Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 952

Malala Yousafzai Says 'Pens and Books' Will Defeat Terrorism

Malala Yousafzai, the young girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban in Pakistan for campaigning for girls' education, opened a library today in Birmingham, England, in what is further proof that her assailants have only furthered her cause.

After Yousafzai was shot in October 2012 by extremists as she returned home from school, she was flown to Birmingham to recover — even as the Taliban continued to threaten her, showing just how terrified it was of women gaining even a modicum of rights. Yousafzai, who first came to prominence as she chronicled the Taliban's push to eliminate girls' education in Pakistan's tribal areas, now studies in the English city and, having recovered from her wounds, has continued her campaign. At the library opening, she spoke to the crowd: "I have challenged myself that I will read thousands of books and I will empower myself with knowledge. Pens and books are the weapons that defeat terrorism."

The new Library of Birmingham replaces the Central Library, which was erected in the 1970s. Prince Charles famously said the old one would serve better as a book-burning incinerator than a library. The new one cost £189 million and is supposed to be a vast improvement on its predecessor.  

[image error]Yousafzai added her own book to the library collection, too — The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. Coelho writes in the bestseller, "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it," which explains why it might by Yousafzai's favorite. She has not given up on school, either, and now calls Birmingham her "second home."

Yousafzai was recently featured on the cover of Time's "100 Most Influential People" issue in April.  

       

Americans Want the Complete Opposite of What We're Doing in Syria

Setting aside the 535 Americans on Capitol Hill who will vote directly on the president's proposal to attack Syria, Americans are largely opposed to the idea. Unless, that is, it's bombing done in conjunction with allies, and definitely not if it means arming rebels. That first stipulation doesn't seem likely. The second one appears to have already been broken.

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Americans' opinions on the looming conflict were captured in a survey conducted for ABC News on Tuesday. The top line is that 59 percent oppose the sort of strikes that the president has proposed. And attitudes don't fluctuate a whole lot by demographic. This is slightly better than what one member of Congress found as he informally surveyed his constituents.

Four people out of about 200. RT @a_ryan88: @repjustinamash Have you talked to ANY constituent who supports going to war in Syria?

— Justin Amash (@repjustinamash) September 3, 2013

Below, we've taken the responses from the poll and singled out the net approval — that is, the number of people who approve of the action minus those who disapprove — for each of the three options. In only one case is there net positive approval in any demographic: men and Republicans are more likely to favor strikes by a coalition of forces than they are to oppose the idea. In every other situation, with every other demographic, the public disapproves.

There are some interesting points. Independent voters are far more likely to oppose any sort of action than their Democratic or Republican neighbors. Only on the idea of arming Syrian rebels are voters from the major parties even close to the level of opposition shown by independents.

But arming Syrian rebels may already be happening. A Wall Street Journal report on Monday suggested that the CIA's ability to act as a weapons dealer, approved as of July, hasn't yet gone into effect. "U.S. officials attribute the delay in providing small arms and munitions from the CIA weapons program to the difficulty of establishing secure delivery "pipelines" to prevent weapons from falling into the wrong hands," the Journal reports.

The CIA is, however, actively supporting the rebels on the ground in Syria. The Times noted on Tuesday that American-trained fighters are heading into battle.

Mr. Obama indicated that a covert effort by the United States to arm and train Syrian rebels was beginning to yield results: the first 50-man cell of fighters, who have been trained by the C.I.A., was beginning to sneak into Syria.

The idea, then, is that those fighters are using their own weapons, despite the CIA's authorization to provide weapons. Whether or not that's an accurate description, it is only due to concerns about implementation that the activity most strongly opposed by Americans hasn't yet gone into effect. The CIA could start arming rebels tomorrow, if it wanted to. 

So the current debate in Washington centers not on that, but on whether or not Congress will approve the middle option, unilateral strikes — an action that is still opposed by 59 percent of the country. As for those Republican men who'd like to see allied action, including the involvement of countries like the U.K. and France? They're out of luck. That most popular response is also the least likely to happen, as the British Parliament has rejected the idea.

This is not, one might assume, how representative democracy works at its most flawless.

