"Legible States"

"I don't think these stances can be explained merely by Trump's much-discussed fondness for Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping. The notion that the central government's control over the contested regions should be made official, recognized, and unambiguous accords with his overall worldview."

Joshua Keating in Slate writes that "[w]hen hard-line nationalists take power, such ambiguity in borderlines is no longer tolerated."

"We Stand With 14 Families Whose Hearts Are Broken"

"Today in San Bernardino, investigators are searching for answers. Across our country, our law enforcement professionals are tireless. They're working around the clock—as always—to protect our communities. As President, my highest priority is the security and safety of the American people. This is work that should unite us all—as Americans—so that we’re doing everything in our power to defend our country. That's how we can honor the lives we lost in San Bernardino. That's how we can send a message to all those who would try to hurt us. We are Americans. We will uphold our values—a free and open society. We are strong. And we are resilient. And we will not be terrorized."

Eurasia Review presents a transcript of President Obama's speech about the San Bernardino massacre.

Mission Accomplished, Ten Years After

"In an address to the nation, President Obama said Bin Laden was killed in a 'targeted operation' in Abbottabad, a highland town north of Islamabad, last night.
"The operation started with an intelligence lead last August, and culminated in an operation involving a 'small team of Americans'. 'After a firefight they killed bin Laden.'
"None of the Americans were killed. Pakistani cooperation 'helped to lead us to him' he said."

Richard Adams and Declan Walsh in The Guardian report President Obama's announcement that U.S. forces have killed Osama bin Laden.

The New York Times provides the text of Obama's speech to the nation.

And Kate Zernike and Michael T. Kaufman in The New York Times write bin Laden's obituary.

Base-Less

"Not even another 9/11-scale terrorist attack would succeed in launching al-Qaeda's revolution. The years since 9/11 have seen events in Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan escalating Muslim hostility toward Israel, the U.S. and those Arab regimes deemed too willing to do Washington's bidding. But even so, al-Qaeda remains a marginal factor. Bin Laden may have imagined that 9/11 would anoint him the head of a resurgent caliphate in the making, but instead it has reduced him and his movement to a life of duck-and-cover in Pakistan's wild frontier—and a political address otherwise known as oblivion."

Tony Karon in Time declares Al-Qaeda to be a failed movement.

Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?

"These theories can be applied over varying spatial scales to posit bin Laden’s current location based on his last reputed geographic location. Distance-decay theory would predict that he is closest to the point where he was last reported and, by extension, within a region that has a similar physical environment and cultural composition (that is, similar religious and political beliefs). For instance, the further he moves from his last reported location into the more secular parts of Pakistan or into India, the greater the probability that he will find himself in different cultural surroundings, thereby increasing the probability of his being captured or eliminated. Island biogeographic theory predicts that bin Laden is in a larger town rather than a smaller and more isolated town where extinction rate would be higher. Finally, high-resolution analyses of a city can be undertaken to identify individual buildings that match bin Laden’s life history characteristics. For example, he reportedly has a small entourage of body guards, requiring a structure that contains at least three rooms."

Thomas W. Gillespie and John A. Agnew in MIT International Review believe they know.

Destroying the Gateway

"The terrorists who reportedly heaved their weapon-laden bags up the steps of the wharf to begin their assault on the Taj, like their cohorts at a dozen other locations around the city, knew what they were doing. Theirs was an attack on India's financial nerve center and commercial capital, a city emblematic of the country's energetic thrust into the 21st century. By attacking Mumbai, the terrorists hit India's economy, its tourism and its internationalism, and they took advantage of the city's openness to the world. A grand slam."

In the Los Angeles Times, Shashi Tharoor considers this week's terror attacks in India.


"The terrorists’ message was clear: Stay away from Mumbai or you will get killed. Cricket matches with visiting English and Australian teams have been shelved. Japanese and Western companies have closed their Mumbai offices and prohibited their employees from visiting the city. Tour groups are canceling long-planned trips.
"But the best answer to the terrorists is to dream bigger, make even more money, and visit Mumbai more than ever."

As does Suketu Mehta in The New York Times.

And in Slate, Christopher Hitchens expresses solidarity with Indians, and Christopher Beam explains why Bombay changed its name to Mumbai.

Tracking Down V.I.L.E

"The new direction didn't stop Spurlock from travelling, with cameraman Daniel Marracino, to such far-flung regions as Morocco, Israel, Egypt, Leeds (sadly, destined for the cutting-room floor) and Afghanistan. It just tweaked the outcome. Spurlock is an affable man whose laid-back charm and goofy humour are evident during interviews with journalists, religious leaders and ordinary people across the Arab world. One of his lines, an offhand inquiry about the whereabouts of Bin Laden, raised a huge laugh from the Sundance audience. This is pure Spurlock - yet the very casualness of the question reveals how his original goal was supplanted by something bigger."

Jeremy Kay of The Guardian checks in with Morgan Spurlock after the premiere of the fillmmaker's new documentary, Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?

December Deaths

The Los Angeles Times runs obits for former Pakistani Prime Minister Benizir Bhutto, Canadian jazzman Oscar Peterson, and Los Angeles sportscaster Stu Nathan.

Constitutional Crises

"If Musharraf is interested in learning from Lincoln, he might ponder these remarks made shortly after the 1864 election: 'We can not have free government without elections; and if the rebellion could force us to forego, or postpone a national election, it might fairly claim to have already conquered and ruined us.... But the election, along with its incidental, and undesirable strife, has done good too. It has demonstrated that a people's government can sustain a national election, in the midst of a great civil war.'"

Eric Foner in The Nation disputes Pervez Musharraf's self-comparison with Abraham Lincoln.