globalaffairsblog

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Ironically, three years after the uprisings began, the Obama administration has ended up embracing a narrow, security-focused approach to the Arab Spring, something that Obama often criticized his predecessors for doing. To be sure, many of the region’s continuing security problems, particularly in Iraq, are a result of the Bush administration’s disastrous policies. However, it is also worth noting that President Bush acknowledged the existence of a “tyranny-terror” link—the notion that the root causes of extremism and terrorism can be found in the region’s enduring lack of democracy. Those claims are no less relevant today.

Obama administration fails to answer to internal strife in the Middle East

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REALISM.

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Things to Talk About 

The “brocialist” is generally a good leftist. His heart is probably in the right place. But he has a gigantic blind spot when it comes to women, one that is both political (he is not sensitive to feminist concerns) and personal (he can be a pig).

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…

What did those plutocrats think was going to happen? 

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evanfleischer said: It *might* be a ploy to break into the Chinese markets. For what it’s worth. (No FAA, no USPS, no roads, etc.)

i'm kind of terrified right now. 

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Amazon's PrimeAir drone.

This is a really, really sick joke.

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It's working!!!!!!!

Y’all should go fix this.

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You're watching "Drones Around the Globe: Proliferation and Resistance," a drone summit organized by CODEPINK. Check out www.codepink.org and www.droneswatch.org to learn more about organizing resistance to drone warfare.

Watch live!

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goodbye.

Outrage after India’s top policeman Ranjit Sinha says ‘if you can’t prevent rape, you enjoy it’

India’s top police official apologized Wednesday for saying, “If you can’t prevent rape, you enjoy it,” a remark that has outraged women across the country.

Central Bureau of Investigation chief Ranjit Sinha made the remark Tuesday during a conference about illegal sports betting and the need to legalize gambling. The CBI, the country’s premier investigative agency, is India’s equivalent of the FBI.

“If you cannot enforce the ban on betting, it is like saying, ’If you can’t prevent rape, you enjoy it,”’ he said. (Photo: AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi, File)

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Reunion.

My grandfather had the exact same story. Too adorable!

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Yuna- Mountains

Favorite off of the new album so far.

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And there’s your cover, New York. (via.)

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McAuliffe

Christie

DeBlasio

now just waiting on NC, where my parents live.

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AR Wear - A clothing line offering wearable protection for when things go wrong.

Happy that there is such a thing as anti-rape wear, but sad that things had to come to this at all to begin with. 

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USA: Hey, do you guys need hel- Afghanistan: Nah, we good.

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Found a great website on Syria.

Better late than never.

Infographics, op-eds, and timelines galore.

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Oh man, cognitive dissonance is the best. Leads to so much personal growth.

The Shutdown is Teaching Students How Not to Run a Country

With the partial shutdown of the federal government well into its second week, it’s reasonable to ask what lessons students might be absorbing from the actions of Congress—or lack thereof. Peter Levine, director of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, told me the political stalemate might translate into a short-term “teachable moment” for a class on government. But in the long run, it’s a less-than-ideal curriculum.

“What we’re seeing now is so at odds with what we teach in civics classes that it’s going to cause cognitive dissonance,” Levine said. He added that students already know there’s a disconnect between what they’re being taught about how U.S. government is supposed to function and the realities of current events. And the shutdown only contributes to that gap, he added.

Read more. [Image: Evan Vucci/AP Photo]