       

Chris Christie and Rand Paul Love to Fight

On Tuesday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie unleashed the latest in a series of sick burns on his likely competitor for the GOP 2016 presidential nomination, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. You see, Paul asked Christie to attend a New Jersey rally with him and Senate-hopeful Steve Lonegan next week. But it's also his Christie's wife's birthday. So Christie brought up the conflict in a press conference, stating, "In a choice between Mary Pat Christie and Rand Paul, it’s no choice for me, so I’ll be with Mary Pat."

Christie isn't even tempted by a possible Paul hangout. It's not a choice! If it seems like this feud is getting ridiculous, it's because it is. Christie even released a Youtube video (right) of his statements, just so everybody knows how little he'd like to hang out with Paul. 

And this isn't the first time Christie's turned down Paul's advances. The feud began this summer, when Christie said libertarians are "very dangerous" in July, and Paul responded that the governor was out of touch and exploiting victims of 9/11. They continued trading barbs on cable news and in press conferences, as Talking Points Memo explained a month ago in the feud's early stages. Paul said New Jersey got too much pork in Hurricane Sandy aide. Christie said Kentucky was the true recipient of pork-barrel spending. Paul made a fat joke about Christie, calling him the "king of bacon." 

In August, Paul invited Christie to have a beer, but Christie said he was "too busy." Christie quipped, "I'm running for re-election in New Jersey, I don't really have time for that at the moment. If I find myself in Washington, I'll certainly look him up." Then, at the Republican National Committee meeting in mid-August, Christie made it clear he was "in it to win." He then took a thinly veiled shot at Paul, saying, "I think we have some folks who believe that our job is to be college professors. Now college professors are fine I guess. Being a college professor, they basically spout out ideas that nobody does anything about. For our ideas to matter we have to win."

Paul seems to want out. He's repeatedly said Christie started the feud, something he explained on Fox News with what is arguably another fat joke: "The party is big enough for both of us. It’s big enough for a lot of different Republicans."

And so the back-and-forth continues. Christie and Paul are both trying to position themselves as the next face of the GOP — Christie's the social moderate focused on national security, and Paul's more of a Tea Party libertarian. Despite Paul's earlier call to "kiss and make up," it doesn't look like they will before the 2016 primary. The chances of reconciliation brews seem slim  — as each sick burn gets them both a little more attention.

       

Dennis Rodman Is Going Back to North Korea, but Not to Rescue Kenneth Bae

Dennis Rodman arrives in North Korea on Tuesday for his second so-called "basketball diplomacy tour." And, Rodman says, the trip is definitely about basketball and not about the imprisoned American citizen Kenneth Bae, a missionary and tour guide who was sentenced earlier this year to 15 years of hard labor for "hostile acts" against the country. 

Speaking to Reuters from Beijing, Rodman said, "I've come out here to see my friend (Kim Jong-un) - and I want to talk about basketball." He added, "I'm not going to North Korea to discuss freeing Kenneth Bae...I'm just going there on another basketball diplomacy tour." Since Rodman's first trip to North Korea earlier this year, freeing Kenneth Bae has been part of the former athlete's stated mission for a return trip. Speaking to Huffpost Live, Rodman indicated as late as last week that he has a solid motivation for trying to free Bae — it'd make everyone think he's awesome: 

"I will definitely ask for Kenneth Bae's release...if I actually got him loose -- and I'm just saying this out the blue -- I'd be the most powerful guy in the world."

Here's the whole interview, which, fair warning, begins with a giant plug for Rodman's new vodka line: 

Last May, as Bae was sent to a "special prison" in the country, Rodman also made a public indication that he thinks he might be able to do something about Bae: 

I'm calling on the Supreme Leader of North Korea or as I call him "Kim", to do me a solid and cut Kenneth Bae loose.

— Dennis Rodman (@dennisrodman) May 7, 2013

It looks like Rodman appointed himself the official ice-breaker for North Korean and American relations. since his much-publicized, Vice-sponsored trip last February that may or may not have resulted in a so exclusive no one's seen it interview with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Rodman also compares his own diplomatic prowess favorably to that of president Obama. Speaking to Sports Illustrated, the former basketball man put it this way in June: "Why it's been left to me to smooth things over, I don't know. Dennis Rodman, of all people. Keeping us safe is really not my job; it's the black guy's job." Rodman's diplomacy skills also earned rave reviews from Donald Trump. 

