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US goofs the Afghan election
Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah's withdrawal from a runoff that he had
scant chance of winning ends what had become a mere sideshow to more
significant events unfolding in Kabul. President Hamid Karzai can now firmly
take center stage. He has turned the tables on Western powers that would have
seen him vilified and overthrown, and, if the rift worsens, he could yet blow
the lid on an explosive issue: the role of foreign troops in the narcotics
trade. - M K Bhadrakumar (Nov 2, '09)
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Now it's a one-horse race
 In
Kabul's cavernous loya jirga council tent, built to signify the hope and
reunification of Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah's dramatic withdrawal from the
presidential race has set the stage for even more discord and instability;
people are in a more vulnerable place than before the start of the election. - Derek
Henry Flood (Nov 2, '09)
Al-Qaeda has plans for its new
recruit
With the recent appointment of Ilyas Kashmiri as head of its military
committee, al-Qaeda has recruited a veteran who learned his trade on the
battlefields of Afghanistan and during the insurgency against India in disputed
Kashmir. Ilyas also took with him his elite 313 Brigade, which al-Qaeda claims
it now wants to unleash. A foiled plot in Denmark could be a prelude. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Nov 2, '09)
 SPENGLER
The idiot twins of
American idealism
It is mad to believe, as the George W Bush administration did, that the United
States can remake the world in its own image. It is even madder to turn foreign
policy into an affirmative action program for disadvantaged or dying cultures.
In such lean times, Washington's "realists" do not seem focused on what should
be a core interest, fostering viable partners for the future and jettisoning
those that are beyond viability. - Spengler (Nov
2, '09)
Why Pakistanis see US as the bigger
threat
Most Pakistanis are anti-Taliban, but they are even more anti-United States, as
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton learned during her visit to
the country last week. The view persists that Pakistan is fighting an American
war; that before 2002 there was no terrorist threat in Pakistan; and that the
threat will vanish once US forces withdraw from the region. - Muhammad Idrees
Ahmad (Nov 2, '09)
Chinese general enters US military core
Ahead of United States President Barack Obama's first official visit to
Beijing, China's second-highest officer became the first People's Liberation
Army member to visit US Strategic Command headquarters. Both sides are sending
the right signals in pursuit of strengthening military-to-military ties;
beneath the surface, improved relations do not appear an urgent priority. - Peter
J Brown (Nov 2, '09)
Sikhs take stock of 1984
In October 1984, the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi led to the
massacre of thousands of Sikhs. India now has a Sikh premier and ruling
Congress party leaders say they have won the hearts of the Sikh community. But
not all Sikhs are appeased; they are still waiting for justice. - Sudha
Ramachandran (Nov 2, '09)
NATO forces turn to warlords
Afghan warlords are earning millions of dollars from North Atlantic Treaty
Organization forces to guard forward operating bases and supply convoys. Their
ruthless private armies are reviled by much of the public, and are likely to
turn their rifles on NATO forces should the protection money dry up. - Gareth
Porter (Oct 30, '09)
Doubles, toil and trouble in Pyongyang
 North
Korean leader Kim Jong-il's sprightly appearance in a spate of public showings
since he reportedly suffered a stroke, including meetings with China's Premier
Wen Jiabao and former United States president Bill Clinton, has re-ignited
rumors there is a troupe of look-alike Dear Leader actors. - Donald Kirk
(Oct 30, '09)
AN ATOL INVESTIGATION
Deep inside Indonesia's kill
zone
 Indonesia's
Detachment 88 counter-terrorism teams are seen by some critics as too willing
to kill suspects and so do away with the need for long trials of suspected
jihadis. Yet the training of these crisis response teams, and their weaponry,
is in many ways inadequate for confronting at close quarters suicidal and
well-armed opponents. - John McBeth (Oct 30,
'09)
<IT WORLD>
Microsoft reliable as ever
Microsoft has maintained its reputation for delivering fierce headaches along
with its new software offerings. Many would-be users of Windows 7 are
discovering that the company's new operating system fails to install
satisfactorily and their computers then refuse to restore the old system.
Martin J Young surveys the week's developments in computing, science,
gaming and gizmos. (Oct 30, '09)
Ill winds over Iran's nuclear draft
The contents of Iran's response to a fuel-for-fuel draft proposal from the
International Atomic Energy Agency for Tehran's low-enriched uranium have not
been officially disclosed. Already, though, both inside Iran and in the United
States, the initiative is under attack. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Oct 30, '09)
More missiles across the strait
A recently released report by Taiwan's Defense Ministry stating that China has
increased the number of missiles targeted at the island demonstrates that
despite unprecedented warming relations, the potential for war between the
long-time rivals still very much exists. - Cindy Sui
(Oct 30, '09)
China stocks surge on new board
debut
High returns and high risks is the name of the game as never before in China's
stock markets, with values of companies listed on the world's newest exchange,
the small-market ChiNext based in Shenzhen, surging on its opening day on
Friday. - Olivia Chung (Oct 30, '09)
 CHAN
AKYA
Time to go Dutch
The ruling by the European Union Commissioner for Competition that Dutch bank
ING Groep should sell its insurance unit and US banking arm demonstrates that
the Europeans, unlike their US counterparts, are taking the right route
regarding stewardship of the global financial system.
