Juan Cole (Informed Comment) is one of the most knowledgable people writing on the Middle East. He is always able to put events into context and he stands out from the groupthink that is so prevalent in published viewpoints of mainstream "experts." In this case, Pakistani President Zardari turns over control of the nuclear arsenal to his prime minister. Cole puts this into the context of Pakistan's Supreme Court, which has increased its influence when its chief justice was reinstalled, thanks to popular protest and pressure.

Juan stays on top of events in the Middle East and South West Asia. This piece is pretty straight forward, and preempts any hystrionic spin on the issue. This is a long time problem. I'm happy to hear that Nawaz Sharif prefers leaving Zardarai in power to another coup. It makes me hopeful that he is willing to abide by the election results instead of trying to manipulatie the situation in his favor.