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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)
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NATO forces turn to warlords
Afghan warlords are earning millions of dollars from North Atlantic Treaty
Organization forces to guard forward operating bases and supply convoys. Their
ruthless private armies are reviled by much of the public, and are likely to
turn their rifles on NATO forces should the protection money dry up. - Gareth
Porter (Oct 30, '09)
Ill winds over Iran's nuclear draft
The contents of Iran's response to a fuel-for-fuel draft proposal from the
International Atomic Energy Agency for Tehran's low-enriched uranium have not
been officially disclosed. Already, though, both inside Iran and in the United
States, the initiative is under attack. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Oct 30, '09)
More
missiles across the strait
A recently released report by Taiwan's Defense Ministry stating that China has
increased the number of missiles targeted at the island demonstrates that
despite unprecedented warming relations, the potential for war between the
long-time rivals still very much exists. - Cindy Sui
(Oct 30, '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)
What keeps Arroyo up at night
When she steps down in eight months, ending her constitutional immunity,
Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo could face charges ranging from
corruption and electoral fraud to arranging extra-judicial killings and forced
disappearances. Arroyo would, though, dodge any bullets by winning a seat in
congress. - Al Labita (Oct 30, '09)
New moons are rising
The Reverend Sun Myung Moon, 
nearing 90, has been meeting movers and shakers in the rarified heights of
Washington to promote his autobiography, illustrating the political power and
influence both in the United States and abroad of his World Unification Church.
Moon's sons are now being groomed for the difficult task of making the church
appear less idiosyncratic and more acceptable to the public.
(Oct 30, '09)
Europe stoops to conquer the
Uzbeks
A controversial decision by Europe to lift an arms embargo on Uzbekistan comes
as alarm bells are ringing in Central Asian capitals over a possible spillover
of the Afghan war. Tashkent may be the key to a northern supply corridor, but
regional leaders - increasingly skeptical of the West's will to win and the
prospect of "Afghanization" - are bracing for a Taliban victory. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Oct 29, '09)
Strong messages in Pakistan
 The
primary job of United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her
visit to Pakistan is to relay the message to both its civilian and military
leadership that it would be wise to join the US in fighting extremists as part
of the war in Afghanistan. The massive car bomb that killed 105 people in
Peshawar on the day of her arrival is the militants' message.
(Oct 29, '09)
SPEAKING FREELY
Hamid Karzai: Afghanistan's Diem
Fresh revelations of the Hamid Karzai government's opium trade links and the
alleged involvement of the Central Intelligence Agency render the United States
role in Afghanistan more murky and contradictory. With all the attention on
General Stanley McChrystal's troop increase demand, historical perspective has
been lost. We are back in Ngo Dinh Diem's Saigon of 1963. - Michael Wallach
(Oct 29, '09)
A turkey hunt in Iraq
Rather than finding those who struck at Baghdad's Green Zone in August, killing
100 people, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki searched for political
scapegoats to protect his own neck. There has been more of the same in the wake
of Sunday's bombings that killed at least 150 people, leaving the terrorists at
will to strike again. - Sami Moubayed (Oct
29, '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)
In Cambodia, a threatened tribe
of Islam
The distinct practices of the Cambodian Imam San community, which blend Islam
and animism, are seen by many Muslims as impure. Adding to the group's
estrangement, its members have rejected foreign-funded incentives to convert to
more orthodox Islam amid concern over the possible radicalizing influence of
foreign teaching. - Brendan B Brady (Oct 29,
'09)
Bollywood gets political
Times are changing in Bollywood. 
No longer just a song-and-dance film industry, India's massive movie machine is
moving ahead of the curve both politically and socially, with recent
productions, one featuring box office star, Shahrukh Khan, pushing viewers to
address issues of communal relations and religious intolerance. - Noor Iqbal
(Oct 29, '09)
Lesson unlearned
Eighty years after the market crash in the United States that led to the Great
Depression, the "lessons" learned from that grim period have since been
accepted by central bankers, in particular the role of monetary policy. They
have also given birth to an economics of instability. The real lesson is that
weak national economies must seek redress through economic nationalism. - Henry
CK Liu (Oct 29, '09)
Inflation by stealth
The very fact that prices for most goods in the United States are holding
steady when the economy is in its present black hole indicates that inflation,
far from being absent, is all too present, lurking in the shadows like a ninja.
Once it strikes, price rises will be fast and deadly. - John Browne
(Oct 29, '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)
US report tarnishes Sri Lanka
victory
A United States report on human-rights abuses during the Sri Lankan
government's final offensive on the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
finds that while the rebel group used child soldiers and human shields, the
government shelled civilian populations and badly neglected refugees' rights.
