Stop burning carbon immediately and mass starvation, migration and sickness will ensue

To quote from a 2009 speech of U.N. General Secretary Kofi Annan:

“Mass starvation, mass migration, and mass sickness will ensue if the world does not agree to the most ambitious international agreement ever negotiated on global warming.” 

Is from a comment on Bret Stephens debut New York Op Ed 'The Climate of Complete Certainty' which I put forth as an example of misplaced certainty on global warming.  If humanity were to take Kofi's call for action and stop the burning of carbon immediately then its mass starvation, migration and sickness that would ensue!

Trump's dysfunction to give us what Constitution envisioned: Local funding.

“When you worked for Reagan, you just knew what to do,” she once said. “Nobody had to tell you what to do. You didn’t wait for orders. You got up in the morning, went to your job, and did what you knew Reagan wanted done because you were a conservative.”

Kate O'Beirne's obit showed the value of clear ideology, especially for Washington.  Jimmy Carter was choked by detail when it wasn't clear which way he would decide so decisions got kicked upstairs. When Reagan moved in the change caused Democrats to argue that he was a lazy but the reality was that lower level officials could make decisions knowing his mind.  Authoritarian Trump's mercurial style and his disconnect with the Republican establishment leaves Washington incapable of making a decision. For survival states and cities had better stop looking to Washington. Governors and big city mayors are better off funding the programs they require locally. Its what our Constitution envisioned.   

Here is the deal: PRC takes out the Kid and the U.S. withdraws from South Korea

Cato's 'Convincing China to Coerce North Korea'

U.S. should indicate to China that its increase of military strength in the region is logical if it were meant to secure the intertwined logistics of Southeast Asia's prosperous tech economies and then point out that an out of control North Korea puts the chain at risk. Point out that for self preservation South Korea requires an American presence when the North threatens with nuclear arms and rather than counter with nuclear weapons of their own that it acquired our THAAD antimissile weaponry to defend themselves.  Point out that Japan and Taiwan may want to do the same. Point out that a misjudged nuclear conflagration would happen in their sphere of influence and may include China as well. Point out that asserting its strength and influence by invading, taking out the kid and annexing the country would be a logical means of securing the regions logistic chains of prosperity. With the irrational threat taken away American troops and the THAAD missiles could then be taken out of South Korea.        

'Veep' shows Washington at its ineffectual best

To those seeking a central government solution understand that Veep is funny because it shows Washington's disconnect to everyday people's reality.  

What the kid is proving to the world is that China has no influence

Watching ABC's High Alert in Korea showing American and South Korea defenses against North Korea makes China's lack of action toward taking out the kid in the neighborhood playing with nuclear matchsticks with an invasion and regime change inexplicable.  He draws the best American defense systems into the heart of their sphere of influence. What the kid is proving to the world is that China has no influence since its an existential threat to them, not us, should there be a nuclear exchange in the region.

Tillerson goes to Moscow with a nonstarter demand for Assad's ouster

At Meeting, Putin and Tillerson find very little to Agree on is the expected result of arriving in Moscow without an alternative to Assad must go.  Secretary of State Tillerson mentioned in his post meeting press conference that both the U.S. and Russia agree on a unified Syria, which means that a partitioned Syria where Assad is allowed to rule over his Alawite tribe and region, but not the rest of Syria, was not discussed.

Don’t Start a New Cold War Over Syria is Cato's take on the issue.

 

Obama's chemical weapons deal example of Constitutional constraint at its best

Deal on Syria's Chemical Weapons Comes Back to Haunt Obama is a poor headline for a Constitution loving  journal. The line in the sand drawn for Bashar al-Assad use of chemical weapons reached the best resolution possible because Obama asked for war powers from Congress before acting and having failed to get them  managed a Russian intervention to take them away. It should be considered a diplomatic coup and example of Constitutional constraint getting the best result possible.  

Why do Diplomats consider the Syrian Nation State as Inviolate?

U.S. Strike on Syria Fuels Uncertainty on the Ground and not only in Syria.  Watching this morning's press interviews of public officials its incredible how the status quo of Syria as a nation state remains inviolate despite the obvious illegitimacy of the Assad regime and the hard feelings engendered. Despite Trump's 'shake it up nature' its surprising no one is suggesting a policy of allowing the territory that is now defined as Syria to break up into separate like minded nation states and tribal federations.  For his Alawite tribe on the west coast there is no replacing Assad with a leader of another sect who would take vengeance on them in a manner that is very similar to Shiite Iraqis wanting vengeance against Saddam Hussein's Sunnis. So let Bashar reign over just his tribe on the west coast protecting and being protected by Putin's Russia looking to keep their only Naval Base on the Mediterranean safe. Let Kobani be the Kurdish enclave of the north east and the center and south coalesce into Sunni federations which works on eliminating ISIS with allied support.

11 April,

The kid playing with Nuclear Matchsticks is another example. Why does China not just march in there and take the kid out? It would do the PRC  a ton of good to assert that they are the sheriff in town to keep the peace and allow Southeastern Asian economies to grow unhindered. If they took the kid out South Korea could then send back the THAAD missiles and relieve their tensions as well.  

Convince Putin Assad does not deserve Russia's support to reconquer eastern Syria

American Strike on Air Base in Syria Strains Relationship With Russia requires a finesse on the part of Secretary of State Tillerson with his upcoming visit to Russia where he can salvage relations by soothing Putin with something that makes him look good, in a manner similar to his forcing Assad to give up chemical warfare at the time of Obama's line in the sand. Its never talked about but Putin supports Assad because the only Russian naval base in the Mediterranean is located in his Alawite west coast of Syria. Putin will not be a part of making Assad depart Syria and leave this base to an uncertain future, but they could be persuaded to let Syria partition to leave Assad in charge of just this west coast enclave. Neither Iran nor Russian respect Assad's capability to unite and control all of Syria. Its telling that Assad's forces felt compelled to use chemical weapons to try an consolidate nearby Kan Sheikhoun into the Alawite fold that a vision of united Syria looks unlikely for the eastern regions, even to Iran and Russia. With this reality Tillerson should hash out a deal where Putin defends Assad's Alawite west coast enclave but helps him make the assessment that Assad stepped over the line and doesn't deserve Russia's blood and treasure to reconquer eastern Syria.

Filibuster rule made Judiciary nominations more partisan and contentious, not less

Thoughts on the Judicial Nomination Process and the Nuclear Option by Jonathan Adler argues that going back to a simple majority is a good thing. I agree.

Let Syria break up into its various regions where other sects and tribes predominate

“We have consistently said that President Assad must lead a democratic transition or get out of the way,” Mr. Obama said then, in a statement that was coordinated with European allies. “For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for President Assad to step aside.”

This statement from Obama has got to be the stupidest, especially after the desultory result of taking out Saddam Hussein, another despot holding power with a minority sect as his power base, and thinking democracy will just bubble up and take over naturally. It's real that Assad will not be dislodged, but not necessarily for all of Syria. What is not understandable is why we can't fathom the next step  which is to let Syria break up into its various regions where other sects and tribes than Assad's Alawites predominate. It would clarify the solution to:

Still, major questions loom, including which political authorities in Syria will control Raqqa after ISIS fighters are evicted and how the international community might establish safe zones, or what Mr. Tillerson recently called “interim zones of stability,” to stem the flow of refugees. Another important question is whether it might be possible to negotiate a broader political accommodation for Syria; despite his gains, Mr. Assad lacks the military manpower to control the entire country.

and let a Sunni Arab political entity govern in Raqqa independent and protected from Assad and further to the east protect Kobani as a Kurdish enclave.