What Caught My Eye Today

Iran - Tell me you didn't see this coming from a mile away... President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the dramatic U.S. turnaround in a new intelligence review a victory for Iran's nuclear program, suggesting it shows the success of his hard-line stance rejecting compromise. But his more moderate opponents at home are hoping the assessment's conclusion that Tehran shelved its effort to develop atomic weapons will boost a diplomatic resolution of the nuclear stand-off with the West. In past months, Ahmadinejad has faced a rising challenge from a more moderate camp centered around his top rival, former president Hashemi Rafsanjani. Rafsanjani's allies have increasingly criticized Ahmadinejad for his hard-line positions, saying they are creating enemies for Iran in the West. Iran's more favorable position may in large part be due to gains by moderates in Tehran. In recent months, Iran handed over confidential documents to the IAEA about its past enrichment activities and answered other questions about its nuclear program. Soon after, the IAEA issued a report saying Iran had been generally truthful about its past enrichment activities. Many Iranian analysts believe supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate say on the nuclear program and all other issues, ordered the cooperation, perhaps influenced by Rafsanjani, a powerful cleric in Iran's political leadership. Say what you will about our method of government in the U.S. At least we know who's in charge. With countries like Iraq, Russia and a bunch of others who have both a president and a prime minister it gets rather confusing to sort out who's really in charge. Then you have Iran with the added dimension of the supreme leader. My goodness, how many leaders does one country need to have? It's hard enough to find one person with enough competence, let alone three.

And in a related story, because nothing is ever simple when it comes to the Middle East...

Israel - The U.S. intelligence assessment that Iran has stopped developing atomic weapons is putting a burden on the Jewish state, which has long relied on Washington to lead the international charge against Iran's nuclear ambitions. With the U.S. now less likely to take military action, an increasingly nervous Israel might feel compelled to strike out on its own if it perceives a dangerous threat. Israeli officials say their intelligence forces believe Iran is still working aggressively to build nuclear arms. The Islamic regime in Tehran is strongly opposed to Israel's existence and frequently boasts of its ability to strike the Jewish state with long-range missiles. Israel sees Iran as its greatest threat and maintains that country is aggressively pursuing a nuclear weapons program. It responded to the report with a mixture of skepticism and veiled irritation. I'm not sure what Israeli intelligence has that can contradict the U.N. or U.S. findings, but I'm not sure that's relevant. If Israel feels threatened by another country, it is fully within its rights to protect itself. It's not like the U.S. can criticize them for doing so--not after all stuff we've done in Iraq and Afghanistan in the name of national security. Well. I suppose we could, but that would be rather hypocritical of us.

Climate Change - Developing nations at the U.N. Climate Change Conference demanded rapid transfers of technology to help them combat global warming. Poor and emerging economies argue they need more scientific know-how to reduce pollution and improve energy efficiency. Delegates and activists said the wealthy nations want to focus on booming countries like China to set goals for cutting pollution emissions. The conference in Bali, Indonesia is meant to start a two-year negotiating process aimed at producing a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. That pact commits 36 industrial nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by an average 5% below 1990 levels by the time it expires. Failure to reach a new international consensus on curbing emissions, experts warn, will raise the threat of catastrophic droughts and floods, increased heat waves and disease, and sea level rises caused by melting polar ice. With the growth in Asian "mega-cities," coastal flooding could affect 150 million people by 2070, up from 40 million today, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warned. Delegates and activists led by the Group of 77, which represents 132 mainly developing countries and China, said barriers such as intellectual property rights and a lack of a sense of urgency among rich countries are slowing the transfer of needed technology. Wealthy nations like the United States argue that they are eager to move energy-saving technology to developing nations. The United States says it wants to be part of the negotiations on a follow-up accord to the Kyoto pact, but refuses to endorse the mandatory emission cuts favored by the EU, arguing that the focus should be on funding renewable energy projects and improving energy efficiency. Already then. Let's see what we have here. Dire predictions for global doom, lack of compromise between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' and little sign that the U.S. will agree to any sort of global environmental agreement anytime in the foreseeable future. Yup. This pretty much sums up where we were back in 1990. Always nice to see progress being made on the critical issues facing the planet.

Teenage Births - In a troubling reversal, the nation's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years, surprising government health officials who had no immediate explanation. The birth rate had been dropping since its peak in 1991, although the decline had slowed in recent years. U.S. health officials said it was possibly a one-year statistical blip and not the beginning of a new upward trend. But several experts said they have been expecting a jump. They blame the increase on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education programs that do not teach how to use condoms and other contraception. 'A statistical blip' is the best they can come up with? Oh, come on. Everyone grasps the basic concepts on how to make a baby and most of us accept that fact that teenagers tend to get randy from time to time. Relying on abstinence, especially in this age demographic, as the primary form of birth control--hell, I'm surprised the birth rate has gone through the roof. And these guys are surprised. Give me a break.

Thailand - Thais celebrated their revered king's 80th birthday, honoring the world's longest-reigning monarch with festivities and prayers amid concerns about his declining health and potentially divisive elections. Tens of thousands of people packed the streets around the Grand Palace where King Bhumibol Adulyadej made a rare public appearance from the balcony of his ceremonial Throne Hall. It was only the sixth such appearance in his 61-year reign. Bhumibol's birthday has increasingly become a day of nationwide tribute to the U.S.-born king, who is regarded the most influential figure in modern Thai history and the key to its stability. Although he is a constitutional monarch with no formal political role, he is regarded as the force that holds the country together. Bhumibol has stilled bloody uprisings, weathered military coups and has reigned through scores of governments, democratic and dictatorial. Dude sounds like the real deal. Happy birthday, Your Highness.