Asia Times Online

Letters

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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.

Letters February, March 2011

[Re Arab revolt keeps China on its toes and China has a blueprint for social order, Mar 30] China may keep an eye on events outside its vast land mass, but it is chiefly concerned with itself. Consequently, it is not without importance in noting that the masters in Beijing listen to people of Han ancestry. Notably Lee Kwong Yew, mentor minister of Singapore. China has long published Lee's writings for they offer a good guide to social management and control.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Mar 31, '11)

[Re Rare glimpse into Nepal's defunct monarchy, Mar 30] It's nice to know that a book from the insider from the Royal Palace of Nepal has come into market. I am keen on reading the book and knowing more about the palace which was a mystery in itself, and became even more mysterious after the royal massacre. In the analysis of the book, the writer seems convinced that Crown Prince Dipendra was the culprit; he has almost the entire nation to convince about that. Upendra Nepali
Australia (Mar 31, '11)

[Bin Laden sets alarm bells ringing Mar 25] Osama bin Laden must be gratified that he hasn't been completely forgotten in the pell mell rush to revolution in an Arab world he allegedly wanted to rule as its beneficent caliph. The man who once terrorized Wonderland with his threats of apocalyptic revenge and jihadist conquest is reduced to being the bogeyman of ... Yemen?
Lowly, poor strife-ridden Yemen? Maybe it made sense that harassed President Saleh invoked this specter because the bin Ladens are Yemeni by blood, but Osama must be crushed that when Mubarak and Gaddafi rattled the al-Qaeda skeleton, the responses ranged from "Give me a break!" to "Who's that?" Oh, how the mighty have fallen, when once the mere suggestion of a tall man wearing a turban could send Homeland Security colors from flashing Magenta Madness to Violently Vermilion to a positively gorgeous Ridiculous Ruby.
Now, we have so many other fish to fry that the Most Dangerous Man in the History of the Universe has to beg for scraps of recognition as a feared Islamic warrior from pathetic old men in desert backwashes. Methinks, in fact, some Yemeni brother of a brother of a cousin slipped some dinars into Saleh's pocket just to give this Muslim brother some love.
Ever since Dumbya Bush scoffed at the import of apprehending Osama (the same man Bush swore to get "dead or alive", remember?), Osama has been quietly collecting his CIA/Saudi/Mossad paychecks in some swank Riyadh apartment, hoping against hope to once more hear his name mentioned with awe and fear, instead of it being reduced to a Jeopardy trick question; for 1,000 points, "Who was the tallest man to ever elude Army Special Ops in the Hindu Kush?"
Hardy Campbell
United States (Mar 31, '11)

[Re Water crisis floats Syrian unrest, Mar 29] Syria has a water problem, which it lacks in sufficient quantity to make deserts bloom. Viktor Kotsev mentions unrest in Daraa owing, among other things, to a shortage of water. Left unsaid is the role of Israel in diverting the Jordan River for its own use, thereby beggaring its neighbors Syria and Jordan and the Israeli controlled Palestinian West Bank of water.
Abraham Bin Yiju
Italy (Mar 30, '11)

[Re PLA on board an Orient express, Mar 28] Christina Lin cuts a pretty wide swath with her revelation of the PLA's high-speed train deployments on the yet-to-be built railway links. Filled with a plethora of ''coulds'', and speculative possibilities without substantive foundation, it falls short of any justifiable reasons to assume the worst about China's military intentions. Rather, like much of the criticism in Western media today, it seems to echo the ''yellow peril'' arguments of the Cold War era. Given the degree of recent American geostrategic prods in the Korean peninsula and the South and East China Seas, to say nothing of Africa, it seems more likely that this piece serves a purpose somewhat less than ''transparent''.
Why can't China establish international relationships and modern rail links among its partners without having to defend itself against the dubious aspersions of analysts with an obvious bias toward their own speculative conclusions? Especially when Beijing has demonstrated time and again that, unlike America, there are no imperial intentions in its conduct of foreign affairs, and no objective reasons short of military paranoia to suggest that there are.
I was surprised that the writer didn't mention the planned Chicago O'Hare rail-link in this list of potential routes for the ingress of PLA forces and, under the circumstances, I'm quite disappointed China didn't at least get some credit for using ''greener'' logistical planning. High-speed electric trains would certainly leave a much lower ecological footprint than the gigantic C17's currently used in America's foreign expeditions.
W J Spark
Canada (Mar 29, '11)

[Re North Korea laments Gaddafi's nuclear folly, Mar 28] We hardly hear North Korea's voice, but we do hear the lament of South Koreans who regret not teaching the North a lesson it deserves. It is a bold assumption to think that even without a nuclear program, the US would not have stayed South Korean president Lee Myung-bak from attacking North Korea for the sinking of the Cheonan or the shelling of Yeonpyeong island. It takes the faith of a true believer to envisage that President Obama would encourage an opening of a third front in Asia, given the misfortunes of the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On the other hand, the US is willing to participate in joint military maneuvers along the Northern Limit Line, withhold food from a starving population, and engage in sanctions and propaganda to bring North Korea to its knees. Lee will soon be out of office and his successor may very well reverse his tack towards the North, which would calm the growing tensions within the South's elite.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Mar 29, '11)

[Re Assassinating Gaddafi is a step too far, Mar 28] What hoohaw that assassinating Gaddafi is a step too far. Most nations, including the United States, are already beyond the gutter in their military and diplomatic practices.
Is it any worse to kill a nation's leader than it is to burn a city, or massacre a tribe, or torture prisoners, or rape the enemy's wives? All of these and more have been done for years, and seem to be accepted by the leaders and masses of most countries.
Yes, we are not descending to the gutter, because we would have to climb out of the sewer to get to the gutter.
Lou Vignates
United States (Mar 29, '11)

[Re Colombo digs grave for Tamil harmony, Mar 25] The article certainly does not reflect the views, beliefs and ideology of the majority of Tamils living in Sri Lanka or elsewhere. Most Tamils are Hindus. I myself came from a Hindu family but I was baptized as a Catholic as that was the only way to break out of the caste system and gain an English education in a school. Nevertheless, while Christianity has been a liberator, it has also been an invader. Today I value my ancient Hindu beliefs, as taught by Vivekananda, with a recognition of human equality.
What does all this have to with Ramachandran's article about the Sri Lankan government demolishing LTTE graves? It has everything to do with it. The Hindus do not bury their dead. In fact, All Asian cultures prefer to cremate the dead. Once the soul - atman - has left the body, the corpse is a defilement. That is why there are no ancient grave yards in Indian culture. The corpses are burnt and even the ashes are scattered in a river or elsewhere.
Burial is for the utterly poor, or for those who believe that the body will rise intact on the day of judgment, and go to heaven or hell, as dictated by a God who is not part of our culture. The LTTE forced this Christian tradition even on the Tamil Hindus, because its leadership has been top heavy with Catholicism. Many of its suicide cadre have names like Anthony, James etc. The graves of LTTE Christians should be in a church yard. But there should be no graves for our Hindu children. They were children kidnapped and converted into canon fodder by the LTTE, and forcibly entombed in the ground according to an alien belief system totally contrary to our culture.
What the Sri Lankan government - if the report is true - it is doing is what the Indian government, or the Chinese or Japanese governments would do, and should do in such circumstances. Mr Ramachandran should realize that the values of Christianity are not universal values, any more than circumcision or baptism are universal values. Mr. Ramachandran has absolutely no idea of Dutugamunu or and other aspect of that culture. Ellalan was cremated, and his ashes were entombed. There was no graves for Ellalan or any one else.
Sebastian Raslaingam
Canada (Mar 28, '11)
Editor's note: Sudha Ramachandran is a female independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore.

[Re Welcome to the NATO quagmire, Mar 25] I have noticed that Escobar - and the press in general - are very eager to use the words "right wing" or "controversial" in front of names such as freedom herald Geert Wilders; or in this case "Danish right-winger Anders Fogh Rasmussen."
However, I never see them using adjectives such as "Islamic extremists" or "left-wing nut" in front of the name of so many lunatics that they glow over. On another note, Mr Escobar wants it both ways. A few weeks ago he was complaining about inaction by the Western powers. Now he is complaining about their limited action. Mr Escobar, you cannot have it both ways. Make up your mind, and stop with your charade of journalism.
Ysais Martinez
United States (Mar 28, '11)

[Re Syrian sauce for the Chinese gander, Mar 25] Is Peter Lee inferring that Hafaz al-Assad's suppression of the riot at Hama, as well as biblically, obliterating it while salting its earth served as a model for Deng Xiaoping's Tiananmen Square massacre? China does not have to look beyond its borders for examples of violence: for that, its long history is replete.
As for Bashir al-Assad's handling of events in Daara have not played out fully. The Syrian president is playing at one and the same time bad cop, good cap, to ensure his regime's survival.
Conversely Deng's saying "it's good to get rich" may prove useful to al-Assad. Money will sharpen individualism and weaken the political will for change. In that sense, "Chinese sauce may be good for the Syrian gander". However let's not be carried away too far here. In the end, Syria will allow political parties to flourish and give slack to a tight political leash, something China won't dare to do.
Abraham Bin Yiju
Italy (Mar 28, '11)

[Re Kim Jong-il: A reluctant leader, Mar 24] Sonny Lee reveals the morbid desire of the media in wanting to bury the "Dear Leader" before his time. A reluctant leader, indeed! The sudden death of Kim Il-sung thrust Kim Jong-il into the limelight. He, however, was waiting in the wings as the "Great Leader's" successor. Poor health notwithstanding. Kim is still very much in control.
Let me offer a straightforward example: the group photo of him and former president Bill Clinton surrounded by his entourage when the American president came to accompany the two journalists back to the US, shows only one Korean: Kim Jong-il, seated squarely in the center. The message is clear the release of the two reporters depended on Mr Kim's decision. We all know the dislike among the Western elite and media when it come to the North Korean leader, but wishful thinking is a poor excuse for dealing with the hard face of reality.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Mar 25, '11)