(Oct 28, '09)
Bring on the banking dullards
Is it fair that a banker comfortable with annual income of US$30 million should
now, under government dictat, earn only one-third of that? When the competence
hitherto rewarded helps bring about a financial crisis on the scale recently
witnessed - yes. If such lower rewards bring back banking dullards - again,
yes. - Julian Delasantellis (Oct 28, '09)
China hawks target US sign-off shuffle
United States President Barack Obama has delegated presidential power of
scrutinizing and approving exports of missile- and space-related technology to
the Commerce Department. But anyone who thinks that Obama has suddenly
rewritten the rulebook when it comes to exports of missile and space-related
technology to China is mistaken. - Peter J Brown
(Oct 28, '09)
Yuan gaining currency beyond
borders
Beijing's apparent disinterest in developing a policy on the convertibility of
the yuan has given way since the global financial crisis to a clear
determination to increase international use of the Chinese currency,
particularly by its Asian neighbors. The launch in January of the China-ASEAN
free trade area will help to accelerate this regionalization of the currency. - Russell
Hsiao (Oct 28, '09)
Gates gets grumpy in Tokyo
United States Secretary of Defense Robert 
Gates expected to leave Japan with a firm agreement in place for the relocation
of the US Marine Corps base from Okinawa to Guam. But the recently elected
Democratic Party of Japan played hardball, leaving Gates empty-handed. This and
other disputes are a sign that Tokyo and Washington may be drifting apart after
decades of close alliance. - Peter J Brown (Oct
27, '09)
As ASEAN dithers, the US circles
The rhetoric used at the latest summit of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations risks generating false expectations of the 10-member grouping
developing into a nascent European Union. Certainly, progress was made on
economic integration, but such issues as dealing with Myanmar remain
unresolved, which sends a mixed message to the United States as it ponders its
engagement in the region. - Simon Roughneen (Oct
27, '09)
Welcome to 2025
An affiliate of the United States Central Intelligence Agency has predicted
that America's global pre-eminence will gradually disappear over the next 15 or
so years. Six recent developments - including reports on America's economic
rivals exploring a diminished role for the US dollar and Chinese rebuffs of the
US over strengthening sanctions on Iran - indicate we are already entering that
era. - Michael T Klare (Oct 27, '09)
Afghan fury at Koran burning claims
Allegations that American forces burned copies of the Koran during a recent
raid in central-eastern Afghanistan have led to a series of protests, including
two in the capital, Kabul. The United States military denies the charges,
saying Taliban insurgents are behind the burnings. - Abdullah Obaidi
(Oct 27, '09)
THE BEAR'S LAIR
Where have the savers gone?
Numerous steps that could encourage a higher savings rate in the United States
are possible - but would prove unpopular. With the alternative a future along
the path taken by Argentina, the pain would be worth it. - Martin Hutchinson
(Oct 27, '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)
US zeroes in on China's clout in
Myanmar
A senior United States State Department mission is going to Myanmar to
ostensibly discuss democracy and human rights, but the subtext will clearly be
boosting ties and building influence in a country long considered to be in
China's diplomatic pocket. The competition between Washington and Beijing for
influence in Southeast Asia could hinge on how Myanmar's generals react. - Brian
McCartan (Oct 23, '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)
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David P
Goldman
(Oct 28, '09)
The administration has [been] handing money to favored projects - and the
grassroots economy gets crushed.
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China
stocks surge
on new board debut
High returns and high risks is the name of the game as never before in
China's stock markets, with values of companies listed on the world's newest
exchange, the small-market ChiNext based in Shenzhen, surging on its opening day on
Friday. - Olivia Chung
 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.
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.
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.
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FROM THE BLOG
Credit crunch worsens
The credit crunch in the United States is getting worse, not better, with
year-on-year percentage growth in commercial and industrial loans at a negative
10%, the worst during the 60 years in which records have been kept. - David
Goldman
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Mortgage madness
US Federal Reserve claims that prices of mortgage-backed securities are likely
to fall when it eventually begins offloading them are far-fetched. Not only
will the Fed have to live with exposure to the securities for years to come;
Washington's mortgage risk will at some point make or break the US dollar.
(Oct 26, '09)
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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"... Compare the behaviour of the Western banks to those of the Asian banks
from 12 years ago. You don't see term mismatches on assets and liabilities,
pretty much no Asian bank today has loans in excess of deposits, nor a huge
amount of higher risk lending ... .The landscape is relatively clean, banks are
well managed and more importantly, very very liquid: all due to their
near-death experiences of a dozen years ago ... . This contrast ... is what
drove me to examine the behaviour [of Western banks]. About the only reasonable
comparison that seemed remotely plausible was that of small dogs ..." - Chan
Akya
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From Our Mailbox
[Re Europe stoops
to conquer the Uzbeks, October 29] The European Union has realized that
Uzbekistan is its dictatorship. It has echoes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's
stinging reply to detractors who challenged the US president's backing of the
Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza: "He's our bastard". In other words, hands
off, he is serving our foreign policy purposes.
Mel Cooper
Singapore
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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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(Holdings), Ltd.
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Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
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