Eurozone Gets Some Sanity

Responding the near-collapse of the Greek economy, forestalled only by a massive bailout from their brethren, the EU’s finance ministers agreed this morning to submit the outlines of their budget plans for approval by the European Commission.

General Petraeus: “Burn A Koran” Day A Threat To U.S. Troops

The plan by one fringe church in Gainesville, Florida to burn copies of the Koran on September 11th is igniting fires of protest across the Muslim world.

Bomb Iran ? No, That Would Be A Stupid Idea

Will Israel attack Iran ? You’d better hope not.

Islamophobia in Germany

If you think anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States is running high, a look across the Pond will put things in perspective.

Obama On Iraq: “We Have Met Our Responsibility. Now, It’s Time To Turn The Page”

President Obama didn’t use the words “Mission Accomplished” last night, but the message was the same.

Terrorism False Alarm?

Terrorism dry-run or just weirdly packaged items and a few coincidences?

Arizona Governor Needlessly Freaks Out Over Human Rights Report To U.N.

An obscure U.N. human rights report has become the latest political outrage of the day in the battle over Arizona’s controversial immigration law.

Flood Water Start to Recede in Pakistan

The floodwaters are starting to recede, although the disaster is far from over.

Pakistan Flood Dwarfs Recent Crises, No One Cares

Epic flooding in Pakistan is a humanitarian crisis which dwarfs the combined devastation of the 2004 Asian tsunami, the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Why aren’t we paying attention?

The Chilean 33

Elation at discovering 33 miners still alive after over two weeks of looking for them is giving way to the reality that it will take roughly 4 months to get them out.

Taliban Threatening Pakistani Flood Aid

The task of getting aid to the 20 million victims of Pakistan’s floods may have just gotten a lot more difficult

More Odd Developments In North Korea

More odd developments inside the modern day version of the Hermit Kingdom

Again with the Saudi Arabia Comparisons…

Ok, Saudi Arabia has less freedom than the US. Why do some people think that should form the basis of an argument about appropriate behavior in the US?

Ireland’s Credit Takes a Hit

A combination of news and some lunchtime satire.

Islamic Radicals Citing Anti-Mosque Arguments In Propaganda

Not surprisingly, Radical Islamists are taking notice of the tone of debate in the United States over the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.”

“Ground Zero Mosque” Debate: Distraction, Or Fundamentally Important ?

Glenn Greenwald argues that the “Ground Zero Mosque” debate is about more than just a “mosque” near Ground Zero. He’s right, but that also means the debate is likely to get uglier.

Meanwhile, In Pakistan, The Floods Continue To Worsen

While American politics concerns itself with trivial issues, Pakistan finds itself dealing with a devastating natural disaster that could have real geo-political implications.

Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times, via Associated Press Lt. Col. Richard D. Heyward, left, of Illinois, and Sgt. Nick Wysong of Washington crossed southern Iraq last week with their unit of the Second Infantry Division. Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times, via Associated Press Lt. Col. Richard D. Heyward, left, of Illinois, and Sgt. Nick Wysong of Washington crossed southern Iraq last week with their unit of the Second Infantry Division.

Iraq Mission Shifts, Nobody Cares

America’s mission in Iraq is shifting from an active combat role to a smaller security presence. But the war that gripped our attention for years is now off the radar screen.

The Problem with Andy McCarthy’s Thought Experiment

Some of our politicians and commentators are looking to odd places for guidance over the application of fundamental American values.

Rape Warrant for Wikileaks Founder Withdrawn

A quick flip-flop from Swedish authorities on a very serious charge.

Obama Administration Steps Back Into Israeli/Palestinian Quagmire

Once again, an American President is stepping into the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and, once again, he has no idea how to accomplish the goals he’s established.

American Views On Islam: Ignorance Is Bliss

Why are people’s views about Islam so screwed up ? Mostly because the only things they know about it tend to be the worst possible aspects of all.

Report: U.S. Convinces Israel To Back Down On Iran, Or Maybe Not

The New York Times is reporting that the Obama Administration has convinced Israel that Iran is much further away from developing nuclear weapons than Tel Aviv fears, but there seems to be something else going on here.

US-Colombian Basing Deal Unconstitutional

Colombia’s Constitutional Court has struck down a US basing rights deal.

Should We Be More Like Germany?

What do the critics mean when they say that the United States should be more like Germany?

War-Mongering Over Iran And Israel

According to John Bolton, Israel has a deadline of August 21st to attack Iran’s nuclear program. This is the fourth deadline he’s set in the last three years.

Obama’s War: 575 American KIA on His Watch

As many American soldiers have died in Afghanistan under Obama as under Bush.

Obama’s Shadow War on Terror

Barack Obama has significantly widened his predecessor’s global war on terrorism, even if he’s no longer calling it that.

Poisoning The Well on Israel

Bill Kristol and friends are trying to make it politically toxic to criticize Israel.

Apparently, Hating Muslims Is Now A Family Value

The American Family Association has ramped up the nation’s anti-Muslim sentiment yet again.

What Happens If (When) Israel Bombs Iran

Every new report out of Iran seems to bring us closer to the moment when Israel has decided it’s heard enough. What happens if that day actually happens ?

Army and Marines Fight Wars, Navy and Air Force Get Promoted

Of the U.S. military’s 10 combatant commands, only three are held by Army or Marine generals.

Understanding Hugo Chávez Requires More than a Few Grains of Salt

Remember when dealing with the utterances of Hugo Chávez that you should take them with a grain of salt (or twelve).

Hezbollah Supports Restoration of Jewish Synagogue in Beirut

Hezbollah can tolerate the restoration of a synagogue, but many Americans are apoplectic about a Muslim community center and mosque two blocks from where the WTC once stood.

Colombia has a New President

Colombia has sworn in a new president. And so begins the Santos era as the Uribe era heads for the history books.

Radioactive Boar Incidents on the Rise

German government payments compensating hunters for lost income due to radioactive boar have quadrupled since 2007.

Arabs Discouraged About Obama

This year’s Zogby poll of public opinion in the Middle East exhibits a marked shift on the Obama Administration, Iran.

Tariq Aziz Speaks, Says U.S. Troops Should Stay In Iraq

Saddam Hussein’s closest adviser in the 1990s, Tariq Aziz, is talking to reporters, and he wants American troops to stay in Iraq.