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If Afghanistan is its test, NATO is failing
As it celebrates its 60th birthday this year, the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization is cracking, with its internal politics having become fractious to
the point of dysfunction. What was once billed as the most powerful military
alliance in history will surely outlive its failures in Afghanistan and its
adjustment to new global threats. But it may survive in name alone. - John
Feffer (Sep 30, '09)
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A MANUFACTURED CRISIS, Part 2
It's sanctions or bust
Something about the claims by the United States and its allies that Iran's
nuclear program is intended to create nuclear weapons just doesn't smell right;
there's obviously more than meets the eye. Whatever it is, the Barack Obama
administration - of all the options on the table - wants at a minimum to impose
stringent sanctions on Iran. - Jack A Smith (Sep
30, '09)
This is the second article in a three-part report.
PART 1: The
facts of the matter
THE ROVING EYE
It's bomb, bomb, bomb Iran time
Israel, sundry Sunni Arab puppet rulers and dictators, the American right and
the European right, these all fear Iran's regional clout and want to castigate
Tehran in Thursday's nuclear talks. Iran's nuclear dossier - and new
revelations about a second, not-so-secret enrichment plant - could not be a
more convenient cover story for regime change. - Pepe Escobar
(Sep 30, '09)
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Damascus on a familiar road
Marking the first visit by a senior Syrian official since 2003, Deputy Foreign
Minister Faisal Miqdad was in Washington this week for high-level talks.
Damascus certainly wants an end to the sanctions imposed on it, but it has a
bigger goal in mind and one which it has steadfastly pursued - to get back the
Golan Heights. - Sami Moubayed (Sep 30, '09)
 SINOGRAPH
A culture at ease with war
A common perception of China is that over the centuries there was a conflict
between culture and literature on the one side and military affairs on the
other. Similarly, a belief grew that China was unfit for war and an easy
pushover. An exhaustive new book tells another story, showing how the Chinese
are well prepared for opposing armies. - Francesco Sisci
(Sep 30, '09)
Domestic needs shape China's foreign
policy
In the past 60 years, the People's Republic of China has emerged as a serious
global economic and political contender and can now shape an international
status quo that better suits its goal of a multi-polar world. The Communist
Party's desire for a more stable world is aimed at boosting national
development efforts, as this will strengthen its own hold on power. - Tim
Summers (Sep 30, '09)
Islam as politics in Malaysia
 American
pop diva Beyonce will perform in Kuala Lumpur despite a raft of piety-tinged
controversies in recent weeks, including the sharia law sentencing of a woman
to caning for drinking alcohol in public. Issues of political Islam - somewhere
between "Western sexy" on the one hand, and jihadi terror on the other - now
weigh mightily on Malaysia's national discourse. - Simon Roughneen
(Sep 30, '09)
US orchestrates Pakistan-India talks
Officially, the high-level talks between Pakistan and India at the weekend did
not result in any agreement for the resumption of the stalled peace process
between the countries. Behind the scenes, though, with Washington pulling the
strings, the groundwork has already been laid for a process that could see
Islamabad and Delhi settling their differences, especially over Afghanistan. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Sep 29, '09)
Obama looks escalation in the eye
President Barack Obama faces a fateful choice over a Pentagon request for an
additional 40,000 American troops for the war in Afghanistan - an increase of
nearly 60%. Much like a turning point in the Vietnam War in 1965, the decision
will be shaped by fears in the military and the White House of being blamed for
defeat. - Gareth Porter (Sep 29, '09)
A new cold war in Kashmir
The Kashmir dispute ranks with Palestine as one of the oldest, most intractable
disputes in the world. That does not mean that it cannot be resolved. Only that
the solution will not be completely to the satisfaction of any one party, one
country, or one ideology. Negotiators will have to be prepared to deviate from
the "party line". - Arundhati Roy (Sep 29,
'09)
US takes a radical turn on
Myanmar
The announcement that the United States intends to engage with Myanmar's
generals is a stunning change of tack towards the "outpost of tyranny". Critics
question the sense of dialogue with a reportedly rights-abusing narco-state,
but the US State Department says it was the generals who sought the contact. - Brian
McCartan (Sep 29, '09)
Taiwan, China tread carefully
Although ties continue to warm, the 60-year stalemate between China and Taiwan
over the latter's sovereignty status shows no signs of breaking. For now,
Beijing and Taipei have shelved the "One Country, Two Systems" issue, focusing
instead on what they can agree on - strengthening economic ties, which are seen
as mutually beneficial. - Cindy Sui (Sep 29,
'09)
Then Marx came tumbling down ...
