Of all the Arab Spring uprisings, Bahrain probably gets the least attention in the U.S. press. There are perhaps some good arguments why; it could be the fact that the United States is on the side of the monarchy violently suppressing the democratic aspirations of its people. So it was news that the United States decided on Friday to ahead and continue selling arms to Bahrain. But barely news. The Washington Post's Karen DeYoung (5/12/12) gave space to some critics of the deal to point out the troubling level of support for a regime torturing and imprisoning dissidents. The administration [...]
Jul
11
2011
WaPost: Iraq 'Complicates' Withdrawal by Sticking to Plan
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The current Status of Forces agreement calls for U.S. troops to be out of Iraq by the end of the year. The U.S. government wants to stay longer, and would seem to be pressuring the Iraqi government to ask them to do just that. But the Iraqi government hasn't done that yet–leading to stories like this one in theWashington Post by Karen DeYoung (7/10/11), headlined "Iraqis Fail to Reach Consensus on Longer U.S. Troop Presence." The "failure" is that they haven't written a new agreement that would negate the current agreement. The Post presents this all as a strategic problem [...]
Jun
22
2011
WaPo Defines Obama's Afghan War Mission
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The headline in today's Post, previewing Obama's speech tonight: Obamaâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s challenge: Leaving, but not too quickly Funny how it's not the other way around– leaving too slowly would seem to be a larger political problem, given the state of public opinion. The Post reports: President Obama will face a stiff political challenge Wednesday in presenting his plan for a gradual end to the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan. His prime-time address must remind a skeptical electorate and a concerned Congress that the countryâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s longest war remains worth fighting â┚¬” and funding â┚¬” for several more years. Why is it that [...]
