By Steve Clemons

(Outgoing National Security Advisor General Jim Jones, President Barack Obama, and newly named National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon; photo credit: Talk Radio News) Recently I met with David Rothkopf, Foreign Policy blogger and one of Washington’s premier chroniclers of American national security personalities and architecture, for lunch and discussed with him who President Obama’s next…

(photo credit: Andrew Lebovich) My colleague and right hand Andrew Lebovich sent the following pic to me a moment ago after I emailed him asking if he wanted to chat today (Saturday) about all of the major events we have coming up this next week.

In Beijing today I woke up to the news that Deputy National Secrurity Adviser Thomas Donilon will succeed General Jim Jones as President Obama’s National Security Adviser. This is really tremendous news — and a very smart choice by the President.

Panda stretching at Beijing Zoo; photo credit: Andrew Oros; click image for larger version Thanks to everyone for patience during the last couple of weeks. I’ve been engaged in two huge conferences back to back with trips to Beijing and Moscow in the few days between them.

Can it be that American military bases abroad, usually thought of as “stabilizers” in tough neighborhoods, are really the primary cause of radical terrorism against the US and its allies? That is what Robert Pape and James K.

Wow. President Obama’s new Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors Austan Goolsbee has gone “TED-ish” in his economic commentary. Goolsbee’s talk is coherent, straightforward and doesn’t talk down to folks. And the production style is more modern than virtually anything I have seen from the White House. Excellent job Austan.

Bob Wright has a piece on the New York Times‘ Opinionator which should be read in full as he provocatively suggests that we take the earnestness out of the pursuit of a two-state peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians.

I just got this email from Republican House Whip Eric Cantor: Do You Have Time for a 30 Minute Strategy Call? Dear Steven, Will you join me for a 30 minute strategy call on Thursday, September 30th at 4:30 PM? My colleague in the GOP Young Guns program, Representative Kevin McCarthy, and I would like…

Many are lauding President Obama’s UN General Assembly speech highlighting America’s rededicated, slightly shifting course on which countries to focus development aid on — and which not.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was compelling and showed real vision in this talk at the New America Foundation sponsored by the American Strategy Program and the Palestine Note. It’s worth the watch.