Please provide your name or a pen name, and your country of residence. Lengthy letters run the risk of being cut.

Please note: This Letters page is intended primarily for readers to comment on ATol articles or related issues. It should not be used as a forum for readers to debate with each other. The Edge is the place for that. The editors do not mind publishing one or two responses to a reader's letter, but will, at their discretion, direct debaters away from the Letters page.

February 2008

[Re: Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] My mother, although she's dead, and my wife, although she's a figment, implore me to write this letter. Right then, Spengler holds forth on the silliness of gawping mouth-breathers investing in a political candidate too much feeling and emotion, in this case what looks to be some kind of hopefulness, wishfulness or the like. Low-hanging fruit, that, but why not? All in good fun. Weirdly though, he then invests in the same subject a large amount of feeling and emotion of his own, namely what looks to be a rather poignant fear. Carry on wielding the psychological divining rod, good man. Always interesting where it points.
Nonperson (Feb 29, '08)


This is regarding the graphic that is being used with William Sparrow's articles. I am not sure who picked this graphic but I believe this seems to be a Hindu image and speaking as a Hindu I am a bit uncomfortable with this image being used particularly when the article talks about child pornography. If Mr Sparrow is a Hindu then I would not have any objection, but after residing in a Christian country wherein I have seen nothing but abuse and mockery directed at my faith, his use of my faith's graphic seems inappropriate. Could you please ask him to find some other graphic?
Jayant Patel
Chicago, IL, USA (Feb 29, '08)


[Re A long road from Kosovo to Kurdistan, Feb 29] Another perceptive and trenchant article from Pepe Escobar and ATol. It is good to see many and often clashing views appear on ATol. Meanwhile, back here in US everything is fine - tightening our belts in desperation, defrauding Serbia of a large part of her real estate - with some help from our European partners - and jointly disseminating the right take on Kosovo through hundreds of media outlets. Well, enough greetings. My comment is about the oil availability for the pipeline: if this projected oil pipeline is to bring Caspian oil - Kazakh and perhaps Turkmen oil, I assume - through Georgia to the Black Sea, what is to become of the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline? It is apparently not filled to its capacity in addition to being commissioned late and over budget. Perhaps I am not aware of all the pertinent facts, but right now I assume that the oil going through Georgia to the Black Sea is not going to go to Ceyhan in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition to this situation, the Russian-Bulgarian-Greek (Burgas-Alexandropolis) pipeline from the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea will be ready to take extra Kazakh oil coming through Russia, and is planned for future expansion to at least 750,000 barrels a day. Once the latter pipeline goes on stream, not to mention a moderate draw off towards the east for China, will there be enough Kazakh oil for the two routes backed by the US- Baku-Ceyhan and the Trans-Balkan pipeline?
Leon Rozmarin
Hopedale, Maine, USA (Feb 29, '08)


[Re Cultural bias a drag on China business, Feb 29] I just don't get it. I wholeheartedly agree with Matt Young's observation of the "ugly Westerners" and feel that the overwhelming majority of those in China are whiny, preachy and obnoxious snobs. I understand the part about dirty public toilets, spitting cab drivers and the intolerable smog, but I failed to understand their No 1 gripe with China - the political system. I mean, what do they care? Most of these people came to China to make a few bucks, didn't they? They are not saviors or human rights lawyers are they? So what do they care? The plight of the Chinese people in a country that they have nothing but contempt and pity for? The Chinese sure don't need their pity. As long as these people could fill their wallets, pockets and bank accounts with greenbacks, lots of them, what do they care? Does China being democratic or autocratic matter to these people who came here to make money? China's road to democracy, no matter how long and arduous, is something that has to be determined and experienced by the Chinese, not these Westerners. So my advice is: if the money is still good for you here, drop the condescending attitude, stop preaching. If things are that bad here, feel free to leave. Ta-ta!
Juchechosunmanse
Beijing (Feb 29, '08)


[Re Hoops and hurdles for Olympic media, Feb 29] The crackdown on Chinese as well as foreign media is a total contradiction and violation of what China promised to the International Olympic Committee in 2001: that it would improve its horrific human rights records and allow media freedom and access if it were allowed to host the Games. But the human rights situation has worsened in China in the last six months and therefore increased restrictions are imposed on the international media. Freedom of expression is curbed all around and political and human right activists are being harassed and detained without any charge. Yang Chunlin is one of the thousands of activists who claims that his family farmland was seized illegally for development and despite legal representation, he was taken to court in handcuffs and legs-irons last Tuesday. After his lawyers complained, his leg-irons were removed but he was chained to a chair as if a war criminal. Steven Spielberg's resignation as an artistic advisor for the Games has further jeopardized China's image abroad. Beijing, people are saying, is already the CCTV surveillance capital city of the world and even a mosquito could not escape the camera. The Olympics have never quite lived up to their ideal as a symbol of peace, brotherhood and harmony, but it does represent something worth celebrating and enjoying ... China needs to improve on its belligerent image and offer a genial gesture to the world before the Olympic flame is carried to the rostrum. Long live Tibet and its oppressed people.
Saqib Khan
UK (Feb 29, '08)


[Re Australia offers India hope on uranium, Feb 29] More likely than not the recently elected Labor government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will sign a deal to sell Australia's uranium to India. This of course may look as though he is reneging on a campaign progress, but once in office, the imperatives of trade and responsibility play a stronger hand. Let's face it, Australia's healthy accounts balance depends on export of its primary materials. The sale of uranium to India will blacken the bottom like a shinier black. Look, Australia is selling iron ore to China; it is also exporting fresh water to China, too, at a time when it is experiencing a severe drought. So if it is willing to sacrifice fresh water for its own farmers and drinking water for its own citizens, doesn't it stand, for commercial reasons, logical that selling uranium to India wouldn't cause pangs to its national conscience?
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Feb 29, '08)


The article by Pepe Escobar A long road from Kosovo to Kurdistan, Feb 29, insinuates that America's acknowledgement of Kosovo (however wrong) is based on the oil pipeline. This mantra has been repeated over and over again in so many articles that the US "war on terror" is also based on the US "acquirement of oil". US gas prices have just hit $4 a gallon so if we are getting plenty of oil from Iraq and if the US is after the world's oil, why is gasoline so high in the US? Is it possible that we are not getting oceans of oil for this war? Secondly, the article mentions that the US is motivated by pragmatism rather than to see a genuine democracy in the lands the US is fighting. To this I will agree. The US is fighting two battles for oil and the right to defend it. The first is from nations like China and India who are aggressively buying up whole oil fields in Africa and elsewhere thereby putting pressure on US consumption and the second is the US environmentalists who stand firm against drilling in the US (which by the way has one of the largest deposits of not only oil and gasoline but also of uranium and coal). If the US government was to disregard the environmentalists and started drilling in Anwar (Alaska) and elsewhere I am sure we will be paying far less than $4 per gallon. Oil is the lifeblood of the world's economy. If this war was fought over water or food, both of which are becoming precious commodities, the US will still need to fight "global terrorism" and the world outside of the US will be as aggressive if not desperate to win rights over water flows that cross borders and the lack of food, and unlike the present US using "democracy" to further her needs, this war on water/food would be clear-cut. As for the article stating that the US is now taking a softer stance towards Islamic terror groups, this is exactly what the leading candidate for the presidency Barack Obama is advocating: a softer, diplomatic approach towards global terrorist groups. The only problem with that idea is that radical Islamic terrorists do not engage in peaceful, diplomatic dialogue unless it furthers their chance in this ongoing war which the Islamic terrorists recognize and wish to perpetuate. That is why they are termed "terrorists" - to cause terror, not to engage in diplomacy just for the sake of it. If Obama wins the elections, it will also be a big win for the terrorists who can sip tea and discuss diplomacy on one hand while they plan their next attack with their other hand.
Chrysantha Wijeyasingha
Clinton, USA (Feb 29, '08)


Please re-adjust the scoring to 11.5 to 2.5 [from a Chen's letter of Feb 28]. I merely noted that the hullabaloo over Spengler's essay would enhance the popularity of Asia Times Online and that new visitors to the website would greatly benefit from daily perusal of ATol articles instead of the pablum offered by mainstream media outlets.
John Chen
USA (Feb 29, '08)


I would like to comment on the first paragraph of the article, A surprise show of force in Pakistan, Feb 28, by Syed Saleem Shahzad. Definitely a hot political wind is blowing fast in President Pervaz Mushraff's face as the PML-N [Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz] leader, Nawaz Sharif, announced today that he would contest the election [results] and could be a candidate for the presidency of Pakistan. I can say with some hindsight that as far as Musharraf’s future is concerned, he has run out of options since the PPP [Pakistan People's Party] and PML-N and ANP [Awami National Party] announced that they would form a coalition government. They have also pledged to reinstate chief justice Ifthikar Ali Chaudhry and 60 other judges sacked by Musharraf last November. The Americans would love Musharraf to carry on under duress, but the signs are that Musharraf will exit on his own rather than be pushed out disgracefully from office. Though he has called for a harmonious coalition after the defeat of his party - which he so unceremoniously declared would win - his rivals have demanded that he go. The fact is that the nation wants to see him go as well and the political parties will oblige. A coalition of anti-Musharraf parties, the PPP, PML-N and ANP, will have 211 MPs and with smaller parties [aligning] with them will have the necessary two-thirds majority to start impeachment proceeding against the president. So Musharraf’s position is becoming precarious. He would be like a dead fish in a tank to be thrown away by his arch rivals. The only option that I could see for Musharraf is to start looking for a flat in multi-millionaire's row in Manhattan and live in exile as did the Bhuttos and Shariff brothers for so many years. As you sow, so shall you reap, Mr Musharraf.
Saqib Khan
UK (Feb 28, '08)


[Re 'The world' according to Washington, Feb 28] I have the greatest respect for Mr Chomsky and his writing is to be commended not only for putting a more objective narrative into circulation but also his work in the area of linguistics has been quite remarkable. However, it is a fact that the [world's] historical narrative is written by the winners. The voice of the losers becomes internalized, and in many cases ultimately extinguished. The way that is Washington is the way of the world.
Aly-Khan Satchu
Nairobi (Feb 28, '08)


[Re What would Jesus do to North Korea?, Feb 27] The Reverend Kim Shin jo, a former lieutenant in a North Korean special force who bolted to the south, is a wise man. He know of what he speaks. He knows the answer [author] Sunny Lee [seeks]. It would be put in the words children the world over learn in Sunday school, namely, "to love thy neighbor as thyself". Should you substitute the name of South Korea's president Lee Myung-bak in the place of Jesus, therein lies the rub. What would this Presbyterian elder do to North Korea? He would act tough, he said so during his run for the Blue House, and he spoke boldly of eliminating the Ministry of Unification by enfolding it into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. By doing this, he would derail the Sunshine Policy and deal with Pyongyang as though it were a foreign country on the other side of the world. He hasn't looked at the tragicomedy of the Bush administration's dealings with North Korea, for there, he has a casebook study of what not to do. Surely the new president knows that Pyongyang was thought of as a second Jerusalem, and the roots of his own Presbyterian church took deep root there. He may find a way to temper his stern words with a touch of Christian mansuetude in North-South relations, and in walking that way, he would continue to relax tensions on a divided Korean Peninsula. If he takes him for the Christ who chased the money changers from the temple, well, he will have struck a hornets' nest and risks a nasty sting by creating a situation of troublesome complexity and danger.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Feb 28, '08)


