put into full effect in January 2002. 34 countries have signed this treaty including the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom and Germany.
In an editorial published in the New York Times on March 25, 2012, George Shultz, Sidney Drell (member of FAS's Board of Sponsors) and Christopher Stubbs wrote that "this treaty is an under-appreciated triumph of modern confidence building and arms control," and in the future, as the world faces environmental challenges such as greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation, this treaty could assist in solving these problems.
The images which are obtained via the treaty can be shared with all signatory countries and imagery can also be used in natural disaster relief scenarios. For some member countries, Open Skies is the leading mechanism for monitoring security concerns via satellite imagery. The authors argue that it is in the United States' "interest to strengthen and extend both the technical collection capabilities and scope of international participation in cooperative aerial monitoring programs," which can be accomplished by investing in upgrades to U.S. aircraft and satellite monitoring equipment.
For more information on the Open Skies Treaty, check out these FAS resources on our website.

Open Skies Treaty Resources:
Open Skies Treaty
Treaty on Open Skies (Treaty text)

Congressional Research Service Reports:

Arms Control and Nonproliferation: A Catalog of Treaties and Agreements

Other Reports:

Implementation of, and Compliance With The Treaty on Open Skies (Air Force Manual 16-604)
National Security Directive 73 (White House)
Technical Co-operation in the Framework of the Open Skies Treaty (WEU Parliamentary Assembly)
Open Skies Pamphlet (Defense Treaty Inspection Readiness Program)
Implementation of, and Compliance with, International Arms Control and Nonproliferation Agreements (Air Force Instruction 16-601)
Verification Technologies: Cooperative Aerial Surveillance in International Agreements (OTA)
The Treaty on Open Skies (Center for National Security Studies)
Army Arms Control Implementation Policy (Department of the Army)

EPA Proposals: End of Coal or Dawn of New Energy?

by dg@oilprice.com (Daniel J. Graeber)

The Environmental Protection Agency this week proposed measures that it said would cut emissions for new power plants. Critics are lining up to say this marks the end of coal-fired power generation in the United States and in some ways they may be right. Despite the fervor over things like the Keystone XL oil pipeline and the fracking of natural gas, coal still dominates the energy sector and has been since at least the 1960s. While critics of the EPA's proposals may have a point, is that necessarily a bad thing? The Supreme Court in 2007…Read more...

Market Not Subsidies Should Power Nat Gas Cars

by Editors, Bloomberg

Editors, Bloomberg
Few areas of American governance have been as incoherent in recent decades as energy policy, which is saying something. But lately, we keep seeing reasons for optimism. Almost miraculously, the U.S. is both reducing its greenhouse-gas emissions and becoming increasingly energy independent. As Bloomberg News recently reported. . .

Russia's Far East Rising Energy Superpower

by John Daly, OilPrice.com

John Daly, OilPrice.com
Siberia has traditionally conjured up images of fearsome cold and death, first as a place of exile under the Russian Tsars and later under the murderous regime of Lenin’s Bolsheviks. A great appeal of eastern Siberia for political exile was its extreme remoteness.

U.S. Oil Giant Now Ranks Behind a Chinese Upstart

by MoneyWatch

MoneyWatch
Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) is no longer the world's biggest publicly traded producer of oil. For the first time, that distinction belongs to a 13-year-old Chinese company called PetroChina. The Beijing company was created by the Chinese government to secure more oil for that nation's booming economy. . .

North American Energy Could Change the World

by Victor D. Hanson, IBD

Victor D. Hanson, IBD
The world was reinvented in the 1970s by soaring oil prices and massive transfers of national wealth. It could be again if the price of petroleum crashes; a real possibility given the amazing estimates about the new gas and oil reserves on the North American continent. . .

Iran Not Obama to Blame For Oil Shock

by Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes

Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes
"There is no rational reason whet oil prices are continuing to remain at these high levels" wrote Saudi Arabia's oil minister Ali Naimi in an op-ed the other day.Â With markets tight but balanced, oil is trading with a substantial risk-premium tied to the possibility of military conflict between Israel and Iran. . .

High Gas Prices Don't Impact American Behavior

by Adam Davidson, NYT

Adam Davidson, NYT
Like a lot of carless New Yorkers, I am generally confused by bursts of populist outrage over high gas prices. But I have always assumed that the anger is genuine "” that hard-working Americans, who already spend a lot on gas, are thrown into turmoil when they have to spend even more. After all, 63 percent of Americans insist that these price increases have caused them some financial hardship. . .

The Anti-Energy President

by Peter Du Pont, Wall Street Journal

Peter Du Pont, Wall Street Journal
Our America today is very different from the America of some years ago. Government spending is greatly increased, as is the regulation of our economy. The growing size and reach of our government is sapping our nation's strength and independence. And our current president's policies have been quite different from our leaders of some years ago. . .

