Your criticisms of Brian’s article, however, are based on what he didn’t write. The article was about Putin’s moves in the Middle East, which would seem deft if his competition were not so weak and ignorant. There are no cold war antics implied, although the U.S. efforts in the Caucasus and the meddling NGO’s now on their way out of Russia would indicate there was one. Rather, Putin is supporting Syria (among other reasons) as a means of stopping more U.S. proxy wars in his back yard. Brian’s point about the specific advantages Russia in the ME is also valid and the analysis is strong.

On the larger issues, hopefully, this experience plus having to negotiate our way out of Afghanistan via the Taliban should teach a lesson to the powers that be – no matter what you do, ignore the neocons! Cheers

Blaming the people of the United States for those (s)elected is like blaming the gamblers in Las Vegas for losing a rigged game. It makes no sense.

Having said all that, there’s no place in pragmatic considerations to blame the Constitution for the lack of representative government. The Constitution is routinely ignored by Congress.

However, we do have elections now and then and the pols do make promises, well they imply that they make promises. That’s what I’m talking about here. Obama was to be the anti-Bush, the less war, more positively oriented president. He’s not. My point is both straight forward – Obama needs to respond to overwhelming majorities – and ironic as well.

But wait a minute! The Taliban were the enemy, not they’re our helpers to leave. Once we’re gone, can we call them an enemy or will they be removed from the Terra Watch List? This is getting deep!

I don’t think we need another Fed and I’d be thrilled if Congress did this but they won’t. They can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.

My thought, not well explained, is a bank that would start with infrastructure – issuing the bonds – and move to become something like the Bank of North Dakota. It could fund community banks that would then stimulate Main Street. Cut out the Zombies and let them die a natural death.

This is about as thoughtful as it gets. Outstanding analysis of the situation. The Syrian conflict could become the fulcrum on which turns a new balance and a retreat form the dreadful and idiotic pro war policies of the neoconservativesm ,who no dominate the Obama administration.

After I read this, it occurred to me – Putin’s recent election was questioned and he took a hit with a large section of the Russian public. What’s his response? Really intelligent moves in foreign policy to show that the Russian bear is no longer in hibernation. Nationalism based on reasonable policies is a winner. He’s trying to regain public support since the day of the Czars is past. Doing a good job as a strategy of governance – what a concept!

Afghan president suspends long-term security talks with Americans amid anger over Taliban press conference in Qatar

Dan Roberts in Washington and Emma Graham-Harrison in Kabul
The Guardian, Wednesday 19 June 2013 17.32 EDT

The US was scrambling to salvage a plan to open peace talks with the Taliban on Wednesday amid a diplomatic row between Washington and the Afghan president Hamid Karzai over how the process was announced.

Repeated phone calls by John Kerry, the US secretary of state, appeared not to have mollified Karzai, who accused the Obama administration of duplicity. Irritated by a press conference in Qatar at which the Taliban effectively portrayed itself as a government in exile, Karzai suspended talks on a long-term security deal to keep US troops in Afghanistan after Nato leaves in 2014.

News on Tuesday that American diplomats would sit down with Taliban leaders – the first direct talks since the US helped oust the group from power in 2001 – prompted speculation that real progress towards a negotiated end to the war in Afghanistan might be in sight.

But while the Taliban hinted at meeting US demands of a break with al-Qaida – saying Afghan soil should not be used to harm other countries – there was only the barest of nods to the Afghan government’s request that they talk to the current administration and respect the constitution. They infuriated Karzai by displaying a white Taliban flag and repeatedly referring to the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, the name the group used when they ruled from Kabul.

The Taliban also claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on the Bagram air base that killed four Americans on the same day that the tentative deal about talks was announced.

On Wednesday the US suspended plans to attend the talks, which were due to begin in Doha, the capital of Qatar, this week. Ambassador James Dobbins, its special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, will now remaining in Washington until further notice.

A state department spokeswoman said the US had also asked the Qatari government to remove a sign from outside a new Taliban office in Doha that proclaimed it as representing the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”. more