[Re Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] Wednesday, February 27, being an off lecture day proffered an opportunity to catch-up on letters to ATol's editor on Spengler's latest. Of 13 letters, including mine, only two were complementary. One of them included a Beatles' song refrain and the other extolled kudos on ATol. I unhesitatingly acknowledge the other 10 with whom I sided as being the most discriminating and literate readers of ATol. Hey, an 11 to 2 ratio must be indicative of some measure.
Armand De Laurell (Feb 28, '08)

Thanks for the tally (you should've read the letters we didn't run). Still, all considered, the ratio remains close to the one you've compiled. But please read the following letter and adjust to 11 to 3. It's also worth noting that anger is probably a stronger catalyst for people to write a letter to the Editor than is a desire to praise. - ATol


[Re Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] Not really sure [if] Spengler’s piece can have the intended effect on Barack Obama’s election prospects. While the senator may be flawed, the alternatives don’t exactly have you jumping up and down in hopeful joy. That said, the media ruckus created by the article probably achieved what no first-rate marketing firm could possibly dream of - skyrocketing ATol readership. If, as a result of greater exposure to Asia Times Online the general public’s collective IQ gets bumped up a notch or two, we’ll all have Professor Spengler to thank.
John Chen
USA (Feb 28, '08)

[Re Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] Spengler is at his usual brilliant self but I can't agree that Barack Obama's wife Michelle is raging at the world in her video shot - "eyes hooded with rage" - [about] being black and her treatment by white society. If so, then she is part of the Afro-American victim culture. How many more American Dream prizes does she want? If we go back far enough you will find that most of the human race was a slave at some time or another of early industrialists or top-dog ethnic tribal leaders who made the lives of their people a misery. No, I think Michelle's rage is a little more mundane. The female is the nest-builder. Michelle Obama complains that he is quite useless about the house. Most men have to take some interest in the home to show that their union is still running. Those who don't bring about a sense of insecurity and a fear that the marriage is on the rocks. Barack Obama may be US president in the near future and that can only bring girls, girls, girls (not that he will indulge). What wife wants that danger around? Just give up the dream and do the dishes, Barack.
Wilson John Haire
London (Feb 27, '08)


I have often had the nagging suspicion that Mr Spengler must be experimenting with exotic cocktails of psychotropic substances and now I offer Exhibit A: Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26. There can be but one explanation for an otherwise intelligent and knowledgeable guy to pen articles of this nature. I believe it is in the interest of its readers that ATol institute rudimentary safeguards regarding Mr Spengler. At this point I think it is reasonable for ATol to demand a four to six hour cooling off period after he experiments with his cocktails before he puts pen to paper.
Sir Rogers
USA (Feb 27, '08)


[Re Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] Whose secret revealed, Spengler? I have never wasted much reading time on Spengler but his latest diatribe is a strange journey into the mind of one who has soiled his own diapered dialectic in the process of so subjectively attacking candidate Barack Obama. Or one could say that Spengler in his visceral attempt to redefine Obama's life story as one embedded with hate - Spengler inadvertently makes this reader wonder "what hath Spengler wrought?" For Spengler in his wrath has unconsciously revealed his own histopathology ... and then expects the reader to accept his "deceased tissue" as valid or rational discourse? I walked away from Spengler's words but with a bad taste still lingering. So much biased hate only profiles the writer, not the subject. Very sad indeed; and I am left with only one last parallel concern ... Spengler, who hurt your Mama?
Beryl K
Gullsgate, Minnesota, USA (Feb 27, '08)


It has been a truly long time since I remember reading the letters page and then skipping the rest of your esteemed publication for the day - so amused was I by the contents. The almost perfect storm thrown up by Spengler in his latest article Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26, has attracted an unfair share of Internet rabble, [but] actually ends up proving his main point, namely that Obama-mania is a cult of personality with no substance to speak of. Web denizens have attacked Spengler because he shows the inadequacies of their leader, not because he is wrong in any way. In any event, why should people professing to be "liberal" wish to curtail the writing style or thoughts of a courageous critic? Kudos to Spengler and to Asia Times Online for having the gumption to publish what the mainstream media here in the UK and presumably in the US have glossed over, namely the fact that the leading candidate to succeed the current (admittedly ineffectual and gaffe-prone) president is but a suave used-car salesman.
Salt Shaker (Feb 27, '08)


[Re Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] "Cherchez la femme," advised Alexander Dumas in: "When you want to uncover an unspecified secret, look for the woman." I should rather say when you want character assassination of a person, look for Spengler, he is the best hit man around to do the job. I do not agree with Spengler's reasoning process that Obama is possibly the worst thing on sale on the American shelves these days. He should be aware that any Tom & Jerry would have done a better job than President George W Bush [has done] for over seven years in the Oval Office. Ever since Obama came to public attention in 2004 Democratic Convention, he has repeated the same message: "The pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states: red for Republicans and blue for Democrats. But I have got news for them. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we do not like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach little league in the blue states and, yes, we have some gay friends in the red states." Obama offers hope, reconciliation, aspiration, and optimism, patriotism to the American people, which have been dreadfully missing because President Bush has divided America's political divisions into cultural war. America is hated more than ever before in the world now and Obama can restore honor to America's name. Obama has impressed divided Democrats, Republicans, Independents and dithering voters. More and more women of all colors and ages love his versatility and sex appeal except for Hillary Clinton.
Saqib Khan
UK (Feb 26, '08)


[Re Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] So the pseudo-Spengler knows the BIG SECRET: Obama "hates America". Pretty soon, we'll be taught that Obama hates God (this guy even wears a turban, ya know!). Of course, coming from a simulacra-turned-opinionist in sacred things, this is TRUTH. Look, it's not prejudiced, because it hates everyone! except REAL Americans and fundamentalist Christians and [Z]ionists ... and itself, of course. Well, there are more interesting things to read on ATol, to put it mildly. Liu, Escobar, Bhadrakumar, Engelhardt, Noland, just to mention a few. I would be curious to have a discussion with the editorial board, in person I mean ... Must be unusual people.
Bittar Gabriel, PhD (Feb 26, '08)


[Re Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] The Obama piece was a pretty shoddy hit piece - hardly up to your usual standards.
Carl Bloice (Feb 26, '08)


Spengler's vitriolic tour de force in psycho babble titled Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26, has made a definitive and a decided impact on a number of unemployed academic friends in California. Who have decided, [despite] having no knowledge of whether the women, if any, in Spengler's life have any secrets or not, are starting a "Spengler for President" write-in campaign with the motto "Save America from Obama's women, Vote Spengler For Heaven's Sake". Spengler's delusional commentary should have been printed using an Inspector Clouseau accent and would have provided a laugh or two.
Armand De Laurell (Feb 26, '08)


Spengler does not fail to titillate in his latest Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26, but he does overlook one very obvious possibility: what if America's view of itself has changed? Spengler seems to forget that George W Bush has adopted the "with us or against us" mentality. More Americans have seen blatant abuses of power, have started to realize that we don't hold all the answers and that patriotism is not the cure for terrorism. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." Americans may be tired of being ruled by fear (there's a terrorist around every corner) and are tired of living in a world fearful of them.
Ken Arok
Vermont, USA (Feb 26, '08)


[Re Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] Ohh! My fellow ATol readers, at last we have the answer!!! All along we [were] barking upon the wrong tree. It's not the poor Spengler's fault. It's all because of his wife that we have to suffer so [many] of his insights. Never underestimate the influence of a wife.
Haris
India (Feb 26, '08)


[Re Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] If you don't like a man, you attack his mother? And his wife? And his father? Why not his genes? And those of his wife? Don't look for the women, cherchez l'hypocrite!
Migrant Worker
Luxembourg (Feb 26, '08)


[Re Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] I have been reading Spengler's articles for a while now. His veiled hatred of Muslims and Islam in general is quite apparent in his previous writings. As a Muslim, I am used to reading some of these Western commentators' expressions of deep-rooted hatred and fear-mongering. But with his article on Obama , I think he is displaying a new side that was quite unknown to me. He is showing he can pick any subject and use his old tactics of fear-mongering and hatred to dismiss anyone or anything. The main point of his article was to show [that] Barack Obama hates America's guts. So how does he make his point? By pointing out Obama's mother's hated ... towards America. This is a pretty damaging allegation against a person. One needs to be perfectly sure before raising doubt about one's patriotism. Claiming someone hates his [or] her country is a much more serious topic. Spengler's proof of how Obama's mother hates her country is laughable and any able reader would see through his points. For god's sake, she was never a public person, neither [did] she run for any office. But that did not stop Spengler [from] attacking her character decades after she died - [and] knowing full well she cannot defend herself. As for Obama's wife, Spengler defined her by one statement she made. All she said was she was proud of her country for the first time in her life. That is all Spengler needs to define a person. An America hater - that is what Spengler wants you to think of Michelle [Obama]. I never realized how being "not proud" of something is equivalent to hating that same thing. You are not proud of your kid - does that mean you hate your kid? Michelle Obama should be judged by her words and actions throughout her whole lifetime. We cannot define a person by an excerpt of a speech they made. That is not fair. Even if we try to define Spengler by his words. The main point Spengler tried to make is that Obama is a closeted America hater who is out to destroy the country. This is because [Obama] was raised by a mother who hates America and lives with his wife who is proud of America for the first time in her life. Wow. Not to mention, Obama shares the same hatred all Muslims do against America. Spengler knows all about Muslims; how they think, eat and sleep. How does he know that? It beats me. Maybe [Spengler's] been reading too many of those al-Qaeda booklets and thinking that's what Islam is all about. By putting Obama's fictitious hatred of America with the Muslim world's hatred of American foreign policy, Spengler is trying to convince voters that Obama is bad news. It is too bad that people like Spengler can't even articulate their point (which is don't vote for Obama ...) without using hatred, distortion of character and xenophobia. Don't get me wrong: Spengler is doing a valuable service to the world. Spengler is a constant reminder that extremism and xenophobia exist in every color, race. I can't wait to read his next article about how Muslims are the reason behind global warming ... I know he can do it.
Hasan Mir (Feb 26, '08)


[Re Obama's women reveal his secret, Feb 26] Spengler's latest essay is one of his most scary and insightful since he started writing for AToL. I know Spengler is no fan of the Beatles, but they hauntingly presaged Obama's Coming - Nostradamus-style - in their wry pean about a classic faux-savior, "Sexy Sadie":
Sexy Sadie what have you done
You made a fool of everyone
You made a fool of everyone
Sexy Sadie, ooh, what have you done

