The New York Times reports that the number of suicides in the military has, for the first time, been higher than the number of combat deaths. This legacy of the war in Afghanistan is one of the saddest, and symptomatic of the difficulties in fighting the war and the ambiguities of its mission. It is also an important indicator of the separation between the military and civilian life, a dangerous divide in any democracy.
The Russians are great chess players, and they checked the US in its efforts to organize international action with respect to Syria. The Russians proposed an international conference and insisted that Iran, a major ally of Syria’s President Assad, be invited to the conference. This gambit puts the US in an awkward situation: it desperately wants international action and needs Russian participation in an international conference, but it doesn’t recognize Iran and would be loathe to sit at the same table with the Iranians. Let’s see what move the US proposes to move forward.
As anticipated, Spain has asked for money to bailout its failing banks. It is asking for about $125 billion, and the request comes after repeated promises by the government that outside money was not necessary. We don’t yet know what the EU and the IMF are asking for in return for the line of credit,but it seems certain that the Spanish will be required to make even more sacrifices. With an unemployment rate of 25% it’s hard to imagine how difficult life in Spain will become.
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