Officials in Moscow want a giant 
statue of Karl Marx removed from the city center, arguing he is a bad
ideological influence, and he never visited Moscow anyway. At the heart of the
issue is a deep-seated feeling of fragility, not so much of the social-economic
order, of the peculiar Russian brand of capitalism, but of the state itself. - Dmitry
Shlapentokh (Sep 29, '09)
Skewed up recovery
Surveys find that US consumers are feeling better about the economy, yet
unemployment, poverty and foreclosure facts tell a different story. The real
economic situation for the least affluent 80% of Americans continues to
decline, and real anger is building. - Max Fraad Wolff
(Sep 29, '09)
Medvedev jumps the gun on Iran
Amid the fuss over revelations of a "secret" Iranian nuclear enrichment
facility, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has veered sharply to the side of
those seeking tougher action against Tehran. He may well have been premature,
and Moscow will now have some dexterous backtracking to do. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Sep 28, '09)
Plenty to talk about on Iran
Iran, as if on cue, ahead of international talks this week on its nuclear
program, on Sunday and Monday test-fired both long-range and short-range
missiles. Coming hard on the heels of reports of a second Iranian plant to
enrich uranium, Tehran has some explaining to do. - Jim Lobe
(Sep 28, '09)
India plans all-out attack on
Maoists
New Delhi is putting the finishing touches on a huge offensive aimed at the
long-running Naxalite insurgency in India's east, with tens of thousands of
troops preparing for a coordinated assault with the air force and elite ground
units. The Naxalites, with their stranglehold on the country's critical coal
industry, are often described as India's gravest internal threat. - Siddharth
Srivastava (Sep 28, '09)
East fails to meet West for Palin
According to the United States media, former Republican vice presidential
candidate Sarah Palin's plan to re-emerge as a political force with a highly
publicized appearance at a Hong Kong conference of global investors went over
quite well. Media in the East tell a very different story. - Kent Ewing
(Sep 28, '09)
Ba'athist rejects Iraq's bomb
claims
Amid escalating Iraq-Syria tensions, Ba'ath party member Nizar Samarai denies
the Iraqi claim that elements of his party sheltered by Syria carried out last
month's devastating "Black Wednesday" bombing in Baghdad. He concedes his party
is fomenting instability in Iraq, but says only al-Qaeda has the resources to
implement such a huge strike. - Stephen Starr
(Sep 28, '09)
In Beirut, two Ss and a W
A new phrase entered the Lebanese political vocabulary this year in reference
to the increasing domestic influence of Saudi Arabia, Syria and Washington,
though some are uncertain how committed US President Barack Obama is these
days. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has realized that any progress in Beirut must run
through Damascus. - Sami Moubayed (Sep 28,
'09)
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US bids to erase its Lao past
The United States has dropped charges against a 79-year-old Hmong leader and
former Central Intelligence Agency collaborator for allegedly purchasing
weapons in a plot to overthrow the government of Laos. Yet a new indictment for
the same crime has been filed against 11 other Hmong and a former US Special
Forces officer, raising questions about connections between insurgents in Laos
and their ethnic brethren in the US. - Brian McCartan
(Sep 28, '09)
 CHAN
AKYA
Running out of road
China, of all countries the best placed to mitigate an asset bubble, appears
the most concerned about the impact of government stimulus packages. Elsewhere,
the assumptions underlying hopes of better times ahead look all too flawed.
(Sep 28, '09)
Missile madness targets the money
President Barack Obama's decision to shelve plans for an anti-missile defense
system in the Czech Republic and Poland continues a decades-long, military and
political debate frequently set in terms little more sophisticated than "mine
is bigger than yours". None of it is real, except the money, which is very real
and very huge. - Julian Delasantellis (Sep
25, '09)
Moscow holds the line on Iran
sanctions
There was just enough in Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's words on Wednesday
about a harder line on Iran for the White House to claim that Russia had bent,
finally, in Washington's direction. Even as the President Barack Obama
administration was savoring its success, however, China was there to spoil the
moment. - M K Bhadrakumar (Sep 25, '09)
The world picks sides ahead of Iran
talks
This week's United Nations summit has become a lively arena for Iran, the
United States and their respective allies and opponents to define and defend
their positions on Tehran's nuclear standoff before the international
community. Momentum for more stringent sanctions, should October 1 talks in
Istanbul fail, is rapidly building. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Sep 25, '09)
Obama's Korean honeymoon sours
The fact that Iran and North Korea have exchanged nuclear components and
know-how, and that Pyongyang has exported missiles to Iran, inextricably links
them - if not in an "axis of evil", then at least in a military and commercial
alliance. This is not missed by United States President Barack Obama, whose
tough talk could throw cold water on the current US-North Korea honeymoon. - Donald
Kirk (Sep 25, '09)
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<IT WORLD>
India finds water on moon
India has confirmed the presence of water on the moon, which is great news for
Earth-bound people hoping to establish lunar colonies in some distant future,
but of little consolation for impoverished earth-bound farmers struggling to
stay alive in the drought-hit country. (Sep 25, '09)
Martin J Young surveys the week's developments in computing, science,
gaming and gizmos.
