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Saudi Sunnis and Iran's Shiites—Why the U.S. Can’t Support Both

Yeah, this make sense. 9/11 attack was funded, plotted and executed by Sunnis, mostly Saudi Sunnis. Most of the violent opposition to the US in Iraq was by Sunnis. The Afghanistan Talibans are Sunnis. But, somehow, America must support Sunnis, but cannot work with Shiites? The US works well with Mormons, Anglicans, Orthodox Christians, Baptists as well as Catholics. It can work with all comers, where there interest of the US aligns with the interest of the people or nation.

Afghan president says his nation won't be 'lazy Uncle Joe

Many Republicans and often even Democratic critics of President Obama often tout his lack of bromance with corrupt, inept and ungrateful Karzai as evidence of his "lack of leadership". They fail to admit the obvious, Obama is the President of the USA, and his duty is to first and foremost protect the interest of the USA, and not promote the ambition of some back-biting "ally". When America finds a reliable ally, they are the President's friend. When the "ally" is only self serving, or promotes their personal ambition, even at the expense of the interest of the USA, the President is obligated to treat such with the suspicion and caution their attitude calls for. Ghani has so far, at least from all the optics, demonstrated gratitude for the generosity of the US tax payers and the sacrifice of Americans and other NATO members, and continues to demonstrate a resolve the fix Afghanistan's woes. Time will tell if he's on the right cours...

Buhari's calling

At the dawn of Nigerian independence in 1960, Muhammadu Buhari was a gangling teenager who eagerly joined the Nigerian Military Training College Kaduna, the go to school for smart, ambitious and often patriotic youths from Northern Nigeria. A two year stint at the later named Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and Buhari was commissioned as a second lieutenant, at a time of major political upheaval, but also great opportunity for young military officers. Just a few short years later, the young 23 year old was named Commander of an infantry battalion, a position he held during the first and second military coups. 

It sounds like Obama doesn't have any friends on the world stage

I wonder how much George Bush's famed "friendships" helped with his starting a war of choice in Iraq or getting bogged in Afghanistan, both of which ended up as quagmires that only his "unfriendly"   successor's dogged focus helped bring to an end. Also, the premise that somehow, being chummy with incompetent, corrupt, politically inept and sectarian Al-Malaki or Kleptomaniac Khazai would have changed their minds. Obama has a vision for restoring America's place as a pre-eminent power - not one that is sidetracked by unnecessary conflicts in other lands, conflicts that almost bankrupted the nation, while it's true geo-political rivals outflanked it both economically, diplomatically, and increasingly militarily. History will judge this president's foresight, his singular focus on the prize and his success in restoring America's faith in it's government (san the bomb throwing opposition) and the world's renewed acceptance ...

What Buhari win might portend

General Muhammed Buhari is one the few respected leaders to have presided over the affairs of a sometime promise often disappointing British contraption called Nigeria. Buhari was a member of the cohorts of idealistic middle level soldiers responsible for the third coup, and the only the second successful coup in a young, expectant and now potentially rich African nation. When Murtala Mohammed was swept into power as part of a coup that ended then General Gowon's long reign Buhari became the Governor of the then North Eastern State, and on Mohammed's assassination in another coup just 18 months into his widely acclaimed government, Buhari again ascended, this time as Federal Commissioner for Petroleum, Nigeria's black gold.

Vaccine Brouhaha

 It is amazing how we create faux outrage out of people speaking their mind, and often the truth, simply because those truths run counter to our "sheepled" view of things. It is true that vaccines, like most medical advances in the last two hundred years save lives. It is also true that vaccines, like most medications and medical procedures often come with risks, regardless of how small that risk is. People should be informed of both the benefits and risks, and the rationale for encouraging the populace to accept the risk (small in the case of vaccines as far as we know) should be made clear. Vaccines have tremendous public health outcome. It also holds small personal health risks. Chris Christy, Rand Paul, and Barack Obama, each have a point. While the two Republicans choose to highlight the personal health risk (with their own caveat), the President opted to impress the public health benefit.

Election 2016: Potential candidates Rand Paul, Chris Christie weigh in on measles vaccine

 It is amazing how we create faux outrage out of people speaking their mind, and often the truth, simply because those truths run counter to our "sheepled" view of things. It is true that vaccines, like most medical advances in the last two hundred years save lives. It is also true that vaccines, like most medications and medical procedures often come with risks, regardless of how small that risk is. People should be informed of both the benefits and risks, and the rationale for encouraging the populace to accept the risk (small in the case of vaccines as far as we know) should be made clear. Vaccines have tremendous public health outcome. It also holds small personal health risks. #chrischristie   #RandPaul   and #barackobama  , each have a point. While the two Republicans choose to highlight the personal health risk (with their own caveat), the President opted to impress the public health benefit. Election 2016: Potential candidates Rand ...

