Foreign Policy

Great video tells the 20th century history of the Middle East in ten minutes, showing how the countries and conflicts we know today were created by Britain and France. This 90 second video graphic shows the advance and retreat of empire in the Middle East for the last 5,000 years.

Apparently we're supposed to be upset that the attack in Benghazi inconvenienced the CIA.

"The attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans has dealt the Central Intelligence Agency a major setback in its intelligence-gathering efforts at a time of increasing instability in the North African nation.
Among the more than two dozen American personnel evacuated from the city after the assault on the American mission and a nearby annex were about a dozen C.I.A. operatives and contractors, who played a crucial role in conducting surveillance and collecting information on an array of armed militant groups in and around the city. "

What about the families of those killed? Shouldn't we be more upset about them? And who created instability anyway? Oh wait. It was our government when it teamed up with Islamist rebels including al Qaeda to oust Qaddafi. This is another example of how our government creates chaos and conflict that burdens us all and makes life more dangerous.

"Within months of the start of Libyan revolution in February 2011, the C.I.A. began building a meaningful but covert presence in Benghazi, a locus of the rebel efforts to oust the government of Colonel Qaddafi.

Though the agency has been cooperating with the new post-Qaddafi Libyan intelligence service, the size of the C.I.A.’s presence in Benghazi apparently surprised some Libyan leaders. The deputy prime minister, Mustafa Abushagour, was quoted in The Wall Street Journal last week saying that he learned about some of the delicate American operations in Benghazi only after the attack on the mission, in large part because a surprisingly large number of Americans showed up at the Benghazi airport to be evacuated.

“We have no problem with intelligence sharing or gathering, but our sovereignty is also key,” said Mr. Abushagour."

You naive man. As if the US government gives a damn about your sovereignty.

"The New York Times agreed to withhold locations and details of these operations at the request of Obama administration officials, who said that disclosing such information could jeopardize future sensitive government activities and put at risk American personnel working in dangerous settings. "

Funny. They never did that during the Bush administration.

"Investigators and intelligence officials are now focusing on the possibility that the attackers were members of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or at least were in communication with the group during the four hours that elapsed between the initial attack at the mission and the second one at the mission’s annex. "

Our government has done everything in its power to keep Americans from finding out that al Qaeda attacked the consulate, even blaming another radical group for the attack, but now the secret's out.

What is up with this conflict between China and Japan over a couple of uninhabited islands? Did the private owner announce some mineral find or is this just nationalism rearing its ugly head?