sunsnow sunday

The Chinese government has threatened broad economic measures against American military contractors unless $6.4b in U.S. arms deals with Taiwan are canceled immediately. U.S. defense contractors including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon will face Chinese retaliation in other business areas in a tangible expose' of China's growing power.

“Such sales contribute to maintaining security and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” said Laura Tischler, a State Department spokeswoman.

Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi said, The US should “truly respect China’s core interests and major concerns, and immediately rescind the mistaken decision ... in order to avoid damaging broader China-US relations.”
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Hank Paulson has accused Russia of propositioning China to sell Fannie and Freddie Mac bonds in late 2008 to induce a U.S. government bail out. The former U.S. Treasury secretary wrote “Russian officials had made a top-level approach to the Chinese, suggesting that together they might sell big chunks of their GSE (government sponsored enterprise) holdings to force the US to use its emergency authorities to prop up these companies,” in his recently published memoir, On the Brink.

The reported proposition was declined by the Chinese in the time surrounding the Russian-Georgian conflict.
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Pakistani media has reported that Hakimullah Mehsud has been killed "sometime in the last two weeks" by U.S. drone strike. Tehrik-e-Taliban spokesmen have denied the claims but have not provided video evidence that the group's leader is alive.

U.S. C.I.A. has increase drone activity following the attack on their Khost outpost.

I called this btw. wooop.
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Slate.com slide show of the Davos Economic Forum sessions and participants is here.

Turkey has signalled approval for Afghan government plans to reconcile with mid and low-level Taliban fighters through jobs and cash. The plan is reminiscent of the "Sunni Awakening" or "Sons of Iraq", where Sunni insurgents were paid to halt their insurgency and work with the government to provide security within their own communities.

(Here is an statistical update on the integration of the SOI from the Long War Blog.)

The statement came from a meeting in Istanbul between Afghan officials and various regional powers. The meeting included China's foreign minister, Iran's vice-president, Russia's deputy foreign minister, Britain's foreign minister and the deputy to U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke. Officials from Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, NATO and the European Union were also present.

High ranking officials from approximately 60 countries are slated to convene on Thursday in London to coordinate strategy and fortify support for Afghanistan.

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Afghan intelligence report has tied the Haqqani network, based in Pakistan, to the massive guerrilla attack on Kabul on January 18th. This announcement follows last week's statements by Secretary Gates urging Pakistan to do more to contain the Haqqani network.

The Haqqani network was one of the main recipients of foreign weapons and monies during the Soviet-Afghan war.

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France is now very close to approving a partial ban on Islamic veils following a report by parliamentary committee. The report states, "The wearing of the full veil is a challenge to our republic. This is unacceptable. We must condemn this excess."

The committee's near 200-page report has proposed a ban in hospitals, schools, government offices and on public transport.

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Here is a great photo slideshow of the Sri Lankan election.

flares

Both General Stanley McChrystal and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates have hinted in the last week at the possibility of political negotiations with the Taliban. Both senior military leaders have outlined plans to co-opt middle and low ranking Taliban fighters with jobs and cash payments.

Dexter Filkins' op-ed in today's NYT quotes a Taliban spokesperson saying, “Nobody from the Taliban side is ready to make any kind of deal. The world community and the international forces are trying to buy the Taliban, and that is why we are showing that we are not for sale.”

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has shut down a television station for failing to broadcast one of his state speeches in its entirety. Chávez's popularity has slipped as the oil-rich country grapples with energy shortages, rising inflation and rampant crime, worrying officials as they prepare for parliamentary elections later this year.

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Here is a run-down of contributions to Scott Brown before and after his electoral victory.

you ain't got no job. . .

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has released a report identifying a number of American citizens who converted to Islam while in US prison, then moved to Yemen, married local women and subsequently"[fell] off the map". According to the report, as many as 36 ex-convicts have traveled to Yemen for "language training" in the last year, and as many as 10 of those are believed to be working with al-Qaeda.