So Libyan citizens are more valuable than Saudi or Bahraini citizens. Evidently that is Obama's logic, as he has made absolutely no noise about defending the rights of the dissidents in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain who are being arrested and killed by their repressive governments.
But getting involved in yet another illegal war against international Bad Boy Muammar G fits in well with Obama's worldview; Bahrain has US military bases, the Saudis buy our debt and own "our" oil, and the Mad Colonel in Tripoli holds no puppet strings to bargain with. He thinks he has tamed Iraq, he lights up some good Mexican weed to dream of getting out of Afghanistan and he is hoping against hope that Libya will somehow be different, that maybe, just maybe, he can do what his albino-clone Bush could not do, win a military victory and walk away clean from a blossoming Muslim democracy who will be forever beholden to America's "liberation."
Obama must figure that sooner or later this formula has to work somewhere, sometime. Only in Wonderland would we follow up a bad movie with even worse sequels.
Hardy Campbell
United States (Mar 25, '11)

[Re Fighting drowns out talking, Mar 23] Like Colonel Muammar Gaddafi declaring a ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has always said that he was in favor of peace talks with the Palestinians for a two state solution. Actions speak louder than words in the colonel's and prime minister's plans of action.
The Israeli airplanes have been busy in Gaza since it looks as though there may be a rapproachement between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Now the man who ran against Netanyahu, Sylvain Shalom, is weighing in on the side of a renewed "Cast Lead", to delay any meeting of the minds of the two main Palestinian factions.
Events in the Arab world have taught Israel little, save that a Gaddafi-like solution of "shock and awe" is the only way to ensure Israel's control of the land from the sea to the Jordan. The growing restiveness in the West Bank, especially among the youth, should signal Netanyahu that the "answer is blowing in the Arab winds" and that old ways are not necessarily best. But deafness and blindness have now gripped the Israeli ruling class, to its own peril.
On the other hand, the sentencing of former president Moshe Katsov for rape is yet another indication of the decline in the Israeli ruling class. The Zionist state cannot stop the tides of history.
Abraham Bin Yiju
Italy (Mar 24, '11)

[Re China WTO victory sets challenge to US, Mar 23] Seems to me it would behoove the United States to abide by the recent World Trade Organization ruling. After all, the world economy is still very much US-centric, and violation of and deviation from this construct, especially by its chief architect, would lead to fraying of the trade organization's legitimacy and ultimately prove detrimental to American interests. But then again, the US politico-economic system just doesn't seem to encourage long-term thinking.
John Chen
United States (Mar 24, '11)

[Re Philippines embraces US, repels China, Mar 22] The Philippines like Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam, has a claim on the islands in the South China Sea. So does China. Manila's position on the Spratlys has been clearly stated for years now. Had China not tried to throw its military weight around by occupying some of the islands for the rich gas deposits they contain, tensions might have remained low.
The Philippines has no naval force to challenge China, but like Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam, relying on the US military is seen as a brake on Beijing's ambitions in the South China Sea. As a former American colony, the Philippines have never sacrificed its privileged position with its former occupier, so it is no surprise that in times of crisis it edges closer to Washington.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Mar 23, '11)

[Re Cyber-attacks add to North Korea arsenal, Mar 16] If memory serve us right, the last time South Korea's databases got hacked, the culprits were pinpointed in South Korea itself and the US, not North Korea.
In the current issue of Atlantic MonthlyRobert Boynton comments on the digital backwardness of North Korea. So the famous Stuxnet would have minimal effect there. Saying this, North Korea does have computer savvy specialists, many of whom have received training in an American university. However, there is meager evidence to tie them to cyber attacks in South Korea.
It is more likely that, as in the past, the hackers are homegrown or live in Europe or the US. Little do we hear of the tensions and dog fights among the South Korea elite in and out of government. Surely, it is time to look more closely to the Byzantine rivalries in South Korea.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Mar 17, '11)

[Re Japan's nuclear disaster spooks India, Mar 16] I think people are missing the point when they say their reactors are not on seismic faults like Japan's, and are therefore safe.
The facts show Japan's crippled reactors were not damaged at all by the earthquake. The tsunami after the earthquake, caused the reactors' cooling systems to fail, and their cores to overheat - all that energy concentrated in one place with nowhere to go.
Any similar failure of the cooling systems on reactors of a similar design will produce the same result, whether by earthquake, tsunami, or simple human error.
Francis
Canada (Mar 17, '11)

We see the "environmentalists" are eager to talk about the Japanese catastrophe. Not the earthquake and tsunami which looks to have killed 10,000 people, but the consequent reactor failure which has caused neither death not injury to anybody. This ten thousandfold lack of balance is typical of the way the word "nuclear" is reported as if it were a form of black magic. For example compare the coverage of Chernobyl, where a total of 56 people died with that of the Ufa train disaster also in the dying days of the USSR, where over 500 people died. Both were equally the result of incompetent management, but the latter, though 10 times worse, was never "newsworthy" because no "black magic" was involved.
The fact is that nuclear power is orders of magnitude safer than any other comparable industrial process. For example in the last 20 years 2 people have died in one nuclear accident, a figure not today altered, in an industry that produces 20% of the world's electricity, whereas over 50 have died falling from wind turbines, in a subsidy driven "industry" that produces under 0.1%. Perhaps some will say that the radiation hazard justifies coverage unrelated to real casualties. After all did they not predict half a million deaths from Chernobyl, based on the No Lower Threshold (LNT) theory of radiation damage? Indeed they did. However statistical examination since then has shown not one of those 500,000 deaths they predicted happened.
The LNT hypothesis has never been anything but an evidence free scare story. Despite it's"official" acceptance by government apparatchiks in both the Soviet and "democratic" worlds it has never had any scientific evidence whatsoever behind it. Ask any government authority what evidence they have that low level radiation is harmful and they will say "trust us" and change the subject. In fact there is massive evidence, from many unrelated sources, that low level radiation is not only not harmful but beneficial, as anybody who has taken spa waters, or indeed the current inhabitants of the Chernobyl region testify.
What the anti-technology crowd won't say is that, when disasters strike, far and away the most important factor in saving lives is having an advanced technology. Compare the 2,000 dead in Japan with the Chinese earthquake of 1976. It was a magnitude 7.8, less that 1/10 the 8.9 of this one (the Richter scale goes up 10 fold for each level). The difference is that then China was dirt poor whereas modern Japan isn't. If the "greens" really cared about human wellbeing they would enthusiastically support every instance of human progress, including more (CO2 free) nuclear power. Any politician who claims that nuclear is not easily the safest method of power generation should never be trusted on anything else either.
Neil Craig
United Kingdom (Mar 17, '11)

[Re Letter from Paul Sunil Vincent] Mr Vincent has clearly misread or misunderstood my own letter commenting on M K Bhadrakumar's latest opinion piece on the situation in Libya.
Nowhere did I argue in support of the Iraq war (which I and many other Americans also opposed from the beginning). But one cannot extrapolate from policies of George W Bush to those of President Obama, as if there is one monolithic establishment set of policies that never changes, which is not so.
My point was, and still is, that contrary to Bhadrakumar's unsupported claim, which Vincent also apparently believes, Obama is not gearing up to conduct a no-fly zone over Libya, probably for many of the same reasons Vincent mentions, but also because he really does support the right of citizens of Middle East countries to control their own lives and destinies and doesn't want to sully their chances by some rash American intervention. This is a good thing, even if Vincent doesn't want to see it.
As for the situation in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, this has nothing to do with my letter, and little to do with Libya or Bhadrakumar's opinion piece, except to show how little influence the West has on the actions of those countries when they feel their backs are against the wall. And it almost certainly is the case that behind the scenes, where it will be more effective, the Obama administration is strongly criticizing the strong-arm tactics being used against the protesting citizens.
John in Kansas
United States (Mar 17, '11)

[Re Don't let Kim be misunderstood, Mar 15] The United States and South Korean campaign against Kim Jong-il uses calumy to degrade, demean, and abuse the man. Ad hominen attacks deflect from serious analyses, which would put the spotlight on the wrongs of Washington's and Seoul's policy towards North Korea.
These two countries will only deal with Pyongyang only if they are brought kicking and screaming to the negotiating table. They would rather that Kim Jong-il fade into the woodwork. So if they engage in character assassination. Is this responsible diplomacy?
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Mar 17, '11)

[Re Insights into China's place in the world, Mar 15] What about the United States' "commitment to global norms such as ... nuclear non-proliferation, and respect for human rights and democracy"? Does it exist beyond a few ritual words?
Lester Ness
China (Mar 17, '11)

[Re Second blast raises nuclear fears, Mar 15] The greatest calamity to befall Japan since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki must not condemn future generations to a repetition of history.
It makes no sense for an island nation lying on the western Pacific's "Ring of Fire", and with active volcanoes scattered throughout, to be engaged in the fallacy of expanding its nuclear energy program. Any questions about Japan's energy future must invariably consider the place of geothermal power, especially given the dangers of its nuclear counterpart.
While a whole host of projects to develop geothermal power began in the 1970s, the construction of nuclear plants and the easing of oil prices led to a dramatic loss in momentum. More recently, concerns over global warming have turned this around.
There are now 18 geothermal power stations in operation, accounting for 0.2% of electricity generated. Clearly, the greatest challenge facing the people of Japan is to work with these powerful forces of nature and not against them.
Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin
Australia (Mar 14, '11)

[Re John in Kansas's letter] It's always fascinating to see how there are Americans, even today after the catastrophe that was Iraq and the continuing quagmire that is Afghanistan, who are completely willing to believe in the 'good intentions' of their leaders as well as the ability of foreigners to bring democracy.
Never mind that the nearby Arab autocracies of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, are two of the US's closest allies. Never mind that Bahrain is using harsh repressive tactics to suppress their people's democratic aspirations. Never mind that Bahrain is restricting foreign journalists so that the monarchy can do what they away from outside eyes. Never mind that Saudi Arabia is sending National Guard units to help the monarchy in it's repression.
Is there any call from the US and the EU for the monarchy to abdicate and for elections to be held? Is it anything to do with Bahrain being the home of a huge American naval base, I wonder. What about the safety of the brave Bahraini citizens?
And yet 'Wonderlanders' (to use Hardy Campbell's wonderful phrase) still persist in believing their government is actually behind the democratic aspirations of the people. Now they want to lead the US into another quagmire. As though a no fly zone is going to stop Gaddafi. That will necessitate boots on the ground. Once there, they become a magnet for Islamists from all around the world.
The blogger Abu Muqawama reports the little remembered fact that 'on a per capita basis, though, twice as many foreign fighters came to Iraq from Libya - and specifically eastern Libya - than from any other country in the Arabic-speaking world ... And 84.1% of the 88 Libyan fighters in the Sinjar documents who listed their hometowns came from either Benghazi or Darnah in Libya's east.'
Perhaps John in Kansas should concentrate on solving his own country's problems before trying to solve those of other countries. Certainly the US has enough on it's plate as it is. And perhaps Americans need to be less trusting of their government when it starts pontificating about exporting democracy and human rights and not letting dictators get away with it.
Paul Sunil Vincent
United Kingdom (Mar 14, '11)

