Category: News

FT. Non-state guerrillas in Columbia are using genetic engineering to boost revenues and defeat defoliation. The innovation continues (here's the Wired story on selective breeding). Colombian police have identified a genetically modified and super-hardy coca “tree” that yields up to eight times more cocaine than a traditional shrub… With the help of foreign agronomists, the… Continue reading FT

The Economist: If the dollar falls by another 30%, as some predict, it would amount to the biggest default in history: not a conventional default on debt service, but default by stealth, wiping trillions off the value of foreigners' dollar assets. [John Robb's Weblog]

A Model City. Boston Globe. This segment is a must read. US commanders and Iraqi leaders have declared their intention to make Fallujah a “model city,” where they can maintain the security that has eluded them elsewhere. Under the plans, troops would funnel Fallujans to so-called citizen processing centers on the outskirts of the city… Continue reading A Model City

MSNBC. A total of 338 Iraqis associated with the new governing structures or with the Americans have been assassinated since Oct. 1, according to U.S. military figures. This includes 35 police chiefs, mayors and middle-ranking officials. [John Robb's Weblog]

USAToday. In case you missed this. The Army National Guard missed its recruiting goals for the first month of the fiscal year by 30%. The chief reason for the shortfall is a downturn in recruits with military experience, men and women who leave the active-duty Army but sign up for Guard duty that usually involves… Continue reading USAToday

Gen. John Abizaid, the US commander of Central Command, said today that Iraqi troops are not “seasoned” enough to defend the country for the Jan 30 elections. This was offered as an explaination for the recent expansion of US troop totals in the country. Of course, it's worse than that. The Fallujah operation created the… Continue reading Gen. John Abizaid, the US commander of Central Command, said today that
Iraqi troops are not “seasoned” enough to defend the country for the
Jan 30 elections. This was offered as an explaination for the recent
expansion of US troop totals in the country. Of course, it's worse than
that. The Fallujah operation created the conditions

Lakhdar Brahimi: To the extent that the views of a seasoned architect of elections, and one very familiar with the political process at work in Iraq, matters: It would be impossible to hold elections in Iraq in January if the security situation remains as precarious as it is, United Nations adviser Lakhdar Brahimi told a… Continue reading Lakhdar Brahimi

Beautiful … Marshall…. Marshall Wittman: “Despite the mass exodus, the incompetent one remains -Rummy. All that happened on his watch was an abysmal post-war plan and a prison scandal. This confirms that the only ones held accountable in this Administration are welfare mothers and struggling third grade students. For them, standards and accountability apply. For… Continue reading Beautiful … Marshall…

An Obsession the World Doesn't Share. The United States' war on terror is often portrayed abroad as an attempt to impose a bellicose culture, driven by the cultivation of fear. By ROGER COHEN. [NYT > Home Page]

Fortune. The dollar's fall. It's a powerful reminder that even in an age of go-it-alone foreign policy and unilateral military action, the rest of the world still matters when it comes to economics. “When the market saw how clear the Bush victory was, with stronger Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, people thought, 'There… Continue reading Fortune