The text of the report is located here. For context, check out this Wapo article with good sound bites from admin and congressional staffers.



The report states, "U.S. officials said they are on heightened alert because of the potential threat from extremists carrying American passports and the related challenges involved in detecting and stopping homegrown operatives."

An additional concern, it says, "is a group of nearly 10 non-Yemeni Americans who traveled to Yemen, converted to Islam, became fundamentalists, and married Yemeni women so they could remain in the country." One U.S. official, it reports, described them as "blond-haired, blue-eyed types" who "fit a profile of Americans whom al-Qaeda has sought to recruit over the past several years."
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Egypt's largest opposition group to Pres. Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood, has named a new leader. Muhammad Badie was selected by the members of MB's consultative council following the resignation of Muhammad Akef.

The english language Muslim Brotherhood website is located here.


Akef, a more moderate voice within the organization, resigned after butting heads with the conservative factions of the Brotherhood. Badie represents a more conservative faction of the MB and, interestingly, was incarcerated with Sayyid Qutb back in the 60's. Qutb is one of the most influential Islamic fundamentalists and provides ideological foundations for al-Qaeda.



Definitely check out Qutb's biography above. He traveled to America as a young man in the 1920's and his experiences forged his fire-brand interpretation of Islam. Really a fascinating man.
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Secretary Gates was in Pakistan yesterday reaffirming the Administration's commitment to working with the Pakistani government and military in efforts to control their lawless border with Afghanistan.

The Secretary was in India on Tuesday.

gone silver

Here is the highlight of my weekend- the first piece of the FT's in-depth exploration of the BRIC's (Brazil, Russia, India and China). This article by Alan Beattie tracks individually unique trajectories toward economic development and what each country's rise means for the existing balance.


Beattie asks, "So as the world emerges from recession, is this a transformational moment when the centre of gravity in the global economy and its governance decisively shifts? Is this a pivot point such as the second world war, where the confident, innovative US muscled aside the weakened, debt-laden economies of Europe and remade the global financial architecture? And, most immediately, are Bric consumers up to the task of rebalancing the world economy by supplanting their acquisitive American counterparts?

"The most likely answer is: not yet."
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Indonesia has erected a statue of Barack Obama to mixed reviews from the public.


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The Obama administration and congressional Democrats have reached a deal to create an independent budget commission to manage the behemoth federal entitlements programs-Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The agreement was reached during a Tuesday night meeting between the President, Orszag, Reid, Pelosi and Hoyer.
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A spokeperson for the Pakistani Taliban has said that the group's leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, is alive and well following a drone strike on militant training camp in North Waziristan. Baitullah Mehsud, the former leader of the Pakistani Taliban, was killed in US drone strike last summer, yet confirmation of his death took two weeks.

The Taliban spokesperson said that Hakimullah Mehsud was in the area of the strike until very recently,"But he had left the place already when the drone attack took place. He is alive and completely safe," Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq told the AFP news agency by telephone.

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ROBERT ALBERTSON, CHIEF STRATEGIST AT SANDLER O'NEILL, NEW YORK
"It throws some sand into the gears. It's one more thing dragging on the sector, but it's spread over 10 years, so it's not so consequential. It's petty theft from bank balance sheets."

More quotes from financial analysts on the Obama Administration's levy on bank bonuses are here. Amazing (in what way is open for interpretation).

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Here former Secretary of State Madeline Albright critiques President Obama's approach to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the threat of Islamic extremism.

fail.

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over “The Tonight Show” in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004, I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my “Tonight Show” in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the “Tonight Show” to 12:05 to accommodate the “Jay Leno Show” at 11:35. For 60 years, the “Tonight Show” has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the “Tonight Show” into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The “Tonight Show” at 12:05 simply isn’t the “Tonight Show.” Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the “Late Night” show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard, and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of “The Tonight Show.” But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet, a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the “Tonight Show,” I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan