GEN CLARK VS HOLBROOKE & SEN. MIKULSKI’S GRANDMA- WHAT SIZE NATO?

“So it all came to a head on Labor Day weekend of 1994” Wes says.” Vice President Al Gore was going to make a speech in Berlin.” Richard Holbrooke was Ambassador to Germany at that time. And Holbrooke, per Wes, continued to shape and reshape Vice Pres Gore’s speech… Wes was the J5 Strategic Plans and Policy at the time.

I first intercepted General Clark as I was walking back to the coffee table for a refill - he’d just entered the UCLA Faculty Center California Room on time for his talk on “NATO Engagement after 1989”…. Luckily I spotted him right before the rock-star throng gathered rendering him inaccessible.

“Look who’s here!” he exclaimed with that broad smile, warmly extending his hand. “It’s ms in la!!”

Well, make my day. :-)

THE PRICE OF HONESTY and 5.5%

Please thank Mary for finding this excellent interview of General Clark, by The Economist, at The Clinton Global Initiative. It's just over 8 minutes. Wish they all took at least this much time when interviewing him - he packs a tremendous amount of information into a small amount of time that never fails to make one think further!

(Academy Awards speech cadence)

Well…. Oh my….First, I’d really like to thank fellow Clarkie LSophia for generously taking it upon herself to inquire of the gang in Lil Rock if they couldn’t please arrange to get me tickets to the UCLA International Institute graduation ceremony with the commencement address by this General Clark dude. What a pleasant surprise! LSophia, you rock--

From Newsweek's International Edition:

Wesley K. Clark: Still the Essential Alliance
There was an overmilitarization of U.S. foreign policy and too much focus just on areas with an imminent threat.

Adam B. Kushner
NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated May 18, 2009

Link.

Introduction
A one-day conference sponsored by the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations and the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies, with additional support from the UCLA Asia Insitute

Friday, January 30, 2009

I've promised on a day Radovan Karadzic was arrested I'll post some more info on him and his role in the war.

And it's been quite a few weeks of considering what to write. Problem with the great and "great" people (one way or aonther) is that words can hardly describe the effects of their work and existence.

A cease fire has been proposed. It looks like Russia will be toning down its efforts for the time beng anyway.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/11/georgia.russia/index.html
"BILISI, Georgia (CNN) -- Georgia's president says he has signed an international-brokered proposal for a cease-fire with Russia in their conflict over the breakaway province of South Ossetia."

Anyone who is interested in this topic should definitely read Saakashvili's op-ed today in the WSJ.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121841306186328421.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

Looks like the opening ceremonies in Beijing might be overshadowed by Russia's invasion of Georgia. From what I can tell this conflict has been brewing for quite some time.

"Georgia 'under attack' as Russian tanks roll in..."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/08/georgia.ossetia/index.html

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

-Sam

With all of the controversies surrounding the Games this year, what are your feelings regarding China's censorship of the internet?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/7696295
By Karolos Grohmann
BEIJING, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday faced mounting questions over Internet censorship, days before the Beijing Games, despite earlier pledges that its use would be unfettered...

UPDATE

Not really new, but something I had missed this morning. The Huffington Post is apparently one of the banned websites in Beijing.