President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s return to Yemen on Friday after four months in Saudi Arabia has sparked renewed violence after protestors launched demonstrations against the government that were violently repressed. Since the beginning of the uprising last January, Yemen—an already volatile and poor country—has plunged deeper into chaos, dividing the country and creating a power vacuum for al-Qaeda. On Sunday, Saleh attempted to appease protestors, promising elections and a peaceful transfer of power, as he promised many times before but failed to deliver. The opposition movement immediately rejected his option …
The assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was in charge of the High Peace Council pursuing reconciliation talks with the Taliban, is a clarifying moment for Afghans who had hoped Rabbani’s efforts would bring peace to the war-ravaged country. The assassination is a body blow to the political reconciliation process and will reinforce resistance among the country’s ethnic minority leaders to the very idea of seeking political accommodation with the Taliban. Rabbani’s assassination on Tuesday is eerily similar to that of Northern Alliance commander Ahmed Shah Massoud 10 …
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe FACT CHECK: Are rich taxed less than secretaries? – Stephen Ohlechmacher, Associated Press Billionaire Backer Disputes Charges That Company Sought White House Help to Influence Testimony – James Rosen, FoxNews.com Afghanistan: Lessons in War and Peace-building for US – David Arnold, Voice of America Political Scandals Heat Up In Russia – Ariel Cohen, The National Interest Look what we’ve ‘made in Taiwan’ – Ed Feulner, The Washington Times EPA grants …
Driving the conversation: President Obama released his deficit reduction plan on Monday, which would reduce the national debt by $3 trillion over ten years through a variety of tax hikes, superficial cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and by incorporating savings gleaned from drawing down America’s military presence in the Middle East. Taxes: As he is wont to do, Obama called on Congress – specifically, the supercommittee – to reform the tax code. The only tax changes included in the president’s plan are – surprise! – tax hikes. Those will include …
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. Russian ‘reset’ malfunction – Ariel Cohen How Obama can get re-elected: Act like Reagan – Neil Reynolds After $65 billion, Fannie and Freddie want more of your money – Abby W. Schachter Federal Reserve to Markets: You’re On Your Own Now – Elizabeth MacDonald Obamacare Hides $50 Billion in Annual Costs – Tom O’Connell Sweden: Wealth Management In A “Social Democracy” – Max Skjönsberg Wisconsin GOP ‘Darling’ Deals Democrats a Blow …
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV) introduced legislation to raise the debt ceiling this week. In evaluating his plans for future government spending, it becomes clear that budgeting for prudent defense is considered just another line item. While Americans intuitively know that national security is unlike any other category of federal spending, it is often treated with inherent bias through insider budgeting methods. Congress tends to selectively ignore what are called “baselines” used for comparing different spending proposals. This is convenient if a Member of Congress wants to generate more …
In his speech last week on the war in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama uttered some magic words that sent a few of America’s anti-war mayors into a big-spending tizzy. The Heritage Foundation’s President Ed Feulner explains in today’s Washington Times: “For most of us, it’s the season of sun, sand and backyard barbecues. But the U.S. Conference of Mayors seems to think it’s Christmas. And all because of one key sentence in President Obama’s recent address on withdrawing forces from Afghanistan more quickly: ‘America, it is time to focus on nation-building here …
President Obama’s announced plan for accelerated troop reductions in Afghanistan puts at risk the hard-earned battlefield gains made by the coalition forces over the last 10 months, but he rightly highlighted significant progress in training Afghan security forces: Afghan security forces have grown by over 100,000 troops, and in some provinces and municipalities we’ve already begun to transition responsibility for security to the Afghan people. In the face of violence and intimidation, Afghans are fighting and dying for their country, establishing local police forces…” Progress in preparing Afghan security forces …
The nation’s two highest-ranking military commanders have gone on record raising serious concerns about President Obama’s flawed plan to bring 33,000 troops home from Afghanistan by September 2012. The outgoing Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, said during Senate hearings last week that the troop withdrawal was “a more aggressive formulation…than what we had recommended.” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen echoed Petraeus when he noted the danger in moving U.S. troops out of Afghanistan too quickly, saying it will “incur …
In the face of an unpopular war and an upcoming re-election campaign, President Barack Obama addressed the American people last night from the East Room of the White House to inform them of his plans to rapidly withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The President’s decision, though politically expedient, jeopardizes the successes made in Afghanistan over the last 10 months and will signal to allies and enemies alike that the United States is more committed to extricating itself from the fight than it is to ensuring that stability in the region is achieved. The …
