President Barack Obama listens during the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office in which he was briefed on the latest events in Egypt, Jan. 31, 2011. From left are: Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, the President, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, and Chief of Staff Bill Daley. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)David Cameron May Be Inconsistent On Middle East – But So Is Barack Obama -- Janet Daley, the Telegraph
Labour is making hay over the apparent disdain with which David Cameron’s no-fly zone proposition for Libya was treated by the American administration but in the US itself, it is the stumbling incoherence of the Obama White House that is attracting attention.
This piece by Victor Davis Hanson from the National Review Online sums up very concisely the charade of inconsistent, contradictory pronouncements which have constituted the President’s response to a series of events which seemed to take him wholly by surprise. In short, Obama had no rationally constructed policy on the Middle East at all – except to stay out of trouble and to remain as utterly unlike his predecessor as possible. Washington has hardly been a model of clarity and logic in this situation.
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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials
China’s Jittery Leaders: Why the Middle East revolts have Beijing on edge. -- William J. Dobson, The New Republic
Is Syria the Next Domino? -- Ribal Al- Assad, Project Syndicate
Behind Iraq's protests, a call for better democracy -- Daniel Serwer, Washington Post
Russia Fears China, Not Japan - Michael Auslin, Real Clear World
Echoes of the Soviet Surge: The West's war in Afghanistan increasingly resembles the Soviet Union's. -- Niels Annen, Foreign Policy
Troops need equipment? Let 'em drink beer. -- Dana Milbank, Washington Post
Mexico beyond the drug violence -- Edith R. Wilson, Washington Post
Frankfurt Shootings: The Making of a Terrorist? -- Laila Lalami, The Nation
Defense Dept. Papers Express Concerns about Release of Guantanamo Bay Prisoners -- Fred Lucas, CNS News
Obama at the Abyss -- James Lewis, American Thinker
Putin’s Palace: The pillars of Russian society—the schools and the military—are crumbling. -- Reuben Johnson, Weekly Standard
Editorial: America's Enemies Don't Want U.S. Drilling -- Investors.com
Obama Administration Unilaterally Limiting U.S. Space Development, Ceding to China -- Omri Ceren, Commentary
Commentaries, Opinions, Editorials, And Analysis On the Libyan Civil War
What happens when the mercenaries return home? -- Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy
Analysis: No method in deciphering Gaddafi's mind -- Reuters
U.S. wants to know who's in charge of Libyan revolution -- L.A. Times
Inside Gadhafi’s Secret Underground Arsenal -- The Danger Room
Libya uprising: 5 steps the world is taking -- Christian Science Monitor
Libya: Could Military Intervention Backfire? -- Voice of America
Libya stalemate presents diplomatic challenges -- BBC
Despite reluctance, U.S. could be forced to act in Libya -- McClatchy News
Libya crisis: Intervention may be unavoidable -- Christian Science Monitor editorial
A Tale of Two Cities: Inside Gaddafi's Tripoli -- Ian Lee, Time Magazine
Libya's escalating drama reopens the case for liberal intervention -- Timothy Garton Ash, The Guardian
Libya is united in popular revolution – please don't intervene -- Muhammad min Libya, The Guardian
Intervention in Libya would poison the Arab revolution -- Seumas Milne, The Guardian
Mixed messages: The Muslim world reacts to the crisis in Libya -- National Post
Here’s What We Can Do to Tackle Libya -- Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times
A no-fly zone over Libya deserves more consideration -- Washington Post editorial
Libya’s Patient Revolutionaries -- Mohammad Al-Asfar, New York Times