How does the “war on terror” end? It could end with the crisis in Ukraine, with Russia reasserting itself as a major power and part of the Great Game. The Cold War didn’t really end, writes Peter Beinart in the Atlantic, until 9/11. He goes on: “Putin’s military intervention in Ukraine doesn’t represent as sharp a historical break as 9/11 did, but it does offer the clearest glimpse yet of what the post-war on terror era may look like. To quote Secretary of State John Kerry, what comes after the war on terror is the ’19th century.’”
It wouldn’t be the Cold War — this Russia is not ideological like the Soviet Union — but it would be more dangerous than the war against terrorism. Via the Atlantic.
There’s no easy way out of the crisis in Ukraine. Via Peter Baker at the New York Times.
Putin’s press conference proves that Germany’s Angela Merkel was right: He’s gone round the bend. Via the New Republic.
Judge won’t budge, holds British Petroleum to the deal it signed in the wake of one of the worst oil spills in history. But BP really doesn’t want to shell out the rough $9.2 billion it agreed to pay to affected businesses on the Gulf Coast. Via the New York Times.
It may sound strange — no, it is strange — but Jeffrey Frank writes that Rand Paul’s lament about the state of the Republican Party is reminiscent of Eisenhower’s lament — nearly 60 years ago. Via the New Yorker.
If you thought Democratic chances of holding the Senate looked bad last week, let’s just say they look even worse now. As many as 13 Democratic seats could be in jeopardy — as opposed to two Republican. Via Charlie Cook at National Journal.
This could finally prove to be the tipping point: Chipotle has warned investors that if climate change causes a rise in food prices, it may have to dump the guac. Seriously. Via ThinkProgress.
