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THE INVASION OF IRAQ: 10 YEARS ON
Search and Destroy: The rape of Iraq
Despite the harrowing spiral of Iraqi suffering and drift towards balkanization and civil war, 10 years on and even so-called "liberals" are trying to legitimize something, anything, out of the "Iraq project". As the country sits on the brink of fragmentation, resource-rich Kurdish regions turning to Turkey to bypass Baghdad for oil exports and influence could become the last straw. - Pepe Escobar
(Mar 20, '13)
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World fails to make a reckoning
Bombings in Baghdad appeared to commemorate the invasion of Iraq. Elsewhere, particularly among Washington's foreign policy elite, the remarkable lack of interest in the anniversary may be explained by the fact that the war was an experience many, including its defenders, would prefer to forget. After all, the balance sheet doesn't look very good.
- Jim Lobe
(Mar 20, '13)
COMMENT
Who did you rape in the war, daddy?
Veterans often tell us it's never okay to ask if a soldier killed somebody "over there" and they almost never offer up accounts of murder, assault, torture, or rape unsolicited. The obscenity of war, in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan, stays buried - and everyone suffers for their silence. But these are questions that need answers, so we can all take part in shouldering the truth.
- Nick Turse
(Mar 20, '13)
Neo-cons shocked by loss of awe
Divides in the Republican Party between defense hawks and those who believe the Pentagon shouldn't be exempt from budget cuts underline growing resistance to the neo-conservative vision of a benevolent US hegemony as favored by the group who sought "regime change" in Iraq a decade ago. That debacle isn't the sole source of the split. - Jim Lobe
(Mar 20, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Surrender is the
best option for Tibet
Self-immolation by Tibetans taints the rule of those in Beijing who are in charge of Tibet, but does not change basic facts and the reluctance of the majority Han Chinese to see it become independent. With autonomy always a distant dream, the best hope for the Tibetan cause is not suicide, but a strategic surrender.
- Francesco Sisci
(Mar 20, '13)
China may wear out African welcome
While many African countries favor Chinese investment that's free from the political strings and human-right lectures attached to Western agreements, growing complaints over labor abuses, poor construction and delays suggest an end to the Sino-African honeymoon. Prospects for future cooperation depend on how Beijing responds to such dissent and how Africa manages expectations of its trading partner.
- Nan Chen
(Mar 20, '13)
IRANIAN FIRE POWER
A guerilla force in Gulf waters
Large surface ships and submarines form the backbone of the Iran's conventional "green water" navy in the Persian Gulf. The Revolutionary Guards have a large inventory of small craft specializing in hit-and-run tactics that in any conflict would be able to take advantage of adversaries' weaknesses.
- Michael Connell (Mar 20, '13)
Part 1: Diverse missile inventory is indecisive
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New China leader Li warns world
In his first meeting with foreign media as premier, Li Keqiang has served notice to the world: Any militarized threats to China's territorial claims are threats not only to regional stability, but also to world peace. As Beijing wades into the "deep waters" of internal reforms, relevant powers must also be careful of their footing in the turbulent seas of East Asia.
- Brendan O'Reilly
(Mar 19, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
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War trumps peace in Myanmar
Myanmar President Thein Sein this month claimed that ''there's no more fighting in the country'' - in complete denial of the harsh facts on the ground, facts Western nongovernmental organizations and think tanks scrabble together for cash and influence in seeking peace, just as China takes the lead in the process. Despite all the effort and rhetoric, lasting peace in Myanmar's war-torn frontier areas is as elusive as ever.
- Bertil Lintner (Mar 19, '13)
Xi unmoved by Tibetan self-immolation
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to remain as unmoved as his predecessors to frustration over Beijing's attitude to Tibet that has seen the toll of deaths by self-immolation in the autonomous region reach 108 in the past three years. While Tibetan exiles debate the hardline policies, Xi's sight is fixed on growth and stability.
