deeper-than-ethnic issues

NYT: US "contemplates" Special Forces, CIA operations in Pakistan. my money's on operations already ongoing. "...at the White House and the Pentagon, officials see an opportunity in the changing power structure for the Americans to advocate for the expanded authority in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country." further in the article it confirms that 50 soldiers (about 5 special forces squadrons) are already there, and that the CIA wants official permission to call in strikes.

NYT: US keeps prison in Afghanistan open, growing, despite deplorable conditions

NYT: ongoing strife in Kenya: Kikuyus are targeted, displaced from western part of country.
"...Kenya has struggled with ethnic violence before. Its rare bursts usually come around election time.

'You have to understand that these issues are much deeper than ethnic,' said Maina Kiai, chairman of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

'They are political,' he said, and 'they go back to land.'"

Reuters: leaders contemplate what to do

LAT: the Burmese junta helped opposition leaders strengthen their networks by jailing them, reducing mistrust among them

BBC: the FARC don't have a 3-year-old hostage they offered to release to Chávez; speculation on what this means for the state of the armed group

NYT: public and private infrastructure investment -- in New Haven

Reuters: (Hillary) Clinton assesses likelihood that Putin has a soul.

ESPN: go bucks!