Lower Expectations – Jonah Goldberg, National Review
It’s a small paradox of the war in Iraq. As support for the war inches up (according to a New York Times poll that so shocked the editors they demanded it be retaken), as the surge proves ever more encouraging and as Gen. David Petraeus’s confidence grows, enthusiasm for the democracy project in Iraq wanes.
Good News Bad for Some - Clifford May, Washington Times
It's tough being a member of Congress. Even if you're in the majority, as is Rep. Nancy Boyda, Kansas Democrat, you never know when your ears may be assaulted by outrageous and offensive ideas. Like what? At a recent hearing of the Armed Services Committee, retired Gen. Jack Keane said "progress is being made" by U.S. military forces in Iraq; "We are on the offensive and we have the momentum." The first-term congresswoman was so distressed by these remarks that she walked out.
Why our Alliance with America is Important – London Daily Telegraph editorial
It is worth reminding ourselves why the Anglo-American alliance matters. Many Europeans, and some Britons, believe that we are approximating our policy unconditionally to America's: that we have decided, in a dangerous world, to stick to the mightiest power, right or wrong. But this misunderstands the nature of our compact. It is true that America has an unrivalled military capability, with air- and sea-lift, advanced communications satellites and nuclear capacity. It is true, too, that our Armed Forces enjoy a degree of technical and even nuclear collaboration with the Americans that is unique between two sovereign states. And there is no dishonour in admitting that it is better to be with the world's leading power than against it.
All these considerations, however, are secondary and contingent. The Atlantic alliance rests, as we argued on Monday, on shared assumptions, prejudices and interests. Faced with the same problem, Britain and America - and, indeed, the other free English-speaking nations - tend to react the same way. Our shared heritage gives us a common belief in freedom and free trade, a common indignation at injustice, a common scepticism toward Utopian schemes.
We Must Soldier On - Greg Sheridan, The Australian
No one joins the Australian Army today seeking a quiet life. As Major-General Mike Hindmarsh, head of Australia's special forces, recently told reporters in Afghanistan, Special Air Service and commando units have lately been in some fierce actions against the Taliban. The traditional infantry role is most evident in Afghanistan. But Australian forces are involved in four big overseas operations today: Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor, Solomon Islands. In smaller numbers they are involved in other parts of the globe.
Bolstering the Gains in Afghan Health Care - Praful Patel, Washington Post
A few weeks ago, The Post published a heartbreaking story of Afghanistan's health-care system breaking down as the insurgency seems to advance. Medical workers have disappeared (one was beheaded), doctors are seeking safer places to work and clinics are running out of medicine because deliveries have become too dangerous. The added cruelty of this news is that Afghanistan's health system had just begun to turn a corner.
Al-Qaida will Defeat al-Qaida - Nelly Lahoud, Baltimore Sun
The discourse about al-Qaida by the U.S. administration and its allies can best be described as about everything and nothing. It is about everything because virtually all policy matters now seem to hinge on the war against al-Qaida. It is also about nothing because there is little substance in the administration's discourse as to what al-Qaida is and the concrete means to defeat it. A careful examination of al-Qaida reveals both why it has been successful in the short term and why it is doomed to fail in the long term.
Saudi Arms Deal Good for U.S.? – Frida Ghitis, Miami Herald
Does selling weapons to Saudi Arabia really make America and its allies safer? The argument from the Bush administration is that arming the desert kingdom, which stares face to face at Iran from across the Persian Gulf, will help keep a threatening Iran in line. That's why the United States says it now plans to sell the Saudis a massive package ringing in at some $20 billion. Running through the checkout scanner will come high-tech satellite guided bombs, advances to fighter jets, naval equipment and other sophisticated armaments.
Obama Gets Tough - Investor's Business Daily editorial
After foolishly promising as president to meet unconditionally with terrorist states, Obama, the Illinois Democrat, has gotten tough: He now wants U.S. forces to zero in on the mountains of northwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, where al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden may still be alive.
Progress on Darfur? – Washington Post editorial
The United Nations is crawling toward action to staunch the killing in Darfur. On Tuesday, the Security Council finally authorized a joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force of 26,000 troops and police to deploy in the France-sized region -- 11 months after first adopting the idea. Yesterday, U.N. mediators met with a dozen of the Darfur rebel groups to try to establish a common agenda for peace negotiations with the central government. Meanwhile, France is organizing a separate police force that will deploy in Chad and the Central African Republic in an attempt to limit the spillover of fighting into those countries.
Brown is Leading the Way in Counter-terrorist Thinking – Matthew d'Ancona. The Guardian
He has also been impressed by the work of David Kilcullen, a former Australian army officer and academic anthropologist who now works for the US state department. Kilcullen's core belief is that the war on terror is better described as a "global counter-insurgency". He refers to the "information battlefield" but insists that the west's strategy must be radically localised: each region, each village, needs a different counter-terrorist tactic.
Moderation Mode – Salim Mansur, Toronto Sun
The mobilization of moderate Muslims is strategically important in winning the long war against Islamist terrorism, and for assisting in the transition of Muslim societies -- many being failed states or on the brink of becoming them -- into states with minimally responsible governments, caring of their people's needs and evolving towards democracy.
Saving Soldiers' Jobs - Amy Gershkoff, Washington Post
For tens of thousands of members of the National Guard and reserves who are called up to serve in Iraq, returning home safely may be the beginning -- not the end -- of their worst nightmare. Reservists lucky enough to make it home often find their civilian jobs gone and face unsympathetic employers and a government that has restricted access to civilian job-loss reports rather than prosecuting offending employers.
Waiting for the Truth on Corporal Tillman – New York Times editorial
Now that the Army has completed its seventh inquiry into the death of Cpl. Pat Tillman and top military leaders have testified in Congress, we still don’t know who concocted a phony story about how Corporal Tillman died and whether the White House knew it was happening. Congress needs to clarify whether this messy affair reflects astonishing incompetence or a conspiracy to exploit a famous soldier’s death.
Disarmed by Libya – London Times editorial
Libya’s release of the Bulgarian medical workers last week was a coup de théâtre brilliantly stage-managed by Nicolas Sarkozy, with special effects by his wife Cécilia, who descended from the skies to whisk them to safety. In Brussels, there was a muted grinding of molars that President Sarkozy had scooped the prize that should properly have been credited to months of “patient diplomacy” by the European Commission.
A Bitterly Cold War over Frozen Territory – Graham Stewart, London Times
With the dropping of a titanium flag on the seabed below the ice, Russia has laid claim to a large chunk of the Arctic and the huge oil and other mineral resources assumed to lie beneath it. The last great colonial land grab has begun.
-----
