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| Name: | The Agonist - thoughtful, global, timely |
| Description: | |
| Site URL: | http://agonist.org |
| RSS feed URL: | http://www.agonist.org/index.rdf |
| Syndic8 ID: | 25466 |
| Language: | en |
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25 most recent entries:
And the Gold Medal Goes to --- China! (Aug 20 2008 00:49 GMT)
Five days are left in the Beijing Olympics, or as they are called in the U.S., the Michael Phelps reality show. NBC surprised even itself at the enormous U.S.
Islamism amid the Great Powers (Aug 19 2008 11:43 GMT)
History abounds with paradox. Some paradoxes are just sources of intriguing debate, but others are ominous. One of the latter is developing in Central Asia. There, amid expansive steppes and imposing mountains, numerous militant Islamist groups are planning, training, and coalescing. The paradox lies in that they are thriving amid the three great powers they fight ?
What Part of "Nyet" Did You People Not Understand? (Aug 19 2008 03:58 GMT)
Have the leaders of the West lost their collective minds? Seriously, after reading this I am beginning to think so: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday assured Georgia would join NATO as she strongly backed the ex-Soviet republic's President Mikheil Saakashvili in his conflict with Russia. "Georgia will become a member of NATO if it wants to -- and it does want to," she told reporters before talks with Saakashvili in Tbilisi. And this:
A Bankrupt Nation (Aug 19 2008 03:15 GMT)
It is becoming more apparent with each passing day that the American lifestyle as it currently exist is unsustainable. For more than three decades we have accepted the false narrative that we can live beyond our means and there will be no cost for the extravagance. Not only has our government accepted and promoted this falsehood, but we as a nation have accepted it as well. It has become so engrained into our national psyche that anyone who dares to point out its inherent flaws is immediately ridiculed by politicians, the media, and their fellow citizens. You see rather than looking at the real culprits of our failed domestic and foreign policies we want to create these ?
My motorbike trip (Aug 19 2008 03:09 GMT)
Hi Y'all. I've posted a video of what I've been up to. MI to TN via the Cumberland Gap. A stop on the way down at my uncle's KY farm, and on to Johnson City TN the next day. The Colt is two days old, and my ridin' buddy you see I just met.
Worship at the alter of the god of More (Aug 18 2008 16:35 GMT)
In Mel Gibson?s movie, Apocalypto, there?s a scene where an old one-armed spiritual advisor recounts Mayan history of man?s origin. The man describes how each of the animals imparted bits of wisdom to this new creature among them.
He's back and takes on the Great White Hope (Aug 18 2008 14:57 GMT)
After reading Brute Force Politics here, I remembered one of his posts related to the subject. To see if he's back, typed the url, nope same irritating error message. Then googled him just hoping if he showed up somewhere else or to see if there was any news about him. Was he OK, shall I shoot an email to that Philly reporter who once interviewed him?
Musharraf Announces His Resignation (Aug 18 2008 08:36 GMT)
Jane Perlez | Islamabad | August 18New York Times - Facing the threat of impeachment, President Pervez Musharraf announced Monday that he would resign, saying the charges against him were false but that he would step down for the sake of his nation. ?In the future, I put myself to the people of Pakistan to decide about my future and they will do justice,? he said, in a televised address to the country. ?
Forecasters: Florida should prepare for hurricane (Aug 17 2008 22:23 GMT)
Brian Skoloff | Key West | August 17 WaPo - Residents and tourists in the Florida Keys braced for Tropical Storm Fay, which forecasters said could strengthen to a hurricane by Sunday night and begin battering the island chain as soon as Monday. The storm picked up some momentum early Sunday morning as it headed toward Cuba, and could be a hurricane by the time it reaches the island's center, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency Saturday because Fay "threatens the state of Florida with a major disaster," he wrote in an executive order. Forecasters have predicted that the sixth named storm of the 2008 season could make landfall somewhere along the western coast of Florida on Tuesday as a hurricane.
The passing of Don Celerino Cabello (Aug 17 2008 22:16 GMT)
There were no major newspapers concerned with the passing of Don Celerino Cabello, no state sponsored days of rest. No flags flew half mast. But on July 4th of this year, a great man passed from this life to whatever awaits him on the other side. Celerino was my protector while I was a fugitive in the desert mountains of Coahuila, Mexico. I was not the only one under his care;
The Destabilization of Pakistan (Aug 17 2008 22:16 GMT)
The debate is heating up between those who favor and oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan. Put me in the latter camp - I cannot support escalation without first hearing a clear explanation of the strategic changes that would accompany the escalation, along with an explanation of how we'll address issues of government and development sector corruption. In other words, I think that pumping in more troops without addressing the structural flaws of our approach will yield no results. And since we're a long way away from solving those problems, I think we should hold off on troop increases. Building an argument for or against more troops involves answering a number of questions.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew! Caption Contest (Aug 17 2008 10:36 GMT)
US rivals shine at church forum ~ BBC
Brute Force Politics (Aug 17 2008 05:54 GMT)
Just wanted to highlight this graf from Krugman (yes, I know I am late on this and it is old news) for everyone because I think it does represent what the Republican party has become: What I mean, instead, is that know-nothingism ? the insistence that there are simple, brute-force, instant-gratification answers to every problem, and that there?s something effeminate and weak about anyone who suggests otherwise ? has become the core of Republican policy and political strategy.
