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The
Dragon spews fire at the Elephant
Indian lobbyists - with an eye on profiting from arms sales with the United
States worth billions of dollars - are whipping up war hysteria and xenophobia
over China, and Delhi is playing along. Against this electrified diplomatic
backdrop, the state-run People's Daily tore into India this week. The
relationship could nosedive further if the Dalai Lama's visit to India's
disputed areas with China goes ahead.- M K Bhadrakumar
(Oct 16, '09)
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Pakistan aid bill has explosive
impact
The same day that United States President Barack Obama signed a bill that
triples the current level of non-military aid the US provides to Pakistan, the
Pakistani Taliban mounted the latest in a 10-day series of devastating attacks
on key army and police facilities that highlight Washington's concerns about
the threat posed by the militants. - Jim Lobe
(Oct 16, '09)
Going 'deep', not 'big', in
Afghanistan
An analysis making waves in Washington by a veteran United States officer calls
for the withdrawal of the bulk of United States combat forces from Afghanistan
over 18 months, warning against General Stanley McChrystal's counter-insurgency
strategy. Lieutenant Colonel Daniel L Davis says that it is already too late
for US forces to defeat the insurgency. - Gareth Porter
(Oct 16, '09)
Palestinian refugees reject
'sell-out' deal
The more than 400,000 Palestinian refugees spread across a network of 12 camps
in Lebanon are deeply politically divided and factionalized. Yet almost to a
person, they are as defiant as ever about the right to return, they tell Asia
Times Online. They also remain an insurmountable obstacle to any "sell-out"
deal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. - Mahan Abedin
(Oct 16, '09)
 ASIA
HAND
Thailand mulls royal succession
Hundreds of thousands of Thais from across the country have journeyed to
Bangkok to wish 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej a quick recovery from
illness that has kept him hospitalized for nearly a month. Even as the revered
monarch slowly recovers, the nation faces up to what will be the most profound
transition in the kingdom's recent history with the monarch's eventual passing.
- Shawn W Crispin (Oct 16, '09)
China's media
blitz needs fact-checking
The heads of the world's leading media organizations gathered this month in
Beijing to relish the fact that Chinese leaders have allocated US$6.6 billion
for the expansion of state media groups. Much was made of China's irresistible
media market, but the topic of press freedom was largely avoided by the bigwigs
in attendance. - Kent Ewing (Oct 16, '09)
Pyongyang flirts with 'two-track'
strategy
A glimpse of the desolate battlefields of the Korean War - near the site of
Friday's talks on family reunions and aid - highlights how little inter-Korean
reconciliation has progressed since the conflict ended in 1953. The talks come
after a week of mixed messages from Pyongyang that saw it launch a barrage of
short-range missiles, before making a rare apology. - Donald Kirk
(Oct 16, '09)
ADRIFT ON A RUSSIAN ISLAND, Part 2
A political crisis erupts
 As
the 30,000-strong South Korean community on Russia's Sakhalin Island began to
demand repatriation in the mid-1970s, Soviet authorities scrambled to deal with
a political crisis that threatened to turn into a major embarrassment. A harsh
solution was found, with many of the dissenters sent packing to North Korea,
never to be seen again. - Andrei Lankov (Oct
16, '09)
This is the concluding article in a two-part report.
