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A new battle begins in Pakistan
Pakistani troops are pouring into the South Waziristan tribal area for a
conflict against militants that they have little chance of winning outright.
The offensive does, though, emphatically shift the focus from Afghanistan,
which is what the United States has wanted for some time. Iran, following
Sunday's attack on commanders of its Revolutionary Guards Corps, also has
Pakistan on its mind. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Oct
19, '09)
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 CHAN
AKYA
Us and them
Controlling the renewed menace of the Taliban will involve actions in the
United States and Europe to destroy the demand for heroin and oil; the twin
fuels of Islamic fundamentalism. Getting this achieved may not be the most
popular course of action, but is more likely to succeed than mere adjustments
to the current war strategy. Historical evidence involving the decline of the
British Empire favors the notion, too. (Oct 19, '09)
 SPENGLER
When the cat's away,
the mice kill each other
It is most astonishing that official Washington seems oblivious to the crack-up
of American influence occurring in front of its eyes. Without America to
mediate and restrain, each of the small powers in the Middle East has no choice
but to test its strength against the others. Those who wish to reduce American
power may get what they wish for, but they might not like it.
(Oct 19, '09)
Washington presses Iran sanctions
The United States Congress is pushing through long-pending legislation to
impose new unilateral sanctions on Iran. Supporters of the sanctions claim they
give President Barack Obama more leverage in upcoming talks with Tehran about
its nuclear program, but critics say the bans may prove counter-productive to
any possible diplomatic engagement. - Jim Lobe
(Oct 19, '09)
Goldstone as a touchstone for Obama
Attempts by the United States and Israel to bury the Goldstone report on war
crimes committed during the war in Gaza - which on Friday was approved by the
United Nations Human Rights Council - could damage US President Barack Obama's
credibility among Arabs and Muslims as someone willing to stand up to Israel. - Ian
Williams (Oct 19, '09)
UN's caste declaration riles India
A decision by the United Nations to make caste discrimination a human-rights
abuse is opposed by New Delhi. It's a sword that will cut both ways for India
as it will hopefully improve opportunities for Dalits, but it simultaneously
underscores the country's feudalistic and discriminatory ethos. - Neeta Lal
(Oct 19, '09)
Taiwan recalls days of dance
A new documentary aims to revive the fading memory of Taiwan's defunct E Sha
Song and Dance Group. The group, an overlooked piece of Taiwan's cultural
history, is a snapshot of the country's cultural-political landscape during the
turbulent years from 1959 to 1985. - Lin Zixin
(Oct 19, '09)
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)
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 (Oct 16, '09)
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)
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
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)
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)
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)
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
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Cambodia
balances East and West
As China deepens its ties with Southeast Asia, Cambodia has become a major
beneficiary of its loans, aid and investment largesse. Some fear the lack of
human rights and good governance strings attached to such bilateral deals have
adverse effects on society, while others see Beijing as offering Phnom Penh a
vital financial lifeline. - Sebastian Strangio
New broom may sweep
Google China ahead
Lee Kai-fu's decision to quit his job as head of Google China has been
portrayed as a major setback for the company as it struggles to catch up with
mainland rival Baidu. Yet his successor's background and preference for a
less-technology heavy approach could play very much in the United States
company's favor. - Sherman So
MARKET RAP
Asia continues to advance
Absolute gains were less overall in the region, but with more stable patterns
of recovery. The schizophrenic North Asian exchanges were the most divergent,
with the Nikkei 225 average in Tokyo the second-best performer and the KOSPI in
Seoul the worst.
R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups and downs in the week's markets.
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Clinging to misguided
mentalities
Inflationists like those running the United States Federal Reserve see easy
credit and the government printing press as the solutions to unemployment and
other economic problems. But they fail to recognize that aggressive stimulus
is, once again, fostering problematic bubbles.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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"I don't know if that's your [Chan Akya's] intention ... but you can't imagine
how much your reply scared the cr*p out of me ..." - ding73ding
"While it is never my intention to scare anyone per se, there is also the
element that those who are prepared are never scared. Jokes aside, the evidence
about the global financial landscape points essentially to a black swan event
(defined as an event with insignificant probability that has monstrous costs
associated with it). ..." - Chan Akya
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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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All material on this
website is copyright and may not be republished in any form without written
permission.
Copyright 1999 - 2009 Asia Times Online
(Holdings), Ltd.
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Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong
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