Outside the Beltway

More odd developments inside the modern day version of the Hermit Kingdom

Ok, Saudi Arabia has less freedom than the US. Why do some people think that should form the basis of an argument about appropriate behavior in the US?

A combination of news and some lunchtime satire.

Not surprisingly, Radical Islamists are taking notice of the tone of debate in the United States over the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.”

Glenn Greenwald argues that the “Ground Zero Mosque” debate is about more than just a “mosque” near Ground Zero. He’s right, but that also means the debate is likely to get uglier.

While American politics concerns itself with trivial issues, Pakistan finds itself dealing with a devastating natural disaster that could have real geo-political implications.

America’s mission in Iraq is shifting from an active combat role to a smaller security presence. But the war that gripped our attention for years is now off the radar screen.

Some of our politicians and commentators are looking to odd places for guidance over the application of fundamental American values.

A quick flip-flop from Swedish authorities on a very serious charge.

Once again, an American President is stepping into the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and, once again, he has no idea how to accomplish the goals he’s established.

Why are people’s views about Islam so screwed up ? Mostly because the only things they know about it tend to be the worst possible aspects of all.

The New York Times is reporting that the Obama Administration has convinced Israel that Iran is much further away from developing nuclear weapons than Tel Aviv fears, but there seems to be something else going on here.

Colombia’s Constitutional Court has struck down a US basing rights deal.

What do the critics mean when they say that the United States should be more like Germany?

According to John Bolton, Israel has a deadline of August 21st to attack Iran’s nuclear program. This is the fourth deadline he’s set in the last three years.

As many American soldiers have died in Afghanistan under Obama as under Bush.

Barack Obama has significantly widened his predecessor’s global war on terrorism, even if he’s no longer calling it that.

Bill Kristol and friends are trying to make it politically toxic to criticize Israel.

The American Family Association has ramped up the nation’s anti-Muslim sentiment yet again.

Every new report out of Iran seems to bring us closer to the moment when Israel has decided it’s heard enough. What happens if that day actually happens ?

Of the U.S. military’s 10 combatant commands, only three are held by Army or Marine generals.

Remember when dealing with the utterances of Hugo Chávez that you should take them with a grain of salt (or twelve).

Hezbollah can tolerate the restoration of a synagogue, but many Americans are apoplectic about a Muslim community center and mosque two blocks from where the WTC once stood.

Colombia has sworn in a new president. And so begins the Santos era as the Uribe era heads for the history books.

German government payments compensating hunters for lost income due to radioactive boar have quadrupled since 2007.

This year’s Zogby poll of public opinion in the Middle East exhibits a marked shift on the Obama Administration, Iran.

Saddam Hussein’s closest adviser in the 1990s, Tariq Aziz, is talking to reporters, and he wants American troops to stay in Iraq.

The American military is on a mission in Afghanistan that the public is increasingly starting to question.

Not surprisingly, there is a great deal of disparity in terms of development on the two sides of the US-Mexican border.

While President Obama is pushing the Afghanistan surge, large numbers of elected Democrats are demanding we get out.

Will the Wikileaks document dump give even further impetus to the growing sentiment that the United States needs to leave Afghanistan ?

Today’s outrage of the day comes in the form of a new report claiming that the United States supported the release of the only man accused. But the report itself proves that isn’t what happened.

According to Maureen Dowd, Barack Obama’s biggest problem is that there are too many white people in this picture.

The world would undoubtedly be a better place if Islamic fundamentalism reached even 19^th century Western notions of individualism and gender equality. But cultures evolve over decades, and bans on their practices are not useful means of promoting positive change within them.

84 of 91 European banks passed their stress tests. How will investors react?

Feldpost für unsere Soldaten is a campaign recognizing the sacrifices of German soldiers fighting in Afghanistan.

Jim Webb argues that we should stop measuring diversity by race alone.