http://www.realclearworld.com/ en Copyright 2008 Thu, 23 May 2013 17:15:55 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.33 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Thu, 23 May 2013 14:47:17 -0500 P. Pomerantsev, Daily Beast Yesterday at about 2:20 p.m., two young men armed with long knives and meat cleavers decapitated an off-duty soldier on an ordinary street in the London borough of Woolwich. The victim was wearing a "Help for Heroes" T-shirt, a charity to raise money for injured servicemen. The two attackers cried "Allahu Akhbar" as they hacked at him. Then, one of the attackers, still holding a bloodied machete and dripping knives, his hands still shining with fresh blood, still breathing hard from the work of separating a man's head from his body, walked...]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/english_terrorists_say_sorry_when_they_kill_148352.htmlhttp://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/05/23/welcome-to-woolwich-where-english-terrorists-say-sorry-while-they-murder.html 100148352 PM Update 190490 Thu, 23 May 2013 14:48:31 -0500 Glenn Greenwald, Guardian The US, the UK and its allies have repeatedly killed Muslim civilians over the past decade (and before that), but defenders of those governments insist that this cannot be "terrorism" because it is combatants, not civilians, who are the targets. Can it really be the case that when western nations continuously kill Muslim civilians, that's not "terrorism", but when Muslims kill western soldiers, that is terrorism? Amazingly, the US has even imprisoned people at Guantanamo and elsewhere on accusations of "terrorism" who are accused of nothing more than...]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/woolwich_is_blowback_for_western_terror_148358.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/23/woolwich-attack-terrorism-blowback 100148358 PM Update 190371 Thu, 23 May 2013 14:49:17 -0500 Peter Singer, LA Times Over the last four years, there has been a strange irony. One of the greatest speakers of our era has largely kept silent about one of the signature aspects of his presidency.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/finally_obama_breaks_silence_on_drones_148363.htmlhttp://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-0523-singer-obama-national-security-20130523,0,1236727.story 100148363 PM Update 190491 Thu, 23 May 2013 14:53:20 -0500 John Bolton, New York Post Since his inauguration, President Obama's gullibility about Syria's brutal dictatorship and its ally Russia's Middle East objectives has injured America's stakes in the region. In the third year of Syria's bloody, grinding civil war, Assad remains in power, contrary to near-universal predictions in the West, and Moscow is still running rings around Washington.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/team_obamas_endless_syria_bungling_148354.htmlhttp://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/team_obama_endless_syria_bungling_LsJtEdFSW7yihaaBYdrQOK 100148354 PM Update 190495 Thu, 23 May 2013 14:50:23 -0500 Hadeel al Sayegh, The National Little did we know that Iraq would unravel so quickly. Violence has always occurred on the outskirts of the capital and in more remote areas in the country. But today, almost three weeks later, even Baghdad is not immune. In the past, attacks would target public areas such as markets, restaurants and cafes but now the perpetrators are focusing on places of worship - Sunni and Shia mosques.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/iraqi_society_fragments_148357.htmlhttp://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/iraqi-society-fragments-while-the-politicians-squabble 100148357 PM Update 190492 Thu, 23 May 2013 14:51:26 -0500 Karl Vick, Time For the cleric who runs Iran, there's no such thing as a pleasant surprise, especially on election day. Ayatullah Ali Khamenei was not pleased when a librarian named Mohammed Khatami was swept into the President's office in 1997, leading a wave of reformists who challenged the status quo in which Khamenei, as the unelected Supreme Leader of the Revolution, was most heavily invested. In every election cycle since, the self-appointed portion of Iran's government has done all it can to winnow the choices placed before Iranian voters. On Tuesday, that system tightened the...]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/khamenei_tightens_his_grip_in_iran_148359.htmlhttp://world.time.com/2013/05/22/irans-supreme-leader-tightens-grip-after-disqualifying-two-presidential-candidates/?iid=gs-main-lead 100148359 PM Update 190493 Thu, 23 May 2013 14:52:29 -0500 Sanjay Kumar, The Diplomat Evidence from Herat and elsewhere suggests a growing "“ and at times deadly "“ Iranian influence over its eastern neighbor.