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Suppose we offered battle ...
Air Sea Battle, US military's latest grand doctrine and megaboondoggle, is not, absolutely not, about war with China, which just happens to be the one power at which the related plans can be targeted. But just suppose the PRC fails to respond with fangs drawn ... just suppose ...
- Peter Lee
(Sep 6, '13)
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Myanmar's Shan see long path to peace
Yawd Serk, commander of the rebel Shan State Army in Myanmar, was quick to respond positively to peace overtures when President Thein Sein took power in 2011. In an exclusive interview, he predicts a long process lies ahead, with an end to fighting up to three years distant - assuming that along the way the still-powerful central army gives peace a chance.
- Larry Jagan
(Sep 6, '13)
THE ROVING EYE
Dogs of war versus the emerging caravan
While China and Russia pulled up at the G-20 caravanserai to re-enact the spirit of the Silk Road, the dogs of war were baying for blood outside. "Yes We Can" bomb Syria, barked US President Barack "Red Line" Obama. To which the emerging-powers caravan threw him an old bone, "It's the (global) economy, stupid", and kept on trucking.
- Pepe Escobar
(Sep 6, '13)
West chooses to target the weak
The defining feature of the brutality that has become a hallmark of Western behavior in the Middle East is its cowardly nature, as the UK vote against military action in Syria shows; that it finds it much safer to attack countries lacking effective deterrents. Wars of choice are waged against the weak and isolated. Libya and Iraq were both of these things; Syria is neither.
- Dan Glazebrook
(Sep 6, '13)
Traps on the road towards barbarism
The downfall of the Soviet Union created a psychological trap for the West - that of a belief in invincibility. This is seen in the manner in which it is trying in Syria to present power as moral responsibility to protect. Convinced that advanced weapons are a guarantee of its security, the West has accepted barbarism and developed contempt for civilized behavior.
- Nicholas A Biniaris
(Sep 6, '13) |
Syria crisis yet to derail Iran nuclear talks
The appointment of Iran's Western-educated  Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as lead nuclear negotiator will add to the growing conviction in Washington that it can work with Tehran to resolve concerns over Iran's atomic program. In such a climate, any US action in Syria would be more likely to delay than derail international talks.
- Jasmin Ramsey
(Sep 6, '13)
 BOOK REVIEW
The dark heart of
West's Iran obsession
A Dangerous Delusion: Why the West Is Wrong About Nuclear Iran by Peter Oborne and David Morrison
Using concise research, this work argues that Iran's readiness to accept monitoring and lack of weapons-grade uranium enrichment make a mockery of Western hype over a supposed nuclear program threatening the security of Israel and Gulf states. Its only questionable conclusion is that the US wants to prevent Iran from becoming a major Middle East power. - Peter Jenkins
(Sep 6, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
The re-politicization of violent conflict
Violence and conflict in the Cold War era seemed to fit into clear categories of interpretation: East versus West, or imperialist aggression. At first the aftermath saw conflicts involving ethnic groups and the formation of small states, now superseded in a more globalized yet fragmented world with politicized communities seeking influence amid the world order. - Andreas Herberg-Rothe
(Sep 5, '13)
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Myanmar, Korea stay brothers in arms
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's recent demand that Myanmar "sever its ties with North Korea" raises questions about Washington's budding military relations with its newest friend in Asia while it proves resistant to US pressure to end past alliances. Myanmar's generals must also consider China's response if they bend to Washington's will. - Bertil Lintner
(Sep 5, '13)
Pro-Israel groups mix Iran into Syria debate
The powerful Israel lobby has taken the lead in pressing the United States Congress to authorize military action against Syria. But in addition to saying that Damascus must be punished for alleged violations of international norms against chemical weapons, pro-Israel groups are focusing their appeals on stopping what they say is Iran's nuclear-weapons program. - Jim Lobe
(Sep 5, '13)
REUVEN BRENNER
What does a 'two-state solution' mean?
