Neo-Isolationism — Clyde V. Prestowitz asks why America is upset by China’s overtures in Pakistan. Let them have it, he argues at Foreign Policy. Instead of trying to increase its geo-political influence, America ought to invest in education at home, retrain workers and encourage FDI, he says.
Dear Visitor — So, what was Kim Jong Il doing in China? (Other than looking at things). Hannah Beech weighs in on the ruler’s wish list in the Middle Kingdom.
Global Downsizing— President Barack Obama should abolish the G8, argues Timothy Garton Ash in the Guardian. Combining the G8 and G20, would precipitate a move away from “the outdated cold war notion of “the leader of the free world” and toward “a movement towards a free world,” he writes.
Dept. of Allegory — Chinese lawyer Li Tiantian pens a not-so-far-fetched fable called ‘The Hornet, the Bird, and the Tortoise.’ (Hint: She’s not really talking about hornets. Or birds. Or tortoises).
Notes on a Scandal— Muslimah Media Watch re-republishes an essay about anti-Muslim sentiment and the DSK scandal.
Land of the Free — Mother Jones posts shocking photographs from California’s jam-packed prisons. The images helped convince supreme court judges to order the state to downsize its penal program. Watch our video about yoga in California’s prison system, here.
The Movie Business — As China becomes a box offices powerhouse, Hollywood studios are increasingly wary of making films that won’t be popular in the Middle Kingdom, reports Erica Ho.
What’s Its Name Again? — Light Box features photographs of the Icelandic glacier that’s causing flight delays. The images are lovely — delays are not.