THE ROVING EYE
The president is in the trunk
The June 28 oligarch-directed military coup in Honduras has exposed the fallacy
of the Barack Obama administration's pledge to uphold democratic values around
the world. It unveils how helpless he is facing his subordinates at the
Pentagon and the State Department. If Obama can't even control his own
militarist backyard in Washington, not to mention Latin America, how will he
face up to Russia and China? - Pepe Escobar (Sep
24, '09)
THE MOGAMBO GURU
Sweet spots
Economic policymakers plan to leave emergency stimuluses in place as the global
economy pulls out of recession, creating a "sweet spot" for financial markets,
as if they weren't sweet enough already. That means the US Federal Reserve will
continue its unholy mission to wreck the value of the US dollar - which also
means an ever sweeter spot for gold!!! (Sep 23, '09)
 SUN
WUKONG
Say it loud, I'm PRC
and I'm proud
Ahead of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of
China, the government has released 50 slogans to be painted on walls and
written on placards and flags so that everyone can get into the (right) festive
spirit. The rousing slogans also reveal a lot of what troubles the leaders in
Beijing. - Wu Zhong (Sep 22, '09)
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David P
Goldman
(Sep 29, '09)
... this already has caused a bank rally which is well past its
best-used-by-date
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Hong Kong
faces
Rusal dilemma
Shares of Rusal, Russia's aluminum monopoly, may soon be up for sale in Hong
Kong. Much will depend on how Hong Kong stock exchange investigators view the
proposed initial public offering and the state of play in court cases elsewhere
in the world. - John Helmer
Russia, Kazakhstan
deals elusive
Russia and Kazakhstan's leaders have in recent discussions reiterated pledges
to boost their economic and energy partnership. Despite the optimistic
pronouncements, bilateral gas-processing and oil transit deals appear to remain
some way off. - Sergei Blagov
Off with their blinkered heads
The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth has seen many crises in her 57 years on
the throne, adding some weight, rather than ignorance, to her question of why
nobody noticed the financial crisis coming. "Ideological blinkers" is one short
answer. Failure to heed the great economist of the 21st century is another. - Julian
Delasantellis
China moves into
reserve position
China's leaders react to change, rather than orchestrate it. They are also
pragmatic, learning from the country's economic transformation that there are
no global models, but that each country knows what works best for it. Right
now, what's best for China is to become the reserve bank to the International
Monetary Fund. - Laurence Brahm
FROM THE BLOG
Long end in favor
The US Federal Reserve will keep money easy so that banks can continue to buy
into the long end of the yield curve with security and keep long-term yields
(and mortgage rates) low. - David Goldman
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
From bear to bear
No analyst wishes to be associated with the term "permabear". Yet with no sign
of monetary discipline, with economies awash with trillions of unsustainable
and unconstructive government credit, and the prospect of worse credit
dislocation ahead, the "bear" label must stay for some time yet.
(Sep 28, '09)
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
MARKET RAP
Shanghai losing sparkle
Shanghai stocks are losing some of their sparkle, with investors very aware of
sagging world commodity markets and the prospect of new share sales. Either may
pass, but darker clouds threaten here and around the region.
(Sep 25, '09)
R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups and downs in the week's markets.
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"... America receives very good ROI [return on investment] on her foreign aid
money to Israel as she pursues our joint common interests in the Middle East.
If Israel-United States relations should ever come a cropper, the US had better
leave the Middle East ..." - Miss_Faucie_Fishtits
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From Our Mailbox
[Re Taiwan, China tread
carefully, September 29] That Taiwan's current administration lets
China dictate who to invite and what films to show compromises the
island-nation's sovereignty and democratic values. There are many people at
home and abroad who fear a backsliding of democracy in Taiwan. Recent events
only serve to accentuate that fear.
Zoe Lee
Vancouver
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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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