The Saudi intervention in Bahrain will be the final nail in the corrupt Wahhabist regime's golden coffin. Try as they might to suppress the Shia outcry for justice, the Saudis will unleash a whirlwind that will make the last three months of turmoil look like a walk in the park. And their neighbors and bitter rivals across the Gulf will certainly exploit this local outbreak of the "American disease."
Iran's options are so numerous and tempting, they must be hesitant to choose any of them, lest an even more rewarding alternative elude them. As the age-old defender of the Shi'ite "heresy," Iran is also compelled to do something to counter Saudi Arabia's increasing regional boldness in light of America's increasing debilitation and terminal weakness.
Coupled with the Saudi's desire to see the "nuclear option" employed against Tehran, the ayatollahs must now see the gleaming pearls of revenge and preemption dangling before them. From funding the Bahraini and Saudi Shia and Sunni guerilla movements to actively supplying them with weapons, refuge and recruiting propaganda, Iran knows that getting the Saudis bogged down in illegal occupations and domestic rebellion is the surest way to bring Riyadh to its knees.
Swords have a nasty way of cutting with two blades, and Iranian domestic opposition to the same repression Riyadh is imposing can backfire on Tehran. Still, the Saudi action today betrays the same dread of doing nothing and drowning in a tsunami rather than seeking the "high ground" of intervention and slaying the dragon of popular will. Alas, as America's twin debacles should have taught them, there is no quicker way of inviting imperial demise than sticking your nose where it ain't welcome. Hasta la vista, baby.
Hardy Campbell
United States (Mar 15, '11)

[Re Hidden energy crisis in the Middle East, Mar 11] The "hidden energy crisis" is an open secret. One has but to look at the volatility on the world's stock exchanges and the rising prices for fuel. It is interesting that Viktor Kotsev doesn't mention Israel discovery of gas deposits off its coast. The Zionist state is slow to develop these fields.
Yes, for the Zionist state, the change in Egypt has interrupted its supply of natural gas. Its ally Hosni Mubarak is history, and the Netanyahu government did everything in its power to prop him up even though it was plain that the "rais" days were over. Had Israel alternatives? Yes. They, however, would have meant scuppering long held policies in coming to terms with the Palestinians and other Arab states. Kotsev never mentions an energy reserve, which all goes to show that Israel misread the winds of change in its neighborhood.
Abraham Bin Yiju
Italy (Mar 14, '11)

[Re Arab revolt reworks the world order, Mar 9] Well, another week and another fanciful opinion piece by writer M K Bhadrakumar, this time about US policy regarding Libya. As a former ambassador in the Indian foreign service, one would have expected greater maturity of opinion.
For Asian readers of Asia Times Online, especially those who have never lived in the United States, you would never recognize the place from Bhadrakumar's writings.
It is worth understanding that US policy towards the Arab states and Middle East in general is not driven by preoccupation with oil. Sure, if the price goes up, we may not like it but we can live with it, like everyone else.
No, President Obama is not scheming a way to invade Libya, just the opposite. Contrary to just about everything in this overblown, fictitious opinion piece, the real US objective in the Middle East is to enable home-grown democracies and personal freedoms. We believe that free people, in a free and open society, will make their own choices about their lives and families. So, we support freedom movements, even if some of them may cause us problems later on. We are not worried. What a relief it is to see these freedom movements finally standing up to ancient rulers frozen in their thrones!
We are, however, worried for the safety of these brave citizens, which is the only reason a no-fly zone has been discussed at all.
Why has the US generally 'supported' the current regimes for so many years? Well, one reason is that they are the duly established governments of those countries. Like everyone else, we would prefer more open societies and fair elections, but are not prepared to invade to force this (Iraq and Afghanistan being the two exceptions; both the policies of George W Bush).
In the special case of Egypt, aid has been supplied specifically to match the aid given to Israel, the motive being to be more even-handed about such things. (Some of us Americans would prefer that we cut all aid to both countries).
But at some point, the whole world, including Bhadrakumar's India, has to take responsibility if another Ruwanda or Kosovo takes place before our eyes, while we do nothing, or choose to pontificate about the 'evil' United States.
John in Kansas,
United States (Mar 14, '11)

[Re Generational rage in the House of Saud, Mar 10] What is going on from North Africa to the borders of India and the reality of now, is - simply put - "generational rage." The people are in revolt (the House of Saud included) to end the despair that has afflicted this region for several decades and to put an end to the "sinister cohabitation between power and capital" (UN's 2002 Arab Human Development Report).
On average, country by country, 60% of the people are under the age of 30, and more than 70% unemployed, with large segments of the population living on US$2 a day. Country after country has been ruled by dictators clinging to power, decade after decade, aided and abetted by the West, practicing crony capitalism, enriching themselves at the expense of their people, with little regard for the peoples welfare.
What is needed immediately for the region is an immense program on the scale of the Marshall Plan for Europe to redress the peoples miserable existence. Unfortunately, day in and day out, it is hard to discern any of this because of the white noise and chaff coming from self-appointed wise men denigrating this revolt of the people as some dark conspiracy to be feared rather than celebrated.
It seems they would prefer the stability of the graveyard to the messiness of democracy. Events unfolding throughout the whole region clearly show that people, as the Koran dictates, will only be governed with their consent - nothing less.
Fariborz S Fatemi
United States (Mar 11, '11)

[Re Why the Kim regime will falter, Mar 10] Dr Andre Lankov remarks that "North Korea has suspended publication of statistical data a half century ago". This may be very well true but it has not stopped economists and scholars like Rudiger Frank, Marcus Noland, or John S Park from teasing out economic trends and data from various North Korean publications.
Since the dismal science is a playground for speculation or "guesstimation" even in capitalist economies, a good, keen-eyed scholar can point out to growth or economic reform in North Korea, with some assurance, based on his readings and on the spot investigations, and the like.
Lankov keeps referring to what had happened in the Soviet Union when he lived there. Although he may spot some similarities of what North Korea is going through, it is important to make the point that Pyongyang is not Moscow, meaning that the differences are extreme and what came to pass in one country may not happen in another.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Mar 11, '11)

[Re ... and why it will never die, Mar 10] I suppose no-one bothers to write in to refute Kim Myong Chol's articles because they are all so plainly wrong about nearly everything it does not seem worth the time.
While it was fascinating to read alternative theories about the sinking of the Cheonan, the quality of recent articles seems to have declined markedly into less shrill drafts of KCNA diatribes.
While I am sure the editors of Asia Times Online have no wish to stop publishing a quasi-exclusive source, I wonder how much analytical and journalistic value there is to be gleaned from his (?) articles when so written, and when said journalist couldn't possibly write anything else but pro-government platitudes. If somehow Kim Myong Chol has access to the letters page, is reading this, and has something fresh to say that doesn't match my description above, then by all means let's hear it.
Peter Mitchelmore
Canada (Mar 11, '11)

[Re Arab revolt reworks the world order Mar 9] Admittedly even before "revolt" in the Arab work the reworking of the "uni-super power" world of the US was slowly being eroded. Will the growing unrest in the Middle East accelerate this trend?
Israel remains a port in this storm for the US and more broadly speaking the West. The Zionist state is both a point of unity as well as division in the Middle East, much in the same way South Africa was in post-colonial Africa. As such, the "Arab revolt", it has to be pointed out, is inner and not outer directed: this phenomenon immediately does not shake the pillars of western influence; it may in the longer run, but the future usually plays dirty pool with projections.
Abraham Bin Yiju
Italy (Mar 10, '11)

[Re Letter from Saqib Khan, Mar 7] It was actually very interesting to see how the insults towards the Jews were not edited out from this letter. The pro-Islamic nature of these pages is very obvious, but Saqib Khan should be clarified on a couple of things.
First of all, in the West, we mock, ridicule, and laugh at whatever we want, whenever we want. That's why even though Christianity is our religion, we mock Jesus, the virgin Mary, and our favorite jokes are about the Pope and maybe some pedophile priest. No one, specially foreigners who hate us, will come to our shores to dictate what we so passionately mock, ridicule, or despise.
If you have a problem with a cartoon, close your eyes. If you are bothered by what you listen to on the radio, change the station.
One thing is clear, the more that politically correct politicians try to impose sympathy is us for you and your ilk, the more that we will reject you and see you as an alien race amidst our citizens. And remember this, it will not end up good for Islam in Europe and North America. It simply won't. Second, your prophet was not as kind as you describe. He was a conqueror that plundered and destroyed as he took down armies. So do not try to sell us your garbage because we won't buy it.
Only the Third Worldists that attack our country - but like parasites live in our country - would agree with your distortion of the facts. If you dont want to mock my prophet or savior or whatever he is to us, it is your problem. Some of us have no desire to revere your prophet or your religion or any religion whatsoever.
Jonathan Howie
United States (Mar 10, '11)

