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Strange storm brews in South Asia
Washington is trying to cool tempers and avoid an eyeball-to-eyeball
confrontation between India and Pakistan in the wake of last week's terror
attack in Mumbai - even as both the nuclear-armed adversaries race to get the
United States on their respective good side. China, Israel and others are
watching the emergence of a new South Asian power equation from the wings, but
the US is a full-fledged participant, thanks to the war in Afghanistan, which
is critically poised. - M K Bhadrakumar (Dec
1,'08)
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Al-Qaeda 'hijack' led to Mumbai
attack
The militants who carried out the attacks on Mumbai last week were originally
meant to head for Kashmir as part of a low-profile campaign of
Pakistani-sponsored militancy there. But key reshuffles within Pakistan's
Inter-Services Intelligence and Islamabad's refocus on unrest in the tribal
areas that neighbor Afghanistan resulted in al-Qaeda hijacking the operation. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Dec 1,'08)
 CHAN
AKYA
The hottest place in the world
The Mumbai terror attacks present the next-level gambit of an extremist
takeover of Pakistan as the government’s ability to act becomes increasingly
restricted and free agents call the shots across the security spectrum. India's
callous disregard for improving its security infrastructure to protect innocent
taxpayers is tragic, but not surprising given the utter inefficiency of the
current government. (Dec 1,'08)
SOFA not sitting well in Iraq
Iraq's security pact with the United States may have been approved by the Iraqi
parliament, but not without highlighting the major divisions in the country.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Shi'ite leader Muqtada al-Sadr remain on a
collision course, and militants have responded with further violence in
Baghdad, trying to demonstrate that the government cannot survive without the
US presence. - Sami Moubayed (Dec 1,'08)
 SPENGLER
China’s six-to-one
advantage over the US
With 36 million Chinese children studying piano, compared to just 6 million in
the United States, China is set to form an intellectual elite of unrivalled
proportions. By mastering the most elevated and characteristically Western
forms of high culture, China is proving that great empires can transcend their
roots to become originators rather than imitators. Anyone who doubts this
probably doesn't get Mozart's jokes either. (Dec
1,'08)
Obama's collision course with China
President-elect Barack Obama's true agenda for future US-China relations
remains opaque, but recent US Congress reports suggest it will be riven with
conflict. "Economic nationalism" sparked by the global financial crisis; fears
that China's modernization has not equaled reform in governance and human
rights; and ongoing product safety concerns are among the host of divisive
issues presented. - Benjamin A Shobert (Dec
1,'08)
COMMENT
It's Obama that's changing
So far, United States president-elect Barack Obama's choices for top government
spots - including the expected appointment of Hillary Clinton as his secretary
of state - are a mini-betrayal of his promise to overhaul American foreign
policy. It's not just Washington that is bedeviled by politics as usual; New
Delhi needs a fresh approach to its Muslim minority to avoid more atrocities
like the Mumbai attacks. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Dec
1,'08)
Genocidal loopholes in Cambodia
Victims' hopes that Cambodia's aging and ailing Khmer Rouge leaders will ever
face trial at a United Nations-backed tribunal are fading fast as the trial,
recently rocked by yet more corruption charges, has been further delayed. The
defense team has adopted stalling tactics underpinned by wrangling over complex
international laws on conspirator liability. - Stephen Kurczy
(Dec 1,'08)
Mumbai's night
of terror
In a series of attacks by small groups of heavily armed men, more than 80
people have been killed in Mumbai. The financial capital of India has
experienced terror over the years, but nothing like this - pure and simple, it
was urban warfare. Raja Murthy was caught up in the action, and relates
some of the horror stories of foreigners who came under fire - they were the
prime targets in the bloody orgy of violence. (Nov
27,'08)
A country crashes and burns
The brazen occupation of Bangkok's international airport by anti-government
protesters takes Thailand's political conflict to a point of no return. The
relatively peaceful crisis is now on the brink of all-out violence. And the
longer the government refuses calls for it to step down, the greater the chance
of the military making a move. - Shawn W Crispin
(Nov 26,'08)
Marooned: The anatomy of a civil
siege
Within hours, Thailand's US$4 billion airport - the 18th busiest in the
world - was transformed from a glistening gateway for more than 700 daily
flights and some 40 million annual travelers, into a protest site.
