Articles on Canada’s exit from Afghanistan, the flotilla activists, the benefits of affordable health care, two books about the navy, why China will not rule the 21st century, the Wabisabi Times, how wars end, doubts about Chinese banks, the limits of American meritocracy, and Tom Flanagan clarifies the Clarity Act.

Au revoir. Thanks to David of London.

National Post – Farewell to Kandahar
Everyone says the heat in Kandahar feels like being in a sauna.

Christopher Hitchens aims at the activists. Thanks to David of London.

Slate – Boat People
The tale of the Gaza "flotilla" seems set to become a regular summer feature, bobbing along happily on the inside pages with an occasional update.

Does health coverage make people healthier? Yes. Thanks to David of London.

Slate – Does Health Coverage Make People Healthier?
The passage of last year's Affordable Care Act promised to bring health coverage to all Americans, including the country's poorest and least likely to be covered under the current system: Among the act's many provisions was a guarantee of Medicaid coverage for uninsured low-income adults.

Price of Oil

Quote worth noting.

"Oil is seldom found where it is most needed, and seldom most needed where it is found." - L. E. J. Brouwer

Following up on a recent post about China’s naval ambitions, our great friend David in Toronto recommends these two books.

New York Times -- The Rise of the British Empire From Its Navy's Point of View
In the mid-16th century, England was a minor player on the world stage.

 

New York Times – In Harm’s Way
By the early 19th century, dueling had been shunned and ridiculed by Enlightenment thinkers as a vestige of feudalism.

Fareed Zakaria’s opening at the Munk Debate about China and the 21st century. Thanks to David of Toronto.

Global Public Square – Why the 21st Century Will Not Belong to China
The following is an edited transcript of Fareed Zakaria’s opening and closing statements at the Munk Debate where he joined Henry Kissinger in arguing against the proposition: “The 21st Century will belong to China.”

Our friend in Tokyo Jeremy and his friends have just set up a site about life in Japan. (ed’s note – wabisabi not wasabi --  Wabisabi  - a Japanese word expressing an aesthetic based on the acceptance of transience which is central to traditional Japanese culture.

Wabisabi Times

Our friend John in Toronto’s summer reading suggestion, Gideon Rose’s How Wars End.

New York Times – Get Me Out of Here
A month before the invasion of Iraq, in the grim winter of 2003, officials in the Bush White House invited me and one of my colleagues to come discuss their plans for post-Saddam Iraq.

Doubts over Chinese banks. Thanks to Robert of Victoria.

Financial Times – Doubts Deepen over Chinese Banks
It is no secret that China has used its banks like credit cards to finance an infrastructure spending spree in recent years.

Related.

Contrarian Edge – The Chinese Black Swan
Party rulers in China are trapped in a position that chess players deeply fear — zugzwang — where any move made puts you at disadvantage. In China, the potential cost of both action and inaction is economic collapse.

An oldie but goodie. Thanks to Robert of Victoria.

youtube – World Collapse Explained in Three Minutes

Globalisation and the limits of American meritocracy.

Globalist – American’s Enduring Advantages
Meritocracy has long been one of the United States’ major competitive advantages.

Quote worth quoting.

“For America to continue to be a laboratory of creativity — to increase the odds it will invent the next Internet, Google, iPad or Twitter — it must first come to terms politically with the large minority of its citizens who are left behind by globalization, who have essentially failed meritocracy.“

Clarity please.

Globe and Mail – Clarifying the Clarity Act
Recent labour strife has turned public attention away from the stand of Jack Layton and the NDP toward the Clarity Act, specifically whether 50 per cent plus one in a referendum would constitute a “clear majority” for the separation of Quebec from Canada.

Quote worth quoting.

“I would agree with the NDP in accepting a bare majority of 50 per cent plus one, but only if there were a high turnout and if international observers certified the rules were fair and had been scrupulously followed.”