U.S. Senator John Kerry signs an autograph for Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff member Bertie Bowman during Kerry’s confirmation hearing for Secretary of State. [Reuters/Gary Cameron]

Articles From Around the Web

The Force
By Jill Lepore
The New Yorker

Once a country that regarded a large standing army as a form of tyranny, the United State’s has now become one of the largest spenders on defense — and its military spending exceeds all of the nation’s in the world combined. When does a large military become “too much”?

Could Cyril Ramaphosa Be the Best Leader South Africa Has Not Yet Had?
By Bill Keller
New York Times Magazine

Once a powerful figure in the struggle against apartheid, Ramaphosa has become a promenant figure in the business community. Yet his election to Deputy President of the African National Congress has brought him back into politics, and “we may find out whether he is, as many South Africans have long believed, the best president South Africa has not yet had.”

The Egyptian Revolution Through Mubarak’s Eyes
By Dan Kenner
Foreign Policy

Two years after the January 25th protests in Egypt, some of Mubarak’s closest confidants are going public about the discussions within the upper echelons of the Egyptian government after initial the outbreak of protests. By all accounts, he seems to have been more of a passive figure.

The Danger in the Desert
The Economist

With the escalating war in Mali and the recent battle between the Algerian special forces and Islamic extremists, the specter of a “new jihadism” seems to be hanging over the continent. But is the fear of these jihadists bringing the mayhem to the West as well-founded as the danger to the African countries themselves?

The Mirage of the Arab Spring
By Seth G. Jones
Foreign Affairs

The Arab Spring — once perceived as a sign of hope and freedom — has yet to lead the Middle East to throw aside its authoritarian yolk. Instead leaping into an idealistic quagmire, the United States needs a policy to deal with the region as it is.