Linkage

Here are some links to stories around the world. Cross-posted at Instapundit.

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES of the Middle East. Also starring Hillary Clinton and Ri Sol Ju of North Korea.

QADDAFI'S SON KILLED in Libya fighting.

SYRIA'S BASHAR AL-ASSAD BANS GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS: “The law is meant ‘to preserve the health of human beings, animals, vegetables and the environment.’” He used to do a good job mimicking the prejudices of silly Westerners and saying exactly what they wanted to hear, but no one’s buying this crap anymore.

JONATHAN FREEDLAND AT THE GUARDIAN: “When Israelis kill Arabs there is outrage. But Assad's brutal campaign has cost 30,000 lives and there've been no protests.”

EGYPTIAN MOB VIOLENCE: Yet another Western woman—Sonia Dridi, a journalist for France 24 TV—was seized and assaulted by a mob in Cairo. Fortunately she wasn’t harmed as badly as Lara Logan was last year. She credits someone named Ashraf Khalil, whom I presume is her fixer, for getting her out of there.

ISRAELIS AND LEBANESE are both angry—for very different reasons—that an episode of Showtime’s Homeland that took place in Beirut was filmed in Israel.

A MASSIVE CAR BOMB just exploded in Beirut near an anti-Hezbollah organization’s office. Lebanese police say the head of police intelligence was the target.

FRANCE IS GEARING UP to intervene in Mali to oust the Al Qaeda controlled “government” in the north. The defense minister says the intervention will begin “in a matter of weeks.”

JACKSON DIEHL on the coming collapse: Authoritarians in China and Russia Face an Endgame.

WE KNEW THAT ALREADY: Pakistan’s president admits his country created terrorist organizations.

THE FOREIGN POLICY INITIATIVE published a report on the foreign policy of independent voters. Among its findings:

Nearly 60 percent believe the United States is headed down the wrong track

Roughly 57 percent favor preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons even if that means taking U.S. military action against Tehran — placing independents between Democrats (49 percent) and Republicans (79 percent)

Around 65 percent feel the United States should work with its allies to establish a no-fly zone in Syria

72 percent have a favorable view of Israel

Roughly 87 percent believe America is a force for good in the world and more than 90 percent say it is important for the United States to play a significant role in world affairs