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DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
The US: Your masters of the universe
The US Air Force's new slogan, "Air Force - Above All" conveys the basic
precept that mastery of the air means mastery of the ground. Yet the air force
seeks more than that. It wants to extend its "mastery" to space and even to
cyberspace. This is a disturbing manifestation of the military's quest for
"full spectrum dominance", achieved at debilitating cost to the American
taxpayer - and a potentially destabilizing one to the planet. - William J Astore
(retired lieutenant colonel, USAF) (May 8, '08)
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China's submarine progress
alarms India
Reports of China building a massive strategic naval base capable of housing
nuclear-powered submarines on Hainan island in the South China Sea have India
on red alert. The fear is not so much that China will launch any offensive
against India, but that India is falling far behind in the race to dominate the
region's seas. - Siddharth Srivastava (May 8,
'08)
Myanmar places votes before
relief
Estimates now point to a quarter of a million dead in the cyclone that hit
Myanmar, while foreign aid agencies still wait for approval to assist the
millions of homeless. For the country's military rulers, the more pressing
issue appears to be to galvanize support for Saturday's constitutional
referendum, the results of which are already a forgone conclusion in favor of
the junta. - Larry Jagan (May 8,
'08)
 Grim
fight for survival (AFP)
Pressure for Iraq to pay its own
way
The US Congress is expected to soon impose unprecedented conditions on
Iraq-related spending, including a ban on major reconstruction projects and
support for Sunni militias. The idea is that Iraq cough up more money to
rebuild itself, while at the same time challenging the wisdom of the"surge". -
Jim Lobe (May 8, '08)
COMMENT
Undiplomatically
yours
Fiery and insulting language is increasingly spewing around the globe. It is
debatable whether there is a logic behind the combative and irascible words of
some world leaders, but the spoken broadsides of a Mahmud Ahmadinejad or a Kim
Jong-il are certainly less harmful than the military invasions of a George W
Bush. - Sreeram Chaulia (May 8,
'08)
Afghan army far from fighting fit
There has been a drop in the number of troops deserting from the Afghan
National Army, but that is about the only good news. The indigenous force
suffers from ethnic divisions, poor logistical support, inadequate training
and, crucially, it is far from being able march on its own feet without
coalition air cover. (May 8, '08)
'My daughter, the terrorist'
A Norwegian documentary follows two elite female Tamil Tiger
soldiers as they train to join the Black Tigers - the female arm of the rebel
group known for carrying out suicide bombings. Within their ranks the women are
revered as heroes, but the film has been panned as glorifying suicide bombers.
Either way, the story is ultimately a tragic tale of loss and sacrifice in war.(May
8, '08)
US trains Pakistani killing
machine
United States Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, drawing on his
experience in the Philippines and Nicaragua, is behind an initiative for the US
to train up special Pakistani forces to go after high-level al-Qaeda and
Taliban targets in Pakistan's tribal areas. The move is an admission that
operations by massed Pakistani troops have failed, but it gives the US further
inroads into Pakistan. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (May
7, '08)
COMMENT
US terror report misses the point
The US State Department's annual terrorism report makes no secret of the fact
that al-Qaeda is back, strong as ever. But if al-Qaeda indeed exists on such a
large and influential scale in so many countries, is it not time to question
the logic used by the George W Bush administration's "war on terror", which was
meant to weaken and destroy al-Qaeda in the first place? - Ramzy Baroud
(May 7, '08)
Myanmar courts political
disaster
Myanmar's military rulers are playing with fire through their response - or
deliberate lack of one - to the cyclone calamity that has claimed over 22,000
lives and damaged huge swathes of premier rice-growing areas. The generals fear
that diverting the military to relief operations will compromise security in a
country already on the edge of an abyss, but even then, this is a prime time
for the urban-based population to revolt and for simmering ethnic insurgencies
to explode. - Brian McCartan (May 7, '08)
Warning signs of Indian heart crisis
A new study shows that India faces a crippling attack of heart diseases on an
already overstretched health care sector. Genetic predisposition and
non-traditional lifestyles, the study finds, are pumping cases of cardiac
ailments into undermanned hospitals so rapidly that in just two years, India
will have 60% of the world's heart patients. As one doctor put it, "We're
sitting on a time bomb." - Neeta Lal (May 7,
'08)
Yes, the Pentagon did want to hit
Iran
Since soon after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, it has been an open
secret that the George W Bush administration wanted to attack Iran. Now comes
further confirmation from a document quoted in then-under secretary of defense
for policy Douglas Feith's recently published account of Iraq war decisions. It
is confirmed, too, that this was part of a broader plan, explicitly supported
by the US's top military leaders, to also take out Syria, Libya, Sudan and
Somalia. - Gareth Porter. (May 6, '08)
THE BEAR'S LAIR
Draining
national prosperity
Relief engendered by the latest US GDP figures is misplaced, given recent
monetary and fiscal inputs. Gradually increasing output and the optimistic
stock market will sooner or later be confronted by consumer price figures. At
that point, the US will suffer a monetary and political crisis. Awkwardly, that
is more likely to occur before November's US presidential election. - Martin
Hutchinson (May 6, '08)
New offer threatens Iran's 'red
line'
The key nations negotiating over Iran's nuclear program hail their latest offer
of incentives for Tehran to give up its uranium-enrichment activities as a part
of a "twin-track strategy", the other being United Nations sanctions. There is
actually a third "war track", the drumbeat of which can be heard in Washington
and Tel Aviv. And further, the incentives directly challenge Iran's "red line".