Sexy Sadie you broke the rules
You laid it down for all to see
You laid it down for all to see
Sexy Sadie, ooh, you broke the rules

One sunny day the world was waiting for a lover
She came along to turn on everyone
Sexy Sadie the greatest of them all

Sexy Sadie how did you know
The world was waiting just for you
The world was waiting just for you ...
I, for one, yet nurse the audacity of hoping against hope that Spengler somehow has gotten it all wrong here. Inshallah!
Richard Greene
USA (Feb 26, '08)


Professor Andrei Lankov in China puppet-play a plus for Koreas, Feb 21, has presented some insightful observations as well as likely scenarios that might befall the Korean Peninsula. Absent in his discussions, however, is the nuclear North Korean chip that China holds in addition to others, which exert influence on the United States on the settlement of the Taiwan question. In fact such a play has been ongoing and should continue to help shape events in years to come.
Seung Li (Feb 26, '08)


[Re Pakistan markets look to post-poll gains, Feb 26] Today's assassination of a senior Pakistani military officer [Lieutenant General Muhammad Mushtaq Baig] should throw a cold shower on Syed Fazi-e-Haider's rosy picture of a rebound in Pakistan's bourses. The killing of a general was straight out of the textbook of terrorist bombings. And it beats a martial tattoo in that the murderous assault took place in Rawlapindi, the very home of the Pakistani army. Although the recent elections have taken place in relative calm and weakened the party of President Pervez Musharraf, it is a sad truth to acknowledge that Pakistan is a theatre of political instability with all the dire consequence that word conveys. Today's murder of a top general augurs ill for any return to civil society and to the rule of law other than the tight iron grip of the armed forces. Thus, we see played out today yet another tragic scene of a country in deep crisis.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Feb 26, '08)


[Re Militants bide for time and turmoil, Feb 23] Syed Saleem Shahzad's keen analysis might be labelled Euphoria and The Aftermath since, contrary to a near-universally held view, the elections in Pakistan appear to have, by and large, been "free and fair". A point in favor of [President Pervez] Musharraf (even though he may have believed the outcome to be diametrically opposed). Now that the results are in, it is apparent that no party has emerged in a national leadership role (barring the PPP's [Pakistan People's Party] dominance within Sindh). [The] PML-N [Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz] is clearly a Punjabi party favored by Punjabis in Punjab. But even there it does not command an outright majority. The PPP is the only party that reflects popularity in every province, albeit quite weakly in some. Even in Sindh, the major metropolis of Karachi has shut the PPP out. The hue and cry for the restoration of judges, sadly, has emerged as the front-burner issue post-elections. That it takes precedence is quite out of order. The deposed chief justice [Iftikhar Mohammed] Chaudhry has fairly shallow credentials and, it must be remembered, that he was appointed CJ by no other than Musharraf under a PCO [Provisional Constitutional Order]. If one PCO is all right, then why not the other? I'm afraid, having listened recently to an extended TV interview of Aitzaz Ahsan, there's more to the restoration of judges than meets the eye. Ahsan, clearly, is enjoying the limelight and is basking in the attention he is being given by Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan, among others. What strange bedfellows politics make! For someone who self-professedly has been a PPP stalwart for almost four decades, he is certainly magnanimous when it comes to Sharif. I wonder why? Could it be that Sharif is on record for recommending Ahsan for the post of prime minister? The priority of the day is restoration of law and order concurrent with a major push to bolster the economic and social underpinnings on which the masses depend. The idea of an independent judiciary is an oxymoron since even the judges bring their own personal ideologies and beliefs into play, even in these United States where I have lived since 1972. Onwards and upwards without vengeance in mind should be the motivation for the present crop of politicos (the retreads, one might add). Let them all work together selflessly, if that is possible.
Babar Shameem
USA (Feb 25, '08)


I congratulate Dhruba Adhikary for his article Cold questions for embattled Nepal [Feb 23]. The harsh realities that the people of Nepal have been currently compelled to live with and the inept political leadership on the part of the self-declared vanguards of democratic movement have been very successfully presented by Adhikary. I completely agree with him that the nefarious designs insidiously hatched by the Indian establishment have now been working quite successfully with a help of a few quislings from the southern plains of the country and who have no love for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Nepal. Recent political developments in the capital have made it crystal clear that India is covertly engaged in disintegrating Nepal into two unsustainable political entities, the so-called "Madhesh" state and the rest of the rugged mountains. For this deplorable plight the political senility of Prime Minister [Girija Prasad] Koirala is equally responsible. The [whole lot] of his political advisors and several senior political aides have been following a deferential diplomacy towards India only for their political survival.
Ratna Bahadur Rai
Kathmandu (Feb 25, '08)


Henry Liu is fantastic. The very, very best. Chan Akya is generally not worth my time. I may as well read the Wall Street Journal Opinion page. Spengler is infuriating, but brilliant and usually worth reading. Pepe Escobar is the Man! Mogambo Guru is, well, utterly and completely Mogambo and both amusing and enlightening. Doug Noland, Julian Desantellis, Tom Englhardt, M K Bhadrakumar, Jim Lobe and so many other are all very worthwhile. Can you get more William Lind? ATol and CounterPunch are my only two daily must-reads.
H Annen
Chicago, USA (Feb 25, '08)


In Spengler's latest article, Blessed are the pre-emptors [Feb 19], Spengler writes, "No civilized state can abide a rival from within who contests the monopoly of violence of legitimate government." But what happens, as it happens so often, when the people who manage to get control over the state itself are sociopathic criminals themselves? It happened in Germany last century, it happens whenever men and women merge their own self-interest in wealth and power with that of the "legitimate government". It happens when the mediocre rise to the top, when people utterly lacking (genetic deficiencies?) in empathy, compassion and respect become the policy makers. Of course, every society must sometimes use force on individuals to enforce the law, that is why we have police, courts, jails, etc, to prevent criminals from acting out their impulses. But too often, the criminal element (the really smart criminals) manage to get themselves into power. What then? Do we condone all state violence merely because it is done by the state? By that standard, [Adolf] Hitler was justified in rounding up all the Jews, intellectuals, gays and gypsies for crimes they did not commit because he did it all with the blessings of the state. In endorsing pre-emptive war, what is Spengler referring to? Using nuclear weapons against cities, killing hundreds of thousands, or millions of innocents? Or is he cheering on the possibility of nuclear winter, in which large parts of the planet become uninhabitable for decades or more? Spengler seems to know much about the fact and details of history, but fails to see the big picture. War is obsolete, it creates far more problems and far more suffering than it alleviates. All of the historical comparisons with the Civil War in the US and past European wars are often irrelevant not only because our technology and weapons systems have reached a point where war cannot resolve with any degree of justice the social problems and conflicts that beseech us, but also because the world is far more complex and interdependent than even 50 years ago. Because stopping Hitler with armies, navies and air power was necessary does not mean that these methods should be used in current conflict; to my mind, military solutions seem to be exacerbating the problem, not stopping violence but increasing it, Iraq and Afghanistan are good examples. Because there are criminal extremists who will kill and die for their so-called religion, this should not give the state the right to drop bombs on entire city blocks or even whole cities, causing the innocent to pay the price for the crimes of the guilty. This is usually what state violence, the kind that Spengler apparently is apparently supportive of, usually does. Would not it be better to view Islamic extremists who employ violence as individuals who must be stopped by force on a much more individual level? There are over a billion Muslims in the world. Does Spengler suggest we declare war on all of them, or just those who would employ violence? If the former, no one should take his writing seriously. If the latter, wouldn't highly skilled and committed intelligence and police work aimed at capturing and killing only those anti-social misfits be the right course of action? I fail to see how declaring war on an entire culture is the answer. The right-minded view of state-sponsored violence should be one of deep skepticism, given the historical record of how many wars have been initiated not for the ideals and values that the usual propaganda asserts, but rather for the material and political self-interest of the few. Perhaps the reason the vast majority of historians are liberal and progressive is that it is one thing to recite historical facts and events and use them as justification for new aggression, quite another to understand history relative to our human potential for justice and peaceful conflict-resolution. Spengler is an excellent writer who is apparently very fond of regressive, fear-based ideas.
Jerry Gerber
San Francisco (Feb 25, '08)


[Re China puppet-play a plus for Koreas [Feb 21] I enjoyed reading the "what if" scenario proposed by Andrei Lankov regarding a Chinese intervention in an unstable North Korea. I don't have the expertise or inside information on the subject that Lankov has. However, I don't necessarily think the scenario would play out quite as rosy as Lankov proposes. First, the Chinese are framing the debate rhetorically not as intervening in a failed state but as returning a part of ancient China to the motherland. When China uses this rhetoric, it is in for the absolute long haul (just ask those in Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan, the fish near the Spratly Islands, etc). China's current government bases its continued rule on two themes: improving the quality of life of Chinese citizens and reclaiming Chinese territory. If China moved troops in to stabilize the situation, China would almost have to eventually annex portions of North Korea or be boxed in by its own rhetoric. Second, Lankov's comparison of this scenario to that of some eastern European pro-Soviet states is in my opinion inaccurate because when the Chinese come, especially for land they view as historically Chinese, they bring more settlers than the population of the entire region they are colonizing. Looking at similar regions where China has seized land based on ancient territorial claims and we see that local peoples quickly become minorities and excluded from government and business. This demographic change would make it harder for the North Koreans to ever reclaim their sovereignty. Third, despite China and North Korea's close relationship in the past, I'm not convinced that portions of the North Korean public wouldn't fight a war of resistance against Chinese occupation. North Korea has a huge standing army and its citizens have been indoctrinated by a Hitleresque racial purity ideology. Chinese are not Korean, and I find it hard to believe that the North Koreans would allow their gene-pool to be "contaminated" by a large influx of non-Koreans. Plus, aren't we past the idea that communist satellite states just "do what they're told"? Or have we collectively forgotten that Vietnam, after running out the Americans, turned around and fought Cambodia, and then fought China when the Chinese tried to "punish" Vietnam for their Cambodian incursion. North Korea's territory and racial purity would be at stake. I don't see them conceding these two things lightly. Lankov's analysis at times seems eerily familiar to the post Iraq scenario laid out by the George W Bush administration (greeted as liberators, little resistance, pro-Beijing puppet government would be readily accepted by the North Koreans, etc). The only thing missing is that China would pay for the stabilization of North Korea with oil revenues! That doesn't mean that Lankov's scenario can't play out (except for my oil revenues joke), but I do think the his scenario is the "best-case Chinese occupation". Whatever happens, China will be a major player in any disintegration of North Korea. Lankov is right about South Korea and the US being unable or unwilling to move in and stabilize the situation. It would be interesting to see how the scenario played out. If China goes in and a pro-China puppet government is installed, it would confirm the idea that China really does have an enormous amount of influence over North Korea, which begs the question of why China ever allowed North Korea to go nuclear (it is my opinion that China is less safe now that North Korea has nuclear weapons). If China becomes bogged down in a violent occupation, it may think twice in the future about passively allowing client states carte blanche to behave as they please. After all, Lankov's worst-case scenario, a civil war in nuclear-armed North Korea, would never have been a possibility without the help of the Chinese.
TaMu
China (Feb 25, '08)


