All In the Game Iowa caucuses today. Maybe you've heard? The best bet is on anti-climax. A late developing story from the Politico, though: if Fred Thompson does not finish second or a "strong" third, he will drop out and endorse John McCain. Turmoil Costs $100 Oil passed the $100 threshold. Though demand is high in the US, China, and India, there are also major psychological reasons for why crude has broken the triple-digit-barrier: uncertainty in Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan; the predictions of recession in the US economy; and reticence about Venezuela's attempt to dominate the OPEC cartel. The Economist proposes how Mexico could proceed to make themselves a more efficient and powerful player on the petroleum scene. Snuffed Attorney General Michael Mukasey has authorized an investigation into the CIA's destruction of recordings of waterboarding sessions. The purpose of this inquiry is to determine whether those actions qualify as obstruction of justice. Kenyan Unrest The “re-election” of Mwai Kibaki is termed a “civil coup” by the Economist. This article also explains which parts of Kenya backed Kibaki and how ethnic rivalry and class resentment have been intermingled with a dishonest election. The developing trend is that Kikuyu (an ethnic group that has consistently held post-colonial political power) are being targeted because of their support of Kibaki and this ethnic violence is escalating. Pakistan’s Crisis While we’re on the topic of colonial power, the UK, at the behest of President Musharraf, is sending investigators from Scotland Yard to Pakistan to help with the Bhutto assassination inquiry. Concurrently, Musharraf has postponed the Parliamentary elections, attributing to the post-murder havoc the destruction of polling stations and election materials. Accordingly, this makes the January 8 election date untenable. For further perspective on what’s going on, here’s Tariq Ali’s extended essay and analysis on the whole bloody mess in the London Review of Books.
More Problems with Ethnic-National Self-Determination And for the civil chaos hat-trick: Kosovo. Dimitri K. Simes writes about the complexity of the current situation between Kosovo and Serbia. His explanation of the “facts on the ground” include, how Serbia cooperated with Montenegro’s move for independence, Serbia’s desire to maintain UN Security Council Resolution 1244, ongoing attacks on the minority Serb populations by Albanians in Kosovo, and Russia’s public stance of backing Serbia’s play.
Jewcy Newshound
The Jewcy Newshound provides links to articles of interest, twice daily. Once in the morning, once in the afternoon.
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