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Saudi-Iranian hostility hits boiling point
Escalating tensions between Riyadh and Tehran may have played a role in
Sunday's suicide strike that killed seven senior commanders of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards Corps as well as 42 other people in Iran's southeast.
Riyadh is concerned that Iran's growing power will erode Saudi pre-eminence in
the region, and the Saudis might have a vested interest in disrupting the
United States-Iran nuclear talks. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Oct 20, '09)
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THE ROVING EYE
Jundallah versus the mullahtariat
Sunday's suicide bombing in Iran has set off a war: it's the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards Corps against Pakistani Balochistan-based Jundallah and
the massive drug trafficking network in the area. In terms of the turbulent,
internal political equation in Iran, the show of force against a key element of
the mullahtariat could not be more devastating. - Pepe Escobar
(Oct 20, '09)
Iran's nuclear talks also hit
The strike in Iran raises the possibility of Iran retaliating with attacks on
bases inside Pakistan from which the main suspects operate. Iranian President
Mahmud Ahmadinejad will also now be under pressure to unravel the recent gains
made with the United States in talks over Tehran's nuclear program. - Kaveh L
Afrasiabi (Oct 20, '09)
Sunnis present a new face in Iraq
The Iraqi Accordance Front, which has announced the formation of a new-look,
all-Sunni coalition, believes it can make a major breakthrough in January's
elections, even without the inclusion of a number of heavyweights. - Sami
Moubayed (Oct 20, '09)
For whom the Afghan poll tolls
Once viewed as a chance to give Afghans a political voice and as a signpost of
progress for the international community amid rapidly deteriorating security
and governance, Afghanistan's vitiated elections now seem an altogether
different animal. Lost in the whirlwind of fraud and politicking are the
millions of Afghans who did risk their lives to vote, only to find backroom
deals and decision-makers steal their right to choose. - Aunohita Mojumdar
(Oct 20, '09)
China opens a new front in Kashmir
China, by issuing residents from Indian-administered Kashmir visas different
from those given to Indians from other parts of the country, is treating the
disputed area as a sovereign entity. This is a surprising departure from
Beijing's traditional policy of leaving the Kashmir issue to India and Pakistan
to resolve. Delhi suspects a hidden agenda. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Oct 20, '09)
Swarms of rats plague rural
Myanmar
Some 100,000 residents of Myanmar's Chin State are without proper food after a
rare mass flowering of nearby bamboo forests triggered an infestation of
ravenous rat armies which promptly devoured local crops. Thousands of people
are migrating to neighboring countries, especially India, in search of food and
employment. - Colin Hinshelwood (Oct 20, '09)
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)
 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)
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
(Oct 19, '09)
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 (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)
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)
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)
 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)
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Red meat
back on (some) Russian tables
Russia has agreed to accept shipments of Canadian beef in a deal expected to be
worth about US$31 million for Ottawa annually. The move marks a mini-revival in
Russia's battered meat imports, but also points to the inability of the
domestic industry to come up with the goods. - John Helmer
India's stocks in
overreach mode
 The
strength of India's stock markets, with the benchmark Sensex more than doubling
since early March, has not been backed by any substantial improvement in
corporate performance and there is little indication that company revenues are
going to improve. - Kunal Kumar Kundu
THE BEAR'S LAIR
Rent-seekers' nirvana
The explosion in derivatives and trading volumes can be seen as a gigantic
smokescreen which has enabled Wall Street to extract larger and larger rents
from the remainder of the economy. - Martin Hutchinson
IMF defends lending policies
A report by a Washington-based think-tank criticizes the International Monetary
Fund for failing to anticipate the global downturn and for recommending
pro-cyclical policies based on bad data and over-optimistic assumptions in
response. The IMF has hit back, saying it is certainly not its policy to harm
already poor economies.
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. (Oct 19, '09)
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. (Oct
19, '09)
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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Prepare to duck
"... Is a swan supposed to be abnormal if it has black instead of white
plumage? Well, here in Australia ... - MonsoonWind
"[T]he point about the 'black swan' is that everyone in the world appears to
assume that the US dollar will remain the payment currency of choice for the
indefinite future. Changing that assumption will mean chaos to the status quo.
The global financial system may well hold, but we now have to deal with the
added complication of US creditworthiness (which wasn't an issue in the past).
That destroys the standard for the US dollar, and argues for a replacement." - Chan
Akya
"'Black swan event' is not such a useful phrase other than it's catchy. ...
[T]he real observable norm, the 'white swan', is 'sporadic collapse'. I suggest
'paradigm shift' is ... far more understandable and accurate to our discussion.
..." - ding73ding
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From Our Mailbox
[Re UN's caste
declaration riles India, Oct 19, '09] Laudable as this "rhetorical
salvo" by the United Nations Human Rights Council may be, it will be as
ineffective as the paper and verbal declarations by Indian politicians - past
and present - in making a significant difference to the lives of Dalits at the
lower level.
Fazal ur Rahman
Bridgewater NS Canada
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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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