If there's one thing you can count on among Texas Republicans, it's their disdain, contempt and disregard for government attempts to regulate Big Business in the Lone Star State.
If BP wants to ignore safety and environmental hazards in its refineries or offshore facilities, well, they ARE in the Oyl Bidniss, aren't they? If Enron wants to play accounting voodoo and wreck the lives of thousands of Texans, well, heck, podnuh, that's just plain ol' survival of the fittest and f(r)iends of the Bush Mafia.
But woe unto any Texas housewife who wants to bake cookies or jam or tamales or any other downhome consumable to sell on the side of the road to add a few pennies to their dwindling coffers. Then the GOP 's sudden conversion to rigid government regulation raises its multi-hypocritical heads. Safety and hygiene rules, bureaucratic red tape, nitpicking inspectors and a horde of zealous defenders of the public weal will harass, fine and intimidate these hardened criminals, who usually can't afford expensive commercial kitchen facilities.
As in all things Republican, the rationale for such regulatory mania requires following the money trail. Many of the larger food, baking and agricultural companies, who contribute heavily to Republican war chests, want to nip in the bud any attempt by the average Texan to supplement their GOP-ravaged incomes at the expense of their profits, or to wean themselves off the high-fructose, fat-laden, sugar-saturated garbage that those purveyors of ill-health peddle with impunity.
Worse, much of the junk used to poison Americans by these sudden converts to government health rules is subsidized by the every Americans it's killing, but that tragic irony won't stop the campaign donators from stifling the very private enterprises the Republicans taut.
So much for the "free hand of the market" and "capitalist competition." It's not enough that the GOP has wrecked America's economy forever; no, they demand that all vestiges of independence from MegaCorporate Amerika be squashed before its seed can take root, buried beneath an avalanche of the very same rules that when applied to their corporate masters will be lambasted as an infringement of American freedom.
But I guess you can't knock success. In every election, these same toadies to Big Business will don their western wear, swig a few beers in a televised honky-tonk encounter with "good honest folk" and sing the siren song that's brought the country to its subterranean kneeling position. What a (finished) country!
Hardy Campbell
United States (Mar 10, '11)

[Re Korea's pulpit bullies take aim at Islam, Mar 8] Here's a case where theology and ideology triumph: South Korea has its own Muslims. The Turkish troops during the Korean War had a hand in bringing Islam to South Korea.
Official governmental publication will from time to time have a feature on them as a way of tapping Arab markets. Surely among South Korea's bankers there have to be some Muslims who see the value of sukuk?
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Mar 9, '11)

[Re Pakistani minister gunned down, Mar 2] I am appalled and disgusted at the murders of Salman Taseer and Shabaz Bhatti and condemn these heinous crimes as an insult to Islam as well as to the whole humanity. There will always be a Muslims or many Muslims who would consider it a matter of vengeance and death if some one belonging to any faith even a secular Muslim insulted or sullied the character and personality of our beloved Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
Islam totally forbids killing of an innocent human being and considers this heinous act as " Killing of the whole humanity." Islam is an entirely tolerant religion. Islam says tolerance is the only basis for peace in a society and where tolerance is absent, peace will be non-existent. Islam also preaches nothing but peace and harmony all around.

Islam has progressive traditions and Islamic civilization has in the past proved capable of extraordinary feats of tolerance. Under the Muslims, medieval Spain became a haven for diverse religions and sects, and the allegation by some that Islamic civilization is inherently less capable of tolerance is absurd. Magnanimity is very much admired by Muslims and it is considered a sin if we ill-treat or harm an enemy at our mercy; it is our religious and moral duty to protect him from all harm.

Even there were no blasphemy laws in Pakistan, there always be many Muslims in the world who because of their personal devotional love for our beloved Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) will give their lives to defend his name, respect, honor, dignity, integrity and supreme noble character. So, it is also a personal matter for some who will take law into their own hands. So, I say it and have always said it that we respect each other faiths, beliefs, prophets, scriptures and do not say verbally anything obnoxious deliberately to offend, incite, instigate hatred and disorder in the society. Muslims consider it a great sin even to insult any revealed scripture or abuse any holy prophet mentioned in the Quran and other revealed Books and expect the same from the non-Muslims. But again, there will be nutters, cartoonists and Western scholars who have made it habit of making few bucks and dollars to insult and demonize Islam.

Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), when he settled in Medina with his followers was to constitute a city-state in which Muslims, Jews, Christians, pagan Arabs all entered into a social contract. The constitutional law of the first,” Muslim” state succeeded in was a confederacy as a sequence of the multiplicity of the population groups which meant:” To Muslims their religion; and to the Jews their religion; to Christians their religion, and there would be benevolence and justice to all. This also meant that the non-Muslims possessed the right to vote in the election of the head of the state as they elected Prophet Mohammed as their political head.
In Islamic states, non-Muslim communities had always enjoyed a judicial autonomy, not only for personal status but also for all affairs of life including civil, penal and others. Judicial powers were delegated to Christian priests and the Jewish hakham in the reign of many caliphs. In the time of Prophet Mohammed, the Jews of Medina had their synagogue and educational institute and in the treaty with the Christians of Narjan, Prophet (pbuh) gave a guarantee not only for the security of person and property of the inhabitant’s but left the nomination of bishops and priests to the Christian community itself. In an Islamic state, non-Muslims constitute a protected community and it is therefore the duty of the governments to protect their legitimate interests.
In Abbasid caliphate: Muslims, Christians, Jews and others preserved their own modes of dress, their social manners and their distinct cultures. As Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) so beautifully put it: ''The Whole world is a mosque''. The available record show that Prophet Mohammed (SAW) was always especially tolerant of Christians and in 628 in Median, he granted a Charter to the Monastery of ST. Catherine, guaranteeing the safety of their persons , houses and in places of worship. They were not to be converted to Islam by force as conversion is forbidden and was detested by the Prophet (pbuh). Christian women married to Muslims could follow their own religion and Muslims were encouraged to help in the repair of their churches.

The Jews, however received a different treatment since they had always conspired, created insidious troubles (fitna) and sided with the Querish of Mecca and supported them in contravention of earlier treaty obligation with Prophet (pubh) in attacking Muslims settled in Medina. These Jews were deeply distrusted and strongly resented for their inherent hatred and treachery against Islam and Muslims. But they were free In the 7th century because of Islam‘s magnanimity and equity in justice to all its citizens of the expanding caliphate, Nestorians and Monophysite Christians of Egypt and Syria embraced Islam because of the prejudicial and racist treatment of the treatment of the Romans.
Saqib Khan
United Kingdom (Mar 7, '11)

[Re Pakistani minister gunned down , Mar 2] The shooting to death of Pakistan's Minister for Minorities and anti-blasphemy laws campaigner Shahbaz Bhatti by Taliban and al-Qaeda linked gunmen, brought this response from US President Barack Obama: "He was clear-eyed about the risks of speaking out, and, despite innumerable death threats, he insisted he had a duty to his fellow Pakistanis to defend equal rights and tolerance from those who preach division, hate and violence".
But according to S K Tessler, a Christian retired army colonel who served under former president Pervez Musharraf, many Muslims see the US-led war in Afghanistan as a war against Islam. This places President Obama in no moral position to separate his criticism of Bhatti's assassins from the US military's war effort in the region.
The "war on terror" equally preaches "division, hate and violence" to Muslims, and it only strengthens the Pakistani government's resolve to defend Islam at the expense of putting religious minorities at risk.
Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin
Australia (Mar 3, '11)

Every time middle class Americans raise their voices in protest against some new Republican attempt to gut their basic rights to earn a living wage, the cries of "Class Warfare" will as predictably flow from the neo-conmen oral privies. Implicit in this Fascist codespeak are the words "socialism," "distribution of wealth" and "worker's rights," which are guaranteed tripwires for the GOP attack dogs to launch their patented vicious and mendacious vitriol.
The irony of such palpable nonsense is that the Republicans have practiced the rankest form of class warfare fort he last 30 years, starting with Reagan's Real Cold War against collective bargaining, union organization and protection against the corporate greed he rewarded time and time again. Since then, the Republicans have made the liquidation of the middle class as much a priority as the enrichment of their plutocratic masters.
By using the rhetoric of free trade, capitalism and continued American supremacy, they sold globalization and open markets to the proto-TeaBagger hordes, eager to see their livelihoods shipped overseas. This worked out quite nicely; the GOPers would get re-elected over and over on this pro-business platform while the profits for their corporate bosses skyrocketed, the blue collar middle class vanished and that bogeyman of Management America, the unions, faded into irrelevance.
The propaganda continually reminded Americans that the future lay in "service" economies, not blue collar heavy industry, thus making the educated white collar non-union Wonderlander feel somehow safe from low wage Third World competition. But that capitalist genie refuses to get back into that bottle, and Chinese IT engineers are facing stiff challenges from Indian engineers for jobs that will never see America's impoverished shores again.
But none of that will deter the Republicans. If even a few Americans remain to defend their dwindling and increasingly irrelevant rights, count on the Grand Old Pornographers to denounce those wicked hens for choking the noble Wolf on all their feathers.
Hardy Campbell
United States (Mar 3, '11)

[Re North Koreans out of revolutionary loop, Mar 1] Andrei Lankov should know better. What makes him think that were the North Koreans more aware of the uprising in Egypt, they would bring down the house of Kim? He simply has to look next door to China where the word is out about events in the Middle East. No way in hell is the Chinese leadership going to let things get out of hand.
Lankov has access to refugees from the North, I wager that among the 20,000 or so, there is hardly, say, 3% who were part of the privileged inner core. That alone speaks volumes on the stability of the regime.
Nakamura Junzo Guam (Mar 2, '11)

I am a little puzzled as to why in the general Western media, when the madman Gaddafi buys foreign soldiers to fight his dirty battles they are called "mercenaries", yet when the arguably sane Western NATO forces in Iraq hire foreign soldiers to do their dirty work these are called, "security contractors".
Am I missing something logical here, or am I simply a confused stickler for calling a spade a spade? Or perhaps in this case, a hired killer is always going to be a killer for hire, in spades.
Warron Conroy
Australia (Feb 28, '11)

[Re Scent of freedom in North Korea, Feb 24] Spottily, the uprisings along the Arab fault line have resonated in China and even in the United States. How reliable the South Korean press reporting is on the ''scent of freedom'' in North Korea is very much open to question.
Pyongyang does have deal with popular discontent: remember the response in Autumn 2010 to the ill-conceived currency reform. However discontent in North Korea is hardly a mirror reflection of what's going on in North Africa or the Trucial States. The closest example of youth rising up to throw out the rascals comes from South Korea. There, a half century ago, after a bogus election, South Koreans, with students in the lead, chased Syngman Rhee into exile, and all too briefly South Korea breathed the fresh winds of democracy before the colonels overthrow Chang Myon. But today, we are not anywhere close to France's May 1968 in China or North Korea.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Feb 25, '11)