[Re Disinformation flies as US raises Iran bar, Feb 21] Talking about setting bars high! Isn't it pretty obvious to the world's people that these jokers in Washington have now set the bar to their own credibility out of sight? It boggles my mind to realize just how stupid America considers the world's people to be! But, hey! - what can one expect from a desperate, failing state; a world bully that has discovered that the kids in the schoolyard are beginning to buck up? Furthermore, as the author suggests, if the UN continues to kow-tow to the Great Dictator, and the IAEA begins to move in the same direction, they too, will become failed agencies in the eyes of the world's people. Personally, I have long ago given up on the former. As for Iran's efforts to develop nuclear power, that is still a no-brainer. The rest of the world must see, by now, that they have a perfect right to it and that the media-made kafuffle over it is born of the Washington cabal's many-faceted drive to weaken Iran, in whatever ways it can, to prevent that country from setting the example of becoming the only one in the region to give them the "finger".
Keith E Leal
Pincher Creek, Canada (Feb 22, '08)


[Re Race for sanctions on Iran speeds up, Jan 31] There is reason to suspect the Bush administration's push to pass new Security Council sanctions against Iran is actually focused on a single provision: authorization for the inspection of sea cargo bound for Iran, which the United States would then use to create a casus belli. Any council member wanting to prevent the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran should press for removal of this provision. While the United States delegation has shown uncharacteristic flexibility regarding various provisions of the draft resolution, as Secretary of State Rice and other administration officials have repeatedly called for swift passage of the resolution, any suggestion to remove the inspection of sea cargo provision would meet with strong United States objections, if this assessment is correct. By proposing removal of the inspection of sea cargo provision, Security Council members can use the response to better assess United States' intentions.
William H White
USA (Feb 22, '08)


[Re Spielberg's Olympic-size snub, Feb 15] So much noise has been made by the Western media about Spielberg’s resignation, out of his "conscience", as artistic director for Bejing Olympic Games. Now it has turned out that he never held that title. He resigned from a post he had never held. What an Olympic-size joke and self-directed farce. What an Olympic-size weapon of mass deception!
Junming Jiang (Feb 22, '08)


With all due respect to the knowledgeable professor Andrei Lankov, I wish to ask a question. Everyone thought that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea would collapse in the mid 1990s. Even the Clinton administration which had entered into negotiations with North Korea to freeze Pyongyang's nuclear program, thought so. Why then did it take China almost 10 years to come to the conclusion that Beijing must needs prop up a doomed Communist neighbor by drawing up top secret plans to keep its ally from disintegrating? For by that time, South Korea was prime pumping hundreds of millions into the north to keep Kim Jong-il's government in business.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Feb 22, '08)


In Pakistan sifts through election aftermath, Feb 20, Syed Saleem Shahzad writes: "The US ... which is mending bridges between embattled President Pervez Musharraf and his opposition rivals, and conducting secret talks with all sides". So, no surprises there then. Or [are] any of your regular readers still naive enough to believe that an election will solve all Pakistan's problems? If any still do, I would urge [them] to remember those glorious days when al-Qaeda and the Taliban were the brave and honest freedom fighters fighting the most prominent member of the "evil empire". Pakistan's military-driven polity has, for some reasons, mortgaged itself to the Americans and they will, even now, hang on to their coattails. Hold on strongly to your seat, this train is rushing to nowhere at the highest possible speed.
D Ghosh
Scotland (Feb 22, '08)


[Re Winter debris exposes China's woes, Feb 20] The recent 50-year winter snow storm in southern China has indeed caught an ill-prepared government and caused tremendous misery, well described by Kent Ewing. I do not know what subject Mr Ewing teaches in Hong Kong, but I assume it will not be meteorology or science, for he is so sure, "there is no question that the environmental degradation caused by China' meteoric economic rise has contributed to extreme weather in the country".
Seung Li (Feb 21, '08)


[Re The door to Iraq's oil opens wide, Feb 15] Another very insightful, informative and thought-inspiring article by Mr Bhadrakumar! But let us all hope that he is off the mark in implying that (America's) Iraqi Oil Minister, Hussain al-Shahristani, is the means by which the Bushies and their Big Oil mentors will achieve their purposes in their Iraqi holocaust. We all should be wondering why it is that this mythical "land of the free and the brave", of "democracy", "justice" and "compassion" should find it necessary to decimate an entire sovereign nation simply to make an "oil deal with it. I think I figured this out, many years ago, when I decided that America, (whether its people recognize it or not), is a kill-oriented society. They are prone to use the club or intimidation or simply buy-a-government, rather than negotiate. But hey! If it works - why not? My own country is an excellent example of that. However, if Mr Shahristani is to Iraq's oil resources as Simon Reisman was to Canada's NAFTA, the Iraqi people can kiss their energy resources bye-bye. The next best move in this chess game would be for the realists of the Middle East and Central Asia to say, OK enough, and come together, once and for all, where they should be, in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and forget about the "West". Furthermore, if India and Turkey should prefer the "AmeriEuro Way", then that would be fine, but these two should be given notice that late-membership in the SCO might require certain "concessions" on their part.
Keith E Leal
Pincher Creek, Canada (Feb 21, '08)


[Re: The Indonesian candidate, Feb 20] A recent Zogby Interactive poll had Senator Barack Obama beating Senator John McCain for the US presidency if they went head to head. Interestingly though, if there were ever a presidential election that the Republican Party would not too much mind losing, this one would be it. With the myriad difficulties, both domestic and abroad, besetting the country, whoever leads the US in the next term will face unenviable and nearly impossible tasks. As no strong remedies are being proposed by the three leading candidates (the third being Senator Hillary Clinton) to cure what ails the US economy, it can take years for things to sort themselves out and start looking up again. By the time the next presidential election rolls around, the Republicans may well find themselves in a position to accuse the Democrats of being incompetent and to clamor for change. Besides, even if Senator McCain, whose truculent neo-conservative views, by the way, make Vice President Dick Chaney look like Papa Smurf, became president, how much could he realistically hope to accomplish with Congress being dominated by the Democratic Party?
John Chen
USA (Feb 21, '08)


In Ramzy Baroud's The known unknowns of the Mugniyah killing, Feb 19] he repeats the new favorite lie of the left that the 2006 Lebanon War was a great victory for Hezbollah. The left believes if you repeat a lie enough times it becomes the truth, but that only applies to other leftists and fools. The fact that this idea of a Hezbollah victory has become common does not speak well of the world body politic. At the end of the 2006 war, the Hezbollah's leader Nasrallah said if they had known the cost of operation to capture the Israeli soldiers they definitely would not have done it. Does that sound like the statement of the victor. The war did more than US$12 billion to the Lebanese economy which is more than half of their GDP. It also caused one quarter of the Lebanese population to flee their homes, again this does not sound like a great victory to me. Lebanon was recovering nicely from it civil war, however, I would think that billions of dollars of Arab money from the booming oil market that would have been invested in Lebanon, has not been. This money would have created tens of thousands of jobs and helped the poorer Shia community of Lebanon. Mr Baroud believes that Israel killed Mugniyah and I would agree that they are the most likely actor to have carried out the attack, but I can name ten other groups that might have carried out this attack. If I was a betting man I would put the odds of Israel having committed the attack at around 50/50. Mr Baroud's claim that Israel wants to restart the Lebanese civil war makes absolutely no sense as Hezzbollah would clearly be the victor. Can Mr Baroud explain how this would aid Israel? The smart move for Israel would be to give the Golan Heights back to Syria in exchange for Syria breaking with Hezzbollah and Iran, however, once Israel gets a piece of land they never want to give it back even if its in the own interest. Nobody in Israel is thinking towards the long-term welfare of their nation. Welcome to the modern world.
Dennis O'Connell
USA (Feb 21, '08)


The article US and Iran: A history of violence, Feb 13, is a good example of the ignorance that pervades the foreign policy circles of the United States concerning Iran. Where else do you find such a distinguished group discussing how to negotiate with Iran, as if every day we have been engaged? How is not the question. Doing is the question. Diplomacy has been an anethema to the Bush administration and its neo-con cronies peddling their ideology of constructive destruction/chaos whether it relates to Iran or the Middle East as a whole. Iranians will never forget our role in the overthrow of their freely-elected constitutional government led by their national heroes Mohammed Mossedegh and Hussein Fatemi. So, justice matters as does basic dignity in negotiating with Iran. You do not need 15 points or being mistrustful or drive yourself crazy trying to figure out power centers. You need to start negotiating everything on the table with no preconditions. There has been a lot of hurt on both sides. The only culture that matters is civility and an open mind. All this is very easy when you look at the Bush legacy of the last seven years for the Middle East. That is, no diplomacy, decidedly on the side of Israel and turning the Middle East into a grotesque carnival of killings, begetting revenge, more killings and so on and so on.
Fariborz S Fatemi
House Foreign Affairs Committee
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
McLean, Virginia, USA (Feb 20, '08)


One piece of information is worth more than 1000 speculations. It appears that Spielberg [Spielberg's Olympic-size snub, Feb 15] was never invited by China, but approached the Chinese organization offering his services himself. He also did not sign any contract. Surely someone like Spielberg understands publicity. Mao sui zijian, as the Chinese call this.
Migrant Worker
Luxembourg (Feb 20, '08)


Regarding the article The star-spangled delusion, Feb 15, it correctly points to our misguided approach in fighting this "war on terror". Our soldiers are locked into rules that were drawn out by lawyers. Because of this our soldiers must follow the "seven rules of engagement" such as not shooting a terrorist if he/she is using innocent civilians as cover. If our soldiers dare to break any of these "rules of engagement" they face court martial upon returning to the US. There is no way the US can fight a war where the enemy has no such "rules of engagement" when fighting the US. Furthermore we have weapons of mass destruction that our so called "morality", backed by human rights groups, prevents us from using. Instead we send our soldiers to a certain death just to justify our "superior morality" over our enemies. This same moral attitudes are used in our "war against drugs" which has now proven to be an utter failure and securing our borders from illegal immigrants, some who maybe terrorists. Sadly David Young is correct in assessing the US impotance in all the above scenarios. As long as we fight the terrorists like "gentlemen" there will be no end to this ever escalating war and the US has already lost.
Chrysantha Wijeyasingha
Clinton, USA (Feb 20, '08)


