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Bob Schieffer of CBS's "Face the Nation," the moderator of the last U.S. presidential debate is a journalist of the stature of Walter Cronkite. With years of experience, and covering issues under many presidents, he says moderators are like umpires. He has declined interviews and kept as low a profile as possible. Cindy Crowley of CNN, the moderator of the second debate, came under criticism after her comment about whether Obama had called the attack in Benghazi, Libya, a terrorist attack.

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Kagan argues that the U.S should hold Iraq responsible for continuing free elections and democratic process after the American withdrawal, and efforts to prevent sectarian strife and promote reconciliation between the different religious groups and factions. He cites Iraq's lack of aircraft to maintain air sovereignty, and the challenges facing Iraq in preventing use of its territory by terrorist groups and countering Iranian influence. Similiar concerns are expressed by Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, deputy commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.

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France goes to the polls on April 10. Marie Le Pen is shrinking Mr. Macron's lead in the polls. Most of the other candidates other than Mr. Melenchon show less than 10% support from voters including Valerie Pecresse of the Republicans who have failed to arouse much enthusiasm The Republicans and the Socialist party of Mr. Mitterand and Mr. Hollande were defeated in the last presidential election by Mr. Macron. Today the choice is between Le Pen with her inexperience and her policies skeptical of the European Union and Mr. Macron who is more experienced but lacking an effective social policy in addressing the social problems in France raised by the yellow vist protesters. Immigration is an issue in this campaign and Mr. Macron has taken a tougher stand on immigration and cultural issues following several terrorist incidents. There is a general lack of enthusiasm with 25% of the voters not expected to vote, many of them 25-34 years old. With 37% of the voters not decided which way they will vote and some votes cast even if the candidate selected was seen as having some drawbacks, the elections in France are a vivid contrast to the recent election in Germany with the Greens and Social Democrats ending the CDU's four terms leading the government under Merkel. Mr. Macron only campaigned in the last 8 days before the election.   ...

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Muhammad Azhar Ali, factory manager for National Foods plant near Karanchi, Pakistan, describes what it is like running a manufacturing operation in Pakistan. National Foods is the largest manufacturer of pickles and other spice products in Pakistan. A big problem is the lack of security and terrorism. This remains a constant cause of anxiety for business people in Pakistan. Its like being in a war zone says the National Foods chairman Abdul Majeed. Another major problem is lack of reliable electricity supplies. Supply of electricity is only one third of national demand in Pakistan. Larger companies such as Lucky Cement generate their own electricity, with Lucky Cement producing 150 megawatts from its plants. Smaller companies like National Foods rely on diesel generators. To conserve electricity many factory, floor office and bathroom lights are turned off. For workers the lack of electric supplies and high inflation affect lives in many ways. National Foods has a weighing department and assesses workers picked up from many parts of Karanchi to see if they are fit for work or are unduly stressed from poor living conditions. This is a side of Pakistani life that is rarely touched on-the daily lives of workers and managers. Ali works harder than other production managers in other countries because of the power shortages and lack of security. He would like to devote time to increase productivity and be more like other production managers. The war with the Taliban has cost Pakistan $68 billion in destroyed infrastructure, security costs, lost foreign investment according to one estimate. ...

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This editorial in the Wall Street Journal says the U.S. presidential election in 2016 now looks like a referendum on safety after the Paris attacks. Rand Paul's chances are seen as nill because his policies, says the Journal, most resemble U.S. president Obama's. Hillary Clinton's comments about the need to defeat not just contain terrorism are seen as distancing herself from Mr. Obama, but the situation in Libya is seen as happening under her watch. The WSJ editorial lists a long list of the situations it has warned against in 2012-2015 since the Arab Spring led to the current situation in Syria, Iraq and Libya, the millions of refugees in camps in Jordan and Turkey, and the refugee movement to Europe.

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Douglas Feith was Under Secretary of Defense for policymaking between 2001 and 2005. He cochaired the U.S.-India Defense Policy Group (DPG) with Jaswant Singh opened his first DPG meeting in December 2001. He talks about the need to bolster the one area in which the Bush administration fell way short which is to combat terrorism with ideas and communicating anew bold vision and view of the world that using key channels of expresssing ideas in the developing world and having measures to track progress year after year. He also talks about the need to partner with India and the importance of democratic ideals and ideas and a country like India which has established a long track record of peaceful democratic government.

