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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.

JANUARY 2009

I am a new reader of Asia Times Online. Somehow I came across Spengler on ATol last fall while looking for articles concerning the election here in the United States. I am no intellectual but I do seek to know what is true. Spengler's articles ring so true. As I have time, I will venture into reading other authors on your website.
R Harbin
Florida, USA (Jan 30,'09)

China has at last recognized that its own media outlets are not doing enough to counteract foreign media and foundations which profess to give "information without political agenda". A good example is Willy Lam's article, Chinese state media goes global [Jan 29]. One has only to read and take stock of every article appearing in major publications worldwide to know who is talking and why. Propaganda war? Yes. But at least the Chinese government is not hiding behind "impartial" fronts in attack or self-defense.
Seung Li (Jan 30,'09)

[Is ethical capitalism possible?, Jan 29] The economic downturn has hit free market capitalism hard. The financial industry is in disgrace. So, we're now being treated in print and television to a spectacle which is best called "getting religion". Suddenly, in moments of crisis, the ethical "red carpet" is being rolled out; endless breast-beating has become the ritual in the pursuit of absolution and forgiveness. How sincere this exhibition is is open to question. Capitalism comes in many shapes and forms. Devin J Stewart talks of capitalism in the abstract; he gilds it with an overlay of morality, claiming antique if not biblical authority. Free market capitalism, free of regulatory fetters, has fostered a global recession; it is in need of reform and regulation to keep it "ethical" and "honest". World opinion formally recognizes the sad state of the economy, but common measures seem lacking. Stewart sees a glimmer of hope in the "smart policies" of President Barack Obama, but not everyone sees his enthusiasm in the same light. Certainly, not the Republicans, nor for that matter the residue of holdovers like John Thain of Merrill Lynch who flout "ethical" business norms. The normative appeal of religions will not save capitalism from itself; it will take a common agenda, rolled up sleeves, a degree of humility, and getting on together to revive the seemingly moribund world economy. If not, it will be endless palavering and a giddy feeling of having belled the "economic cat" through fanciful oratory.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Jan 30,'09)

The problem with the news that China is planning an international media blitz, as reported in Willy Lam's article Chinese state media goes global [Jan 29], is with the issue of credibility. It is a well-known fact that China's media is controlled by the Communist Party so are we to expect more of the same? Issues such as China's "dispossessed", which has a floating population of 200 million, or the Dalai Lama, or the vast lay-offs in all sectors of the Chinese economy, are rarely covered in an objective manner. China does not have transparent private organizations that will question, or point out blatant political propaganda. As for freedom of the press, both the US and India stand together. The US produces the world's most famous media and India has the most papers, magazines and periodicals in the world. In the US we have rights which protect our individual right to free speech, and without these China's new approach will fail under the lens of world scrutiny. The article India ban worsens China's toy woes [Jan 29], by Raja Murthy points to the real "new world order" where governments step in to save, protect and advance a nation's economy, unlike the "old" world order of free open markets. India passed a ban on Chinese toys, and if economic matters around the world get worse then such actions like sanctions and embargoes like this will not be rare.
Chrysantha Wijeyasingha
Clinton, USA (Jan 30,'09)

In Back to the woodshed [Jan 27] Julian Delasantellis compares the aggregator, or "bad bank" solution to spending TARP money, to the futility of spending money on keeping an old car running. However, buying someone else's used car to replace yours, one that looks to be in running condition but turns out to be repainted salvage, is even worse than keeping your own rust bucket running. Mr Delasantellis rightly cautions that the US government's nationalizing of the banks would set up legal challenges based on the "takings" clause of our constitution. He must also realize that there's no way to know how bad the bank's losses really are until you take them over. If their losses are as bad as some have estimated, nationalizing them may be even more costly to the taxpayer in the long run than simply keeping them above water with periodic bailouts. In lieu of nationalization, another option would be for bailout money to go directly into capitalizing one or several new banks that have no bad debt baggage (as suggested by Karl Denninger). That capital can be lent out at a reasonable twelve-to-one leverage, providing trillions of dollars in loans. The government can quickly back out of its position as private investment buys in, keeping our banking system private. The existing institutions, having rejected the government's mortgage-backed security (MBS) offer, would be left to sink or swim on their own. The fresh bank(s) could buy up what's left of them, including MBS at true market prices. The solution to America's liquidity problem rests not with the "bad bank" proposal but with a "good bank" proposal.
J David Shumaker
Nashville, Tennessee (Jan 29,'09)

[Re Geithner gets it wrong on yuan, Jan 27] The recent statement by US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner that President Barack Obama believes China is manipulating its currency represents a reincarnation of a misguided policy, that is forcing a revaluation of the yuan to lower the trade deficit. Below are a few essential points about why the policy will fail to achieve its intended goals, and why it should be abandoned, and replaced by an alternative:
1. The yuan policy is based on a misunderstanding of trade relations with China. It is simply bad economics. Exchange rate changes did, in many cases, help change trade patterns in the past, before the recent wave of globalization. The current deficit with China is, however, different from the trade imbalances in the past. More than a quarter of all US imports from China are purchases of American corporations from their affiliates operating there. They are intra-firm trade, largely unaffected by market forces, including variations exchange rates. A larger part of our imports are purchases through strict subcontracting agreements with independent manufacturers in China. With their prices determined and set in dollars, these subcontracting purchases resemble trade between US corporations in New York, Virginia, Texas, or any other state within America. They are immune to exchange rate variations.The deficit with China is structural. It is largely caused by the geographic relocation of production, a choice made by American corporations a long time ago. We are at the point of no return with respect to most of our imports from China. If not from there, we will buy them from other low-cost countries waiting for their share of the world market.
2. Pressured by the US, the Chinese agreed to abandon the decade-long peg of yuan to the dollar in July 2005. Since then, yuan has appreciated 20% against the dollar. However, the trade deficit with China increased by nearly 23%, from $201 billion in 2005, to $246 billion in 2008 (not including December for the lack of available data). The policy has already failed. Why pursue it now?
3. The policy represents a double standard in our approach to exchange rates. Beginning with the Plaza Accord in October 1985, in coordination with central banks of major European countries, or alone, the Federal Reserves repeatedly intervened in currency markets, "manipulating" the dollar, and forcing an increase, or a decrease in its value, depending on the needs of the time. The degree of intervention changed over time, declining in recent years. Nevertheless, exchange rates have never been totally free.
4. The Chinese view the recent allegation as a sign of disguised protectionism in the United States. They are not entirely wrong. The sliding economy, rising unemployment, and the economic stress felt by millions of Americans are bound to raise protectionist tendencies which are open or hidden in policy making circles in the United States. The trade deficit with China is a prime target. Dangerous, and self-defeating, this can lead to similar policies by other nations, only delaying the recovery at home, and abroad. However, there are more viable approaches that can help reduce the soaring deficit with China, boost business in the United States, and create jobs.
5. The deficit will decline by helping American exports to China. At this point, bringing Chinese travelers to America is the most viable export. Promoting Chinese tourism in America will prove more effective than any currency revaluation. Many made a fortune in China in recent years. After years of living in a closed society, and having purchased their luxury homes and cars, the rich and the new middle class are eager to travel the world. In 2006, 34 million Chinese traveled overseas. A few came to the United States. Chinese overseas travelers will reach 100 million by 2020. The United States is the number one desired destination for many. It is "the greatest country in the world," a wealthy business strategist told me in Beijing. However, this vast potential can only be realized if the United States changes its unilateral restrictive visa policy towards Chinese nationals. The risk of overstaying is minimal in the case of such travelers. They make their riches in China; visiting America is a means for enjoying their wealth in a world they have only seen in movies and TV shows. They are America's hope to narrow its trade gap with China.
Behzad Yaghmaian
USA (Jan 29,'09)

[Re China, US play currency chicken, Jan 28] The worst of the global economic meltdown has hit China were it hurts. The slowing down in exports is a challenge to the central government's legitimacy since it is founded on its ability to keep continued, sustained economic growth. In today's economic climate, that pledge is in danger. Yet, as Axel Merk suggests, China clings to a strong yuan. The US has long called for a floating of China's currency, but Beijing has brushed aside the faint-hearted appeals of former US secretary of the treasury Henry Paulson, because they were out of step with China's economic and political objectives. After all, Washington's sybaritic borrowing tapped into Chinese savings on one hand, and on the other hand, its exports fed the gargantuan appetite of American consumers. The bleak economic US horizon has put a break on America's bad habits, yet Washington hopes that China will continue bankrolling its debt. US Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner has shot across China's bow with a call for Beijing to reform the yuan. China won't. China wants a strong currency. So, are Beijing and Washington are playing chicken, waiting to see who is going to blink first? Merk sees renewed discussion of currency reform as an insult to China. Maybe it is. This said, he overlooks the double whammy which has hit China. Not only have exports shrunk to a growth level of 7% per annum, but the bottom of its housing market has fallen out. China in other words has run out of economic momentum, which suddenly raises the specter of political unease and social unrest. In the medium-term, China will have to engage in currency reform. From a distance, it is though we see more a "prisoner's dilemma" than a game of chicken, the more especially since any mutual solution is far from agreeable.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Jan 29,'09)

[Re India's opposition on the ropes, Jan 28] Perhaps, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can send its saffron-clad thugs to instigate more communal violence or it could demolish a mosque in India to start communal hatred to get Hindu fundamentalist votes to win the next election. Nothing is beyond the BJP's reach. Indian politics is mendacious and perfidious and have a fake gloss. There it is "democracy of the rich, for the rich and by the rich", and "democracy of the corrupt, for the corrupt and by the corrupt". Whichever party wins the next election, India's rich will become richer at the expense of the miserable 750 million abject poor in the country.
Saqib Khan
UK (Jan 29,'09)

Recently, a private TV channel claimed that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had said, "You will see how I deal with the lawyers." If true, it looks like he has shot from the hip, yet again. There is nothing odd about Zardari's latest off-the-cuff remarks. At worst, they serve to sharpen the minds of his apologists to invent the next denial which will be followed by incoherent excuses. Instead of getting perturbed by remarks like: declaring Kashmiri fighters to be terrorists, marveling at [Alaska governor] Sarah Palin's beauty, repealing the 17th amendment, asserting that journalists are the true terrorists, boasting of his rapid ascent to fame, or now, dealing with the lawyers, we should view them as a window into his priorities and vision. If we were to view his deeds, like breaking promises and honoring [US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asia Richard Boucher], along with his pearls of wisdom, the sight of receding shores of our collective future should become bleaker. Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your belts for a rudderless journey.
Adnan Gill
Los Angeles (Jan 29,'09)

