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WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES: Tonight Obama will give his first speech to Congress. I found this piece in Mail & Guardian, South Africa’s most popular paper, titled “Obama makes showpiece Congress address”. It’s their brief report on the subject, and it’s not too positive. They even present survey data about Obama’s approval rating (60% or more approve) with a negative spin. Either M&G is getting really cynical, or they’re hedging their bets. South Africa has been taking it on the chin during the recent economic turmoil, so they are well within their right to be skeptical.

Mail and Guardian aticle: Obama makes showpiece Congress address

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WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES: During his confirmation hearing, Leon Panetta acknowledged North Korea’s 2006 nuclear weapons test. The Bush Administration had always described the event a “the detonation of a nuclear device”. This, coupled with North Koreas plan to test a ballistic missile capable of reaching California, has the U.S. State Department scrambling to set up Hillary Clinton’s first visit to the region. The U.S. is still not granting North Korea the title of “nuclear state”, which seems stupid to me. What are we trying to do, force them to prove it?

In South Korea, tension is running high after recent “tough talk” by Kim Jong-il. No one is really sure the six-party talks will start up again, and Kim has managed to set up a country full of deprived people who still seem to like him. That makes it rather hard to convince the guy. Until someone can think of something Kim Jong-il wants more than a country of his own and a nuclear weapon to defend it, we are going to keep having this problem.

Article from The Korea Herald: Is North Korea a nuclear weapon state?

Photo: Alex Johnson

Although it may seem sacrilege right now to have reservations about Obama’s magical ability to heal the world, this Outlook India piece lays it out. Before Obamamania set it, a startlingly small percentage of the world thought that a change in Presidency would bring any meaningful change to U.S. foreign policy.

The fact that Obama is riding high is good right now, but could result in a damning backlash if he fails too often or too soon.

Article from Outlook India: Time To Deliver