- Saransh Sehgal
(Mar 19, '13) |
Low expectations color Obama's Israel trip
With President Barack Obama set to travel on his first trip to Israel as president, expectations for a breakthrough on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process are low to nonexistent. The priority will be to make sure that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gets the message: "We are committed to the security of Israel, but we're not interested in having a war with Iran to prove it."
- Mitchell Plitnick
(Mar 19, '13)
IRANIAN FIRE POWER
Diverse missile inventory is indecisive
Iran's stock of long-range artillery rockets and ballistic missiles, the largest and most diverse such inventory in the Middle East, is not accurate enough to be decisive militarily. The Islamic Republic's air force and ground-based air defense systems offer limited protection of its air space and are no match for the combined capacity of the United States and its allies in the Persian Gulf.
- Michael Elleman
(Mar 19, '13)
Pakistani Taliban declare war on judiciary
The Pakistani Taliban has declared a war on Pakistan's judiciary and announced it will suspend peace talks with Islamabad. In the build-up to elections as an elected government completes its full term for the first time, the country is also witnessing a power shift from the military to the judiciary, reflected in the latest attacks on it. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Mar 19, '13)
Is enough enough for China, North Korea?
Subtle evolutions in the language with which China officially condemns North Korean nuclear tests suggest that Beijing is becoming less forceful, while the public outcry over the most recent detonation was nothing new. While Western analysts see Beijing writing a harsh new playbook on Pyongyang, the latest test will actually have little impact on its ''dual-track" strategic approach. - A Greer Meisels
(Mar 19, '13)
US global leadership slumps, again
In countries facing social upheaval and conflict in Africa, South Asia and Central Asia, approval of the US's "global leadership" role has slipped, while in those enjoying stability it has recovered. The trend reflects a growing disillusionment with the ability of President Barack Obama to enact real global change, with ratings plunging to their lowest right before his re-election.
- Dinesh Sharma
(Mar 19, '13)
Cambodian sugar lacking spice riches
Farmers in the Cambodia's Kampot province earn high reward for supplying European gourmets high-quality pepper, grown under rigorous "Geographical Indication'' rules. Sugar-growers under similar rules struggle to compete with mass-market produce. - Michelle Tolson (Mar 19, '13)
THE BEAR'S LAIR
The non-existent contradiction
Keynesians argue the need to cut government spending is contradicted by ill-effects from declines in government employment. This is nonsense. There is no contradiction. Government employment cuts are good, not bad for the economy. - Martin Hutchinson (Mar 19, '13)
SPENGLER
Speaking truth to impotence
President Barack Obama's advisers who anguish over blood spilt in Syria's civil war have good cause: they helped the US (with European assistance) set going a regional Sunni-Shi'ite war, with minorities involved in a fight to the death. The do-gooders may not want to see the consequences of their mistakes, while the response from Republican hawks is to switch off the world news for a generation.
(Mar 18, '13)
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India's interest rate
cut passes
growth
woes to government
The Reserve Bank of India's latest cut in interest rates, the second reduction this year, may be its last for some months as persistently high inflation cramps the central bank's scope for encouraging growth. That is now up to the government.
- Kunal Kumar Kundu
EU-Vietnam weigh FTA
A proposed free-trade agreement with the European Union will challenge Vietnam's state-owned enterprises in service sectors such as ports, logistics and communications - all expected targets for EU investment. Urban-based professionals in Vietnam will gain from an FTA; remote areas may fall further behind.
- Roberto Tofani
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Ex-Fed chiefs run to form
Recent comments by former Federal Reserve chairman revealed at least two key points. Paul Volcker is as much on the ball as ever with welcome pertinent insights, while Alan Greenspan, touting an equities valuation model and market undervaluation, is just spouting more nonsense.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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Sonia Gandhi snubs
BJP, but to what end?
Do not ask if it was a Jodan punch to the head, a Chudan to the middle or a Gedan to the groin. All that matters is that the right-wing nationalists are lying flat on the mat, dazed by the lightning blow that came from nowhere Tuesday evening as dusk was falling on Delhi…
- M K Bhadrakumar
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