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AN
INDIA-PAKISTAN TEST
India papers over cracks
The growing realization within India's policymaking elite that instability in
Pakistan is detrimental to India's security and economy has led to optimism in
Delhi over renewed India-Pakistan dialogue. However, the countries' conflicting
approaches to Afghanistan, a continued atmosphere of mistrust and the
precarious state of Pakistan's leadership mean that reconciliation is less
likely than renewed conflict. - Chietigj Bajpaee
(Feb 9, '10)
Operation Breakfast redux
The escalating drone war of the United States in the Pakistani tribal
borderlands has ominous parallels with Richard Nixon's secret bombing in
Cambodia 40 years ago to destroy a "Bamboo Pentagon", where North Vietnamese
communists were supposedly orchestrating raids deep into South Vietnam. Could
the US be repeating the same mistakes that brought the Khmer Rouge to power? - Pratap
Chatterjee (Feb 9, '10)
Islamabad can't give an inch
The United States has nudged Pakistan and India closer, bending over backwards
to reassure each of their strategic importance. But Pakistan stands to lose
popular support if it concedes to Indian demands without gaining concessions,
while its greatest fear remains militants infiltrating its larger cities and
unleashing the type of havoc witnessed recently in Karachi. - Zahid U Kramet
(Feb 9, '10)
Hollywood finds a piggy bank in
Bollywood
Indian investors seeking to combine a love for movies with profit are turning
their attention from the domestic Bollywood market, and its large number of
flops, to Hollywood, where their funds will help fill a void left by the
industry's usual backers, now reeling from the recession. - Indrajit Basu
(Feb 9, '10)
India-Pakistan thaw key to Afghan
peace
The prospect of the first high-level bilateral talks between India and Pakistan
since the 2008 Mumbai attack was raised by global powers when they endorsed a
United States-backed plan in London that seeks reconciliation with the Taliban
in Afghanistan. Washington sees the key to Kabul as lying in Islamabad, and the
key to Islamabad as lying in New Delhi. - Siddharth Srivastava
(Feb 8, '10)
Pakistan's military sets Afghan
terms
Pakistan's military establishment, taken fully onboard by the United States in
the efforts to find solutions for Afghanistan, has made clear that its
cooperation comes with strings attached. Any Indian role is to be restricted to
civilian development projects, and Pakistan will choose for itself who its
enemies are. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Feb 8,
'10)
Karachi grinds to a halt after fatal
blasts
Pakistan's efforts to rein in its fiscal deficit were dealt a further blow when
business in Karachi, the country's commercial center, struggling to recover
from a bomb attack last December, ground to a halt again at the weekend after
two more blasts killed at least 30 people. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Feb 8, '10)
Taliban go-betweens draw up road map
Plans drawn up by Taliban mediators for a political settlement in Afghanistan
encourage the insurgency's leaders and the government to reach agreement on key
issues, such as the withdrawal of all foreign troops and al-Qaeda. The reaction
of the United States to the plan and the vexed issue of a new constitution are
the biggest roadblocks, the mediators say. - Gareth Porter
(Feb 8, '10)
Nepal trying to march in step
Nepal, striving for lasting peace after a decade of insurgency, has two
standing armies: a state-funded military and 20,000 Maoist combatants living in
United Nations-monitored camps. Divisions over how they should be integrated
into one force have the power to disrupt preparations for a new constitution,
and even draw the involvement of neighbors. - Dhruba Adhikary
(Feb 5, '10)
Darwin and illusory pigeons
The works of Charles Darwin and the 19th-century pioneers who opened ancient
Asia to the West will be the focus of an upcoming seminar at Kolkata's
path-setting Asiatic Society. These include the efforts of a remarkable museum
curator, Edward Blyth, who gave Darwin much of the voluminous information he
sought on living creatures and specimens to study directly. - Raja Murthy
(Feb 5, '10)
India's awards lose honorable luster
India's highest civilian awards are increasingly being distributed to those who
have friends in positions of power. Adding to a string of questionable choices
in recent times, this year's top award-winners include a former militiaman and
an alleged crook. - Sudha Ramachandran (Feb
4, '10)
US fires off new warning in Pakistan
With its biggest drone attack to date in Pakistan - nine unmanned vehicles
firing 19 missiles in 
one evening - the United States has underscored its invigorated desire to wipe
out Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuaries in the Pakistan and Afghanistan border
areas. The efforts are backed by a new intelligence-gathering network tapping
into Afghan tribesmen. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Feb
4, '10)
Pakistani Taliban has its work cut
out
If Hakeemullah Mehsud, the leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, did indeed
die in a United States drone attack last week, there is a ready replacement for
him in a young battle-hardened commander with a set agenda: to continue the
relationship that Mehsud's group forged with al-Qaeda as a component of its
regional plans. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Feb 3,
'10)
Brinjal a political hot potato in
India
The battlelines are drawn in India's 
brinjal wars between proponents of the introduction of a variant as the
country's first commercial genetically modified vegetable, who say it will cut
pesticide use, and those who say it is harmful. The government stumbled late
into the debate over the crop, commonly known as eggplant, and has a tough
decision to make. - Neeta Lal (Feb 3, '10)
Taliban raid showcases new battle
tactics
With tactics similar to an earlier assault on Kabul, heavily armed Taliban
suicide bombers attacked important buildings in Lashkar Gah, Helmand's
provincial capital. The Taliban say the focus on urban targets has been forced
on them by the increased presence of troops in the area. - Mohammad Ilyas Dayee
(Feb 3, '10)
US, Karzai split over Taliban talks
Differences between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and key officials of the
administration of United States President Barack Obama over that issue of talks
with the Taliban came to a head at last week's London conference. Peace
negotiations are imbedded in a deeper conflict over US war strategy, which has
provoked broad anger and increasing suspicions of US motives among Afghans -
and especially with Karzai. - Gareth Porter (Feb
3, '10)
A 'black chapter' closes in
Bangladesh
After executing five of the 12 army officers who in 1975 killed Bangladesh's
founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Dhaka has vowed to bring to justice the
six remaining suspects. The bloody events of 35 years ago ushered in an era of
bitter upheaval and martial law; many Bangladeshis say that finally their
nation has been purged of its stains. - Farid Ahmed
(Feb 2, '10)
Taliban take on the US's surge
The Taliban, rather than demand that all foreign troops be pulled out of
Afghanistan before negotiations begin with the United States or any other
country, have proposed that if the US stops its surge of 30,000 troops,
dialogue can start immediately. In addition, the Taliban say they will take
measures to reduce hostilities. The dilemma for the US is how desperate is
it to take the Taliban's word. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Feb2, '10)
Dialogue seeks a middle ground
The Taliban, unable to deliver a decisive military blow to oust the government
in Kabul, know they will never rule Afghanistan as they once did, while foreign
forces up against an intractable foe cannot expect counter-insurgency to
succeed anytime soon. Straight talking, however, could give each side in the
conflict much of what they seek. - Brian M Downing
(Feb 1, '10)
Karzai talks on talks
Afghan President Hamid Karzai was ready to start talks with moderate elements
of the Taliban
when he first entered office eight years ago, but lacked support from the West
until recently. In an interview from London, he explains why he has for so long
seen negotiations as the only option. (Feb 1, '10)
Washington works the Af-Pak-India
triangle
In an effort to bring stability to South Asia, Washington continues to run from
pillar to post in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Even though a "trust
deficit" with Pakistan remains, US President Barack Obama has played his cards
cleverly with his surge and withdrawal strategy in Afghanistan, leading to
near-unanimous support for financial assistance at this week's London
conference. - Zahid U Kramet (Jan 29, '10)
Terror comes at night in Afghanistan
One aspect of the United States' counter-terrorism war strikes fear into the
hearts of Afghans, especially in the south where the Taliban are strongest -
the special forces, often tattooed and bearded, who raid homes, invariably at
night. Suspects, including children, are then taken to secret military
detention centers from which there is no guarantee they will leave alive. - Anand
Gopal (Jan 29, '10)
Zardari books fast train to Turkey
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Turkish President Abdullah Gul have
agreed on a US$20 billion project to upgrade a rail link from Islamabad to
Istanbul by way of Iran. The pay-off from faster transport between the two
countries could be more bilateral trade - at present a dismal $740 million. - Syed
Fazl-e-Haider (Jan 28, '10)
Afghans wealthier, remain among
poorest
War has brought relative wealth to Afghanistan - average incomes and national
revenues are rising strongly, poverty is falling. Yet the country remains among
the world's poorest, and agriculture, on which 80% of Afghans depend, does not
rank as a government priority. (Jan 28, '10)
India's rural inventors drive change
Indian coconut oil maker Marico has trebled profits, thanks in part to a
machine made by one of the farmers that compose India's vast rural population.