[Re President Oxybarama, Jan 22] Spengler needs to undergo some sensitivity training. He regurgitates much of the biased colonial and prejudiced rhetoric and concepts of the old colonialists. His use of the term "tribesman" and other demeaning words gives him away, as does his jaundiced analysis. African-Americans are totally delighted with US President Barack Obama and the First Lady. We don't have those artificial divides that Spengler is trying to force on us. Whether his parent was from East, West or South Africa disturbs us not. In fact, we know that every African on the planet has an origin in East Africa. DNA tests prove that even South Africans have an East African background. Africans migrated horizontally and vertically from East Africa. So it would be folly to use the kind of petty argument that Spengler concocts in his piece. African-Americans of all hues were discriminated against in the context of white supremacist thinking. It really did not matter whether you were 50% white, genetically. You were shoved to the back of the bus. Obama, too, emerged from the crucible of pain and hurt. Two million persons stood up in 28 degrees of cold to witness the inauguration - overjoyed, happy and exhilarated by his nomination. His approval rating is over 60% nationally. He won twice as many votes as his rival. Is that not impressive enough for you? Obama excelled in two of the world's best institutions, proved his brilliance on the campaign trail and is one of the world's most eloquent speakers. His wife is equally accomplished. Remove the veil of hatred and prejudice from your gaze, Spengler. Concentrate on his policies not his pedigree or lack of it, as you see it. Recognize Barack Hussein Obama as one of the most distinguished personalities of our epoch. The presidency was not given to him on a platter. He earned it.
Gloria Emeagwali (Jan 28,'09)

[Re EU's risky relief for Iranian resistance, Jan 27] Dear Editor, Whoever is in charge of European Union's (EU) policy towards the Middle East is perhaps a bit too late in trying to be friends with presumed anti-Iranians in the Middle East by removing the Mujahideen-e Khalq Organization (MKO) from its list of terrorist organizations. Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former director of the Saudi intelligence, ambassador to the UK and Ireland and the US, wrote an article in the Financial Times on January 23 entitled "Saudi Arabia's patience is running out". One quote from the article reads: "If the US wants to continue playing a leadership role in the Middle East and keep its strategic alliance intact - especially its 'special relationship' with Saudi Arabia - it will have to revise drastically its policies vis-a-vis Israel and Palestine." Prince Turki also mentions Iranian President [Mahmud] Ahmadinejad's recent letter to King Faisal, and claims that it de-facto recognizes Saudi Arabia's primacy. He finds this is proof that the Israeli atrocities in Gaza have united the entire region; both Shi'ite and Sunni. The policy makers in the EU should have kept up with the developments that followed the carnage in Gaza and the departure of George W Bush from the White House. EU bureaucrats must learn to move with the times. At least they should have taken it into account that the current administration in Iraq has given marching orders to the MKO and Iraq is now a closer friend of Iran than the US. TutuG
UK (Jan 28,'09)

[Re A peek into China's military mind
Jan 27] China's latest national defense white paper may contain some interesting frills, but it in no way strays from a threatening attitude towards Taiwan. It states unequivocally that any attempt to "split" Taiwan from the motherland will be crushed. As the US has acted as guarantor of Taiwanese independence, it is little wonder that in the minds of Chinese military strategists, America remains potentially China's main enemy. And accelerated military developments are based on that threat. Owen Fletcher mentions "leapfrog development" in technology which China hopes will narrow the distance between the US and itself in naval missile superiority. We learn very little on China's plan to encircle the US through diplomacy: that is to chip away from the old George W Bush doctrine of unilateralism through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and say moving closer to Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and Vietnam, as well as challenging Western commercial hegemony in Africa. We hardly hear of China's prosperous weapons trade. And the white paper remains mute on understated allocations to beef up its military. In all, the newest white paper reaffirms goals that we find in the 2004 white paper. Sungjoon Cho's Geithner gets it wrong on yuan [Jan 27] does not take a long view on the currency dispute between Washington and Beijing. As he remarks, the disagreement is not new, but what is new is China's economic decline. The global recession has hit China hard, no matter how Cho measures it. Beijing's policy to profit from a weaker dollar by pegging the yuan to it, is exploding in its face. One way or the other, tomorrow if not today, China has to let its currency float. The longer it persists in delaying that move, the more it will face more robust criticism from Washington. The Chinese leadership has not yet learnt to read President Barack Obama.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Jan 28,'09)

The article by Jim Lobe, Obama adds diplomatic dynamite [Jan 23], aptly points to the minefield that is the US State Department's foreign policy. America's global standing has taken a severe blow. One of the main underlying reasons for the US economic meltdown was the unbridled levels of corruption within our economic and political institutes, now exposed to the world like dirty laundry. It would not surprise me if any head of state retorts to any US advice on their economy or political issues with: "Get your own house in order before we will accept any advice or tirades from you." Simply put, due to the ruthless corruption of our economic and political leaders we have lost most of the glamour of being the sole superpower. We may have even lost (or sold) our "crown, scepter and thrown" in the greatest theft of our economy, and due to our corrupt politicians the crooks get "golden parachutes, bonuses etc" plus pensions and face no charges. We as a nation have sacrificed our credibility in telling any nation how to run their business.
Chrysantha Wijeyasingha
Clinton, USA (Jan 27,'09)

[Re Russia stops US on road to Afghanistan, Jan 26] Will the new US administration be willing to pay the price necessary to attain what it proclaims to be its primary foreign policy goal, stabilizing the situation in Central Asia's linchpin, Afghanistan? That will require both an accommodation with Russia on new US radar and missile installations in Eastern Europe (which no knowledgeable person can believe are being placed there to protect Europeans from the specter of Iranian nuclear weapons) and allowing neighboring countries, including Russia, a say on future developments in Afghanistan, instead of treating that country as an exclusive US satrapy. As usual, ambassador M K Bhadrakumar helps us makes sense of what is going on behind the scenes.
M Henri Day
Stockholm (Jan 27,'09)

[Re Succession story 'shakes up' Pyongyang , Jan 26] The naming, if true, of Kim Chong-il's third son Kim Jong-un as heir apparent has shaken Seoul more than Pyongyang. It has given fuel to the usual rumor mills and set tongues wagging. Suddenly a whole new cottage industry is born - new theories based on nothing advanced. What I find troubling is that even if this statement, which lacks the ring of truth, is so, how does this move forward discussions with North Korea on the nuclear issue. It simply does not. If anything, it offers an excuse to do nothing. We do know the following: Kim Jong-il has recovered, and met the other day with a representative of the Chinese government. We also know that he signaled to the new American president that Pyongyang is looking forward to dealing substantively, multi- or bilaterally, with outstanding differences. We also know that the drag on negotiations, either at the six-party talks in Beijing or inter-Korean talks, comes from South Korea President Lee Myung-bak. So the hullabaloo over Kim Jung-on, it seems, is a diversion, serving the purposes of those who have no desire to deal with North Korea.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Jan 27,'09)

It's been a while since I've last written in but I wish to begin by noting that the breadth, depth and scope of the different articles and authors you've had over the past year have been a wonderful source of information and insight regarding both global developments and the financial crisis. But in your article, US bid to help the 'Made in China' brand [Jan 21] by Benjamin A Shobert, there was something of an error regarding the Aqua Dots product. The product, also known as Bindeez (tm) had the non-toxic chemical 1.5-pentanediol in its design specification, but instead contained 1.4-butanediol, which is metabolized into GHB. At the time the substitution was discovered, the non-toxic ingredient was three to seven times more expensive than the chemical used. Ergo it was not a lack of foresight and chemical acumen but rather greed and corruption which caused the poisoning of children from drug overdoses. Now as an economist I can say that symbolism is all well and good if it's used for effective signaling, but the situation with Chinese exports can be broken down in a more fundamental way. The problem comes down to cost analysis - if and when the cost of conducting inspections, lab analysis and other quality assurance for private US companies surpasses the money saved by outsourcing the production work to China; US companies will stop buying goods produced in China. As for whether those companies conduct those checks in the first place is determined by whether the costs of purchasing and on-selling defective goods exceeds the costs of conducting the checks. In order to tip those scales, the US government can raise and more stringently apply fines and/or make legal action for defective imported goods easier. This would be a more effective step but would be unpopular with the business community - a view which would be expressed through extensive lobbying. A complementary concept would be to legally mandate that an importing company conduct quality/safety checks on all goods. As for China itself, the question is not whether the "government" wishes to curb illegal manufacturing and production practices but whether it can do it effectively. The Chinese government is so riddled with corruption (especially at the regional and local levels) that nothing short of a free and protected press (and possibly employing Judge Dredd as an ombudsman) would be able to effectively deal with the problems there.
Bob Hu
Sydney, Australia (Jan 26,'09)

The "Peace Process": Is it really failing or is it doing what it was intended to do? And if it was intended to fail, thereby making it a success as it is achieving that goal, who wants it to fail and why? Israel claims to want peace with its neighbors, but I've never seen such "peacemaking" in my life. The slaughter of innocents, the deliberate targeting of entire families, wiping them all out, the destruction of entire city blocks, the insulting excuses for these violations which are parroted by the subservient Western media. This is supposed to bring peace? Cluster bombs? White phosphorus? The outposts and the settlements with their fanatical zealots armed to the teeth? The stealing of land and other resources, the permits and repressive laws aimed against Arabs, the list goes on and on, unfortunately I cannot recall them all but the Palestinians have to face them every day. There is no "peace process". It is a "time to delay" process while the work of extermination goes on.
Roger Lafontaine (Jan 26,'09)

[Re Obama adds diplomatic dynamite, Jan 23] Let's hope that the diplomatic dynamite President Barack Obama is handling does not blow up in his face. Let's look at his choice of the former US senator from Maine and former Senate majority leader, George Mitchell, as special envoy to deal with the Israel-Palestine conflict. Mr Mitchell brings impressive credentials to the post, not the least his brokering of peace in North Ireland. He also brings a higher degree of sensitivity to the Israel-Arab discord, since his mother is Lebanese. He has written an interesting report on the two-state solution, especially under the Bill Clinton presidency. Saying this, conditions on the ground in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have taken on significantly different dimensions during the George W Bush administration. Israeli settler colonies, formally approved or illegal, have eaten up more of the West Bank; Jerusalem has built roads on which Israelis can travel, thereby further isolating and reducing Palestinian land holdings; and not only is there a reduction of Palestinian real estate but more importantly, what is left is not connected. This alone points to the fatuousness in talking still of a viable two-state solution. Mr Obama is certainly no fool, as the record shows, but his grasp of the physical and political realities of the West Bank and Gaza lack deeper understanding, and simply reflect Mr Bush's stance. We may wish Mr Mitchell much success in his endeavors, but to some, it seems that he is on a fool's errand, for it is evident with the passing of each day that the two-state solution appears all the more a pipe dream.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Jan 26,'09)

