Mes: agosto 2019

(CBS News) LONDON – Russian President Vladimir Putin has asserted that “some people want to use militants from al Qaeda… to accomplish their goals in Syria.” In a loosely veiled dig at the U.S. support for Syria’s opposition, Putin argued, “in that case, one should unlock Guantanamo, arm all of its inmates and bring them to Syria to do the fighting.” Putin was playing directly to his home crowd in the interview aired Thursday on Russian television. More in After the Arab Spring Old-school Russians love it when their president talks tough – especially to their old Cold War enemy. To them, Putin’s “some people” was a clear reference to Washington, and his reference to Guantanamo and – by extension – the costly invasion of Iraq, was a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Russia’s President didn’t say it in so many words, but he implied that America, the West, and their allies in the Middle East are backing violent Islamic extremists in Syria to bring down Bashar Assad in a policy blunder that’s bound to fail. There is a grain of truth here. Some al Qaeda fighters, or at least some militants claiming to be al Qaeda, have joined the armed Syrian rebel groups on the ground, and at least some of those men would be eager to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state in Syria after Assad. Is al Qaeda fighting...

Here on the East Coast, most of us have little choice but to stay inside – and wait out the wrath of Irene. But elsewhere, you can go to the movies. David Edelstein has some recommendations … It has been a loud, 3-D summer at the multiplex, and while I’m perfectly receptive to the odd $150 million superhero picture, it wasn’t so odd this summer, it was the norm – and I’m ready for movies that aren’t in-your-face with a surcharge for the glasses. The comedy “Our Idiot Brother” won’t win any prizes, but its mellow vibe is a blessed relief. Paul Rudd plays Ned, a friendly, go-along-to-get-along screw-up of a brother to three high-strung sisters played by three appealing actresses: Emily Mortimer, 현금바둑이 Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel. Ned goes to prison after a cop in uniform approaches him to buy dope. Really! See for yourself: … No, stop the clip. It’s too painful. Anyway, when Ned gets out of jail he visits his sisters and messes up their lives by being too guilessly honest. He undermines their very foundations. This being a comedy, family ties strengthen rather than strangle. The uplift would be hard to buy if Rudd weren’t so lovable. I have no idea what he’s like in life, but I’d be stricken to hear he’s a jerk: It would be such an affront to the...