Morning Brief, Wednesday, December 13
Iraq and Middle East There’s so much to digest in this New York Times story about how Saudi Arabia will back Iraq’s Sunni in the event of a U.S. pullout that it’s hard to summarize adequately. Just read it. In this week’s List, FP rated the chance of a major troop increase in Iraq as ...
Iraq and Middle East
There's so much to digest in this New York Times story about how Saudi Arabia will back Iraq's Sunni in the event of a U.S. pullout that it's hard to summarize adequately. Just read it.
In this week's List, FP rated the chance of a major troop increase in Iraq as "zero." But with new Pentagon leadership on the way, the U.S. military is requesting more troops across the board. Look closely at the numbers, however, and you'll see that a major surge of combat forces in Iraq is just not feasible. President Bush is reportedly considering announcing more troops in January, but he won't find more than 20,000 or so available.
Iraq and Middle East
There’s so much to digest in this New York Times story about how Saudi Arabia will back Iraq’s Sunni in the event of a U.S. pullout that it’s hard to summarize adequately. Just read it.
In this week’s List, FP rated the chance of a major troop increase in Iraq as “zero.” But with new Pentagon leadership on the way, the U.S. military is requesting more troops across the board. Look closely at the numbers, however, and you’ll see that a major surge of combat forces in Iraq is just not feasible. President Bush is reportedly considering announcing more troops in January, but he won’t find more than 20,000 or so available.
Donald Rumsfeld admits: “I don’t think I would have called it a ‘war on terror’.” But he did so anyway.
Asia
U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson plays a weak hand in China despite landing with an entourage of heavy hitters.
Sadly, Japan’s hand-made kimono industry has collapsed.
Latin America
Pinochet died; some Chileans cried. Yesterday, Vargos Llosa on the Wall Street Journal editorial page argued that Pinochet’s gross human rights abuses tarnished a reformist legacy.
Elsewhere
Arab-Americans feel increasingly alienated and frightened in the United States, reports USA Today.
Bob Woodward is hiring a personal assistant for his new book.
The future is bright, according to a new World Bank report (available here):
The World Bank’s annual global economic prospects report, released on Wednesday, is a rare thing these days: a study glowing with optimism about the future for globalisation.
The report not only says that the global economy should do well in the next two years, but that globalisation between now and 2030 will proceed apace.
More from Foreign Policy


Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.


So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.


Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.


Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.