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/tehrans_designs_on_afghanistan_148355.htmlhttp://thediplomat.com/2013/05/23/tehrans-designs-on-afghanistan/ 100148355 PM Update 190494 Thu, 23 May 2013 15:09:41 -0500 Stangarone, Kwon & Taves, CNN Whether threatening to turn Seoul into a "sea of fire" or describing the recent summit meeting between Presidents Barack Obama and Park Geun-hye as a prelude to war, over-the-top rhetoric has become almost an art form for the leadership in Pyongyang. Under Kim Jong Il, the United States and South Korea grew accustomed to North Korea engaging in threats to extract concessions as Pyongyang mastered the art of crisis escalation, only to dial tensions down when the time was right to get what it wanted. But if the language used under Kim Jong Il was calculated for effect,...]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/kim_jong-un_more_bellicose_than_dad_148360.htmlhttp://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/23/is-kim-jong-un-more-bellicose-than-his-dad/ 100148360 PM Update 190496 Thu, 23 May 2013 14:55:14 -0500 Gene Frieda, Project Syndicate Europe's leaders are under pressure from a new generation of voters, who grew up in the shadow of the Berlin Wall's collapse. The lifting of the Iron Curtain gave the West access to a vast supply of cheap labor in Eastern Europe. China's subsequent emergence expanded that supply further, culminating with China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001. As a result, many of Europe's economies began to fall behind.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/europes_clash_of_generations_148362.htmlhttp://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/european-politicians-s-return-to-the-nation-state-by-gene-frieda 100148362 PM Update 187251 Thu, 23 May 2013 15:11:21 -0500 Philip Preville, Slate It's been a full five days since the world learned of a video allegedly showing Toronto's mayor, Rob Ford, smoking crack cocaine, and Ford has yet to answer a single question about the allegation. On Wednesday, Ford's older brother, Toronto councilor Doug Ford, told the media that he believes what his brother tells him, which is that the accusations are ridiculous. "I don't know how much more he can say," he added. But there is something that should be said. Rob Ford is a crass, offensive, and ill-tempered buffoon. He may smoke crack. But he has not...]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/rob_ford_an_embarrassment_but_a_good_mayor_148353.htmlhttp://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2013/05/rob_ford_crack_video_scandal_toronto_s_mayor_is_an_embarrassment_but_pretty.html 100148353 PM Update 190497 Thu, 23 May 2013 05:38:26 -0500 Anthony Lane, The New Yorker If you came across this footage as you were browsing the Web, you would not immediately know what you were watching. You might mistake it for a stunt, or a setup, or even a promotional clip for an upcoming film. Even when you discovered what it actually represented, you could be forgiven for finding it unreal. The footage is British. It was Wednesday afternoon in Woolwich, a district of southeast London. The man addressing the camera has yet to be named, but he is not a figure easily forgotten. He wears jeans, a dark jacket with the hood back, and a black knit cap, but his hands are bright...]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/blood_on_the_streets_of_woolwich_148339.htmlhttp://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2013/05/woolwich-killing-video-terrorism-observations.html 100148339 AM Update 190369 Thu, 23 May 2013 06:04:34 -0500 Dan Hodges, The Telegraph We often talk about terrorism, and the violence associated with it, as being mindless or senseless. But we don't actually mean it. What we're actually trying to say is it's pointless or ineffectual; that its perpetrators won't achieve their objectives, whatever they may be. But for me, yesterday's barbaric act of terror in Woolwich was literally senseless. None of what happened actually made any sense.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/woolwich_attack_confusing_horrific_bizarre_148340.htmlhttp://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danhodges/100218408/woolwich-attack-confusing-horrific-bizarre-the-horror-that-made-literally-no-sense/ 100148340 AM Update 190370 Thu, 23 May 2013 05:50:49 -0500 Sadiq Khan, London Evening Standard London must and will show its stoicism -- because even in its darkest hours, the fundamental decency of London and Londoners always shines through.