Pilot Podcast: The (Continuing) War on Terror

Enduring America history: following up on yesterday's post about The (Continuing) War on Terror: Kill All the Crazies, this is our pilot podcast.

The Washington Post proposes, in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, “a crackdown on terrorists”.

But how shall we crack down on terrorists? Certainly not by treating them as rational and thus understanding how they could justify these killings.

Listen to podcast

Horse Story of the Day

The Daily Telegraph reports that a 46-year-old man in Guernsey has been jailed for three years after intimate relations with a horse.

The significance for us of this story is not the act and the conviction --- this may or may not happen in Guernsey every day --- but the great lengths to which the British newspaper went in protecting the horse's rights as a victim, to the extent of concealing his identity:



For some reason, the Daily Telegraph has now withdrawn the photo from its website. But, at least for a fleeting moment, we applaud the paper's concern with the protection of the descendants of Mr Ed.

Things That Make You Go Mmmmm: Afghanistan and the Cluster Bomb Treaty

From today's New York Times:

In a last-minute change, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan agreed on Wednesday to join some 90 other nations signing a treaty banning the use of the cluster munitions that have devastated his country in recent years.

The decision appeared to reflect Mr. Karzai’s growing independence from the Bush administration, which has opposed the treaty and, according to a senior Afghan official who spoke on the condition of anonymity following diplomatic protocol, had urged Mr. Karzai not to sign it.

“Until this morning, Afghanistan was not going to be a signatory,” said Jawed Ludin, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the Scandinavian countries and the leader of its delegation here. He said the president’s change of heart came as a result of pressure by human rights organizations and cluster-bomb victims, including Soraj Ghulam Habib, a 17-year-old from the city of Herat who lost both legs when he accidentally stepped on an explosive cluster remnant seven years ago.

Mr. Ludin’s announcement was greeted by raucous cheers in Oslo’s City Hall, where the signing ceremony began Wednesday after two years of diplomatic work by Norway. By the end of the day, more than 90 nations — including 18 of 26 NATO members — had signed the treaty, called the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bars adherents from using, producing, selling or stockpiling cluster munitions....

Torture: What Do We Do Now?

A reader refers us to a Keith Olbermann interview with "Matthew Alexander", a former interrogator. She comments, "Finally, a sane US voice about the uselessness of torture":

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqFO6velBOM[/youtube]

Super-Secret International Business

Enduring America staff are involved in a special International Roundtable from Wednesday to Saturday, so we'll be running a limited service (and letting William Kristol catch his breath from our relentless praise of him).

Apologies also, in case you were waiting expectantly, that our inaugural podcast has been delayed. We're still working out the technical details.

Please keep sending comments and ideas for stories --- our network of newshounds and mischief-makers seems to be expanding.