Thousands of such grassroots inventions, from fridges to non-stick frying pans,
are improving livelihoods across the country and demonstrating that being poor
is no bar to driving innovation. - Raja Murthy
(Jan 28, '10)
Taking credit for failure
The fact that bin Laden took credit for a failed attack - the botched attempt
to bring down a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day - is an indication
that al-Qaeda's core group has become isolated from its "franchises" - a big
change since the days when bin Laden denied responsibility for September 11,
2001. (Jan 28, '10)
MIXED MESSAGES OVER BIN LADEN
Better alive than dead
The release of the latest audio message claimed to be from Osama bin Laden has
got tongues
wagging again as to his status and whereabouts. The failure of technologically
peerless American intelligence to find any trace him for nine years leads to
speculation whether the United States is keeping bin Laden alive for strategic
convenience. - Farooq Hameed Khan (Jan 28,
'10)
Circles within circles around the
Taliban
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Britain will be the key partners of the United
States at the high-powered gathering in London this week to discuss, among
other issues on Afghanistan, reconciliation talks with the Taliban. There are
several potential spoilers to this display of "smart power", among them Iran,
Russia and China, not to mention the very people at whom the talks are aimed. - M
K Bhadrakumar (Jan 27, '10)
Troop surge 'supports peace deal'
For the first time, the commander of international forces in Afghanistan has
indicated that the United States will support moves towards a political
settlement between the government of President Hamid Karzai and the Taliban.
The counter-insurgency strategy is aimed at providing the time and space for
this to happen. - Gareth Porter (Jan 27, '10)
Re-elected Rajapaksa has tough job
ahead
Mahinda Rajapaksa has retained the Sri Lankan presidency after beating off a
challenge at the polls from his former ally, ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka.
Campaigning before Tuesday's vote 
was particularly acrimonious, exposing the deep rifts among Sinhalese as well
as that community's strained relations with the minority Tamils. Rajapaksa's
first task will be to heal these divisions. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Jan 27, '10)
Economy: Onwards and upwards
The economic revival being enjoyed by Sri Lanka should continue with the return
to office of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose big-spending plans will add to
inflows from the International Monetary Fund and the government's own stimulus
spending. - R M Cutler (Jan 27, '10)
Indian glaciologist fires back at
skeptics
Syed Iqbal Hasnain, the Indian glaciologist at the center of a now-retracted
United Nations report on the melting of Himalayan glaciers, has a frosty
reception for anyone questioning his original research, saying that vested
interests are trying to denigrate scientists. India's high-altitude "glacier
man", meanwhile, draws on first-hand experience to stem the flood of criticism.
- Keya Acharya. (Jan 27, '10)
Winner of Google-China feud is - India
The Barack Obama administration has launched a crowd-pleasing salvo on Internet
freedoms over Google's tiff with China, though the United States and Google
intercept and track Internet traffic with levels of sophistication that China's
security monitors can only dream of. Obama's shifting electoral fortunes and
Google's hubris have them staring past China towards a potentially more
attractive market and ally - India. - Peter Lee
(Jan 27, '10)
Iran waits in the wings
Whether or not Iran participates in the London meeting, it will continue to
press for a regional solution for Afghanistan, saying that the unilateral and
military approach is not the solution. Should this approach not work, there is
the likelihood of Tehran seeking cooperation with Pakistan's chief nemesis,
India. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Jan 27, '10)
Al-Qaeda's shadow over Taliban talks
The initiative to reconcile the United States and its allies with elements of
the Taliban is gaining momentum, with governments from Kabul to London to
Washington involved, as are the Pakistan military and former Arab jihadis.
Offers of integration into the Afghan political process will not extend to
anyone with links to al-Qaeda. This could prove a crucial issue, depending on
just how deep al-Qaeda's ties with the Taliban run. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Jan 26, '10)
INTERVIEW
NATO head says Taliban will not win
Though North Atlantic Treaty Organization secretary general Anders Fogh
Rasmussen 
acknowledges the importance of Afghanistan initiating the
reconciliation-and-reintegration process with the Taliban, he stresses that
international forces do not believe the Taliban will ever regain power in
Kabul. (Jan 26, '10)
Huawei points way into India
Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei's pledge to invest US$500 million to
expand in India and add thousands to its employee strength there may encourage
other Chinese companies struggling to soothe the Indian government's security
concerns over their potential role in key areas of infrastructure. - Vijay
Sakhuja (Jan 26, '10)
COMMENT
Whither Sri Lanka?
Tuesday's presidential election could see Sri Lanka emerge as an example of
post-conflict reconciliation, or it could usher in a new era of chaos and
intrigue. While the incumbent has been accused of corruption and human-rights
violations, the powerful internal and external forces lining up behind the
opposition candidate have their own designs for the strategically placed
island. - Asoka Bandarage (Jan 25, '10)
Taliban buying guns from former
warlords
The Afghan government is growing concerned as evidence mounts that Taliban
insurgents are purchasing weapons - through seasoned smugglers - from their
former opponents: the warlords who controlled Afghanistan after the collapse of
the communist-backed regime in 1992. - Abdul Latif Sahak
(Jan 25, '10)
US woos India back to the Bush era
In describing India as a future anchor of regional and global security and
United States-India ties as a "defining partnership for the 21st century" - as
well as offering support for Delhi's concerns with regard to Pakistan and
Afghanistan - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates used his visit to South Asia to
signal that Washington plans to revert to the George W Bush-era doctrine
regarding the potential of an unbound India. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Jan 25, '10)
Drone surge: Today, tomorrow and
2047
The Pentagon plans a 40-year surge to create fleets of ultra-advanced,
heavily-armed, increasingly autonomous, all-seeing, hypersonic unmanned aerial
systems. These badder, faster drones will be armed to the teeth and have the
capability to loiter overhead for days waiting for human targets. For United
States air chiefs, it's the stuff of dreams, for others, the stuff of waking
nightmares. - Nick Turse (Jan 25, '10)
The gloves are off in Sri Lanka's
election
Sri Lanka's two-horse presidential race is too close to call, but it's certain
that poll-related violence and irregularities will rise ahead of the January 26
poll. President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former army chief General Sarath Fonseka
both claim credit for last year's defeat of the Tamil rebels, but the
undignified campaign is taking some of the shine off their reputation as "war
heroes". - Sudha Ramachandran (Jan 22, '10)
Frosty welcome for India in Nepal
India's external affairs minister and its army chief were both met this week by
black-flag waving Maoists in Kathmandu protesting at what they see as continued
Indian interference in Nepal's internal affairs. The welcome came as the
Maoists' leader launched a nationwide campaign accusing Delhi of
sabotaging the peace process and of having a role in the infamous royal family
massacre of 2005. - Dhruba Adhikary (Jan 22,
'10)
Bangladesh breathes in hope
Bangladesh, its stock market surging and economy humming, is casting off its
former "basket case" image so thoroughly that Goldman Sachs argues it could be
a key economy in the years ahead. It is also being urged to pursue reforms
while the opportunity lasts. - R M Cutler (Jan
21, '10)
India targets China's satellites
New Delhi has openly declared its desire to match China and incorporate
anti-satellite weapons into its ballistic missile defense program. The
provocative maneuver may be on US Defence Secretary Robert Gates's agenda
during his current visit to India, since it injects a powerful destabilizing
element into the South Asian strategic equation just as the US is trying hard
to stabilize the region. - Peter J Brown (Jan
21, '10)
India turns up heat over
'Glaciergate'
When an Indian government ministry questioned a report by the United Nations'
climate change panel that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035 - affecting
the lives of more than a billion people across China, Nepal, Tibet and India -
it was accused of practicing "voodoo science". The ministry has now been
vindicated, but for the UN body, there is a lot of water still to flow under
the bridge. - Neeta Lal (Jan 20, '10)
Afghanistan's talking cure
The London Conference on Afghanistan next week presents an opportunity for the
international community to pull back from sending in more troops and to focus
instead on helping the different sides in the conflict forge their own peace. - Qaribur
Rahman Saeed (Jan 20, '10)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Going rogue in combat boots
It's America, 2016, and angry and desperate veterans of the "war on terror"
have merged with the "tea bag" movement and other alienated groups to launch a
military coup reminiscent of events in post-World War I Germany. In that era,
as now in the United States, the German public saw its wealth and status
threatened by a great recession and war, and a militarized solution for "the
fatherland" soon became the most credible last resort. - William J Astore
(Jan 20, '10)
Sri Lanka drops plan to relax forex
rules
Sri Lanka's central bank has pulled back from plans to allow a free flow of
foreign currency in and out of the country after concerns were raised that the
change could let government officials send ill-gotten cash overseas before the
upcoming hotly contested presidential election. - Feizal Samath
(Jan 20, '10)
McChrystal's plan takes a Taliban
hit
The main focus of the plan of the top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley
McChrystal, is 
to secure urban areas, with the aim of turning the public against the Taliban
while raising confidence in the ability of Afghanistan's own security forces.
