The Green Badge Solution

From Washington, DC I would like to say that 2013 will be an interesting year, keep an eye out for the latest from Syria, Burma and Pakistan. Three countries of very prominent interest to us.   I want everyone to remember our military and the young men and women working long hours in Washington, analyzing data from all over the world, working hard to prevent another 9-11. May they have all the information they need to stop another attack. Remember to support our troops as they work every day to keep us safe. Please keep them in your prayers. I want to thank my readers for their feedback, many of you have written to me offline, and I enjoy all the great insight and wish you all a great new year. I will carry on my entries starting January 3rd, 2013. God Bless you all and the United States Military.

Interesting Article: " Syria and the Limits of Pretension " by Michael Brenner / Huffington Post, published Tuesday, December 18th, 2012.  An interesting article mentioned that Syria weighs heavily on Washington's mind. For good reason. The protracted civil war is offering vivid demonstration of how limited is American influence on the turbulent politics of the Middle East post-Arab Spring. We cannot identify in this free-for-all a contender for the laurels who shares our perspective or our values -- and who has a fair chance of coming out on top. Sectarian passions among Sunnis, Alawites, Druze and Kurds are the main driving force. The secular minded, more or less liberal elites who initially represented the opposition, the Syrian National Council based in Istanbul, have been reduced to being just one among several factions pursuing agendas that coincide only in their dedication to unseating Assad. Would you like to know the latest from Syria?

Interesting Article: " A new Pakistani Taliban chief emerging? " by Reuters / Wana, published Thursday, December 6th, 2012  An interesting article mentioned that Hakimullah Mehsud, a ruthless commander who has led the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for the last three years, has lost operational control of the movement and the trust of his fighters, said a senior Pakistan army official based in the South Waziristan tribal region, the group’s stronghold. The organization’s more moderate deputy leader, Wali-ur-Rehman, 40, is poised to succeed Mehsud, whose extreme violence has alienated enough of his fighters to significantly weaken him, the military sources told Reuters. The TTP, known as the Pakistani Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of militants in 2007. Would you like to know more?