[Re Blessed are the pre-emptors, Feb 19] Ah the joy of Mondays, reminiscent of the first sparrow in spring. Waiting for a new edition of Spengler makes me lurk around your site a few times before you deign to post the blessed publication. This week, you robbed me of the pleasure for 24 hours by observing some inane US holiday (is there another kind?). Forgiven, for the wait was well worth it: Spengler once again delivers in his superb prose wonderful deconstruction of the hypocritical secularism that passes off as acceptable politics in today's Europe. The question to ask of your writer though pertains to his use of "lions in the Roman circus" metaphor: is his point that European Muslims are the lions or are they the slaves? Maybe reflecting the true dilemma of existentialists, they are both. Jakob Cambria continues to pen wonderful letters, so much so that he should perhaps be invited to write a regular column for your newspaper. That said, his opening line, "Hank Paulson is no Ronald Reagan", appeared a bit puzzling. My memory isn't what it used to be, but didn't Reagan say "Mr Gorbachev, tear down that Wall," in which case Chan [Akya] compared Paulson to Gorbachev, not Reagan. I liked that article for another reason, namely that underlying point that the global center of capitalism and wealth has now shifted to Asia. More power to them while we in Europe wallow in our centuries of greatness now inexorably slipping out of our fingers.
Salt (Feb 20, '08)


[Re The Indonesian candidate, Feb 19] The excitement and awe that the junior senator Barak Obama from Illinois elicits as a Democratic candidate for his party's race for the US presidency has spread to Indonesia. For right or wrong, as Muhammad Cohen writes, the few years that he spent there with his mother and her Indonesian husband makes a special claim on him almost as a native son. Everyone likes a winner, it seems, yet no one really knows Mr Obama's views on Indonesia nor of any sense of nostalgia for his school days at a madrassah. Kenyans, too, may feel the same way, although their enthusiasm takes second place to the murders and political turmoil they are living through at this very moment, other than what we can read in his autobiography. Mr Cohen could have added a tart touch to his article had he compared the apparent lack of Indonesia's enthusiasm for Paul Wolfowitz, who was the US ambassador to Jarkarta. Dr Wolfowitz, for all his failures, and they are many, developed a great admiration and some might say love for Indonesia. He speaks Bahasa Indonesia fluently, appreciates it culture, and likes its people. Yet as Washington's emissary, he did much to support the long rule of General Suharto and his policies.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Feb 20, '08)


[Re Spielberg's Olympic-size snub, Feb 15] I realize with surprise Hollywood's increasing interest in Darfur (George Clooney, Spielberg, etc). It is not wrong that they (Spielberg, Clooney) seem to be concerned in Darfur's fate. What I consider strange is that these celebrities never mention Iraq. Chinese have not killed a singe human being in Darfur while Americans have (directly or indirectly) killed tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of Iraqis. This makes me wonder about their sincerity. To me this is just another example of double standards.
Manuel de la Torre (Feb 19, '08)


[Re Spielberg's Olympic-size snub, Feb 15] The author is blissfully unaware of the larger context of the Hollywood-Darfur campaign. Those are the same people that never shed a tear about millions of Rwandans and Congolese killed in ongoing conflict/genocide since 1990. The Darfur campaign serves to distract attention from the deliberately organized genocide in Rwanda and Congo, that started in 1990 and has cost an estimated 10 million lives; the killings continue to this day, at a rate of about 45,000 a month in eastern Congo. And the main Western official media remain silent to this day. Reporters Without Borders is just as complicit in this cover-up as are Amnesty international and Doctors Without Borders, while the New York-based Human Rights Watch has been actively conducting the campaign of lies that hides the true extent of the real genocide in Central Africa. The media organization Inter Press Service, from which ATol takes many articles, has not worked to reveal the Western-instigated killings in Central Africa either.
Sabine Grund
Germany (Feb 19, '08)


This letter is referring to Dhruba Adhikary's recent article: Nepal’s polls shrouded in doubt, , Feb 1. As the title of the article explains, although April 10 is chosen for Constituent Assembly elections, there is still a doubt on whether they will go ahead this time. But what we need to be concerned about is the aftermath of the election. After the constitutional reforms and multi-party parliament were started in 1991, Nepal went downhill. Since then, there has not been any one government that has served its natural term of five years; Maoists became active, killing thousands of people; the royal massacre took place; Gyanendra inherited the throne and assumed full executive power; after just a year Gyanendra returned the sovereign power back to the people and reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives; the same House of Representatives passed a motion to curtail the power of the king and declared Nepal a secular state. Even after all this, Nepal is still not in a stable state. And there is no assurance that the situation will get better after the election and that the election will be legitimate. The future of Nepal is uncertain and hence Nepal needs help.
Chanda Upadhaya
Canada (Feb 19, '08)


William Sparrow's When kissing cousins aren't so cute, Feb 15, fails to mention another possibility of the birth defects among the Pakistanis living in Britain; their possible contact and contamination by the tons and tons of depleted uranium (DU) the West has used in Afghanistan. While I'll grant that marrying one's cousin isn't good for the family's DNA, neither is being exposed to DU, which, due to the prevailing winds, dumps that toxic mess upon unsuspecting Pakistanis visiting their homeland. Who in turn, bring back that 4.5 million years long legacy to Britain and their family. One need to look no further than the explosion in DU related birth defects in that other ongoing American "freedom" project, Iraq, to understand that the alteration of human genes by DU is a real and credible threat. As for marrying one's cousin in Britain, I thought the only ones allowed to engage in that ceremony were the British royal family.
Greg Bacon
Ava, Missouri
USA (Feb 19, '08)


[Re Mr Paulson, tear down that Wall (Street), Feb 15] Straight away, US Secretary of the Treasury Henry "Hank" Paulson is no Ronald Reagan. Wall Street has made him as much as he helped make Wall Street. America's economy is not suffering from a weak dollar to which China has pegged the renminbi-yuan, and has profited for years from this strategy. The current US market meltdown has made this approach less profitable. Unfortunately the current market woes arise from the little known financial instruments, such as CDOs, ABSs, and MBs which are part and parcel of what we now know as the subprime mortgage crisis, and a little heard of arcane sleight of hand called credit default swaps. In brief, we're talking of debt which is ballooning into the trillions of [US dollars] which the banks and insurers would have trouble paying. During Mr Paulson's reign as CEO of the mighty banking house of Goldman Sachs, his bank designed these pieces of paper which brought high profits and much confusion. Thus given the credit crunch they cause, and the severe strains on the market and the economy, it should as little surprise that Mr Paulson and Professor Ben Bernanke at the US Federal Reserve Bank are riding to the rescue. The solutions that they are proposely hardly fit the serious of a downturn which will challenge the global economy as the US enters the slippery road of recession, the massive infusions of southeast and west Asian sovereign funds into American big bracket banks. Conditions demand a response which Chan Akya thinks unnecessary. For he sees it as the system sagging under the dead weight of government. The nub of the problem is the lack of regulation, or under-regulation, which allowed the madding pace of financial squalor and runaway markets. Messrs Paulson and Bernanke are boosters for neo-libralism and if they intervene governmentally in the market now, it is to save the banks, big business, the insurers ... in sum, the system they know.
Jakob Cambria USA (Feb 19, '08)


The current inflationary activities of the government of the US are only the latest actions of its policy of promoting inflation. Why does it have the policy? Because inflation is the hidden tax that helps one administration after another spend and spend without ever having to pay the piper. This is a despicable fraud on the public.
Tom Gerber (Feb 15, '08)


[Re Spielberg's Olympic-size snub, Feb 15] Quite a number of individuals and agencies have been either applying pressure on Beijing to make changes, from foreign policies to internal politics, or to make fun of the habits and social conditions of the Chinese people as the Olympic Games draw closer. This is to be expected. It is regrettable that the International Olympic Committee blindly sought the help of Steven Spielberg as if there is no one else up to the task of artistic adviser. Spielberg could have stated, in private or in public, his condition for accepting the job in the first place, and thus showed his fervent concern for Darfur more dramatically. On the other hand, the Beijing Olympic Committee should gracefully accept Spielberg's withdrawal in the name of separation of politics and sports. The committee should find a replacement and eventually prove that Spielberg or not, the artistic features of the ceremonies will not suffer.
Seung Li (Feb 15, '08)


Asia Times Online, which generally does not treat its readers like idiots, has accustomed this reader to a mainly satisfying and often stimulating selection of dissertations. They represent a reasonably wide range of ideologies (a bonus), most of them qualify to the status of either well-thought analysis or well-written opinion (a prerequisite), and sometimes (another bonus) we are even treated to this rarest of the rarest: hands-in-fire, feet-in-mud journalism. There are sad exceptions, and Death of Hezbollah kingpin: A war awaits [Feb 15]. Ehsan Ahrari makes interesting reading only semantically, in the sense that in this article he writes like a lapdog of his de facto paymasters, the US spying and warring agencies. The insidious choice of key words intermingling Westernized platitudes, the hackneyed phrases, the more or less deliberate associations of Americana cliches ... all these tricks were used in a bit too much of an obvious manner, with the end result being an ersatz of mushy commentary to a most important assassination. Well, at least this contribution can be considered as a good study case of poor-in-content, but rich-in-truisms pseudo analysis, and transparently oriented at that to make things easier.
Jivasattha (Feb 15, '08)


Hail, hail to Malaysia's Pak Lah [Feb 14] illustrates the state of things in Malaysia. It diagnoses the tight hold of [Prime Minister] Abdullah Badawi on the reins of power, political unrest and discontent notwithstanding. Badawi is a wily politician. His call for a snap election in March has but one sole purpose: to deny Anwar Ibrahim the opportunity to contest UNMO's 50-year hold on power when he is eligible in April to participate once again and legally as a candidate in Malaysia's political process. Badawi's timing is impeccable, but hardly a coup, for it will not forestall the growing crisis with the Malaysian body politic.
Mel Cooper
Malaysia (Feb 15, '08)


I read ATol with real pleasure and I'm grateful for your work. This is my Valentine for you.
Kazimierz
Poland (Feb 15, '08)


Regarding Armand De Laurell's [Feb 13] letters-column attack on Spengler's claim in Europe in the house of war [Feb 12] to the effect that Jewish law is quite different from sharia law, I submit the following in Spengler's defense: The basis of the sharia law is the Sunna, ie, the Hadith and the Sira (the words and actions respectively of Allah's Apostle, Mohammed), which constitute roughly 83% of doctrinal Islam, while the remaining approximately 17% is derived from the Koran. An overarching sharia motif of the most highly authoritative Median (later) Koranic Suras and the Sunna is that all non-Muslims, including Jews, Christians, Hindus (polytheists) and Buddhists are inferior to believers, as unbelievers are, each and every one of them, nijis (filthy) kaffirs (infidels) who are destined for Jehanum (Hell). To many, if not most Muslims, this legal Jim Crow is sacred, eternal and universal. Hence, sharia law is fundamentally opposed to the Judeo-Christian (Western) religious precept-ideal that "all men are created equal". As such, Muslims are to do all in their power to make sharia law the supreme law of the land, wherever they may live. Jewish law is quite different. "Dina d'malchuta dina (The law of the land is the law)" is the guiding principle of the Talmud (Gittin 10b) as to how diaspora Jews should view the multifarious legal systems of the disparate lands they call home. Hence, Jews are explicitly enjoined by Jewish law to obey all civil laws in whatever polity they live in.
Richard Greene
USA (Feb 14, '08)


