All Articles of 2008

NATO, R.I.P.

Articles — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 02:52:00 -0400

In what might be described as a quest for coherence through commodification, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has hired a former Coca-Cola executive to foster greater understanding about its reason for being.[1] But can an alliance emulate a soft drink giant's success at reinvention? Not likely. Coke has been creative--though not always successful--in its self-presentation, but no one has ever doubted what it is: a beverage. NATO's problem is that its purpose is no longer clear, even to its own members. In several key NATO states, few people know what the alliance does, let alone how it serves their interests. And who can blame them?… more

Democracy Inaction

Articles — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:44:00 -0400

What a long, strange week in Washington.

Early on, you could tell things were not proceeding along their usual track. At the Senate Banking and Finance Committee, right-wing Republican Jim Bunning laid into the bailout plan as "socialism" that was "un-American," and was met by cheers and acclamations from ACORN and Code Pink members in attendance. (So much, in fact, that Bunning crankily told them to pipe down. "I've been doing this long enough," he said. "I don't need any help.") The next day at the joint economic hearing, after progressive stalwart Lloyd Doggett of Texas railed against the bill's cost, Ron Paul quipped, "You've confused me a bit… more

Chinese Largesse

Articles — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:08:00 -0400

The financial crisis is raising serious questions about the future of American power. Can the United States sustain the burdens of global leadership while we dust ourselves off from what looks like a near-knockout blow to our economy?

As Zachary Karabell has argued, we are now seeing a globalization of finance that parallels the globalization of manufacturing that began in earnest in the 1970s. Wall Street is no longer the center of the financial world as wealth flows from our shores to the Gulf and Asia's rising states. The sharp increase in the quantity and quality of consumption, which we owe to a combination of Wal-Mart (i.e.,… more

The GOP and the Perils of Populism

Articles — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:19:00 -0400

If Barack Obama wins the presidency next month, Republican strategists probably won't waste too much time deconstructing the pros and cons of John McCain's candidacy. McCain is clearly a figure of the past, and that's most likely where he will remain. Sarah Palin's vice presidential candidacy, on the other hand, could haunt the party for some time. Beyond the excitement and attention she garnered in her first two weeks on the stump, Palin hasn't done much to help McCain argue, as he did in last Tuesday's debate, that he's "the steady hand at the tiller." That's partly because, as the vice presidential candidate,… more

Wanted: A New State Bill of Rights

Articles — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:22:00 -0400

The California Constitution is now more than five times as long as the U.S. Constitution. After a century of amendments and initiatives, it runs more than 150 pages.

California's government is so dysfunctional that the Bay Area Council, a business-backed public policy group, and other good-government types want to call a convention to draw up a new constitution. Good luck! Reforming such a monster is likely to spark resistance from Californians who worry they might lose some of the document's many, many protections, such as tax regulations for nonprofit golfing establishments. So the question becomes: how to reassure the people that they'll retain all the most important rights?

The answer:… more

US Incursions Might Well Destabilize Pakistani Society

Articles — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:08:00 -0400

Forty years ago, the United States began to mount raids into Cambodia and to undermine the government of King Sihanouk in order to cut Vietcong supply lines. As a result, America's war with Vietnamese communism spread into Cambodia, leading to the triumph of the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian genocide. But these horrors occurred after the US itself had quit Vietnam and after the US-backed regime in South Vietnam had collapsed. Washington's widening of the war benefited neither America nor its local allies.

The US is now making the same mistake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. If continued, ground incursions by US troops across the border into Pakistan in search of the Taliban… more

In Search of SWF

Articles — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:44:00 -0400

One of the major reasons why the current financial crisis is so threatening is the absence of what Tokyo-based investor Peter Tasker calls "strong hands"--long-term, patient, deep-pocketed investors that a teetering financial system needs to function in times of great uncertainty and stress. When Japan suffered its financial crisis in the 1990s, the strong hands that invested and kept the system afloat included private equity funds, insurance companies, and banks. But today, those financial actors are too leveraged, weak, or frightened to play a similar role. While most of the attention this week is focused on the Treasury's rescue plan, in fact, the U.S. government's ability to serve as… more

A Presidential Air About Him

Articles — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:40:00 -0400

There is a popular view about presidential campaigns that image and perception, even likability are the crucial variables, with substance usually running a distant second. (The recent vice presidential debate is possibly the quintessential example as Sarah Palin's connect-the-talking-points performance was considered by many pundits a success simply because the substantive expectations were so low.)

However, the second presidential debate in Nashville, Tenn., went a long way toward undermining this long-held perspective. Stylistically, Barack Obama certainly seemed more comfortable than John McCain, but last night it was on policy ideas and his vision for America where Mr. Obama truly shined, demonstrating in no uncertain terms why he is opening up… more

Free Traitors

Articles — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:02:00 -0400

Jagdish Bhagwati is a humble man. He will tell you so himself. Describing the effect of his book In Defense of Globalization during a speech at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) last fall, the Columbia economist politely refused credit for single-handedly dampening growing concerns about the fallout from free trade. Fears of trade are "low-key," he said. "I won't say it's because of my book. I have colleagues who would say that. ... People believe I have a large claim to fame, so I don't have to do it myself."

