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| June 29, 2002 | atimes.com | ||
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War on Terror
AL-QAEDA: THE NEW FRONTS Having had time to lick their wounds and take stock, members of al-Qaeda have re-established communication links among themselves and devised a strategy for coordinated attacks on US forces in Afghanistan, writes Syed Saleem Shahzad. At the same time, reports Roving Eye Pepe Escobar, the Pakistani government faces a terrorist conglomerate composed of hardcore Islamist groups peppered with al-Qaeda. (Jun 20)
Similarity breeds contempt: India and Pakistan Bitter foes they might be, but India and Pakistan use similar competitive tactics and native talents to outbid each other in their struggle for regional supremacy. Ehsan Ahrari writes that the ultimate test will be whether these skills can be used to resolve the Kashmir dispute peacefully. (Jun 20) Full text Iraqis not ready to lie down just yet Despite the prospect of another war with the US, Iraqis appear remarkably nonplussed, and, indeed, business is booming. While behind the scenes, the government is quietly winning friends in important places. (Jun 20) Full text US concern over tardy Pakistan intelligence forces Last Friday's bomb blast (it might not have been a suicide attack after all) outside the US Consulate in Karachi highlights the ongoing terror threat in Pakistan. But, reports Syed Saleem Shahzad, the United States is becoming concerned that Pakistani intelligence forces are not acting on useful information supplied to them by their US counterparts. (Jun 17) Full text Karachi blast plays into US hands Another suicide attack rocked Karachi on Friday, this time killing at least eight people outside the US Consulate. The finger is already being pointed at al-Qaeda, writes Syed Saleem Shahzad, but whether they were behind the incident or not, the United States will be further emboldened to increase its military presence in the region. (Jun 14) Full text Al-Qaeda: An inspiration for terror The United States-supported Afghan jihad against the Soviet invaders in the 1980s created a generation of Muslim converts who joined in the war. Much the same is happening nowadays, writes Syed Saleem Shahzad, except that today's jihadis are inspired by al-Qaeda, and they set their sights on the US. (Jun 13) Full text THE ROVING EYE IRAN DIARY, Part 10: Encircled Having labeled Iran as a part of an axis of evil, Washington continues to propagate the notion that Tehran is a danger to American national security. This is simply nonsense, writes Pepe Escobar, who argues that the US should be trying to embrace Iran, not exclude it. (Jun 12) Full text COMMENTARY Afghanistan: Warlordism redux What the United States does not realize is that its very purpose of being in Afghanistan in the first place - to wipe out the Taliban and al-Qaeda - is being undermined by the re-emergence of warlords. Ehsan Ahrari writes that the US needs to go after the warlords, not just to realize its own goals, but also for the sake of the country. (Jun 11) Full text Flash: US public still uninterested in world news After September 11, foreign affairs and development experts had dared to hope that the terrorist attacks on that day would make the US public more aware of the degree to which their country's security and welfare depended on events overseas. But a new survey indicates that most Americans continue to tune out international news events. (Jun 11) Full text COMMENTARY Al-Qaeda and military logic drive nuclear risk Much has been made of a possible "limited" war between India and Pakistan as a way of defusing tension on the subcontinent. Militarily, this just does not make sense, writes Marc Erikson, as it would inevitably deteriorate into full-scale, if not nuclear, war. And waiting in the wings behind Indian lines to exploit just such a situation are numerous al-Qaeda operatives. (Jun 10) Full text COMMENTARY Muddles and modalities of the 'Bush Doctrine' President George W Bush's repeated calls for the ouster of any world leader who sponsors terrorism or harbors terrorism has been dubbed the "Bush Doctrine". In the light of this, the president is drawing up a national defense strategy that will be used by the US military to develop war plans that, many fear, will target Iraq, writes Ehsan Ahrari. (Jun 6) Full text US hawks embrace 'hot pre-emption' According to former US secretary of state George Shultz, terrorism is a threat to the very concept of the nation-state as it has existed for three centuries. Shultz's mantra has been seized on by hawks as justifying not just the destruction of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, but perhaps even first-strike intervention against "evil" - or dangerously irresponsible - governments. (Jun 4) Full text Guerrilla forces regroup in Afghanistan The tension on the Indian-Pakistan border has forced Islamabad to redeploy troops from its border with Afghanistan to the east. This will play right into the hands of anti-West forces in Afghanistan - including remnants of the Taliban - and allow them to finally deliver on the guerrilla war that they have long promised, writes Syed Saleem Shahzad. (Jun 3) Full text COMMENTARY The power of the word In the lexicon of power-related phrasemaking, the United States over the years has come up with a few gems - "evil empire", "new world order" and, most recently, "axis of evil". The "axis" term was not only an attempt to rejuvenate America's resolve to fight global terrorism, it was also a signal to other countries that it was also their battle. Getting this message across is the hard part, writes Ehsan Ahrari. (Jun 3) Full text How US Muslims view the war on terrorism Only a third of respondents to a survey of Muslims in the United States are convinced Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network was responsible for the terrorist attacks of September 11. But despite the fact that many of them know of or have themselves suffered hate attacks, most report that they are still well treated by their neighbors. (May 31) Full text Terror trail leads from Kabul to Kashmir Kashmir and Kabul are closely connected, partly through the tangled web of terrorist networks in the region and partly due to Pakistan's vital national interests at stake in Kashmir. This makes any crackdown on jihadi groups in the region doomed to fail, writes Navnita Chadha Behera. (May 24) Full text Tribal conflicts threaten Afghan democracy A senior United Nations official has warned the Security Council that tribal conflicts in Afghanistan threaten to derail the creation of a multi-ethnic, democratically elected government. The situation is particularly dangerous outside Kabul, where a multinational security force has no mandate. (May 24) Full text
