Pet lion, anyone?

Good thing my two-year old got in his first visit to the zoo here in Boston. Turns out it might not be around much longer.

American Influence Podcast, #23

Take a walk with an American medic on the streets of Baghdad as he patrols for one the last times. Hear from author Tom Ricks about what’s likely ahead for the US in Iraq. And then, a conversation with Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour on the evolving challenge Iran poses to the Obama administration.

Listen to Episode #23 of the American Influence Podcast.

Get the RSS feed:

Become a fan on Facebook:

Subscribe on iTunes:

Email me here: theworldpolitics@gmail.com

And if you’re a Twitterer:

North Koreans hold off on prison sentence

North Korea is leaving the door open for cooperation with the US by delaying sending two American journalists to a prison camp. This is according to a Korean American academic, Han Park of the University of Georgia.

Xinjiang unrest explained

ForiegnPolicy.com editor Christina Larson has a fantastic piece on how Chinese policies in Xinjiang are making matters there worse. It’s a great read with lots of details that help explain why things are so volatile there, and how Beijing appears to be its own worst enemy in its handling of the situation. Here’s an example:

Outside Urumqi, the troubled provincial capital where Sunday’s riots took place, new highway signs are posted in both Mandarin characters and the Uighur language, written in an Arabic script. But there’s a danger of getting lost if one tries to follow those signs. If you ask the local Uighurs, they say that what passes for signage in their language is often nonsensical transliterations, a version of “Chinglish” in Uighur. There’s ornamental appeal, sans utility — evidently Uighurs weren’t consulted in planning or proof-reading.

DPRK 5029

Here’s a scary scenario to contemplate: North Korea’s government collapses overnight. Few experts believe it’s likely, even if there are big questions about the leadership transition under way there. But it’s something to think about at least, if you’re Michael O’Hanlon. He games out the challenges a sudden DPRK collapse would present to the US and its Asian allies. With American troops so overstretched already, there are no great options.

BBC NEWS | China riot city ‘under control’

BBC’s Quentin Sommerville reports from Xinjiang.

See coverage of the Xinjiang story from PRI’s The World here.

American Influence Podcast, #22

Episode 22 of the American Influence podcast is focused on Syria, Israel, the Golan Heights and the US. First, we talked with Middle East expert Aaron David Miller about what a peace deal between Israel and Syria would mean for those two countries and for the US. Then, we go to the Golan Heights to hear from people there about what’s at stake.

Get the RSS feed:

Become a fan on Facebook:

Subscribe on iTunes:

Email me here: theworldpolitics@gmail.com

And if you’re a Twitterer:

West Bank suburbia

Netanyahu’s spokesman says Israel’s willing to be flexible to find a compromise with the Americans over the issue of settlements. But it’s still not clear what that compromise would look like.

The Barak-Mitchell meeting was “constructive.” But MJ Rosenberg translates that as, “no progress.”

Israel, Syria and the Golan Heights

We had a two-part sequence on the Golan yesterday, starting with a short set-up interview with Aaron David Miller. He’s a former State Department advisor who worked on Middle East issues for six secretaries of state. Followed up with my story about what’s at stake for people living in the Golan.

Golan photos

Just putting up some photos to go with my radio story airing today on the Golan Heights.