Is the U.S. Navy vulnerable to Iran in the Gulf?This Washington Post story says that Iran has substantially increased its ability to inflict damage on American ships in the Persian Gulf in the last two years. Tehran recently tested a new anti-ship missile, which in concert with its ever-expanding swarm of mini-submarines and fast-attack boats […]

A prize to anyone who can figure out what we should do about Mali.In the north, dangerous terrorists are forming a breakaway state that may become a source for jihadi terrorism, drug smuggling, and general disorder throughout the region. In the south, armed thugs are beating up journalists and wrecking what’s left of the country. […]

After months of silence from top Communist Party officials, Chinese state-run media announced that Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai, has been indicted for the murder last November of British businessman and family fixer, Neil Heywood.Notes the Wall Street Journal: The announcement suggests the Communist Party leadership has reached a consensus on how to handle the […]

Via Meadia keeps a close eye on the unfolding energy revolution in America that stands to make America one of the world’s leading energy producers and upend the global energy markets in a manner largely favorable to U.S. interests. Yet while the benefits of the new oil and gas are obvious, there remains a dedicated green movement committed to […]

In terms of inefficiency, the U.S. tax code stands as one of humanity’s most monumental accomplishments. It’s no secret that the tax code’s byzantine complexity harms small and medium-sized businesses more than large corporations. After all, bigger companies can afford the scores of lawyers and accountants needed to navigate the system — and for that matter, […]

The online education train keeps picking up steam. It was announced in May that Harvard had partnered with MIT to form a consortium called edX. Now comes word from the New York Times that the University of California, Berkeley, has jumped on board: Berkeley will be offering two courses, contributing new open-source technology and heading […]

In 2005, Riyadh recalled Bandar bin Sultan, who was for 22 years the Saudi ambassador in Washington. Now it appears that bin Sultan is back in business, this time as head of intelligence for the Kingdom. At the Weekly Standard, Elliot Abrams gives us a profile of this larger-than-life figure: Bandar is no bureaucrat; he […]

Not content with the high-speed rail pipe dream, California Governor Jerry Brown is pushing another multi-billion dollar infrastructure project under the “environmentally friendly” banner. In its way, it’s an ingenious solution to some perennial California problems, but at the end of the day it reveals that the imaginations of many California politicians are firmly stuck […]

China announced this week it would station troops on Yongxing Island, a one-square-mile islet in the Paracel Islands (see map). It’s a simple show of muscle, say analysts. “Putting garrisons on Woody Island [as Yongxing Island is known outside China] or elsewhere in the Paracels would effectively maroon these guys, so the only advantage would be […]

If there’s one thing the Chinese government fears more than an uncontrollable economic slowdown, it’s that the vast middle class will demand to have their voices heard—all 300 million of them. And just to make things more interesting, there’s a good chance that a slowdown will accelerate the middle class demand for control over their […]