It's not clear what, if anything, Rodman could actually do to free Bae, even if he tried. Rodman will, however, be going where the U.S. is otherwise currently absent, though not by choice: last week, the U.S. announced a trip to North Korea by special envoy Bob King. King was going to attempt to take Bae back with him to the states. Then, North Korea cancelled permission for that trip at the last minute, dashing short-term hopes for Bae's release.

       

Roger Federer Loses in the Fourth Round of the U.S. Open

Roger Federer, who holds a record 17 major tennis championships, didn't even make it to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open after losing in straight sets to Tommy Robredo. The 19th-seeded Spaniard beat Federer, seeded 7th, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4. 

In case you're wondering whether Federer put up a good fight, here's the quick final point of the match: 

In late June, Federer lost in the second round of Wimbledon, to a player seeded 116th. This is the first time in a decade that Federer 's been eliminated in the fourth round of the U.S. Open. And it's the first year since 2002 that the player failed to reach a final for a Grand Slam tournament. Robredo and Federer have 11 career matches. This is the first win for Robredo. In other words, this is a big upset, and just one of many lately for the 32-year-old player.

watching federer get beat like that is almost as sad as watching the swift yet unrelenting decline of america.

— David Lewis Kennedy (@kennedydavid) September 3, 2013

this is really heartbreaking to watch. It's like watching a favourite pet fading away. The end is nigh I fear #bbctennis

— Tim Purcell (@Tim_Purcell) September 2, 2013

The crowd still lets out a collective gasp when Federer hits the ball. Unfortunately it's because he's missing by 10 feet. #usopen

— Beyond The Baseline (@SI_BTBaseline) September 2, 2013

In a press conference following the match, Federer said "I struggled throughout, which is not very satisfying, to be honest," adding, "Tommy did a good job to keep the ball in play and make it difficult for me today. I missed so many opportunities. Rhythm was off. Yeah, when those things happen, clearly it's always going to be difficult, you know."

Now, Robredo will go on to play the winner of tonight's match up between Rafael Nadal and Philipp Kohlschreiber. 

       

Brazil and Mexico Ask the U.S. to Explain Reports of NSA Spying on Their Leaders

Brazil and Mexico have called on the U.S. to explain recent reports — sourced to documents obtained by Edward Snowden — alleging that the NSA spied on Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Rousseff, who called in U.S. ambassador Thomas Shannon over the allegations, might cancel an October trip to the White House.

Glenn Greenwald, who lives in Brazil, contributed to the report which aired this Sunday on the Globo network's "Fantastico." Showing documents from Snowden, the news program indicated that  as of June 2012, the U.S. was intercepting the emails and phone calls of both leaders. That means that Nieto, elected in July 2012, was the subject of NSA scrutiny even before taking office. The document contained passages from what are apparently Nieto's intercepted emails. Greenwald, speaking to the AP, said that it was "clear in several ways" from the documents that the communications of Rousseff were intercepted too, "including the use of DNI Presenter, which is a program used by NSA to open and read emails and online chats." The document did not contain excerpts from any of Rousseff's allegedly intercepted communications. 

In addition to voicing her concerns to the American envoy, Rousseff and her administration called for international regulations limiting the covert interception of communications. Brazil's Foreign Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo said in a press conference that: 

"We're going to talk with our partners, including developed and developing nations, to evaluate how they protect themselves and to see what joint measures could be taken in the face of this grave situation...there has to be international regulations that prohibit citizens and governments alike from being exposed to interceptions, violations of privacy and cyberattacks."

Brazil is already less than pleased with the NSA and the White House over U.S. intelligence collection. An earlier report, for one thing, revealed that the NSA was collecting the communications of Brazilian citizens in bulk. That's through the so-called "FAIRVIEW" program, which targets communications from "friendly" countries, though indirect partnerships with foreign companies. 

In a statement, Mexico's foreign ministry said that "Without prejudging the veracity of the information presented in the media, the Mexican government rejects and categorically condemns any espionage work against Mexican citizens in violation of international law." Mexico has also spoken to the U.S. ambassador, as well as directly to the administration, about the report. 

Brazil gave the U.S. a week to provide a written explanation for the Globos report. In response to the Mexican and Brazilian requests, White House spokesperson Caitlin Hayden told Reuters that: 

"While we are not going to comment publicly on every specific alleged intelligence activity, as a matter of policy we have made clear that the United States gathers foreign intelligence of the type gathered by all nations." 

