Month: February 2011 Page 2 of 5

Here is your R&D for February 21st:

Libya protests analysis: ‘For Muammar Gaddafi it’s kill or be killed’ from the Guardian
As protests shake Libya, experts believe that leader Muammar Gaddafi sees his conflict with the protesters as a fight for his very survival and that he will not be lodged from power peacefully, as Hosni Mubarak was in Egypt.

Labor faces a moment of truth from Politico
Organized labor, which has relied on organizing public employees for decades, is fretting that if it loses in Wisconsin it could send waves throughout the country and weaken unions in battles with other state governments, which are mostly led by Republican governors.

Iran warships to begin Suez Canal passage Tuesday from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Iran is sending two naval vessels through the Suez Canal on Tuesday.  The passage will cost Iran $290,000, but that is little consolation for Israel, which has said that it views the action as a provocation.

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Here is your R&D for February 18th:

Union battle echoes beyond Wisconsin: ‘We’re fighting for our very existence’ from the Christian Science Monitor
Wisconsin’s bid to break public employee unions is being watched by other states who want to enact similar measures to balance state budgets.  For their part, unions are not going down without a fight.

Dangers in U.S.-Pakistan Rift from the Council on Foreign Relations
U.S. Embassy employee Raymond Davis, who confessed to killing to Pakistani men in self-defense, is at the center of a spat between the U.S. and Pakistani government.  Pakistan wants Davis to stand trial, but the U.S. claims that he has diplomatic immunity.

House, Senate may not agree on government funding bill before money runs out from the Washington Post
Speaker John Boehner has ruled out passing a temporary funding resolution to keep the government operating unless it has spending cuts, thereby laying the groundwork for a government shutdown by March 4th if the House and Senate cannot agree on a budget.

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Here is your R&D for February 17th:

U.S. Spies: Iran Split on Nuclear Program from the Wall Street Journal
According to American intelligence assessments, Iran’s leaders are divided when it comes to their country’s nuclear program and that some of this division may be because of sanctions that have been imposed by the international community.

Is Scott Brown beatable? from the Washington Post
Although Democrats are defending more Senate seats in 2012, they believe they may be able to win back the Massachusetts Senate seat that Scott Brown is currently holding.  Brown, who scored an upset two years ago to serve out the rest of Ted Kennedy’s term, will be up for re-election in the next cycle, but can the Democrats find a candidate to beat him?

US clueless about Egypt? from YNet News.com
In an article that has more value in originating AGD ideas, the U.S. Senate’s hearing about Egyptian policy showed that intelligence agencies are largely ignorant about the situation happening there.

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Here is your R&D for February 16th:

Obama describes ‘tough choices’ in budget proposal from the Boston Globe
President Obama defended his latest budget proposal by arguing that tough choices needed to be made.  However, President Obama did not take a stance on entitlement programs, which constitute a large percentage of America’s discretionary spending.

Indonesia’s Political Landscape Offers Path for Egypt from the New York Times
The New York Times speculates that Egypt might want to look at how Indonesia created its democracy after overthrowing the Suharto government in 1998.

Inflated fears from the Economist
Is inflation in China  global problem?  According to the Economist, inflation it is not, but China’s leadership should worry about how it may impact domestic stability.

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