One former high-level intel official who worked on similar analytical issues said his definition included a conflict in which two or more factions claimed to be operating rival governments, with checkpoints established to separate the parties. A counterterror official who, like the former official, also asked for anonymity due to the sensitive subject, indicated the CIA definition was more “subtle,” and alluded to the existence of identifiable factions fighting the government and of “no-go” areas in which government forces had no sway. (In other words, the situation in Iraq is too chaotic to qualify as civil war, being as much a matter of thuggery as of a clear competition for political power.) But the official added that among intel agencies there are differing opinions over what constitutes civil war, and also about how to describe what is happening in Iraq.
Asked to comment, CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano told NEWSWEEK: “There is a range of analytic views within the agency and the intelligence community on violence in Iraq, and we are careful in our products to identify those differences. It’s not unusual for CIA to offer policymakers analytic frameworks–comparative case studies, indicators, definitions and more–to help them assess complex issues. In this case, the work is classified, so it would be inappropriate for me to get into specifics.”
Mark Hosenball
Japan’s Princess Kiko last week gave birth to the royal family’s first boy in 41 years.
The good news: According to a report by the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, the royal birth–in particular, the happiness it has brought the nation–may generate economic benefits of as much as $1.29 billion. “We can expect people to loosen their purse strings [thanks to the] festive mood,” says Toshihiro Nagahama, an economist with the Tokyo-based institute.
The bad news : The prince’s birth may suspend current debate on whether to revise traditional laws banning female monarchs. Sayonara, royal gender equality.
Akiko Kashiwagi
In ousting Tom Freston last week, Viacom mogul Sumner Redstone may have been driven by more than just lost faith in the longtime exec who successfully expanded cable’s MTV into a global juggernaut. At 83, the multibillionaire Redstone brags that his exercise regimen and health-nut diet will buy him at least a couple of more decades here on earth. Yet it was the hereafter that Redstone had in mind when he installed Philippe Dauman, 52, to succeed Freston, 60, as CEO. According to associates who wouldn’t dare talk on the record about what amounts to their boss’s estate planning, Redstone sees Dauman as his future surrogate. The mogul admits as much to NEWSWEEK. “Obviously, I want to put in place the most competent and the most committed person in the world, and that’s Philippe,” Redstone says. “I hope Philippe is there [as Viacom CEO] when I say goodbye.”
Dauman tells NEWSWEEK that he wants Viacom, which already has a strong base of youthful consumers and audiences, to attract Internet entrepreneurs willing to work together on innovations. It’s all about “how we interact more effectively as an entrepreneurial company to connect with the new ideas,” Dauman says. That’s the kind of brash young talk that the old man wants to hear.
Johnnie L. Roberts
This week the Holy See will hold its first official international congress on stem-cell research, an indication the Vatican isn’t shying away from the science or ethics of the controversial field. The meeting will focus on alternatives to embryonic-stem-cell research, including adult stem cells and umbilical-cord-blood cells. Two of the most vocal U.S. critics of embryonic research plan to speak–David Prentice of the Family Research Council and Richard Doerflinger of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Conference organizer Dr. Gian Luigi Gigli insists opponents of church doctrine will get air time, too. “We know already there are others who will present the opposite point of view,” he says.
The group hopes to produce a formal resolution on the best course for future therapies. Participants will also get the ultimate perk: a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI. But don’t expect any major shifts in the pope’s thinking, says Doerflinger: “The idea of a change in direction is pretty much a fantasy.”
Debra Rosenberg and Claudia Kalb
Reality Check
Hordes of “surplus” males could mean more global terrorism, a new report says. Abortion of female fetuses is one culprit. China’s and India’s gender ratios are down 80 million females. Some countries will have 12 to 15 percent more guys than gals 20 years from now. With fewer family prospects, throngs of single men could turn to violence, says the paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Carbs are up and protein is down. But don’t blame America’s expanding waistlines for the market change. Demand from cars, not people, is driving demand for the unhealthy things in life.
After a boom in 2004 and 2005, meat merchants are blaming underperforming stock and falling product prices on an oversaturated market.
Wrong: Protein peddlers are swallowing higher costs for energy and overhead, including the carbohydrates they use to fatten chickens, pigs and cattle. As protein prices have plummeted, carbs have enjoyed a bull run.
The change is due to dieting trends, moving away from meat-munching fads and back to carb-loading.
Wrong: The prices of corn and grains are rising because people are consuming more carbs to fuel their cars, not their bodies. Due to an energy boom, corn-based ethanol production rose 17 percent, to 4 billion gallons in 2005, more than double the 2001 total.
from Slate.com
New data shows that the world’s smoking habit is getting worse. Almost 1 billion men and 250 million women across the globe are daily smokers, causing fears of an epidemic.
1 billion: Estimated global tobacco deaths in the 21st century, up from 100 million last century
$10 billion: Cost of medical expenses in the United States due to secondhand smoke alone
1/3: Percentage of Chinese men younger than 30 who will die from smoking. Cigarettes kill half of all lifetime users.
$27 billion: Worldwide cost of fires caused by smoking
Weddings: You, Me & Poochy
Fido’s more than man’s best friend: increasingly, he’s the best man or a groomsman, too. Incorporating pets into wedding ceremonies has become this year’s hottest American wedding trend–and one that experts predict is unlikely to tail off. Mindy Weiss, a wedding planner in Beverly Hills, says 40 percent of her clients now include pets in their big day, up from just a handful three years ago. Dogs usually serve as ring bearers, though brides will sometimes carry lap dogs.
Pet boutiques and suppliers have responded to the boom with new formalwear ranging from pooch pearls and tiaras to leopard stoles and top hats. Alexis Creations, a pet-supply manufacturer in Texas, distributes popular canine tuxedos–$85 for Chihuahuas, $135 for Great Danes–and will introduce a red velvet suit this month. Experts advise couples to check guests for allergies and place someone in charge of the animal’s needs for the day. But newlyweds say the rewards outweigh the hassles. Heather Huntington, a recent bride in Chicago, designated Mr. Big, her 50-pound border collie, as ring bearer. “He cried while we recited our vows,” she says. Now that’s puppy love.