The Taliban's brazen attack in Kabul on Monday strikes directly at this. - Abubakar
Siddique (Jan 20, '10)
Kabul strike hits peace plan hard
Monday's coordinated strike by Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers on government
buildings and a hotel in Kabul highlights the growing vulnerability of the
Afghan capital. It also may fatally undermine the government's latest plan for
the international community to reconcile with the insurgents.
(Jan 19, '10)
Patriarch's death a blow to
communism
The death of the 95-year-old architect of India's mainstream parliamentary
communism, Jyoti Basu, has dealt the communist movement yet another blow - it
is already wilting under fragile unity, political "foolhardiness" and lack of
pragmatic icons. Basu's death in particular will hit the left hard in state
elections in West Bengal, where from 1977 to 2000 he served as chief minister.
(Jan 19, '10)
Party time for tea producers
Shares in McLeod Russel and other Indian tea producers are surging on the back
of strong profits as demand outpaces supplies. That is bad news for global tea
drinkers, who have had what the industry considers will be a brief respite from
rising prices thanks to year-end rains. - Raja Murthy
(Jan 19, '10)
A fight against the odds
In 2001, George W Bush declared the United States was at war against al-Qaeda.
President Barack Obama also claims the country's main enemy is al-Qaeda.
Al-Qaeda's shock troops in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and
North Africa, based on the best intelligence estimates available, add up to
about 2,100 fighters; the US has approximately 1.4 million active duty men and
women under arms. - Nick Turse and Tom Engelhardt
(Jan 15, '10)
India, Bangladesh look to turn a
corner
The rhetoric flowed freely this week during the visit of Bangladesh Prime
Minister Sheikh 
Hasina to India, her first since assuming power a year ago. This time, though,
the words are likely to be turned into action, especially in the area of
counter-terrorism. The cobwebs have also been dusted off a long-stalled gas
pipeline involving Myanmar. - Siddharth Srivastava
(Jan 15, '10)
India drives tribals into Maoist
arms
Tensions are on the rise in India's eastern state of Orissa, where police
continue to target tribals for alleged crimes against the state. The heavy
hand, though, is alienating these minorities and sending them into the waiting
arms of the country's Maoists - much to the delight of mining companies,
landlords and liquor mafias. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Jan 15, '10)
Pakistan's military makes a stand
The Pakistani army is expected to start operations soon in the North Waziristan
tribal area on the border with Afghanistan, as urged by the United States. The
military has, however, made it quite clear that it will strictly limit
operations to the hunt for high-profile al-Qaeda targets and their affiliates.
- Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jan 14, '10)
A $1bn sweetener for the Taliban
Afghan officials have unveiled a plan to lure tens of thousands of Taliban away
from the insurgency with jobs and vocational training. The US$1 billion
initiative has been praised for offering stronger financial incentives than its
failed predecessors, but it's unclear if Taliban fighters will want to drop
their guns when they believe they are close to victory. - Abubakar Siddique
(Jan 14, '10)
Iran skeptical of US's Afghan
strategy
Optimism that the election of US President Barack Obama would spark cooperation
between the United States and Iran on Afghanistan has faded rapidly, despite
their shared interests there. Tehran is highly skeptical of the US plans to
boost its military presence and engage with "moderate" Taliban, while Iran's
own planned involvement needs US backing to be feasible. - Mitra Farnik
(Jan 14, '10)
Pakistan looks to faster growth
The Pakistan economy may grow as fast as 3.3% this fiscal year, up from last
year's 2%, driven by the services sector, the country's central bank says. On
the downside, inflation threatens to pick up and higher power costs are
starting to hurt. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider (Jan
14, '10)
Kabul anxiously beckons Obama
Rather than focus on the war with the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, the
Barack Obama administration is lingering dangerously on its covert war of
attrition with President Hamid Karzai. Still livid with Karzai's defiance,
Washington is scrambling to wrest control of Kabul ahead of parliamentary
elections and an anticipated gravy train of lucrative nation-building
contracts. - M K Bhadrakumar (Jan 13, '10)
The shadow war in Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, the American military is only part of the story. There's also a
polyglot "army" representing the United States that wears no uniforms and
fights shape-shifting enemies to the death in a war of multiple assassinations
and civilian killings, all enveloped in a blanket of secrecy. - Tom Engelhardt
and Nick Turse (Jan 11, '10)
Balochistan halts $3.5bn copper
project
Pakistan's Balochistan province has canceled a contract for the exploration of
copper and gold by a venture involving Canada's Barrick Gold and Chile's
Antofagasta, who could have brought US$3.5 billion to the project. The move,
seen by some critics as appeasing local insurgents, may clear the way for
Chinese involvement. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider (Jan
11, '10)
Herat carpets beaten by
machine-made imports
Herat's famed hand-made carpet industry is struggling to survive against
competition from machine-made products from overseas while an influx of cheap
inferior materials used in production drags down local standards. Afghan
authorities are being urged to impose protectionist measures such as better
customs control and higher import taxes. - Mohammad Shafi Ferozi
(Jan 11, '10)
Sri Lanka cracking in heat of polls
Fear of growing violence between supporters of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and
army chief-turned-opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka is mounting in
the build-up to the January 26 presidential vote. Their campaigns are also
leading to divisions among the Buddhist clergy and within the leading minority
Tamil group. - Amantha Perera (Jan 11, '10)
Tamils emerge as kingmakers in
Colombo
In the months following the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,
President Mahinda Rajapaksa and army chief-turned-opposition candidate, General
Sarath Fonseka, have clashed over who should claim the credit. Both are now
singing a different tune as the Tamil vote becomes crucial in Sri Lanka's
presidential race this month. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Jan 8, '10)
General alert in Pakistan
An Indian general has raised a storm in Pakistan with comments on India's
military prowess with regard to Pakistan and China. Pakistan's chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Tariq Majeed, in particular, has
responded sharply - much as he has done in calling for a realignment in
Islamabad's relations with the United States. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Jan 7, '10)
Karachi blast bill mounts
The bill for the end-of-year suicide blast and rioting in Karachi is still
coming in, with damage now estimated at nearly US$500 million and thousands of
jobs lost. Pakistan's double-digit inflation is set to rise further and the
prospect of increased domestic political strife adds to investor concerns. - Syed
Fazl-e-Haider (Jan 7, '10)
The blowback effect, 2020
The world will be a very different place by 2020, with momentous shifts in
global relations. China, already an economic giant, will become a powerhouse,
while the United States' expensive foreign wars will have hastened its decline.
