The American public does NOT have the right to know everything.

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China Demands U.S. Navy End Surveillance Missions

Even in international waters.
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China demands this even while she drills for oil off the US coast, steals critical classified technology, and owns half of the US treasury bond yields.
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Will Barry back down?

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Thanks to the original poster of this article.

Civil Unrest in America?

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War in Iraq: Saudi request, American gift, Saudi payback?
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After the Soviet military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Saudis and the Pakistanis continued to cooperate. Even though the world at large refused to accept the Taliban regime after it took power in 1996, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates recognized the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan. (These three were the only countries to do so.) However, while enjoying support from Riyadh and Islamabad, the Taliban also established relations with the transnational jihadist forces led by al Qaeda.

The Saudi and Pakistani relationship with the Taliban was shattered by the events of 9/11. In spite of aggressive negotiations with the Taliban, neither the Saudis nor the Pakistanis could convince Mullah Omar to surrender bin Laden and the al Qaeda leadership to the Americans. Because of this, the two countries were forced to end their overt relationship with the Taliban as the Americans invaded Afghanistan, though they obviously have maintained some contact with members of the Taliban leadership.

The U.S. response to 9/11 placed the Saudis and the Pakistanis into a very difficult position, where they were forced to fight jihadists on one hand and try to maintain control and influence over them on the other. As previously discussed, the Saudis possessed the resources to effectively clamp down on the al Qaeda franchise in the kingdom, but Pakistan, which is weaker both financially and politically — and which has become the center of the jihadist universe on the physical battlefield — has been hit much harder by the U.S.-jihadist war.

This situation, along with the ground reality in Afghanistan, has forced the United States to begin working on a political strategy to bring closure to the U.S.-jihadist war that involves negotiating with the Taliban if they part ways with al Qaeda and the transnational jihadists.

Hence the recent visit by Taliban officials to Saudi Arabia and the trips made by Riyadh’s intelligence chief, Prince Muqrin bin Abdel-Aziz, to Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Saudi monarch, King Abdullah, is also rumored to be personally involved behind the scenes in efforts to pressure Taliban leaders to break free from al Qaeda. But as in the past, the Saudis need help from their allies in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and here is where they are running into problems. A weak and threatened Pakistani state means that before working with the Pakistanis on the Afghan Taliban, Riyadh has to help Pakistan combat its own Taliban problem, which the Saudis currently are attempting. The Saudis obviously have much to offer the Pakistanis, in terms of both cash and experience. They also have the religious cachet that other Pakistan allies, such as the Americans and the British, lack, giving them the ability to broach ideological subjects.

However, as is the case with the Afghan Ta liban, the Saudis will have to get the Pakistani Taliban to part ways with al Qaeda and are working hard to drive a wedge between Pakistani militants and their foreign guests.

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China's Premier Worries About U.S. Treasury Holdings

Friday, March 13, 2009


Premier Wen Jiabao noted that that China is now the largest creditor to the United States and as such wants to make sure that U.S. policies dealing with the financial crisis do not damage the value of Chinese holdings.

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the solution to our foreign policy is rather simple.

We open up our own oil reserves--we got more oil than the middle east here in the USA. Put in place better public transportation, and help convert out dependency on oil to hydrogen fuel cars.

Close down half our overseas bases. We have over a 1,000. Let the middle east sort out it's own problems. Stop meddling in everyone elses problems and focus on our own.

repeal NAFTA
Close the CIA-it's too corrupt.

Close the fed, replace the gold standard and take control of our economy from the bankers.

And above all....

educate the american public that America is a republic and never a democracy and make sure they know the difference.

I agree with:
educate the american public that America is a republic and never a democracy and make sure they know the difference

Close the fed, replace the gold standard and take control of our economy from the bankers.

Open up our own oil reserves

These won't work:
Let the middle east sort out it's own problems. Stop meddling in everyone elses problems and focus on our own.

repeal NAFTA

Close the CIA-it's too corrupt.
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Isolationism is not a feasible option.

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I just gotta transfer this excellent post to the foreign policy thread. Hope Feedman doesn't mind.
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Hillary in the Middle East
In putting formation of a Palestinian state at the top of her priority list, Hillary Clinton is putting her chips, first and foremost, on the PA and only secondarily on Israel's security interests.

More...

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You tell me why I am posting this under the U.S. Foreign Policy thread. Can you figure it out?
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According to the latest data from the Renewable Fuels Association, ethanol production is currently averaging 0.60 million barrels per day. At the subsidy of 51¢ per gallon, this amount of ethanol production costs taxpayers over $4 Billion in 2008.


The ethanol future looks much worse. The “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007” required maximum ethanol production of 2.35 million barrels per day by 2022. But, this amount of ethanol production will require the entire corn crop in the US, every kernel of corn.
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BTW, I hope that you don't like corn either!

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Iran, China Sign $3.2B Gas Deal

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