Many authors talk about a period of American “decline” or “pullback” from the world. In many respects, the assessment is valid, particularly as far as the American public is concerned. But the US is still quite active: by one count, the US is fighting or involved in fighting in 74 countries in the world at the present time. Most of these commitments are very small scale, but each has the possibility of burgeoning into something larger, simply by virtue of the fact that the US is involved. It is very difficult for the US to extricate itself from global commitments; picking and choosing the right ones seems to be the highest priority for US policymakers now.
Nawaz Sharif is claiming victory in the Pakistani elections. He was forced from office 14 years ago and sent into exile after a military coup so his comeback is extraordinary. His platform was largely based on ending drone strikes by the US in Pakistani territory and a strong stand against terrorism. But the overwhelming concern of the Pakistani electorate was the sad state of the economy: unemployment is rising and electricity is sporadic in many areas of the country.
Time has released some amazing timelapse photography of changes to the earth over periods of decades. The photos were taken from space, and the timelapse photography shows how human beings have altered the environment, primarily in the search for energy. The images are beautiful, but also somewhat depressing. It is hard to believe that human activity can have such a decisive effect.
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