Getting Out of Hand

MSNBC is currently reporting on their mobile site (no link, sorry) that eastern Libya has effectively broken away, and a civil war seems a distinct possibility. The regime in Tripoli appears to be using tanks and aircraft indiscriminately against civilians.

Nick Kristoff mentioned in one of his tweets on the weekend that there is a U.N. sanctioned "right to protect" that would allow for member intervention in situations such as this. But of course Egypt, the regional military hegemon, is enmeshed in troubles of its own, and anyone who thinks that western nations will do anything productive is dreaming. Unless, of course, oil truly does become a factor.

A Recipe for Despair

From Paul Krugman's blog, a disheartening picture of the world facing our brightest and most ambitious young people:

Here’s the question: of college graduates with a bachelor’s degree who aren’t enrolled in further schooling, how many have full-time jobs?

In December 2007, on the eve of recession, the answer was 90 percent

By December 2009, it was down to 72 percent

As of December 2010, it had recovered only slightly, to 74 percent

To me, that’s a tale of young lives blighted, not just in the short run but perhaps permanently: failing to get a job when you get out of school colors your whole career. And it’s still happening.

This is a society eating its young.

Might this be something truly new?

While I am not a fan of Tom Friedman style breathless hyperbole, his appearance on Charlie Rose yesterday suggests at least the possibility that what is happening in Egypt is truly historical, not just for Egypt but for the Arab middle east.

It appears that the crazies have been shut out of this revolution -- this is middle class, secular and democratic. Even those photogenic thugs, the Hashemites, are terrified. Bashar Assad must be crapping his pants. Maybe the real estate market in Dubai will recover when all of these odious creeps are looking for a new and safe address.

We can hope