- Obama says al Qaeda is on its way down, but Anthony Bergin says violent Islamism is not defeated.
- A former Australian ambassador to Myanmar reviews the reform process.
- Would Obamacare have saved Breaking Bad's Walter White from a life of crime? (WARNING: Contains spoilers.)
- Growth in world trade is responsible for a surprisingly small portion of the overall rise in global GDP.
- Two US generals relieved for military incompetence in Afghanistan, the first such action since 1971.
- Both the US and China are committed to pre-emptive military strategies in the Pacific, which is bad for stability.
- The Lebanese armed forces take control of a key Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, but only because Hezbollah wants it to. (Thanks Marty.)
- In the wake of Abbott's Indonesia trip, don't forgot that the Lowy Institute has seven years of annual polling data on Australian attitudes to Indonesia which you can view and compare in our new polling interactive.
- Hope soap: how one NGO is improving hygiene among South African kids (h/t 22 Words):
[youtube:mwjXY001nM8#t=112]