David B Roberts' article China's soft power filling a moral void [Feb 14] demonstrates a high degree of naiveness. While the Saudi woman mentioned therein should be spared from flogging, it would be ridiculous to suggest that as a crowning achievement of Western soft power. It is true, China's soft power ignores the host country's political structure, like many other Western countries. But the offer of financial assistance, trade and technical training must in some way become beneficial to the general populace. Would Roberts recommend sending an army into these "black-listed" countries to save those people? Ultimately, engagement is better than isolation, and assistance, though filtered down, is better than none. Of course, China stands to gain too. No one needs to be reminded.
Seung Li (Feb 14, '08)


[Re Two clean sweeps but no clear winners, by Muhammad Cohen, Feb 14] The Barack Obama tide is unstoppable and gaining momentum with unprecedented passion, and Hillary Clinton will have no option but to surrender her intentions sooner or later in favor of the worthy opponent who has shown that he is hugely popular with blacks and whites, and the only Democratic candidate who can defeat John McCain in the general election. Even women are deserting Hillary and joining Obama's camp. Hillary's patronizing description of her rival as "an extraordinary young African-American man who has so much to offer", a sly inference that, but for his color, he is not something special was an insult on his abilities. I believe that Americans are not so much interested in Obama's abilities but they want to see the war-mongering Republicans out of the White House corridors, and a human face sitting in the Oval Office. As long as Obama can inspire the American voters it is good enough because more often voters are swayed by sentiments rather than by the candidate's platform. The appeal for a first black president is not symbolic but becoming real, and the super delegates will not ignore it. Obama can win the election and both the Democrats and many Republicans sick of President George W Bush's eight years in office would like to see a change of color in the White House.
Jalal Rumi
Pakistan (Feb 14, '08)


[Re Europe in the house of war, Feb 12] Spengler's claim that somehow Rabbinic courts are OK in Britain but Muslim courts are not is even more nonsensical than usual. One hundred years ago, when the Beth Din was added to British justice, spengleroids were as anti-Jewish as they are anti-Muslim now. The results (Holocaust) are too well known to need to be detailed.
Lester Ness, alive in the bitter sea
Kunming, Yunan province
China (Feb 13, '08)


[Re US and Iran: A history of violence, Feb 12] US ambassador John Limbert seems to have the best handle on reality regarding how to "negotiate" with anybody. But the little Washington joke about the Iranian/American exchange is simply another example of American dead-end reasoning, a no-brainer. I was right there, (1977 through 1978), when the revolution was brewing hot on the stove; instructing young Iranians (todays "revolutionary guards") on how to operate their American-owned natural gas and gas-liquids processing plants. I had my students' confidence and I heard their stories. They were fully conversant with the 1953 event, where their first "democratically" elected prime minister was overthrown by the Brits and their CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] henchmen. They were also quite aware that this unholy combo, along with the Jewish Mossad, had liberally contributed their expertise to that of the Shah's blood-thirsty SAVAK [Iran's intelligence agency]. Indeed, it was/is obvious to me that nothing contributed more to bringing about that revolution than the warped, anti-Muslim, superior attitudes of the British/Israel/US combo. Talk about an American "not trusting" an Iranian! The people of that country have been given every reason in the world not to trust any of the above three. When Limbert speaks of Iranians/Americans having "done bad things to each other", I hope he is ready to give some examples of those interchanges, so I can laugh myself onto the floor. And, no, the Iranians are not dumb, and not fanatics. I quote Limbert again: "There seems to be a tradition - and it's not just us - for treating the Iranians as though they don't really understand things." No, not just Americans, Brits and Israelis do this also. When I was taking my eight-day orientation for the Iran job, in Minneapolis, I was asked, a number of times, whether I would be able to "teach down to these people". This sounded mighty strange to me until I considered where it was coming from. In any case, when we got into the work, I found, very quickly, that our trainees - who had a few weeks of handyman exposure to the plants - where in a good position to be instructing their American teachers, who had taken the "teaching down" thing seriously. I also take exception to Khody Akhavi's good old American reference to the Iranian president as a "hardliner". [Mahmud] Ahmadinejad is not hardline. He is simply the only national leader in the region - or anywhere - especially Canada - for that matter - who has had the gonads to buck the "American way", as did our former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. He, his people and the whole non-aligned world know that they have a perfect right to independent nuclear energy and that the US is simply continuing to play the planetary bully. And forget the Disney fantasy that the young people of Iran will rise up and overthrow the overbearing, authoritarian mullahs. When I lived there, they did have some doubts, but Washington has been doing an excellent job of conditioning them to do otherwise. Furthermore, their previous generation have long and vivid memories to pass on to them. The world, (except Americans), is almost up to here with the garbage about "weapons of mass destruction", "hostile intent", "women's rights", etc that the Washington cabal uses to prime the blind for "preemptive strikes" on the innocent. And good luck to Limbert with his new job in Sudan. He'll need it. The luck, that is. The Africans aren't dumb, either. The whole brewing mess in the Horn of Africa is a sequel to the Iran story: energy resources and American greed for more. His assignments remind me of the statement on one of my 10-year-old great-grandson's T-shirts : "Trouble Always Finds Me".
Keith E Leal
Pincher Creek, Alberta
Canada (Feb 13, '08)


Spengler's comedic outrage [Europe in the house of war, Feb 12] at comments made by the Archbishop of Canterbury whom he accuses of being triply hypocritical is best described as a "Hamletian" attempt to be what he is not. His ramblings are pure Daniel Pipes-like invectives gliding over a 100-year old statute in the UK established by Beth Sin, a rabbinical system within the UK's legal system. Any learned individual understood what the archbishop's message was meant to be. He was positing that the secular legal system should accommodate the traditional sharia councils which exist around the country, dealing with family and other disputes along the model of the Rabbinical Beth Din in effect for some 100 years. Beth Din deals with disputes between Orthodox Jews, although anyone can use the courts. The judges, or dayanim, who preside are rabbis. If a dispute is over a contract under English law or another country's civil law, the court can "incorporate" some of the rules of the civil law into Jewish law. In reality, the proceedings are a form of arbitration. The majority of Beth Din awards that are contested are enforced by courts in the UK, although they can be overruled. The Beth Din can also grant an Orthodox Jewish divorce, known as a get, but a civil divorce is also necessary to change one's legal status. Similarly, Muslim divorce, or talaq, has no legal status. Like Jewish law, Islamic law is a code for living that governs virtually every aspect of life.
Armand De Laurell (Feb 12, '08)


It is reported that thousands of people in a certain region of Bangladesh and across the border in India face starvation and famine because of a population explosion of field rats. The rats are eating food grains in the fields and in granaries. The concerned authorities may wish to send a delegation to Thailand to learn how to trap, cook and eat rats. Fat grain-fed field rats are delicious and nutritious whether grilled or curried. In the short run it would solve the starvation problem and in the long run it would control the rat population.
Cha-am Jamal
Thailand(Feb 12, '08)


[Re Al-Qaeda sets sight on the next battlefield, Feb 12] Regardless of whatever Abu Haris says, elections in Pakistan seem set to go ahead and, although some of my friends have doubts, there is reasonable anticipation that a broad-based democratic regime under the banner of the PPP [Pakistan People's Party] looks destined to take over the country. Among religious forces there appears to be a broad-based consensus for the need for the return of genuine democracy. The Daubandi school of thought is contesting the election under the banner of the JUI [Jamiat-i-Ulama-i-Islam] anyway, as they always have done. But in an interesting twist of events, not just the Shi'ite stalwarts but also the big guns of Brailwi have come together to unite under the banner of the PPP. The prospects of the success of "khuruj" [mass revolt] therefore seem remote. Pakistan needs change, but that would be through education and persuasion, and not through sabotage or intimidation. Change in Turkey could possibly be the right model for a large country like Pakistan where the path of change (in contrast with the Shah's Iran) through the ballot is still open. Any real change in Pakistan will be through ballot and not bullet. My friend Abu Haris and his colleagues need to learn to work hard and stop looking for short-cuts!
Rash SS (Feb 12, '08)


Thanks for the interesting article [Truth, lies and photo captions, Feb 9] by Hans Durrer. Now, can someone please tell me why and how Asia Times Online is different in this matter: don't all newspapers and journalists employ screaming headlines to grab readership? As Durrer himself points out, lay people cannot be expected to interpret what they are seeing in pictures, indeed when they involve creatures such as minke whales that few of us have ever seen except on the National Geographic Channel. Meanwhile, your man Chan Akya [Missing genius, Feb 9 ] raises a pertinent question that has bothered me for a while, as to why talented Asians bother to emigrate anymore to the UK - reading the newspapers here, you would think we were getting flooded with immigrants, even if the truth is far from that. I understand he may have wanted to make light of us Brits - to wit the casual description of losing one's head while drinking afternoon tea - but why did he spare the imperial ambitions of today's colonists, namely the Americans? One of our half-wit princes (is there any other kind?) recently raised a good point about what America can learn from the UK on managing the restive natives - a "news" item that I believe got no coverage in your exalted publication. Lastly, thank you for publishing the [Feb 8] letter from Jalal Rumil in Pakistan on the Bollywood invasion. His concerns about heaving bosoms and lascivious behavior perhaps point to self-inflicted perversions. Having watched many a Bollywood movie during my time in Asia, I found them predictable and devoid of irony but could never really complain about the sort of thing that Jamal feels so strongly about. If he could send his postal address, I would be happy to send him the latest Western smut that could broaden err ... his mind.
Salt Shaker (Feb 12, '08)


[Re Missing genius, Feb 9] A new year is always time for reflection. The lunar year of the Rat, the beginning of a new cycle of 12 years, gives Chan Akya much food for thought. The economic dynamism of China and India offer newer opportunities for the young and the talented, and not so talented, to stay home instead of emigrating. On the other hand, there are many young and talented who continue to go abroad to study and stay there, yet without cutting ties to the motherland. Chan Akya, however, neglects the strong pull that East and Southeast Asia's wealth has on the growing stream of Asians and Africans who are seeking fortune. For them, the opportunities have the same power as a gold rush or an oil boom, hardships and discriminatory laws notwithstanding. Missing from Chan Akya's happy picture is the voice of those who for one reason or another are those who are uneasy living under authoritarian governments and look for a quieter place in Europe or the Americas.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Feb 11, '08)