 As the United States takes pains to work out a "two-state" solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Secretary of State John Kerry, like his predecessors, appears to have overlooked one key question: What is a "state"? Absent an appropriate answer, his efforts, like those that have gone before, are doomed to failure.
(Sep 5, '13)
Sri Lanka cornered over human rights
That United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanetham "Navi" Pillay's visit to Sri Lanka would be fraught with diplomatic tension was undoubted. But tensions came to a head when Pillay called for the government to account for continuing abuses and the militarization of the Tamil Tiger's former northern stronghold. - Amantha Perera
(Sep 5, '13)
Azerbaijan, Russia test new pragmatism
Two oil deals between Azerbaijan and Russia signal continued improvement in their relations and exemplify their pragmatic pursuit of bilateral, particularly energy, ties while testy issues are set aside. Notable losers from this "compartmentalized" approach are found in Russia's Caucasus territories, particularly in troubled Chechnya and Daghestan.
(Sep 5, '13)
Obama dips toe in Syrian Rubicon
For the first time through the two-year old Syrian conflict, and against all expectations, the United States has mentioned the necessity of its commander-in-chief having the option to put "boots on the ground". Whether Barack Obama ends up deploying troops in Syria, the demarche that he should have such a choice underscores that iron has entered into the president's soul.
- M K Bhadrakumar
(Sep 4, '13)
Splintered Damascus holds its breath
For some in the concrete-block ringed center of Damascus, the Syrian capital is a golden cage amid tight security and the sound of artillery on the outskirts. By contrast, restive working class suburbs such as Saida Zainb are battlegrounds between the government and the opposition. They are united only by tense anticipation as the US administration intensifies the pressure for an attack that some residents say is unthinkable.
- Karlos Zurutuza
(Sep 4, '13)
CHAN AKYA
Lousy game theory in Syria
Rather than convince tinpot dictators of the West's moral or military superiority, all the mooted attack on Syria will achieve is an acceleration in nuclear weapons programs of countries ranging from Egypt and Iran to Turkey. But for the West this is a Mount Everest moment - for once it must act simply due to expediency rather than strategy or humanitarian aims. - Chan Akya
(Sep 4, '13)
THE ROVING EYE
The indispensable (bombing) nation
The indispensable nation that drenched North Vietnam with napalm and agent orange, showered Fallujah with white phosphorus and large swathes of Iraq with depleted uranium is getting ready to attack Syria based on extremely dodgy evidence and the "moral high-ground". Anyone who believes the White House's pre-bombing maximum spin should rent a condo in Alice in Wonderland. - Pepe Escobar
(Sep 3, '13) |
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CHAN AKYA
Cult vogue sucks
in central bankers
Central bankers, defying the fundamental tedium of their roles, have not escaped the enthusiasm for personality cults. Yet aiming to secure a top post can be a futile career choice - even when you have made the right choice of "school".
China, India face
stability challenge
China plans to relax import restrictions on India, build up defense ties and construct an industrial park in Uttar Pradesh. However, as China's stakes in India increase so too does its responsibility to ensure stability in the region. - Anand V
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Weak links
Fragile economic and financial systems have never been as vulnerable to a meaningful tightening of financial conditions. The leveraged speculating community is now a primary weak link and potential transmission mechanism for emerging market disorder to afflict the developed world. Syria is the lesser evil.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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Syria consensus hard
to find at G20 summit
For those who would have been hoping against hope that the G20 summit meeting at St Petersburg on Thursday might help evolve an international consensus over Syria, which would avert the proposed US intervention, alas, the tidings couldn’t be less positive...
- M K Bhadrakumar
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Saudi rulers must feel in a real pickle these days. Their military allies in Egypt are bracing for incipient civil war, their rebel allies in Syria are being gassed with impunity, and little neighbor Qatar is making a real pest of itself in resisting Saudi bids for regional influence.
Hardy Campbell
Texas
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