Did Obama "Dither"? Troops in Kandahar Aren't Complaining
Memo From Baghdad
Pakistan, not Helping
Accompanying the main PR thrust of Obama's new Afghanistan policy was a more subtle argument: that a new degree of cooperation from Pakistan in the fight against Islamic radicals had given Obama faith that a U.S. offensive could succeed. But now comes word that Pakistan is refusing our demands to crack down on the Haqqani network, whose home base is in Pakistan and which is a major source of insurgency in eastern Afghanistan. The problem is that Pakistant sees the Haqqanis as assets, not enemies. READ MORE >>
The Pakistan Puzzle
In a New York Times op-ed today largely in support of Obama's Afghanistan plan, Nate Fick of the Center for a New American Security writes: Progress depends on two political developments: inducing the administration of President Hamid Karzai to govern effectively, and persuading Pakistan that militant groups within its borders pose as great a threat to Islamabad as they do to Kabul. READ MORE >>
"Starting From Scratch" in Afghanistan
Richard Holbrooke, while drumming up support for the war in Germany, offers a bleak assessment. READ MORE >>
Jenny Sanford Files for Divorce
Talk about delayed reactions. I'd like to see her star in a "Good Wife"-esque reality show. READ MORE >>
Lowered Expectations for Middle East Peace
The Jerusalem Post says Obama is scaling back his diplomacy: With the Palestinians refusing to return to the negotiations, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu not calling for a complete settlement freeze and the Arab world declining to make any gestures to Israel, the current sense in Jerusalem is that the US is scaling back its intensive involvement in the diplomatic process. READ MORE >>
Balancing Idealism and Realism
Update: Added missing link to the original item I was responding to. READ MORE >>
Iranian Nuke Scientist Goes MIA
Sounds like someone might've "fallen down a well" in Saudi Arabia. Not everything we do to thwart an Iranian bomb can be found in presidential speeches. READ MORE >>
Obama in Oslo
I agree with Chait and, to offer him some fancy synonyms, think this may have been the deepest and most elegaic speech of Obama's presidency. But what a strange one it was. Obama is a man trapped amongst the contradictions created by America's awkward place in the post-Bush world. READ MORE >>