My first thought after reading Yin He's article The peacekeeping dragon is on safari [Feb 8], was that the title is wrong. The dragon, in Western mythology, is a creature of Hell, wreaking havoc and spurting fire and sulfur. The dragon in Chinese folklore, however, is quite the opposite, the Lord of Water, not bringing fire but rain, and sometimes floods. Just what you need to quench a fire. One can always rely on ATol to show both sides of an issue.
Migrant Worker
Luxembourg (Feb 11, '08)


This is in response to the Feb 8 letter from Jalal Rumi regarding article The curtain lifts for Bollywood in Pakistan [Feb 7]. I just can't stop laughing at it. You must be watching a lot of B or C grade movies. There are really good movies being made in Bollywood as well (I confess the count needs to be more though). See [one of the many films covering] aspects of today's social life. There are really good directors like Shyam Benegal, Nagesh Kuknoor, Madhur Bhandarkar, Budhdhadeb Dasgupta, Jabbar Ppatel, Prakash Jha, just to name a few. What you watch is always your choice! Is it that everything Indian is not good for you? Or you think it's an insult to Pakistani movie makers since they're not so popular even in Pakistan? Why are the soaps and [TV] serials from India watched so keenly in Pakistan? By the way, do you suggest any of country's movies [that] should be allowed in Pakistan?
Niraj (Feb 11, '08)


My name is Annette Monreal, I am a guidebook writer on Laos, until recently I was based in Vientiane as the [managing director] of a foreign-owned tourism company. I currently live in Germany. I am addressing Bertil Lintner's article so causally entitled Fear of foreigners in Laos", Feb 1. As a former expatriate based in Laos, I would like to add a few more details to an over-simplified picture that manages to link policies of anti-Christianism, anti-Vang Pao/CIA and anti-US to anti-Ecotourism and anti-foreigners in local businesses. By drawing attention to such speculative parallels and potential political strategies, the author actually risks legitimizing these (because he is a renowned foreign correspondent). To a less analytical reader, there is a danger of drawing Somphawn Khantisouk and his American business partner into contexts which are in no way related to their activities and business in ecotourism. As I am aware of how many foreigners of all nationalities work in the province of Luang Namtha, I am appalled by the choice of words when mentioning areas "were better cleansed of foreign influences", "Foreign devils" and a "costly xenophobia". This does not do justice to the central Lao government, whose interest in receiving as many experts and as much foreign aid as possible is unrelenting. It may be worth mentioning that more than 2 million foreign faces travel through Laos year-round and they will encounter no resentment whatsoever. Coming back to the abduction of Somphawn, it should be said very clearly that foreign projects and enterprises which support the Lao economy and help educate or fight poverty are not likely to undertake activities which jeopardize their organizations and their efforts. Also, while working in the private sector in Laos, I could observe that it is mainly NGOs and development projects called in by the government that overpay salaries and win the best-qualified locals - not the "foreign-led private enterprises".
Annette Monreal
Germany (Feb 11, '08)


[Re The peacekeeping dragon is on safari, Feb 8] I think Yin He's points are well taken, and reinforce my argument that the world is ready to see the UN headquartered in Hong Kong.
T Sullivan
USA (Feb 8, '08)


I wish to comment on The curtain lifts for Bollywood in Pakistan by Sudha Ramachandran [Feb 8]. Bollywood is leading the way in copying and commercializing Western immorality, pornography and eroticism of the Kama Sutra on cinemascope. I am sickened with the proposed lifting of the ban and infiltration of Bollywood's filth into Pakistanis cinema houses when these films are already seen by millions on video and DVD across the country. This Indian import is denigrating our youth. Indian semi-nude, bare-bosomed and bare-flesh actresses act in the most provocative and licentious manner that corrupts anyone who happens to watch. The young find glamour in lewdness, nudity and vulgarity and those perverted by the lure and attraction try to copy. Bollywood movies and their singing, dancing female actresses wear as little as possible and jump around like hookers trying to seduce audiences with their flesh. Women's bodies and in particular well-endowed breasts are not only adornments but also are a sign of her fertility and therefore they must not display them for marketing and advertising. Mumbai has become one of the biggest sin capitals of the world where days and nights are for sex in every available corner. In Western societies sex is somewhat less of a hole-in-the-corner affair.
Jalal Rumil
Pakistan (Feb 8, '08)


I generally am impressed with the good analysis and stories on your site. But The Mogambo Guru's, A trillion-dollar smile [Feb 5], is utter garbage. Jim Willie of Hat Trick Letter is a gold spinner and makes up stories to push his gold ideas. The original for the story you copied from The Daily Reckoning is Gold & Math on a Napkin. First, the chart he shows and on which his loss "estimate" is based is for ABX-HE-AAA 07-2. Well, "all" ABX-HE indices are of subprime loans. The "AAA" refers to rating at issuance and 07-2 is for the year and half of the year the pools were issued - so this is second half of 2007, basically, the worst pools in history. So, Mr Willie is taking the default rate of the worst subprime pool ever issued, and applying that default rate to all outstanding prime loans ever made, including ones 20 years ago that are almost paid off. That is so idiotic the words fail me. How can you publish such garbage? This kind of story totally undermines your credibility!
A Power (Feb 8, '08)

I find it irritating that you do not place the name of the author on all of Praful Bidwai's articles. He writes well but writes nonsense, so I do not read him. On the other hand, Chan Akya hits deep, hits hard and hits well. That is one of the reasons I open Asia Times Online every day (even though some of the things he says are uncomfortable sometimes). By the way, whatever happened to Jack Crooks?
Talu Darr (Feb 8, '08)


We confess. The author of all of Praful Bidwai's articles is, (drum roll, please) Praful Bidwai, as indicated at the top of each article! Jack Crooks is missing in action. - ATol staff  (Feb 8, '08)

[Re Yes, Romney, there's a Sanity Clause, Feb 5] I was very disappointed in Spengler's analysis of the Mormon religion. I have come to think of Spengler as educated and informed, yet the Mormon article simply recycles old myths. If I could recommend a good start in his education on the matter, I would suggest Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Lyman Bushman. It is most unusual for Spengler to be so ill informed about an essay subject.
Jim Fisher (Feb 8, '08)


Although Michael Scheuer writes decently in his February 7 article Yemen still close to al-Qaeda's heart, one has to take anything Scheuer says with a large grain of salt, since he is retired from the Central Intelligence Agency. "The Company" is not one to let former employees stray too far from the reservation when writing columns or books. If one guessed that anything Scheuer wrote had to be first cleared by the CIA, then that guess wouldn't be far off the mark. It's more than a coincidence that Scheuer's article comes out at the same time that the Director of National Intelligence, Michael McConnell, testified to the US Senate that the CIA creation, al-Qaeda, is expanding its outposts to other countries. Hmmm, like maybe Yemen? Or maybe another country to where the CIA is itching to send in trained killers - if they haven't already - like Pakistan. Whether or not Scheuer is writing CIA-sanctioned agitprop or writing from his heart will be up to the reader to decide.
Greg Bacon
Ava, Missouri,USA (Feb 7, '08)


[Re A breach in North Korea's iron curtain, Feb 7] As a German who personally experienced the dissolution of the GDR [German Democratic Republic] and the breakdown of the Soviet Union, let me categorically state that the triumphalist narrative of the end of the Cold War that is unfortunately current in the West is totally wrong. Jim Morrison and the Doors did more to bring down communism than any Ronald Reagan. It was not Star Wars that brought down the Soviet Union, it was the realization that people in the West were immeasurably more wealthy and lived more freely. And that that realization managed to penetrate the Iron Curtain is due to detente. In fact, the hardliners in the West helped the hardliners in the East stay in power. Nothing reinforces a regime quite as much as an external threat. That holds true for North Korea as well! Unfortunately, most journalists have swallowed the triumphalist narrative of the end of the Cold War and are accordingly engaged in the same sterile reading of the tea leaves that was called Kremnology in bygone days. The only exception of this sad rule is [ATol contributor] Andrei Lankov. I am not surprised that it is a Russian who states what is obvious to every former denizen of Eastern Europe and he is also the only one I have encountered who is interested in what the Sunshine policy will do to ordinary North Koreans. I would bet any amount of money that it will be contact with South Korea that will seal the fate of the North and that external pressure will turn out to be irrelevant.
Lesso Skallow (Feb 7, '08)


I just read Spengler's attack piece on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, [Yes, Romney, there's a Sanity Clause, Feb 5] and I have to say I don't recall ever reading anything like it in a publication purporting to be a source of "news". I thought ATol's mission was to be a "quality Internet-only publication that reports and examines geopolitical, political, economic and business issues" in an attempt to "bridge East and West". If so, it failed when it printed this offensive, biased piece that amounts to little more than a regurgitation of tired anti-Mormon literature-trying to pass as journalism. Spengler might have researched the topic a little more thoroughly and presented a fair and balanced report to his readers. Perhaps journalistic ethics and standards hold a different meaning in the East. With regards to the Mormon faith, detractors have long disparaged the church and I suspect will continue to do so, yet the church continues to flourish and bring meaning to me and millions of others who belong to and embrace the faith. The simple fact is every religion (with its varied beliefs, practices and history) has elements that seem strange to the outsider. Furthermore, those who try to "prove" a religion wrong (or right) will always fail, because in matters of faith, there is no proof. I hope that in the future ATol will stick to its core mission and print material that rises to some reasonable level of journalistic standards.
Steve Woodbury (Feb 7, '08)


A few hopefully pertinent comments on Malaysia's Hindus show political muscle by Baradan Kuppusamy [Feb 6]. Firstly, why does the fact that they don't appear to have leftist leaning make them right-wing Hindus? This characterization is obviously intended in a pejorative way. Left-leaning journalists frequently brand movements this way, when they don't conform to the preferred stereotypes of the underdog. Secondly, it is sheer pathetic ignorance (especially by a writer whose name betrays a possible Hindu background) or worse to characterize a simple coconut-breaking ceremony, something which is a basic temple worship offering ritual deeply embedded in Hindu traditions, as a "religious act usually associated with seeking divine intervention to resolve woes faced by the Hindu religion's devotees". Coconuts are offered in times good or bad, quite innocuously, more a cultural act than anything else. And thirdly, it seems in keeping with the tenor of this piece to go on to insinuate through an anonymous quote that there is need to "protect Islam against a Hindu upsurge". One doesn't need much logic to see that the minority of Hindus are peacefully protesting, with their backs against a wall, and not using any "Hindu fundamentals" to organize themselves, unless it be a universal call for justice. One seriously wonders how this could, in any way, pose as a threat to the dominant Islam in Malaysia.
Karigar
USA (Feb 7, '08)