[Re India's 'nuke' cruise missile test fails, Jan 23] The Tomahawk cruise missile is in no way comparable to the BrahMos. Tomahawk is subsonic, and BrahMos is Mach 2.8. Tomahawk can be shot down by Patriot-3, but BrahMos (and the Russian 3M54E series) can't. Tomahawk was suitable for land attacks on an enemy without air control or radar defenses (eg, US on Iraq). BrahMos is suitable for multiple launches from multiple sites at an aircraft carrier or other high-value target (eg, Iran on the US). The US has not even got a suitable supersonic target to test its anti-missile defense system against, hence the project to build one by 2012. So the US has no defense to BrahMos. This is a gigantic hole in the US Navy's defenses, and the age of the aircraft carrier will be over if Iran has these things - and why wouldn't they, given that they have three US aircraft carriers groups on their doorstep. The US is miles behind Russia in supersonic missile technology. The various launch modes were all successful because this is standard Russian technology with standard launch pods for various situations. "Some observers say that India could do better by dealing with countries such as the US, Israel and France as these countries possess state-of-the-art military technologies, rather than sticking with Russia, whose advanced military capabilities are now suspect." What a load of nonsense. Dave Kimble (Jan 26,'09)

[Re President Oxybarama, Jan 21] Incredible! Not only do white males dominate the discussion of black culture and politics in the US, but in Asia as well? This comes at a time when strong insightful black opinions are being purged from American news rooms and the few remaining mimic the white right. This guy Spengler has conned people into believing that he knows about something black culture and politics. In fact he knows as much about it as he does the oceans of Saturn's moons. Asia Times Online should try to get some comments about black culture and politics from black intellectuals and writers who know what is what. End this intellectual imperialism.
Ishmael Reed (Jan 23,'09)

[Re Another setback for Malaysia's UMNO , Jan 22] Is time running out for the United Malays National Organization (UNMO) after a half-century in power? It seems so. The defeat of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), of which UNMO is the majority party, in the oil-rich state of Kuala Terengganu, is a telling one. Does the strong personality of Malaysia's premier-in-waiting, Najib Razab, have the force, prestige or will to win and halt the People's Alliance successes on the road to becoming the next government? Kuala Lumpur's announcement of a ban on the hiring for foreign labor in the key manufacturing and services sector is a bellwether of things to come. The restive young Malays who have benefited from preferential treatment are beginning to cross party lines and vote for the revived opposition headed by Anwar Ibrahim.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Jan 23,'09)

In the wake of the uniform euphoria that President Barack Obama's inauguration inspired, leave it to the only journalist left in America with any integrity to make lucid, if not insinuating, points about the new president's first speech. Jon Stewart, on the ever-insightful Daily Show, couldn't help but point out the disturbing similarities between Obama's phrases and some of former president George W Bush's more notable efforts at exhortation. The same themes of exceptionalism, democracy and American-brand capitalism being the salvation of the country, though expressed with slightly different words, were front and center in Obama's pantheon of American ideals. Little separation can be found in the underlying themes that both men used in their attempts to mobilize support. Most disappointing to me was Obama's contention that the US has lived up to these lofty ideals, when any sane judge of the last century would recognize that our problems stem directly from our repudiation and abrogation of every one of these supposedly-defining principles. Only when America comes to realize that there is a direct correlation between our present economic collapse and our century-old determination to be the imperialist, interventionist, moralizing and judgmental arbiter of other people's affairs, will we have any semblance of hope for the future. The fact that we are still actively interfering, spying, subverting and warring on other countries, and that Obama has shown little reluctance to abandon all such gross violations of international law, casts a chill on any enthusiasm I may have harbored about him. The hideous costs, in blood, treasure and moral stature, of any war with a Third World nation, will only make our ultimate destruction that much quicker. That, coupled with a speech so adroitly exposed by America's leading political pundit, bodes ill for any expectation of a new dawn. A tall tawny imperialist is just as toxic as a tall milky white imperialist.
Hardy (Jan 23,'09)

[Re No easy exit for nationalization, Jan 22] The article by Henry C K Liu is an eye-opening account of the catharsis of the US economy and the intrusion of the Federal government in basically nationalizing these failed corporations. What Mr Liu did not point out is the problem that with government intrusion comes a whole plethora of rules, regulations and taxes that will affect the US citizen. Basically it is said there are three types of government. The first is a government with few laws where all the laws are practiced, as in the case of the Roman Empire. The second type of government is one that has many laws where only some are practiced, as seen in the British Empire. The third type of government is the worst one with a lot of laws where all are practiced, as in the case of the US. With this massive government intrusion the 'freedom' of the US citizen is becoming even more limited.
Chrysantha Wijeyasingha
Clinton, USA (Jan 23,'09)

[Re President Oxybarama, Jan 21] President Barack Obama takes on the leadership of a nation stained with the blood of over one million innocent Iraqis, Palestinians and Afghanis, and when America's image abroad is severely dented and damaged; it is hated more than ever in the world except in Israel. Its confidence is shattered, its economy ruined and crippled, and its self-belief broken to pieces. The world view of the US is that it is a bullying, belligerent warmonger. Obama has inherited the worst that could be expected from the former president and if he is not pragmatic or empirical, the US is doomed to oblivion. Obama has to build a new America, and promised many things during his election campaign and in his inaugural address. The "new messiah" has to deliver and live up to these promises.
Saqib Khan
UK (Jan 22,'09)

[Re President Oxybarama, Jan 21] The blind spot in Spengler’s world view is revealed when he responds to the statement "our power alone cannot protect us" by asking whether "something else than power is supposed to protect the United States?" Overlooked is the threat of natural (self-inflicted) disasters. Overlooked is our loss of freedom by our own economic and political self-destruction. Overlooked is the possibility of making fewer enemies by supporting international policies that do not solely benefit an elite few. Overlooked is the blowback generated by our global expression of military hubris, and our military support for unsavory rulers. Such a one-dimensionalism is critical for the arrogant neo-conservative perspective, the imperialist policies of former president George W Bush and vice president Dick Cheney, and the popular worship of power. Unfortunately, the belief that (military) might makes right, typically results in a faith that applying more "might", however despicably, will eventually fix whatever is deemed "wrong".
rwe2late
USA (Jan 22,'09)

[Re Obama and the other ceasefire, Jan 21] Perhaps we can wait and see how the US under its new President Barack Obama responds to the United Nations (UN) secretary general Ban Ki-moon's call for an investigation into Israel's bombing of the UN buildings in Gaza. The wait should not be too long. So far the US has given Israel the assurance that so long as they have American support, the opinions of the rest of the international community are of very little consequence. And when an Israeli prime minister goes on bragging about how a mere one phone call from him to the US president can influence US voting in the Security Council, it is not clear what future is going to unfold. The US has never been a warm friend of such international institutions like the UN. Furthermore, the last administration, along with some "in US we trust"-type leaders, like former UK prime minister Tony Blair, went out of their ways to diminish the role of the UN even further over Iraq by forming the "coalition of the willing". If the Obama administration is really serious about restoring the US's international prestige, it ought to agree to some sort of international standard and rules and regulations to be adhered to by all countries of the world.
TutuG
UK (Jan 22,'09)

[Re The fleecing of America, Jan 21] Hossein Askari and Noureddine Krichene should not hold their breath in hoping for a million-man march on Washington to express "collective outrage" at the bailout of Wall Street. A million or so pairs of feet went to Washington to protest the war in Vietnam and that moment of collective anger did not stop the war. The survival of the American capital is at stake. Were it not for the lead that UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown took towards rescuing tottering British banks through partial nationalization, former US secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson would not have been nudged into asking for a bailout of Wall Street. As Askari and Krichene are aware, no bank is too big to fail, and thus the re-emergence of Keynesianism to save capitalism from itself. President Barack Obama, like Franklin Delano Roosevelt and George H W Bush before him, will have to take the banks in hand; exercise control and transparency, until such time that they can stand on their own - and force them to let the taps of credit flow, among other measures. Call this "nationalization" if you will, but it will go a long way to stimulate the economy to grow. It is no longer the time for recriminations and finger-pointing, but a time to bravely face a worsening economic climate and turn it around as best as possible before a depression sets in. Mr Obama is no fool; he full well knows the poisonous chalice that his predecessor left on his table. If his inauguration speech is worth the paper that it is printed on, he will face the whirlwind and conquer it, by following a useful principle of using the rule of thumb. Anger solves nothing; clear directions and a program of recovery do.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Jan 22,'09)

I used to enjoy your articles about Indonesia during the Bill Guerin era. Lately, articles about Indonesia seem to have lost that depth and balanced perspective. The latest one, Indonesia's center is shrinking[Jan 21] is full of unnecessary negativism. Surely Gary LaMoshi can convey his message without unsubstantiated comments like " ... foreign investors still mainly shun Indonesia ... ", yeah, there was only a tiny $14 billion in foreign direct investment last year. And, " ... its long term development prospects remain bleak ... ". Thank you, now find a better set of tarot cards, otherwise some economic indicators will do.
Andy (Jan 22,'09)

[Re Absolute power gets blamed absolutely Jan 20] Spengler seems to have gone completely off the track this time in calling the current phase of the Bush bash the "Obama crash". What is it that makes Spengler so unwilling to give the new guy a chance to show what he can do for us? What deep, dark Spengler twist causes this?
Ron Mepwith
USA (Jan 21,'09)

[Re Absolute power gets blamed absolutely, Jan 20] Spengler has resorted to the primitive modus operandi - the "strawman". It isn't that it is so juvenile as much as it is the stock in trade of the idiotology of the ubiquitous conservative. The truth is, former US president George W Bush was irrelevant from the start of his stolen office, coup d'etat if you will. Bush has always been along for the ride. Anyway, Spengler, by your logic or lack thereof, Bush takes no responsibility for New Orleans or the World Trade Center because he was out of town at the time. Right?
CW Lemieux (Jan 21,'09)

