Is Iraq Spiralling Out Of Control?

Yes, Iraq Is Unraveling -- Michael Knights, Foreign Policy

And it's about to become Obama's problem all over again.

As American troops were pulling out of Iraq in 2010, the U.S. effort to stabilize the country resembled the task of an exhausted man who had just pushed a huge boulder up a steep hill. Momentum had been painstakingly built up and the crest approached. Was it safe to stop pushing and hope that the momentum would take the boulder over the top? Or would the boulder grind to a halt and then slowly, frighteningly roll back toward us?

Now we know -- and to be honest, the answer is hardly a surprise. Iraq is a basket case these days, and none of its problems came out of the blue. In the latest bout of sectarian and ethnic bloodletting, coordinated bomb attacks ripped through Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad and also northern Iraq, killing more than 30 people. The spasm of violence followed clashes between the Iraqi army and Sunni protesters and insurgents last month, where the federal government temporarily lost control of some town centers and urban neighborhoods in Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Diyala provinces.

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My Comment: Yes .... Iraq is slowly unraveling along sectarian lines. If it is not the war in Syria spilling into Iraq, we have Baghdad itself helping to stoke these tensions. The trend is for more violence .... with a real possibility of approaching 2007-2008 conflict levels. And as for the role of the U.S. in (maybe) providing assistance to stop this slide .... for the moment I see zero interest (fortunately) in Washington and in the U.S. public to re-engage in Iraq.

Six Global Hotspots to Watch

Aircraft from the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group fly in formation during a demonstration above the USS John C. Stennis underway in the Pacific Ocean, April 20, 2013. The group is returning from an eight-month deployment to areas of responsibility for the U.S. 5th and 7th fleets. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Katarzyna Kobiljak

Six Global Hotspots to Watch: The Next War -- Real Clear World

While the Middle East has a powerful claim on the world's attention (or at least Washington's), the world has no shortage of potentially explosive hotspots. Whether it's conflicting claims on vital resources, or waterways and borders whose demarcation remains unsettled and contested, the world's hotspots are simmering. Some are dangerously close to the boiling point; others are heating up gradually.

We've identified six to watch for 2013 and beyond.

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WNU Editor: The six 'hotspots' are .... East China Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Congo, India China border, the Arctic, and the Caspian Sea.

Are Washington's Scandals Stopping The White House From Issuing Orders To The U.S. Military To Attack Those Responsible For Benghazi?

An armed gunman reacts as the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames September 11, 2012. REUTERS/Esam Al-Fetori

U.S. Options To 'Capture Or Kill' Benghazi Suspects -- CNN

The U.S. military has updated plans to "capture or kill" alleged perpetrators of the deadly terror attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, CNN has learned.

The development comes amid growing pressure on the White House to show progress in the effort to catch those who killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans last September 11.

Officials emphasize that military planning has been underway since the immediate aftermath of the armed assault.

One part of the plan calls for potentially putting U.S. military personnel on the ground inside Libya, if ordered by President Barack Obama.

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My Comment: If true .... this is a blockbuster story. The key lines in this CNN report are the following ....

.... The military has a list of several targets including some inside Benghazi and others in outlying areas. There are specific individuals named who are believed associated with the Benghazi attack as well other militants the United States wants to get. There are also militant camps or stronghold areas on the list that could be attacked.

One military official said the military is well aware that if it is ordered into action now by the White House, it could be viewed as a political move in light of the ongoing controversy over Benghazi. But he noted that initial planning began shortly after the attack last year.

This probably explains why 200 US marines were positioned nearer to Libya this week. In short .... and this is just speculation .... the U.S. military and the CIA already have their targets, but the controversies and scandals in Washington are making the White House nervous on how it would be perceived if the orders for a strike were issued now. Everyone will be screaming "Wag the Dog" .... and they will be right (to a point).

Update: U.S. upgrades Benghazi mission to ‘capture or kill’ -- Washington Times

Map: The World’s Most And Least Racially Tolerant Countries

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Data source: World Values Survey

A Fascinating Map Of The World’s Most And Least Racially Tolerant Countries -- Max Fischer, Washington Post

When two Swedish economists set out to examine whether economic freedom made people any more or less racist, they knew how they would gauge economic freedom, but they needed to find a way to measure a country’s level of racial tolerance. So they turned to something called the World Values Survey, which has been measuring global attitudes and opinions for decades.