Jimmy Carter urges Democrats to tone down abortion focus

The Revenge of Wen Jiabao

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/03/29/the_revenge_of_wen_jiabao?page=full

The Revenge of Wen Jiabao

The ouster of Chongqing boss Bo Xilai was 30 years in the making -- a long, sordid tale of elite families and factions vying for the soul of the Chinese Communist Party.

BY JOHN GARNAUT | MARCH 29, 2012

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Coal Rule: Chance for Nuclear, Gift for Gas by S. Skutnik, Energy Collective

Coal Rule: Chance for Nuclear, Gift for Gas

by S. Skutnik, Energy Collective

S. Skutnik, Energy Collective

Prepare for an Era of Oil Shocks by Martin Wolf, Globe & Mail

Prepare for an Era of Oil Shocks

by Martin Wolf, Globe & Mail

Bush vs. Obama: Who's More Oil Friendly? by Yadullah Hussain, Fin. Post

Bush vs. Obama: Who's More Oil Friendly?

by Yadullah Hussain, Fin. Post

Nuclear security begins at home

by Kennette Benedict

Everyone seems to be talking about Iran these days. Foreign affairs watchers, policy makers, and Middle East experts are all speculating about when Iran will get a nuclear bomb, about what the United States should do to stop Iran, about what the United States should and should not tolerate from Iran, and about how neighboring countries will act if Iran does succeed in making a nuclear weapon. These issues have been disputed for more than 30 years -- and regularly covered in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Did Liberals Screw Obamacare?

by Michael Tomasky

The individual mandate can’t be defended as a right. Which is one reason it might be headed for defeat.

These 15 American States Would Get Slammed In A Hard China Slowdown by Mamta Badkar

These 15 American States Would Get Slammed In A Hard China Slowdown

by Mamta Badkar

Whatever happened to arms control? by Stephen M. Walt

Whatever happened to arms control?

by Stephen M. Walt

The Republic, if We Can Keep It What are the chances of the United States entering another Civil War?

The Republic, if We Can Keep It

What are the chances of the United States entering another Civil War?

Good Night, America, and Good-Bye by Philip Giraldi

Good Night, America, and Good-Bye

by Philip Giraldi

It is interesting to note just how well this imperialism thing has worked for the American people. At the end of last year the U.S. was kicked out of Iraq after spending some trillions of dollars and producing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Americans. Al-Qaeda, which was not present in Iraq [...]

From Corporate Watchdogs to Corporate Reformers

by Gary Brumback

Corporate America along with its three pawns, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government, are slowly driving our nation to ruination. The signs of the rot and ruin are everywhere, not just from sea to shining sea across our land but on foreign land as well. Corporate America and its pawns for self-serving purposes are directly responsible for murderous imperialism on foreign land, for America among industrialized nations having the worst socio-economic conditions, and for harming Americans sometimes fatally through the services and products they buy, the air they breathe, and the water they drink.
Government reforms would go a long way toward slowing our decline and even reversing it eventually. Government reform could take away the enormous favors it bestows on corporate America, favors sometimes so large that they keep otherwise drowning corporations afloat. But government is intransigent and will continue to be corruptible at the hands of corporate America. More attention therefore needs to be turned toward corporate reform.
Furthermore, while corporate America may be too obtuse or complacent to realize it, their own reform may be good for them in the long run. As an organizational psychologist for nearly half a century I know how inefficient the corporate organizational structure is and how poorly corporations are run. Most of them would probably have a very tough going if they lost government handouts and hands-off corporate wrongdoing. A corporation that was properly organized and well run with the proper standards of performance and self accountability ought to be able to make up for its ill begotten profits.

Eugene Robinson on Stand Your Ground Laws

Eugene Robinson on Stand Your Ground Laws
"Repeal the 'Stand Your Ground' Laws" -- The "Stand Your Ground" laws in Florida and other states should all be repealed. At best, they are redundant. At worst, as in the Trayvon Martin killing, they are nothing but a license to kill.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/repeal_the_stand_your_ground_laws_20120327/

William Pfaff on Obama's Nuclear Gaffe

William Pfaff on Obama's Nuclear Gaffe
"Regardless of Obama's Gaffe, Nuclear Missile Defense Remains a Useless Endeavor" -- European missile defense against the threat of hypothetical Iranian nuclear missile attack is a make-work project for the American aerospace industry and always has been.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/regardless_of_obamas_gaffe_nuclear_missile_defense_remains_a_useless_endeav/

Bill Blum on the Commerce Clause

Bill Blum on the Commerce Clause
"Health Care Mandate Threatens Progressive Legacy" -- The Supreme Court is now prepared to sidestep if not reverse decades of law, and the damage won't stop with health care.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/health_care_mandate_threatens_progressive_legacy_20120328/