Almost 34 years after the end of the American war in Indochina, the Hmong remain a vestige of that conflict. Faced with the fallout of a global economic recession, it would make good kip and baht for Vientiane and Thailand to increase trade for mutual benefit, were it not for the Hmong problem. Brian McCartan does us a good service in, Hmong still hinder Lao-Thai links [Jan 20], to make us aware of the Hmong's plight; but it would hardly make news outside of Southeast Asia. Do not expect the Thai generals to avow their involvement of the Hmong during the Indochina war; do not expect a Lao "truth and reconciliation commission" to air old grievances and the discriminatory practices against the Hmong which have run throughout the country's history. Without a meeting of the minds, neither Laos nor Thailand will be able to take full advantage of economic opportunities which would infuse capital into shaky economies, and at the same time, relieve Vientiane of its dependence on China and to a lesser extent on Vietnam. The US could serve as a deus ex machina by absorbing these hill tribesmen which it recruited, trained and armed to fight the Pathet Lao. More likely than not it will not. So, as a last resort, Thailand will expel the Hmong to Laos; the Lao will punish them; and the world community will tsk tsk in disapproval, but will do little to redress the serious problems that faces the Laotian Hmong.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Jan 21,'09)

[Re A return to dark days in Taiwan, Jan 16] It has become apparent that Taiwan’s judicial system is skewed, and any effort made to expose the situation is commendable. What is at stake is prosecutorial bias and unprofessional conduct, including leaking information to the media. At a recent celebration of Law Day in Taiwan, prosecutors who are involved in former president Chen Shui-bian’s case staged a skit mocking Chen. All this smacks of partiality and unfairness. The disturbing thing is that corrupt officials from the ruling Kuomintang party do not seem to be treated with equal "efficiency" by the prosecutors. The rule of law is the basis of democracy. Any sign of erosion is of great concern to the Taiwanese people as well as those who care about democracy.
Zoe Lin
Vancouver (Jan 21,'09)

Has Syed Saleem Shahzad stopped working for Asia Times Online? It has been a while since any of his articles were published on your website.
Samuel (Jan 21,'09)

Indeed not, he's back with a bang today, see Pakistan's shift alarms the US, and he has plenty more in store over the next few weeks from the heart of the action in Pakistan and Afghanistan. - ATol

[Re Fade out on George W Bush, Jan 17] Pepe Escobar wrote a good summary of the beastliness of US President George W Bush. The remaining question is if, even with its citizens' well-known resilience, the US can survive the tremendous damage Bush has done? If one looks for an historical example of megalomania doing severe damage to a country, then the reign of Adolf Hitler and the damage he did to Germany comes to mind.
Tom Gerber
USA (Jan 20,'09)

[Re More battles ahead in Russia's 'gas war', Jan 16] I just want to thank M K Bhadrakumar for his latest excellent article about the Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute. Again, I find that on Asia Times Online I can finally get a good idea of the background, or the context, of a very important world event. Otherwise, it's all propaganda from both sides. Thank you for your very good article.
Kathy
USA (Jan 20,'09)

Stephen A Nelson writing from Toronto in, A return to dark days in Taiwan [Jan 16], claims to have "one foot still in Taiwan" but unfortunately has his eyes blindfolded. The investigation of former president Chen Shui-bian for corruption was underway before he left office, being then constitutionally protected from prosecution. He and his wife are said to have exacted and received bribes in the billions of dollars now stashed away in secret overseas accounts managed by his son. Piles of money are also purportedly hidden inside Taiwan. The size of the funds has been exposed and verified by former aides, confidants and big business people who have now turned prosecution witnesses. So this has nothing to do with the political goal of independence, which he so skillfully exploited to further his own popularity among Democratic Progressive Party diehards. Sadly, none of the bigwigs in his party has accepted his corruption charges and have instead taken the opportunity to make peripheral accusations against the judicial system.
Seung Li (Jan 20,'09)

[Re More battles ahead in Russia's 'gas war', Jan 16] Although the causes of Russia's "gas war" are not in serious dispute, says M K Bhadrakumar, they generally speaking expose a dangerous minefield of historical hurts, resurgent national feeling and the backing of a great power to stiffen the resistance of Ukraine to Russia's traditional dominance. The continuing collapse of energy prices has put a great strain on Moscow. Its demand for a re-negotiation of gas prices has been met with a non recevoir, and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has pulled the plug on supplying gas not only to Ukraine, but equally to its clients in Western Europe - during a severe cold snap. Mr Bhadrakumar lightly dismisses how profoundly this is hurting Russia's clients in the European Union. They are looking for alternative sources of gas, to not rely on a single source which could put them at its mercy. Hence, the attraction of Algeria's gas fields. Still, the gas war does little to conceal Kiev's looking westward towards a protector in the United States and a cover under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization blanket. The legacy of the Soviet Union weighs heavily on the present situation, as does western Ukraine's hearkening back to its ties to Europe when it was a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Moscow's beef with Kiev has estranged its supporters in eastern Ukraine, which always looked towards Russia for protection. Into this boiling cauldron of slights and threats entered the George W Bush administration, to take advantage of extending America's influence in that cordon sanitaire which Joseph Stalin received as spoils of war with the defeat of Adolf Hitler's Germany. It was only under the presidency of Bush that the US sought to contain Russia and to unilaterally reclaim the influence and dominance over Ukraine and Eastern Europe which was at the heart of the Cold War. In this sense, Mr Bhadrakumar is right in saying that the "gas war" is just one battle in a long conflict between Russia and the US through European intermediaries.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Jan 20,'09)

[Re Nepal's Maoist rulers rile Hindus, Jan 8] Now that Nepal has come under the rule of a communist government which worships Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong instead of the lord of the cosmos at Pashupatinath Temple, Nepalese might as well accept the sad fact that the practice of one's faith might become increasingly difficult due to skillful manipulation by the comrades. History is full of proof of how communists can achieve such a goal everywhere under their control and now with a little help from their northern neighbor.
Kamath
Canada (Jan 20,'09)

[Re Masked motives in China's piracy push, Jan 14] Here we go again - China sends a few puny navy ships to the Indian Ocean and it becomes a grand strategy worthy of Sun Tzu. I thought China's navy was considered a brown-water navy? That is, of only coast-hugging worthiness. They don't have an ocean-capable navy and no aircraft carriers, as opposed to, for example, India. What kind of threat would they pose? Bright B Simons seems to be clutching at straws. Don't expect the US military and their lapdogs (read the Australian military) to start mouthing concerns about the intentions of the Chinese.
Scarlet Pimple
Malaysia (Jan 16,'09)

[Re Capitalism at the crossroads, Jan 16] As a US taxpayer, I tend to agree with Chan Akya against government bailouts of corporations and government market manipulations of the economy. But I don't think he has it right regarding communism in Asian countries. In Vietnam, communism was first about getting rid of the foreigners, whose every action was in their own ideological/religious, economic, political, and military interests. Never mind what the locals wanted, unless they were willing to serve. In order to effectively expel the much more powerful foreigners, it was necessary to nationalize everything for the cause. Just because the military interests have been expelled does not mean that the other interests have also. It is wrong to say that China or Vietnam is succeeding because they are becoming capitalist. Rather, they are succeeding because of their success at expelling the foreigners. It does not matter if those foreigners are "capitalist" or religious or anything else. The great schadenfreude many people feel today is from the fact that the US is doing to itself and to the West what it has done to the rest of us when they freely came into our countries. That is - exploit, cheat, steal from, confuse, divide, lie to, and general misbehavior. The only things missing are the massive rape, torture, slaughter and chemical weapons.
Bao Dinh Nguyen
USA (Jan 16,'09)

[Re North Korea reaps a rich harvest, Jan 15] Dr Andrei Lankov brings us glad tidings. North Korea has had the best harvest in years, yet many North Koreans will still go to bed hungry at night. He has problems trying to figure out where Pyongyang procured fertilizers as the government of South Korea stopped shipments of food and manure a year ago. Did it ever occur to the good professor that Pyongyang received such substances from say China or a third country? North Korea, Hermit Kingdom that it is, is not totally isolated from the world outside. On the other hand, he does give credit to the ingenuity of North Korean farmers in bringing in a good harvest. As for shipment of food, organizations like the World Food Program (WFP) tried filling the gap left by the end of food stuffs from the South. As he observes, WFP, when Seoul cut off fertilizers and food, and weather conditions did not look that promising, fell on past experience by projecting a worst-case scenario. Which didn't come to pass. But this is cause to believe as Dr Lankov suggests in the closing paragraph of his article that the false rumors were nothing but a case of crying wolf. For the next time conditions may be truly indicate disaster, and ignoring such signals would put North Koreans in harm's way.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Jan 16,'09)

China can't stop India's missile system, [Jan 15], by Peter J Brown, reminds us of the Cold War period when two giant rivals (the US and ex-Soviet Union) were competing to impress the other of their capabilities. One wonders which country the US or the West will try to use against India once it is a superpower. India and China are on the path to economic and social prosperity, and both nations know that any instability in the region would harm this trend. Two strong Asian giants will to some extent guarantee regional stability. Any further hardware or software military developments in the region means more confidence and independence. The West has to wake up to the realities of the time before their dream of a India-China split surprises them and turns into their nightmare.
Humayun A (Jan 16,'09)

[Re In the shadow of unwanted bunds, Jan 13] Thanks to Asia Times Online and Julian Delasantellis for a brilliant article. Clearly, the Nobel committee erred with its selection for economics last year.
Tarjan B (Jan 15,'09)

Tunnel vision beneath Gaza [Jan 13] by David H Young, starts by saying "whoever is to blame" for the Gaza conflict. Of course he must know who is to blame for the genocidal attack by Israel on the people of Gaza. Hamas was voted in by the population but not recognized by Israel. It still has a right to its own police force, defense units and armaments. If it can't buy these on the open market then it must smuggle them in, much in the same as the Jewish terrorists organizations did when founding the state of Israel. We have today a nuclear power with all the latest weapons supplied by the West's merchants of death attacking a poorly-armed people with full battlefield fury, while the world stands by watching and issuing the usual useless resolutions. Israel is already in breach of dozens of United Nations (UN) resolutions. It showed its contempt of the UN by attacking a UN school in which people were sheltering, killing about 40 people, including a significant number of children. It then went on to a attack a UN aid lorry, killing the driver and his mate. Such a nation is cowardly. The penalty for armies attacking civilian populations is to cause an inner rot. Already the Israelis were unable to defeat Hezbollah in the Lebanon. If an elected government is deemed to be terrorist then the elected government of Israel is an even bigger terrorist state and in essence a rogue state.
Wilson John Haire
London (Jan 15,'09)