[Re The trillion dollar deficit, Feb 6] Martin Hutchinson likely isn't the only one not overly impressed by President George W Bush's job performance. But really, what did anyone expect from someone who perhaps could best be characterized as a dissipated fainéant up until his presidency and whose notable "accomplishments" in life had been handed to him on a silver platter? With a significant portion of his new budget earmarked for defense spending, there exist some striking yet disturbing similarities between the current United States and the former Soviet Union prior to its collapse. Back then, the Soviets were mired in a failed military campaign and in a costly arms race against the US. Presently, the US is bogged down in a war that the country cannot possibly win and is rabidly pursuing a financially unsustainable arms race, largely against itself. (See also January 24's Going bankrupt: The US's greatest threat by Chalmers Johnson)
John Chen
USA (Feb 6, '08)


In my opinion, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would make an excellent combination to repair the massive loss of the American image both at home and abroad. I think Obama as vice president of the US could effectively promote minority rights better than he could as president at this stage. He is too young and can wait and learn with Clinton and be an excellent vice president. After her, he could prove to be one of the best presidents and leaders of America. For the moment, undoing the horrendous wrongs of George W Bush comes before Obama's presidency, which Clinton is best suited to deliver at this most crucial stage of American history. Let Democrats remain united and win.
Smrre Jkhan
Shahdr, Pakistan (Feb 6, '08)


[Re Fear of foreigners in Laos, Feb 2] For the readers of Asia Times Online who may wish to absorb the chilling atmosphere in an overly bureaucratic Laos, they can do no better than reading Colin Cotterill's mystery novels. His sleuth is a coroner by the name of Siri Paiboun, a long-time revolutionary, with a sharp mind and a keen memory, which confront the hopes of a valiant struggle with the realities of today's Laos. Although the plots are woven out of fiction, they do reflect circumstances which should much worry the rulers of today's land-locked Laos.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Feb 6, '08)


Spengler's latest half-baked screed regarding virtually any religious belief other than his slavish devotion to Catholicism and occasional strained nods to Judaism, Yes, Romney, there's a Sanity Clause on February 5 is also two months late. The whole Romney "faith" issue was hashed and rehashed in the US in early December 2007 and - aside from brief recent clips of Romney's attendance at the funeral for Mormon leader Gordon Hinckley - is by now ancient news fodder. Instead of stating the obvious regarding the dubious origins of the Church of Latter Day Saints, Spengler might have instead pointed to Romney's vapid and patronizing description of beliefs other than his own in his December 6 "faith" speech. There were token strokes for Catholicism ("I love the profound ceremony of the Catholic Mass"), evangelicalism (for the "approachability" of its God model), Pentecostalism ("tenderness of spirit"), Lutheranism ("confident independence"), Judaism ("ancient traditions"), and a particularly feeble pat on the back for Islam ("frequent prayer"). Indeed, as New Yorker magazine columnist Hendrik Hertzberg pointed out in a much more timely and coherent commentary, the only "religion" that Romney had any outright disrespect for is not a religion at all - what Romney termed, "the religion of secularism". As Hertzberg wrote: "[Romney] pointed scornfully at the 'empty' cathedrals of Europe as evidence of 'societies just too busy or too 'enlightened' to venture inside and kneel in prayer', adding ... that 'any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty' has 'a friend and ally in me.' Take that, NATO. On your knees."
Carlos R Popper
Lincoln, Nebraska, USA (Feb 5, '08)


[Yes, Romney, there's a Sanity Clause, Feb 5] When Spengler attacks Mormonism and other religions, he reveals that Spengler's religion also belongs to the weird. It is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. The Mormon religion's tenets are no more strange than the Catholic belief that a wafer and wine are the body of a man who died thousands of years ago. Can't we all just get along?
Ron Mepwith (Feb 5, '08)


[Yes, Romney, there's a Sanity Clause , Feb 5] "Why we believe something cannot be separated from what we believe" - Spengler. This remark that applies equally well to Spengler's anti-Muslim emissions, such as his (false) claim that Islam is more like Mormonism than it is like Judaism.
Lester Ness
Kunming, Yunan province, China (Feb 5, '08)


Regarding your recent article on Mitt Romney and the "crazy clause" [Yes, Romney, there's a Sanity Clause, Feb 5] Crazy is a relative term. Some would suggest that it is crazy to believe that man could possibly cause the Earth's climate to change. Others may consider those who vote against tax cuts in spite of data that strongly suggests that lower taxes drive up government revenue to be crazy. I simply consider these people to be ignorant. Also, before you libel [sic, under US law the dead cannot be libeled] a man (Joseph Smith Jr), you should do more thorough research. Anybody can go on the Internet and find negative, unsubstantiated trash to repackage as original journalism.
Logan Fry (Feb 5, '08)


Much has been made of the notion that [former Thai premier] Thaksin [Shinawatra] is using [Prime Minster] Samak [Sundaravej] as a stooge to rule from exile (Show and tell time for Samak, Feb 1) and yet when the dust settles one may find that it was Samak who used Thaksin, not to rule by proxy, but to get elected. Samak is nobody's stooge. Those who think that they have a puppet by the strings may find instead they have a tiger by the tail.
Cha-am Jamal
Thailand (Feb 5, '08)


I have been a regular reader of Asia Times Online for more than one year. I think of it as the most authentic and authoritative online news site. Also, ATol is completely politically unbiased and bold. Asian and African people have become fed up with narrow and totally biased news being provided by Western news agencies all the time. Western media can never claim to touch the hearts and minds of this Asian continent. In this sense, ATol is read, trusted and respected by Eastern and Western thinkers alike. Long live ATol.
S K Das
India (Feb 5, '08)


[Re North Korea: The Columbus complex, Feb 2] Aidan Foster-Carter tells a good story. And it rings with truth. Hard-nosed businessmen are going to Pyongyang in greater numbers, especially from the United States. They do go there with illusions, as Foster-Carter reports, with sugar-plum dreams of untapped markets. But this is well known. Foster-Carter talks of Egypt's venture into North Korea's telephony. Cairo, however, has had long-standing relations with the Kims. North Korea has after all, if we have forgotten, provided Egypt with rocket technology. This Arab nation has no illusions about doing business with North Korea. So is it really a Columbus boldly sailing uncharted seas? On the other hand, North Korean emissaries that Western businessmen meet abroad, belong to a rather large pool of well-trained and sophisticated North Koreans trained by Kim Jong-il's regime to earn hard currency for North Korea. American businessmen who have met them find them well versed in state-of-the-art developments in computer science, technology, principles of capital markets, and even the arts. They find that these North Koreans ask sharp, pointed questions, and know more about the world than the Westerners they meet. So, it is little wonder that Foster-Carter finds that Westerners going to Pyongyang are discovering a brave, new world. Nonetheless, this says more about the West which has deliberately cut itself off from dealing with North Korea for more than a half century than the so called "Hermit North Korea" which is more savvy about the West and capitalism than it is given credit for.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Feb 4, '08)


The little guy with the "ingredients to push back the monster" as mentioned in the article Cry Mummy [Feb 3] isn't necessarily asleep. There is no "pushing back the monster" either, as one cannot write these articles and honestly believe that the current economic paradigms are sustainable. On the contrary, these articles are saying that such paradigms are not sustainable and imply that the monster has a logical course, timed by our very best attempts to forestall it at whatever cost it may bring on future generations. It's true that the little guy probably is the one that will make a day that is actually new, but remember that little guys walk through the rubble after the dust begins to settle and not during the earthquake. Of course, the market would like these little guys to trade places with them right now. Such pining is a very small wonder.
David (Feb 4, '08)


Dhruba Adhikary's article Nepal's polls shrouded in doubt [Feb 1] was indeed a succinct presentation of Nepal's ongoing political imbroglio surrounding the much-hyped Constituent Assembly polls slated for April 10. However, going by the political dynamics emerging over the past couple of months, the proposed electoral exercise could turn out to be a sheer political ploy to perpetuate the present regime that is totally bereft of any semblance of constitutional legitimacy or popular mandate. As Adhikary has rightly pointed out, conducting a historic political exercise of this magnitude and importance, against all the protruding odds, would be to open Pandora's box. The country is bogged down in insurmountable ethno-political dilemmas and complexities. Such a political misadventure would simply push the country into an abysmal pit of political chaos and anarchy. It is true that Nepal's Bolshevik communists (CPN-Maoist) want to transform the monarchical country into a totalitarian republic. But given the geopolitical characters of the country the Maoist ambition appears to be nothing short of a "quixotic dream". It is very unfortunate that Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the region, is simultaneously grappling with several woes and the dysfunctional alliance of the leading seven political parties has failed to address the root cause of economic disparities, social injustices and political instability. The new cycles of murder and abductions perpetrated by the Terai-based criminal gangs with their safe havens in India, the falling economic health of the country and the progressive erosion of the people's faith in the interim government, have further aggravated the situation. Therefore, the insipid rhetoric and spurious commitment recurrently parroted by the self-declared national leaders are far detached from the ground realities that Nepalis live with today.
Tri Ratna Shahi
Kathmandu (Feb 4, '08)


A week has gone by and there has been nothing about Gaza on ATol. The breach of the border in Gaza is most probably one of the most fascinating events of the past decade. Because it is quite complex, one would be easily forgiven for offering a reasonable analysis and some short-term predictions that ultimately proved to be "wrong". From here, developments in Gaza certainly appear to be much bigger than the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and the dismissal of the Ba'athists in Iraq. They are bigger and more significant than the "surge" that isn't/didn't/won't work or India's potential setbacks in gaining a base in Central Asia. Their effects on future developments are likely to be at least as big as the effects of the premature efforts of the George W Bush administration to engage in "soft" regime change in the Middle East, the effects being the still latent, irreparable damage to the relations and the trust between Arab countries and the US that caused many of the former to support lavishly the Iraqi insurgency until the end of last summer. Developments in Gaza could very well be a macrohistorical event as big as the battle of Hastings in 1066. In contrast to the US/CIA-staged and funded "color revolutions", the people power demonstrated last week revealed that the "Arab street" possesses a very interesting repertoire of impromptu presentations that can be made sua sponte. It is clear that the quite successful insurgency in Iraq - the "Arab street" that the neo-cons and CIA analysts love/loved to tell you doesn't exist and can be ignored - that has humbled the US must now share the spotlight with the far more peaceful and possibly more powerful efforts of the Gazans. It would be greatly appreciated if your illustrious contributors would offer up some enlightening words on this topic.
Abacus (Feb 1, '08)

We direct your attention to the article in today's edition, All power to Hamas ... and maybe you missed The Gaza 'tea party'  - ATol


[Re A 'God-given' president-elect, Feb 1] Is Sunny Lee suggesting that president-elect Lee Myung-bak is a George W Bush clone? Bloggers are not know for the strength of their logic. Lee is no God's gift to the Republic of Korea. He may have strong religious convictions, but as far as the evidence goes he does not speak in tongues, nor during his years as mayor of Seoul did he test the patience of the Buddhists nor other Christian denominations. Lee has to be judged by his political beliefs and actions rather than by his outbursts of religious conviction.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Feb 1, '08)

January Letters