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 War
and Terror
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October 2008
Uyghurs stuck in Guantanamo limbo
The White House has blocked a US Federal Court order to release 17 Chinese
Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay, claiming that freeing "war on terror" prisoners
onto US soil could set a dangerous precedent. A day after learning they would
be freed, the detention of the Uyghurs, held without charges since 2001, is
once again "indefinite". (Oct 9, '08)
THE ROVING EYE
Wall Street: A new Iraq War
The Wall Street US$810 billion - and counting - bailout is being interpreted by
millions of angry Americans as no less than a class struggle weapon of mass
destruction. It may cost US taxpayers over $2 trillion after real interest
payments are added. Whoever is elected will inherit this toxic mess - which
includes the biggest fiscal and foreign deficits in US history and no control
of monetary policy. Yes, this bailout is a second Iraq war. - Pepe
Escobar (Oct 9, '08)
'Play or no pay' warning for
Pakistan
The United States needs to rethink its entire approach to Pakistan, recommends
a bipartisan report whose authors include those with links to both US
presidential candidates. Washington has provided about US$11 billion in aid to
Pakistan since 2001, and this "era of the blank check is over", the report
suggests, given Islamabad's patchy record in the struggle against the Taliban
and al-Qaeda. - Jim Lobe (Oct 8, '08)
US, Pakistan torn apart over terror
The "war on terror" in South Asia consists primarily of two battles, the first
waged by United States-led forces against the Taliban inside Afghanistan and
the second by the Pakistani military against militants in its tribal areas.
Until these struggles are better coordinated, ties between Washington and
Islamabad can only get worse. - Tariq Mahmud Ashraf (Oct
8, '08)
S&P turns screw on Pakistan
The Pakistani economy, already beset on all sides as the country is riven by
violence and runaway inflation, took another dent this week with a further
downgrade of its foreign-currency rating. The government is now going
cap-in-hand to international agencies and Gulf neighbors to keep going. - R M
Cutler (Oct 8, '08)
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Taliban wake-up call for India
For the bulk of the Indian strategic community, the unthinkable is happening -
there is the prospect of an Afghan settlement involving the Taliban. The ground
is dramatically shifting in the neighborhood and Delhi can no longer afford to
entirely conflate the Taliban movement with al-Qaeda. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Oct 8, '08)
The
fatal flaw in Afghan peace moves
While the parties involved are playing coy, it is beyond doubt that
Saudi Arabia-brokered Afghan peace talks have begun. Using a mix of the godly
and the worldly, which is useful for finessing a movement like the Taliban that
crisscrosses religion and politics, the United States aims to keep the process
within a tiny, exclusive circle of friends and allies. This means no role for
Iran and Russia. It also means failure. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Oct 7, '08)
Look who came to dinner ...
Former Taliban foreign minister Wakeel Ahmed Muttawakil was one of the special
guests at a dinner hosted by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at which a peace
process with the Taliban is said to have been discussed. Muttawakil tells Syed
Saleem Shahzad of the good relations the Taliban once enjoyed with the
Saudis, but won't be drawn further. If previous Saudi efforts are a guide, a
Muslim peacekeeping force for Afghanistan is on the menu.
(Oct 7, '08)
Syria plays hardball with the
Saudis
Saudi Arabia's refusal to denounce the deadly September 27 attack in Syria has
enflamed relations between Damascus and Riyadh. The Syrians believe the Saudis,
furious over defeat in Beirut and Syria's diplomatic successes, are now
financing radicals in Lebanon to strike at both Hezbollah and Syria - a move
that could set the region ablaze. - Sami Moubayed
(Oct 7, '08)
US wars keep the money flowing
Doom and gloom merchants in the United States military/industrial complex have
got it all wrong. There is no chance of the Pentagon's massive budget being cut
any time soon, or the military in any way "transformed", no matter who takes
over the White House. The simple fact is, the United States is at war. - David
Isenberg (Oct 7, '08)
Bush's final Iran blunder?
