geopolitical thursdays.

stratfor is an austin-based foreign policy think tank whose analysis i started reading thanks to constance's grandfather. they are realist, pragmatic and non-partisan (even if a bit right-leaning.. the site is run by this guy), as proven in their impeccable coverage of the russia/georgia conflict.

here are two long-ish, but very informative looks at what foreign policy would look like under both obama (here) and mccain (here). he avoids more speculative (albeit important) factors like leadership capability, age, experience, intellect and temperament, and focuses more on history as an indicator, the reshaping global geopolitical landscape, and past statements from each candidate (as outlined in the intro here). very nuanced, complex stuff, and a nice change from soundbite and checklist politics.

anyway.. discuss away if anyone reads them.