This New York Times piece makes the economic case on why the 2016 Olympics fit Brazil’s needs and bid more than Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo. But more broadly and thinking ahead, Brazil is a key component of the BRICs group — Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
Tonight, some time between 9 and 10 pm EST (and then again between 11 pm and midnight) during the Rachel Maddow Show — not sure of time just yet — I’ll be chatting with Rachel about America’s foreign policy plate. We may be on McChrystal, Petraeus & Afghanistan.
A movie on the Honduras coup may not be the big draw that the Tom Hanks film, Charlie Wilson’s War, was — but one has to wonder whether we are seeing a remake in which a lone Member of Congress, this time a US Senator from South Carolina, drags the country into the internal affairs…
Given the tumultuousness in many parts of America’s foreign policy portfolio, it’s easy to nitpick and criticize (which I do frequently), but I have to tip my hat to President Obama’s measured and positive comments today following the conclusion of what are officially called the P5+1 Negotiations with Iran.
I am presently a guest of David Bradley, Walter Isaacson and Shelby Coffey at the Atlantic Monthly/Aspen Institute/Newseum sponsored mega-wonk meeting titled “First Draft of History.” It’s an excellent conference, but I’m losing it listening to Republican Majority Leader Whip Eric Cantor essentially argue that there is zero value engaging Iran.
Politico‘s Mike Allen has the attendance roster for President Obama’s big Afghan pow-wow today: At 3 p.m., the President will participate in a THREE-HOUR meeting with his national security team on Afghanistan in the Situation Room. . .
Jackie Northam of National Public Radio put this clip together in which I comment about the multiple views in the administration on America’s Afghanistan strategy.
I just had a fascinating discussion with economist David Hale who thinks that the US economy may get a “dead cat bounce” in jobs created in 2010. Hale thinks this relatively optimistic scenario depends on the American consumer coming back to life.
German exit poll results are in. Looks like Germany may have its first out gay German Foreign Minister in Guido Westerwelle, who I think will do an excellent job in the role. Can’t wait until he meets Iran’s President Ahmadinejad in his official duties.
(photo courtesy of the Battle for the Bundestag 2009 Blog of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies) Voting started this morning in Germany, and polls will close at noon EST and 6:00 pm in Berlin.