Thursday
Jan292009
Obama on Top of the World: The Latest in US Foreign Policy (29 January)
Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 14:52
16:35 President Obama's envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, will travel to Munich next Tuesday en route to the region.
16:25 The German Foreign Ministry has stated that "senior officials from major powers (United States, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and China) will meet in Germany next week to discuss the conflict with Iran over Tehran's nuclear program", the first such meeting since Barack Obama came into office.
15:30 Further evidence of the complications involved in shutting down Guantanamo has emerged. The EU anti-terrorism czar said that the EU will need to time to decide whether it can help the Obama Administration in its goal of shutting down the prison.
14:45 In Davos, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchechr Mottaki responded this way to news of the Obama administration's approach to his government: "We do believe that if the new administration of the United States, as Mr. Obama said, is going to change its policies, not in saying but in practice, definitely they will find the region in a cooperative approach and reaction. And Iran is not excluded from this general understanding in our region."
12:30 Ford has announced a massive loss in its fourth quarter, further evidence of the economic calamity underway and more pressure on the Obama administration to act.
11:30 a.m. The January/February issue of the The Atlantic has an exploration of the greater meaning of Obama's election under the provocative title "The End of White America?"
11:15 a.m. George Mitchell is about to meet Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
11:00 a.m. Jimmy Carter has said that Hamas must be included in any future Israeli-Palestinian agreement.
10:20 a.m. (London time) This morning's Guardian has more about the Obama administration's letter to the Iranian government.
16:25 The German Foreign Ministry has stated that "senior officials from major powers (United States, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and China) will meet in Germany next week to discuss the conflict with Iran over Tehran's nuclear program", the first such meeting since Barack Obama came into office.
15:30 Further evidence of the complications involved in shutting down Guantanamo has emerged. The EU anti-terrorism czar said that the EU will need to time to decide whether it can help the Obama Administration in its goal of shutting down the prison.
14:45 In Davos, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchechr Mottaki responded this way to news of the Obama administration's approach to his government: "We do believe that if the new administration of the United States, as Mr. Obama said, is going to change its policies, not in saying but in practice, definitely they will find the region in a cooperative approach and reaction. And Iran is not excluded from this general understanding in our region."
12:30 Ford has announced a massive loss in its fourth quarter, further evidence of the economic calamity underway and more pressure on the Obama administration to act.
11:30 a.m. The January/February issue of the The Atlantic has an exploration of the greater meaning of Obama's election under the provocative title "The End of White America?"
11:15 a.m. George Mitchell is about to meet Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
11:00 a.m. Jimmy Carter has said that Hamas must be included in any future Israeli-Palestinian agreement.
10:20 a.m. (London time) This morning's Guardian has more about the Obama administration's letter to the Iranian government.
Reader Comments (16)
Ford hasn't asked for a bailout....yet. Chrysler is still waiting on the Treasury Department to approve its partnership plan with Fiat. That deal would give Fiat a 35% stake in Chrysler. The Fiat-Chrysler deal is the key to Fiat's eventual return to the North American market. Chrysler will get access to Fiat's hardware (cars, drivetrains). Chrysler desperately needs small and fuel efficient cars. Fiats with Chrysler/Dodge badges is the quickest way to bring small cars to the North American market. There is nearly nothing in Chrysler's stable at the moment. Chrysler's passenger car line has been hollowed out. Trucks and SUVs were the cash cows for years. I haven't heard anything from GM other than the plan to downsize, killing off half its brands.
Again, Washington has to give the thumbs-up for the Chrysler-Fiat deal.
Canada has offered billions in loans to the automakers. Many Big 3 auto plants are in Canada.
The Atlantic article is interesting. Here's a letter from a 29 year old working class American. It is UNEDITED. I got it from a friend of mine. Exactly as you see it.
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I am a white male that for many years has been stepped on. But it is not just our jobs that are being taken from us. For white males it iseverything . I am only 29 and I am blamed for every fear that another person has. Look at the law: How many laws protect a white males rights? Not as many as there is for a women or a different colored man.
The only thing a white male is allowed to do is to die . But only if someone else allows it . We are not allowed to say, do, think or even dream of freedom . That's not because of what we have done but for what they say they're afraid we might do .
People of different colors say that they want the same rights that we have . But they already get better than what we have. How is that fair ? Why is it that when a boat is sinking it is women and children first and let the men there to die if there is no room?
Women and different colored people ask us not to say that thay are different but claim that thay are different and are not treated the same . Well I hope that one day all people are treated the same even if all us white males are not here .
A young male is taught not to hit someone weaker or thay will be punished but if someone hits us we are to take it like a man . What ever comes out of our mouths is wrong .
So I say SORRY. Sorry I was born white. Sorry I was born male . Sorry you hate me . Sorry you don't have what you want . Sorry that for the last 29 years. I have
nothing else to give you and them but my life . U can have it . If it will let them be happy. All I have ever done is try to help people .
I'm sorry my skin is not darker . Maybe one day you will forgive me for being different .