A Good Closer?

"There has long been a pattern to Barack Obama’s political career on the national stage. There are moments of soaring moral clarity and inspiration; there are long periods of drift or laziness or passivity" - Huffington? The foolishness of all these so called smart political analysis, particularly ones like these that question the hardwork, gut, and leadership of this President is the assumption that all the executive orders, pronouncements, and the "Putin reeling" just happened on Christmas day! Policies usually take time to formulate and work on before they can be pronounced. As we have come to learn, the "Cuba Thaw" was more than 18 months in the making before anyone of us heard a blip about it. The sanctions on Russia started a long time ago, all the while while many in Washington where busy showing their "Putin envy", and yes, the immigration policy was held back mainly to appease a growing dissent by Democrats who were worried...

Why is identity management at Apple

  Why is identity management at Apple so confusing and bifurcated? Despite all of Apple's success in the consumer space, enterprise grade apple offerings will continue to lag behind its peers, so long as Apple continues to require four different Apple Id to use for different Apple solutions. For example, if you need to setup an Apple for Business account, you can not use any of your other apple accounts ID. To publish to iTunesConnect, you need another Apple ID. For iCloud, well your iTune store account wont work. At least these are the responses from Apple reps when I inquire about error messages I get when trying to use one Apple ID with another Apple product. Microsoft solved this problem almost a decade ago, and completed integration, even with their recent acquisition of Skype. Now you can access all Microsoft products with one ID. You just subscribe to the service you require. Google also has this down pat. You are able to access all of your Google se...

We are all racists

Racism is a human condition. Or better yet, "otherness" is. The American condition is simply exacerbated by it's scope in the face of a culture that prides individual success. Everyone wants to be distinguished, feel distinguished, even if at the expense of others - particularly, at the expense of others. Race differentials makes this easier, particularly for a class that has been impressed upon as being superior, without any consequence.

Now we know why Democrats lost : They didn't believe in what they were selling

Selling is an intimate act. One that speaks to who you are, and touches the essence of your belief in yourself and what it is you are attempting to sell. The first person to convince about your product or idea is yourself. You can not expect to make a good impression on others, when you have not made one on yourself.

Obama: Assad Shooting At American Planes Would Lead To His Overthrow

American government's job is to protect Americans. ISIS harmed American's and thus drew the nation's ire, and rightfully so. Assad continues to kill Syrians, but inherently, that is a duty for Syrians. If America were to attack every nation that harms or kills its own people, the US will have to invade China, Russia, and many others. So, Obama's foreign policy, while derided by some, is perhaps America's first realistic foreign policy in decades. The US cannot, and should not become the world's policeman. If Assad makes the mistake of harming Americans, then he would have rightfully deserved attack by the US government. The so called Syrian opposition that wants America to help it get rid of Assad, so that it can then "deal" with ISIS is living in lala land. The Syrian opposition remains fractious, and unsure. Like the Shia opposition against Saddam, it lacks a national structure and basis. Obama is right to avoid turning the US into Syria...

IS militants vow to 'de-throne' Putin over Syria support

A play from Natanyahu's playbook - "when your enemies are fighting each other..." Civilized people across the globe must come together and fight the evil menaces that threaten the global order, but it is imperative that the ones who are charged to lead or who have chosen to take on leadership role remember the value of consistency. Terrorist groups, Islamic or otherwise are a threat to human civilization. They work to overturn existing orders and re-impose primitive  social and political orders. However, in fighting them, we cannot turn a blind eye to atrocities against humanity committed by our "friends" and "allies" or those committed in our backyard. President Obama's measured, calculated and deliberate approach may seem a bit "too cautious" to some, but the last time we avoided being to cautions, America and the West was led into a quagmire in Iraq whose cost to global stability, human lives and suffering, and fiscal ...

The Collapse of Obama’s Foreign Policy

"When the only tool you have is retreat, every problem looks “manageable.” " --- Mr. Lowrey's attempt to paint the administration's foreign policy as feckless forced him to create his own axiom. But saying it doesn't make it so. The world is a complex place with various actors, each playing its own game, often to its own tune. The rise of China did not start in 2009, nor did the belligerence of Putin. Leaving thousands of American troops in Iraq would not have stemmed the rise of violence in that country, only good leadership stood a chance, and Maliki was not it. America has a choice to make in Afghanistan, but short of a coup, it was near impossible to remove Kazai outside of elections and get good governance. It is easy for McCain and his ilk to act as monday morning quarter backs, but engaging in every oversea conflict only weakens America the more. And after two expensive wars in the 2000, and soaring public debt, caution will only give America...