Do As I Say, Not As I Do (Aug 17 2008 05:31 GMT)
I'm not one to quote Maureen Dowd, but when she nails it, she nails it: [W]ith this country?s military and moral force so depleted, the Bushies can hardly tell Russia to stop doing what they themselves did in Iraq: unilaterally invade a country against the will of the world to scare the bejesus out of some leaders in the region they didn?t like.
Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts (Aug 15 2008 12:44 GMT)
At the ready: An Afghan policeman held his weapon as he stood guard at a checkpoint outside Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday. ~ Omar Sobhani/Reuters August 15 Security crackdown on Iraq holy city after suicide bombs Iraqi officials threw a massive security cordon around the holy city of Karbala on Friday after a wave of bombings in 24 hours killed at least 25 Shiite worshippers and wounded dozens. The attacks came ahead of a festival on Sunday to venerate an eighth century imam. More than 40,000 soldiers and police have been mobilised, including 2,000 female security workers, an AFP reporter witnessed, to boost security in response to twin suicide bombings that killed 22 people on Thursday.
The Bell Tolls For Us - I (Aug 14 2008 21:44 GMT)
I was supposed to write this for Monday; however, it took some time to go through the numbers and since then more information has come out. Looking at the actual figures for both GDP and other measures of economic employment, what we see is this: ? From October of last year through March of this year there was a very shallow recession, lead by an accelerating down turn in housing.
Obligated To Defend The Ukraine? (Aug 14 2008 08:44 GMT)
From The European Tribune: The US is obligated to protect Ukraine, NATO or not. With what? Words? Flag waving?
It's All About The Ukraine (Aug 14 2008 03:50 GMT)
Ian has a post everyone should read. Also, as a reminder, give this show Ian and I did with noted Russia specialist Anatol Lieven, where we discuss at length Russia and the Ukraine and NATO a listen. Everything which transpired over the last week has been about one issue, and one issue only: the Ukraine. Russia will never let the Ukraine join NATO.
Air America (Aug 14 2008 00:44 GMT)
I know it is short notice. Heck, it is for me too. But I'll be on the air at 930pm Eastern Time on the Young Turks, talking about Georgia, Russia and other stuff.
Teach Your Children Well (Aug 13 2008 11:38 GMT)
Alexander Slobodyanik died this week at the young age of 65. He was a fine pianist of the Soviet school ? one of those thundering virtuosos that were let loose on Western concert halls from time to time, leaving listeners awestruck. He settled in the U.S.
More On Caucasus War From Nelson Report (Aug 13 2008 09:27 GMT)
I think this is one of the best Nelson Reports I've yet read: SUMMARY: it may be that a cease-fire now being negotiated by France's Sarkozy will provide Moscow, Tbilisi and Washington with face-saving ways out of the mess in Georgia. Stay tuned. But certain to remain a work in progress is how the US and Europe move to address the legitimate great power concerns...
Perspectives on Kashmir (Aug 13 2008 01:04 GMT)
The last weeks have seen a resurgence of conflict in Kashmir, with tensions rising this week in particular. Violence in Kashmir threatens the peace process between India and Pakistan and also contributes to the destabilization of Pakistan. Additionally, the conflict represents the first major challenge for India's current administration, elected in 2004. Finally, the tensions between two nuclear powers make everyone nervous. After weeks of protests by Kashmiri Muslim traders against "what they said was an economic blockade by Hindus," separatist leader Sheikh Aziz was killed as he attempted to lead thousands across the border into Pakistan.
Russia, Georgia, and NATO: Cold War Two (Aug 12 2008 11:45 GMT)
The Russian invasion of the South Ossetian enclave in Georgia should call into question a basic component of US foreign policy ? the integration of Eastern Europe and former Soviet republics into NATO. This policy has been pursued by Democratic and Republican administrations, but with no public debate and with little thought as to the long-term consequences. The consequences are now becoming clear, and they are unpleasant.
The biology of an affair (Aug 12 2008 11:31 GMT)
John Edwards fell victim to his own behavior recently when he had an affair with a younger woman. People immediately rose to condemn and ridicule the man?how could a man apparently so smart be so dumb? And why, for God?s sake would his wife Elizabeth forgive him for such a despicable act?
Russia Ends Operations In Georgia? (Aug 12 2008 10:03 GMT)
The BBC is reporting that Russia has called an end to its operations inside Georgia: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an end to military operations against Georgia, the Kremlin says. He told officials he had taken the decision to end the operation after restoring security for civilians and peacekeepers in South Ossetia. Time will tell. But I'm inclined to believe that if they have indeed captured strategic crossroads around Gori then they have effectively neutralized any Georgian threat to Abkhazia--no resupply for those fighting to maintain control of the Kodori Gorge, as well as gained the upper hand in the peace negotiations to come:
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