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US puts its faith in Pakistan's military
A deal hatched between the Pakistani military and United States Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton cleared the path for Hamid Karzai to be re-elected for a
second term as Afghanistan's president. With Karzai's challenger, Abdullah
Abdullah, now out of the picture, Pakistan's military will actively mediate
between Washington and the Taliban. Along with Abdullah, the big loser is
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Nov 5, '09)
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UNDER THE AFPAK VOLCANO, Part 1
Welcome to Pashtunistan
A rough beast, its hour come at last, Pashtunistan is already being born across
the strategic corridor straddling eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan. If
the Pakistani Taliban and their Pashtun allies manage to establish full
control, with or without jihadi support, an Islamic emirate will for all
practical purposes be constituted. - Pepe Escobar
(Nov 5, '09)
This is the first article in a two-part report.
Iran looks to Argentina for nuclear
fuel
Iran hopes to revive nuclear ties with Argentina that have been stalled since
Tehran was accused of involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in
Buenos Aires. Suspicious of a United Nations-backed proposal that its uranium
be processed in France, Iran prefers the Argentina option as it would shut out
Europe and see the United States become a more central player. - Kaveh L
Afrasiabi (Nov 5, '09)
Is Obama's Iran policy doomed?
China has a massive investment in Iranian energy and is willing to supply
gasoline to that country in the face of United States threats of sanctions. The
attitude of China - and Russia - towards Tehran's nuclear plans also varies
radically from Washington's. In the face of this, US President Barack Obama's
current Iran policy is unlikely to work. - Dilip Hiro
(Nov 5, '09)
India on brink of Maoist offensive
More than 70,000 paramilitary troops are poised to begin Operation Green Hunt,
a massive offensive against Maoist rebels in India's northeast "Red Corridor",
should a final appeal to the Maoists to sit down with the government for talks
fail. - Ranjit Devraj (Nov 5, '09)
INTERVIEW
Uyghur activist seeks talks with Beijing
An avowed critic of China's ethnic policy in the Xinjiang region, Uyghur
activist Rebiya Kadeer says Beijing is guilty of persecuting dissidents from
her minority, as well as of an economic bias in favor of the Han majority.
Rejecting claims she is a terrorist and organized deadly riots, Kadeer wants
dialogue with Beijing. - Catherine Makino (Nov
5, '09)
SPEAKING FREELY
How Eurocentric is your day?
A Boston professor, teaching his students about Eurocentric biases in Western
accounts of the rise of the global economy, poses a simple question to get his
point across. Can they get through a typical day without running into ideas,
institutions, values, technologies and products that originated outside the
West? The answer is, of course, no. - M Shahid Alam
(Nov 5, '09)
Russia, India and China go their
ways
Despite its best efforts, Russia failed at a recent trilateral summit to get
India and China to agree to a common regional initiative regarding Afghanistan.
This failure ensures that the United States can now press ahead with its own
strategy of striking grand bargains individually with these key players. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Nov 4, '09)
US frets over Tokyo drift
The United States-Japan alliance remains a cornerstone of US security in the
Pacific, but Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's pledges to create more
independence for Japan and a viable East Asian community have led to
uncertainty in Washington. Domestically, Hatoyama faces a delicate balancing
act as he attempts to satisfy the demands of the public, pacifist coalition
members, and an ever-more assertive Japanese military. - Peter J Brown
(Nov 4, '09)
Who will be the last frog in the well?
After centuries of Sinocentrism behind the Great Wall and secretive imperial
politics within the Forbidden City, China's opening up and thirst for a greater
understanding of the foreign world has sparked a global Chinese renaissance in
engineering, computing and the classical arts. Should the West not try and
dispel its suspicions over this model of modernization, it runs a real risk of
being left behind. - David Gosset (Nov 4,
'09)
Obama's world outreach teetering
Just months after well-received speeches in Turkey and Egypt, setbacks from
Afghanistan to the West Bank to Pakistan, Iraq and Iran have seen belief plunge
in the Muslim world over United States President Barack Obama and his plans for
progress. With this, anti-US sentiment is back on the rise. - Jim Lobe
(Nov 4, '09)
Little Laos relishes its big
moment
 For
the first time, Laos will host the Southeast Asian Games, with the 25th edition
of the 11-country sporting fest taking place next month. The tiny landlocked
country has had to rely on massive foreign aid - notably from China - to stage
the event, arousing considerable scorn in some circles. Yet, the enduring theme
of Laos' history has been its engagement with and dependence on foreign powers.
For Laos, this is a glorious coming-out for the one-party state. - Simon Creak
(Nov 4, '09)
Iraqis divide ahead of elections
Any hopes that sectarianism was on the way out in Iraq died with the massive
August 19 and October 25 terror attacks in Baghdad. Sects and communities are
once again divided, and the coalitions that have been formed to contest
January's elections are a clear reflection of these poisoned waters. - Sami
Moubayed (Nov 4, '09)
China hints at move to rein in
growth
China's decision to increase the number of funds that invest domestic savings
in overseas markets may be a prelude to a tighter monetary policy as the
country's recovering economy surges towards double-digit growth. - Olivia Chung
(Nov 4, '09)
Jaipur blaze challenges India's oil
priorities
A week-long fatal oil inferno 
close to the famed Indian "Pink City" of Jaipur, soon after a similar blaze in
Puerto Rico, has raised concerns about placing oil depots close to population
centers and local authorities' failure to limit residential and other
developments in their proximity. The priorities of Indian Oil Corp's management
are also being challenged. - Raja Murthy (Nov
4, '09)
China's Three Gorges Dam comes of age
Fifteen years since work began and at a cost of between US$8 billion to $27
billion, the water level in the reservoir behind the Three Gorges Dam on the
Yangtze River will soon reach its final height of 175 meters. Officials,
though, aren't celebrating too loudly: as China searches for new forms of
renewable energy, the dam has become a monument to obsolete ambitions.