(Oct 30, '09)
Europe stoops to conquer the
Uzbeks
A controversial decision by Europe to lift an arms embargo on Uzbekistan comes
as alarm bells are ringing in Central Asian capitals over a possible spillover
of the Afghan war. Tashkent may be the key to a northern supply corridor, but
regional leaders - increasingly skeptical of the West's will to win and the
prospect of "Afghanization" - are bracing for a Taliban victory. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Oct 29, '09)
Strong messages in Pakistan
 The
primary job of United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her
visit to Pakistan is to relay the message to both its civilian and military
leadership that it would be wise to join the US in fighting extremists as part
of the war in Afghanistan. The massive car bomb that killed 105 people in
Peshawar on the day of her arrival is the militants' message.
(Oct 29, '09)
SPEAKING FREELY
Hamid Karzai: Afghanistan's Diem
Fresh revelations of the Hamid Karzai government's opium trade links and the
alleged involvement of the Central Intelligence Agency render the United States
role in Afghanistan more murky and contradictory. With all the attention on
General Stanley McChrystal's troop increase demand, historical perspective has
been lost. We are back in Ngo Dinh Diem's Saigon of 1963. - Michael Wallach
(Oct 29, '09)
A turkey hunt in Iraq
Rather than finding those who struck at Baghdad's Green Zone in August, killing
100 people, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki searched for political
scapegoats to protect his own neck. There has been more of the same in the wake
of Sunday's bombings that killed at least 150 people, leaving the terrorists at
will to strike again. - Sami Moubayed (Oct
29, '09)
SINOGRAPH
China no longer
a law unto itself
China and the West, in particular ancient Rome and Greece, followed markedly
different routes on the way to developing the legal systems in use today. The
West was notably influenced by the needs of merchants and the market place for
equitable regulation, while China saw this as a threat to central power. As
China steps onto the international stage, it will have to reconcile such
differences. - Francesco Sisci (Oct 22, '09)
In Cambodia, a threatened tribe
of Islam
The distinct practices of the Cambodian Imam San community, which blend Islam
and animism, are seen by many Muslims as impure. Adding to the group's
estrangement, its members have rejected foreign-funded incentives to convert to
more orthodox Islam amid concern over the possible radicalizing influence of
foreign teaching. - Brendan B Brady (Oct 29,
'09)
Bollywood gets political
Times are changing in Bollywood. 
No longer just a song-and-dance film industry, India's massive movie machine is
moving ahead of the curve both politically and socially, with recent
productions, one featuring box office star, Shahrukh Khan, pushing viewers to
address issues of communal relations and religious intolerance. - Noor Iqbal
(Oct 29, '09)
Lesson unlearned
Eighty years after the market crash in the United States that led to the Great
Depression, the "lessons" learned from that grim period have since been
accepted by central bankers, in particular the role of monetary policy. They
have also given birth to an economics of instability. The real lesson is that
weak national economies must seek redress through economic nationalism. - Henry
CK Liu (Oct 29, '09)
Inflation by stealth
The very fact that prices for most goods in the United States are holding
steady when the economy is in its present black hole indicates that inflation,
far from being absent, is all too present, lurking in the shadows like a ninja.
Once it strikes, price rises will be fast and deadly. - John Browne
(Oct 29, '09)
Helicopter rumors refuse to die
The United States is battling yet another rumor in Afghanistan, that Western
forces are using helicopters to transport Taliban fighters from the volatile
south to the north of the country. Officials have dismissed the claims as
rubbish, but locals are sticking to their stories. - Ahmad Kawoosh
(Oct 28, '09)
Taliban take over Afghan province
 Following
the withdrawal of United States troops from key bases, the Taliban have taken
control of Afghanistan's Nuristan province. It is now under Qari Ziaur Rahman,
a Taliban commander with strong ties to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. With this
haven, the Taliban's first goal is to disrupt next month's runoff presidential
election, then to assist militants in Pakistan. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Oct 28, '09)
US report tarnishes Sri Lanka
victory
A United States report on human-rights abuses during the Sri Lankan
government's final offensive on the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
finds that while the rebel group used child soldiers and human shields, the
government shelled civilian populations and badly neglected refugees' rights.
