What's actually happening in Darfur

Stephanie McCrummen has done some amazing reporting in Africa, and here she is in Darfur, for the Washington Post.

Most reporters have been unable to get there.

Incredible stuff, too bad that more isn't being done.

Military service as service

Obama apparently spoke a lot about service during his commencement address at Wesleyan. He spoke about his own work in the south side of Chicago, which most people have heard about a few times. He gave examples of types of service that the graduates could do: Peace Corps, "renewable energy," education, poverty, etc.

Bill Kristol notes an omission.

Obama failed to discuss military service at all during the speech.

That's a substantial shortcoming not only on his part, but on the part of his advisers, speech writers, and whoever else might have looked at the speech.

One more reason Obama would benefit from being closer to Jim Webb.

Plan for Africom - US forces in Africa - fizzles

A few years ago, the hot new front on the war on terrorism was going to be Africa. Turns out Africa doesn't want to play host, and U.S. NGOs don't want to work hand-in-hand with U.S. troops. And the State Department couldn't recruit enough folks, either. Washington Post has the story.

The plan was never to build large bases in Africa, U.S. leaders are saying now, but apparently even plans small troop numbers have raised a concern among states there. (There are a few thousand troops in Djibouti.) It was supposed to be "smart power" - that mix of hard and soft power. But it seems that only soft power is being accepted. Aid to states on the continent, and NGOs who work there, has increased.

One reason African states aren't excited about the plan (aside from, um, colonial history), is a perceived insensitivity toward Islam. More specifically:

The United States "equates terrorism with Islam," senior Kenyan diplomat Bethuel Kiplagat said...

Of course that is not true. But right-wing bloggers who go ape over Rachael Ray in a black-and-white (paisley) scarf are not helping our reputation.