International

Decisive military victory in Afghanistan is impossible and the Taliban may well be part of a long-term solution for the country, the senior British commander in Afghanistan was quoted as saying Sunday. The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Brig. Mark Carleton-Smith as saying that "we're not going to win this war."

While Americans are wrapped up in the banking crisis, the long-range, international effects of what is happening are being ignored here at home. Der Spiegel has an interesting commentary on what the crisis means to our position in the world that could entail the end of the American world as we all know it today.

Are you scared yet?

I watched an interview by Fareed Zakaria with Lew Kuan Yew, the former PM of Singapore on CNN's GPS program at 1:00 PM today. I have to admit I was impressed with the man. Especially at the end when Zakaria asked him about what he attributed his longevity to. Some people just choose their parents wisely.

September 19th (every year)
is International Talk Like A Pirate Day

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

"This is a pivotal moment for America's economy," Bush said. He said that a financial contagion that began with low-quality home mortgages had "spread throughout our financial system."

"This has led to an erosion of confidence that has frozen many financial transactions including loans to consumers and to businesses seeking to expand and create jobs," Bush said.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's military has ordered its forces to open fire if U.S. troops launch another air or ground raid across the Afghan border, an army spokesman said Tuesday.

The orders, which come in response to a highly unusual Sept. 3 ground attack by U.S. commandos, are certain to heighten tension between Washington and a key ally against terrorism.

The declines came as Wall Street and the U.S. government took a series of steps aimed at bringing an end to the credit crisis that has roiled the global financial system for more than a year.

The outgoing commander of US troops in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, has said that he will never declare victory there.

In a BBC interview, Gen Petraeus said that recent security gains were "not irreversible" and that the US still faced a "long struggle".

When asked if US troops could withdraw from Iraqi cities by the middle of next year, he said that would be "doable".

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Seven years after 9/11, al Qaida and its allies are gaining ground across the region where the plot was hatched, staging their most lethal attacks yet against NATO forces and posing a growing threat to the U.S.-backed governments in Afghanistan and nuclear-armed Pakistan .

My name is Evon Peter; I am a former Chief of the Neetsaii Gwich’in tribe from Arctic Village, Alaska and the current Executive Director of Native Movement. My organization provides culturally based leadership development through offices in Alaska and Arizona.

On the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, Gov. Sarah Palin took a hard-line approach on national security and said that war with Russia may be necessary if Georgia were to join NATO and be invaded by Russia.

When asked whether the United States should be able to invade Pakistan in pursuit of terrorists along the Afghanistan border, Palin demured.

Der Spiegel has interviewed seven experts about the threat Al Qaida poses today. Here is a synoposis of each person's view.

1) Reuven Paz, Israel: Al Qaida is a worldwide model for both terrorism and insurgency.
2) Rohan Gunaratna, Singapore: Current American strategy is oriented toward lethal and kinetic force. It is not suitable to fight the jihadism.

Saudi Arabia walked out on OPEC yesterday. It said it would not honor the cartel's production cut. It was tired of rants from Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and the well-dressed oil minister from Iran. As the Saudis left the building the message was shockingly clear. According to The New York Times, “Saudi Arabia will meet the market’s demand,” a senior OPEC delegate said.

WASHINGTON – President Bush secretly approved U.S. military raids inside Pakistan against alleged terrorist targets, according to a former intelligence official with recent access to the Bush administration's debate about how to fight al-Qaida and the Taliban inside the lawless tribal border area.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the classified order.

The US has been extensively spying on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, a new book by renowned US reporter Bob Woodward claims.

A source in the book is quoted as saying "we know everything he says", according to the Washington Post.

The book also says "ground-breaking" covert techniques have helped reduce the violence in Iraq.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Oil futures tumbled more than $7 on Tuesday after Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf region with less force and apparently less damage than initially feared. Prices were also pulled lower by a strengthening dollar.

U.S. crude futures for October delivery were at $108.61, or $6.85 lower at 8:13 a.m. ET.

As Sept. 11 approaches, many Americans will remember the day this country was attacked by terrorists by keeping the U.S. flag in their hearts and flying it at their homes.

But in a great irony, if you don't check the label carefully, you may find that the symbol of freedom waving in front of your house was made in a communist-run country, China.

Representatives of a proposed deepwater container port in Nova Scotia are expected to sign a "strategic collaboration agreement" with Toledo port officials when they meet with local leaders and visit Toledo's port facilities today and tomorrow.

"MOSCOW (AP) — A top Russian general said Friday that Poland's agreement to accept a U.S. missile interceptor base exposes the ex-communist nation to attack, possibly by nuclear weapons, the Interfax news agency reported.

A record 1.6 million barrels a day in U.S. refined petroleum products were exported during the first four months of this year, up 33 percent from 1.2 million barrels a day over the same period in 2007. Shipments this February topped 1.8 million barrels a day for the first time during any month, according to final numbers from the Energy Department.

This is just gross...Republicans keep trying to shove ANWR and offshore drilling down our throats as a way to achieve energy in dependence.

As it turns out, for the first 4 months of 2008, oil exports from the US were at an all time high! The sad part of this is that I had to go to the UK version of the Reuters News Service to read this.

This is what happens when a country squanders all credibility and moral authority to throw stones and express outrage at another country's behavior: it is simply ignored. Bush has his Iraqi birds coming home to roost in the same nest he originally built.

VIENNA, Austria - Oil prices sagged Friday as a strengthening dollar and worries about economic growth offset supply concerns over pipeline sabotage in Turkey that was claimed by Kurdish rebels.

WASHINGTON - Top Bush administration officials are urging the president to direct U.S. troops in Afghanistan to be more aggressive in pursuing militants into Pakistan on foot as part of a proposed radical shift in its regional counterterrorism strategy, The Associated Press has learned.