The White House further said that it would respond to the requests from "partners and allies" through diplomatic channels. 

       

Assad Talks Tough While McCain and Graham Meet with Obama

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned any military action against Syria would set off the "powder keg" that is the middle east, while Sen. John McCain and Lindsay Graham indicated the President is now considering more than just a "limited" strike. 

On Monday, Assad gave his first interview since President Obama announced he will ask Congress to authorize a military strike against Syria as punishment for a chemical weapons attack that killed over 1,400 Syrian citizens to French newspaper Le Figaro. Assad rejected the notion that the U.S. or France, who released a detailed report outlining their case that Assad carried out a "massive" chemical attack on Monday, have proven his government was responsible.

Per a translation from Al Jazeera's Massoud Hayoun, Assad said that Obama and French President Francois Hollande "were incapable" of producing proof the regime carried out the attack. He also would not confirm or deny whether the Syrian army has chemical weapons. Assad argued that a chemical weapons attack on his citizens would be illogical because it would hurt his own soldiers: 

Suppose that our army wished to use weapons of mass destruction, is it possible that they would do so in an area where they are themselves? And where soldiers were wounded by these arms, as was stated by the U.N. inspectors who visited them in the hospital where they were treated. Where is the logic?

Assad also cautioned that a military strike against Syria would have wide-ranging effects across the Middle East that could lead to responses from other countries. This is likely just a fear-mongering tactic from Assad, knowing that some U.S. lawmakers are uncertain about what the repercussions of an attack may be: 

The Middle East is a powder keg and the fire is approaching today. You can’t only talk about what the Syrian response will be, but what could happen after a first strike. And no one knows what would happen. Everyone will lose control of the situation when the powder keg explodes. Chaos and extremism will be widespread. The risk of a regional war exists.

Assad also offered this sort of confusing answer when asked if France is an enemy of Syria: 

Anyone who contributes to the financial and military strengthening of terrorists is an enemy of the Syrian people. Anyone who is working against the interests of Syria and its citizens is an enemy. The people of France are not our enemies, but the politics of its state are hostile to the Syrian people. In so far as the politics of the French state are hostile to the Syrian people, this state is our enemy.This hostility will cease when there is a change in French policy. There will be repercussions, of course negative, on France’s interests.

We'll have to wait a while before we know what those negative repercussions against France's interests will be. The odds of France carrying out an attack alone seem slim even though Hollande's ruling party rejected a call from opposition lawmakers to hold a vote deciding whether or not to attack. The U.S. will at least have to pass motions through Congress and the Senate next week before a partnership will come to fruition. 

On that front, Republican leaders met with President Obama on Monday as he continues his pressure campaign to convince both sides of the aisle an intervention is necessary in Syria. So far the reaction in Washington has been mixed, and today Sen. John McCain and Lindsay Graham were both still undecided, citing concerns about potential fallout after an attack. "A rejection of that, a vote against the resolution by Congress, I think would be catastrophic, because it would undermine the credibility of the United States of America and of the President of the United States," McCain told reporters after the meeting. "None of us want that." Graham indicated the attack must send a message to other potential enemies before he would put his full support behind an attack. "I can sell to the people of South Carolina that if we don’t get Syria right, Iran is surely going to take the signals that we don’t care about their nuclear program and it weighs on the president’s mind strongly about the signals we send," he said. But McCain's statements indicating the President is considering a larger response than he's conveyed in interviews so far was the day's biggest development:

McCain said he encouraged Obama to think beyond simply punitive strikes against Assad, saying, “a weak response is almost as bad as doing nothing.” After the meeting, he declined to discuss the options Obama laid out, but said a larger response is now under consideration. “I don’t think it’s an accident that the aircraft carrier is moving over in the region,” he said.

That doesn't mean the U.S. will necessarily put boots-on-the-ground or anything, but what would constitute something beyond a "limited" strike is an interesting thing to consider -- especially if that's what it takes to sell both Congress and the Senate on an operation. 

       

CBS and Time Warner Cable Agree to Play Nice, End Blackout

Exactly one month since the blackout began -- and a week before football season starts -- CBS and Time Warner Cable have come to agreement to end their dispute over transmission and carriage rights, CBS' communications executive Dana McClintock announced Monday. CBS, Showtime and the rest of the company's slate of channels will be restored for Time Warner Cable customers by 6 p.m. ET. 

