...it should be understood that this is a new form of warfare that is emerging, being developed, with only now a vague understanding of its meaning  being coming to grips with.

Hence Obama's policy statement on this yesterday and Emmerson's praising of same today:

The lawyer leading a UN drone inquiry has praised a speech by US President Barack Obama as a "significant step towards increased transparency".

Other than for humanitarian purposes, I don't see a reason to meddle in Syria. I supported the idea of sending surface-to-air missiles to rebels who aren't militant Islamists, mainly because the Syrian air force has caused excessive civilian casualties. Such a policy is humanitarian because it would save Syrian lives from indiscriminate aerial bombing.

Almost there - a few more days, perhaps.

I used to think Dot Earth a sensible, middle of the road blog.  It now gets my Sohel Rana award for complacency.

It's moving pretty fast. Morrissey is doing continuous updates (and appended here). The suspects are Chechnyan brothers. One is dead and the other is on the loose at this writing.

There are two aspects to the Boston Marathon bombing that lead me to think that this was not domestic and not done by a non-Islamist white guy. One, the nails and ball bearings packed into the bomb suggests a Middle East connection since those materials are common in bombing attacks in that region.

At this writing, CNN reports two dead and 28 wounded from two explosions. There are other unexploded devices. Morrissey has been providing continuous updates, and Bloomberg has a live stream. No word yet on suspects.

The landscape of the 18th century British Empire here was made up of many itinerant condotierres and chancers (people such as Robert Clive and Warren Hastings).

I haven't seen Argo - principally because of unflattering reviews, e.g. this one in Salon.

...this is weird, my fellow mates from the 'Nam insist that I am in several combat scenes here; especially starting at 1:30 minutes in, and also 7:00 and 9:00 at the Tuy Hoa assault....this is all very odd to me. Of course the worst of it is off camera, and before, but still...it is different to see yourself firing away up on the Cambodian-Laotian border, the green mountains alive with enemy wanting to kill you...and visa versa. Odd indeed.

I remember all of this; if I wasn't in the actual camera frame sometimes, I was there nonetheless.

We have recurring ambition to be a Great State.  Never mind the fact that we cannot provide security for our citizens, we do feel a need to lecture other nations on security.