Futureman called last night, exhausted from the furious debates at his university class. "This was a rough one," he said. "The prof challenged us to create scenarios where the US could have prevented its extinction as a nation-state. At first that sounded preposterous; we've been taught since childhood the liquidation was inevitable and deserved. But then there were so many ideas generated, some ridiculous, others intriguing."
"What was your take on that?" I queried, not asking for any details of what he assured me was a' comin'. "Well, me and five others argued that if somebody had stood up and said, "Listen, folks, we've been living in a fantasy world for quite some time now. We're NOT the greatest country in the world, we're NOT God's Ten Lost Tribes, we're NOT the moral arbiter of right and wrong in the globe. If someone had started out with that..."
"He woulda gotten shot before the last 'We're NOT..' got out of his mouth," I blithely interjected. Futureman chuckled. "Dude, we should have had you in our classroom today. We reached that same conclusion after three hours of chaotic debate. There was another crowd that said it was all the non-whites that undermined America, and that the abolition of slavery, the passing of the Civil Rights Act and the lax border security doomed the country to a mixed race, intellect-diluting dissolution. Of course, no one paid them much attention; they were all reptilian refugees form Mars." I sulked momentarily. "So what did you all conclude?" "Pretty simple, really. We pulled out the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. We read them in detail. We decided that few in the US had read these words, and of that few who had, most totally misunderstood them and the even fewer that did understand them misapplied them miserably. But we agreed it was a miracle." "Miracle? What miracle?" I sputtered. "That you lasted as long as you did."
Hardy Campbell
United States (Feb 25, '11)

[Re Iran embarks on new voyage of discovery, Feb 23] It is too early to say that Egypt will side with Iran against Israel. True, the Egyptian military is adapting to newer conditions on the ground, but an examination of who retain the key posts in the transition to democracy, are and remain men picked by Hosni Mubarak, who will honor treaty agreements.
Nonetheless, that Egyptian authorities have allowed two ships - a frigate and a supply ship - to pass through the Suez Canal is a signal event. After a week in Syria, they will again go through the canal and return to Iran. It should be a wake-up call to Israeli authorities that they, too, have to adapt to the new reality of change in the Arab world.
Israel is not being encircled, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would like us to believe. Reforms in Egypt, for example, are internal and the transitions to a civilian government and parliamentary democracy are first and foremost goals. Israel, too, has to engage in glasnost of its own and approach the Palestinians and Syrians and Lebanese with a willingness to solve issues openly and fairly, which is the only path for Israeli security and peace in the region. The same advice applies to the US which has to throw off the yoke of an antiquated foreign policy which is losing them friends both in Arab countries and Israel.
Abraham Bin Yiju
Italy (Feb 24, '11)

[China balks at speeding fine, Feb 23] "On February 22, the US Air Force proposed to spend $3.7 billion over the next five years developing a new, stealthy, long-range, manned bomber likely intended to penetrate Chinese air defenses."
How will the US pay for this? Surely not from taxes! Perhaps they hope to keep on borrowing from China ...
Lester Ness
China (Feb 24, '11)

[Re Next stop the House of Saud, Feb 19] Pepe Escobar writes: "The great 2011 Arab revolt will only fulfill its historic mission when it shakes the foundations of the House of Saud". Wrong! Its historic mission is to shake the foundations of Jerusalem.
Reports over the weekend claim that 2 million Egyptians in Tahrir Square chanted "to Jerusalem we are heading, martyrs in the millions." Arab dictatorships supported by US geopolitical interests in the Middle East are facing their gravest test in a generation as the old world order crumbles to the ground. Last Thursday, US President Barack Obama urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a 50-minute phone call to block a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements. It was a desperate last minute attempt to avoid vetoing the resolution. The following day, the US had no other option but to issue a veto, with the 14 other council members all voting in favor. Obama's presidency is now hopelessly beholden to the Israel lobby - the most powerful foreign policy determinant in post-Cold War American political history.
Christian Zionists have shaken the foundations of Washington. They have locked the US into a non-negotiable religious alignment with a regime whose repressive practices towards the Palestinians are tacitly approved and justified on the basis of them being literally in accordance with the prophetic will of God.
All this has nothing to do with freedom, human justice and the inalienable dignity of the human person - a cause for which millions of protesters in the Arab world are now willing to die. They are the ones who will bring true democracy to the Middle East and to the ancient Holy City of Jerusalem.
Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin Australia (Feb 23, '11)

[Re Rocker Kim sets tongues wagging, Feb 17] Kim Jong-il may have trouble with the "playboy" behavior of his eldest son, Kim Jong-nam, and his "rocker" second son, Kim Jong-chol, but what's happening in North Korea escapes Sonny Lee's article.
One, Kim Jong-eun, acccording to the press wires, now holds a senior position in the powerful National Defense Commission. If further proof need be for the Doubting Thomases, the younger Kim's nomination signals that the transition to succeed his father is complete. On the other hand, today's Financial Times reports that Western countries have turned a deaf ear to North Korea's appeal for food aid. Taking shelter behind bureaucratic excuses, they are telling Pyongyang to go through the channels of the United Nations, which is a way of derailing any immediate supplies of much needed food.
So much for opening dialogue with North Korea and the hypocritical concern for the plight of the North Korean people who have sustained years of poor harvests and at times starvation. The Western nations rebuff to Pyongyang is the more telling since they are more interested in overthrowing Kim Jong-il & Co than in restoring stability on the Korean Peninsula and working towards its denuclearization.
Talking about the errancy of Kim Jong-chol or Kim Jong-nam makes for quick headlines and arouses much idle chatter, but more to the point, it misses the real story.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Feb 18, '11)

[Re Erdogan gets a fraternal welcome, Feb 17] The shadow of Turkey looms large, not only in the Arab world but in the Turkic speaking former Soviet Central Asian Republics. Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to troubled Kyrgyzstan is a case in point. Turkey's thriving economy, under secular leaders who forced the military back to the barracks, offers a model of development and much needed stability in Bishkek.
If anything, it is not, as some critics may have it, a resurgence of "Ottoman" imperialism, but it very much an example of the growing soft power of Ankara in a geographical area which is stretching from the edges of China to Algeria. Turkey, albeit a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is now coming into its own as older Western configurations crumble.
Abraham Bin Yiju
Italy (Feb 17, '11)

The scramble for taking credit for the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt continues apace; the delusionists in Wonderland (that is to say, those even delusional by Wonderland's fantasy standards) are already placing congratulatory laurel wreaths on the heads of Bush and his female poodle, Blair.
These neo-con pundits are pointing to the illegal invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan as somehow precipitating these revolutionary events 10 years later, a claim akin to ascribing Toyota's success to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. But the cranial festooning of these two Anglo-Saxon fascists is OK by me, because if either warmonger gets tried for their crimes, their garlanded heads will look good mounted on pikes.
Of course, the narcissists who swoon over Facebook and Twitter are justifying their electronic obsessions by claiming that the social network sites enabled immediate popular mobilization of dissenters. This is a bit like saying Paul Revere was the main engine for the American Revolution because he had a horse. Until recently Iran was making all kinds of self-congratulatory noises about Egyptian emulation of their glorious Islamic revolution, even though that claim sounds like a favorable comparison of being fired for embezzlement with resigning to become CEO of a major conglomerate.
I hear that the mullahs in Tehran are reconsidering the comparison though. A more legitimate claim can be be made by Mother Earth and her propensity for showing humanity just who Da Boss really is; draught and floods have jacked food prices worldwide and made previously obsequious but sated bellies rise up in hungry desperation.
But let's stick with us bipedal simians; where, oh where is Francis Fukuyama when you need him? Shouldn't that proclaimer of history's termination be claiming the triumph of democracy and freedom and capitalism like he did when the Soviet bloc imploded? Or maybe the old (paraphrased) saying "Once burned, twice keeping my big mouth shut" has become his favorite aphorism, and prematurely hasty proclamations of "victory" are deservedly muted.
Because the jury's still out on all of the goings-on in the Middle East, with the outcomes still hazy in the fog of future history. So I suggest everyone wait until the fourth quarter, with all zeros on the clock, before we proclaim "credit" for anything. But if anyone deserves a statue and a legitimate claim for his death meaning something, let's applaud the unemployed Tunisian Mohammed Bouazizi, whose ultimate protest will be heard for quite some time to come.
Hardy Campbell
United States (Feb 17, '11)

[Re The Internet bubble in Middle East politics Feb 15] Mr Spengler, irrespective of your racist hate-mongering of Muslims and Islam, the events that are unfolding will lead to ultimate downfall of Israel and exodus of Zionists from occupied Palestine.
People around the world no longer believe in the myths created about Muslims and Arabs by Zionist and Christo-fascist writers. Tunisians and Egyptians have shown what a true civilized people can do without use of lies, manipulation and violence.
This is just the beginning of a new era and it may take decades but ultimately oppression and injustice will be defeated because of laws of nature that good always triumphs over evil.
Vincent Maadi
South Africa (Feb 16, '11)

[Re Beijing declares war on Chinglish, Feb 15] Kent Ewing is spot on in his criticism of China's misguided attempt to roll back the supposed linguistic assault by the English language. Aren't the General Administration of Press and Publication officials aware that China's cultural and dynastic resiliency (as the longest continuously existing civilization) stems not from the "purity" of the Chinese culture but rather its strength derived from the continual absorption of foreign customs during the country's millennia-long history? And who is to say that admixing a few foreign tongues will weaken the Chinese language and culture? Look at English, has the introduction of French, German and Middle Eastern terms prevented/subverted its role as the world's lingua franca?
In this increasingly globalized world that is also advancing by leaps and bounds technologically, languages need to be updated constantly to facilitate exchanges of ideas and mores. Sadly, the Chinese culture cops' intent bespeaks a degree of ignorance, narrow-mindedness and hubris that is not only unwarranted but may very well present an impediment to the country's long-term global aspirations.
As the author rightly suggested, the human and financial investment into this linguistic holy war can be better utilized in saving China's many disappearing dialects or even in refining Chinglish. Trying to fend off English "intrusions" will in the end prove to be nothing more than a Sisyphean endeavor.
John Chen
United States (Feb 16, '11)

