The Coffee House | Politics and News Discussion Forum

The Gaza dilemma

, 06 Jan 2009 12:25:07 GMT

Jeffrey Goldberg, formerly of the New Yorker and now at The Atlantic, is a fantastic writer and always worth reading on the Middle East. His post, flagged up by Clive, explaining why he isn’t commenting more on the situation in Gaza, is as depressing as it is moving:

“I've served in the Israeli Army in Gaza; I've been kidnapped in Gaza; I've reported for years from Gaza; I hope my former army doesn't kill the wrong people in Gaza; I hope Israeli soldiers all leave Gaza alive; I know

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Targeting Iran

, 06 Jan 2009 11:33:20 GMT

I missed Robert Kaplan's latest dispatch yesterday, but this passage is still worth flagging up:

"How do you fight unconventional, sub-state armies empowered by ideas? You undermine them subtly over time, or you crush them utterly, brutally. Israel, unable to tolerate continued rocket attacks on its people, has decided on the latter course. Our own diplomacy with Iran now rests on whether or not Israel succeeds. We need to create leverage before we can negotiate with the clerical regime, and that leverage can only come from an Israeli moral victory—one that leaves Hamas

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A surprise choice

, 06 Jan 2009 10:30:32 GMT

The appointment of Leon Panetta to run the CIA in the Obama administration has sent shock waves through the US intelligence community.

Panetta, who was Chief of Staff in the Clinton White House, is a budget hawk who in the past has argued for tougher control of intelligence spending. At the same time, he has been a fierce critic of the CIA’s campaign of kidnapping, assassination, torture and warrantless wiretapping, which was authorized under the Bush administration.

For decades, the CIA has fiercely resisted outsiders being imposed on its clandestine and]]>

A relationship on the wane?

, 06 Jan 2009 08:56:38 GMT

A typically insightful piece by Rachel Sylvester today; this time on the Obama administration's precarious commitment to the "special relationship". The key revelation is about a report doing the rounds among British defence and diplomatic officials:

"Perhaps most important of all, the military alliance between Britain and America - which has cemented the political alliance since the First World War - is beginning to crack. I am told that a report circulating at the highest level in the Ministry of Defence concludes that there are now serious doubts in Washington about the effectiveness

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In 2009 the Tories need to kick their dependency on Dave

, 05 Jan 2009 21:36:49 GMT

One habit the Tory party should aim to cure itself of in 2009 is its over-reliance on David Cameron to gets its message across. Some Tories defend the heavy use of Cameron by arguing that he is both the party’s most attractive face and the only way they can guarantee getting their message reported in the media. But using Cameron for nearly all high-profile announcements prevents other members of the shadow Cabinet from developing national recognition. For instance, I fail to see why George Osborne shouldn’t have made today’s announcements on]]>

Things worth reading

, 05 Jan 2009 20:50:06 GMT

The economic crisis is so bad that it is often easy to forget that the foreign policy challenges that so dominated the news a year or so ago have not gone away. The mission in Afghanistan will present General Petraeus with an even tougher challenge than Iraq, Iran’s nuclear ambitions will have to be confronted or accepted sometime soon, this year we will find out what happens in China when the economy stumbles, Russia still seems intent on reasserting its dominance in its near abroad and there is—of course—the problems in the]]>

Obama's double-play on taxes

, 05 Jan 2009 20:13:51 GMT

The first order of business for the incoming Obama administration is going to be a stimulus package. With Obama’s vacation over and the President-elect moving from Chicago to DC, the details of the plan are beginning to become clearer. The Wall Street Journal reports that the administration will urge Congress to make 40 per cent of the stimulus, expected to weigh in at $775 billion, tax cuts. As it notes:

“The Obama tax-cut proposals, if enacted, could pack more punch in two years than either of President George W. Bush's tax

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Wedgwood's contribution to the abolition movement

, 05 Jan 2009 18:17:08 GMT

As Waterford Wedgwood goes bust and its obituaries written, it’s worth noting its contribution to an area for where it gets little credit: outlawing the slave trade. Much rot is spoken about the abolition campaign, mainly due to the vanity of MPs who like to portray it as the result of a parliamentary initiative. Rather, it was a grassroot social movement – in many ways a viral campaign which owes much the marketing genius of Josiah Wedgwood, the company's founder, who joined the anti-slave trade campaigners in 1790.

He had a genius]]>

Festive highlights

, 05 Jan 2009 17:27:18 GMT

Here are some articles from Spectator.co.uk that you may have missed over the Christmas and New Year break:

Andrew Lambirth previews some of the best exhibitions in the year ahead.

Douglas Murray writes that studying Islam has made him an atheist.

Fraser Nelson says that David Cameron needs a robust economic policy that will stand up in an election campaign.

James Forsyth highlights some things to look out for in 2009.

Matthew d'Ancona wonders what maps will guide us through 2009.

Peter Hoskin says that the defeat of]]>