Inside the Marine Corps Plan to Stop the Next Benghazi

With the trial of former President Pervez Musharraf providing background noise, a three-way struggle is unfolding in Pakistan, the final outcome of which will be of great significance for both South Asia and the Middle East. The government of President Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistani army, and the Pakistani Taliban are locked in a violent, complex dance that is spilling over into India, Afghanistan, and Iran.

TECHNOLOGY

High-flying balloons, fixed satellites and circling drones are just some of the methods developers are trying to extend Internet access to the two-thirds of the world that cannot get online. Keeping the cost low, even free, is a key goal of several competing projects, including efforts by Silicon Valley giants Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Facebook (NASDAQ: FB).

Special Economic Analysis
By Peter Warburton, PhD

In 2013, the governments of North America and Western Europe had a wake-up call as the real rate of interest on benchmark bonds lurched back into positive territory. This unwanted monetary tightening is antagonistic to the expansionary aims of central bank policies and poses a threat to debt servicing costs in countries with persistently large government budget deficits and short debt maturities.

Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper’s decision to appoint Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver — a leading proponent of TransCanada Corp.’s (NYSE: TRP) $5.4 billion Keystone XL pipeline — to head the finance ministry is likely to recommit the Conservative government to development of the country’s vast oil deposits and economic growth. As the administration attempts to project a sense of continuity, Oliver will likely ensure Canada remains on track to inherit a $5.8 billion budget surplus in 2015.

Backers of the deal to disarm Syria of its chemical weapons have long wondered if Damascus would fully comply and meet the ambitious June 30 deadline. Experts overseeing the process now report that more than half of the stockpile has been removed from Syria, yet a new obstacle has emerged: mass protests in Greece, Malta and Italy over the process by which chemicals are released into Mediterranean waters that meet their tourist-filled beaches.

Against the backdrop of the Russian annexation of Crimea and mass troop movements by Moscow, President Barack Obama’s recent, lengthy trip to Europe and the Middle East was billed as an opportunity to shore up fragile relations with key allies. Instead, Obama broke no new ground and there was little indication the president’s overall mission was successful.