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/act_of_terror_wont_divide_our_city_148341.htmlhttp://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/sadiq-khan-london-unites--acts-of-terror-will-never-divide-our-city-8628924.html 100148341 AM Update 190371 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:35:13 -0500 Robert Kaplan, Stratfor Security officials in countries as diverse as Japan and Poland, Vietnam and Romania desperately hope that all this talk about American soft power overtaking American hard power is merely that -- talk. For it is American warships and ground forces deployments that matter most to these countries and their officials. Indeed, despite the disappointing conclusions to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, rarely before has American hard power been so revered in places that actually matter.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2013/05/23/the_world_still_needs_american_hard_power_105179.htmlhttp://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2013/05/23/the_world_still_needs_american_hard_power_105179.html 200148333 AM Update 190363 Thu, 23 May 2013 06:06:03 -0500 Jodi Rudoren, NY Times For more than two years, Israeli leaders have insisted they had no intention of intervening in the civil war raging in neighboring Syria, but they vowed to stop sophisticated weapons from being transferred to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia group, and to respond to intentional fire into their territory. Now, having followed through with a pair of airstrikes on weapons shipments this month and, on Tuesday, the destruction of a Syrian Army position, Israelis are asking what their options are, as if they feel it has become impossible to avoid deeper involvement.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/israel_finding_itself_drawn_into_syrias_war_148335.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/world/middleeast/israel-is-drawn-into-syrias-turmoil.html 100148335 AM Update 190366 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:47:35 -0500 Donald Gross, Huffington Post For most Americans, conflicting claims by Asian countries to small islands in the South China and East China Seas are a sideshow that distract from more serious national security issues in Syria, Afghanistan, North Korea and elsewhere. But recent events demonstrate that the United States ignores these island disputes at its peril. On May 9, a Philippine coast guard vessel sprayed with gunfire a Taiwanese fishing boat that was allegedly fishing illegally in the Philippines' "exclusive economic zone." In a case of what Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou called "cold blooded...]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2013/05/23/us_perilously_ignores_island_conflicts_in_asia_105180.htmlhttp://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2013/05/23/us_perilously_ignores_island_conflicts_in_asia_105180.html 200148334 AM Update 190365 Thu, 23 May 2013 06:06:29 -0500 Rosa Brooks, FP Normally, law professors thrive on confusion: We foment it in the classroom whenever possible. But while confusion is good for the law student soul, it's not so good for the executive branch of the U.S. government, and not so good for democracy or the rule of law. Once upon a time, President Obama was a law student himself, and he later spent years lecturing at the University of Chicago Law School. He knows -- or certainly should know -- the importance of precision and clarity when it comes to the law.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/can_obama_make_the_legal_case_for_the_war_on_terror_148336.htmlhttp://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/05/22/the_war_professor 100148336 AM Update 190230 Wed, 22 May 2013 22:21:58 -0500 RealClearWorld Many of us have wasted away hours on Netflix catching up on addictive television shows like "House of Cards" and "Breaking Bad," and it's hard not to notice the way weekly staples such as "Mad Men" and "Walking Dead" take over Facebook and Twitter every Sunday night. These programs and others draw massive followings and spark heated debates around the watercooler and corner cubicle. How does "Girls" explain world politics? Is "Game of Thrones" really a parable about the dangers of unchecked realpolitik? Light topics such as...]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/five_tv_shows_shaping_world_politics_148332.htmlhttp://www.realclearworld.com/lists/five_television_shows_shaping_world_politics/ 100148332 AM Update 183490 Thu, 23 May 2013 05:21:32 -0500 Hooman Majd, Foreign Affairs With the Iranian government having disqualified two of the country's boldest presidential candidates, it is unlikely the election will address any major ideological questions. But Iranians know that there is a lot more at stake than ideology.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/why_iranians_are_still_excited_to_vote_148337.htmlhttp://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139401/hooman-majd/irans-democracy-of-small-differences 100148337 AM Update 190367 Thu, 23 May 2013 05:56:07 -0500 Manfred Ertel, Der Spiegel Antonis Manitakis has the most thankless job in Greece. Tasked with slashing the grotesquely bloated public sector, he is hounded by troika officials, reviled by his countrymen and afraid of cutting too deep.