Gerald Baker in the Financial Times (subscribers only) puts his finger on why following 24-hour rolling news can be so dissatisfying. “It is an unfortunate fact of modern journalism that the technology-enhanced pace of battlefield reporting has not been matched by an increased capacity or, indeed, incentive to make reasoned editorial judgments about the progress of war.”
“If you think it’s a little academic to ponder the fate of stateless nations while the war still rages around Baghdad, think again. The Kurdish question is the largest unexploded bomb in all Iraq. And its future will also be determined in the heat of battle over the next few days and weeks.” More essential thinking from Tim Garton Ash.