Global Briefing May 4, 2011: Friends, Foes and Final Frontiers

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Friends or Foes — The fact that Pakistani officials weren’t informed of the U.S. operation carried out on their soil, is the strongest sign yet that Washington no longer trusts its ally, writes Omar Waraich from Islamabad; In the Telegraph, Praveen Swami says Pakistan “conned” the West on Bin Laden.

Asian Implications — In the Jakarta Post, Sidney Jones, an advisor to the International Crisis Groups, assesses what the Bin Laden killings might mean for Indonesia; TIMEs Hannah Beech notes that an Indonesian terrorist, Umar Patek  was picked up in Abbottabad in January.

New Enemies — For ten years, Osama bin Laden filled the gap left by the Soviet Union, writes Adam Curtis in the Guardian. In our “Manichean fantasy,” he was the baddie — but who will be next?

Drone Wars — Frontline previews their flim ‘Fighting from Afar,’ about American troops piloting drones from bases inside the United States. Chilling, fascinating stuff.

Revolving Doors — Desi Bouterse, a former military ruler who is still on trial for official killings in the 1980s, is once again Suriname’s leader, reports the New York Times.

Ad Men —The Economist asks what advertising can tell us about Nigeria. Some of their findings are obvious (“Beer ads tend to be macho”), others are quite interesting.

Final Frontiers— Austin Ramzy visits Space City, the Beijing center that houses the country’s space program. See TIME’s photo survey of the world’s most competitive space programs.

In Pictures — Light Box features James Nachtwey’s series, ‘The Lost Souls of Kabul,’ portraits of heroine users in Afghanistan.