Robert Scheer on Supreme Hypocrisy

Robert Scheer on Supreme Hypocrisy
"Five Hypocrites and One Bad Plan" -- The Supreme Court is so full of it, but the sad truth is that President Obama and the Democrats brought this potential judicial disaster upon themselves.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/five_hypocrites_and_one_bad_plan_20120329/

Afghanistan Weekly Reader: Wars End, But War Costs Continue

fghanistan Weekly Reader: Public Support for Afghanistan at an All Time Low

Public support for the Afghanistan war continues to decline. According to a new CBS News/New York Times poll, 69% of Americans believe the U.S. should not be fighting in Afghanistan. 47% want to speed up the drawdown timeline.
The consistent drop in support for the war is certainly related to the troubling news of the situation in Afghanistan. Last year the U.S. and allies provided almost $16 billion in aid to Afghanistan. Also last year some $8 billion in cash was smuggled out of the country. Since 2002 the U.S. has spent over $50 billion training and equipping the Afghan National Security Forces. Yet the deputy commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan estimates that only about 1% of Afghan units can operate independently.
From ASG
3/27
Wars End, But War Costs Continue
Afghanistan Study Group by Mary Kaszynski
The Afghanistan War will end eventually, the troops will come home, and the United States taxpayer will start saving billions a week. However, U.S. operations in Afghanistan will continue to be a significant expense long after the troops come home.
ARTICLES
3/26
Poll: Support for war in Afghanistan hits all-time low
CBS News by Lucy Madison
According to the CBS News/New York Times survey, many Americans would like to get troops home sooner. Forty-seven percent of Americans said they would like to see the timetable for the departure of U.S. troops moved up. Thirty-three percent think the schedule for withdrawal should remain as is, and 17 percent think the U.S. should stay in Afghanistan for as long as it takes.
3/26
Billions in cash smuggled out of Afghanistan every year
CNN by Sara Sidner and Mitra Mobasherat
It is estimated $8 billion in cash was lugged out of the country last year by car, private jets and border crossings. That is almost double the entire country's budget for 2011...Foreign aid is propping up Afghanistan's economy. The question on every potential investor's mind is whether Afghanistan will be able to sustain itself when the war is finally over.
3/21
Neighboring Countries Scramble To Be NATO's Exit Route From Afghanistan
Radio Free Europe by Charles Recknagel
The United States today pays $500 million a year in transit fees to send military materiel through Central Asian states to Afghanistan.
Now, that amount will rise as Washington and other members of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) repatriate what has accumulated in Afghanistan over the past decade.
OPINION
3/27
US has still not defeated the ‘al-Qaeda mentality’
Financial Times by Gideon Rachman
The killing of Osama bin Laden last year has given the US government all the "closure" it needs to justify a withdrawal from Afghanistan. Nato’s goals for the country are now minimal and focused entirely on security.
3/27
We Can't Drone Our Way to Victory in Afghanistan
Foreign Policy by Micah Zenko
It's time for U.S. officials to stop trying to swim against the tide of the public opinion of sovereign governments in Southwest Asia, and start developing a strategy for combating terrorism that does not overwhelmingly rely on unending Special Forces night raids and CIA drone strikes.

Saudi Arabia will act to lower soaring oil prices Financial Times

Social Media Explained

Michael Hudson on the Federal Reserve System

Obama's campaign push for biofuels evokes Carter's 1980 State of the Union

Archbishop of New York: Obama allies attempting to divide Catholic Church

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Empires Then and Now

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Empires-Then-and-Now-by-Paul-Craig-Roberts-120327-813.html

March 27, 2012

Empires Then and Now

This article cross-posted from Paul Craig Roberts IPE

Great empires, such as the Roman and British, were extractive. The empires succeeded, because the value of the resources and wealth extracted from conquered lands exceeded the value of conquest and governance. The reason Rome did not extend its empire east into Germany was not the military prowess of Germanic tribes but Rome's calculation that the cost of conquest exceeded the value of extractable resources.
The Roman empire failed, because Romans exhausted manpower and resources in civil wars fighting amongst themselves for power. The British empire failed, because the British exhausted themselves fighting Germany in two world wars.

IMPLICATIONS OF AN ISRAELI STRIKE ON IRAN, AND MORE FROM CRS

Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

** IMPLICATIONS OF AN ISRAELI STRIKE ON IRAN, AND MORE FROM CRS

IMPLICATIONS OF AN ISRAELI STRIKE ON IRAN, AND MORE FROM CRS

The factors that could influence an Israeli decision to attack Iranian nuclear targets and the implications of such an act were assessed in a new report from the Congressional Research Service. The report surveys the multiple dimensions of the issue at length, though it does not appear to provide much new information or original analysis. See Israel: Possible Military Strike Against Iran's Nuclear Facilities, March 27, 2012.

