I am pretty skeptical of Iranian intentions, though I think that we still need to try to work on diplomacy before even considering what are likely to be unpalatable military options.  But sometimes, I wonder if even that is too strong a position.  The Chinese for, example, don’t think even sanctions are necessary.  But instead [...]

Gary Sick writes:
How to Keep Iran in Check Without War – The Daily Beast
The real purpose of negotiations, in my view, is to build a system of monitoring and inspections that will (1) provide maximum early warning of a potential future Iranian decision to “break out;” and (2) insure the maximum possible interval between that [...]

An article in yesterday’s New York Times highlights the potential impacts of climate change on Vietnam should sea levels continue to rise in the coming decades. Home to millions and a major rice-growing region, the Mekong Delta has already been identified as one of the world’s biggest potential climate refugee hot spots.
Some excerpts:

In a worse-case [...]

Senator Hart’s new blog is definitely worth checking out. Having recently visited Afghanistan during the presidential election, Hart provides insight into what democracy means in Afghanistan and how his observations helped him reflect on American democracy. Hart described the elections in Afghanistan with much optimism:
The United States has an enormous military, political and economic presence [...]

The National Review Online today featured a Flashpoint post from ASP Senior Fellow Bernard Finel on the need for a changed U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, praising his sound, comprehensive analysis of the reasons behind and feasibility of “success” in our current operations there.
Read the NRO post here; read Bernard’s full posting on the subject, “The [...]

According to the National Climatic Data Center at NOAA, this summer’s global sea surface temperatures were “the warmest at least since 1880, when such records were first systematically compiled.”
Read the full article on Dot Earth here.

If you haven’t read Thomas Friedman’s op-ed piece today, do. It outlines the sorry state of the American solar industry, focusing on the U.S. company Applied Materials. Of its 14 solar panel factories worldwide, “not a single one is in America… five are in Germany, four are in China, one is in Spain, one is [...]

An article from New Scientist gave me chills this morning:
IF THE sinking Maldives aren’t enough to galvanise action on climate change, could losing a classic beer do it? Climatologist Martin Mozny of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute and colleagues say that the quality of Saaz hops – the delicate variety used to make pilsner lager [...]

Bernard,
One comment on your discussion of Hoffman’s quote in the NYT article.  You write:
“…And Bruce Hoffman, who is quoted as saying,
…the argument that terrorism can be prevented essentially by remote control was “immensely seductive” — and completely wrong.
“We tried to contain the terrorism problem in Afghanistan from a distance before 9/11,” he said. “Look how [...]

There was an interesting news analysis article in the NYT today: News Analysis – Can Buildup in Afghanistan Prevent Terror Attacks? – NYTimes.com. Reporters Eric Schmitt and Scott Shane write:
Does the United States need a large and growing ground force in Afghanistan to prevent another major terrorist attack on American soil?
….
In interviews, most counterterrorism [...]