(Oct 28, '09)
Bring on the banking dullards
Is it fair that a banker comfortable with annual income of US$30 million should
now, under government dictat, earn only one-third of that? When the competence
hitherto rewarded helps bring about a financial crisis on the scale recently
witnessed - yes. If such lower rewards bring back banking dullards - again,
yes. - Julian Delasantellis (Oct 28, '09)
Afghan fury at Koran burning claims
Allegations that American forces burned copies of the Koran during a recent
raid in central-eastern Afghanistan have led to a series of protests, including
two in the capital, Kabul. The United States military denies the charges,
saying Taliban insurgents are behind the burnings. - Abdullah Obaidi
(Oct 27, '09)
THE BEAR'S LAIR
Where have the savers gone?
Numerous steps that could encourage a higher savings rate in the United States
are possible - but would prove unpopular. With the alternative a future along
the path taken by Argentina, the pain would be worth it. - Martin Hutchinson
(Oct 27, '09)
 SUN
WUKONG
Insurers denied run of property
The Chinese government's decision to allow insurance companies to invest some
of their near US$500 billion in holdings directly in real estate has property
developers keenly anticipating a new inflow of cash. Yet the red tape with
which Beijing is tying up the reform should be sufficient to ensure no quick
bucks - or sharp losses - for anyone. - Wu Zhong
(Oct 26, '09)
US zeroes in on China's clout in
Myanmar
A senior United States State Department mission is going to Myanmar to
ostensibly discuss democracy and human rights, but the subtext will clearly be
boosting ties and building influence in a country long considered to be in
China's diplomatic pocket. The competition between Washington and Beijing for
influence in Southeast Asia could hinge on how Myanmar's generals react. - Brian
McCartan (Oct 23, '09)
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David P
Goldman
(Nov 1, '09)
Can we stiggle [in honor of Joseph Stiglitz] our way to prosperity by forcing the banks to lend?
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Sechin
divides
the Black Sea
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin appears 
to have overturned the long-term strategic perspective on how the country
should use the Black Sea as an energy transit route. Out goes Bulgaria as a
terminal and key partner; in comes Turkey with a much-enhanced role - with all
waters muddied by claim and counter-claim. - John Helmer
Syrian bonuses
bring little change
Efforts by the Syrian government to boost the economy by giving bonuses to
civil servants put welcome cash into their pockets for basic needs and helped
businesses lift sales - but drew criticism for being a short-term fix to
silence the hungry.
Hair of the dog
The increasingly deep involvement of the United States government, senators and
congressmen in business decisions is not in taxpayers' best interests. The
resulting recession will be even bigger than the one that everyone assumes has
just ended. - Peter Schiff
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
The newest abnormal
It's as if there's a contest to coin a catchy phrase that will gain popular
acceptance - and persuade the public that everything in the garden is rosy, or
at least heading that way. Now we have the "new normal" - a misnomer for what
is, in fact, the "new abnormal" of unrelenting monetary disorder.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
FROM THE BLOG
Stiggling to non-prosperity
Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz's suggestions that the United States should have nationalized the banks merits a neologism, "to stiggle", meaning to make uneconomic loans for political reasons. - David
Goldman
MARKET RAP
No silver lining
An end-of-week revival in prices put a positive sheen on recent trading that
might survive for a few more days. The longer prospect is for more or less
generalized declines.
R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups and downs in the week's markets.
(Oct 30, '09)
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"[Re Europe stoops to conquer the
Uzbeks, Oct 29] 'The Central Asians know that raising an Afghan army -
"Afghanization" - is vacuous talk.' Indeed, it reminds me of the
'Vietnamization' of the Vietnam War after the Tet Offensive (ie, leave South
Vietnam holding the bag) when the US was desperately looking for a face-saving
way to dump South Vietnam and withdraw from a war it could not win." - MonsoonWind
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From Our Mailbox
[Re Doubles, toil and
trouble in Pyongyang, October 30] Like everyone else, I like a good
laugh at Halloween. Is [Japanese academic] Toshimitsu Shigemura's suggestion -
that the Dear Leader Kim Jong-il uses look-alikes to fool his own people and
foreigners - a trick or a treat?
Nakamura Junzo
Guam
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 Go
to Letters to the Editor |
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ATol Specials
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By Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Jan '09) |
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VIDEO
Taliban's new breed of leader
(May '08) |
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The
Gates
Inheritance
By
Roger Morris
(June '07) |
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Syed Saleem Shahzad reports on
the Afghan war from the Taliban side
(Dec '06)
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How
Hezbollah defeated Israel
By
Mark Perry and
Alastair Crooke
(Oct '06)
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Mark
Perry and
Alastair Crooke
talk to the 'terrorists'
(Mar '06)
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China:
The
Impossible
Revolution
By
Francesco Sisci
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The Coming
Trade War
By Henry C K Liu
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A series
by Henry C K Liu
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Sinoroving
Pepe Escobar in China
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Money, Power
and
Modern Art
A series by Henry C K Liu
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Andre Gunder Frank on Uncle Sam and his
shrinking dollar
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By Pepe Escobar with
photographs by Kevin Nortz
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Nir Rosen goes inside the Iraqi
resistance
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Nir Rosen rides with the US 3rd
Armored Cavalry in western Iraq
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