The poorer, formerly colonized nations of the global South will emerge and turn
the tables. As may the Earth itself - human-led environmental damage may well
lead to potentially devastating natural blowback. - Michael T Klare
(Jan 6, '10)
Pakistan deals with its devils
While the United States obsesses over the "Haqqani network" and its eponymous
leader's sanctuary in Pakistan, Islamabad of necessity takes a different view,
and has its own devils to deal with - not least the Kashmir issue, ongoing
militant violence in its cities, and the lifting of an amnesty for government
leaders' past misdemeanors. - Zahid U Kramet (Jan
5, '10)
India's Congress in party mood
India's Congress party has launched year-long celebrations to mark the 125th
anniversary of its founding. It's been a momentous ride for the party,
dominated by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. But in this family strength lies a
potential weakness: the lack of a credible second tier of leaders. - Neeta Lal
(Jan 5, '10)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
The Year of the Assassin
Ten questions - which double as tips on what to look for in the coming year -
suggest just how much United States war efforts are likely to intensify in the
Middle East, Central and South Asia. As a starting point, will a new war front
open in Yemen? - Tom Engelhardt and Nick Turse
(Jan 5, '10)
US spies walked into al-Qaeda's trap
The United States Central Intelligence Agency's plan to step up its efforts
against al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan went disastrously wrong when an
Afghan National Army officer, planted by an elite al-Qaeda unit, was invited
into a CIA base, where he blew up himself and seven agents. For the first time
in many years, the winter season in Afghanistan is hot. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Jan 4, '10)
Russia-India ties sour in Central
Asia
Moscow's heavy-handed attempts to curb China's influence in Central Asia by
forging a regional security bloc and bolstering links with ally India are
foundering due to Beijing's more popular economic approach and resentment in
the "Stans" over the Soviet legacy. At the same time, links between Moscow and
New Delhi have been marred by crude diplomacy. - Peter Lee
(Jan 4, '10)
India keeping up with the neighbor
While the chance of an all-out war between China and India over their disputed
border is slim, their relationship over the coming decades will be defined by
jostling over areas of common interest. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Dec 23, '09)
Al-Qaeda's sights on Pakistan, and
beyond
While the United States is focused on putting its fresh 30,000 troops in
Afghanistan to good use, al-Qaeda has set its sights on the Pakistani army,
whose submission it sees as crucial in the broader objective of getting foreign
forces out of Afghanistan. At the same time, al-Qaeda insiders say, the group
will step up operations in Somalia and Yemen. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Dec 23, '09)
Life and premature death of Pax
Obamicana
The apparent fecklessness of the president of the United States reflects the
gravity of the strategic problems in Central and South Asia. Those who wanted
an end to US hegemony will get what they wished for. But they won't like it.
(Dec 23, '09)
SHORT STORY
Unmanned and unnerved
The unmanned Predator drone was about to unleash its missile at two of the
world's most wanted men, frozen in time in Pakistan on an infra-red targeting
screen. Thousands of kilometers away in the United States, Captain Brian
Forrester had his finger on the trigger. A millisecond from ignition, he pulled
back, and his life was changed forever. - Julian Delasantellis
(Dec 23, '09)
Beleaguered BJP gets a facelift
India's battered Bharatiya Janata Party has shaken up its organizational
structure, hoping to improve its fortunes following a dismal few years. The
changes - including the sidelining of veteran leader Lal Krishna Advani - are
long overdue, but the continuing sway of the hardline Hindu wing doesn't bode
well. - Neeta Lal (Dec 22, '09)
Food prices mock India's scorching
growth
India's boast of a near 8% economic growth rate is being undermined by food
prices rising at twice that pace. A poor monsoon is taking part of the blame,
which is also being cast at profiteers, commodity speculators and food
exporters. The government is showing signs of concern, and not just because it
also is at fault. - Raja Murthy (Dec 22, '09)
Pakistan Rail sticks with Dong Fang
China's Dong Fang Electric Corp has secured confirmation of a US$110 million
contract to supply locomotives to Pakistan Railways. The contract price
undercut a bid by General Electric of the United States, but past experience
suggests this could prove an expensive deal for Pakistan. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Dec 21, '09)
A red-carpet welcome for Nepal
Nepal's prime minister visits China this week at a critical time for his
country, given ongoing political unrest, Maoist assertiveness and stalled
efforts to write a new constitution. China is all too aware of the fragility of
Premier Madhav Kumar Nepal's government in Kathmandu, but as long as Beijing
needs to keep an eye on India's activities in Nepal, the Chinese will play the
perfect hosts. - Dhruba Adhikary (Dec 21,
'09)
India is 'thailand' to Asia, say
scientists
According to a new study, India could be an ancient "motherland" of Asia. The
findings reveal a twist in the history of human migration, pointing to India,
then Thailand and Southeast Asia, as the ancestral home to most Asians -
including Chinese. The benefits from the research include unified health
solutions across Asia. - Raja Murthy (Dec 18,
'09)
BOOK REVIEW
Missing in action
One Nation Under Contract by Allison Stanger
This is a rare insight into the true nature of the outsourcing of government
roles, as varied as development aid and security in conflict zones. This
practice has created an accountability gap that the US government has the power
and responsibility to close if the private sector is to fulfill its true
potential to work for the benefit of all, the book argues. - David Isenberg
(Dec 18, '09)
UN's Afghan mission takes a hit
The United Nations' special representative to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, has
launched a blistering attack on his sacked former deputy, American Peter
Galbraith, claiming that he plotted to unconstitutionally depose President
Hamid Karzai. Karzai remains in power, with a new five-year term, but the UN's
efforts at coordinating civilian reconstruction projects have taken a big hit.
- Sreeram Chaulia (Dec 18, '09)
A surge at $57,077.60 a minute
It will cost American taxpayers US$57,077.60 per minute to keep President
Barack Obama's additional 30,000 troops in Afghanistan for a year, based on the
(low) figure of $30 billion overall that he has offered. This is a drop in the
bucket when it comes to what may turn out to be a trillion-dollar war. - Jo
Comerford (Dec 18, '09)
A heavy price for pushing troops too
far
There are many symptoms that the United States military, still involved in two
distant, grueling wars, is stressed out - from its rising suicide rate and
mental health crisis to its repeated tours of duty and falling standards. A
retired lieutenant colonel pulls all the warning signs together and offers a
portrait of an army in decline. - William Astore
(Dec 16, '09)
Hyderabad fears return to basics
Dynamic leadership and the modern infrastructure of Hyderabad have attracted
leading companies from Microsoft to India's Infosys and Wipro and helped the
city emerge as an emblem of modern India. It also now stands at the center of a
newly created state, whose birth out of a protest fast and overall backward
conditions bode ill for the city. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Dec 16, '09)
Stressed soldiers forced to go
absent
With his personal life falling apart after returning from duty in Iraq, Eric
Jasinski sought assistance from the military to treat his post-traumatic stress
disorder. He received short shrift, and chose to go absent without leave to
receive the help he needed. - Dahr Jamail (Dec
16, '09)
US silent on Taliban's al-Qaeda
offer
The administration of United States President Barack Obama has made no official
response to an offer from the Taliban that they would give "legal guarantees"
not to allow Afghanistan to be used for attacks on other countries by outsiders
- namely, al-Qaeda - in exchange for the withdrawal of all foreign forces. This
silence leaves the door open for Washington to still negotiate a deal. - Gareth
Porter (Dec 16, '09)
Taliban offer alternative justice
The conviction of the mayor of Kabul on corruption charges might be a small
step in 
Afghanistan's reinvigorated anti-graft drive, but it cannot disguise the fact
that efforts to improve a judicial system plagued by inefficiency, bribery and
nepotism appear to be failing to the point that many Afghans are turning to
another power for justice - the Taliban. - Abubakar Siddique
(Dec 16, '09)
 SINOGRAPH
A radical empire looms
China and the United States are becoming closer, and there is pro-Beijing
sentiment in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. If the new US policies allow
Pakistan to increase its clout in Afghanistan, India could feel it is caught in
a vice. However, Delhi should not rejoice if Afghanistan's anarchy spreads,
since if Kabul and Islamabad fall, the vast "new India" that could emerge would
face massive destabilization from radical Islamic elements. - - Francesco Sisci
(Dec 16, '09)
China's Suolang takes step towards
Pakistan
Suolang Duoji, barely six months after listing his Lumena Resources in Hong
Kong, is looking to partner Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari's KASB in strife-torn
Pakistan, where China's interests are normally state-backed and as Western
investors are packing their bags and leaving. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Dec 15, '09)
Trail of Afghanistan's drug money
exposed
A new report by the United Nations gives the impression that the Taliban are
the main culprits behind Afghanistan's drug production. In fact, only 10-15% of
Taliban funding is drawn from revenue generated by opiates. Over 70% of this
money is captured by government officials, the police, local and regional
powerbrokers and traffickers - in short, many of the groups that are supported
(or tolerated) by the United States. (Dec 15, '09)
Nepal finally waves away refugees
After 18 years and hundreds of millions of dollars spent by the United Nations,
100,000 refugees in Nepal are now being resettled in the West, mostly in the
United States. The saga exposes bureaucratic bungling and nationalist fervor at
their worst, while Bhutan ensures the cultural survival of the last Tantric
Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas. - Alexander Casella
(Dec 14, '09)
India-US tangle looms over terror
suspect
New Delhi is formally seeking the extradition of a United States citizen the
Federal Bureau of Investigation says helped organize last year's terrorist
strike on Mumbai. But the suspect's record as a former top informant for the US
Drug Enforcement Agency may complicate matters. - Neeta Lal
(Dec 14, '09)
Gandhi's 'fasting force' hijacked in
India
The success of a local politician in securing the creation of India's newest
state by threatening to "fast unto death" has turned a Gandhian non-violent
weapon for justice into political blackmail. By surrendering to Chandrasekhar
Rao's demands, the government has also paved the way for similar and
undemocratic demands. - Raja Murthy (Dec 14,
'09)
Osama can run, how long can he hide?
