The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan has released a letter justifying the shooting of Malala Yousafzai, the 14 year-old who spoke out in favor of educating girls. I have not been able to find a copy of the letter, which was written in English, by a copy was received by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Its summary of the letter can be read here. The letter denies that Yousafzai was shot because she advocated for education for girls, but rather that she advocated for secularism. If anyone finds a copy of the original letter, please let me know where it can be found.
The size of the US military is a contested issue in this year’s US presidential election, and Governor Romney has made it clear that he wishes to increase military spending dramatically. In particular, in his speech at the Virginia Military Institute last week, labeled an “important” foreign policy speech by the Romney campaign, Romney promised to increase the size of the US Navy. Navies are an important element of global power, more so than armies or air forces, so the emphasis on naval power is also an index of how a state wishes to use its power. Bloomberg News ran an interesting article on how to measure US naval power.
Angela Merkel managed her visit to Greece very well, and while there were large protests, the Greeks were able to maintain a high degree of order. But the European house is hardly in order. The IMF will be holding its semi-annual meeting in Tokyo later this week, and it has issued a very stark warning to the EU about the likelihood of a serious recession in the region.
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