TOP BILLING:
Willy Lam. Wall Street Journal. 24 September 2009.
“Curzon” ComingAnarchy.com 3 October 2009.
Few people possess as much power as the ruling elites of the Chinese Communist Party. For American statesmen and diplomats, few topics have as much importance as the internal divisions and dynamics of the CCP. Given this, the lack of attention media outlets give to these men is simply astounding. There are few human beings whose actions have so large an influence over the course of world affairs but receive so little public scrutiny.
Both of these articles seek to change this, and are the best reads on the subject I have seen since Summer’s end. I recommend you read both, time permitting.
Max Bivens. TomDispatch. 4 October 2009.
Biven makes an intelligent point: the cost of eradicating small-pox was $300,000,000. This sum was spread over ten years. In the last two years, the United States government has spent some $4,000,000,000,000,000 to “fix” the American economy.
Perhaps we have our priorities mixed up.
“Curzon”. ComingAnarchy.com. 18 September 2009.
Tim Stevens. Complex Terrain Laboratory. 18 September 2009.
The conflict simmering in Uganda is one of the many stealth conflicts nobody knows anything about. Both of these posts provide an unparalleled service in explaining the roots of Uganda’s inner tensions. Curzon packs two hundred years of history into 500 hundred words and a map; Steven eschews historical context in favor of outlining the direct causes of the recent outbreaks of violence in Buganda.
Derek Flood. Asia Times Online. 18 September 2009.
This is one of the more important stories to come out of Afghanistan this month. I harp on the importance of logistics for U.S. expeditionary operations quite a bit here at the Stage — this is article is required reading for those wishing to sound intelligent in such discussions.
Tom Burgis. Financial Times. 28 September 2009.
First the deal with Gazprom, and now this. It seems that the Nigerians have lost faith in Western buyers.
Khaled Fattah. Asia Times Online. 9 October 2009.
A short history of the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Fattah attacks those who call this insurgency a “proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia” with gusto.
Red Snow Warning
Chip Ward. TomDispatch. 13 September 2009.
Chip Ward. TomDispatch. 13 September 2009.
The American West is drying up. Forget global warming and the like – demand is simply outstripping supply, climate change or no. Water practices need to be drastically changed to create anything close to long-term sustainable living.
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks. 2 October 2009.
The majority of South Sudanese parties have declared that they shall boycott next year’s elections. When the South utterly loses the elections because of this, they shall surely call the elections unjust and undemocratic. See how the seeds of civil war are sown! (H/T All Africa.)
No Comments Yet