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The Taliban leadership and the bulk of its fighters have eluded the Pakistani military during the current operation in South Waziristan. The Pakistani military had billed the South Waziristan offensive, which was launched in the eastern half of the Taliban-controlled tribal agency on Oct. 17, as the decisive battle that would break the back of the group. Instead, the leadership of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, including its leader Hakeemullah Mehsud and its South Waziristan commander Waliur Rehman Mehsud, have escaped to neighboring tribal areas, and the terror attacks in Pakistan continue.
Continue reading Taliban Escape South Waziristan Operation
US intelligence officials are concerned that Syria is becoming an al Qaeda haven, as the terror group becomes increasingly intertwined with Ba’athist groups operating from Iraq’s neighbor to the west. Al Qaeda has refocused its efforts to build an infrastructure in eastern Syria after its network in Iraq was decimated by Iraqi and US security forces from 2007 to 2009, and now the organization is partnering with former Ba’athists from Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Continue reading Eastern Syria Becoming a New Al Qaeda Haven
For some reason the United States and the rest of the western world is doing their best to bury the Goldstone report on the war crimes of Israel and Hamas last year. The main argument I hear against the report is that Hamas’ launching of missiles at Israel from civilian areas made it necessary for Israel to kill civilians in self-defense. Let’s take a hard look at why the current US administration as well as a large portion of the “civilized” world is in search of reasons to justify the killing of civilians in self-defense.
Continue reading Why Obama Buried the Goldstone Report
Many people agree with the simple statement that we should give the Afghan people the same effort that we gave the Iraqi people. Does that mean we should butt heads endlessly with the insurgency? That didn’t work in Iraq. Does it mean we should send another surge? That wasn’t the magic bullet either. Does it mean we should bring in another planeload of cash to pay off and arm local militias? That’s what did the trick in Iraq and that’s the only thing that’ll save Afghanistan from the Taliban.
Continue reading Unleashing Dostum’s Dogs
High expectations followed Obama’s election, but expectations were higher and felt by more people around the world when it came to foreign policy. The much lamented apologetic tour he embarked upon did restore lubrication to a seized up international mechanism, but Obama’s actual foreign policy gambits showed little tangible deviation from his predecessor’s. The unilateral swagger of the Bush era was easily reversed, but Obama’s scrapping of Bush’s missile defense plan is truly a step in the right direction. Russia has already reacted favorably by …
Continue reading Obama Foreign Policy Dawns as Neo-Con Sun Sets
I’m in the market for a new truck, but I’ve had a gas guzzler before and the constant cost of gas took a lot away from the experience. Sure, a 1985 Chevy K-5 Blazer with 35″ tires is fun, a lot of fun, but only when gas was cheap. I got rid of that truck shortly before I moved out of the area. After moving across the country to Central Oregon, I have much more justification for a 4X4 vehicle than I ever did living in Maryland.
Continue reading When Will Toyota Send Diesel Trucks to the US?
After a day of hiking around Smith Rock in Terrebonne, just North of Redmond, Oregon, we decided to reward ourselves for humping over “misery ridge” with a dinner at Terrebonne Depot. The hike put us in awe of the actual rock climbers out there and our appetite was ravenous.
Continue reading Misery Ridge then Terrebone Depot
Many have said that the 2008 Olympics in Beijing were China’s coming out party to the world. I wanted to let you know about China’s real coming out party. This posting about China’s June gay pride parade in Shanghai is not meant to insult the Chinese nation or anyone else, it is actually meant to praise China for the advancement of social liberty and freedom seen this year in Shanghai. Although many out there can argue whether or not the existence of a LBGT (Lesbian Bisexual Gay Transgender) community in China is advancement, no one can argue with the fact that a community such as this receiving greater freedom and tolerance is a sign of the Chinese government loosening control over individual rights.
Continue reading China’s Real Coming Out Party
We all hope that the people of Iran can rise up long enough to get a positive reaction from the government or even to follow through with another revolutionary sweep to power by a new generation, but a question persists. Are there really enough wealthy and middle class progressive Iranians to hold onto power in Iran? If you take the demographics of Iran’s electorate and their ideological leanings you can begin to see a familiar political playing field. Iran is a completely different political landscape from the United States, but during this era of social change and rapid cultural evolution, some of the same rules apply.
Continue reading Red Provinces vs. Blue Provinces … In Iran!
I was shocked when I heard about the verdict against the two journalist in North Korea. Twelve years hard labor sounds horrifying for these journalists and all should know that North Korea’s Gulag style prison system is well capable of endangering a prisoner’s life within months simply from the conditions alone (Although these two innocent women will hopefully receive better treatment, even though it’s only because they are westerners). Then you take a step back and realize they’re going to probably be all right because the Kim dynasty needs these two as bargaining chips in their growing confrontation with the entire world.
Continue reading What Does Guantanamo Bay Have to do with North Korea?
Liz Cheney recently got my attention on CNN. The arguments supporting or castigating Obama’s speech to the Muslim world in Cairo last week have been bubbling up for a few days now and I’ve been satisfied to sit back and watch. It just didn’t seem that hard to figure out that he did the right thing here, but that’s not everyone’s opinion.
Continue reading Is Considering The Opinions of the Muslim World Wrong?
I found out something I didn’t know today. If you happened to walk around mainland China with a photograph of the Tiananmen Square “Tank Man”, something strange happens. You, know. That guy with balls too large to contemplate who stood in front of a column of Chinese tanks twenty years ago. Photograph below.
Continue reading Tiananmen Twenty Years later
Let me quickly clarify the meaning of “new world order”, which can mean several things depending on your level of sanity. I’m talking about the new economic order of the world that settled into place when the western world’s financial and real estate industries collapsed. You may have been hearing about countries like China, India and Brazil a lot more than usual lately and that’s because they have seats at a lot more tables now. This is a result of what’s being called “The Great Recession” and let’s just simplify things by saying that these countries have a lot more chips in front of them at the global poker table than the west does these days. Metaphors aside, China is still buying up dollars and most economists are praying that they continue to do so as the US gets back on it’s feet.
Continue reading Hope for the New World Order
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