Well-orchestrated anti-government protesters simply stormed in, leaving
thousands of travelers stranded and with memories of the "Land of Smiles" they
would mostly like to forget. - Charles McDermid
(Nov 29,'08)
CHAN AKYA
Debt cold turkey
Perhaps the worst thing you can tell a bankrupt person on a festive day such as
Thanksgiving is that worse is yet to come. That precisely is what is in store
for people across the global economy as deleveraging will continue to devour
every scrap thrown at it by well-meaning but useless government officials
around the world. (Nov 26,'08)
SPEAKING FREELY
China's cyber-warriors challenge India
A new wave of Chinese cyber-warriors, numbering in the millions across the
globe, presents a threat to India's security. Chinese cyber-nationalism is a
powerful and dangerous tool that could be used to demoralize the Indian psyche,
giving China the opportunity to defeat India and redraw its borders according
to strategic interests without the need for a ground war. - Abanti Bhattacharya
(Nov 26,'08)
Putin saves Abramovich's US safe
haven
A reported US$1.8 billion loan by a Russian state bank chaired by Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin will help Roman Abramovich's Evraz Group pay debts
acquired to buy steel assets in North America. The assets' value has been hit
by the economic downturn - but they remain a safe haven beyond the reach of
Moscow's nationalizing instincts. - John Helmer
(Nov 26,'08)
BOOK REVIEW
Military reform 30 years on
America’s Defense Meltdown edited by Winslow T Wheeler
After reading this book one can only conclude that with the US military's
budget at some trillion dollars annually, and mismanagement and bureaucracy at
their highest levels since the Vietnam war, the time is ripe for major reform
in the Pentagon and the military-industrial complex. But the authors don't just
criticize, they also offer sober, detailed solutions. - David Isenberg
(Nov 26,'08)
A brave new world awaits
Appointments by Barack Obama suggest the United States president-elect has a
firm grasp on the potential future outlined in US intelligence's latest peek
ahead to the year 2025. For one thing, his new economists seem well positioned
to manage "the unprecedented transfer of wealth from West to East". - David
Isenberg (Nov 25,'08)
Obama not a ghost of Clinton
past
President-elect Barack Obama's economic team includes some familiar faces,
attracting censure that too many come by way of experience with the governments
of former president Bill Clinton. Yet the manner in which Obama has set out his
intentions to remedy America's financial crisis should dispel any suggestion
that this is a Clinton lll administration. - Julian Delasantellis
(Nov 25,'08)
Geithner a balm for Japan's Clinton
trauma
Japan's experiences of dealing with Democratic presidents has given them cause
to be wary of the latest change in the White House. The appointment of
Japanese-speaking Timothy Geithner as the next Treasury secretary will go some
way to easing their concerns. - Kosuke Takahashi
(Nov 25,'08)
THE ROVING EYE
Bush comfortable on the SOFA
When Iraqi parliamentarians vote on Wednesday on whether or not to endorse a
security pact with the United States, many of them will not have had the
opportunity to study the finer points. Perhaps all they need to know is that
the Pentagon and President George W Bush are very comfortable with it. - Pepe
Escobar (Nov 25,'08)
IMF's double-edged rescue for
Pakistan
The International Monetary Fund's US$7.6 billion credit line will help Pakistan
avert an economic meltdown caused by the government's "trust deficit", but
analysts are afraid the harsh conditions linked to the deal could convert the
financial mess into a political crisis. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Nov 25,'08)
 SUN
WUKONG
Regions won't dance
to Beijing's tune
Controversial comments by the Communist Party chief of Guangdong province in
defiance of Beijing's plans to help small businesses ride out the financial
crisis could highlight power struggles in the party or political
ladder-climbing, but are more likely indicative of China's growing trend
towards regionalism. This places a huge question mark over the 20 million rural
migrant workers in the country's richest province. - Wu Zhong
(Nov 25,'08)
THE MOGAMO GURU
G-20 weenies on a golden
spit
The Washington summit of 20 leading industrialized nations promised to keep
spending money like mad instead of doing what should have been done, which was
to install a gold standard. Dumb!! But it means that price inflation is a
certainty, which is great for gold. Whee!!! (Nov
25,'08)
Balanced between Bali and Obama
President-elect Barack Obama's special relationship with key anti-terrorism
ally Indonesia gives him a head start in tackling the complex religious,
political and economic factors shaping the destiny of this strategic regional
actor. But it has also raised local expectations to giddy heights at a time
when the success of the nation's US-backed policy to root out extremists
remains in doubt. - Simon Roughneen (Nov
25,'08)
US military ripe for a fight with
Obama
President-elect Barack Obama inherits a chasm of mistrust between the Pentagon
and the White House, regardless of whether Defense Secretary Robert Gates stays
on. First, Obama has to avoid a confrontation over the "don't ask, don't tell"
policy on the sexuality of the forces. Then there are the deep splits sparked
by the difficulties in Iraq and Afghanistan: the counter-insurgency advocates
who feel besieged by the proponents of the "AirLand Battle" doctrine, aside
from those who favor post-combat "nation-building". - Mark Perry
(Nov 24,'08)
COMMENT
A new spin on Iran's nuclear fuel
The latest anti-Iran spin is that Tehran already has enough nuclear fuel for
one bomb and that its nuclear capability will increase substantially in the
near future. Combined with the "Clintonization" of the incoming Barack Obama
administration, there is little chance of a major change in Washington's Iran
policy while it remains influenced by the wheels of the "Fourth Estate". - Kaveh
L Afrasiabi (Nov 24,'08)
INTERVIEW
Taliban not talking peace
Mullah Mohammad Hasan Rahmani
 The
close adviser to Taliban leader Mullah Omar categorically rules out any notion
that the Taliban are a part of - or even plan to be - any peace process over
Afghanistan. It is all propaganda aimed to weaken the Taliban and their jihad,
Hasan Rahmani tells Syed Saleem Shahzad. And the Taliban will continue
their policy of attacking the supply lines of coalition forces.
