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POPSObama Speaks at United Nations Somewhat low key. This article/clip is a reasonable summary. Unfortuantely there is a joke in U.S. politics about "that depends upon what your definition of 'is,' is." -- meaning, on specific issues - is his objection to 'nukes,' in Iran and North Korea objections to nuke weapons or also objection to Iran's nuclear power program (which is legal and in accord with the UN IAEA). Does he desire for reducing nukes and being honest with nukes include the "secret," nuclear weapons of Israel that somehow always fail to get mentioned. Surprisingly firm, while committed to Israel's security he said the increase in Israel settlements was "illegitimate." - a rather firm statement and talked about the 1967 borders of Israel, and how Palestine needs a "contagious," free and real independent state. But none of these things would seem acceptable to Israel at all, their "peace terms," clearly sounding like "we go on with aggression and expansion," statements.
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POPSObama and Netanyahu Meet: What's Next? by Daniel Pipes
(2) Larger strategic concerns consistently drive U.S. attitudes to Israel: Republicans kept their distance when they perceived Israel as a liability in confronting the Soviet Union (1948-70) and only warmed to it when Israel proved its strategic utility (after 1970); Democrats cooled in the post-Cold War period (after 1991), when many came to see it as an "apartheid" state that destabilizes the Middle East and impedes U.S. policies there. By now, the political parties diverge greatly; polls find Republican support for Israel exceeds Democratic support by an average margin of 26 percentage points. Likewise, Republicans endorse the United States helping Israel attack Iran far more than Democrats. Known in years past to stand up for Israel, he now accuses it of perpetuating "settler pogroms" and thus taking part in a "destructive dynamic." Question: Will the Democrats' critical views translate into a policy shift at the forthcoming summit meeting?
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POPS1994. . .This Day In History The U.S.-North Korean Agreed Framework . . . . . The Agreed Framework ended an 18-month crisis during which North Korea announced its intention to withdraw from the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), under which North Korea committed not to develop nuclear weapons.
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POPSThe Group Of Eights' Empty Rhetoric With rising gas costs, Americans in a variety of polls have shown by a majority they now want to explore offshore drilling, so this move will be popular among that majority and John McCain has been pushing for it as well. Reported on June 26, 2008, the InsiderAdvantage/Poll, asks "Do you favor or oppose increased exploration and production of oil and natural gas off the coasts of Florida?” Favor (61%) Oppose (32%) No opinion (7%) Rasmussen- June 17, 2008: "67% Support Offshore Drilling, 64% Expect it Will Lower Prices." Zogby- June 26, 2008: "74 percent support offshore oil drilling in U.S."
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POPSThe Global Warming Bubble Finally, there's the global-cooling spell. The world hasn't been warming since 1998, and an article in the journal Nature says warming won't pick up again until 2015. Since global warming is a long-term trend, a decade-long or more stall in temperatures doesn't mean much -- except that environmentalists have banked so much politically on whipping up hysteria based on imminent catastrophe. The stall in temperatures shows how little we know about global warming. No matter what the price of gas is, the most sensible policy in the U.S. is to avoid costly schemes to fight global warming. If our economy keeps growing, we will be better positioned -- richer, and more technologically proficient -- to help others mitigate its effects decades from now. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid huffs that global warming is "the most critical issue of our time." Really? More critical than energy prices? Than health care? Than wages? Than terrorism? Than nuclear proliferation?
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POPSNeocon Administration Covers Pakistan's Nuclear Proliferation Consider the hypocrisy of accusing Iraq of WMDs, or Iran of nuclear technology, while they knew that Pakis (an ally) were selling nuclear technology to "rogue states". It is also interesting that Pakistan was the place where the CIA was training Islamists in the 90s which later they labeled Al Qaeda. Meanwhile, as the article show, billions of US dollars are literally given to Pakistan for "aid" while they do all this? Pakistan appears to be the conduit for creating enemies which then are used to justify U.S. wars against "rogue regimes". By the way, it was the CIA that provided Iran over a decade ago with technology to begin nuclear development.
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POPSU.S. and India Ink Nuke Pact A very healthy development that should do wonders to improve U.S.-Indian relations. While underplayed in the U.S., this has been a very big deal on the subcontinent and should go a long way in strengthening ties. Our columnist Gary Weiss has written a ton of smart stuff on the issue. Well worth reading. His latest: http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2007/07/02/weiss-india-nuclear-oped-cx_gw_0703weiss.html-- Dan Bigman
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