The View from Your Room: Beach After Baghdad

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This pic was sent to me by a soldier who has just returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. I’m surprised he wanted to see more sand, but given this pic from his hotel room, I understand. I occasionally run interesting pics sent in by readers. Andrew Sullivan gave me permission to copy his practice. More soon….

Pakistan Military and ISI Must Purge Ranks

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A few years ago, I was invited to an extraordinary set of meetings in Beijing organized by Marika Vicziany of Monash University. The meeting featured participants like then Labor Party leader (and next Australia Ambassador to the U.S.

The Price Tag of Afghanistan Dwarfs Country’s GDP

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The cost of America’s military effort in Afghanistan is $65 billion per year — and the price tag will probably go up when a new strategy is announced by President Obama. There have been many hundreds killed and thousands wounded there.

Guest Post by Oliver Lough: Asia’s Britain, Asia’s Canada…Asia’s Brussels?

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“The Japanese,” writes Masaru Tamamoto, “are a people who endlessly and fruitly ask who they are.” If this is the case, then the dramatic re-shaping of their political landscape has provided the Japanese (and everybody else) a rich new opportunity to indulge in their national pastime. The country’s new prime minister Yokio Hatoyama (a.k.a.

Obama Wins Nobel!

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Forget the Chicago Olympics foul up. Barack Obama has just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize — the first sitting US President to win the Prize since Woodrow Wilson.