The terms of the deal are not being disclosed, for now, so we don't know which side buckled under the pressure of the looming NFL season. Regardless, this could not come at a better time for the cable company or the cable subscriber. According to an internal memo from CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, though, it certainly seems the channel came away victorious: 

“The final agreements with Time Warner Cable deliver to us all the value and terms that we sought in these discussions,” Moonves wrote. “We are receiving fair compensation for CBS content and we also have the ability to monetize our content going forward on all the new, developing platforms that are right now transforming the way people watch television.”

The NFL technically returns on Thursday night on NBC, but CBS hold the rights to carry multiple games every Sunday afternoon. The blackout that people were forced to cope with through August didn't force anyone to miss marquee programming. There was Under the Dome, sure, but other than that August is fairly barren when it comes to television. As we head into the fall, the prestige shows from CBS and Showtime are about to trot out their new episodes and football season starts again. CBS was starring directly into a black hole of lost advertising dollars if they couldn't broadcast those things to the 3.2 million people who subscribe to Time Warner Cable, while the cable company would face an ever bigger headache from angry customers threatening to finally switch providers should they not get their football fix every Sunday. It's a win for both sides. 

What will happen to those lawsuits from customers looking for reimbursement for their month spent without CBS now? Your guess is as good as mine. 

       

You Can Watch the 'Homeland' Season 3 Premiere Early, If You Dare

Fans of Showtime's once-great Homeland don't have to wait for September 29 to watch season three's premiere if they're up for a little Internet digging and doing something illegal. The episode leaked online sometime over the last 24 hours, nearly a full month ahead of schedule. In music a leak is common, but this doesn't happen every day with episodes of important television. Regardless, fans clamouring to find out what happens next after season two's explosive finale have already downloaded the episode over 100,000 times from torrenting websites. 

Variety points to screeners given out at the Television Critics Association panel in July as the source of the leak. The episode doesn't have any opening credits beyond a "Showtime presents..." animation, and lacks some special effects treatments. Critics who watched those screeners loved the slightly new direction the show will apparently go in season three. 

That said, the full fifty three minutes are out there for fans who don't have a problem with downloading TV illegally. The Atlantic Wire does not advise you do anything against the law on your day off -- a visit from the feds would ruin your evening barbecue -- but, well, you're going to be on the couch watching TV all day anyway. Embrace the spoiler, maybe, answer some of those lingering questions. Just don't tell anyone you did it. 

       

Diana Nyad Became the First Person to Swim from Cuba to Florida

Update 2:00 p.m. Over 110 miles and nearly 53 hours later, Diana Nyad just became the first person to ever complete the swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Somehow Nyad was able to walk onto the beach after getting out of the water. She did a fist pump, sat down, and told the cheering crowd to "never, ever give up."

Then she was taken away on a stretcher. 

Update: 12:54 p.m. Nyad is now less than two miles from shore. Her team is clapping and cheering for her as she makes her last charge towards land. ABC News has a livestream documenting the final leg of her journey. 

Original: Here's your feel-good Labor story. Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad has roughly five miles to go before she finally completes the record-breaking marathon swim from Cuba to Key West, Florida that has eluded her for over 35 years. 

This is the closest Nyad, 64, has ever come to completing the feat in her five attempts. It's been her goal since 1978 to become the first person to ever complete the journey without the aid of a shark cage. Nyad tried to complete the over 100 mile swim for the first time at 28 years old. She couldn't do it, though, and it clearly haunted her. Nyad tried again in 2010, again in 2011, and twice in 2012, but each time she was forced to quit because of dehydration, exhaustion, or a sting from one of the massive, poisonous box jellyfish that populate the waters. Her last attempt was cut short about 50 miles from her destination because of terrible weather and life threatening jellyfish stings.

There are doctors travelling in one of the boats tracking Nyad's health, safety and progress who are concerned about her swollen lips and tongue. But, so far, they have chosen not to halt Nyad's quest to complete her dream. 

Barring any last minute set back, Nyad will likely finish her journey on Monday between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET. Her 35-person team is liveblogging her progress on her website. So far Nyad has swam 102 miles since she left Cuba's Marina Hemingway on August 31. In total her team estimates Nyad will swim over 110 miles.