The Guardian (London)

As of Tuesday evening, Israel's air assault on the Gaza Strip, an area only twice the size of Washington DC, and the world's most densely populated territory, counted at least 380 dead Palestinians, including scores of children and over 800 wounded, four dead Israelis, and one dead Egyptian soldier. Demonstrations against Israel and the United States took place in Turkey, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon, the Israeli occupied West Bank, throughout Europe - and even in Israel itself. Demonstrators… more

There’s some nice writing this week from The Washington Post’s Joel Garreau, who finds that a visit to North Dakota’s nuclear missile silos helps to put the ...

A few disclosures to the incoming Obama administration: As a 20-year-old, I received a ticket (fine greater than $50) for having jumped a subway turnstile in New York City. A few years later, I received another ticket (fine likewise greater than $50), this time for allowing my miniature dachshund to run off the leash in Riverside Park. I spent several years as a bass player in a rock band. And one of my earlier efforts in journalism, a poorly-received attempt at humour about some socialists who… more

"A Copenhagen agreement with strictures and cap-and-trade is going to be hard for this Congress to digest," said Steve Clemons, a foreign policy strategist at the New America Foundation. "They are going to have to find a way to engage in climate change that is credible but isn't going to deliver another gut-punch to the economy." LINK

But, according to analysis of both candidate's promises by an organisation called Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, both McCain's and Obama's economic plans would increase the deficit by more than $200bn in 2013. So it seems that both prospective Presidents plan to do no more than shuffle the deck chairs on this dangerously listing ship. LINK

Despite running one of the worst presidential campaigns I've ever seen, John McCain would, I'm convinced, make an excellent president. Among America's friends and allies there is an almost unshakable conviction that only an Obama presidency can undo the damage done by President Bush's supposed foreign policy blunders. And I can understand that - Obama's personal story is inspiring; he is an unusually thoughtful person with a cool temperament and a commanding presence. But, hard though this may be to believe, this is precisely the right moment… more

As a top advisor to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), Terry Tamminen helped engineer California's ambitious 2006 carbon cap-and-trade plan. He then left the state in a quest to become a "Johnny Appleseed" of climate action, spreading plans and ideas for cutting greenhouse gases to leaders across the country, including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R). He gained administrative experience during a stint as head of the California EPA from 2003 to 2004, and he wrote the 2006 book Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction.… more

"The British used lashkars when fighting tribal insurgents [in areas now known as the North-Western Frontier Province]. The Mughals [who ruled India before the British] did it too, so did other rulers," says Prof Anatol Lieven, a Pakistan observer from King's College, London. LINK

We are entering -- for those keeping track -- the new new, new new world order. President George Bush Snr's world order of multilateral cooperation was embarrassed by Somalia, Rwanda and Bosnia. Pax Americana, rebranded as globalisation under Bill Clinton, was shattered by 9/11. For the past seven years we've been living under the "war on terror" world order paradigm, creating more cleavages than it has healed.

But this time the conditions are very different. The world has stopped waiting for the US - and its next… more

To a large degree, the success of Obama's presidential run so far has been built on his skills as a speechmaker. It was his speech to the Democratic convention four years ago, before he had even entered the Senate, that propelled him into the national spotlight.

"He is blessed with a richly resonant voice that we love to hear; he could read the telephone directory and it would sound good," said Ted Widmer, editor of an acclaimed edition of American political speeches and a former Bill Clinton speechwriter.… more