Among the dozens of questions that World Values asks, the Swedish economists found one that, they believe, could be a pretty good indicator of tolerance for other races. The survey asked respondents in more than 80 different countries to identify kinds of people they would not want as neighbors. Some respondents, picking from a list, chose “people of a different race.” The more frequently that people in a given country say they don’t want neighbors from other races, the economists reasoned, the less racially tolerant you could call that society. (The study concluded that economic freedom had no correlation with racial tolerance, but it does appear to correlate with tolerance toward homosexuals.)

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More News On The World’s Most And Least Racially Tolerant Countries

World's 'Most Racially Intolerant' Countries Mapped -- The Telegraph
Map shows world's 'most racist' countries (and the answers may surprise you) -- Daily Mail
World's 'most racially intolerant' countries mapped -- New York Daily News
Britons are World's Most Racially Tolerant People -- International Business Times
Painting India red: Why the global racism map is wrong -- First Post

Washington Scandals -- A News Roundup

During Rose Garden Press Conference, Obama Refuses To Apologize For Secretly Seizing AP Phone Records, Shifts Blame To Congress For Benghazi Security Lapses, And Dodges Question About White House IRS Knowledge -- Daily Mail

* Assailed by questions over three scandals engulfing White House during Rose Garden press conference with Turkish Prime Minister
* Would not say whether anyone in his West Wing knew about the IRS targeting of the Tea Party before last week
* Offered 'no apologies' for DoJ secretly seizing phone records of Associated Press reporters over intelligence leak
* Admitted 'lessons needed to be learned' from Benghazi but said it was up to Congress to approve more money for military to provide extra security in hotspots abroad

President Barack Obama dodged questions Thursday about the IRS's targeting of conservative groups, shifted responsibility for the Benghazi attack to Congress, and said 'I offer no apologies' for the Department of Justice's secret seizure of reporter's phone records in search of a classified intelligence leak.

In a rain-soaked Rose Garden press conference originally intended to be a victory lap for the United States' relationship with Turkey, Obama stood alongside Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan and fielded questions which quickly shifted to the trio of scandals that are engulfing his administration.

Beginning in 2010, Obama's IRS targeted a list of approximately 300 tea party-related and other conservative groups for aggressive scrutiny following their applications for tax-exempt status.

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More News And Coverage On The IRS 'Scandal'

Republicans Keep Up Pressure on White House Over IRS Scandal -- Voice of America
Obama names acting IRS chief, denies knowledge of IRS report -- NBC
Obama names budget official Werfel as acting IRS head -- Reuters
IRS Official in Charge During Tea Party Targeting Now Runs Health Care Office -- ABC News
Second top IRS official out as scandal over targeting of Tea Party groups rages on -- Daily Mail
Second Top IRS Official Quits as GOP Scrutiny Rises -- Wall Street Journal
Second IRS official out after Tea Party scandal, as outgoing commissioner faces Congress -- FOX News
If White House counsel knew about IRS abuses weeks ago - and didn't tell Obama - she should resign -- FOX News
White House counsel should resign if she knew about IRS abuses -- Lanny J. Davis, The Hill
This Is No Ordinary Scandal -- Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal

More News And Coverage On The AP Wiretapping Story

Obama defends leak probes as necessary for security, calls for balance with press freedom. -- AP
Obama: ‘No apologies’ for leaks investigation -- Washington Post
Obama Has 'Complete Confidence' In Attorney General Holder -- NPR
More mystery over AP subpoenas process at Justice Department -- Politico
Holder says he played no role in AP phone subpoena -- AP
Holder facing liberal backlash over AP records grab -- FOX News
Lawmakers Introduce Bill Requiring Court Order to Seize Phone Records -- Threat Level
Holder’s recusal and the leak investigation are unprecedented -- Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post
How to avoid another Justice raid on reporter phone records -- Christian Science Monitor editorial