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/the_thankless_task_of_greeces_top_job-cutter_148343.htmlhttp://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/top-job-cutter-in-greece-worries-about-going-too-far-a-901234.html 100148343 AM Update 190373 Thu, 23 May 2013 05:52:25 -0500 James Forsyth, The Spectator For David Cameron, Margaret Thatcher’s funeral must seem an awfully long time ago. Back then, all the talk was of a new Tory unity. He had found a way to connect with his troops. The party seemed to be rallying behind his electoral message. Labour, meanwhile, was caught on the wrong side of public opinion in the welfare debate. And there were signs that the economy was — finally — beginning to recover. Cameron’s position appeared stronger than it had at any point in the last 18 months.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/david_cameron_is_nearing_crisis_point_148342.htmlhttp://www.spectator.co.uk/columnists/politics/8916001/cameron-is-nearing-crisis-point/ 100148342 AM Update 190372 Thu, 23 May 2013 06:00:38 -0500 Seth Mandel, Commentary Mag Not much about Vladimir Putin’s recent behavior has been wholly surprising. Repressive, compulsively controlling autocrats don’t usually stop amassing power and quashing dissent and individual rights on their own volition. Though Putin’s support for Bashar al-Assad’s regime has lost him the benefit of the doubt of many in the West, that is more a result of the self-delusion of Westerners than any sudden dark turn by the man whose political nemeses have ended up dead, exiled, or in Siberian prisons for a decade.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/for_putin_paranoia_trumps_legitimacy_148344.htmlhttp://www.commentarymagazine.com/2013/05/22/for-putin-paranoia-trumps-legitimacy/ 100148344 AM Update 190374 Thu, 23 May 2013 07:12:51 -0500 Rowan Moore Gerety, Guernica The discovery of a massive coal basin kicked up a frenzy of investment, but did the fast-track economy come with a cost?]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/mozambiques_mining_boomtown_148347.htmlhttp://www.guernicamag.com/features/mozambiques-mining-boomtown/ 100148347 AM Update 190393 Thu, 23 May 2013 06:54:34 -0500 Jonathan Mahler, Bloomberg There’s no doubt about German soccer’s appeal. Like Germany itself, it was once known for its organization and discipline. No longer. The Germans now play free-flowing soccer, with creativity and flair -- a faster, stronger, more relentlessly aggressive version of Spain’s patient, mellifluous style. It’s a lot of fun to watch.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/has_german_soccer_conquered_europe_148345.htmlhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-22/has-german-soccer-conquered-europe-not-quite.html 100148345 AM Update 190389 Thu, 23 May 2013 07:08:52 -0500 Margaret Wente, Globe and Mail You've got to say this for Toronto's mayor: He's put us on the map. Normally, Toronto gets about as much air time in the U.S. media as the Peruvian anchovy harvest. But these days, everybody who watches late-night TV knows his name.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/23/torontos_had_enough_of_rob_ford_148346.htmlhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/torontos-had-enough-time-to-rein-in-rob-ford/article12074262/?cmpid=rss1 100148346 AM Update 190216 Thu, 23 May 2013 06:50:39 -0500 Thomas Friedman, New York Times Think two steps ahead. Before we start sending guns to more people, let us ask ourselves for what exact ends we want those guns used and what else would be required of them and us to realize those ends?]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/22/who_will_rule_the_middle_east_148312.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/opinion/friedman-tell-me-how-this-ends.html 100148312 AM Update 190218 Thu, 23 May 2013 06:50:50 -0500 Aaron David Miller, The National Interest Two years on, the Arab spring, or what's left of its verdant virtues, has brought about far more than the end of the authoritarians and the extractive regimes they led. The myth of the strong and cohesive Arab state has been laid to rest too. From North Africa to the Levant"”and, over time, perhaps in the Gulf as well"”a process of state decentralization, perhaps even fragmentation, is under way that will carry hugely negative consequences for the region and American interests. And there may be very little the United States can do about it.]]>http://www.realclearworld.com/2013/05/22/the_myth_of_the_arab_state_148300.htmlhttp://server1.nationalinterest.org/commentary/the-myth-the-arab-state-8494 100148300 AM Update 190207