Sort of catching up here
I've been battling the flu for the past week. It made me feel mentally debilitated and above all TIRED. Since I've also been trying to write a big piece for Boston Review, I didn't have any mental energy at all left over for blogging.
However, now, I am cautiously able to report some improvement.
A bunch of big things have been happening in the world this past week. Pakistan has been unraveling ways faster than most people expected. Iraq has also been in a bad way. The WaPo had a series from Afghanistan that seemed to convey that the military situation for the beefed-up US forces will be a lot more challenging than, I think, most Americans realize. The NYT's business section had a fascinating report on the degree to which US home prices continue to plummet... The US Treasury has just released the first results of the 'stress test' it has applied to the country's 19 largest banks-- Treasury Sec Geithner is due to hold a news conference on the issue at 4:30 p.m. today.
All these developments indicate that the US's power vis a vis the rest of the world is slipping quite a lot faster than it was at, say, this time last year.
I've been working so intensively on Palestinian questions these past four months that it's been a while since I took a step back and looked seriously at the big picture of geopolitics. Maybe it's time to do that with more regularity again.
Take care of yourself. Sending good energy
It's starting to look like time for another iteration of The Surge™ in Iraq. Where they will get the personnel is anyone's guess.
Of course, the obvious will never occur to them - that it is their very presence in Iraq that is causing most of the troubles, and that the solution is for them to leave sooner rather than stalling until they can figure out how to justify a permanent presence.
Take care of your self Helena. I hope god will protect you from any pain as long as you are struggling for the just cause.
Hafid
ah, but the shia won. No-one's interested any more.
BB, you really should get over your silly, ignorant ideas about Iraq and Iraqis.