Mark Mazzetti’s NY Times front-pager on the most recent U.S. failures in Somalia is worth reading on two levels. First it’s an illustrative account of where we went wrong in allying ourselves with Somali warlords.

I just got through my first read of the outstanding roster of diverse and provocative posts that TWN‘s guest bloggers have posted this week. Thanks to all of them who have posted and to the many others who will cover the rest of the week and weekend.

In case you missed it, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. air strike Wednesday. Good. It will be interesting to see to what extent this affects the insurgency in Iraq. If we have learned anything about modern terrorism it’s that these violent Islamist movements are constantly evolving and able to replace their leaders….

For months, various groups, former government officials and foreign policy experts have called on the United States to engage Iran directly to find a diplomatic solution to the continuing nuclear standoff.

Here’s a way to feel better about the Department of Homeland Security’s evident disregard for the safety of New Yorkers, not to mention Washingtonians. Years ago, New York Knicks Basketball fans found a way to turn unfairness to their advantage. It was the early 90’s, part of the Larry Bird/Robert Parish Boston Celtics era.

Do we really know where we are in the immigration debate? We sure haven’t figured out the economic dimensions yet, as John Tierney pointed out yesterday in discussing border security’s relationship with opportunities for legal migration.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the idea behind

The revelation that the CIA did nothing to go after Adolf Eichmann after it was tipped off in 1958 by West German intelligence that he was living in Argentina under an assumed name is an example of the dangers that can arise when a country chooses to subordinate all aspects of its foreign policy to…

This weekend, my friend Harry Shearer took me and my Left, Right, and Center cohorts to the cyber woodshed for not giving the proper attention (alright, any attention) to the remarkable Army Corps of Engineers report accepting responsibility for the flooding of New Orleans.

When Steve Clemons first asked me to contribute to The Washington Note this week, my reaction was to decline, on the ground of fatigue following an intense few weeks — as many of you know, the memorial service for my father was held on May 31st.