[Re Dear Leader faces unhappy birthday, Feb 15] Sunny Lee's pen is dipped in the ink of Schadenfreude. Kim Jong-il's 70th birthday may be a time for modest celebration, indeed. But belt tightening is the order of the day: look at the US and the sharp knife at cutting into the fat of a much-needed program for growth. South Korea's elite are banking on the collapse of the North. It's not happening, and if one looks at the work of John S Park, it is obvious that North Korea's economy is getting shots of Vitamin B from China's public and "private" sectors.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Feb 16, '11)

I admire President Obama's astute and shrewd diplomatic skills; he is achieving what ex-president George W Bush could not achieve by illegally invading Iraq and Afghanistan, and by killing hundreds of thousands innocent human beings and razing these countries to rubble.
President Obama is helping "revolution for change" in the Middle East starting with Tunisia, Egypt and now people in Iran are rising against their regimes. President Obama is succeeding without wasting trillions of dollars on invading any country, and peoples' revolution will spread like wildfire in the Middle East and in the Third World where masses are hankering for a better life and change for better.
Saqib Khan
United Kingdom (Feb 16, '11)

[Re Border guards born in blood, Feb 10] The author conveniently overlooks a few facts: 1. India liberated Bangladesh from Pakistani genocide during the 1971 war. Without India, there would be no Bangladesh.
2. Since 1971, the Bangladeshi government is soley responsible for permitting its Muslim citizens to persecute Hindus and Buddhists and violating their human rights in that country. The Bangladeshi government has actively displaced and assaulted native Buddhists in the Chittagong hill tracts for the convenience of its own Muslim migrants on such a magnitude that makes the Palestine or Tibetan violations of human rights pale in comparison.
3. Regular reports in the Indian newspapers throughout the years point out that members of the BSF and Indian villagers have been attacked and mutilated by BGB and Bangladeshi migrants in the border area with such ferocity and malice (eg pouring boiling oil down throats) that any civilized person would pale in horror.
4. There is thorough documentation in the free press that BGB have often taken the initiative in provoking armed conflicts with the BSF. The BGB's credibility cannot be taken seriously since they mutinied against their own government and attacked BSF on numerous occasions under the guise of encouraging citizens to migrate to India due to land shortages in their own country.
5. Numerous attempts by the BSF to fence the border and peacefully keep migrants out have been thwarted by the aggressive stances of the BGB.
6. Bangladesh is notorious for persecuting its minorities, women and denying people basic human rights. Whatever happened to Taslima Nasrin I wonder ...
7. Numerous terrorist outfits have used the porous border to infiltrate India with the blessings of the BGB.
Bangladesh has to get its act together if it assumes to be a democracy. Oh where indeed is the humanity in Bangladesh I wonder...
The BSF deserves all the credit for trying to keep the peace under difficult circumstances.
Rita Kumar
Sweden (Feb 15, '11)

Words are wondrous things. By themselves, they are merely ink stains on paper, electronic pixels on a screen or acoustic vibrations moving through air. But their intended meanings and their inferred interpretations speak volumes about a people, a culture and their history.
Take the word "liberal" as used here in Wonderland. In the 19th century, Americans reveled in using the term to describe themselves and their classless, democratic ideals, in sharp contrast to Europe's aristocratic obsession with class and suppression of free speech. America's goal was to make the entire word "liberal" in the sense that merit, talent and individual initiative meant more than ancient dynasties, ossified hierarchies and repressed liberties. We welcomed the adoption of liberal reforms in countries heretofore entrenched in conservative (read "Old World") reactionary values.
Indeed, we still applaud such moves, as we are doing in Egypt, but oddly, the concept that was used with such enthusiasm in the 19th century is now limited to the process of "liberalization," rather than as a characterization of individuals. That's because the conservative movement in Wonderland has been very effective at making the word a pejorative used in denouncing their ideological foes in this confused country.
Personally, I am proud to identify myself with such a moniker, but amongst the general Wonderpublic it is anathema; more to the point, for politicians it's tantamount to saying "child molester." To be called a liberal in modern America is to characterize someone as a mollycoddler of people demanding their civil rights, a bleeding heart who empathizes with people who are down on their luck, a peaceloving wimp who decries illegal wars, a treehugging nutjob who wants to breathe clean air, a hater of America who can only criticize the Fox Network's delusions.
Oh, and the true neo-conman would throw in potsmoking, drug-peddling, adulterous swinger who is bisexual and lives in a commune. So America's schizophrenia with the root word continues. Whereas we love it when foreigners throw off their authoritarian chains in order to "liberalize" their societies (ie, become more like Americans), God forbid that this process create anything like "liberals" (ie, Americans with consciences and a sense of moral obligation to your fellow humans.)
Hardy Liberal Campbell
United States (Feb 15, '11)

[Re Death to minorities in Indonesia, Feb 11] What are the extremists, whether in Indonesia or in other parts of the world, achieving except civil disturbance?
With great sadness and pain I heard about the killings in Indonesia. My deepest sympathy goes to the families. Three members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community were martyred in Indonesia in an utterly barbaric and brutal attack by self-proclaimed "Muslims".
Such attacks are definitely not compatible with Islamic teaching. Islam is a religion of peace and guarantees freedom of speech and conscious. This is not the first time that members of the community are murdered because of their faith.
Again and again, members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community have been the target of violent persecution, whether in Pakistan, Indonesia or Bangladesh.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim community is a peaceful and tolerant community and does not support any kind of violence. I appeal to the politicians in Indonesia and worldwide to raise their voice against the extremists and to take severe action.
Khilat Ahmed
Germany (Feb 14, '11)

There is rejoicing everywhere, now that the fossilized corpse Hosni Mubarak has decided that early mummification in a cozy resort may not be a bad idea. Everywhere, that is, except for Egypt's neighbor, the so-called peace-loving democracy of Israel.
The Jews are wringing their hands because sandstorms on the Nile inevitably blow harshly on the West Wall. With that reliably bought-off kleptocrat in Cairo, Tel Aviv ensured becalmed weather; with the empowerment of a generally anti-Israeli Egyptian populace, the forecasts are cloudy, with a chance of defiance on the horizon. But the Jewish obsession with dictators and repressive governments is not necessarily a next door regional security issue.
From the bloodthirsty Ethiopian "Black Stalin" Mengistu to the apartheid regime in South Africa to the rightwing Latin American military regimes, Israel has supported, encouraged, trained, supplied and financed a veritable Who's Who of Third World bad boys. Their activities were clandestine and typically in defiance of international sanction regimes, but always with a wink and nod from their tail-wagged "partners" in Stoogeville USA.
While their American puppets denounced these dictators and ensured a scarcity of funds and weapons, the canny Jews would have a monopoly in smuggling and embargo-busting, and no doubt some of those fat profits made their way into CIA and Pentagon Swiss bank accounts. They did all this under the Israel-invisible news media radar of the West, which went out of its way to ensure that Israel's hypocrisy and illegal activities went underreported (if at all), all the better to bolster the fiction of a democracy-loving Jewish state.
Hopefully, a new Egypt will turn up the heat on the smug Jews, reminding them and the world that their brutality towards the Palestinian people features many aspects of American Jim Crow, National Socialist racism and Rwandan tribalism. Time will tell, and I have no doubt Israel will seek out new dictators and suppressors of the popular will in order to promote its Zionist agenda. But now the winds blowing from the across the Sinai seem less comforting than in the past, and that can only be a good thing for the rest of us.
Hardy Campbell
United States (Feb 14, '11)

Let us hope that the new government in Egypt is fair, just and democratic, and not influenced by the armed forces or any other group. It would respect its people's wishes, aspirations and honor their hopes for a better future for them and their future generation.
The brutal and corrupt dictator Hosni Mubarak has finally gone forever. He was abandoned and dumped in a rubbish tip like a banana skin by his loyal friends, finally. Americans are good at disowning and abandoning their good friends when they are of no use to them and impede their economical and political interests. I believe that Hosni Mubarak became a liability for them and they had to go along with the wishes of 80 million Egyptians.
I hope that the new government confiscates all of Hosni Mubarak's assets that he robbed from his nation's coffers and try him for crimes against the Egyptian people.
I would like to congratulate every Egyptian who struggled to have him removed from power and honor the dead who gave their lives for the freedom of their country.
Let it be a warning to all corrupt, embezzling and greedy Muslim rulers that their turn will surely come.
Saqib Khan
United Kingdom

[Re A Korean breakdown, not breakthroughFeb 11] You can look at the failure of the inter-Korean military talks two ways, it seems to me. On one hand, it is a breakthrough in the sense the two Koreas met to talk not to lob shells at each other. On the other, it was destined to break down because South Korea brought items to the table - the sinking of the Cheonan and Yeonpyong island. The raising of these issues guaranteed failure. However, another meeting will take place because the matter of stability and denuclearization demand it.
Nakamura Junzo Guam (Feb 14, '11)