[Re A mission impossible for Ban Ki-moon, Jan 14] United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon has chosen to accept a mission impossible in his attempt to halt the Israeli incursion inside the Gaza Strip. As Kaveh L Afrasiabi writes, achieving such an objective "may be a hope against a hope". Jerusalem has dismissed out of hand the US-sponsored UN Security Council resolution calling for a cessation of hostilities, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice instructed her own ambassador to abstain in the voting. Mr Ban cannot count on Washington for support, and US secretary of state-designate Hillary Clinton, in her vetting before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, signaled that the future will hold little or no change in America's unremitting support for Israel. Thomas Friedman in today's New York Times asked the question of whether Israel is trying to eliminate or educate Hamas? The answer is obvious: look at Israel's military activities, which are now in their 19th day, and have no end in sight. Its forces are penetrating cautiously further into the Gaza Strip, yet any military observer will tell you that they are not fully engaging Hamas on the ground. Jerusalem is not in the mood for pedagogy. So, in spite of Mr Ban's even-handed assessment of the war, it looks as though his mission has little hope of accomplishing a lull in the conflict, the more especially since it looks as though a second front is opening on Israel's northern border, to relieve the pressure on the civilian population in Gaza. Endless negotiations will continue in Cairo with no end in sight. As Dr Afrasiabi presciently observes, a second front in the war will not only buy Hamas time but strengthen its standing among Palestinians and enhance its role with any peace with Israel.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Jan 15,'09)

Gaza: A pawn in the new 'great game' [Jan 13] by Alastair Crooke is one of the clearest expositions of the Israel/neo-conservative's ideal world view. [Former British prime minister] Tony Blair is, by now, recognized as the "chief runner" for the clique and is clearly listening to David Miliband, the new British foreign secretary, Blair is working hard for his money. Will the new Barack Obama administration in the US be any different? That will depend on how pragmatic Obama is. Given the huge and growing American trade, budget, international credibility and moral deficits, it will be interesting to see for how long the US can continue to play "sugar daddy" for Israel. Such puppets as Blair and Miliband would stop dancing as soon as their paymaster stopped paying. At present, Israel and its US supporters should be told that the problem of Hamas smuggling "illegal" weapons would stop as soon as the Palestinians were allowed to import arms legally like Israel. In fact, this would help the British and American arms trade.
TutuG (Jan 14,'09)

Tunnel vision beneath Gaza [Jan 12] is an admirable article by David H Young on the most recent military assault by Israel on Gaza. What one must always remember is that the government of Israel is a government, and governments never hesitate to lie, cheat, steal, destroy and harm if the think they can gain by doing so. Sometimes they even do so out of habit. Those who attempt to portray Israel as a wonderful, kind, democratic government must be wearing blinkers or are being purposefully misleading. For the sake of the people of both Gaza and Israel (oh yes, the West Bank also) the United Nations needs to pick up both Hamas and the government of Israel by the scruff of their neck and shake them until they conclude a fair and decent arrangement.
Tom Gerber
USA (Jan 14,'09)

[Re China rift opens in Vietnam, Jan 13] China has long sought "rectification" of its borders with its neighbors, to right the wrongs of demands that colonial powers made of her, particularly during the 19th century. In 1961, Burma [Myanmar] and China, with an exchange of some land, signed a border agreement. Long after the Sino-Soviet war of words, Russia and China resolved an issue of long contention by acknowledging the sins of the past and recognizing the extensive border the two countries share. The Chinese did not reclaim Siberian land annexed by Tsarist Russia. (The sole exception was India, which lost its war with China in 1962, and since then the border question has never been resolved.) Now, Vietnam and China have settled the final stretch of the 1,350 kilometer border, but have left undecided strategic claims of both countries on islands and territorial boundaries in the South China Sea. The land treaty has stirred a simmering pot of discontent even among military and Lao Dong party members, not least among students and intellectuals. It has touched a raw nerve, and raised criticism of the way the Lao Dong has been running the government since liberation and reunification 34 years ago. On the other hand, Vietnam, even a communist Vietnam, traditionally is pre-occupied with its large neighbor to its north. Over its long history, it has beaten Beijing four times in land warfare, for which China is no match. At the same time, even the great victor, Ming emperor Le Loi, understood that Vietnam had to mollify a humiliated China, and after his victory [in 1425] sent emissaries to Beijing to kowtow. On the open sea, with a weak navy, Vietnam has to resort to negotiation or agreeing to disagree without pushing the matter one way or the other, the more especially since Hanoi has a weak hand. So, the Lao Dong as an authoritarian state will do what it always has done to quiet civilian or military unrest: deal with the problem firmly and ruthlessly.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Jan 14,'09)

Wu Zhong's article, No rhyme or reason to China's rule of law [Jan 13], contains undisputed facts and figures which show a non-uniform application of the law in China. Undoubtedly, the rich and influential in China do receive preferential treatment. There is but one statement in his article that should bother the intelligent reader, " ... a tradition of rule of law is lacking, as opposed to the West". Does Mr Wu live in the West and see things with his own eyes, or is he at least well-read enough to know what is going on? The rich and well-connected do get preferential treatment in the "West". They can also hire high-powered lawyers and forensic experts to poke holes in a case, to get acquittal or a lesser sentence, in deference to the poor. While the subject of corruption is being aired, it is appropriate to point out that it exists in both the East and West. In China and other countries, the method is often crude, in the form of direct bribery. In the West, where law enactment and application is much more advanced, corruption can be "legalized". For example, local city council members can represent business interests, campaign donations can influence and lobbyists can obtain quid pro quo. In this respect, China has a lot to catch up on.
Seung Li (Jan 14,'09)

Gaza: A pawn in the new 'great game', Jan 13] The arithmetic of genocide is always problematic. We see a handful of dead on one side, many hundreds on the other. We see the wounded by the dozens on one side, in the thousands on the other. We see an arsenal of the most advanced military technology on the one side, AK 47s and home-made rockets on the other. Yet, both sides appear to be winning. Tzipi Livni, Israel's foreign minister, needs Hamas as much as Hamas needs Livni. Far behind in the polls with only weeks to go before an election, Livni needs to close the gap with [former prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. And there is always one sure-fire gambit to lift one's popularity in the runup to an Israeli election: get tough on the Palestinians. On the other side, the Israel Defense Forces' onslaught has brought Hamas an international tsunami of goodwill. Protesters in the thousands parade in cities throughout the world decrying the Gaza massacre. All Hamas needs to do to win is get off one homemade rocket after Israel has agreed to a ceasefire. As long as that rocket lands harmlessly in a Negev pasture, as most do, Hamas will have come away from this conflict with a major polish to its reputation, and renewed credibility in the Islamic world and beyond. Livni has spoken often about her desire to "change the equation". That the equation needs to be changed is self-evident. However, there is only one way to change the equation; both sides need to be disarmed and the sovereignty of both sides needs to be respected equally. Until that happens, the arithmetic of genocide will bring us continuing massacres in perpetuity.
Dieter Neumann
Canada (Jan 14,'09)

What Obama knows, Americans have forgotten, Jan 12] One wonders if Spengler will ever tire of his fantasy that the United States is not only a "post-ethnic" nation, but was founded as such. The word "nation" is cognate to "natal", referring to "birth", and historically meant a people sharing a common blood origin. Like it or not, the United States was founded as a nation defined by a northwest European heritage. In the words of William Vaile, a participant in the Congressional immigration debates of the 1920s: "What we do claim is that the northern European and particularly Anglo-Saxons made this country … It is a good country. It suits us … [W]e are not going to surrender it to somebody else or allow other people, no matter what their merits, to make it something different." In today's America, it is only European-Americans that are told it is desirable to forsake their ethnic identity. For some strange reason, not dreamt of in Spengler's philosophy, non-Euros are actively encouraged to seek and preserve theirs. Quite the mystery, I'd say.
Michael Klopman (Jan 13,'09)

As a reader of Asia Times Online, the first thing I do is to read the Letters to the Editor, sometimes even before scanning the headings of the articles on the front page. Reading the letters tells one the gist of the articles. The recent intriguing letter to the editor by Vanamali Thotapalli [Jan 9] was wonderful.
Shekhar Mehta
Chicago (Jan 13,'09)

[Re Tunnel vision beneath Gaza, Jan 12] You can say that Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip suffers from tunnel vision. It has no true political objective, other than its own version of "shock and awe". It seeks only to sow as much ruin on Gaza as it can. A clear indication of this is the presence of Sayeret Yahalom, an elite combat engineering corps, which specializes in sabotage, commando raids and counter-terrorism missions, and destroying smuggling tunnels. What aerial bombing, tanks, volunteer troops and the Israel Defense Force cannot do, Yahalom can and will do, no questions asked. As David H Young clearly reports, Jerusalem is not in a position to completely take out Hamas, or even neuter it. In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said many times that his intention was not so much to defeat Hamas, but to make life so unbearable for the Palestinian Gazans that they would rise up against Hamas. Here, we see a good example of flummery, wishful thinking and myopia. To make matters worse, the Palestinians in Gaza and on the West Bank are more supportive of Hamas, and what's more, Israel's aggression probably has swelled the ranks of Hamas. Any which way you look at Israel's strategy and tactics, it sends a clear message that it has failed. It hasn't failed in killing unarmed women and children and men young and old; it hasn't fallen short in perpetuating the myth that Hamas is using innocent civilians as shields or hostages - the more especially since Israel won't let civilians leave Gaza - but it has been unsuccessful in dislodging Hamas, and at stopping rockets being launched on its own territory. Israel may momentarily feel "safer", but overall it has exposed its own security for a mess of military fava beans.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Jan 13,'09)

[Re What Obama knows, Americans have forgotten, Jan 12] Mr Spengler seems to base president-elect Barack Obama's perspective and motivation on his Luo heritage. If a 50% genetic inheritance from his father overrides everything else, Spengler has a point. Assuming Mr Spengler read all of Dreams of My Father, he knows that Mr Obama's association with his father, tribe culture and with Kenya was tangential. His life experiences were Indonesia (for a short itme), Hawaii, New York and Chicago.
Jim
Southern California
USA (Jan 13,'09)

Spengler, in his article, What Obama knows, Americans have forgotten, [Jan 12] , writes, "Americans live in the world's only non-ethnic nation, built by selecting out of the nation's individuals who desired to leave their national tragedy behind them on the further shore." I cannot figure out which America Spengler is referring to. Can someone please remind Spengler that the reason why Americans live in the world's only non-ethnic nation is because the native Americans were wiped out by American settlers no different from what we are presently seeing the Israelis do in Gaza. Furthermore, regarding Spengler's comments that "ethnicity has no edge", would he say that to a black person in American with a straight face?
Yusaf Khan
London, UK (Jan 13,'09)

