The FT has a piece on the growing tensions within the Republican tent over Iraq.

If we quit now, said Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, in a speech at Princeton University last month, we will embolden every enemy of liberty and democracy across the Middle East. We will destroy any chance that the people of this region have of building a future of hope and opportunity. And we will make America more vulnerable.

She is right. This was always the risk, that the objectives were unrealistic and that the US would come out weakened, but it seems that at the time few were willing to listen.

Kanan Makiya, an outspoken proponent of the war who is documenting the horrors of the Saddam regime in his Iraq Memory Foundation, opened the AEI meeting by admitting to many dashed dreams.

He said he and other opposition figures had seriously underestimated the powers of ethnic and sectarian self-interest, as well as the survivability of the constantly morphing and flexible Ba’ath party. He also blamed the Bush administration for poor planning and committing too few troops.

Well this seems to be another example of what at times rather than shouting it may be better from time to time to listen to what your opponents are actually saying. If you strip out the WMD argument, concern about “ethnic and sectarian self-interest” and the impact of this on any subsequent political process was always the major preoccupation of those who had doubts.

In Brazilian football this seems to be the case, quite literally!

For all that they say about detesting corruption in public life, most ordinary Brazilians do not see it as something with a direct impact on their own lives. But one scandal has caused personal offence to millions.

“I was knocked sideways,” says Catarina Pedroso, an 18-year-old psychology student and dedicated follower of Palmeiras, one of the big São Paulo football clubs. “At matches everyone shouts out juiz ladrão [“referee, you’re a thief”] but you don’t expect it actually to be true.”

China is getting worried about the impact of the internet on one of its national passtimes:

China on Tuesday introduced an ?anti-online game addiction system? intended to protect players from the mental and physical perils of spending too much time in front of computers.

The system, which will encourage players to play less by cutting the benefits they gain in online games, is to be implemented by local internet companies that have signed a code of conduct drawn up by China’s press and publications administration.

Well actually it’s called ?Treasure Hunting Ship;? in Chinese, the CNOOC bid for Unocal. Read some intersting discussion and analysis here.

“People are concerned. They would rather it was happening on an aircraft carrier stuck in the middle of the Atlantic than in Auchterarder”

Peter Everett, Chairman of the Community Council, Auchterarder, Scotland on the up-coming G8 meet.

“The rapid rise of China as a trading economy is unprecedented, but inevitable due to its size.”
Morgan Stanley Economist Andy Xie.

The situation in Bolivia seems to get more complicated by the day.

“Thousands streamed into the Bolivian capital, La Paz, on Tuesday as Indian protests against the ruling elite gained force even after President Carlos Mesa offered his resignation.

Demanding that the government expropriate foreign energy installations and call new elections, miners in hard hats and indigenous women in derby hats and colorful, multi-layer skirts marched into La Paz in a show of force punctuated by blasts of dynamite that demonstrated the depth of the crisis buffeting the government. ”

Publius Pundit is covering the blogging side. Eduardo Alvarez is giving a good running commentary, Miguel Centellas worries about his mum and other issues from the comparative safety of the United States, and Nick Buxton has photos and good narrative description of the anecdotal details. And a good reflective analysis of what is going on comes from Miguel Buitrago at Mabb.

Update. This seems to be a fairly good summary of where things stand late afternoon CET.

“Taiwan wants to do high-volume mass production…….Once you want to go to high volume, you have to go China. Once you go China, you have to kill other competitors to become even bigger.”
Mason Su, Iwill General Manager
Iwill manufactures the most powerful small computer in the world.

I remember it was not so long ago that people imagined China was so, so far away. Now this kind of news is almost daily.

“Media and publishing group Bertelsmann on Tuesday announced the first big Sino-foreign wholesale book distribution business in China, as overseas investors seek new ways to get access to the country’s book-sales market.

Bertelsmann’s DirectGroup said it had set up a joint venture with Liaoning Publishing Group worth Rmb30m ($3.6m), with the Chinese group controlling 51 per cent“.