But, for all his bluster, Bhagwati was in something of a defensive crouch. His talk was… more

Asking the Right God Question

Articles — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:46:00 -0400

Forget Bill Maher, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. These atheists du jour have nothing on the most famous anti-theist of all time. Good old Karl Marx is still the most eloquent and thoughtful nonbeliever, and his "religion is the opium of the masses" is still the best one-liner in the business.

But as famous as that zinger is, it's too bad that most people have never read the sentences that come before and after it. Marx was a whole lot more sympathetic to religious faith than most people give him credit for. He saw religion as a source of solace that should only be abolished… more

Mailing Our Way to Solvency

Articles — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:38:00 -0400

America's financial landscape is changing before our eyes. The absorption of major Wall Street investment banks by commercial banks threatens to create colossal universal banks that are too big to fail and might need to be bailed out in the future. Meanwhile, the structure of public and private finance in the United States chronically fails to address four problems: the almost 10 percent of Americans without a bank account; the concerns of all Americans about the security of their savings; the growing indebtedness of the country to foreign governments and financial institutions; and underinvestment in public assets like sewer systems and bridges.

These four problems may seem unrelated. But… more

Why the US, Europe and China Need a 'G-3'

Articles — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:12:00 -0400

These days it is not fashionable to speak of empires, which are considered to be aggressive, mercantilist relics supposedly consigned to the dustbin of history with post-World War II decolonization and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many then predicted that ethnic self-determination would drag the world into a new era of political fragmentation as the number of countries proliferated from fewer than 50 at the end of World War II to, potentially, hundreds in the 21st century, with every minority getting its own state, currency, and seat in the United Nations.

But for thousands of years empires have been the world's most powerful political entities, fulfilling people's… more

Ten National Security Myths

Articles — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:56:00 -0400

The Iraq War is a testament to the great damage a foreign policy based on myths, lies and distortions can do to our nation’s security and well-being. As the election draws near, a new set of myths and fallacies as misleading as those that led the Senate to support George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq have become embedded in our foreign policy discourse. Many of them are being perpetuated by the very same political forces that peddled the myth of mushroom clouds coming from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Others are the product of muddled thinking on the part of both Republicans and Democrats.

If left unchallenged, these myths… more

Does Race Really Matter?

Articles — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:02:00 -0400

Recently, I wrote here that the fundamentals of the 2008 race decisively favor Barack Obama. As is often the case, however, my words were met with a familiar riposte: What about the race factor? Are white Americans really ready to elect a black man as president? It's a recurrent refrain among Democrats and even some hopeful Republicans. As Andrew Kohut wrote here, "56 percent of Democrats believe that many people will not vote for Mr. Obama because he is black."

With the first ever African-American presidential candidate, race is certainly the great unknown of the 2008 campaign, but there is significant empirical evidence to suggest that Mr.… more

An Alternative to Paralysis

Articles — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:43:00 -0400

If Tzipi Livni becomes Israel's next prime minister, she will bring to that office a belief in the urgency of reaching an extensive, two-state solution with the Palestinians. This in itself distinguishes Livni from her two main rivals. Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu disputes the very framework of two viable, independent states, while Labor leader Ehud Barak parts ways on how pressing the need is to get there. Livni will inherit the Annapolis peace process -- and that is where her problems begin. Annapolis is constructed on a flawed logical edifice; it is broken. But because Livni is heavily invested in these latest peace talks, she may… more

Broadband Data Improvement Act Passes Senate, House, A.K.A. Find Why U.S. is on Continuous Decline

Articles — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:34:00 -0400

In a major win for the public interest, the Broadband Data Improvement Act passed the Senate (on September 26th) and the House (on September 29th). Due to amendments, it now goes back to the Senate for final approval (should be pro-forma) before it lands on George Bush's desk.

With the United States falling further and further behind a host of other countries, the question on many people's minds (including the folks over at Point-Topic who created this graphic) is, "Why is this happening?"

Yes, that's the United States, chugging along ever closer to the bottom of the pack.

Senator Inouye… more

Heeding the Lessons of Another War

Articles — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:02:00 -0400

Forty years ago, the United States began to mount raids into Cambodia and to undermine the government of King Sihanouk in order to cut Vietcong supply lines.

As a result, America's war with Vietnamese Communism spread into Cambodia, leading to the triumph of the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian genocide. But these horrors occurred after the U.S. itself had quit Vietnam and after the U.S.-backed regime in South Vietnam had collapsed. Washington's widening of the war benefited neither America nor its local allies.

