U.S. and European allies attacked Col. Moammar Gadhafi's forces by air and sea throughout the weekend. The allies also instituted a no-fly zone over Libya, allowing rebel forces to strengthen their hold on the eastern city of Benghazi. But the long-term implications of American military intervention are unclear. Although the Obama administration has called for Gadhafi’s ouster, the U.N. Resolution that authorized intervention did not. And the U.S. is already fighting two wars. How long will the conflict in Libya last?

Ad Pakistan struggles to cope with a devastating flood, the U.S. has stepped in, delivering aid, boxes of biscuits and sacks of flour, and evacuating people from flooded areas by helicopter.  The U.S. has become the single biggest international donor to Pakistan during these troubles and their presence and aid has shifted Pakistani perceptions of America. However, this may not necessarily mean a consistently positive relationship on a political level.

China’s economy has been steadily growing over the past three decades, bypassing countries like Great Britian, Germany and France. And last night, the country took a major economic leap: China is now the world’s second largest economy, behind only the United States. The milestone was reached after Japan announced a slightly smaller second quarter value than China.

Pakistan's worst flooding in 80 years has killed hundreds and displaced what's estimated to be more than a million people. The United States has pledged $10 million in relief, in addition to providing helicopters and other critical supplies to Pakistan. But is this enough relief to matter?

This year marks 50 years of independence for 17 sub-Saharan African countries and, partly to honor this milestone, President Obama is hosting a three-day forum in Washington, D.C. with approximately 120 "young African leaders."  The event kicks off today and ends Thursday.

A congressional advisory panel has found that the Chinese government is ratcheting up its cyberspying operations against the United States. The report, due out today, documents specific examples of carefully orchestrated campaigns against corporate targets in the United States. Siobhan Gorman, the Wall Street Journal's intelligence correspondent, joins us with a look at a growing war in cyberspace between the U.S. and China.

Neil Sheehan, the Pulitzer prize–winning author of "A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam," one of the best documentations of the Vietnam War, has written a new account of the cold war. In "A Fiery Peace in a Cold War: Bernard Schriever and the Ultimate Weapon," Sheehan says the decades-long tension between the Soviet Union and the United States was not as glacially still as most people imagine. He says the quiet conflict between the two nations had a fiery heat that most likely would have led to nuclear disaster if it were not for Bernard Schriever, an Air Force general responsible for the creation of the U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile system.

While in the Security Council of the United Nations, President Obama won unanimous adoption of a resolution to curb the proliferation and testing of nuclear weapons and move toward total disarmament, Iran continues to develop nuclear sites. This morning there are reports revealing the existence of a second uranium enrichment plant in Iran. The BBC's defense and security correspondent, Nick Childs, joins us with a look at what this announcement will mean for next week's high-level talks between the U.S. and Iran.

The World Trade Organization has upheld a complaint by the U.S. that could help open the massive Chinese market to American movies, music, and books. Right now that market is subject to restrictions by China's government on what foreign media can be imported and distributed there. The BBC's correspondent in Shanghai, Chris Hogg, joins us with more of the story.

Joseph Conrad wrote in 1902 that the conquest of Africa was not a pretty thing. Now we see history repeating itself and this time it's China, Russia and the U.S. vying for Africa's resources. We talk to Thomas Pakenham, author of “The Scramble for Africa: White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876-1912.”

Oh Spain! You won 35 straight games. And Oh Spain, in the Confederation Cup, (a prelude to the World Cup, both in South Africa), you kept other teams scoreless with a passing style that wore down defenders until, lulled to sleep, they're not prepared when you strike hard and fast. Until, of course, you played the United States who matched you with defense of their own, blanking the Spanish and vaulting themselves into a final game against the powerful Brasilians.

So, who cares?

