Featured Articles — November 17, 2009

November 17, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Featured Articles 

Interesting takes from home and abroad:

The Assassination of Greg Craig By Steve Clemons, The Daily Beast
The White House counsel was done in by a scurrilous leaks campaign. So much for the Obama team’s pledge to be transparent, forthright and accountable for their action.

Responding to Fort Hood By Robert D. Kaplan, The Atlantic
We need more Muslims in the ranks of the U.S. military—not fewer.

The Nation of Futurity By David Brooks, The New York Times
It would be nice if Americans regained their faith in the future. China seems to possess the optimism that once defined the U.S.

China’s on-off American romance By Simon Schama, Financial Times
Finding something American to sell to the Chinese, whether democracy or widgets, has always been a problem. The first merchant vessel to sail from New York to Canton in 1784 was on a tea-buying voyage, but the cargo it had to exchange was ginseng. American ginseng was consumed by the Chinese for its yin: the female properties of cool, while the native product was thought more yang-heavy. A population explosion may have made it difficult for domestic production to keep up with demand, hence the opening for American ginseng merchants who made a nifty profit.

‘A’ for Rhetoric, ‘D’ for Action By Nikolai Petrov, Moscow Times
Even before President Dmitry Medvedev published his “Go, Russia!” article, observers speculated that he would discuss three major themes in his state-of-the-nation address: Moscow’s relations with the regions, reforming the political system and modernizing the economy. As it turned out, his speech dealt with all three. But one thing was missing that would have been nice to see: a bridge between his wonderful strategic plans and his concrete proposals.

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