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Terror strikes switch to Karachi
Karachi has become a new focus of terror in Pakistan after twin blasts left their deadly mark in a Shi'ite-dominated community on Sunday. As the southern port city emerges as another "sectarian flashpoint" following attacks by Sunni militants in Quetta, the surge in violence is opening fears that the campaign for the upcoming general election could be marred by more blood. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Mar 4, '13)
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COMMENT
Bangladesh finds just a touch of Arab Spring
The ongoing Shahbagh protest that has spread far and wide in Bangladesh shares its social-media spark with the Arab Spring. There the similarity ends. The movement does not just have an uneasy relation with Islamist parties; from its inception it has borne the seal of secularism and tolerance.
- Peter Custers
(Mar 4, '13)
 SPENGLER
Looking for marriage
in all the wrong places
Defenders of gay marriage style themselves as enlightened and reasonable. The well-reasoned arguments in a new book propounding a traditional concept of marriage on the basis of nature and social benefit prove them to be nothing of the sort, while in any case hedonistic heterosexuals have been hacking away at the institution for years. (Mar 4, '13)
What is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense, by Sherif Girgis, Ryan T Anderson, and Robert P George. |
Slam-dunk diplomacy in North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-eun's fascination with the US, seen in his adoration of the visiting Harlem Globetrotters last week, suggests he could change tack if only Washington diverts from its "strategic patience" approach. As Beijing mulls time out on its usual play with Pyongyang, Washington should consider how more useful the North would prove as friend rather than enemy.
- Nile Bowie
(Mar 4, '13)
Beijing holds seeds of cross-strait pride
Beijing can grow the seeds of Chinese nationalism now appearing in Taiwan if it applies patience and a continued willingness to avoid confrontation. Visiting Kuomintang leader Lien Chan's admiration of achievements such as China's growing space program can be fertile ground for cultivating cross-straits pride.
- Brendan P O'Reilly
(Mar 4, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
US pivot puts Pakistan in a bind
The US's "pivot to Asia" will again force Pakistan to choose between two powerful and competing benefactors, this time with more significant regional implications than during the Cold War. While diplomatic and financial support has flowed freely from Beijing in recent years, rapprochement with Washington suggests Islamabad will make a familiar choice. - Hamza Mannan
(Mar 4, '13)
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Iran nuclear talks reach a turning point
Positive tones emerging from both sides of the negotiating table in the standoff over Iran's nuclear program this week are a marked departure from the vitriolic deadlock of past engagements. The setting of a date for the next round of talks between Tehran and the so-called Iran Six is a big plus, but there is a long road ahead with bumps created in Washington's halls of power.
- Kaveh Afrasiabi
(Mar 1, '13)
PAKISTAN'S MILITANT DEBATE
Momentum grows for Taliban talks
Pakistan's political parties and tribal leaders have called for a grand tribal jirga as a platform to conduct negotiations with the Taliban that could secure more peaceful conditions for upcoming general elections. Yet as Islamist militants vow to continue a campaign of terror on either side of the porous border with Afghanistan, many believe the Taliban can't be trusted.
- Syed Fazl-e-Haider (Mar 1, '13)
Strikes on tribals a mistaken panacea
Deaf ears have met the demands of tribal people displaced by the battle between Pakistan's military and militants in the country's north-west. The army's Operation Rah-e-Nijat is having its own devastating consequences on the lives of ordinary people, and the constant barrage of US drone attacks has left them in a permanent state of shock. - Khan Zeb Burki
(Mar 1, '13) |
 A trillion-dollar concept left undefined
The cost of the technologies created in the name of "homeland security" as envisioned by president George W Bush is now approaching one trillion dollars, funds that could've revitalized crumbling infrastructure from shore to shining shore. While it's unclear if the concept's deeply flawed implementation has made Americans safer, there is little doubt it's made them poorer. - Mattea Kramer and Chris Hellman
(Mar 1, '13)
Sequestering American exceptionalism
Growing consensus in Washington that the military must be spared more sequestration cuts is predicated on the belief that the so-called world's policeman must never surrender its badge and gun. This ignores that rank unilateralism has no basis in international law and those billions could be better used to protect civilians in war zones. - Roger Peace
(Mar 1, '13)
Shale gas key
to US Asia pivot
China, estimated to hold more shale gas than the US and Canada combined, is hungry to learn the secret to their success - just the carrot of diplomacy that makes the Asian "pivot" juggernaut led more by US energy companies than the US Navy. - Elliot Brennan (Mar 1, '13)
<IT WORLD>
Mozilla on the prowl
Lower cost smart-phone producers from Asia, with the notable exception of Samsung, have signed up for a new mobile operating system from Mozilla, maker of the popular Firefox web browser. The target is consumers in the developing world. (Mar 1, '13)
Martin J Young surveys developments in
computing, science, gaming and gizmos.
Old claims roil Philippine peace deal
A rag-tag amphibious assault by the defunct Sultanate of Sulu on the lush Malaysian state of Sabah has riled Kuala Lumpur, but the armed standoff that's ensued could have more serious consequences for the Philippines. The Sultan of Sulu's insistence his attack was a response to Manila neglecting its historic claims to Sabah in a deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front last year threatens to reawaken violent rebellion.
- Noel Tarrazona
(Feb 28, '13)
Moscow casts wide net in Mediterranean
One interpretation of the deal this week for Gazprom to take gas from Israel's Tamar gas field in the Mediterranean is that Russian and the US are laying their former energy rivalries to rest. Its real significance lies in the redrawing of the geopolitics of the eastern Mediterranean, as Moscow eyes keenly its relationship with Israel and closer ties with gas-rich Cyprus.
- M K Bhadrakumar
(Feb 28, '13)
Egypt turns quietly to Asia
 Committed to reinventing Egyptian foreign policy on multiple fronts, the ruling Freedom and Justice Party led by President Mohammed Morsi has turned to Asia to address the deteriorating economic situation that's kept the fires of revolution smoldering. In return for trade deals, Asian heavyweights like China and India gain credibility among the embryonic Islamist-oriented governments in the region. - Chris Zambelis
(Feb 28, '13)
THE ROVING EYE
News from Kyrzakhstan
US Secretary of State John Kerry's inadvertent outing of the country of Kyrzakhstan, took geographers and political analysts by surprise, while opening up new possibilities for the Global War on Terror, and adding a new dimension to the Great Game and the US pivot to Asia. - Pepe Escobar
(Feb 27, '13)
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Chidambaram shows
dangerous
skills
in budget measures
Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram's budget appears a pragmatic balance between necessary economic measures and recognizing populist and political pressures going into an election year. Any praise for that should be moderated by recognition of his remarkable and dangerous sleight of hand. -
Kunal Kumar Kundu
Kazakhstan seeks
wider horizons
Kazakhstan plans to slash government bureaucracy and significantly expand mineral exploration in a wide-ranging bid to continue the economic momentum that's seen it surge ahead of regional rivals. Yet Astana's ambitions reach beyond Central Asian dominance.
- Sergei Gretsky
CREDIT
BUBBLE BULLETIN
Italy and "Ro, Ro"
The world's markets have enjoyed six months of powerful ''risk on'' gains, with a flood of ''money'' into equities and global risk markets. Yet currency market volatility especially points to an inflection point, Italian elections adding notably to the trepidation.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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Obama, Putin keep
the pot simmering
The Kremlin statement on the telecon between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama on Friday is not exactly euphoric; it was a 'detailed' conversation and 'constructive' Obama initiated the phone call.
- M K Bhadrakumar
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