The two faces of Saudi Arabia The faces that Saudi Arabia presents to the world (pro-Western) and to its own people (Islamic fundamentalist) could not be more divergent, and therein lies an irreconcilable contradiction that courts defiance, writes Syed Saleem Shahzad. (May 22) Full text World's seaports highly vulnerable to attack Nobody envisaged passenger planes flying into buildings, but attacks on ships would be another matter. About 90 percent of all goods in global trade are carried as containerized sea cargo, and a top United States marine transport official says an attack on even one ship would probably force the closure of all 361 US ports for months. A new United Nations report reinforces those fears. (May 21) Full text WASHINGTON WATCH Alert issued for China's next cyber attack Coming shortly after the revelation that the White House had been warned as early as last August that al-Qaeda agents were seeking to hijack aircraft, a new alert that details China's readiness to launch a cyber attack on key US government computer systems seems to be falling on deaf ears in the intelligence community. James Borton reports. (May 20) Full text War scenario beyond conventional wisdom On paper, a conflict between Pakistan and India would be no contest, with the latter holding a vast superiority in terms of population, economic might, military manpower and equipment. But this does not take into account the hidden hand of the jihadis, writes Syed Saleem Shahzad. (May 20) Full text Cool heads in a hot summer There are increasingly strident calls across India for revenge and retaliation in response to last week's militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir - making it all the more important, writes, Sudha Ramachandran, that New Delhi base any response on reason rather than emotion. (May 20) Full text Kashmir just the beginning in jihadis' vision of war The deadly attack in India-administered Kashmir on Tuesday is part of a chilling jihadi plan to bring India and Pakistan to war, something that is becoming more likely by the day. And worse, writes Syed Saleem Shahzad, the jihadis aim to spread unrest from the Indian subcontinent to Central Asia - and draw in the United States in the process. (May 17) Full text Back on the brink of war Following this week's attack in Kashmir, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who has assiduously built up the image of a moderate and sober leader, has been forced to throw off his mask of statesmanship, saying that there is no longer any chance of dialogue with Pakistan. The burning issue now, in the absence of talk, is what action Vajpayee will - or can - take, writes Sultan Shahin. (May 17) Full text The buck stops with Pakistan Numerous reports in the United States suggest that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is playing a double game with regard to tracking down al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives in his country. True or not, writes Ajay Darshan Behera, the painful reality is that if the terrorist infrastructure and network is to be broken, it has to begin from inside Pakistan. (May 16) Full text Speaking for Islam: A tale of two leaders Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has been unable to deliver on her post-September 11 promises to George W Bush, and it is Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad who has become Southeast Asia's apple of Washington's eyes. It begs the question, writes Bill Guerin: What went wrong? (May 16) Full text US takes its battle to the airwaves America, stung by the success of Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based Arab satellite television station, is sparing no expense in establishing an Arabic-language radio network, which, writes James Borton, will woo the Arab world with a mixture of pop and news. (May 16) Full text Poverty of thought in search for roots of terrorism It is a widely held belief that poverty is the root cause of terrorism, even though the facts do not fit this explanation. Rather, terrorism revolves around power - who has it and how to get it. Accepting this will lead to a better understanding of why terrorists do what they do. (Apr 24) Full text Beijing's harsher Uighur policy a shot in two feet Since September 11, the Chinese government has expanded its suppressive policy toward the Uighurs but this time under a more acceptable pretext: suppressing terrorists. Hooman Peimani argues, however, that not only will this lead to further radicalization of the Uighurs and the expansion of instability in their Xinjiang province, it will also damage the legitimacy of the anti-terrorist campaigns in Afghanistan and elsewhere. (Apr 23) Full text Proposed 'anti-terrorism' law flouts rights Legislation proposed by Canberra would ban groups that are deemed "terrorist" organizations, allow life sentences to be imposed on those involved with "terrorist" organizations and allow "suspects" to be held without charge or access to a lawyer for extended periods. Many argue that the bill undermines Australians' basic human rights. (Apr 22) Full text Afghanistan: One step forward ... Just days before the former monarch is due to return from exile, Afghanistan has taken its first tentative steps toward a semblance of democracy with the start of the process to choose representatives for a grand council of elders. Syed Saleem Shahzad writes, though, that rifts in the country are no closer to being closed. (Apr 17) Full text COMMENTARY The problem of 'Londonistan' Political correctness in Europe, far more advanced and pervasive than in the United States, prevents police from checking on Islamic preachers, fundraisers and terrorist recruiters - all in the name of freedom of speech, religion and expression. No wonder, then, that terrorists, Muslim or otherwise, find European territories a safe haven. (Apr 17) Full text Winds of trouble sweep across Afghanistan Mass arrests, assassination attempts and the revival of complex, deep-seated tribal politics. Just another week in ravaged Afghanistan, writes Syed Saleem Shahzad. Yet a week that points to trouble, and lots of it, before the country even begins to decide on a permanent government. (Apr 9) Full text
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