Other new or updated CRS reports that Congress has not made directly available to the public include the following.

Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses, March 23, 2012

Fact Sheet: The FY2013 State and Foreign Operations Budget Request, March 19, 2012

Foreign Assistance to North Korea, March 20, 2012

China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities -- Background and Issues for Congress, March 23, 2012

Cybersecurity: Selected Legal Issues, March 14, 2012

Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy, March 7, 2012

Israel wants Iran isolated, but instead isolates itself

Israel's most loyal allies - starting with Germany, which last year supported a UN resolution condemning the settlement policy - are not willing to ignore the contradiction between that policy and Israel's declarations about seeking peace.

Haaretz Editorial

Sheila Bair Told Administration Its Housing Programs Would Bomb, Was Rebuffed on Better Solutions

Obamacare defense called 'train wreck' for White House

Business Insider

According to CNN's legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and reports from inside the courtroom on Tuesday, President Obama's health care overhaul took quite a beating. "I don't know why [U.S. Solicitor General David Verrelli] had a bad day," said Toobin. "He was not ready for the answers for the conservative justices." Read & Comment

CFR Update: Syria's Assad Accepts UN Cease-Fire Proposal

Daily News Brief
March 28, 2012

Top of the Agenda: Syria's Assad Accepts UN Cease-Fire Proposal

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accepted a six-point peace plan to end his regime's year-long crackdown (NYT) on anti-government protesters and opposition forces, said Kofi Annan, the joint UN-Arab League envoy to Syria. The announcement came as Assad made a rare visit to Homs, an opposition stronghold that has sustained continued military attacks over the past months. But Assad's critics, including the United States, remained skeptical of his intentions. At the same time, Syrian soldiers targeted rebels taking cover along the border with Lebanon. Syrian activists claimed fifty-seven people were killed in clashes with government forces on Tuesday, while the UN estimated the total number killed in the conflict since last March to be more than 9,000.

Analysis

"First, the diplomacy for which Annan is the point man is an agreed diplomacy, to which all the major powers, as well as the Arab League and Syria's neighbors, are committed. Since they have never managed to agree before, this fragile unity is in itself worth something. Second, if the conflict could be even partially and imperfectly demilitarised, that would be, given the terrible and continuing level of violence, a gain," says this Guardian editorial.

"Whether or not Annan's plan achieves a breakthrough remains to be seen. The Syrian leader has previously accepted deals in principle, only to cherry pick the elements he chooses to implement. Significantly, while Syrian state media focused on the president's tour of an area 'agonized by heavily armed terrorist groups which terrorized the inhabitants,' there was no mention of accepting Annan's plan," writes TIME's Rania Abouzeid.

"Russia and China, which have seen their standing in the region suffer from repeated vetoes in the Security Council, saw Annan's diplomatic overture as a way out of their isolation. And Western powers, reluctant to intervene militarily in Syria if diplomacy fails, are showing renewed interest in promoting a U.N. diplomatic effort to end the crisis," writes Colum Lynch for ForeignPolicy.com.

Support in U.S. for Afghan War Drops Sharply, Poll Finds

The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/world/asia/support-for-afghan-war-falls-in-us-poll-finds.html?ref=world&pagewanted=print
March 26, 2012

Support in U.S. for Afghan War Drops Sharply, Poll Finds

By ELISABETH BUMILLER and ALLISON KOPICKI

WASHINGTON — After a series of violent episodes and setbacks, support for the war in Afghanistan has dropped sharply among both Republicans and Democrats, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Are we becoming immune to war? from Stephen M. Walt

Are we becoming immune to war?

from Stephen M. Walt by Stephen M. Walt

Would becoming a petrostate change the American character?

April 4 Panel on Secrecy and Surveillance

by Steven Aftergood

The Open Society Foundations will host a discussion on “National Security Secrecy and Surveillance: Defending the Public’s Right to Know” on April 4 in New York City.
I will moderate a panel of speakers including NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake, Jesselyn Radack of the Government Accountability Project, investigative journalist Timothy Shorrock, and ACLU attorney Jameel Jaffer.
Seating is limited. For more information and to RSVP see here.

Hero or Goat?

by noreply@blogger.com (Mike Mish Shedlock)

Here is an exclusive undoctored image of Ben Bernanke as actually taken by the Atlantic Magazine.

Obama vs. Ryan: Budget Showdown - Deficit and Total Debt Projections Through 2021 - Interactive map; Path to Prosperity or Path to Ruin?

by noreply@blogger.com (Mike Mish Shedlock)

Inquiring minds are asking How does Paul Ryan's budget plan stack up against president Obama's budget plan, item-by-item? With thanks to Ross Perez and Lori Williams at Tableau Software, let's take a look.