Orator-in-Chief — Obama’s Libya speech was long on doctrine, but short on details, writes Michael Crowley on Swampland; On Global Spin, Tony Karon explains how the president aligned American and Arab goals.
Sizing Up Social Media — A new study, ‘Who Says What to Whom on Twitter,’ shows that a mere 20,000 Twitter users steal almost …
“My fellow Americans,” said President Ronald Reagan during a soundcheck for a TV appearance in 1984. “I’m pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”
Reagan was joking, of course. Not only was the U.S. not going to bomb the Soviet Union; he knew full well …
The Cost of Reconquest — Eastern Libya is a “morbid playground of war-ravaged streets and shredded tanks,” writes Abigail Hauslohner for TIME. Her piece evokes the human toll of the still-raging battle between Gaddafi loyalists and rebel fighters.
Voice from the Grave — In the New Yorker, David Grann investigates the case of a …
The question is not whether Libya’s rebels will capture Colonel Gaddafi’s birthplace of Sirte, or storm his citadel in Tripoli; it’s whether NATO will hand them those prizes by escalating its air war with the aim of destroying Gaddafi’s regime. Coalition air strikes have broken the grip of Gaddafi’s forces on the cities of eastern Libya …
The crippled nuclear plant at Fukushima continued to grab headlines on Sunday, as Japanese media reported that radiation levels in the water at reactor 2 are now 10 million times above normal levels (a reading the Tokyo Electric Power Company now says was a mistake — though radiation levels are still worryingly high). As of Sunday …
Guest post written by TIME’s Megan Gibson
In a year when myriad governments have had their authority challenged, add one more to the list. We’ve seen Libya and Syria’s regimes reel in the face of mass uprisings, and Tunisia and Egypt’s leaders depart. And now… Canada?
Though not quite as tumultuous as events in the Middle …
One April evening in 1984, an after-work drink took a surreal turn. On the way to a bar, we skirted a police cordon at the entrance to St James’s Square in central London; we had barely lifted our pints before armed officers clattered into our midst and informed us that the cordon had been extended. We were not to leave. The Libyan …
The Ragtag Army — Bobby Ghosh and Abigail Hauslohner profile Libya’s rebels, showing who they are and why they fight. See the latest photographs from Libya, here.
The Next Chapter — The Economist looks ahead, mulling Japan’s post-quake future. Macleans, a Canadian magazine, argues that it’s too soon to discount the Land of the …
Gaddafi Holds His Ground — The question of who will lead air strikes on Libya is less important than determining the purpose, terms and limits of the mission, argues Tony Karon on Global Spin. See Christopher Morris’ photographs from Tripoli, here.
Arms Race — The Economist’s ‘Daily Chart’ takes a closer look at the ‘big …
Never mind who will command the Libya air war; the far larger problem lies in determining its purpose, terms and limits, and in honing a realistic strategy in terms of the limited commitment – both by measure of time and scale – of most of its authors.
By all accounts, Libya’s air force and its air defenses have been taken out of the …
The Latest on Libya — The U.N.-mandated air campaign over Libya was hardly a knockout blow, says TIME’s reporter in Benghazi. More on Libya, here.
Japan’s Pain — Krista Mahr visits the town of Minami Sanriku, where survivors wonder if they can, or should, rebuild; Hannah Beech explores how Japan’s bureaucracy is slowing …
Leading from the Back — Obama’s approach to Libya shows that “multilateralism can serve American interests,” argues Romesh Ratnesar in his weekly column for TIME.
India’s Future — The FT compares India to Russia, arguing that world’s largest democracy is sinking into crony capitalism.
Counterpoint — In the Guardian, George …