POTUS makes surprise nighttime Afghanistan trip

President Barack Obama paid his first visit to Afghanistan as president in the middle of the night Sunday. The trip was brief, six hours, and Mr. Obama was said to have sharply criticized President Hamid Karzai. The run-up to the visit was shrouded in secrecy, and for security reasons reporters were told Mr. Obama would be spending the weekend at Camp David. In addition to meting with Mr. Karzai, the president also visit American troops stationed there and held what the Times called a “boisterous pep rally.” The president said, via the press secretary, that the stated purpose of the trip was to “just say thank you for the incredible efforts of our US troops.”

For photos of the president’s plane ride, his meeting with Mr. Karzai, and the pep rally, see the official White House gallery here.

Find the Times’s comprehensive coverage of the event here.

U.S.-Russia Arms Control Treaty is Comprehensive, but not Without Critics

The New York Times reports that the U.S. and Russia have reached an agreement on arms control. So far, it looks like the treaty—which was months in the making and could represent a significant victory for President Obama—will cut both country’s missile stores by a quarter, and their launcher stores by half. The treaty will not prevent the U.S. from developing a missile shield (according to the preamble text at least), but it does allow for Russia to withdraw should it feel threatened by U.S. missile defense.

This could be a big win for Mr. Obama, who has made a very public push for global nuclear disarmament since taking office. But the Times notes that President George W. Bush reduced the missile counts more during his tenure, and that the treaty is limited. Foreign Policy Magazine has previously commented that appearances of good U.S.-Russian relations can be deceiving, as they were under Mr. Bush. The magazine cautioned that Mr. Obama may be reading too much into his rapport with Mr. Medvedev. Still, it will be hard to dismiss the appearances of improving relations so long as they yield results. Though there’s no doubt that, with 1,550 warheads each, both countries have a long way to go.

The treaty’s main hurdle now is senate Republicans who might try to block its passage.

Could Health Care Boost U.S. Foreign Policy Goals?

HuffPo looks at what passing health care will mean for the Obama administration’s international agenda. The takeaway: The momentum of a victory could lend a new dynamic to foreign policy discussions where the U.S. is looking for clout.

Foreign Policy speculates on how the coverage of international issues will be colored by the vote. Using the everyone-loves-a-winner theory, it predicts that the health care win will prompt pundits to credit Obama with everything from talking down Russia to preventing nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

Whether or not American health insurance reform will have an impact on Iran is unknowable, but U.S. foreign policy initiatives could probably use a little reflective glow.

The Tragedy in Chile, and the Takeaway

As more information about the Chilean quake comes to light, the growing consensus is that the damage is worse than originally predicted. Still, as was seen in Haiti, the devastation could have been much further reaching.

The Infrastructurist credits reinforced concrete columns, for the limited death toll. Anne Applebaum predicts an efficient recovery. And Matt Yglesias praises the role of government in times of crisis.

Less happily, The New York Times has reported on how rosier predictions about the quake’s aftermath may have been misplaced.