From the Gadflyer are revelations that the Saudis may be working rather stridently, and perhaps illegally, to help get Bush re-elected in November. The same news source – The Gadflyer – has a different take on the same interview. I’m not sure the second interpretation is as strong, especially in light of the first posting. I haven’t seen the interview yet, but I expect it to mirror closely what we are beginning to hear in the 9/11 commission hearings – consistent with view 2, but with great nuggets that article 1 gives us.
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Arab Reform Issues
On March 12-14, a conference entitled “Arab Reform Issues: Vision and Implementation” was held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt. This was a semi-secret conference in which participants were invited only three days before the start. It was closed to the public and the press. The outcome and final declaration were not widely distributed. Here is what the delagation had to say in its final statement. If this was implemented and had some weight behind it, there may be hope for the Middle East.
An Absurd Rite of Passage – Ta-Nehisi Coates – National – The Atlantic
An Absurd Rite of Passage – Ta-Nehisi Coates – National – The Atlantic. I wanted to make sure I linked to this excellent op-ed from a young black man, experiencing what all too many of us learn to basically tolerate in New York.
Tripartite Tractae
A friend and mentor pointed out this article from the International Herald Tribune on splitting up Iraq. I thought with the recent capture of Saddam, now might be a good time to talk about the implications of our long-term strategy in Iraq. Broadly speaking we either keep the country whole, or we divide it. If we keep it whole, we have a few different approaches to keeping it together: Impose our rule, like the IGC; let loose a real representative democracy, putting the Shi’ah in charge; set-up a power sharing scheme, like Lebanon; some confederation of autonomous regions.