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Lashkar aPakistan terrorist group which recruits members has 150,000 members in Pakistan and is drawing increasing support, has connections to Pakistan's Intelligence Agency ISI at different levels on a clandestine level, and is capable of another attack. The ISI leadership for its part has not abandoned its goal for freeing Kashmir but simply shelved it for now. Says the Times report by Lyddia Polgreen and Souad Mekhennet, with interviews and classified information from ISI officials and operatives, the capabilities of Lashkar are intact, only "a thin distance" separates the Lashkar from the ISI bridged by military and former intelligence service members, and another attack is possible. The cooperation between the the Indian and Pakistani intelligence and police even now is zero according to this report. This has grim consequences for the American troops in the Afghanistan region and the Pakistan troops fighting the war in the border regions, and for economic development in South Asia. For the first time the consequences of past failed policies in the region are threatening the vital interests of the American and South Asian people, as wars and conflict now seriously threaten much needed infrastructure and economic development in South Asia and economic renewal in North America. And serious solutions and problem solving is sorely needed on the North American side and the South Asian side. The vital interests and future of about 400 million people in North America and 1400 million people in South Asia would otherwise be held hostage to the volatile emotions of 8 million people in Pakistani and Indian parts of Kashmir, in a remote region of the world. ...

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Britain's prime minister, David Cameron, criticized multiculturalism in Britain because it has created segregated communities and encouraged Islamic terrorism. He also disapproved of the "hands-off tolerance" in Britain and other European countries that encouraged Muslims and other immigrant groups "to live separate lives, apart from each other and the mainstream." Speaking at asecurity conference in Munich with Angela Merkel at his side, Cameron stressed the importance of moving away from policies Britain and other European countries have pursued since the 1960's. He called for " a lot less of the passive tolerace of recent years and much more active muscular liberalism." He also called for a end to the double standard where European governments tolerated the spread of radical views amog nonwhite groups that they would never have accepted in radical groups among whites.

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As Germany looks back at the mistakes of the past in failing to get immigrants to integrate and letting ethnic communities form that failed both in terms of jobs and language/culture skills needed to become full citizens, it is now taking a fresh approach to the task of integrating about 1 million new immigrants. For the first time the government is putting this approach into legislation that is sure to pass, offering new incentives, requiring immigrants to look for work and to take jobs in smaller towns and communities. It offers new opportunities and at the same time takes away benefits if this is not done. Chancellor Merkel calls this "a milestone," and said about this legislation- " We are a country that makes a good offer to those who come to us, to those who are fleeing war, persecution, terrorism. But we are also saying very clearly- because we have learned from the past  when we did not provide these integration opportunities- that we're also expecting people to accept this offer." The lessons were learned after large immigration from Turkey in the 1960's and 1970's with ethnic communities being formed that never integrated with the rest of German society. The new law requires refugees to stay in municipalities where they are first assigned when arriving in Germany unless they have a job offer elsewhere. The government plans to subsidize creation of 100,000 new jobs across Germany, in work such as maintaining public parks, helping elderly, an alternative says Labor Minister Andrea Nahles "to doing nothing." The law also makes it easier for private employers to hire people in towns across Germany. The new German approach is for a two way handshake, and to take a pioneering approach. ...

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In this interview just before Mario Draghi of the ECB announced a 1 trillion euro program of monetary easing in the eurozone, Renzi calls on European leaders to carefully balance austerity with growth efforts. He says flexibility is essential and a part of the history of Europe. Now is the time to change direction, to invest in growth, says Renzi. On calls to change the Schengen Agreement which removed border controls among some European countries, Renzi says this is not needed after the terrorist attacks in France, pointing out that the terrorists in the attack had lived in France for many years.

