Outside the Beltway

After three months, Rupert Murdoch’s strategy of walling off the Times websites isn’t looking so smart.

The British press takes a look at America’s Midterm Elections.

Thanks to a combination of good intelligence and fast action, it looks like the U.S. and UK avoided a serious attack on airliners last week.

Police in Turkey have arrested 12 people suspected of links to Islamist militant network al-Qaeda in Istanbul and Van province.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel declare multiculturalism in Germany to be a “failure.” Proof that anti-immigration activists in the United States are correct, right?

Should the UN expand the number of permanent Security Council members?

While Americans concern themselves with domestic politics and mid-term elections, the situation in Pakistan seems to continue to get worse.

A history book used in Texas until 2003 mentions Islam more than Christianity. Much outrage ensues.

Perhaps the biggest insight from Bob Woodward’s latest book is the sharpness of the split between the military and civilian leadership.

The media is now starting to look at it’s own role in the whole Koran burning story, but the truth is that there really wasn’t any way they could’ve ignored the story.

The floodwaters are starting to recede, although the disaster is far from over.

Elation at discovering 33 miners still alive after over two weeks of looking for them is giving way to the reality that it will take roughly 4 months to get them out.

The task of getting aid to the 20 million victims of Pakistan’s floods may have just gotten a lot more difficult

A combination of news and some lunchtime satire.

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

Christopher Walken does a dramatic reading of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” recycles a Steve Allen bit from before I was born. But it’s still hilarious.

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

Again, despite the rhetoric of some, the US does continue to enforce laws relevant to the border and, indeed, enforcement has been on the rise.

Depending on which papers you read, the British NHS is undergoing minor restructuring, secretly planning major cuts in basic services, or doing nothing of concern.

Israel and Turkey held secret, informal talks recently. This is interesting, given the recent flotilla incident. What is more interesting is that the Israeli Foreign Minister learned of the event via the press.