The U.S. is now making the same mistake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. If continued, ground incursions by U.S. troops across the border into Pakistan in search of the Taliban and Al Qaeda risk… more

The Indian Diaspora

Articles — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:27:00 -0400

In case you're wondering who the beautiful new woman on CNN who knows so much about gastrointestinal viruses is, her name is Roshini Rajapaksa. It's difficult to pronounce but, like that of her ubiquitous colleague Sanjay Gupta, unmistakably of the Indian subcontinent. From Silicon Valley to Citigroup, the new face of success is increasingly of a rich caramel-brown color. Vikram Pandit has led the charge to rescue banking behemoth Citi, and Bobby Jindal, the whiz-kid Indian-American governor of Louisiana, could find himself with a new job in a McCain administration . In Washington lobbying circles, Indians are sometimes referred to--not least boastfully by themselves--as the "new Jews." Today the three million… more

How Fast You Can Read This Essay Online

Articles — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:58:00 -0400

John McCain is an AT&T guy; Barack Obama is a Google guy. And that's one of the most important policy differences between the two.

Think of the Internet as working at different layers. There are all the pipes that go into your home, and then there's all the stuff on your screen--from e-mail to eMule. The telecom companies like AT&T control the pipes; the software companies, like Google, create the stuff.

In an ideal world, both these layers would be sites of great innovation and creativity. But in the United States, that isn't so. The software industry may seem like… more

It's Official: China Now Has More Broadband Lines than the United States

Articles — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:19:00 -0400

It was just last year that those of us raising alarms about the massive half-decade market failure in the United States to adequately provision broadband services were facing a misinformation campaign that raw numbers mattered more than percentage rankings. According to this argument, the U.S. broadband market was sound because we had more broadband lines than anyone else.

The misinformation brigade got so much attention (mainly due to incumbents funding a propaganda campaign that "everything is fine here, nothing to see"), that public interest groups had to issue reports systematically refuting the PR are marketing hype. In fact, Free Press issued a point-by-point rebuttal, "'Shooting the Messenger' Myth vs. Reality:… more

Is There a Better Way Forward and a Better Way to Persuade the Public, Fear Itself Having Failed?

Articles — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:13:00 -0400

A better way forward is a different way forward. The Axis of Arrogance--the Wall Street-Washington bipartisan alliance--seems determined simply to bludgeon the American people into supporting the bailout. President Bush was at it again, just this morning in the White House, bludgeoning away once again. What’s that old adage? If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, banging your head against the wall even again.

It’s a rare time in history that the elites are actively badmouthing the economy in order to win a policy dispute. But wait, it’s not just a policy dispute; it’s a battle over $700 billion, and that’s worth fighting for. What well-connected fatcat wouldn’t… more

Let the Citizens Gather to Decide on State Reforms

Articles — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:40:00 -0400

All reform proposals for making California government more representative and responsive face the same obstacle: Entrenched interests, including lawmakers, who benefit from the status quo.

The best means for overcoming those interests is a citizens assembly, a body of approximately 160 average citizens -- randomly selected like a jury pool to ensure diversity and impartiality -- empowered to formally propose electoral reforms via a statewide referendum to their fellow voters.

The citizens assembly members study political reform recommendations for nine months, listening to experts and holding public hearings. Then they vote on which reforms to place directly on the ballot. Unlike a constitutional convention, a citizens assembly's mandate is not… more

Debate Skipped Key Iran-Israel Question

Articles — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:28:00 -0400

Toward the end of Friday's presidential debate, the conversation turned to Iran and there was a long back-and-forth between the two candidates about what kind of conditions should be set for any discussions with the Iranian government.

But neither addressed what could be the most important foreign policy issue either might face as president: a unilateral strike by Israel against Iranian nuclear facilities.

Israeli officials are clearly seriously contemplating such a strike, as Iran is believed to be drawing near to having a nuclear capability that those officials believe poses an existential threat to Israel.

Such a strike would probably immensely complicate U.S. efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan as the Iranians would… more

The First Debate: A Win for Obama

Articles — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:49:00 -0400

Any analysis of the first presidential debate in Oxford, Miss,. must begin with a simple question: What was each candidate trying to achieve?

For Barack Obama it was all about the half of all Americans who still think he lacks the requisite qualifications to be president. Would he seem knowledgeable and effective in talking about serious foreign policy issues? Would he be able to reassure them that they can trust him with the nation’s most powerful job? Would he be able to go toe-to-toe with John McCain.

For Mr. McCain, who is trailing in the polls and has had a rough two-week stretch since the financial crisis… more

Prisoner of the Heart

adminn — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 07:53:00 -0400

Twenty-one years ago, Daisy Benson brought a gun to an argument. She says she didn’t mean to shoot, and that may be true, but you bring a gun to an argument, a lot can go wrong. Daisy was convicted of murder, given 15 to life, and sent away to prison, hundreds of miles from home, a small, poor town in Northern California. Seven years later,… more