Only Edition

Without much commentary, here's the list of Headlines Over the Horizon:

• The Wall
• A Shrinking Russia
• The Hindu-Muslim Divide
• Aids and African Armies
• The Tehran-New Dehli Axis
• Anit-Satellite Attack
• Defense-Industry Goliaths
• The Carrier Shortage
• The Indus Water Fight
• Urban Warfare

• The Yellow River Project
• Indonesia and the Asian-Pacific
• South American Altitude: High and Low

Follow the link to the article to see for yourself what the editors have in mind. As an aid, let me sneak these observations in: "The Wall" is talking about the wall being built between Israelis and Palestinians. Greater then the wall itself, there are more than two sides to this issue. Depending on which side you find yourself, and which side you align yourself, at least two points of view are possible.

"Shrinking Russia" talks about the simultaneously aging and shrinking population. They predict the population, by 2050 will be down to 100 million from today's 145 M, down by 3 million in the last decade. What they don't offer in this piece is the declining average age of the Russian male (who cares about the impact on the females?!) If they have been our adversaries, we couldn't wish them worse.

The "Hindu-Muslim Divide" introduces us to one of three pieces on the sub-continent. While we are chasing today's headlines, we would do well to follow what's happening to major population centers who don't resonate with our culture. As I read this, with William Shirer's 1930-1940: The Nightmare Years as my "bedside reading", I'm struck with the comparison of how we (North) Americans are luckily isolated from the other world land-mass. And how ignorant we allow ourselves to be.
Good night, sweet Will. You were a historian, not a journalist.

"Aids and African Armies" reminds us of our un-concern for that great continent. The other night on "The News Hour", one of the commentators reminded us that W's dawdling over helping Liberia won't be the first Betrayal By a Bush. This is viewed by educated Liberians as a replay of Bush I's betrayal which installed the current despot.

The "Tehran-New Delhi Axis" alerts us to jump over the current India-Pakistan concerns and consider the alliance of countries allied by a common enemy. While it doesn't make for durable relations, it doesn't calm the waters, local and international.

An "Anti-Satellite Attack" isn't about the likely internescine wars characterized by the post-1984 world, rather the attack on one another nation's spy satellites. While "Ed" has some now-aging experience in these matters, the potential for diverse, and multi-farious agitation against weather, communications, and intelligence assets of the developed world is now most exposed.

In "Defense-Industry Goliaths" we are warned about the next chapter in Eisehower's 1960 warning against "the Military-Industrial Complex." Now the challenge is the merger, with consequent narrowing of choices and competition, in the defense procurement process. Having witnessed the job-migration from the ground level in this industry, I can attest to an un-healthy situation for the American taxpayer. To put a politcal spin on this, one risks being called unpatriotic if one challenges any aspect of military procurement. How sad.

The "Carrier Shortage" warns us the projection of US diplomacy depends on the avialability of a carrier fleet. The boys at RAND point out these things may be more cost-effective than current alternative. With the apparent failure of the "Rummy Doctrine": fewer soldiers, more hi-tech weapons, this is something we should be paying attention to. The (Gary) Hart proposal is to "build down" the US fleet: for every ship we commission, we should take two out of service. Does this extend to the carrier fleet?

In "The Indus Water Fight", the writers warn us to not overlook the need for water. Having spent a seven-year cycle in Colorado, if you have to chose between sun and water, chose water. In this case, we need to be midful of the friction created by the need for water.

"Urban Warfare" is the most frightening of the subjects. We were shocked by the attack on the Twin Towers. With reference to Stalingrad '42 and Mogadishu '93, the threat here is that our cites may be visited by attacks not imagined. The notice here should be to our under-funding of Homeland Security. (we'd rather return billions to the un-needy and let them trickle it into those institutions that need resources.)

On my list, add the "Yellow River Project", which, more thant the Aswan High Dam, and other N. American dams, is disturbing the enviornment in irredeemable ways. It is unlikely to generate the military responses of the prior ten in the next century, but this is one I predict we will live to reap the liabilities at the greatest cost.

Possibly the news has sufficiently covered the new difficulties in the Muslim Southeast Asia. I don't think so.

Overlooking Latin America in this hemisphere is like overlooking Africa in the world. Unless we make our respective southern neighbors as priority number one, we do so at our own peril.

I'd rather not be so alarmist, but Shirer's "Nightmare Years", the recent awareness of our lack of historical reference in Iraq, our current obliviousness of world news, all tell me we would rather have our head in the sands.