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=opxuUj6vFa4
I think this person obviously has serious personal issues. I cannot find empirical or moral justification for any of his wild assertions and generalisations. Instead, I find myself reading the nihilstic observations of a desturbed mind. If this is, indeed, a suicide note then I feel sadness for the man. Then again, if it is, I also question why you would post it here.
If this is, indeed, a suicide note then I feel sadness for the man. Then again, if it is, I also question why you would post it here.
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I didn't see it as such.
I doubt it is. I just didn't want to risk applying a rational critique to some poor soul's suicide note.
Either way, I see nothing useful here for the purposes of sensible debate.
I know it has been sent to other blogs.
Incidently, does anyone else find it mildly confusing how EA skips between US, GMT and Middle Eastern timezones?!
Perhaps EA should choose a standard?
That's probably because a rookie was at the helm today--i was using GMT on all my posts, I believe.
@ChrisE I think you might be onto something there- GMT's probably the simplest as that's the time we stamp on our posts/ comments but other suggestions welcome...
Quoting quote in article -- “I think white people feel like they’re under siege right now—like it’s not okay to be white right now, especially if you’re a white male,” laughs Bill Imada, of the IW Group."
Did you read the article?
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Quoting article -- Peter Rosenberg, a self-proclaimed “nerdy Jewish kid” and radio personality on New York’s Hot 97 FM—and a living example of how hip-hop has created new identities for its listeners that don’t fall neatly along lines of black and white—shares another example: “I interviewed [the St. Louis rapper] Nelly this morning, and he said it’s now very cool and in to have multicultural friends. Like you’re not really considered hip or ‘you’ve made it’ if you’re rolling with all the same people.”
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I don't understand why multiculturalism should be something that we should all praise or celebrate. The ironic thing about those who celebrate diversity is that nobody is interested or feels any obligation to know anything about other cultures. The UK has become increasingly multicultural, but the indigenous people don't seem to take any interest in learning about the Asian communities, the Poles, or the Balkan peoples. And doesn't it make more sense to know your own culture/cultural identity and maybe one other one? I mean to really know the history and theology of a people. The whole celebration of other cultures through the prism of 'multiculturalism' is really rather superficial. It's surface-scratching. A century ago, those who taught at Eton knew more about other cultures and languages than most people in the Western world could ever hope to know. They lived among tribes in far-off lands. Those individuals were multicultural. It's a lot more than just eating curry foods and listening to Vangelis CDs.
I remember when Hot 97 WQHT was originally Hot 103 WQHT. I listened to it when I was a kid. That was when they played 'freestyle' music. Hispanics fueled that genre. Most of the songs that the station played were performed by Latino-Americans, but whites embraced the music. It didn't turn into an African-American hip-hop station until 1993-ish. QHT lost a lot of listeners after that. Today, WQHT's sound is VERY different compared to 20 years ago. Hip-hop was an African-American thing in those days. This was a decade before white youth embraced black music. Take a look at the link below:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL9maYKLbh8
I think the important thing to know is that America is NOT a melting pot. Multiculturalism is diversity. The article correctly states that ethnic groups that arrived pre-'54 were eager to assimilate and become American. My German grandmother, who came to New York via UK in 1949, took my father and uncle to the local church on Sundays...and they were Jews! Immigrant groups that have arrived over the last 50 years have not assimilated to that same extent. They cling to their own identity. They are much more tribal. Some groups are very insular. Hasidic Jews are such an example. Today, everybody wants to be something else.
More from the article:
“There’s a lot of fear and a lot of resentment,” Newman-Carrasco observes, describing the flak she caught after writing an article for a trade publication on the need for more-diverse hiring practices. “I got a response from a friend—he’s, like, a 60-something white male, and he’s been involved with multicultural recruiting,” she recalls. “And he said, ‘I really feel like the hunted. It’s a hard time to be a white man in America right now, because I feel like I’m being lumped in with all white males in America, and I’ve tried to do stuff, but it’s a tough time.’”
“I always tell the white men in the room, ‘We need you,’” Imada says. “We cannot talk about diversity and inclusion and engagement without you at the table. It’s okay to be white!
Are you for real?
"A century ago, those who taught at Eton knew more about other cultures and languages than most people in the Western world could ever hope to know.... "
That gem is going to have me chuckling away in my sleep.
All right, folks --- feedback required.
1. Local time stamp --- I've been using local time for updates (Washington for US Foreign Policy thread, GMT+2 for Israel/Palestine/Gaza thread).
2. GMT time stamp.
Preferences?
If you go with local time- it needs to be made much clearer (not just on the first post). Maybe also some clever little icon- flag or something.
My preference would be GMT- but your traffic demographics should also be taken into account.
Also, how about having clocks showing the time in US, Israel, Moscow Pakistan, China (or other abritary countries!) running across the EA banner? But stick to GMT...
Are you for real?
“A century ago, those who taught at Eton knew more about other cultures and languages than most people in the Western world could ever hope to know…. ”
That gem is going to have me chuckling away in my sleep.
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Okay... An administrator in India.
use GMT and the 24-hour clock