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Even with the best US effort heroin production increased to 9000 tons in Afghanistan says this report in The Economic Times. Indian coast guard and Gujarat anti-terrorist squad size large amounts of heroin at Mundra port and along the Porbandar coast.  Afghanistan has a 2000 kilometer border with Iran and another 2000 kilometer border with Pakistan. There is now increased risk of this activity along India and Sri Lanka's coastlines and borders, says the Economic Times. Much of the colonial period was marked by British traders use of opium from Bengal and other parts of India in illegal activities in China through Chinese ports for sale of opium -leading to the Opium wars in 1850 with China's feudal monarchy and eventually to China turning to the CCP. This was conducted under the British East India Company and condoned under the British Empire- making it one of the worst activities of colonial powers in history. Some of the same activities are being conducted and condoned by countries in the region. A multinational allied task force Combined Force 150 keeps track of the oceans in the North Arabian Sea and in the Horn of Africa. More naval forces are needed from India, the US, UK, Australia, Japan and other countries to keep the oceans safe and clear, and protect people in the region. ...

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The Syrian war started with Arab Spring in 2011 and a popular uprising against the rule by a Alawite minority that came to power in a coup staged by the elder Assad in 1970, says this report on the civil war in Syria. The war dragged out over a decade with the northwest in the control of Kurds, and groups backed by Turkey. Groups backed by Turkey which want to restore Syria to its national origins before the current regime took Homs, Aleppo and Damascus in a week as Iran and Russia withdrew from the country following the war in Ukraine and the Israel conflict with Iran. The US has only a small presence in the country to protect against terrorist groups. One of the effects of the conflict is the flow of migrants to Europe through Hungary into Austria and into Germany during the Merkel years. The opposition to migration that led to the CDU's decline in popularity and to Brexit in Britain started with this flow of migration from North Africa and the Middle East conflicts emerging out of the Arab Spring. In Britain the migration was also from Poland and countries in Eastern Europe.  This led to Reform UK and the Brexit referendum. In the US it led to the Border becoming a major issue in 2016 with migrant surge from Mexico in the last years of Obama's second term.  The collapse of the Venezuelan economy, economic troubles in central America led to another surge in migration in 2021-2023 from these countries making the Border a major issue in the US in 2024, and giving DJT a second term in office in 2025.   ...

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Both sides, Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Israel, are more entrenched in their positions after the rocket attacks on Israeli cities and the airstrikes by Israel. There is even less prospect for peace talks now than before. And Israel is focussed on Iran with the government of Benjamin Netanyahu seeing support for its position strengthened within Israel. The Obama administration becomes dependent on the goodwill of Egypt's new government of Mohammed Morsi as the sole broker for peace in the Middle East. During the Gaza conflict the Turkish president Erdogan called Israel a terrorist state bringing Israel's relations with Turkey to a new low.

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Nossiter of the NYT describes the growing popularity of Nicolas Sarkozy in France as he tries to regain the presidency. Sarkozy's book, which has placed the importance of preserving France's identity as the main question in the upcoming general election, has climbed to the top of a popular best seller list. With weakness on the right in local elections, Mayor Juppe of Bordeaux and Francois Hollande appearing content with the status quo, Sarkozy hopes to gain the support of voters dissatisfied with the way France is tackling terrorism and its sense of identity as a predominantly Catholic and Christian country. France's political scene which makes it harder for outsiders to break into politics is likely to help Sarkozy, says Nossiter. The other factor is the campaigning style of Sarkozy and projection of strong leadership- which may be more attuned to the present voter sentiment shaken by terrorism than it was in the last election when he was seen as arrogant and self-centred. Sarkozy also lost the last election because of the economy, something that has not improved under Hollande, more likely because the economy takes many years to change to a pattern of growth following a crisis and beyond the control of any particular party. ...

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The Economist describes efforts in the European Union countries to come up with a common approach to the problem of integrating migrants into the European Union. There is the problem of migrants from English, French or Italian speaking regions in North Africa or the Middle East preferring to immigrate to countries where knowledge of the language makes integration easier. Germany has come up with an approach to integrate migrants that is the largest and furthest ahead in the EU. Finland has a program to integrate migrants from Somalia. The Economist points out the need in the EU as society ages, for young people from outside to fill the need for workers to support a larger numer of pensioners. For this to happen governments in Europe have to manage this carefully, so that fears of terrorism and political backlash in society against immigrants can be overcome.