First, the United States plans to roll back the Taliban's gains in Afghanistan,
then capture or eliminate Osama bin Laden, which in turn will lead to the
"ultimate defeat of al-Qaeda". The 30,000 additional troops going into
Afghanistan might help in the first objective. Thereafter, the task becomes
ever so difficult. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Dec
11, '09)
Obama embraces realist-liberal
tradition
United States President Barack Obama used his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance
speech enunciate a worldview that places him squarely within the realist
internationalist thinking that dominated post-World War II US foreign policy.
Analysts say the irony of him accepting the honor within days of ordering a
major war escalation drove him to give one of his better speeches. - Jim Lobe
(Dec 11, '09)
If Tiger Woods had crashed in India
Had the Tiger Woods saga played out in India, it might not have become such a
global sensation. The police would have been the last to know about any car
crash, until they found out a rich man was involved. Indian tradition also
means Woods' wife would hold herself responsible for any affairs, likely
embarking on a grueling fast and temple pilgrimage to cleanse her sins. - Siddharth
Srivastava (Dec 11, '09)
India caught in a terror tangle
India has unveiled an ambitious counter-terrorism venture to pool data that
would then be accessible to 10 security agencies. Yet so bureaucratically dense
has the web of competing interests and responsibilities within the security
apparatus become, the initiative is likely to increase the likelihood of terror
attacks. Perhaps the United States wasn't the best example to follow. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Dec 10, '09)
China coughs, India sneezes
A pollution crackdown on Chinese factories has limited access by Indian
consumers and producers to Vitamin C supplements and their key raw materials.
New Delhi has done its own bit to maximize damage by maintaining price curbs
and imposing anti-dumping tariffs on those imports still available. - Priyanka
Bhardwaj (Dec 10, '09)
US surge plays into Taliban hands
The Barack Obama administration's new Afghan strategy leaves wide open the
Taliban's lifeline to further recruitment based on madrassa graduates.
Its withdrawal deadline also means insurgents need merely wait out the
hurricane of escalation. They can then either accept an offer to join the
Afghan government or simply reject it and shell the "infidel troops" as they
pull out. - Walid Phares (Dec 10, '09)
Monarchy re-enters Nepal's political
mix
Nepal's Maoists plan a return to power, but they will need to display the level
of mass support that brought them earlier electoral success. The  visit
to New Delhi of former king Gyanendra - possibly to revive his political
career - could therefore prove timely, by giving the Maoists an opportunity to
link the nation's disliked former monarchy to a plot involving India.- Peter Lee
(Dec 10, '09)
India's growth overstates recovery
strength
India's dramatic economic recovery, with near 8% growth in the third
quarter, was downplayed by the country's central bank and the stock market.
Positive features in the economy are undeniable, but the fiscal deficit still
grows ominously and inflation is an ever-present danger. - R M Cutler
(Dec 10, '09)
The day the general made a misstep
Within days of his May appointment as the United States' main man in
Afghanistan, General McChrystal and his vast team of counter-insurgency experts
"flooded the zone", making it clear to all and sundry, including the US
ambassador, as to who was calling the shots. It should have been a slam-dunk
for the general to get his way in demanding a vast surge in troops, but for one
fateful gaffe. - Mark Perry (Dec 9, '09)
US urged to engage Sri Lanka
A United States Senate report argues that the US must engage Sri Lanka -
despite ongoing concerns over its human-rights abuses - or risk damaging
long-term strategic interests in the Indian Ocean. While the report notes that
Colombo has cultivated ties with Myanmar, Iran and Libya, it expresses greatest
concern about China's growing influence in Sri Lanka. - Jim Lobe
(Dec 9, '09)
'Surge' sends Obama soaring
Approval of United States President Barack Obama's handling of the war in
Afghanistan has soared since he announced a surge of 30,000 additional US
troops there, proving that Americans rally around their presidents in times of
military need. However, the numbers also suggest a fundamental misunderstanding
of a "flimsy" commitment to withdraw by mid-2011. (Dec
9, '09)
Rupee slides as banks take on oil
role
The Pakistani government's decision to make commercial banks responsible for
payment of oil imports in advance of a previously indicated date has helped to
drag down the rupee, on fears the change will increase speculation and
volatility in the foreign exchange market. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Dec 9, '09)
India buoyed by Bangladesh's 'gift'
After years of delays, Bangladesh has handed over to India two leaders of a
banned group that is waging a war for the sovereignty of the Indian state of
Assam. The move is expected to have an immediate effect in the resolution of a
host of problems between the countries, not least of all trade. It also gives
India the opportunity to end the decades-long insurgency in Assam. - Sudha
Ramachandran (Dec 8, '09)
India displays multi-vector
diplomacy
Converging regional interests and expanding nuclear and defense ties have put
India-Russia relations on a positive trajectory. India is adjusting to the new
balance of global economic power and the Barack Obama administration's shifting
approach to South Asia, while both Moscow and New Delhi fear "collateral
damage" to their national security should the Afghan situation worsen. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Dec 8, '09)
Battered Pakistan turns to clerics
On Tuesday, militants struck again in Pakistan, killing at least 12 people at a
military base and bringing the number of deaths in recent attacks to about 400.
With the likelihood that spillover from Afghanistan will make the country even
more volatile, the authorities have roped in leading clerics in a bid to stop
the bloodshed. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Dec 8,
'09)
Nepal rhetoric warms to violence
The rhetoric of violence is become louder in Nepalese politics amid Indian
unwillingness to see hostile Maoists take over the government in Kathmandu and
tilt foreign policy in favor of Beijing. For their part, the Maoists, by
threatening to declare autonomous regions, are hastening the downward spiral. - Peter
Lee (Dec 7, '09)
Maoists plan unity in diversity
The plan of Nepal's Maoists to establish 13 autonomous states based on
ethnicity is part of their ongoing program to oust the present administration
and replace it with a government of national unity headed by the main Maoist
party. - Dhruba Adhikary (Dec 7, '09)
Cotton heads for the dinner table
Keerti Singh Rathore's work on rendering cotton seeds suitable for humans to
eat raises the prospect of cheaper food for millions. With modified seeds now
meeting World Health Organization and US Food and Drug Administration standards
for food consumption, they may soon face the test of public taste - and
farmers' doubts. - Raja Murthy (Dec 7, '09)
Obama treads Soviet road out of
Kabul
As world capitals react to United States President Barack
Obama's Afghan strategy, Moscow will find parts of the US strategy reminiscent
of the Soviet approach during its own 1980s Afghanistan end game. The Russians
may also realize that if the US can abandon its "lone ranger" approach,
Washington may succeed where the Kremlin failed. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Dec 7, '09)
War pitch belied by Taliban-al-Qaeda
strife
One of the main justifications for United States President Barack Obama's surge
of 30,000 troops into Afghanistan was that they were necessary to prevent the
Taliban from giving new safe havens to al-Qaeda. Yet according to analysts
specializing in Afghanistan, there is evidence of fundamental conflicts between
the interests of the Taliban and those of al-Qaeda. - Gareth Porter
(Dec 7, '09)
US takes hunt for al-Qaeda to
Pakistan
The real focus of the United States' new Afghanistan policy - despite the
30,000 troop surge - is not that country, it is across the border in Pakistan,
an intermediary familiar with dialogue between the US and Afghan militants
says. The US aims to concentrate on al-Qaeda. Once that group is fatally
weakened, Washington believes, the way will open to a negotiated
settlement in Afghanistan. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Dec 4, '09)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Meet the commanded-in-chief
United States President Barack Obama chose as advisors a crew who had never
seen a significant change and still can't. This stale crew has ensured that
Afghanistan, the first of George W Bush's wars, is now truly Obama's war; and
the news came directly from West Point, where the president surrendered to his
militarized fate. - Tom Engelhardt (Dec 4,
'09)
India's showcase trial nears end
After eight months, the trial of the lone surviving gunman of the Mumbai
attacks, Ajmal Amir "Kasab", is close to conclusion, with over 250 witnesses
having been called and despite the histrionics of the accused. India wanted to
showcase the trial as an example of its legal system in action. What is not
seen is the backlog of 29.2 million other cases across the country. - Neeta Lal
(Dec 3, '09)
China-India relations take another
pitch
Although cricket is barely played in China, the sport's world governing body is
betting on the 
game becoming hugely popular there over the next 15 years or so.