(Nov 24,'08)
The black hole in financial
markets
Americans are beginning to understand how much of their economy depended on the
housing bubble. The collapse of housing prices has led to a collapse of
consumer spending, which leads to a rise in unemployment, which in turn erodes
the value of commercial property - and so the destruction of wealth spreads.
Barack Obama will take office as the most powerful peacetime president in US
history - he will be the only man in town with a checkbook. - David P Goldman
(Nov 21,'08)
Asia held hostage on the high seas
It has been centuries since armed robbery on the high seas has taken on the
dramatic geopolitical dimensions it has today. But piracy is back, and the
brazen recent successes of Somali buccaneers has shocked governments and
navies, and thrown oil companies and shipowners into panic. As this week's
hijacking of a Saudi oil supertanker shows, the risk of pillage and plunder is
getting worse, and leaders from Japan to South Korea to Hong Kong and India
want action to protect their trade routes. - Keith Wallis
(Nov 19,'08)
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Japan returns to
deflation brink
Japan is facing a return to the economy-wrecking effects of declining prices
under the pressure of a stronger yen and falling global demand for its exports.
Easing demand at home from an ageing population adds to concern. - Kosuke
Takahashi
China's US$9bn hostage
in the Congo war
General Laurent Nkunda claims his forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo's
increasingly violent eastern region are defending minority Tutsis. At the same
time, he demands cancelation of a US$9 billion venture giving China rights to
vast mineral resources. The creation of a new US military command for Africa is
a strained coincidence. - F William Engdahl
MARKET RAP
Bear market rally
Shanghai was alone in showing a negative market movement last week, with even
Mumbai showing some resilience in the face of the terrorist slaughter in the
city, the country's unquestioned financial center. Yet signs of a broad and
deep malaise remain.
R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups and downs in the week's markets.
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Just the facts
The US government is prepared to lend as much as half the value of everything
produced in the nation last year, as the damage of bursting economic and
financial bubbles spreads. Yet after a fall of 40% in the median price of a
Californian home, single-family home sales there have doubled.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
 Salvation
in the cheap oil army
The declines in oil output around the world can mean only one thing -
higher prices, and not just in what you pay for fuel. And that means financial
salvation for folk who listen to the right music.
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FROM THE BLOG
Volcker a ray of hope
The appointment of Paul Volcker to head president-elect Barack Obama's Economic
Recovery Advisory Board is the first real cause for optimism the new
administration has given us. - David P Goldman
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[Re Mumbai's night
of terror, Nov 27] Raja Murthy's bird's-eye narrative provided gripping
details of one of Aristotle's "causal factors" commonly called the 3M axis of
Motivation, Method and Means. Hopefully, Asia Times Online will follow up with
providing its readership with the other two Ms. All readers would certainly
appreciate any and all contributions from ATol's erudite contributors to the
causal factors of this tragedy.
Armand De Laurell
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 Go
to Letters to the Editor |
On The Edge
It will be at least another week before the Indian government has or releases
enough evidence so it can determine who sponsored this act of barbarity. We
would all do ourselves a favor if we waited for that evidence before leaping
into nuclear war.
Bigbird
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| Go
to the readers' forum topic,
Terrorist Attack Mumbai
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ATol Specials
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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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