Cartel-Plagued Mexico: As Bad as Colombia? (The Atlantic Wire)
Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:26:40 GMT
The Atlantic Wire - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has compared the worsening drug violence in Mexico to Colombia of the 1980s and 90s, when cartels challenged the state police and military for control of whole swathes of the South American nation. "It's looking more and more like Colombia looked 20 years ago," Clinton said of Mexico in comments on Wednesday, comparing the cartels to an insurgency. "It got to the point where more than a third of the country, nearly 40% of the country at one time or another was controlled by the insurgents." Journalists and experts are evaluating this claim, which Mexican officials have unsurprisingly rejected. Is Mexico really as bad as rock-bottom Colombia? If so, what are the implications?

Are Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin Cashing in on 9/11? (The Atlantic Wire)
Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:55:10 GMT
The Atlantic Wire - Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck are rendezvousing in Alaska this Saturday to commemorate 9/11. The event will likely share some similarities to Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally in DC. But with one important difference:

Is the GOP ready for prime time? (The Week)
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:34:00 GMT
The Week - All signs point to big Republican gains in November, enabling the GOP to implement its agenda. But what agenda is that?

Florida Sept. 11 Koran-Burning Plan Spurs Debate (The Atlantic Wire)
Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:13:35 GMT
The Atlantic Wire - A Florida church led by pastor Terry Jones has spent weeks publicizing its plan to burn Korans on September 11. But now that hundreds of people in Afghanistan and Indonesia are protesting the planned event and General David Petraeus has condemned it, saying it will endanger his troops, the U.S. is starting to pay more attention to this fringe but increasingly high-profile event. What does it mean for the U.S. struggle against terror? What are its moral and legal implications? Should the U.S. government try to intervene?

Will Ex-CEO Mark Hurd Seek Vengeance on HP at His New Job? (The Atlantic Wire)
Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:41:44 GMT
The Atlantic Wire - When Mark Hurd was fired as CEO of Hewlett-Packard following a mysterious sexual harassment complaint, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison slammed HP's board of directors saying they "just made the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs." Now Ellison is putting his money where his mouth is, hiring Hurd as Oracle's co-president. "Mark did a brilliant job at HP and I expect he'll do even better at Oracle," Ellison said in a statement announcing the hire. Intriguingly, Oracle is looking to compete in the same space as HP. Will Hurd exact revenge on his former bosses?

A bank bailout for Afghanistan? (The Week)
Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:31:00 GMT
The Week - A run on Kabul Bank — the nation's largest — is triggering fears of an Afghan financial meltdown. Should the U.S. step in?

Obama's new infrastructure plan: By the numbers (The Week)
Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:27:00 GMT
The Week - During his Labor Day address, President Obama announced a $50 billion proposal to rebuild American roads and rails

Should U.S. Encourage Sudan to Split? (The Atlantic Wire)
Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:58:02 GMT
The Atlantic Wire - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called the division of Sudan into two countries "inevitable" with the coming January referendum, which will allow the country's long besieged but oil-rich South to vote on secession. However, Clinton also warned the vote was a "ticking time-bomb" that will force Sudan, and the world, to address the African nation's modern history of war and genocide. This April, Sudan's first election in 24 years led many observors to warn that the country is on the path to division, war, or both. What can the U.S. do for Sudan?

Newt's Faint Presidential Prospects (RealClearPolitics.com)
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:00:00 GMT
RealClearPolitics.com - On Friday, at a town hall in small town Oklahoma, conservative Sen. Tom Coburn said Newt Gingrich is "the last person I'd vote for, for president." Gingrich is "a super-smart man but he doesn't know anything about commitment to marriage." Gingrich lacks, in Coburn's view, "the character traits necessary to be a great president."

Taiwan President Ma: Taiwan will not be Hong Kong (The Christian Science Monitor)
Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:05:00 GMT
The Christian Science Monitor - Ma Ying-jeou is the president of Taiwan. He was interviewed for the Global Viewpoint Network by Pacific Perspectives columnist Tom Plate last week.