Lots of people. Stop waiting for soccer to arrive: it's already here. The USA players are all homegrown talents. If you peruse the roster, you’ll see. These are American born or American raised. You don’t get elite talent that can compete with the best in the world if soccer had not arrived long ago. These are the kids whose moms were the famous “soccer moms.” Yes, I know that they are only role players, but they stepped into the spotlight this week. You can compare this soccer to the same way U.S. hockey was, just before the historic upset of the Russians. They have the talent, they have the heart, they just have to get that big win to put them over the top. ... (continue reading)

President Obama has said "it is up to Iranians to make decisions about who Iran's leaders will be." This stance has riled some Republicans who are urging the president to show solidarity with Moussavi supporters. To explain his view, The Takeaway is joined by Congressman Mike Pence, Republican from Indiana and Chairman of the House Republican Conference. He has introduced a resolution in Congress to express support for the protesters. We also have Professor Hamid Dabashi, a professor of Iranian Studies at Columbia University and author of Iran: A People Interrupted, for his take.

Brazil, Russia, India and China sometimes referred to as the BRIC group, meet today to work out how to exert more control over the global financial system. On their agenda is how to create a new currency that could replace the U.S. dollar. Clifford Levy, New York Times Moscow Bureau Chief, joins the Takeaway to talk about this plan and what it will mean for the American economy.

Top climate change officials from China and the U.S. met this week in Beijing to hash out a pre-Copenhagen plan for cutting greenhouse gas. The two countries are the world’s top two greenhouse gas emitters, according to the Brookings Institution. Together, they account for more than 40 percent of annual emissions. Any solution to the greenhouse gas problem may require both countries to transition to low-carbon economies.

Just back from a trip to China is Assistant Energy Secretary David Sandalow, who joins The Takeaway to discuss how talks are going. Click through for the full transcript of the interview.

The Cold War may be over, but arms control still matters. Russian and U.S. negotiators are beginning talks to make further cuts in nuclear arsenals. The former Cold War rivals are hoping to come to terms on a replacement to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START I, which expires in December. For more, we turn to the BBC's Russia analyst Steven Eke, who's following the story.

We are closely tracking the swine flu outbreak in Mexico that is rapidly spreading across the globe. There are confirmed cases in the United States and Canada and now Spain's health ministry has confirmed that nation's first case. World health officials are bracing for a potential worldwide pandemic of the swine flu that is being linked to the deaths of more than one hundred people in Mexico. More than 1600 people are believed to have caught the virus. The Takeaway is joined by Dr. Richard Wenzel, immediate past President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases. Dr. Wenzel is currently Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. He can help us understand the symptoms, the causes, and the best ways to prevent transmission of this flu.

Also on The Takeaway is Ros Atkins, presenter of the BBC's World Have Your Say. He is in Mexico and joins us with a look at how Mexico is handling the outbreak.

The beleaguered Kyoto Protocol, enacted in 1992 to limit global greenhouse gas emissions, but was never ratified by the United States, is back up for negotiations this year. Will the U.S. be a real partner to the cap-and-trade agreement? In advance of the new Kyoto discussions, President Obama is meeting with the representatives of 17 governments at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate in Washington D.C. The governments will be looking for indications of how others will navigate the Kyoto Protocol negotiations. For more The Takeaway turns to Andrew Revkin, New York Times environmental reporter.

Despite the President's assurances, it is not to hard to imagine that the end of the American auto industry seems near. GM reported this week a 45 percent drop in sales, Ford sales were down 41 percent and Chrysler echoed that sales drop. But China has begun taking a bold step toward what its automakers believe will be the future of cars—the hybrid. Long struggling to catch up with Japan and the U.S. in the gasoline-powered car market, China is now devoting its efforts to electric cars, which is a big step for a country not known for its environmental progressiveness. Keith Bradsher is reporting this story and he joins us now.

For more, read Keith Bradsher's article, China Vies to Be World’s Leader in Electric Carsin today's New York Times.

President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are meeting for the first time today. Obama plans to open negotiation today to draft a new arms control treaty that could slash American and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals by about a third and possibly lead to even deeper reductions. For more, we talk with Clifford Levy, Moscow bureau chief for the New York Times.

Former Secretary of Defense, William S. Cohen and his wife Janet Langhart wrote the book “Love in Black and White: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Romance,” published in 2007, about their marriage and life together as an interracial couple living in the United States. They met in 1974 and married on Valentine's Day, 1996. They are hosting the 2nd annual Race and Reconciliation in America conference in Washington D.C. Both join The Takeaway to talk about race in America.

Watch William S. Cohen and Janet Langhart discuss their book and their marriage in the video below.