- Kaveh Afrasiabi (May 6, '08)
China-bashing is a blind man's game
China's renaissance, arguably the most significant story of our time, offers to
the world as much as the world brings to China. Yet some fail to grasp the big
picture, and for them, China's re-emergence generates anxiety. The result is
anti-Chinese rhetoric and behavior that can only generate anti-Western
attitudes within China. Meanwhile Beijing and the West could join forces to
solve global problems. - David Gosset (May 6,
'08)
Fuel tax cut running on empty
US presidential candidates pledging to cut fuel taxes blithely ignore the fact
they are not placed to make that happen. As bad, it is not what their country
needs in response to rising prices. Worse, any such cuts would hit funding of
transport infrastructure that already lags behind its counterparts in Asia. - Julian
Delasantellis (May 6, '08)
 SUN
WUKONG
Blowing the whistle
on 'Big Brother'
Fundamental problems exist in China's railway system, not the least of which is
that the behemoth Ministry of Railways is both the monopoly operator and
industry regulator for all rail transport. If this system is not restructured,
nothing will change, and accidents such as the recent crash that claimed 70
lives will continue. - Wu Zhong (May 6, '08)
 CAMPAIGN
OUTSIDER
Democrats do have a nominee
No matter who wins this Tuesday's votes in Indiana and North Carolina, the
Democratic US presidential nomination remains a foregone conclusion. But it may
be a different foregone conclusion than the one of two weeks ago. - Muhammad
Cohen (May 5, '08)
Speculators knock OPEC off
oil-price perch
 The
bulk of price gains in oil is attributable not to supply problems but to
speculative activity by hedge funds and others with no direct use for the fuel
beyond profiting from its changing value. The door to much of this unregulated
trade was opened by the US energy futures regulator under the George W Bush
administration. - F William Engdahl (May 5, '08)
Energized Iran builds more bridges
In terms of whom it conducts its energy business with, Iran keeps all its
options open, and it will not allow itself to be pushed out of the European
market as exports are the bridge that will facilitate its all-round integration
with the Western world. Tehran's hectic diplomatic activity in this regard has
put the "Iran Six" countries dealing with its nuclear dossier on the defensive:
none of them wants confrontation with Iran. - M K Bhadrakumar
(May 5, '08)
 SPENGLER
The heart has its own unreason
In one of the weirder acts of recent diplomacy, a delegation of robed and
turbaned Iranian mullahs went to Rome to declare with due solemnity they shared
the pope's view that reason and faith are compatible. The issue,
however, will not be decided by the Iranian clergy or the Holy See,
but by people such as journalist Magdi Allam. - Spengler
(May 5, '08)
THE MOGAMBO GURU
Gold price suppression scheme
How long the present relatively low price of gold will stay that way may depend
on whether the US Federal Reserve has sold half the country's gold and if it is
prepared to stop at half. At least that would give us the opportunity to buy
more gold cheaply for a while longer yet. (May 5,
'08)
How under-the-gun Iran plays it
cool
What Iranian leaders dream of is an Iran respected as a major power. To this
end, they have little choice, faced with the enmity of the globe's "sole
superpower", but to employ a sophisticated counter-encirclement foreign policy.