 PART 1:
Koreans left high
and dry
 BOOK
REVIEW
On Indonesia's Islamic road
My Friend the Fanatic
by Sadanand Dhume
The writer of this timely travelogue crisscrosses Indonesia's archipelago,
searching out the movers and shakers of a movement that aims to impose its
intolerant version of Utopia on a fledgling democracy. It's a vivid, graceful
and astute work, offering an inside look at the high toll politicized Islam
exacts on Indonesia. - Ioannis Gatsiounis (Oct
16, '09)
The 'other' Kurdistan seethes with
rage
While Iraqi Kurdistan elects its own parliament and forges oil contracts
independent of Baghdad, other ethnic Kurdish insurgents from Iran, Syria and
Turkey are flooding into remote redoubts in the fearsome Qandil Mountains to
battle nation-states that have persecuted them for decades. With Turkish
warplanes above and Iranian artillery firing over the border, Asia Times Online
traced a tortuous path to speak with Kurdish guerrillas. - Derek Henry Flood
(Oct 15, '09)
Taliban have a free ride in Kunduz
Once one of the most stable provinces in Afghanistan, parts of Kunduz are
falling under Taliban control, so much so that the insurgents ride around with
impunity in captured police vehicles. The governor of Kunduz blames Pakistan
for the emergence of the insurgents, while others point fingers at the United
States. - Gul Rahim Niazmand (Oct 15, '09)
Maoists go on pilgrimage in China
 Nepal's
top Maoist leader and former prime minister, Prachanda, took time out on his
trip this week to China to visit the birthplace of Mao Zedong. Prachanda has a
deep-seated interest in original communist concepts, and in comparing them with
present-day realities. Beijing is looking for a dependable ally in Kathmandu,
and Prachanda believes his Maoists can take on this role, he tells Asia Times
Online. - Dhruba Adhikary (Oct 15, '09)
India takes off against 'Red
Taliban'
The Indian Air Force has requested government permission to fire in
self-defense should its helicopters or crew operating in Maoist areas come
under attack, marking a significant change in India's counter-insurgency
strategy against what are now being called the "Red Taliban". - Sudha
Ramachandran (Oct 15, '09)
Price limit on China's Russian
friendship
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's latest visit to China indicates that a
closer strategic cooperation is developing between the two countries. Beijing's
determination to drive a hard bargain on the price of gas imports, a change
from the offer of oil-related concessionary loans earlier this year, indicates
that the cooperation has its limits. - Robert M Cutler
(Oct 15, '09)
AN ATol EXCLUSIVE
Al-Qaeda's guerrilla chief lays out
strategy
 The
top field commander of al-Qaeda, in an exclusive interview with Asia Times
Online, proves he is alive and well after repeated drone attacks and delineates
in broad strokes al-Qaeda's strategy. The Afghanistan trap, baited on September
11, 2001, has been sprung, says formidable guerrilla leader Ilyas Kashmiri, and
events from Gaza to Mumbai should not be seen in isolation but as part of the
master plan to bloody the United States and its proxies. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Oct 14, '09)
Omaha greets an unusual visitor from
China
People's Liberation Army Colonel Yao Yunzhu is frequently invited to
international conferences because she is one of only a handful of military
researchers in China who speaks English well. But what was she doing at the
United States base near Omaha, Nebraska, which oversees all aspects of US
nuclear warfighting? - Peter J Brown (Oct 14,
'09)
Obama beset by America's far right
Neo-conservative heavyweights are working overtime to paint United States
President Barack Obama's foreign policy as designed to weaken and constrain
American power by abandoning the more aggressive policies of his predecessor,
George W Bush. The Nobel committee's decision to honor Obama, they say, only
hastens America's decline. - Jim Lobe (Oct
14, '09)
Gold's true standard bearers
As the price of gold soars, its rise is accompanied by a constant drumbeat
hammered out on and around United States talk-show programs to persuade
over-anxious, middle-aged Americans to buy Keynes' "barbarous yellow relic". - Julian
Delasantellis (Oct 14, '09)
Turkey won't play with Israel
Israel believes Turkey's cancellation of joint war games is linked to lingering
anger in Ankara over Israel's offensive on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, while
Turkey is trying to downplay what is clearly a blip in one of the region's most
strategic - and unlikely - relationships. (Oct 14,
'09)
Hawks still link Taliban to al-Qaeda
The relationship between Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network and the Taliban has
been a central issue in White House discussions on Afghanistan strategy that
began last month, with security officials insisting that Afghan insurgent
groups have "much closer ties to al-Qaeda now than they did before 9/11". - Gareth
Porter (Oct 14, '09)
Benchmarks prove elusive in Iran
talks
Russia has politely yet firmly rebuffed United States Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton's bid to secure Russian support for tougher sanctions on Iran
if talks on its nuclear program fail. This will please those in the
administration of President Barack Obama who prefer dialogue to threats. The
administration, though, does not speak with one voice. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Oct 14, '09)
 SINOGRAPH
Asia steels for
challenges ahead
All of Asia has witnessed the United States battered and mired in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and buffeted by financial crisis. As the world's largest economy
takes stock, trends in Asia could take new directions and countries in the
region might decide it is more practical and efficient to sort out their
problems by themselves. - Francesco Sisci (Oct
