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Stefan Kornelius, Sueddeutsche Zeitung (translated) | October 7, 2008

Seven years of war, occupation and reconstruction efforts have not improved the situation in Afghanistan. ++ A lack of security, stability and economic development dominates the political agenda. ++ To succeed in Afghanistan there has to be an end to the conception of the ISAF as a reconstruction and OEF as a war mission. ++ Financial resources have to be reorganized; too much is wasted due to mismanagement. ++ The international community has to realize that the power structures lie within the provinces and tribes - Karzai plays a secondary role.

Iraqi-Style Surge Will Not Fit Afghanistan

Hamida Ghafour, The National | October 8, 2008

John McCain wants to bring an Iraqi-style surge to Afghanistan to “turn around the war,” but the inability to differentiate between the two countries will ensure failure in Afghanistan. ++ There, there is no sectarian civil war, no “Sons of Afghanistan,” and the proposed surge would not compare with Iraq’s. ++ Most importantly, Afghans want peace at “any cost, even if it means the return of the Taliban.” ++ America’s best shot for success is to harness this “desperate desire for safety and peace,” not to copy and paste the surge tactics.

Russia is Dying

Murray Feshbach, Woodrow Wilson Center | October 7, 2008

We are too easily impressed by the Russian bear. ++ “Moscow remains bent on ignoring the devastating truth: The nation is not just sick but dying.” ++ The population is declining, the economy is totally dependent on oil revenues, and the public health crisis “verges on the catastrophic.” ++ AIDS, tuberculosis, alcoholism, heart disease, and smoking are killing Russians at an alarming rate. ++ Life expectancy for men is 59, ranking 166th world-wide. ++ The Kremlin’s misplaced priorities must change.

California: Where the Players Play

Editorial, The New York Times | October 7, 2008

Given the Bush administration’s obstinacy in refusing to take action against climate change, many US states have stepped up to the challenge - none more so than California. ++ California has taken the bold step of becoming the nation’s first state to introduce a law intended to curb urban sprawl, and hence commuter travel (automobile traffic accounts for the single largest source of CO2 there). ++ New York will soon follow suit; there is, however, “no substitute for federal action or for American global leadership on climate change.”

US-Taiwan Arms Sales Prod China Toward Peace

Editorial, Wall Street Journal | October 7, 2008

The Bush administration announced its intention to agree to a $6.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan. ++ There are more than 1,400 missiles on the Chinese side of the Taiwan Strait that endanger Taiwan’s security. ++ The sale will help to avert the threat and “fulfill the US commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act”. ++ Taiwan will thereby gain leverage against China, who has defined its action by militarization. ++ As both parties have decided to open a dialogue, the sale could incentivize China to settle its disputes with Taiwan.