And given President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's place in the country's
politico-religious politics, he might be betting on the usefulness of an
American air assault. - Pepe Escobar (May 2, '08)
 CHAN
AKYA
Abandoning
USS Titanic
As the world comes to grips with declining United
States power both in political and economic terms, it is surreal that global
media appear so keen to paper over the cracks. But with even the corrupt and
unctuous Gulf dictators rebelling against the US dollar, this is the beginning
of the end. (May 2, '08)
 ASIA
HAND
What's eating Thai Tesco?
British-based superstore operator Tesco has notched up remarkable growth in
Thailand, where shoppers appreciate the clean and air-conditioned environment
of its outlets along with the low prices. With success comes enemies, some
armed, and government legislation that could curb growth. Now the company is
fighting back in the courts, risking even more local wrath. - Shawn W Crispin
(May 2, '08)
Economy takes US center stage
A major new survey finds that oil prices and other economic issues are edging
out foreign policy concerns on the US public's worry list. Seventy percent of
respondents say they worry "a lot" about soaring energy costs, and the survey's
aptly named "Anxiety Indicator" shows that 84% worry about the way things are
going for the US. - Jim Lobe (May 1, '08)
China's pride versus Western prejudice
The Chinese government did not expect the Olympic Games to be politicized to
the extent they have been and the result is a big loss for Beijing. It has also
damaged the image of China's "harmonious society" and prompted a new wave of
Chinese nationalism. Many Chinese now feel, for the first time in many years,
antagonized by Western ideology. - Da Wei (May 1,
'08)
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Fed
wins space
for more cuts
The US Federal Reserve was expected to call a halt to its series of interest
rate cuts at its meeting next month, amid mounting concerns over inflation. But
the latest productivity data give the Fed latitude to further reduce interest
rates if economic conditions warrant. - Peter Morici
G7 loses grip on global policy
The world's seven leading economies until recently had the power to effect
coherence to the policies of the great triumvirate of the international
economic system - the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank. No longer. Developing nations grouped as Outreach 5 have
taken control and are not going to return it.
SPEAKING FREELY
The Gulf's currency solution
The declining value of the US dollar, and with it the wealth of all
countries linked to it, has prompted oil states such as Kuwait, Qatar and the
United Arab Emirates to consider ending their US dollar currency pegs. The
history of the region holds the answer to their quest for an alternative. -
Nathan Lewis
Wind drifts out of
Japan's green vision
Japan's engineering companies are taking full advantage overseas of 30% annual
global growth in the use of wind energy. Yet at home, thanks in part to
government policies and utility monopolies, there are few opportunities in a
country supposedly synonymous with efforts to combat global warming.
A fear of falling Fed credit
Increasing a country's money supply by raising debt is unwholesome, bizzare and
utterly discredited, but that is how it works, which means that when total Fed
credit stands still, as it has just done, that is worse than bizzare and
incredibly unwholesome. The ramifications are terrifying. This is what is meant
by "doomed".
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CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
More than one step backwards
American economist Hyman Minsky warned a decade ago that evolution in the
financial world is not necessarily a progressive process. Since that insight, a
whole new financial structure appears to have evolved, one that is definitely
retrograde with its need for ever-expanding non-productive debt.
(May 5, '08)
Doug Noland reviews the previous week's events each Monday.
MARKET RAP
Pacific remains pacified
Traders taking a break from their labors in Asia could do so reasonably
satisfied with unfolding events. Once heady share-price declines appear to be
halted with prospects of strengthening markets ahead. That apparent local
stability may be welcome if the sense of panic returns to Wall Street.
(May 2, '08)
R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups and downs in the week's markets
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Tsenam [letters, May 7] is parroting the Western media's line that
demonstrations by Chinese are orchestrated by the Chinese government ...
Western media fail to see that China is surely showing it is giving its people
the rights to speech, assembly and religious beliefs.
Wendy Cai
USA
... China's president Hu Jintao ... is tarring and feathering with the brush of
splittism the Dalai Lama. Which, coming from on high of the Chinese Communist
Party's nomenklatura, is a sure sign that Beijing lacks any meaningful desire
to deal with the Tibetans. It is pure smoke and mirrors to take the heat off
Beijing ...
Mel Cooper
Singapore
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to Letters to the Editor |
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ATol Specials
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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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