(Nov 3, '09)
The polling booths are finally
closed
The Independent Election Commission in Afghanistan has vigorously defended its
decision to hand President Hamid Karzai a second five-year term following the
withdrawal of his challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. At the same time, the
commission makes it clear the matter is not up for debate - it's time to move
on, like it or not. - Derek Henry Flood (Nov
3, '09)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Afghanistan as a bailout state
In Washington's terms, the disaster unfolding daily in Afghanistan is not the
definition of failure. In economic lingo, it now falls into the category of
"too big to fail", which means upping the ante; America's leaders always opt
for more in counter-insurgency disasters rather than cutting their losses. - Tom
Engelhardt (Nov 3, '09)
Fighting the 'good' war
Afghanistan is not Washington's "good war", though it is now characterized in
that fashion not only by the Republican right wing but by President Barack
Obama and many Democrats who were critical of the "Bush" Iraq war. - Jack A
Smith (Nov 3, '09)
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Drugs, guns and war in Myanmar
Insurgent groups in the north of Myanmar have begun flooding the region with
cheap narcotics to boost revenues as part of a concerted weapons build-up. An
illicit trade that for years benefited the military leadership may now help
fund a re-ignited civil conflict that has the potential to spill over and
rattle relations with close ally Beijing. - Brian McCartan
(Nov 3, '09)
New heights for Singapore
property
Singapore's property market, buffeted as the city-state felt the full brunt of
the global financial crisis, is rebounding so strongly that home sales are
setting records and potential buyers are leaving blank checks with agents to
secure new apartments in new projects. - Megawati Wijaya
(Nov 3, '09)
THE BEAR'S LAIR
Bernanke learns from the wrong
crash
United States Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, noted as a specialist on
the 1929 market crash and the Great Depression, would be better off looking at
other financial disasters over the centuries for lessons more pertinent to the
present crisis. - Martin Hutchinson (Nov 3,
'09)
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)
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)
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)
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)
 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)
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)
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)
 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)
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David P
Goldman
(Nov 4, '09)
.. a consulting economist has to get attention ... Nouriel Roubini's
attention-getting ... is getting tiresome
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China's sleepy
Hengqin wakes up
A relatively undeveloped corner of the Pearl River Delta immediately west of
Macau is being lined up for an extensive makeover. Hengqin island, part of the
mainland city of Zhuhai, is to be transformed into a resort paradise featuring
golf courses and theme parks. In the process, Macau and Hong Kong will be more
intimately integrated into the mainland delta, tricky legal relationships
permitting. - Kent Ewing
Iran claim clouds
Turkey's energy goals
The ambiguity of Turkey's role as a transit country for natural gas headed for
Europe is deepening, Iran's claim to be in talks with European firms on
supplying the planned Nabucco pipeline, discounted by one company involved with
that project, being only one part of the puzzle. Not in doubt is Ankara's
warming links with Tehran. - Robert M Cutler
D-8 looks forward
to stronger ties
The Group of Eight Islamic Developing Countries, or D-8, is looking towards
greater and more meaningful cooperation, with Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt at the
forefront of efforts to strengthen trade, energy and other ties. Achievement of
a preferential trade agreement remains a distant prospect. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
Empty boasts of glory
Celebrations of the much-welcomed emergence of the United States economy from
recession are premature, given that the only force driving this apparent
recovery is increased government spending. The performances of Australia, New
Zealand, China and India stand in marked contrast. - John Browne
FROM THE BLOG
Evidence lacking
Contrary to academic economist Nouriel Roubini's claims of a thriving US dollar
carry trade, there is NO evidence that the world is borrowing money to buy
equities. American assets have gotten cheaper. - David Goldman
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.
(Nov 2, '09)
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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"What is interesting is that US media resembles 'camps' - you watch Rupert
Murdoch's stuff if you lean right, while much of the rest leans outright left.
So the only way to secure a balanced opinion is to average the views across the
channels. Not sensible at all. ... There is a very interesting sociological
experiment going on in the US media, from what I as an outsider can see, just
not sure that its worth examining all by itself. ..." - Chan Akya
"Good luck trying to examine the process without getting caught up in the
content. Have not watched mainstream TV news for 20 years or so, and don't feel
like I'm missing anything. Its entertainment, a kind of gong show suitable for
those who are addicted to TV. ..." - Michael
"... America, your mainstream news media have been hijacked by people who seek
to influence you, not inform you. ..." - aquicke
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From Our Mailbox
[Re Little Laos
awaits its big moment, Nov 5, 2009] Laos has come a long way and it
seems unimaginable that almost 50 years ago, US president John F Kennedy was
threatening to use nuclear weapons on two of its provinces - Sam Neua and
Phongsali - which he claimed harbored the Vietcong.
Mel Cooper
Singapore
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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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