Cricketing rivals India and Pakistan are now competing to influence the
potentially vast market, while some spectators believe the game can become a
bridge for Sino-Indian political divides. - Siddharth Srivastava
(Dec 3, '09)
Iran left out in the cold
Notably absent from President Obama's Afghan speech were references to other
stakeholders in the region - especially Iran. Apart from the role Tehran can
play regarding security issues, as long as the bulk of the Afghan drug trade
passes through Iran, the country can't afford to sit idly by. - Kaveh L
Afrasiabi (Dec 3, '09)
Obama rings the curtain on Pax
Americana
The most profound part of President Barack Obama's new strategy on Afghanistan
is that it bids farewell to the neo-conservative agenda for United States
foreign policy. Obama has thrown out of the window the baggage of regional
initiatives, international conferences and grand bargains, and zeroed in on the
heart of the matter - Afghan people view the Americans as occupiers and it is
time to consider an exit strategy. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Dec 3, '09)
Beijing broods over its arc of anxiety
Through some combination of Pashtun insurgency and rebellion by Pakistan's
military against the strategy of the United States, the pro-Washington
government in Afghanistan is destined to be replaced amid an anti-Indian
rollback. This will be an extremely welcome development for Pakistan and its
ally, China. - Peter Lee (Dec 3, '09)
Helmand charity goes against the
grain
A multi-million dollar scheme to encourage farmers in Afghanistan's Helmand
province to grow wheat rather than opium poppies is being undermined by
scandal, with numerous advisors and officials implicated in claims that money
is being siphoned off and low-cost, sub-standard wheat purchased and
distributed. (Dec 3, '09)
Pakistan at odds with Obama's vision
United States President Barack Obama's troop surge in Afghanistan is primarily
aimed at tightening the noose around the Taliban and al-Qaeda before opening
dialogue with the Taliban. Implicit in the plan is the cooperation of Pakistan.
In that country, though, an increasingly proactive military has charted a
course that could severely undermine Obama's grand designs. - Syed Saleem
Shahzad (Dec 2, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
Vietnam-lite is unveiled
United States President Barack Obama took pains in his speech to distance his
new Afghan policy from the traumas of the Vietnam War, but there are signs that
his "war of necessity" is inviting history to repeat itself. Costing trillions
of dollars, the surge will see occupation troops next year reach the peak level
of the Soviet occupation. Still, it's great news for the Pentagon and its
agenda of full spectrum dominance. - Pepe Escobar
(Dec 2, '09)
The back door is left open
Providing a textbook demonstration of how the national security apparatus
ensures that its preference on issues of military force prevail in the White
House, President Obama has made a case to send 30,000 more troops to
Afghanistan. But in playing down the link between the Taliban insurgency and
al-Qaeda, he's left himself room to maneuver out of the quagmire. - Gareth
Porter (Dec 2, '09)
Pakistan moves to drone independence
Pakistan's military, denied control of United States-made unmanned aerial
vehicles, has decided to make its own, with the help of Selex Galileo of Italy.
Initially, these drones are for surveillance. The ultimate goal is to have them
carry and launch missiles. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Dec 2, '09)
Forensic snoops join India's war on
fraud
At least 1,200 of India's listed companies may be involved in crooked
accounting practices - Satyam Computer Services stands out only for the scale
of its scam, doubled in recent days to US$3 billion. That is driving demand for
auditors with specialist forensic skills. Interested parties include Satyam's
former auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers. - Raja Murthy
(Dec 2, '09)
INTERVIEW
Tide turns against cheats
Leading forensic auditor Vinod Khurana discusses the changing attitude of
Indian corporations towards internal fraud, and how much more progress has to
be made on such profit-draining practices. - Raja Murthy
(Dec 2, '09)
US stalls as Pakistan drifts
Taliban leader Mullah Omar has rejected any notion of peace talks, Pakistan's
army chief has spelled out a vision for an Islamic state, and embattled
President Asif Ali Zardari has relinquished control of the nuclear arsenal.
Taken together, these developments are a major setback for the designs of the
United States in the region. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Nov 30, '09)
Tajik grip on Afghan army signals
strife
Ethnic imbalances in the Afghan National Army risk reigniting a civil war
fought in the 1990s between the Tajiks and the Pashtuns. While the Tajik
minority's disproportionate dominance of security institutions is causing
widespread resentment among the Pashtun majority, Tajiks increasingly view the
Pashtun population as aligned with the Taliban. - Gareth Porter
(Nov 30, '09)
Herat enjoys a gold rush
Afghanistan is increasingly recognized as rich in mineral resources, which lie
largely untapped due to dismal security and the absence of a strong government.
That leaves the door open for intrepid individuals with an eye for what they
hope is gold and the willingness to wield basic mining tools. - Mohammad Ishaq
Quraishi (Nov 30, '09)
Sri Lanka's general hits rocky
campaign trail
Former Sri Lankan army commander, General Sarath Fonseka, has made his
candidacy in January's presidential election official, displaying his usual
win-at-all-costs mentality. The government is already jittery, making things
difficult for the war hero by cutting his security guard and even blocking his
attempts to lease a home. - Munza Mushtaq (Nov
30, '09)
INTERVIEW
Slumdog author does Q&A
Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup wrote Q&A, the novel that became the
Oscar-winning global sensation Slumdog Millionaire. Asia Times Online's
own moonlighting novelist caught up with Swarup at the Ubud Writers Festival. - Muhammad
Cohen (Nov 30, '09)
India lays to rest a Bush-era ghost
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh failed to realize the main objective of
his visit to the United States - the "operationalization" of the US-India
civilian nuclear deal. India and the US were more successful in other areas,
including on defense cooperation. But the most important outcome from Delhi's
perspective is a jettisoning of false hopes and expectations raised in the
George W Bush era that do not match the US's declining power and influence. - M
K Bhadrakumar (Nov 25, '09)
US headache over Afghan deserters
According to data published by the US Defense Department, one in every four
combat soldiers quit the Afghan National Army during the year
ending in September. This high desertion rate not only flies in the face of US
officials' long-time praise for the army as a success story - it is also very
bad news for US President Barack Obama's latest Afghan strategy. - Gareth Porter
(Nov 25, '09)
Manmohan has the last laugh
The Sikh ethnic minority to which India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh belongs
is the butt of numerous jokes in India, but his electoral success - built on
economic and foreign policy achievements - has left opponents searching for a
punchline. As he enjoys Tuesday's state dinner at the White House, Manmohan can
reflect on the remarkable journey that has brought him and his country to this
point. - Raja Murthy (Nov 24, '09)
Pakistan's military stays a march
ahead
An ordinance that granted amnesty to a number of top Pakistani politicians,
including President Asif Ali Zardari, expires in a few days. The military is
preparing for the fallout, just as it is already in contact with leading
players in the insurgency in Afghanistan to position itself ahead of
anticipated developments there. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Nov 24, '09)
SPEAKING FREELY
A route for peace via Afghanistan
India and Pakistan have more common interests in Afghanistan than the two, with
their residue of historical animosity, would admit. There are surprisingly
convergent preferences between New Delhi and Islamabad to stabilize
Afghanistan, provided they follow through with deft diplomacy and stop
upbraiding each other endlessly. - Raja Karthikeya
(Nov 24, '09)
Anti-terror ties bridge
US-India gap
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is 
visiting Washington amid concern in his country over the Barack Obama
administration's perceived closeness to China. As the first anniversary of the
Mumbai attack approaches, the US will likely reassure India by stressing the
importance of ensuring South Asian security through cooperation in anti-terror
efforts, in Afghanistan - and potentially through nuclear and defense deals. - Peter
J Brown (Nov 23, '09)
Red tape binds Kashmir to barter
Traders in Indian-administered Kashmir are using medieval-style practices to do
deals with their neighbors in the Pakistan-controlled section of the divided
territory and in China. They would prefer to use phone calls to set up trade
and banks to get cash, but the government says "no" - so they barter, and wait
for red tape to be cut so they can do modern-day business.- Haroon Mirani
(Nov 23, '09)
Afghan forces fight an enemy within
A deadly attack on British soldiers by a militant who had infiltrated the
Afghan National Police highlights Afghanistan's poor army and police
application processes. Aall it takes to join is an easily forged identity card
and one working leg. - Lal Aqa Sherin (Nov
23, '09)
US's dalliance in Beijing is
short-lived
In a joint statement, United States President Barack Obama and Chinese
President Hu Jintao this week pledged to "strengthen communication, dialogue
and cooperation on issues related to South Asia". It took Washington a matter
of hours to start backtracking; any enterprise to mount ill-fated Sino-American
ventures in this region could seriously disrupt American business interests. - MK
Bhadrakumar (Nov 20, '09)
The elephant in India and Iran's
room
Try as India and Iran may to halt the downward slide in their relations,
cooperation in the all-important energy sector remains stuck in a rut.