The George W Bush administration's decision to turn down the opportunity of a
diplomatic presence in Iran - despite Tehran's strong signals welcoming the
idea - can be seen as a move to avoid undermining Republican Senator John
McCain's presidential chances. More ominously, it could be tied to the
drumbeats of war sounded by Israel. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Oct 6, '08)
US cool to Israeli strike on Iran
Washington is sticking to its policy of sanctions on Iran, reports say, and
won't give Israel a green light to strike at its nuclear facilities - for now.
The US is worried that Israel won't knock out all Iran's nuclear sites and that
retaliation would target US troops. (Oct 6, '08)
Pakistan, US await militant showdown
Britain's commander in Afghanistan admits the war against the Taliban can't be
won, even as the Afghan government makes overtures to Taliban leader Mullah
Omar to join the political process. It's not going to happen, and Pakistan and
the United States are actively preparing for the inevitable - a clash with the
Taliban inside Pakistan. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Oct 6, '08)
SPEAKING FREELY
A way through the Afghan labyrinth
Seven years of international "nation-building" in Afghanistan have created a
labyrinthine world of foreign non-profit and private-sector institutions
engaged in fractious aid efforts which have left the country unable to deal
with the creeping Taliban threat that now also threatens Pakistan. - M Ashraf
Haidari (Oct 6, '08)
In
life, or death, Baitullah's fight endures
Reports of the death of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud may be
premature, but they do raise the issue of how his demise will affect the
struggle he has championed against foreign forces in Afghanistan and Pakistani
troops in the tribal areas. If history is any indication, another leader will
quickly emerge to replace the man described as "more dangerous than Osama bin
Laden", and the battle will go even more global. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Oct 2, '08)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
How forgotten Iraq may
elect the president
The centerpiece of the United States presidential race may turn on an almost
forgotten war in a forgotten country - Iraq, a tinderbox that could explode at
any moment. The war is causing two powerful riptides just below the surface of
American politics. There is Democrat Senator Barack Obama's war, the realistic
disaster that most Americans have now accepted, and Republican Senator John
McCain's war, the symbolic success story that so many Americans still wish was
the reality. - Ira Chernus (Oct 1, '08)
The cost of boots on the ground in
Iraq
The 190,000 contractors in Iraq and neighboring countries, from cooks to truck
drivers, have cost US taxpayers US$100 billion from the start of the war
through the end of 2008, a new US government study says. Yet while it costs
half a million dollars per year to maintain a Blackwater professional armed
guard, it costs exactly the same to keep one sergeant in combat in Iraq.
(Oct 1, '08)
Iran fears nuclear witchhunt
The cash-strapped International Atomic Energy Agency's flip-flops on Iran, now
saying it cannot confirm the absence of a clandestine nuclear program, raise
concerns that the United Nations' nuclear watchdog is under pressure from the
West to tighten the screws on Tehran. At the same time, the longer the nuclear
crisis continues, the less isolated Tehran becomes internationally. - Kaveh L
Afrasiabi (Oct 1, '08)
Syria's unlikely shepherd
The United States may be easing its stance towards Syria, an ally of Iran still
listed by the US as a sponsor of terror, with talk of a "potential thaw"
following recent talks. Damascus has appealed for Washington's help in its
burgeoning peace process with Israel, while Saturday's deadly car-bombing in
Damascus highlights the need for coordinated counter-terrorism efforts. - Jim
Lobe (Oct 1, '08)
Bad tidings in Iraqi Kurdistan
A volatile situation has developed in northern Iraq, where Baghdad's decision
to launch "Operation Good Tidings", a military offensive to grasp control of
Kurdish-controlled territories, has turned Kurds against the government.
Mindful of old wounds, autonomous Kurdistan sees the deployment as a test of
its power and promises to match each Iraqi brigade with two of its own.
(Oct 1, '08)
Japan adrift in the Indian Ocean
For the second time in a year, the question of whether or not to extend Japan's
Indian Ocean commitment in the US-led war in Afghanistan may decide the fate of
the Japanese cabinet. Prime Minister Taro Aso is caught between public
opposition to Japan's militarization and unrelenting pressure from Washington
to "shoulder its responsibilities". Chasing pirates may be a better option.
(Oct 1, '08)
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