Media Roundup

United States

Debate Aside, Number of Drone Strikes Drops Sharply

By Scott Shane | The New York Times

In an address on Thursday, President Obama will attempt to lay out his justification for drone strikes, which have been in decline since 2010, and what they have achieved.

Senators Call on Obama to Arm Syrian Opposition

By Guy Taylor | The Washington Times

President Obama faces mounting bipartisan pressure for the U.S. to become more deeply involved in Syria’s civil war, with a key Senate panel pushing through legislation Tuesday that would clear the way for the administration to supply weapons to rebels fighters in the Mideast nation.

Latin America

A FARC Rebel in Colombia Explains Why He Wanted Out

By Chris Kraul | Los Angeles Times

Leftist rebel Reinel Usuga surrendered this month because he was afraid of dying in battle and being buried in an unmarked grave even as rebel leaders negotiate a possible peace agreement that would make such a death pointless -- perhaps even absurd.

Spanish Couple Kidnapped in Colombia

BBC

Two Spanish tourists have been kidnapped in Colombia while driving in La Guajira, near the Venezuelan border. The kidnappers contacted the hostages' family and identified themselves as members of the left-wing rebels Farc, Colombian authorities say.

Asia-Pacific

‘Exhausted’ Karzai Insists He Will Retire

By Victor Mallet | Financial Times

Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s president, on Wednesday said he was exhausted and had no intention of flouting the constitution by remaining in office beyond the end of his second term next year.

Delay in Mine Project Shadows Hopes for Afghan Economy

By Jay Price | McClatchy Newspapers

The giant copper mine that the Afghan government has made the centerpiece of its plans for building an economy nearly from scratch is at least five years behind schedule and the state-owned Chinese company that won the bidding has missed key deadlines in its still-secret contract with the Afghan government.

Kim Jong Un’s Special Envoy Visits China

By Chico Harlan | The Washington Post

A key North Korean military official arrived in Beijing on Wednesday as a “special envoy” of leader Kim Jong Un, state-run media reported. The trip comes amid new signs of strain between the traditional allies.

Africa

Kenya Leaders Named in Truth Report

BBC

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy are named in connection with post-election violence in a long-awaited report investigating human rights abuses.

Can South Africa Help Nigeria to Industrialize?

By John Fraser | Inter Press Service

The lack of economic diversification throughout sub-Saharan Africa means that despite South Africa’s pledges to help Nigeria make the automotive sector the West African nation’s flagship industrial target, it may be difficult to do so, experts say.

Europe

Stockholm Riots Continue for Third Night

By Johannes Ledel and John D. Stoll | The Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required)

Sweden's capital was hit with a third night of riots, as unrest that began in a relatively small suburban borough north of Stockholm predominantly populated by immigrants spread to several other pockets of the city.

Middle East

United States

When America Stops Importing Energy

By Ian Bremmer | International Herald Tribune

America’s imminent self-sufficiency in energy is a major game changer for global geopolitics and economics.

4 Questions Obama’s Big National Security Speech Should Answer

By Spencer Ackerman | Wired

President Obama will deliver what aides say is a major national security speech on Wednesday. It’s unlikely to redefine the war on terrorism, but it might clarify some of the lingering ambiguities about that seemingly endless conflict.

Climate Sceptics Have Already Won

By Martin Wolf | Financial Times

Judged by the world’s inaction, climate sceptics have won. That makes their sense of grievance more remarkable. For the rest of us, the question that remains is whether anything can still be done and, if so, what?

Latin America

The Jig Is Up in Guatemala

By Patricia Davis | Foreign Policy in Focus

Guatemala’s highest court, ruling on appeals filed by the defense, has annulled former dictator Jose Efrain Ríos Montt’s 80-year sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity.

Asia-Pacific

Why China’s Riches Won’t Bring It Freedom

By Pankaj Mishra | Bloomberg

Modern history is the story of how liberal democracy, originating in Britain and America, spread around the world. This may sound like an absurd fantasy. In actuality, this Whiggish narrative of progress underpins most newspaper editorials, political commentary and speeches in the West.

China’s Brutal One-Child Policy

By Ma Jian | The New York Times

In China, the rich can pay a fine and have a second child. The poor face menstrual monitoring and state-mandated abortions.

Overcoming East Asia’s Sovereignty Disputes

By Charles Tannock | Project Syndicate

Disputes over territorial sovereignty are among the thorniest of all diplomatic disagreements. While the sovereignty disputes in the South and East China Seas involve seemingly non-negotiable claims, the resources surrounding the islands can nevertheless be shared, nurturing habits of closer regional cooperation in the process.

Middle East

A Hezbollah Turning Point in Qusair?

By Rami G. Khouri | The Daily Star

The most fascinating aspect of the war in Syria this month – and perhaps also the most significant in terms of long-term regional geopolitics -- is the direct involvement of Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese Shiite party and resistance group that is closely allied to Iran and Syria.

Tell Me How This Ends

By Thomas L. Friedman | The New York Times

A trip to Yemen, Syria and Turkey is illuminating, but also raises many questions.

Testing Time for Syria’s Rebels

By David Ignatius | The Washington Post

It’s a rule of thumb in Middle East conflicts that whenever peace talks are announced, each side steps up the fighting so it can grab as much territory as possible before the cease-fire lines are drawn.

China Isn't the Only Source of Cyberattacks

By Steven Stalinsky | The Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required)

The Syrian Electronic Army and other Middle Eastern hackers are targeting the U.S.—and succeeding.

The Black Hole of Israeli Leadership

By Uzi Baram | Haaretz

Israel has experienced many leadership crises in the past but even in periods of anger, frustration and vast disappointment with the leaders there was still hope.

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