Negotiations between the two countries during the recent visit of Iran's
foreign minister made "good progress", though apprehension over drawing
American ire ultimately stands in India's way. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Nov 20, '09)
A town with a tale to tell
The more elderly inhabitants of Tawang, the town plumb in the heart of disputed
territory between India and China, have lived under four national flags -
British, Tibetan, Chinese and Indian. These indigenous people, the Monpas, have
strong views on which country they believe would now best serve their
interests. - Saransh Sehgal (Nov 20, '09)
Nuclear fallout rocks Pakistan
Reports of the United States attempting to take an active role in helping
safeguard Pakistan's nuclear arsenal could not have come at a worse time for
President Asif Ali Zardari. He is already marginalized by his military, now his
political opponents - including revitalized former president Pervez Musharraf -
see a weakness. A crucial showdown is due next month, precisely the time the
Pakistani Taliban plan their own fireworks. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Nov 19, '09)
Leak fuels fears over India's ID
project
Fears that India's plans for an identity database for its more than one billion
citizens could lead to government snooping, corruption and identity 
theft have not been helped by the leaking of the project's working paper; nor
by statements in the document admitting that the system will be "susceptible to
attacks and leaks at various levels". - Raja Murthy
(Nov 19, '09)
New York readies for the 'Gitmo
Five'
News that the "Gitmo Five" will be tried in New York has raised fears of an
increased possibility of terrorist attacks in the city. The Lower Manhattan
court, however, apart from having the legal pedigree to handle the cases, is
also one of the safest civilian courthouses in the United States.
(Nov 19, '09)
Sri Lanka hastens Tamil camp
clearance
The Sri Lankan government has announced that the thousands of displaced Tamils
still living in camps will be resettled within two months, a decision widely
viewed as a public relations move prior to elections that will now take place
after a radical change in the political firmament. - Feizal Samath
(Nov 19, '09)
Tax offers Pakistan escape from
poverty
Within days of the White House giving the go-ahead to a controversial US$7.5
billion aid package to Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lambasted
Islamabad's dismally low tax revenues. Tighten the tax net, on landowners,
banks, textile companies and others, and the extra income would dwarf most, if
not all, aid figures. - Tarique Niazi (Nov
19, '09)
Taliban tap into Afghanistan's roots
The insurgency in Afghanistan will continue to gather momentum as long as
Afghans believe the insurgents have more compelling answers than Western powers
or the government of President Hamid Karzai. The Taliban's fusion of religion,
state and army presents a compelling case that foreigners will be expelled,
Pashtun pre-eminence will be maintained, and that there will be a return to a
golden age under Islamic law. - Brian M Downing
(Nov 19, '09)
One-two punch for India's opposition
Following hard on its defeat in national elections, India's main opposition,
the Bharatiya Janata Party, has been trounced in three state polls. While the
results further strengthen the ruling Congress party, the big loser, beyond the
BJP, is India's move towards a broad two-front political system. - Neeta Lal
(Nov 18, '09)
Afghanistan runs on well-oiled
wheels
Every day, trucks carry diesel from Turkmenistan to the Afghan capital, Kabul,
where some of the fuel is used in electricity power stations. 
Influential people are making a lot of money from the venture, which is
financed by American tax dollars and is part of a fine-tuned system of nepotism
and corruption that works a treat. It is not about to change. - Pratap
Chatterjee (Nov 18, '09)
Political impasse takes Nepal to
brink
Leaders of Nepal's Maoists are threatening more mass protests and to turn the
nation "into another Afghanistan" should their demands for limits to
presidential powers not be met. As the political turmoil drags on - not helped
by an apparent China-India tussle for influence - some see hope in the
formation of a unity government. - Dhruba Adhikary
(Nov 17, '09)
Militants change tack in Pakistan
After a month-long operation, Pakistan's military is chasing shadows in the
South Waziristan tribal area. The militants being sought so desperately by the
army - and the United States - are scattered in remote surrounding areas,
including in Afghanistan. Previously, the next step would have been to
negotiate a ceasefire. Not this time. In a major switch, the militants want a
long-term insurgency against the security apparatus across the country. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Nov 17, '09)
US boosts India's anti-terror
efforts
India's decision to increase information-sharing with United States
intelligence agencies since last year's Mumbai terrorist attack is paying off,
witness the Federal Bureau of Investigation's operation uncovering a plot to
attack important sites in India, including the Taj Mahal. - Siddharth Srivastava
(Nov 17, '09)
'Northern Taliban' threatens
Central Asia
Taliban counter-moves against United States coalition efforts to forge a supply
route from Central Asia to northern Afghanistan have ended the relative calm in
that part of Afghanistan and could drag Central Asian states into the conflict.
As more foreign fighters from groups like the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
join the ranks of the emerging "northern Taliban", the issue is rapidly
climbing up the coalition's agenda. - Sanobar Shermatova
(Nov 17, '09)
A Bonapartist in the Indian Ocean
Sri Lankan democracy may never be the same again now that swashbuckling army
chief Sarath Fonseka has abruptly discarded his uniform to run for president.