Nepal's Maoist rulers rile Hindus, [Jan 8] is a readable article, as are all those penned by Dhruba Adhikary, a noted journalist of Nepal who is known for his professional honesty. I found the article very effective and successful as it attempted to deal with all the relevant cultural, religious and legal aspects. It seems that Nepal, the sacred birthplace of Lord Buddha, is now heading in an unclear direction with huge uncertainties because of its short-sighted leaders. The unwise and unnecessary intervention of the Maoist government in the recent appointment of new priests in the Pashupatinath temple, the most holy shrine for the entire Hindu community across the globe, is burning proof that peace is still far away.
Dibakar Pant
Saint Paul, USA (Jan 13,'09)

[Re China's rich are too fast, too furious, Jan 9] It's known that "money brings power" and "power brings money" and the wheel just goes on and on. This is true everywhere in the world. Some places are more prominent than others. The key is the rule of law and a developed judicial system. China is still in the developing stage on these. I would venture the following rules for China:
1. Make sure no one gets a driver's license without passing the required driving tests.
2. Increase fines and jail time for drunk driving and spot checks for drunk drivers on the roads.
3. Target BMW and other high-priced vehicles for drunk driving and other traffic incidents.
4, Revoke driving privileges for those with high numbers of traffic incidents.
5. The media should report on those rich people who get off easily from judges on traffic lawsuits.
Wendy Cai
USA (Jan 12,'09)

[Re Obama, soccer and South Asian security, Jan 9] Once again M K Bhadrakumar has come through with a thoughtful analysis of possible entente on the Indian sub-continent. The new American president has an opportunity to unravel the tangled web of India-Pakistan relations. Terrorist bombings in Mumbai, and Islamabad's admission that the sole surviving terrorist is a Pakistani national, offers the Barack Obama administration room to maneuver to sort things out. Not only that, but the views of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and his army chief, General Ashfaq Kiani, may and can prove the right formula for putting Pakistan's disorderly political and military house in order. They are two men of substance who want to preserve political and economic stability and social order. Such a marriage will prove important in negotiations with Washington and it will firm up Pakistani-American relations in the "war against terrorism". Mr Obama has too much on his plate as it is, and his representative and able diplomatic hand, Richard Holbrooke, will work for a better meeting of minds on the Kashmir question and its resolution after 60 years of political and military bickering. Happily, in the dying days of the George W Bush administration, Washington has stayed New Delhi's finger on the gun in seeking revenge for Mumbai and a land grab in Kashmir. So the signs look favorable for bolstering security on the Indian sub-continent now that it seems that the US is fully committed to seeking a detente between the quarrelsome brother states. Mr Obama is known for his oratorical skills, but let's hope he has the finesse to put Indian-Pakistani cooperation on a firm footing.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Jan 12,'09)

[Re A check sheet for Obama's Taiwan test, Jan 7] When US President George W Bush decided to invade Iraq, the American propaganda machine sugar-coated it as being to "expand democracy", though everyone knew the invasion was motivated to protect the best interests of the US, as defined by the Americans. The 23 million Taiwanese, inspired by all major democracies, fought for decades, won, and earned their own democracy and freedom of expression. Recent opinion polls clearly reflect that these are the most valuable assets the Taiwanese intend to protect, and will not allow to be sacrificed or otherwise compromised for the sake of improving relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC). They were inspired and led by the US to believe that these values are worth fighting for. Yet the author leaves one of the eight objectives, namely "support Taiwan's democratic system" as the least important one, the eighth. Again, the American interests prevail, not the common value of democracy. The author tried so hard to spin and promote the so-called positive-sum relations among the US, China and Taiwan, but the reality of conflicts and challenges facing the stakeholders remains unchanged after six decades. They are:
1. The unsettled status of Taiwan's sovereignty.
2. The fast-paced progressing of democratization in Taiwan versus the continued and ever-strengthened one-party authoritarian regime in Beijing, contrary to the openness of the market economy in the PRC.
3. The bullying of the PRC toward Taiwan, front and center, under the name of "One China and that Taiwan is part of China" policy.
4. The preserving of the best interests of the US by any US administration.
As American influence in Asia is weakening day by day, any US president would have no choice but to continue appeasing the PRC at the expense of others. Taiwan happens to be perceived by the US as the most valuable but least costly and dispensable card the US administration would love to play with in the region. The US will continue to pressure Taiwan into becoming nothing but a stateless entity for easy manipulation. Protecting the democracy of Taiwan is nothing but cheap lip service by any US administration. I hope future Taiwan leaders will be smart enough to take their own initiatives, given the unchanged constraints mentioned above, to navigate gingerly and negotiate a much better deal for themselves without the self-serving broker. After all, the 23 million Taiwanese should never forget that they are sitting on a piece of very valuable and strategic real estate. Don't ever sell yourselves short.
James Chou
Vancouver, BC
Canada (Jan 12,'09)

Willy Lam's article, China's reluctance to reform [Jan 9] raises intriguing questions which nevertheless have very simple answers. The much-touted Western democracies have been in existence for hundreds of years, but social ills still abound, corruption, crime, narcotics, to name a few. However, these countries are not helpless, as corrections always take place when things get too tough. However, it is difficult, and in fact dangerous, for China to follow the same path now because of its geographical distribution of ethnic minorities and their attendant historical background. The type of democracy ardently advocated by the West is plainly conducive to the breakup of China into different chunks. Even a fool can envisage such a probability, with or without outside agitation. With 1.3 billion mouths to feed, so many areas of development to catch up, there is little leeway the central government can operate in. The present global financial tsunami does not help either. Deng Xiaoping 30 years ago prescribed "opening up" for economic development and created the politically savvy "one country, two systems" for pieces of land yet to be unified. He was wise to stop at that, obviously unable to foresee events well beyond his time. Therefore it is naive to expect China to "reform" in ways approved by the West. It remains for China to prod and stagger into a "socialist system with Chinese characteristics". With human nature being what it is, no system leads to utopia.
Seung Li (Jan 12,'09)

[Re Suicide by Israel, Jan 7] Spengler quotes an earlier article: "Perhaps what the Middle East requires in order to achieve a peace settlement is not less killing, but more." And then says: "That is horrifying, but nonetheless true, and the international community simply may have to raise its threshold of horror." This seems to be advocacy of genocide, but perhaps he's correct. Looking at maps of Palestine from 1946 to date we find continuous Israeli expansion by armed aggression. In addition there have been Israeli attacks on every neighboring country. Maybe it's time to utilize whatever means is necessary to confine Israel within the 1947 UN boundaries and to limit its military capabilities to defense only. It might be that the Lubavitchers (settlers) would need to be severely cut back, but sometimes unpleasant decisions are necessary to achieve the desired end of peace in the Middle East.
Jeb (Jan 12,'09)

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Egypt should be held accountable for the harm caused by the blockade of the Rafah crossing and Egypt should be forced to keep it open, irrespective of what Israel and the US want. A timely lawsuit against Mubarak and Egypt, not just Israel and Israeli officials, may influence the course of this war, if not in the short term certainly in the long term. A timely lawsuit is likely to have an immediate favorable effect because Egyptian groups and the vast majority of Egyptians, including powerful non-governmental actors, are demanding that the Rafah crossing be opened and are likely to put immense pressure on the government to achieve this end, pressure whose effect can be amplified by the catalyst of a timely lawsuit in Europe. ... Hezbollah will most probably not have to intervene in the Gaza conflict and should not intervene. ... It should be clear that it is not Israel that is trapping Hamas but Hamas that has reluctantly set a trap for Israel after Israel started the war. There is no chance that Israel will come out stronger than before it foolishly committed itself to this orgy of violence. Qatar, Syria and Turkey seem to be the only countries that are acting in the long-term interests of the Arab world. Why should they carry the burden for the rest? Why is it that most Arab leaders don't know how to act in their own interests? On some days I wish the US had succeeded in Iraq so that Mubarak and King Abdullah II of Jordan could be examples to the rest of the high price to be paid for toeing the line of US/Israeli influence. The price is nothing less than one's rule or crown. Go ahead and let Hamas sink (it won't), but don't complain when you are living out your last days like a kafkaesque cockroach and someone like [senior Fatah official] Mohammed Dahlan or one of his sons lords it over you and your people. Even if Hamas wins it doesn't mean that Arab leaders' authority is secure. The US and Israel will never stop trying to get someone like Dahlan, [Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad] Allawi or one of his sons in power, and their promises to the contrary are just lies that so deepen the pain when their treachery eventually strikes. As Nobel prize winner Bertrand Russell pointed out regarding the limits of inductive thinking, the hand that feeds the chicken every day is the same hand that twists its neck.
Adam Albrett (Jan 12,'09)

[Re Suicide by Israel, Jan 7] I am not pro-Jew or pro-Arab. However, I find it unacceptable to allow Spengler to spew his clearly pro-Israel propaganda and agenda. It insults my mind. As mutual deterrence only works when more than one party is armed, it would be good for Iran and others to possess nuclear weapons in order to counter-balance Israel's hegemony.
John Perkassy (Jan 9,'09)

[Re Even Dirty Harry can't fix Hmong mess, Jan 8] Roger Warner deserves our thanks for revealing, ever so slightly, the long, and some may say shameful, ties that the US government has had with the ethnic Hmong minority. Otherwise the small Hmong population settled in America would be invisible. From time to time the press reports on sensational cases, like the story of the murder by a Hmong hunter in Marinette, Wisconsin three years ago. Hardly explored was the racism that the Hmong are subject to, and the jury certainly didn't represent the convicted man's peers. A more human face of the Hmong was documented in Anne Fadiman's best-seller, The spirt catches you and you fall down, which tells the sad tale of a Hmong child, her doctors and the collusion of two different cultures' attitude towards healing, acculturation and assimilation. Now, Clint Eastwood's film Gran Torino, which has won the actor accolades and will probably get an Oscar or two at February's Academy Awards, has become a runaway box-office hit. Mr Warner does give the actor his due in highlighting the broad social trends affecting the Hmong community, say in Minnesota. And suddenly, thanks to him, the Hmong have a human face, and their presence in America's melting pot is immediately, albeit belatedly, brought to the broad American and worldwide consciousness. In spite of Hollywood's tendency to simply and prettify things, no one can honestly say today that they know nothing about the Hmong, and why most of them were transplanted from tropical Laos to the windy and wintry climate of Minnesota. So the old plot of a bigot's transformation and the film's condescension notwithstanding, a little-known community and its travails and its customs and its life in the US has entered our awareness.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Jan 9,'09)