More News And Coverage On Benghazi

Benghazi e-mails unleash flood of questions -- USA Today
Obama administration regroups to counter Benghazi criticism -- CNN
The Benghazi Emails: Talking Points Changed at State Dept.'s Request -- ABC News
Pickering, Mullen reject request to testify on Benghazi in private -- Miami Herald/McClatchy News
GOP lawmakers increasingly in favor of special investigative committee -- Washington Free Beacon
Democrats: Enough with Benghazi, already -- CBS
Former Obama official on Benghazi: ‘Press has been so lazy, it’s infuriating’ -- Erik Wemple, Washington Post
What really happened in Benghazi? -- Douglas E. Schoen, FOX News

Boston Bombing Suspect Left A Note In The Boat That He Hid In

Boston Bombings Suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Left Note In Boat He Hid In, Sources Say -- CBS

(CBS News) Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left a note claiming responsibility for the April 13 attack on the Boston Marathon, reports CBS News senior correspondent John Miller.

Sources tell Miller that Tsarnaev wrote the note in the boat he was hiding in as police pursued him, and as he bled from gunshot wounds sustained in an earlier shootout between police and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev. It reads as part manifesto, part suicide note, and part justification for the killing and maiming of innocent civilians.

Read more ....

More News On Boston Bombings Suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Leaving A Note In The Boat That He Hid In

Suspect: Boston bombing was payback for hits on Muslims -- CNN
Boston bomber wrote note blaming wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- The Telegraph
'F***' America,' Boston Marathon Bomb Suspect Wrote in Boat: Officials -- ABC News
Sources: Bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev took responsibility for Marathon attacks in note scrawled in boat -- Boston.com
Boston bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev penned confession in boat: report -- New York Daily News
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev scribbled note inside boat where he was hiding, sources say -- NBC
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left note in boat explaining motives, CBS report says -- The Guardian

My Comment: So much for those who said that the younger brother was influenced by his older brother. If the details of this note are accurate .... it is clear that he is a hardcore Jihadist with no remorse for what he did.

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- May 16, 2013

Turkey May Be Obama's Key To Solving Syria Crisis -- Ed Husain, Special to CNN

(CNN) -- Almost every American ally in the Middle East is desperately calling out for help, and we are ignoring them. Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain -- and behind closed doors, even Egypt -- want American involvement in Syria to stop the blood bath.

But the twin ghosts of Iraq and Afghanistan seem to have paralyzed America in the Arab world.

On Thursday, Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will visit President Barack Obama in Washington. This is an ideal opportunity to throw American weight behind greater Turkish leadership in resolving the Syrian conflict -- and declare as much from the White House. The conflict is spreading fast outside of Syria, and unless regional powers such as Turkey, Israel and Saudi Arabia are empowered to act militarily, and swiftly, many more lives will be lost and the Middle East further destabilized.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

Turkey and Syria: An explosive border -- The Economist

Why the Syrian quagmire threatens Turkey -- Fadi Hakura, Special to CNN

Has Obama missed the moment in Syria? McCain says 'Assad is winning' -- FOX News

Wrong message in Syria's war imagery -- National Editorial

In Syria, terrorist designation means more go hungry -- Tom Peter, Christian Science Monitor

Iraq, Afghanistan can serve as lessons for Syria -- Deutsche Welle

How did Turkey become the world's leading jailer of journalists? -- Christophe Deloire and Joel Simon, Foreign Policy

It will take more than two new candidates to change Iran -- Ray Takeyh, Financial Times

Why Iran’s Mullahs Fear Ahmadinejad’s Messianism -- Zachary Keck, The Diplomat

Mandela Fades Amid Battles Over Who Will Claim Legacy -- Lydia Polgreen, New York Times

The long road ahead for Pakistan's comeback king: Nawaz Sharif -- Shamila N. Chaudhary, Special to CNN

Benghazi: History of Pueblo Repeats Itself -- Todd Crowell, Real Clear History

Is Venezuela becoming a failed state? -- Juan Nagel, Foreign Policy

How to End the Forever War -- Harold Hongju Koh, Real Clear World

America the Isolated? -- Fareed Zakaria, Time