MOAR!

Updates are coming...been a busy week around here

HRC

The more I read about Hillary Clinton, the more I think she is a really good SecState.

Granted, this is an article written to be heartwarming, but she has good connections the world over from the 90's, and she genuinely cares about helping people.

I worry a lot more about the bureaucracy behind her in the Dept. of State rather than her actions the world over.

A Little Bit of Everything at the Meetings

Obama Sets Immigration Changes for 2010 - Ginger Thompson and Marc Lacey, NYT

There is a little bit of everything in here: immigration, health care, foreign policy, etc. The interesting part of this is: what if, in this Health Care debate, Obama is letting all the anger, frustration, and suspicion get out of the way before he tries anything meaningful? I don't know if this is what is planned or happening, but the past week (if you've been unlucky ennough to watch any cable news) has been people shouting and generally flipping out.

I pondered this when I read:

"Mr. Obama predicted that he would be successful but acknowledged the challenges, saying, 'I’ve got a lot on my plate.' He added that there would almost certainly be 'demagogues out there who try to suggest that any form or pathway for legalization for those who are already in the United States is unacceptable.”

The same basic policy is going to happen. The more conservative parts of the GOP will flip and there will be a week of non-stop shouting before anything meaningful is brought to the public eye.

I reference Thomas PM Barnett: We Need a Loyal and Strong GOP - why the GOP is, yes, somewhat useful. Or at least could be if they had ideas. Also, John Stewart, on how this cycle is working.

Maybe the White House dropped the ball on health care in not forcing it through. However, with the way American politics works - emotional, pandering, soundbytes, incomplete ideas, and otherwise utterly incoherent - the outcry over any health care reform was bound to be loud, strong, and utterly baseless because of the general lack of ideas.

The state of American politics is best exemplified by the GOP response to the problem. Once a certain segment of the population flipped, and Fox News found their haymaker of an issue to bash, the GOP utterly abandoned any pretense of provinding alternative ideas, bringing up sound points and issues with working towards resolution, or generally attempting to create something workable and immidiately tried to make health care Obama's 'Waterloo.' Immigration, I suspect, will follow largely the same path.

With opposition like that, who needs enemies?

State War

Colombia President, On South American Tour, Defends U.S. Military Role - Alexei Barrionuevio, NYT

"Ecuador and Colombia broke off diplomatic relations last year after Colombia’s military assassinated a rebel leader of the FARC in Ecuadorean territory."

Nation-state wars. Harder to fight than they used to be, as borders matter even less.

Afghan Elections

Karzai in His Labyrinth - Elizabeth Rubin, NYT Magazine

Long, but worth every page.

A long time ago, I was told that generations will have to pass after the Civil Rights campaigns in the 60's for true equality to be achieved. The generation that dealt with it can't reconcile; nor can the generation after, because they are poisoned by their parents. Only in the third or forth generation will reconciliation begin to happen on a non-superficial level.

How this relates to Afghanistan? Things are not going to be solved soon. I don't think this means there will be a large troop presence for decades to come, but 5 years seems to be a distinct possibility (then tapering off).

The inherent problem is there is no one starting point. Everything relates, and getting the country to a point where outside assistance is not needed means many things have to happen simultaneously to work.

We can sink them again

Russian Subs Patrolling Off East Coast of U.S. - Mark Mazzetti and Thom Shanker, NYT

The only reason we know this is because we have subs on their tail. Or, if not, its more fun to think about it that way.

Resource Security

A Souring Relationship - Economist.com

China is buying everything they can in the developing world, especially in Africa. It's not surprising they would try the same strategy with developed nations, but its not quite that easy.

However, what is a country's role in securing resources for itself? A century ago, it was deemed essential through direct colonization; a decade ago it was through free trade. Is securing resources via purchase - a hybrid of trade and colonialism - the new trend? This article goes into some of the negatives about agro-colonialism. While I don't agree with all of it, certainly it made me think.