Carrying forward Adnan Gill's [January 8] letter on Mumbai terrorism, I am shocked that Bernie Madoff was able to hoodwink highly intelligent successful people for so long. Since Gill has proven that this can't happen, I guess this must all be a dream. I must also have been dreaming that some greedy bankers had caused so much havoc around the world! How come no one saw this coming and took steps to avoid it? I mean, this was so obvious and you are talking highly educated people here! So I guess using Gill's theory, this must not have happened! I think we should release all prisoners in jail around the world immediately, since there is no way intelligent people can make stupid mistakes while committing a crime. Heck, if uneducated Pakistanis cannot make any stupid mistakes, how can we believe that intelligent people made enough mistakes that they were caught?
Vanamali Thotapalli
Chicago, IL (Jan 9,'09)

[Re Iran painted as the demon, Jan 8] As the carnage continues and death and destruction rain down on Israel and Gaza, Kaveh L Afrasiabi is absolutely right to point out that "Hamas is a home-grown Palestinian phenomenon enjoying legitimacy among Palestinian citizens as a religious-nationalist religious movement ... ". And it is useful to recollect what [Israeli] Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said just this past September: "Who thinks seriously that if we sit on another hilltop, on another 100 meters, that this is what will make the difference for the state of Israel's basic security?" Also, for the neo-conservatives and their apologists in the media who are blaming Syria and Iran to justify Israel's actions, it is useful to remind them of the history of the region. They have conveniently forgotten that these countries did not create the violence, racism and colonization that have been the hallmarks of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians in the last 60 years. Syria and Iran did not create resistance against those policies, it was a natural reaction of the Palestinians against the occupiers who have subjugated them to concentration camp conditions year after year with the complicity of so-called "moderate" Arab "leaders". And, those countries did not force the bombings of women and children, mosques and universities under the guise of destroying rockets. The question must be asked why the vitriolic attacks, outright lies and hyperbole against Syria and Iran? Whose purpose does it serve? Olmert had it right when he called for radical new thinking. After 60 years of bombs and violence that have only brought more bombs and violence, how about practicing the old-fashioned remedy of discussion and forgiveness led by the United States, as an honest broker, for a change?
Fariborz S Fatemi
Virginia (Jan 9,'09)

A hearty round of applause to Sudha Ramachandran for all her excellent columns in Asia Times Online. I think she is a superb columnist who does excellent research and writes so well on the South Asian/Indian political scene with all the modesty of not displaying any journalistic pedigree or titles.
Kamath (Jan 8,'09)
Canada
For Sudha's most recent article, see Tigers take to the jungle

Ground realities in Gaza is no more than ordinary reporting of the war that Israel is waging in Gaza. The intelligence input is not out of the ordinary. It does however indicate that Israel's strategy is "not overly impressive". In fact, Israel's conduct of the war raises questions of its ultimate goals, as it does not expect to completely dislodge Hamas from the Gaza Strip. Not only that, Israel in order to achieve any concrete objectives, has to hold the ground and not withdraw its troops. So, it is problematic what Israel hopes to achieve since in spite of massive physical destruction, and the mounting number of dead - mainly civilians - has not stopped Hamas from launching rockets. Hamas rockets now have the ability to hit targets beyond Be'er Sheva, which says something. Israel's massive military campaign against Hamas and the civilian population of Gaza has begun turning world opinion against Israel, thanks to the searing images flashing across television screens. It also raises questions about the quality of Israeli intelligence and military thinking, as Israel's ultimate goal is purely military without any qualitative political stake.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Jan 8,'09)

Reading Spengler's latest column Suicide by Israel , I kept wondering what new drug this neo-con propagandist was adding to the standard-issue pro-Israel kool aid. When he starts coming up with arguments based on international law (collective punishment is a legitimate form of war), one has to wonder if finally this professional conjurer has run out of tricks. The sad fact is that Israel, by attempting to starve Gaza by closing off all possible avenues of supply, was seriously considering wiping out the entire population. This can't be denied, because they knew pretty well that famine results in increased rates of illness, which are compounded by the lack of proper medical care - a result of the embargo. If the Israelis could have done what the Romans did to the Gallic tribes, or the Russians to the Chechens with total impunity they wouldn't have hesitated for a second - it is only the fear of complete international ostracism that keeps them from doing so. Spengler and the rest of the neo-con parrots would like us to believe that it is powerful enough to do whatever it wants, from engaging in mass murder of Palestinians to bombing Syria and Iran, but the sad fact is that it simply can't; its top export market and second-most important source of imports is the European Union (EU) - most of whose citizens, even with their deep dislike of Muslim immigrants, have nothing but contempt for Israel. That is why the latter pursued a siege strategy against the Gazans: outright extermination would have resulted in a full EU embargo that would have almost certainly destroyed the Israeli economy. As to an attack on Iran and Syria, these are allies of Russia, which provides most of Israel's oil and gas. But what is truly pathetic is the second-hand dependence of Israel on its own enemies: if the Saudis and the Gulf oil sheikdoms decided to stop funding US deficits, it would have serious trouble keeping its armory full. As to the effectiveness of collective punishment as a military strategy, the Iraqi and Afghan fiascoes show that these days it only provides more recruits for the insurgents when it doesn't push people that were wary of supporting them into doing so.
Carlos
Ecuador (Jan 8,'09)

[Re A check sheet for Obama's Taiwan test, Jan 7] It is common knowledge that the US intends on maintaining her hegemonic presence in the world, including in Asia. It is also a known fact that Taiwan is one of the important spots to contain and encircle China. Of course, the unification of Taiwan to China is an internal affair for the Chinese across the Taiwan Strait to decide for themselves. But, with the Taiwan Relationship Act in effect, this is not conducive. Bear in mind, though, that the Taiwan Relationship Act is but a law legislated by the US Congress but has no international binding. If the US is sincere about its so-called "One China" policy, it would not continuously supply large quantity of arms to Taiwan to earn much-needed revenue for the US. The author has it right when she said that even if China reduced its missiles aimed at Taiwan, it does not mean that the US will also reduce its arms supplies to Taiwan. Western writers keep harping on "democracy" as if there is one type of democracy around the world. There are different shades of democracy if one would honestly look around. Everybody knows that allowing Taiwan to rejoin non-government agencies is but a first step. After that precedent, Western countries will again press for other concessions to make Taiwan a de-facto independent nation. China would have difficulties if it gave the first concession.
Wendy Cai
USA (Jan 8,'09)

I have been away from Asia Times Online and its unintentionally hilarious op-ed writer Spengler for quite a while. Having just read his Suicide by Israel [Jan 7] - the title of which had fooled me initially into thinking Spengler might have something intelligent to say a la Avraham Burg - I am glad to be back. It is hard to pick out the most unintentionally funny aspect of the piece, filled as it is with pseudo-intellectual barbarism and crackpot realism. But if I had to single one out, I would choose Spengler's claim that "[f]or Hamas, to live on one's knees would be to accept a permanent Jewish presence in the historic land of Israel" - and that Hamas refuses to live on its knees. Wrong. Hamas has consistently offered peace and neighborly treatment to an Israel withdrawn to its 1967 borders. Of course, to Spengler and other denizens of Israeli apparatchik la-la land, assurances given by Hamas cannot be trusted. Which is a curious accusation to be made by a supporter of a state whose assurances that it will desist from serial violations of international law have proven most untrustworthy.
JP Franks
New York, NY (Jan 8,'09)

I don't want to speculate on the alleged Pakistani culpability in the Mumbai attacks. However, I am astounded over the nature of the evidence presented by Indian investigators. In light of the supposed evidence, one is left with the only possibilities; either the terrorists were downright nincompoops, or the Indian propagandists need refresher course in concatenating evidence. What kind of terrorists on a suicide mission carry their national ID cards with them? They might as well have carried their birth certificates. What kind of terrorists leave behind evidence/supplies, like a bag of flour, that could be traced to its origin? They must have been hardcore nationalists who consumed only Pakistani products. What kind of terrorists on suicide-mission carry toothpaste and shaving cream? They must have been hygiene-conscious suicidal terrorists! After all, who doesn't wish to look well-groomed for his funeral? What kind of terrorists stealthily sneak into India on a bright yellow rubber dinghy? Perhaps, they were safety-conscious terrorists who didn't want to be accidentally run over by a larger vessel. The 10 terrorists must have been dwarfs with novelty weapons and supplies. Because fitting 10 fully armed men and tons of supplies on a 10x4 ft rubber-dinghy is nothing short of impossible. In fact, I am surprised they didn't carry notarized confession letters with them. Even better, videos of in-advance confessions, taped in the presence of the Indian Embassy officials in Islamabad!
Adnan Gill
Los Angeles (Jan 8,'09)

Given Hamas' incessant bravado regarding armaments and munitions, one fails to understand why shoulder-fired Strelsa surface-to-air missiles have not been employed in this assault. In a desert-like treeless terrain the Strelsa, with a range of six kilometers, is most effective against most low-flying aircraft, especially Israeli helicopters spying on Hamas positions and supplying co-ordinates to F-16s for their bombing raids. The shoulder-fired missiles were most effective in Afghanistan, whereas the Kassam rockets are simply provocative and did not do much damage.
Hussain (Jan 8,'09)

I think our two venerable Asia Times Online writers, Martin Hutchinson in Quarter-century fast forward [Jan 6] and The Mogambo Guru in Steady diet of yuan [Jan 6], are over-reacting just a bit to current events; the United States will not fall off a cliff, nor will China take over the world. In the coming months or perhaps even years, the American economic landscape likely will be littered with corporate carcasses and doleful moans of the unemployed, but the hardship will also force Americans to relearn using their hands and heads, and not just their mouths (to chow and to pontificate), to rebuild the nation into a manufacture and innovation powerhouse. While the current crisis will provide China with an opportunity to enhance its global stature, any talk of world domination should be confined only to postprandial palaver. Logically, China for years to come will be occupied with developing its vast domestic market, whose awesome consumption potential, along with that of India, will in the not too distant future propel the world into a decades-long period of historically unparalleled prosperity. With its manufacturing base revamped, the US will be in an excellent position to take full advantage of the new boom. Granted, when that time comes, the current US global ascendancy will have diminished somewhat and new power epicenters will have emerged in other parts of the world. But the increased parity will be beneficial to all nations, including the US, because the past decade has shown us that a lone and hubristic superpower bent on world domination will only cause widespread havoc, even on its own people.
John Chen
USA (Jan 7,'09)

