zenpundit.com

THE ROAD YET TO BE TAKEN: TEN POSSIBLE FUTURES FOR INDONESIA

This excerpt from a RAND study outlines possible scenarios for the post-Suharto evolution of the world’s largest Muslim nation.

While I root for the success of liberal democracy and market capitalism everywhere, the track record for multicultural polyglot states, outside of the Switzerland, is not a terribly impressive one. If the Czechs and Slovaks cannot hold a nation the size of

a midwestern state together I have my doubts about the durability of Indonesia, India, Nigeria, the Congo and a collection of already failed states like Liberia, Somalia and Sierra Leone.

GEE, THESE DEMOCRATS SOUND PRETTY NEOCONSERVATIVE TO ME

A collection of quotes compiled by Frontpagemag.com.

THE EU HARDENS IT’S STANCE ON THE IRANIAN BOMB PROGRAM

The EU has warned the Iranian regime that it faces possible sanctions if it continues to defy the IAEA. The hardline clique clinging to power in Teheran have rebuffed the Europeans.

Rogue states like Iran and North Korea are attempting to use the provisions of the NPT as a vehicle for proliferation and are acquiring nuclear weapons by misappropriation of peaceful nuclear technology – technology to which they are only allowed access as NPT signatories. They cannot be rewarded for such behavior nor be permitted to posses such weapons given the character of the regimes. Diplomatic pressure and ” soft power ” advocates in Brussells and Washington have here two test cases for their approach. Wish them luck because the ” hard power ” alternatives are not pretty to contemplate if negotiations fail.

MY THANKS TO JAY SOLO

For adding Zenpundit to his blogroll. Jay has quite the eclectic array of topics on his blog, check him out. ( He’ll be joining my blogroll soon – and I’ll finally fix the link to Prometheus6 to reflect his new address and snazzier template)

AS PLAME AS THE NOSE ON YOUR FACE

The recent blogfury over the leak on Valerie Plame’s role as a CIA employee is highly dispiriting for all supporters of the Bush administration and the War on Terror. It was moreover, no matter who did it, a wrong act compounded by morally obtuse stupidity in the bargain.

Take no comfort from the sepulchural silence of Congressional Democratic insiders on this issue, they’ve leaked too often on too many national security issues in the last twenty years to open their mouths. This issue will be driven by the press and will greatly damage the Bush administration unless one of two outcomes materialize. Either the leakers will be discovered to be relatively junior officials in one of the Cabinet bureaucracies who are unceremoniously shown the door or evidence will mount that Joseph Wilson, in addition to his worthy tenure in the foreign service will turn out to also be a longtime, very partisan activist with an agenda who has attempted to ” sex-up ” the story. If either come to pass Mr. Bush has few worries.

If neither of these possibilities come to the fore Mr. Bush will be in serious political trouble with moderate swing voters who side with him mainly because the Democrats as a party viscerally hate the war on terror and would like to return to the ” law enforcement paradigm” ( i.e. – do nothing against terrorism except symbolic gestures and focus the nation on welfare-state trivialities) and international impotence masquerading as multilateralism. Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti and Bosnia were enough for me the last time around, and I would hope, for most Americans.

But at the moment it appears that the Republicans, for the third time in my life, have decided to rescue the floundering and nihilistic Democrats with an act of perverse political self-destruction.