Keeping track of things

Recently, I've shifted the blog format to these round-up posts, partly because I'm pressed for time and partly because that's the easiest way to condense the material I find significant and/or relevant. Whether or not I switch the blog completely over to this format is something I'm still considering. Like many people, I'm currently fighting a bit of blogger burnout and I'm toying with a variety of ideas in order to deal with this. So, stay tuned, I guess.

* In the wake of the dissolution of the Karami-led government in Lebanon, Patrick Seale observes in the Daily Star that Syria is now "caught in a pincer movement between the U.S. on one side and Israel on the other." He adds, "It remains to be seen whether Syria will act to defuse the crisis, or whether it will dig in its heels and seek to ride out the storm." A prudent course of action would be for Syria to reach out to Europe, withdraw from Lebanon, and accelerate the process of internal political reform.

* Juan Cole offers a useful crash-course in Lebanese history, Andisheh Nouraee provides a different crash-course on why Syria is deeply involved in Lebanese affairs, and Joshua Landis' blog narrates events in Syria as they occur.

* The Independent's Andrew Buncombe revisits a frayed Haiti a year after the US helped usher Aristide out of power.

* Now that Haiti's been "taken care of," is it on to Venezuela?

* Exchanging the stick for the carrot? The Independent and Washington Post report that the US is warming to the idea of joining Europe in negotiations that would offer incentives, rather than threats, for Iran to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons program.

* The NY Times reports on the massive suicide bombing in Hilla, a town 60 miles to the south of Baghdad, that killed 122 and wounded at least 170. Pictures from the scene, here.

* William M. Welch of USA Today examines the effect of PTSD on returning vets from Iraq and Afghanistan, noting that a little more than 5% have been treated for symptoms following their stints abroad. Welch adds that it's hard to compare this ratio with previous wars since there is much more sensitivity to and recognition of the stresses and mental hardship of war nowadays.

* The US State Department released its annual human rights report yesterday. Jim Lobe says it runs down the usual suspects, while Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post, in a piece shocking for its frankness, ridicules the sheer hypocrisy of the report's condemnation of torture and abuse in other countries when such practices are now openly utilized by the US and its surrogates.

* Cutting through the fog, as ever, Paul Krugman writes in the NY Times that we should never forget why the Right wants to "reform" -- aka privatize -- Social Security. "The drive to create private accounts isn't about finding a way to strengthen Social Security," he declares. Rather, "it's about finding a way to phase out a system that conservatives have always regarded as illegitimate. And as long as that is what's at stake, there is no room for any genuine compromise." Plus, Gar Alperovitz on "What A Rich Nation Should Really Be Doing About Social Security."

* Writing for Counterpunch, David Swanson examines the media blackout of BIG, aka basic income guarantee.

* Here's a rarity in the American media: some attention paid to the plight of the homeless.