These days, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has been unusually quiet after being boxed in the ears by the Beijing authorities, who transported 14 Taiwanese citizens out of the Philippines to China on Feb 2 to face trial for allegedly scamming millions of dollars from Chinese officials.
Prior to this, Ma's government let Chen Guang-biao, a Chinese tycoon and philanthropist roam freely in Taiwan to shower money at whoever buttonholed him and his entourage for help. This attracted not only throngs of people pleading and begging for money wherever Chen went, but also inordinate media attention. Suddenly, Taiwan was turned into a beggarly state overnight.
These two events suggest that Beijing has lost its patience and no longer cares about Ma's bid for his second term in 2012.
The unlawful removal of the 14 Taiwanese to China has sent Ma's regime into a political abyss and gripped it with muted panic. It is Beijing's vote of no confidence.
Tycoon Chen's political taunting, veiled in the philanthropist garb, was merely a prelude to a well-choreographed agenda to embarrass and discredit Ma. (Chen is a trueborn Chinese and communist who has pledged on more than one occasion that he would give up all he has to the cause of the Chinese Communist Party).
Meanwhile, this signals overtly that the KMT ought to reconsider Ma's representation for its next presidential bid and that an internal political uprising is okay. This is probably the main content of the curds that Ma is chewing quietly right now.
Ma figured that something needed to be done to appease Beijing. This explains the surprise move made by Yang Chih-liang, former Taiwan Minister of Health, to sue the DaHwa Talk Show host and its guests on Yang's last day in office.
Ma and his buddy-strategist Chin Pu-tsung (aka Dagger Chin) certainly know that this action will endanger KMT's year-end bid for the majority of seats in the legislature.
Think, what will those millions of viewers, who live and breathe by the show, do if it is taken off the air? Think again, what will the KMT legislators do when they figure out that Ma has signed their political death warrant?
Doesn't Ma know that Taiwan does not have a political infrastructure that can clamp down freedom of speech at will?
But we must not watch the whole drama with indifferent eyes.
We want to put forward to Ma his own maxim that "crisis is opportunity". He'll fare better by abiding by it and dig in and sit tight in front of his "China" tree that housed the rabbit hole, vigilantly watching for the rabbits-of-goodwill from Beijing to pop out.
Anyway, what's there to lose? It is an "either or" thing for Ma after the Year of the Rabbit. By then, he will either remain a hog-tied political figure and render himself even more useful to Beijing or be liberated.
Yang Chunhui
United States (Feb 14, '11)

[Re All eyes on new man in Nepal, Feb 8] Nepal has a new prime minister and the public has a renewed hope that the constitution will be written in due time. But, that seems unlikely if the government keeps acting like a puppet either in hands of India or China.
Nepal can start making its own decision once those power-hungry countries stop making Nepal a battlefield. The fault lies in politicians and party members in Nepal who have not been able to take a stand for their country. Let's hope Mr Khanal changes all that.
Upendra
Australia (Feb 11, '11)

[Re Border guards born in blood, Feb 10] India, which prides herself as the largest democracy in the world, demonstrated a total lack of humanity and justice in dealing with these murders.
Can you imagine American border officials shooting at Mexican citizens without any good reason while they are crossing the border? India should look at the US border patrol for guidance and start acting like a democracy.
Hasan Mir
United States (Feb 11, '11)

I have had a question about Hosni Mubarak ever since the Egyptian Revolution began 17 days ago. The question is: What dictator's fate will he emulate; that of Abidine Ben Ali, Erich Honecker or Nicolae Ceausescu? The Tunisian president, who Mubarak really does need to send a love letter to on Valentine's Day, hightailed it out town when his oppressed people collectively rebelled. He is now residing comfortably in Saudi Arabia, a place noted for its affinity for tyrants (maybe he got Idi Amin's former domicile.) Humiliated, true, but alive. The East German leader, so noteworthy for a myopia that would make naked mole-rats seem like subterranean eagles, was overthrown by a roused citizenry, then jailed, then exiled, to spend his remaining days in South America (well known for its affinity for German criminals.) But he was still kicking, a commonality he shared with Ben Ali.
After today's performance of in-your-face, I-still-don't-get-it defiance, only one power-mad dictator can be Hosni's final role model. Indeed, how can one not remember that December day in 1989 when a shocked Ceausescu stood atop a podium in Bucharest and was hooted down by the previously subservient Romanians? His subsequent flight, apprehension and televised execution may not parallel every detail of Mubarak's impending doom, but in the only thing that counts they will be identical.
It did not have to be this way, of course. Though many in the West still persist in making this demand for his ouster a clamor for reform or democracy or free speech, it has never really been about anything other than the total rejection, if not vitriolic hatred, that the average Egyptian has for this wretchedly out-of-touch dinosaur.
Reform, well, yes, that will have to happen also, but now this conflict is first and foremost an intensely personal death struggle, in the literal sense. Few will weep when this latest and most grotesque of pharaohs is buried, but buried he most surely will be.
Hardy Campbell
United States (Feb 11, '11)

[Re Taiwan's Ma strides across the strait, Feb 9] Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou is a shrewd politician. In betting his political future on closer ties with China, he's following in the footsteps of Taiwanese business conglomerates and entertainers who have found ample success on the mainland.
With strong support from the island’s business community, President Ma's re-election prospects look rather bright. At the same time, better cross-strait relations will bring much-needed economic benefits to the Taiwanese people.
Where money goes, politics for sure follows. Or, should that be the other way around?
John Chen
United States (Feb 10, '11)

The quandaries of Empire. Imagine you have the most powerful military in the history of the solar system (sorry, Venus; the Katupian Triumvirate of the 588th century BC is a distant second.)
You are funded by a continuous stream of taxpayer dollars, corporate bribes, kickbacks, illegal drug and arms selling, money laundering, shell corporations and outright looting of conquered foes. You cannot be challenged or questioned on any purchases or expenditures because of concerns for "national security, "patriotism" and "defending freedom." The media adores everything you do, the public fawns over your manufactured heroes, and your PR savvy would make McDonald's blush with envy.
You have free rein to throw money at scientists, industry and academia to pursue any wild-eyed technology that will cement your quest for perpetual and eternal "full spectrum dominance." You have a tailor-made War on Terror, complete with shadowy swarthy enemies of an alien religion, hiding away in distant caves scattered all over the globe, apparently with an infinite supply of revenue. In other words, all the makings of a warrior's paradise, devoid of all that messy concern for budgetary constraints, ethical oversight or human rights.
But paper wars frequently have trouble adding the third dimension of Reality, and Wonderland's Pentagon is now facing the Piper's request for payment. Its military is stretched to breaking point with its recurring deployments of already exhausted troops in the twin quagmires, where Third Worlders have ground the almighty US army to a halt with homemade bombs, AK-47s and hand grenades. With the deteriorating condition of its multiple-deployee troops, many who opt for drugs or suicides as alternatives to Nation Building, the Pentagon's voracious manpower requirements force recruiters to frantically coerce, intimidate, lie and misinform young Americans.
It's gotten so bad that criminal records, mental illnesses, foreign citizenship, drug addictions, gang membership, militant racism and physical dysfunction are no longer impediments to a proud US military career killing brown people. In the meantime, the lack of basic education amongst its erstwhile recruits means even more money has to be spent to bring their non-existent skills up to even the primitive state needed to blow men, women and children away with the latest no-brains-required, gee-whiz video game weaponry.
And what do you have to show for all this? An epidemic of troop suicides, a Middle East stalemate, ever more difficult recruitment campaigns, the first murmurings of "fiscal restraint," a disgruntled and distracted citizenry, and fading memories of your false-flag operation of 9/11. Fear not, Military Man. Even if forced to withdraw from foreign adventures, you'll have plenty of opportunities to turn your guns on Americans inspired by the likes of Egypt and Tunisia, saying "Enough is Enough."
Hardy Campbell
United States (Feb 9, '11)

[Re China needs a Reagan , Feb 7] One major difference exists between the United States in Ronald Reagan's era and the China of today, and gives one pause on the author's proposition. Back in the eighties, though its free-market spirit had been somewhat obnubilated under the Jimmy Carter presidency, America was without any doubt a full-blown capitalist society and was thus very much ready to carry out Reagan's entrepreneurial initiative.
In present-day China, where the population still consists largely of peasants most of whom can't tell the substantive difference between a capitalist and a baseball cap, the situation is considerably different. Sure, capitalism may simply be summed up as profit-making and private ownership, and many in China certainly have an aptitude for making money, but entrepreneurialism can be successful and sustainable only with the right government policies, an adequate financial infrastructure, and perhaps more importantly, the appropriate social mindset.
Thirty years into its experiment with capitalism, China is still very nascent in its free-market development. Without the right social and economic environment, large-scale entrepreneurialism will likely result in much waste while accomplishing little. Furthermore, given the already pronounced developmental disparity between the country's coastal areas and inland regions, an uneven entrepreneurial drive could very well deepen that socioeconomic divide and lead to greater societal instability.
I believe once the country's manufacturing has been shifted to the central/western regions, thereby lifting hundreds of millions more people out of poverty, and when the coastal provinces have gained more maturity in a higher value-added model, the Chinese government will enjoy a freer hand in trying different economic paradigms, including entrepreneurialism, to kick growth into another gear. Until then, however, the late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping's mantra of "Crossing the river by feeling the stones" should still hold much sway within China's economic-policy circle.
John Chen
United States (Feb 8, '11)

[Re US caught napping , Feb 7] Who lost Egypt? Israel may be well asking itself out of public earshot. The US Obama administration at least is feeling its way towards a policy, albeit strewn with contradictory signposts.
WikiLeaks' recently released US diplomatic cables show that the US was on to Hosni Mubarak for a long time; for America, he was, and apparently still is, worth supporting until he leaves, Mr Obama hopes, in September 2011. Egypt strategically is too important to lose, and what's more, its new man, Omar Suleiman, has the political and military heft to fill 'al Rais' britches.
On the other hand, US strategy is not well thought out at best or has no Plan B or C or D if things do not go its way at worst. Whatever the outcome the US will adjust to newer conditions which might put a greater burden on Israel to carry more of its own water.
Abraham Bin Yiju Italy (Feb 8, '11)

[Re Food and failed Arab states, Feb 1,and Why the US fears Arab democracy, Feb 4] A worsening food shortage points to an even more urgent need for sounder monetary and regulatory policies around the world. While natural disasters that adversely affect food supplies are largely out of the realm of human control, reckless money-printing and unchecked commodities speculation will greatly exacerbate the underlying problem. Ultimately, global instability stemming from runaway food price inflation will not likely redound to any country’s benefit, be it the United States, China or Israel.
John Chen
United States (Feb 7, '11)

[Re Goodbye, Mr Insubordination, Feb 3] Stuart Levey's departure from the OTFI does not signal a lowering of the US bar on sanctions against North Korea. The Obama administration, like the Bush administration before it, is treating North Korea as though it were the Cuba of northeast Asia, and as such, its policy will have the same questionable results.
On the other hand, the new spirit of Sino-American cooperation misses a salient point. Beijing is engaging in economic and political engagement unlinked to the nuclear issue. Where does that leave US policy towards North Korea with its insistence of using China as its emissary?
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Feb 4, '11)