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Compared to the situation in North Africa in 2016 with emigration to Europe and the migrant crisis happening without any preparation to prevent it in 2015-2016, Germany and France are acting in coordination with Russia and Turkey, Saudis, UAE, to provide stability to the region. Angela Merkel will host leaders Macron, U.S. Secretary of State  Pompeo, and representatives of foreign powers in Berlin to work out a deal for disengagement of foreign powers. Turkey and the United Nations support a government of National Accord in Tripoli which controls the west of Libya, and a Libyan-American Mr. Haftar has a militia that controls the south and east with the help of Egypt, UAE, and Russia. Earlier the U.S. under president Trump had distanced itself from the region, but Mr. Trump and his advisors now see the need to engage in the region to ensure stability, and support the Europeans in the effort to prevent the large scale emigration that threatens European unity. Europe following the 2015 Merkel migrant crisis is acting with the policy of heading off both wars, terrorism and economic dislocation that fuels emigration right at the points of origin, before it even starts. This shows that the French after action in Ivory Coast and Mali and the Germans with aid to Africa are remaining involved in development and stability programs in Africa, lessons learned from 2015. The goal of the Berlin meetings is to arrange high level agreement for foreign powers to withdraw from destabilizing the Arab regions in North Africa particularly Libya by supplying weapons and support to quarreling factions. ...

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This editorial opinion in Economist magazine says the dangers of cutural illiberalism are very real as the candidacy of Donald Trump and the National Front's popularity in France's 2016 first round of regional elections have shown. This is the result of increasing economic anxieties of the white working class in America, and the working class in Europe. Only by increasing economic growth, and improving the economic prospects for broad sections of society can this be addressed, says Economist magazine. It says also needed is a robust foreign policy to address the terrorist threats as the Obama foreign policy lacks credibility with the public, giving rise to anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. and Europe.

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James McCauley of the Washington Post looks at the drop in popularity of Emmanuel Macron by August 2017. After winning the election with 66% of the vote Macron appears to have stumbled. Experts attribute the decline to the way he has handled relations with the media by reducing contact, and appearing aloof. He handled the decision to continue with defense cuts for 2017 of $1 billion poorly by avoiding discussion and appearing undiplomatic in his response to the military. Military officials opposed the move, and openly discussed it in the news media, saying the cuts left France less prepared for its global responsibilities and for domestic terrorism. Other problems included the inexperience of newly elected members of parliament during the first session of parliament, leading to administrative chaos.

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Fox News leads in total viewers in 2015 with an average of 1.8 million viewers in prime time. It also leads in the 25-54 year demographic. By comparison CNN had average of 490,000 viewers, MSNBC had average of 352,000 viewers. A major problem for cable news channels is an aging demographic. The median age for most channels is over 60 years, for CNN 61, for MSNBC 63 and Fox News even older at 67 years of age. In the the crucial 25-54 year old demographic FOx News does poorly with 207,000 total day viewers, CNN does badly with 149,000 and MSNBC at 89,000, posing some serious questions for all the cable news channels in the U.S. Among news shows "O'Reilly Factor" with 2.8 million viewers was first, followed by "The Kelly File" by Megyn Kelly. News stories about Pope Francis, terrorism in France and in the U.S., provided added momentum to news channels in 2015.

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As many as 2 million votes in the 2014 Afghanistan elections are called into question. This is 2 million out of a total of 8 million. In the last election it is estimated 1.3 million fradulent votes were made for Hamid Karzai. This time it is said security officials, government officials and others worked together to get as many as 2 million votes for Asraf Ghani, who Karzai supports. This is happening even as the Taliban are increasing attacks in the country and the Americans are withdrawing. It shows that instead of a withdrawal that the Obama administration promised their appears to be a situation that is no different from that of the Bush administration, where American lives were lost and sacrifices made without even the most basic results- no assurance that if the government collapses from strains within and outside, Taliban and terrorism could not happen again as is hapening in Iraq.