14, '09)
China's rich throw lifeline to
the West
Western makers of luxury products are enjoying a sales boom in China, as the
number of rich Chinese continues to grow while the rest of the world struggles
amid the continuing downturn. - Olivia Chung (Oct
14, '09)
Kerry-Lugar bill a Catch-22 for
Pakistan
Conditions attached in the United States Congress to the Kerry-Lugar bill -
which grants Pakistan US$1.5 billion annually over the next five years - have
rubbed some in Islamabad the wrong way. Leading voices berate the bill as
turning Pakistan into an American neo-colony. The dilemma is whether to align
with the US to combat militancy, or take a principled stand in support of a
weak democracy. - Zahid U Kramet (Oct 13,
'09)
Arab world befuddled by Obama's
Nobel
The news that United States President Barack Obama had won the 2009 Nobel Peace
Prize ripped through the Arab world, launching a vociferous debate in the
media, on the streets and in the upper echelons of power. Many snapped that a
Nobel is not granted for good intentions, but others insist his predecessor
George W Bush was so bad, all Obama had to do to win was show up. - Sami
Moubayed (Oct 13, '09)
Sinking feeling in the
Philippines
The tropical storm-induced flooding that has killed at least 700
people in Manila and nearby provinces points to years of government failure in
urban planning and disaster-management preparedness. Philippine President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's limp response has pulled her popularity ratings down
even further, and may sink her anointed successor in next year's polls. - Joel D
Adriano (Oct 13, '09)
North Korea begins 'Plan C'
As part of a "Plan C", Pyongyang is willing to start acting as a responsible
nuclear power, stop transferring sensitive technology abroad and even help the
Barack Obama administration's goal of global nuclear disarmament, according to
its unofficial spokesman. All it will take is complete US recognition of the
North's nuclear power status, a peace treaty and the establishment of full
diplomatic ties. - Kim Myong Chol (Oct 13,
'09)
China's rockers too pampered for politics
Unlike trailblazers from the 1990s, who sung fiery political anthems and faced
harsh censorship, young rock bands in today's China are indifferent to
politics, with introspection, veganism and day jobs more common than angst.
These children of the urban elite know they should be rebelling against
something, but their lifestyles are just too comfortable to risk. - Alice Liu
(Oct 13, '09)
THE BEAR'S LAIR
When money is worthless
The increasing attraction to hedge funds of physical commodities as an
investment rather than commodity futures raises the specter of supply
shortages, severe disruptions to industries, and worse. - Martin Hutchinson
Pakistan warns India to 'back
off'
New Delhi has the capacity to play a decisive role in crushing the Taliban
insurgency, which is what makes the Pakistani military establishment extremely
anxious in the developing political scenario on the Afghan chessboard. When the
Taliban struck the Indian embassy in Kabul on Thursday, killing 17 people, the
timing may have been coincidence, maybe not. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Oct 9, '09)
Gaza report seals Abbas' political
fate
The United Nations report on the 2008-2009 Gaza
War wasn't 
well received by the United States or Israel, which call it one-sided. What was
more unexpected was an about-face by President Mahmud Abbas' Palestinian
National Authority to seek deferral of a UN debate on the findings. The news
has ripped through the Arab world, destroying any remaining credibility he had.
- Sami Moubayed (Oct 9, '09)
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THE ROVING EYE
Putin
lays down
law for Clinton
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's appeal in Moscow for Russia
to embrace "diversity" and her belief that the Kremlin will approve more
sanctions on Iran got short shrift from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as he
busied himself elsewhere, stitching together crucial energy deals in China. - Pepe
Escobar
Sri Lanka budget
challenge for IMF
The International Monetary Fund, returning to Sri Lanka after a more than
two-year absence, faces an immediate challenge to its latest support program as
the government seeks to postpone passing a budget until after forthcoming
elections.
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Dollar dilemma
Continued weakness in the US dollar is being met by calls for Washington to
implement a true strong-dollar policy, such as by increasing interest rates or
trimming the country's federal deficit. Yet, such restraint is just not going
to happen. Rather, central banks will be pressured to buy a lot more dollars.
(Oct 13, '09)
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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... You and I may well abhor the backblocks, narrow-minded fundamentalism of
the Taliban; yet arguably that is the reason the Taliban won [pre-2001]. By
emphasizing Islamic values and precepts they appealed to the only thing that
Afghans of all tribal affiliations have in common. - MonsoonWind
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From Our Mailbox
[Re Al-Qaeda's
guerilla chief lays out strategy, October 14] When al-Qaeda's Mohammad
Ilyas Kashmiri sees the September 11, 2001, terror attacks as prompting
America's retaliatory involvement in the "swamp" of Afghanistan, he confirms
that al-Qaeda has not created anything new, but that it is built on a mutual
enmity between Islam and Judeo-Christendom.
Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin
Canberra, Australia
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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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permission.
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