Month: October 2010 Page 4 of 6

Here is your R&D for October 13th:

Don’t-Ask Policy is Halted by Judge from the Wall Street Journal
In another headache for the Obama administration, a federal judge ordered the military to stop enforcing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law yesterday.  The ruling forces President Obama to make a decision of whether to appeal and if he does it may anger a key Democratic constituency prior to next month’s midterm elections.

Colombia: President Santos’s Conflict Resolution Opportunity from the International Crisis Group
In this summary and full report (which you can access on the right of the webpage after you click on this link), the International Crisis Group lays out how Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos can end Colombia’s armed conflict and create a more stable nation.

French pension strikes go into second day from the BBC
French workers who are on strike to protest government reforms of the pension system are in their second day.  Yesterday saw the biggest strikes so far and rail service was restricted throughout the country, creating congestion and delays.

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Here is your R&D for October 12th:

Democrats Aim to Curb GOP Donors from the Wall Street Journal
Democrats are stepping up their attacks on the campaign spending of pro-Republican groups, hoping that they can force disclosure of donor’s indentities and curtail GOP financing.  Democrats have asked the Department of Justice and the IRS to look into Republican groups and their spending, but it may only antagonize the GOP base and hurt the Democrats this November.

Kyrgyzstan elections signal unease with parliamentary rule from the Christian Science Monitor
International observers have called Kyrgyzstan’s parliamentary election a success, but voters have signaled that they may not like reforms that have been implemented to prevent a return to one-man rule.

Clinton is sitting this one out from the Associated Press
One figure that has been absent from the midterm campaign season is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  Clinton is spending the weeks before the election in Europe and Asia and could be distancing herself from the political sphere so she is not impacted by the Democrats showing at the polls in a few weeks.

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Here is your R&D for October 11th:

Why Obama Is Losing the Political War from Time
Why has President Obama’s political position declined over the last year two years?  This article in Time magazine analyzes that issue and ponders whether Obama is on the verge of political death.

Pakistan’s nuclear arms push angers America from the UK Telegraph
Pakistan has been accelerating the pace of its nuclear weapons program, angering the Obama administration that is trying to reduce global nuclear stockpiles.

Norway: China cancels meeting, days after Nobel from the Associated Press
In a sign of Beijing’s increasing willingness to flex its diplomatic muscle, the Chinese government cancelled a meeting with Norway’s fisheries minister after Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese political dissident, was given the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Here is your R&D for October 8th:

Analysis: Jobs report is bad news for Democrats from the Associated Press
The last jobs report before the midterm elections is not good for President Obama or the Democratic Party.  The Labor Department reported that 95,000 jobs were lost and that unemployment is at 9.6%.

Jones to step down as national security adviser from the Washington Post
There’s more turnover in the Obama administration as National Security Adviser James L. Jones has resigned.  He will be replaced by Thomas E. Dinilon, who was a deputy to James.

The quest for growth from the Economist
The Economist argues that the world economy need structural reform if it is to achieve the robust growth it had prior to the economic downturn.

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Here is your R&D for October 7th:

Is Chavez Following Iran Down the Radioactive Brick Road? from Foreign Policy in Focus
In this interesting article, Foreign Policy in Focus argues that Venezuela has been developing a nuclear program and that U.S. disarmament measures would do a great deal to stop global proliferation.

Ecuadorian president denies plan to dissolve parliament from Xinhua
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa denied reports that he is considering a dissolution of the country’s National Assembly after a police revolt last week.  If the National Assembly is dissolved, Correa would rule by decree until the next presidential election.

Time for U.S. to Get Real from the Asia Times
This article concludes a three-part report on U.S. sanctions against Iran.  It argues that the U.S. should look at other measures that might be more effective because the current sanction regime isn’t working.

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Here is your R&D for October 6th:

Taliban in talks with Karzai government from the Washington Post
Reports indicate that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is meeting with Taliban representatives to negotiate an end to the war in the country.  These talks build on failed ones held by Saudi Arabia last year.

Could California’s Prop. 19 Lead to Pot Legalization Across the U.S.? from Time
This November, California will vote on Proposition 19, which would make the recreational use of marijuana legal and allow California cities to tax it.  Since the measure has a decent chance of passing it could lead to the legalization of marijuana across the U.S.

Faisal Shahzad, French terror arrests, and drone strikes: evidence of a working strategy? from the Christian Science Monitor
There have been many recent successes by intelligence services in thwarting terror plots.  Is this a sign that policing and inteligence-sharing have greatly improved since 9/11?

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