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SOUTHCOM Week in Review Ending 3 Nov 09

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AA: Indian political awakening stirs Latin America 11/01/09

AA: Latin American leaders move to extend their rule 11/02/09

AA: Presidents of Chile, Argentina Inaugurate Santiago Book Fair 10/31/09

AA: Weapons sales are on the rise in Latin America 11/02/09

BR: Amazon Indians find Brazil plane crash survivors 11/30/09

BR: The Time Has Come to End Lula's Monarchy in Brazil 11/01/09

CL: CHILE: UNITED NATIONS INVESTIGATES MAPUCHE, POLICE VIOLENCE 11/02/09

CO: Colombia says US-Colombia military deal not to harm any nation 10/30/09

EC: Ecuador Concerned Over Spying Ahead of Talks with Colombia 10/31/09

JM: Tell us why police chief resigned – JCC 11/03/09

PA: Panamanians Snub US Military Bases 10/31/09

Below the Fold: Instability, Special Operations, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

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Journal: New Ocean, Lost Aquifers

12 Water
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Giant Crack in Africa Will Create a New Ocean

A 35-mile rift in the desert of Ethiopia will likely become a new ocean eventually, researchers now confirm.

The crack, 20 feet wide in spots, opened in 2005 and some geologists believed then that it would spawn a new ocean. But that view was controversial, and the rift had not been well studied.

A new study involving an international team of scientists and reported in the journal Geophysical Research Letters finds the processes creating the rift are nearly identical to what goes on at the bottom of oceans, further indication a sea is in the region's future.

The same rift activity is slowly parting the Red Sea, too.

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Journal: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

05 Civil War, 08 Wild Cards
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Intelligence for the President--AND Everyone Else
Intelligence for the President--AND Everyone Else

A Long-Term Disaster for Obama and the US

The Delegitimization of Karzai
By PATRICK COCKBURN

The election in Afghanistan has turned into a disaster for all who promoted it. Hamid Karzai has been declared re-elected as president of the country for the next five years though his allies inside and outside Afghanistan know that he owes his success to open fraud. Instead of increasing his governmentā€™s legitimacy, the poll has further de-legitimized it.Ā  . . . . . . .

In Iraq, unlike Afghanistan, the government was democratically elected by a huge majority in 2005. There was a savage civil war because the fifth of the population, who are Sunni Arabs, did not accept that victory of four fifths who are Shia Arabs and Kurds. The Shia did not relish US occupation, but they were prepared to cooperate with it while they took power. Only the Kurds were long term US allies.

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Journal: Mother of All Bubbles to Burst

03 Economy
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Mother of all carry trades faces an inevitable bust

By Nouriel Roubini

Published: November 1 2009 18:44 | Last updated: November 1 2009 18:44

Since March there has been a massive rally in all sorts of risky assets ā€“ equities, oil, energy and commodity prices ā€“ a narrowing of high-yield and high-grade credit spreads, and an even bigger rally in emerging market asset classes (their stocks, bonds and currencies). At the same time, the dollar has weakened sharply , while government bond yields have gently increased but stayed low and stable.

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Journal: Impact Investing

03 Economy, 04 Indonesia, 08 Wild Cards, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Ethics
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The idea that for-profit investment can have positive social and environmental impact has been talked about for some time, and is increasingly being put to practice. This phenomenon of Impact Investing has the potential to complement philanthropy and government in addressing to some of the planet's most deeply entrenched challenges, including climate change, agricultural productivity, shelter, and health, among others. By tapping the global capital markets, impact investing can unlock financial resources to address these challenges at a scale that government and philanthropy cannot match.

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Search: Future of Humanity on Earth

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Righteous search.Ā Ā  Here's the short answer, see also all the six-star reviews.

1.Ā  Do not confuse humanity with life.Ā  Humanity may well wipe itself out, but life will continue.Ā  See for example

Review: The Resilient Earthā€“Science, Global Warming and the Future of Humanity

2.Ā  The primary obstacle to the future of humanity on earth is a combination of secrecy and idiocy.Ā  See for example:

Review: The Collapse of Complex Societies

The True Cost of Low Prices: The Violence of Globalization

Review: The Next Catastropheā€“Reducing Our Vulnerabilities to Natural, Industrial, and Terrorist Disasters

3.Ā  Resilience Thinking and Sustainable Design along with Biomimicry and Zero Waste are the heart of the matter.

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Journal: Weak Signal on Afghanistan

08 Wild Cards, 10 Security, Military
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Major General Mike Flynn, director of intelligence for General Stanley McChrystal's headquarters in Kabul, warned that the number of insurgents in Afghanistan (many of whom were from other countries) was now between 19,000 and 27,000, a ten-fold increase since 2004. ā€œI wouldn't say it's out of control right now,ā€ Flynn explained, ā€œbut this is a California wildfire and we're having to bring in firemen from New York.ā€