In failing to condemn the Mubarak dictatorship of Egypt, President Obama fails in his duty to the people of the United States and to the principles of the founders of our beloved country. His weakness is in sharp contrast to his oratory, and shows how hollow are his words. He should long ago have cut off the military aid to that dictatorship.
Tom Gerber
United States (Feb 4, '11)

[Re Leaks shake up Israeli-Palestinian balance ,January 24, 2011), and A sea change in the Middle East, Feb 2] Despite the doom and gloom about the future of the Palestinian/Israeli peace process, and the effect on that process of what is going on in Egypt, there is a silver lining in the leaked Palestine papers. They clearly show that the notion propagated widely over the years by self-commissioned voices of wisdom that Israel cannot make peace because it has no Palestinian partner, is totally bogus. As is the notion that the US is an honest broker in the negotiations.
What the Palestine papers do show is that it is the Palestinians who have not had an Israeli partner with whom to make peace. The current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had to be dragged kicking and screaming to force out of him the words "two-state solution".
He now stands at a crossroads of being a statesman who wants his legacy to be that he took risks for peace in order to bring an end to a miserable conflict of some 60 years. Or, will he go down in history as another petty narcissist politician who only wanted to cling to power to the detriment of his nation and the region?
So far the prime minister has chosen the second path. Furthermore, the Palestine papers show that the US has always been Israel's facilitator. No matter how much the Palestinians have agreed to, it has never been enough for the Israelis. Despite all the revelations and contrary to the conventional wisdom now, peace is achievable if all sides decide to get real. How? By a melding of the Arab plan with the Olmert plan to create two states. And by the US finally playing the role of a real honest broker leading the international community to help the Palestinian/Israelis implement such a plan. Perhaps the biggest obstacle for the US to play such an honest role is the intransigence of the Israel-can-do-no-wrong crowd in the US. President Obama has an historical opportunity to change that. The national security interest of the US demands no less.
Fariborz S Fatemi
United States (Feb 3, '11)

[Indonesia as a beacon for Egypt, Feb 1] I have been telling everyone who cares within my circle of friends that the best approach by the United States is to stay out of the mess in Egypt, at least in the public view. They will do whatever they need to do behind closed doors to usher the better government in.
The Egyptians should be allowed to decide what is the best for their own as we all know that they are not some backward nor uneducated society. Hopefully they will take all the necessary steps to the a better, open and mature society in politics. I was in middle of Indonesian chaos back in 1998 and as student I was one of the protesters. I can relate with the Egyptians in their struggle.
The less the US Government is directly involved, the better for the American in the eyes of the Egyptians and others in Middle East countries. The US Government should support an open democratic process no matter how bad the outcome might seem to be for the US or Israel, as the Egyptians are protesting for better living. They are not yet protesting against American or Israel, but the more American hands involved, the greater the chance of the radicals stirring the masses.
As you wrote, it took us 13 years for Indonesia to get where we are, but considering that we were thought to be Balkanized back in the 1998, it is not a bad place to be at all.
Buzz Azhar (Feb 3, '11)

[Re Cold War role reversal in US-China ties, Jan 31] Concerning China, there seems to be a Western proclivity to hammer tangential observations into proclaimed insightful parallels. Such hyperbole might be cynicism-induced speculation. Benjamin A Shobert's article is another example.
What should be the main theme? It is a distinctly enormous developing country motivated to achieving comprehensive national development. This is simply an instinctive desire of an enormous group of people, who, at this stage, are no longer abjectly poor. Perhaps one needs a basic belief in arithmetic and democracy - individuals count, from one to 1.3 billion, not only in desire for freedom but also in individual productivity that adds up. Why can't comprehensive national development include spending 2% of GNP on national defense? This is just a natural phenomenon. The author asks, rhetorically, "And as Chinese President Hu Jintao left the United States over a week ago, in the midst of hand wringing over China's economic ascent and developing military capabilities, some have begun to wonder if US could now be on the receiving end of Reagan's strategy towards the Soviet Union: pick a strategic national concern in your competitor's economy, focus on it, and they will implode from within. Only this time, is it China taking that strategy with the US?" This is just hilarious; "economic ascent and developing military capabilities" are a natural phenomenon, but is "strategic national concern" an American ideological affliction? Even if China concedes global leadership to the US, why can't a cordial trade partner spend 2% of GNP on defense? Additionally, for China, there can be the adjunct factors of recent bitter experience of racist colonialism from the West, Japanese aggression, some territorial disputes many of which stem from recent history, national unity issue of Taiwan, and ideological rift with the US on democracy, but they are adjunct to the main thrust of instinctive comprehensive national development, nonetheless.
In comparison to Taiwan, Cuba has an ideological rift with the US, but could one suggest that the US is building its armed forces for the purpose of crushing Cuba? There is such a thing called delegation simply for technological reasons. The test flight of the stealth bomber on the date of US Secretary for Defense Robert Gates' visit could just have been a technological discretion without any political implication.
Finally, that China has been successful in recuperating from racist colonialism is due to amelioration of Western racism; lamenting Chinese comprehensive national development is tantamount to lamenting Western social progress. Belief in democracy should include the belief in the productivity of the individual, and arithmetic is always logical.
Jeff Church
United States (Feb 2, '11)

[Re The last trick up Mubarak's sleeve, Jan 31] Viktor Katsov is engaging in wishful thinking. Egypt's embattled President Hosni Mubarak will not and cannot pull out a rabbit out of his hat. He's damaged goods, as the continuing protests attest.
Israel will not only lose a strong ally, but Mubarak's leaving the scene will put a burden on Israel's thriving economy. Without Egypt, Israel will now have to divert billions to beef up its military budget, and this will impact heavily on Israel, it goes without saying.
What Katsov does not say is, and Ha'aretz reports, is that Israel has been trying to influence the European press to down play Mubarak's 30 years of authoritarian rule, and to point up the positive aspects of his regime. In standard English, it means that Israel is really worried that it looks to a future of isolation in the Middle East. If this is the last trump card Israel can play, it is obvious that the Netanyahu government is in desperate straits.
Abraham Bin Yiju Italy (Feb 1, '11)

The Democrat/Republican oligarchy of the United States should pay close heed to what caused the popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and the others coming. We in the USA may not have a dictator, but we are denied political expression and control of our government by the entrenched oligarchy of the Democan/Republicrats.
As the Federal Reserve/US Treasury inspired inflation pulls our standard of living into the cellar, and as unemployment of the young rockets upward in the next two years, social unrest is sure to increase. The Tea Party phenomenon is just a puff of steam compared to the conflagration which can take place.
Lou Vignates United States (Feb 1, '11)

[Re Vietnam as Tunisia in waiting, Jan 29] I don't see why anyone would use a pseudonym to write an article like "Vietnam as Tunisia in Waiting," unless that name exposes that person's ties to Vietnam, and hence their motive. Adam Boutzan is certainly a man with a motive, since there is nothing about Vietnam that relates to what has recently happened in Tunisia.
The idea that newly college-educated Vietnamese masses without jobs would turn their discontent toward the government is nothing like the Vietnamese culture I grew up with, and far from the Asian mindset. As individuals, Vietnamese see education as a step up in status, much like marriage or parenthood. Getting a good job is just icing on the cake. Any mature Vietnamese will tell you that a small businessman with no education will make much more money than a college graduate.
The only way I can see why a college graduate would turn against the government is if that college graduate could not get a job in that government. In Vietnam, that's not really a problem, except that the pay is really low compared to selling sim cards at a good location on a narrow street.
As for democracy and all the other crap the US keeps harping about, we don't really care. We do care about our parents, our uncles and aunts, our grandparents, and the upcoming Tet holiday. As a matter of fact, we care more about Tet than we care about all the democracy in the universe, because Tet is about family and tradition, while democracy gives us politicians, whom we hate. We prefer billionaires and celebrities.
As for money, the Vietnamese word for it is tien. It is heard in every conversation - who has it, who doesn't. Who's gonna give it to whom. Which brings me back to Tet ... I've gotta go to the bank tomorrow to get some new tien.
Bao Dinh Nguyen (Feb 1, '11)

The list of American puppet stooges ejected from their perches of power by the peoples they repressed with the Empire's enthusiastic help is a long one; Iran's Shah (temporarily) in 1953, Cuba's Batista in 1959, Nicaragua's Somoza and once again Iran's Shah (this time permanently) in 1979, the Philippines' Marcos in 1986, Zaire's Mobutu in 1997, Indonesia's Suharto in 1998 and very soon, we will add the name of Egypt's Mubarak in 2011.
Despite Wonderland's Talking-the-Talk of supporting popular democracy in the Third World, nothing is more feared in the upper circles of the Empire's national security apparatus. They fully realize that once the Pandora's Box of freedom is opened and the long-repressed rage of the people is expressed, the duplicitous and hypocritical nature of the Empire's Janus Face will be exposed. With the ubiquitous Internet, cell phone and 24/7 TV news networks, the scale and frequency of such popular uprisings will increase, putting ever more pressure on the US to Walking-the-Walk of supporting freedom.
Even worse from the standpoint of America's teeter-totter balancing act between its noble rhetoric and sordid practice, the source of Egypt's explosion was the Tunisian revolution, which was initiated by a seemingly innocuous but well-publicized confrontation with a street vendor. If such heretofore-stable regimes can be toppled with such electronically-inspired facility, which one of the Empire's client states is next?
That the Saudi king expressed support for the tyrant Mubarak should surprise no one. That regime is so thoroughly corrupt, ossified and unstable that only the most repressive US-trained security apparatus has been able to keep its internal leaks, unravelings and fractures from bringing the whole rotten structure crashing down. If that oil-monopoly tyranny topples, the dilemmas of the Empire increase exponentially, just as its own economic problems spin out of control.
Ah, the dilemmas of Empire. Do you want to be Imperial Spain in the 1600s, fighting so many multiple wars against so many religious foes that your coffers were drained into insolvency, or is your preference to be Imperial Britain of the 20th century, so indebted to your rivals for past Empire-defending wars that you had to foreclose that same Empire to them piecemeal?
Hardy Campbell
United States (Feb 1, '11)

January Letters

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