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 “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 

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is becoming more radically anti-Pakistan every day. Now he says that “Pakistan has not given up hope of making us slaves.” Military analyst Anthony Cordesman argues that the war against the Taliban is still winnable, if the U.S. and NATO muster the necessary resources.

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.