Monthly Archives: January 2014

“The Law Governing American Use of Force in Foreign Affairs” William R. Polk

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Pat Lang

                For half a century, Syria has intermittently been the object of hostile actions by the United States and Israel.   Most of these actions were covert; some were carried out overtly with Americanassistance in money and equipment by the … Continue reading →

Posted in government | 7 Comments

Egypt likes its army.

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Pat Lang

"The military-backed government that took over from Mursi in July has billed the two-day referendum, which is to pave the way for presidential and parliamentary elections, as a crucial step toward stability. Mursi backers denounce it as an attempt to … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt | 21 Comments

Open Thread – 12 January, 2014

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Pat Lang

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Posted in Open Thread | 71 Comments

“Resupply ship reaches space station… ” BBC

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Pat Lang

"American Orbital Sciences Corporation's (OSC) Cygnus freighter docked three days after blasting off from Virginia. It brought just over 1.2 tonnes of supplies to the ISS's six astronauts, including food, clothing, spare parts, scientific experiments, and long-awaited gifts from their … Continue reading →

Posted in Space | 2 Comments

Success in Iran Talks

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Pat Lang

"The EU has reported "very good progress" at talks with Iran on the implementation of a deal on Iran's nuclear programme. The issue was now "under validation at political level in capitals", the EU's External Action Service said. Earlier Iran's … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran | 33 Comments

Will someone “rat” on Christie?

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Pat Lang

"A former mayor of Livingston who was known for his brashness and ambition, Wildstein morphed into a New Jersey political svengali. He operated in secrecy running an influential website, PolitickerNJ.com, where he chronicled state politics and saucy political gossip under … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 44 Comments

“The North” by The Virginian

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Pat Lang

With Maliki focused on Anbar and protecting his Shia flank in the run up to elections, and given the likelihood of a continued significant role of the Kurds in shaping national politics in the election's aftermath, it would seem that … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq | 8 Comments

US Ambassador says Karzai will not sign.

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Pat Lang

The lead American negotiator in talks over a long-term security agreement with Afghanistan has privately warned the Obama administration that its efforts to persuade President Hamid Karzai to sign the document on the U.S. timetable are likely to fail, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan | 7 Comments

“Pogo” strikes again.

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Pat Lang

"In the worst setback to Indo-US ties since Devyani Khobragade's case turned into a full blown diplomatic row, US energy secretary Ernest Moniz cancelled his visit to India to attend the annual dialogue on energy cooperation between the two countries. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs | 38 Comments

Maliki is fighting locals in Ramadi and Fallujah

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Pat Lang

"Per discussions with contacts in Baghdad that have links in Anbar, ISIS / AQ are not re-embedded into Anbar – yet.  The government is mainly fighting local groups that are opposed both to Baghdad and the Sunni tribesmen on Maliki’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq | 5 Comments