As we near the day that most rational humans have awaited for what seems like an eternity, it is time to reflect on what it really means. Yes, George W Bush's gold standard for venality and incompetence will be unmatched for a very long time (since exceeding it will doubtless mean the extinction of our bedeviled species), but ponder how we got to this day, and what will remain the day after. The American people allowed themselves to be seduced by lies, distortions and shameless manipulation, on a scale that Joseph Goebbels would have have been proud of. They willingly accepted the fiction of 9/11 because they needed a new devil, and indeed, got him, but not the turbaned one they were sold. The gullible electorate permitted the same men that lied their way into a disastrous war to remain in office, perverting the essence of our democracy for the second presidential election in a row. But it gets worse. Right after impeaching a president, who presided over a decade of prosperity for lying about sex, they disdained any mention of impeaching a president who not only lies routinely about terrorism, wars, corruption and administration crimes but circumvents laws with an impunity that would have made Saddam Hussein pause. And the Congress whose principal job is to prevent presidents from acquiring the scepter and throne spends most of their time feeding on the public trough like supine swine, only lifting their snouts up long enough for re-election campaigns. The callow and cowardly way that the Democrats have acquiesced to every transgression is breathtaking. Even their acquiring majority status has not provided them with a political vertebra worth mentioning. They will remain, long after Bush has retired to a lifetime of highly paid corporate gigs, rubber chicken speaking circuits and more lie-filled memoirs. The sad fact is that January 20 will change nothing. As the sports adage goes, you can get new coaches but the players stay the same. I pray coach Obama can weave miracles , but his starters have a very bad record.
Hardy Campbell
Houston TX USA (Jan 7,'09)

[Re North Korea sees an opening , Jan 6] It is difficult to see what higher political or military ground North Korea can take advantage of owing to the George W Bush administration's total support of the Israeli incursion in the Gaza Strip. Pyongyang, as Donald Kirk has observed in his other contributions in Asia Times Online, has nothing good or bad to gain from Mr Bush, who has less than 15 days left as president of the United States. If anything, judging by North Korea's annual new year's editorial, it had no harsh words for Washington, as a gesture of goodwill to president-elect Barack Obama. So, what opening does North Korea see? That remains the crucial question.
Mel Cooper (Jan 7,'09)

[Re In China, Bush nostalgia, Jan 5] US President George W Bush will certainly get a friendly, polite and untroubled reception any time in China. He won't be popular, but no one will hate him or revile him. When former president Richard Nixon was beset at home during the height of the Watergate scandal, China was the only place in the world where he could find solace and was genuinely liked by the people he encountered.
Kelvin Mok (Jan 7,'09)

Even before taking office [US president-elect Barack] Obama has affirmed and supported a war crime, a genocide, thus betraying everything he was believed to represent to people all over the world. The massacre in Gaza, a knife in the memory of the Holocaust, as shameful to Judaism as it is destructive to the Palestinian population has taken another casualty, one that perhaps could have made a difference if he had chosen to. They forced him to renounce and condemn his brothers and sisters in Gaza. And being weak, and being ambitious he did what they told him to. He obeyed because he valued his own success over the lives of others. He was afraid for his career, his reputation, his family. He couldn't bear the pressure of being publicly labeled "anti-Semite" and the vilification that comes with it. He simply folded, took the easy way out and lost his nerve. He became a puppet and a tool for American-Israeli imperialism and militarism. The hopes of the world died that day. The mind and body of Obama will carry on for the next four years, but there will not even be a shadow of his soul. There will be nothing but empty words and heartless deeds.
Roger Lafontaine
USA (Jan 7,'09)

Kent Ewing, in the article, In China, Bush nostalgia [Jan 5] is correct in his comments on people's grievances and official corruption in China. But one can also infer the following from his article:
(1) While the US has the largest military budget in the world, China owes explanations to all countries on her own military expenditure.
(2) China owes its economic rise to President George W Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who both presided over the American economic downturn.
(3) Bush is a steadfast friend of China, unlike the flip-flopping French President [Nicolas] Sarkozy.
(4) It is a sin for China even to plan building aircraft carriers, and Bush is wrong to have "done nothing to thwart" this.
(5) It is alright for other countries to buy oil from undemocratic repressive states but not for China to buy raw materials from some similar African countries.
While letters may be suitable vehicles to carry personal opinions, articles should be relatively free of such blemishes in logic.
Seung Li (Jan 6,'09)

Spengler's dissertation Overcoming ethnicity [Jan 5] deals with negative population growth. He states, "Europe is at peace but not secure, for most European nations have birthrates so low that they will lose economic viability within the next 50 to 100 years." I think there is the possibility Spengler has confused a population correction with what he calls ethno-suicide. It is quite common for there to be population corrections, although they might not be as frequent as stock market corrections. There were significant European population reductions in the two World Wars. Indeed, the baby-boom after the Second World War is the reason behind the current problem of more seniors than children that has resulted in large immigration into the European sub-continent. Reductions in population are not necessarily a bad thing. China's attempt, heavy-handed though it may be, to get its population under control (eg, within its food production capacity) is a reasoned step to create decent living conditions for the population. It is quite reasonable to suggest that the decline in birth rate in Europe has as much to do with a broad-based sense of over-population as with "failing of their desire to live". I suggest that many people feel that the growth of congestion, crime, pollution and energy shortages and other social ills is the result of overpopulation, just as the Chinese government apparently feels hunger is the result of over-population. The fact that many Western governments are supplementing the decline in birth rate with immigration might indeed be the seed that grows into ethno-suicide, but that conclusion must be far from definitive.
L Gorling
Canada (Jan 6,'09)

[Re Hamas looks to Hezbollah's inspiration, Jan 5] Sami Moubayed writes of striking parallels between the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) military assaults against Hezbollah and now against Hamas. Yet he forgets one thing - that the differences in terrain and geopolitics remain extreme. The IDF does not expect to vanquish Hamas, only to impair it physically, psychologically and damage Hamas' ability to challenge Israel's de facto overlordship of Gaza's space and its control over the life and death of Gazans. Unlike the 1982 Israel incursion into Lebanon and the defeat of the PLO, which had to withdraw to the safety of Tunisia, Hamas has nowhere to go. And that is the nub of the problem. An almost total destruction of Hamas' infrastructure and ability to exercise civil authority of the Strip is the object of Israel's open warfare against Hamas. Saying this, it is important to point out that Israel has read history poorly. It forgot that the French won the two battles of Algiers, wounding badly the Front de liberation national (FLN), but lost the war. Crippling Hamas won't defeat it. For every Hamas leader that falls, another will step out of the shadows to take his place, no matter how long it takes. For Israel to triumph completely, it has but only one solution which it dares not take: the complete destruction of Gaza. In the end, since Israel seeks a purely military solution, it has conceded ground and victory to Hamas.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Jan 6,'09)

In Overcoming ethnicity [Jan 5] Spengler writes that the United States has a positive population growth rate. Here, he is technically correct, while remaining consistent with the bias of his piece's thesis. It is only the non-white portion of the US population that is growing. Whites in the US are barely treading demographic water in absolute terms while steadily declining percentage-wise, destined to become a minority as early as 2042. I look forward to Spengler's incorporation of this inconvenient fact into his socio-political analyses (as much as I look forward to his economic commentary, which I consider to be of much greater value).
Michael Klopman
New York City (Jan 6,'09)

Henry C K Liu in his essay, China's inflation-free route from crisis [Dec 23], proposed a scheme of "job-creation" certificates to create full employment as well as a domestic consumption-based economy in China. This looks suspiciously like Nazi Germany's work bonds issued by the dummy companies of the Reich in 1930s and 1940s. Can it work in China? I doubt it. The Third Reich used Draconian measures to ensure there would not be a black market or other public discontents due to price control and circulation and accumulation of non-cash "work bonds" (prison terms or outright execution). I don't see that anyone can get away with that in China by using this scheme of "sovereign credits". Henry C K Liu's full employment scheme as he described it is not going to work in China (maybe there is a fair chance in North Korea or Cuba).
Sean Liu
Peoria IL
USA (Jan 5,'09)

After the terrorist bombings in Mumbai, a state of balance is discernible in India-Pakistan relations. Even though India has proof of a Pakistani tie to the violence in Mumbai, and Pakistani troop movements to Kashmir, reality has set in. Surely, as M K Bhadrakumar observes in South Asia descends into terror's vortex [Dec 24], the forthcoming elections in India play a role, but the depth and breadth of the terrorist attack on Mumbai has also put a momentary break on India's homegrown terrorism. Continued terrorist bombings in Pakistan's major cities and the continued war against the Taliban in its North-West Frontier Province, keeps the President Asif Ali Zardari government occupied with the pressures of internal events. Zardari has continued with his policy of trying to bring rogue Inter-Service Intelligence agency operatives into line and subjecting the military as much as he can to civilian control. Ambassador Bhadrakumar, it seems to me, has understated the money and prestige that a US-Indian entente obtains. US President George W Bush has after all given New Delhi entrance to the club of big powers.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Jan 3,'09)

[Re The devil and Bernard Madoff , Dec 18] Happy new year and thanks for the incomparable work that you do. Please bring the following thought to Spengler's attention: according to at least one historian, the commercial revolution of the Middle Ages was partly attributable to Jewish communities which were spread across Europe providing an informal enforcement mechanism that punished traders who didn't honor their obligations. The enforcement mechanism is likely to have been a substitute for and/or a complement to the letter of credit which, despite having Roman or Babylonian roots, proliferated in Europe during the Middle Ages. While I don't recall the specifics of the "enforcement mechanism," it was harsh enough that it might have deterred someone like Bernie Madoff. I would be interested in having Spengler address whether the diaspora Chinese community, which controls over 3 trillion dollars in assets, is at risk for being harmed by someone like Bernie Madoff, and if so what it can do to protect itself. ... The US won't wake up, if ever, until it's too late. This is clear from the debate over the Iraq war, which was not really a war in the sense that the Vietnam war or the Korean war were. Had the Iraq war been like the Vietnam war the US would have been exposed to the point of being worse off than a paper tiger. Had Russia or China armed the insurgents in Iraq the US would not only be on its way out as a superpower but on its way to losing control of the continental US itself. There is most probably one or two generals in the US who made a similar realization and they are most probably the ones who have saved us from attacking Iran. The reason Russia and China didn't arm the insurgents is most probably because their analysts made the same calculations that I have, which show that a normalized comparison of casualties reveal that the US was effectively losing soldiers in Iraq at higher rate than it did in Vietnam. There was no need to arm the insurgents when they were doing quite well. ... Having in the past made numerous reference to the much quoted words of CS Lewis regarding the easy path to Hell, I will invoke Virgil's corollary regarding how hard it is to retrace one steps once one has traveled too far in its direction: "It is easy to go down into Hell; night and day, the gates of dark Death stand wide; but to climb back again, to retrace one's steps to the upper air - there's the rub, the task." Don't count on anyone or any group of people at any think-tank or university in America telling us how to retrace our steps.
Adam Albrett (Jan 1,'09)

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