By Catherine Contiguglia
♦ "If Germany's economic model is the future of Europe, we should all be quite troubled," writes Adam Posen, as growth built on exports and low wages is stifling productivity and depriving Germany's workers of what they have earned.
♦ People must get over their initial annoyance with how the US administration has handled intervention in Syria and look to history to see the consequences of inaction in other stricken cities, says Philip Zelikow.
♦ The Assads are keeping up appearances as their country becomes further embroiled in civil conflict, looking jovial in public and unfazed by the increasing threat of an attack from the West.
♦ Rather than boxing Barack Obama in, the Syria crisis has offered multiple opportunities for increasing presidential power, as a negative congressional vote will do little to restrain use of military force, while an approval could bestow new powers on future presidents.
♦ There are a lot of parallels between Obama's current drive for military action in Syria and Eisenhower's experience in the lead up to Vietnam, laid out by Jeffrey Frank in a comparison of the rhetoric and policy stances of both presidents. Continue reading » | 
