Where George W. Was Right

Fareed Zakaria – The Washington Post

Yemen’s descent into chaos — with jihadist groups jumping in to fill the vacuum of authority — has startled many observers. Just months ago, the White House was touting the country as a model for its anti-terrorism campaign. But Yemen’s trajectory should not surprise anyone. It follows a familiar pattern in the Arab world, one that we are likely to see again — possibly in larger and more significant countries like Egypt … This is the pattern that has produced terrorism in the Arab world. Repressive, secular regimes — backed by the West — become illegitimate. Over time they become more repressive to survive and the opposition becomes more extreme and violent. The space for compromise, pluralism and democracy vanishes … because Washington supports the dictator, their goals become increasingly anti-American.

A Wider War in Yemen

Intel Brief from The Soufan Group

A second day of airstrikes by the quickly-cobbled together anti-Houthi coalition of Arab countries might blunt the rebels’ momentum but it also might turn what is essentially a Yemeni crisis into a regional sectarian fight that will defy efforts to contain it … The sticking point is that there are legitimate concerns by Gulf countries regarding Iranian expansion that shouldn’t be dismissed even if they might be inflated to a degree that empowers extremists. Saudi Arabia should be concerned with what happens on its southern border, even if it gives Iran more credit and blame for Yemen’s implosion than it deserves. Corruption and terrible governance are more powerful drivers of Yemen’s crisis than any Iranian commanders. Yet the tendency to view all local crises as regional sectarian chess moves means that possible solutions by definition must also be sectarian in nature—unleashing the sectarian genie that can’t be put back in the bottle.

Inside a Pilot’s Mind

Andrew B. McGee – The New York Times 

I worked as a pilot for about 10 years before going back to school to become an architect. There are a few oddballs I can remember flying with, but mostly we’re just talking quirks and eccentricities. Never did I fear a colleague intended to kill himself, or everyone onboard … I never met with a psychologist, and I had to take only one written psychiatric evaluation in my career. It asked questions like “Do you ever feel angry?” By coincidence, I took the exam right after watching on TV the second plane fly into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. I passed and got the job … Perhaps, though, it’s time to take a more searching interest in the minds of those to whom we entrust our safety when we fly.

Germanwings Crash: There Is No Defense Against Pilot Malice

Peter Garrison – The Los Angeles Times

While computers can protect us against pilot error, they cannot defend us against pilot malice. No algorithm, no existing technology, can stop a pilot bent on killing himself, with a plane full of people as collateral damage … As airline engines, avionics and airframes become more and more reliable, pilots continue to be the cause of most accidents — although human error finds fewer opportunities in the increasingly automated skies. From shortly after takeoff to shortly before touchdown, airplanes fly themselves while pilots talk with controllers and one another and punch data into flight management systems.