Snapshots from February 22nd

Iran and the Persian Gulf

So, just as the UN issues a report about the status of Iran's compliance with IAEA regulations and certain Security Council Resolutions, the John C. Stennis arrives in the Persian Gulf, adding a second aircraft carrier to already pre-positioned military forces. Coincidence? The truth is written in the winds...

The DRC

If this is what peace looks like, it is small wonder that the DRC is the virtuous and stable nation-state that it is today.

Hatchetmen Watch

Like beggars from an 'old money' family, Treasury Secretary Paulson will go to the Middle Kingdom （中国）to ask the great comptrollers to cut off the tap, as though it were in their long-term interest to do so. For all of you keeping score at home, the shift towards foreign ownership of U.S. Treasury bonds should come as no surprise. *cough*15.7%*cough*

By virtue of this being the third such trip alone, this trip illustrates the importance of altering the current economic relationship between the U.S. and China.

Ear to the Ground

A rare glimpse of hope, but nonetheless 是镜花水月的.