Fonseka is entering uncharted waters. But the United States Green Card holder
knows that he has the full backing of a Washington seeking a malleable power
structure in Colombo. - M K Bhadrakumar (Nov
16, '09)
An anxious wait in Afghanistan
While the United States agonizes over its Afghan policy, even with the
re-election of President Hamid Karzai now settled, the country remains in
limbo. Warlords and powerbrokers jockey behind fortified walls in the capital,
while the United Nations and other organizations keep their heads down. Only
the Taliban appear unfazed. - Derek Henry Flood
(Nov 16, '09)
Sino-Indian rivalry fuels Nepal's
turmoil
As Nepal's Maoists intensify efforts to paralyze the central government, the
group's mass protests and provocative acts over a political impasse threaten to
plunge the nation back into civil conflict. With the Maoists claiming the
support of China, and a pro-India government in place in Kathmandu, a barely
concealed proxy contest is developing between Beijing and Delhi for a strategic
advantage in the Himalayas. - Peter Lee (Nov
13, '09)
Welcome home, war
Wars, even the most distant ones, come home in strange, unnerving ways - as
Americans have just discovered with the killings at Fort Hood. In less noticed
but no less crucial ways, America's wars are now coming home, with techniques
developed in the crucibles of Iraq and Afghanistan migrating from Baghdad and
Kandahar. - Alfred W McCoy (Nov 13, '09)
US air supply drop turns deadly
An American air supply drop that went horribly wrong is the latest incident to
provoke Afghan anger. Up to 25 United States and Afghan personnel, plus several
civilians, were reportedly killed or injured in insurgent-riddled Bala Murghab
district, with everything going from bad to worse when two paratroopers went
missing in a fast-flowing river. - Mustafa Saber
(Nov 12, '09)
Sri Lanka split over war honors
A widening rift between Sri Lanka's armed forces chief General Sarath Fonseka
and President 
Mahinda Rajapaksa over who should take credit for the defeat of the separatist
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is adding spice to competition ahead of a
presidential election, and increasing concern for the country's democratic
future. - Sudha Ramachandran (Nov 12, '09)
Afghans fear infiltration from Iran
Every day, scores of refugees return to Afghanistan from Iran through a small,
poorly supervised border town in Herat province. Most of them have been kicked
out by Tehran, which, say helpless border police, is also sending across both
Afghan and foreign fighters to join the Taliban-led insurgency. - Zia Ahmadi and
Mustafa Saber (Nov 12, '09)
Indian stocks face power shortage
Strong gains in Indian equity markets have been helped by government stimulus
spending, inflows of foreign cash, and improved company earnings. The driving
power behind all three could soon be running on empty. - Kunal Kumar Kundu
(Nov 12, '09)
Complacency creeps back in Mumbai
Life is buzzing again in Mumbai, almost back to normal nearly a year after
Pakistani-trained gunmen rampaged there, killing more than 200. But there
are doubts the city has learnt from the violent attacks. Regular government
pledges of vigilance and anti-terrorism conferences may help create some sense
of urgency, but the sight of under-trained, dozing policemen does not. - Raja
Murthy (Nov 12, '09)
SINOGRAPH
A sacrificial lamb
Discussions between India and China on disputed border issues could be hastened
by Washington's need to find a political solution for Afghanistan, something
that could compromise the cause of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual
leader who donated "his" Tawang to New Delhi. - Francesco Sisci
(Nov 11, '09)
Afghans reap bumper harvest
Farmers in the north of Afghanistan who survived years of drought are now
reaping a bumper wheat harvest. The gains are spreading to villagers in the
region, while the surplus from the country's bread basket is helping to cut the
need for imports. - Abdul Latif Sahak (Nov
11, '09)
Drones: A slam-dunk weapons system
In Afghanistan and Pakistan, drones seem to be the only things that "work".
They are not, however, the first wonder weapons so hailed. The atomic bomb,
Vietnam's electronic battlefield, Star Wars, "smart bombs" and "netcentric
warfare". All failed, just as drones will. But it made no difference, all
"succeeded" at home; yet another mini-sector of the military-industrial complex
was born. - Tom Engelhardt (Nov 11, '09)
Pentagon starts an Afghan building
boom
Salsa and karaoke nights for United States troops have been cut in Kandahar
province, but elsewhere in Afghanistan the Pentagon is digging in with massive
construction contracts to private companies that will make life all the more
comfortable, and safer, for ever more troops. - Nick Turse
(Nov 10, '09)
Afghan cash starts going to China
Metallurgical Corp of China has started work on developing the vast Afghan
copper deposits at Aynak, south of Kabul. That is good news for the hundreds of
Chinese workers at the site, protected by Afghan and US forces. Critics say it
is not such good news for the country, despite the millions of dollars that
will go to the Afghan treasury. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Nov 10, '09)
India probes Maoists' foreign links
Indian security forces poised to launch a major offensive against Maoist rebels
say there is growing evidence of foreign support for the insurgency. It is
emerging that remnants of Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are
training the Maoists, funds are arriving from Nepal and weapons from Myanmar,
Bangladesh and possibly China. - Siddharth Srivastava
(Nov 10, '09)
Maldives faces up to extremism
A puritanical version of Islam is taking root in the Maldives, driving the
tropical paradise towards a path to religious extremism. Not only are cultural
practices changing, but an increasing number of Maldivian youth are being drawn
into global jihadi groups, with many now fighting in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
- Sudha Ramachandran (Nov 10, '09)
Dalai Lama calm in the eye of a
storm
While the visit by the Dalai Lama to the disputed area of Arunachal Pradesh in
India has not helped already frosty relations between India and China - some
even talk of war - the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader is possibly closer to
the reality when he points out "my visit here is non-political". - Saransh
Sehgal (Nov 10, '09)
'Undeployables' sent to the Afghan
front
As the United States debates whether to send tens of thousands of extra troops
to Afghanistan, an already overstretched military is struggling to meet its
deployment numbers. One place it is targeting is military personnel who go
absent without leave, and who then are caught or turn themselves in. Many of
these soldiers are already "damaged or even broken". - Dahr Jamail and Sarah
Lazare (Nov 9, '09)
Dalai Lama at apex of Sino-Indian
tensions
Along with the tension created by the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed Indian
state of Arunachal Pradesh, shifts within the Tibetan movement, India's
evolving geopolitical stature and the United States' growing economic ties with
China are converging to create dangerous instability in Sino-Indian relations.
- Peter Lee (Nov 9, '09)
When war comes home
The massive Fort Hood military base in Texas, where a major last week gunned
down 13 people, is one of the most heavily deployed facilities for the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Fort Hood soldiers have also accounted for more suicides
than any other army post since the invasion of Iraq in 2003; this year alone,
the base is averaging over 10 suicides a month. - Dahr Jamail
(Nov 9, '09)
It's payback time in Kabul
In return for their pledges to guarantee huge majorities for Hamid Karzai in
the August 20 election, the Afghan president had to make promises to a number
of power brokers and warlords in the provinces of key ministries in the next
government. Now Karzai has to deliver. - Gareth Porter
(Nov 9, '09)
Sri Lanka in race to keep trade pact
Thousands of Sri Lankan garment jobs are at risk as Colombo faces the loss of
European trade concessions if the country is found not to be implementing
numerous international conventions covering human and labor rights and other
issues. (Nov 9, '09)
'Cronies and warlords' wait in the
wings
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pulled no punches in saying that
"cronies and warlords" should have no place in the future of a democratic
Afghanistan. But the point is, cabinet and provincial governor appointments are
a part of a complex political contract in Kabul and it is extremely doubtful
that Karzai is in a position to oblige Britain, or any other country, even if
he wanted to. - M K Bhadrakumar (Nov 9, '09)
UNDER THE AFPAK VOLCANO, Part 2
Breaking up is (not) hard to do
The Pentagon well knows that AfPak is the key land bridge between Iran to the
west and China and India to the east; and that Iran has all the energy that
both China and India need. The balkanization of AfPak would neutralize China's
drive for land access from Xinjiang across Pakistan to the Arabian Sea, via the
port of Gwadar in Balochistan province. - Pepe Escobar
(Nov 6, '09)
This is the concluding article in a two-part report.PART 1:
Welcome to Pashtunistan
India on brink of Maoist offensive
More than 70,000 paramilitary troops are poised to begin Operation Green Hunt,
a massive offensive against Maoist rebels in India's northeast "Red Corridor",
should a final appeal to the Maoists to sit down with the government for talks
fail. - Ranjit Devraj (Nov 5, '09)
US puts its faith in Pakistan's
military
A deal hatched between the Pakistani military and United States Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton cleared the path for Hamid Karzai to be
re-elected for a second term as Afghanistan's president. With Karzai's
challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, now out of the picture, Pakistan's military will
actively mediate between Washington and the Taliban. Along with Abdullah, the
big loser is Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Nov 5, '09)
UNDER THE AFPAK VOLCANO, Part 1
Welcome to Pashtunistan
A rough beast, its hour come at last, Pashtunistan is already being born across
the strategic corridor straddling eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan. If
the Pakistani Taliban and their Pashtun allies manage to establish full
control, with or without jihadi support, an Islamic emirate will for all
practical purposes be constituted. - Pepe Escobar (Nov
5, '09)
This is the first article in a two-part report.
Russia, India and China go their
ways
Despite its best efforts, Russia failed at a recent trilateral summit to get
India and China to agree to a common regional initiative regarding Afghanistan.
This failure ensures that the United States can now press ahead with its own
strategy of striking grand bargains individually with these key players. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Nov 4, '09)
Obama's world outreach teetering
Just months after well received speeches in Turkey and Egypt, setbacks from
Afghanistan to the West Bank to Pakistan, Iraq and Iran have seen belief plunge
in the Muslim world over United States President Barack Obama and his plans for
progress. With this, anti-US sentiment is back on the rise. - Jim Lobe
(Nov 4, '09)
Jaipur blaze challenges oil
priorities
A week-long fatal oil inferno close to the famed Indian "Pink City" of Jaipur,
soon after a similar
blaze in Puerto Rico, has raised concerns about placing oil depots close to
population centers and local authorities' failure to limit residential and
other developments in their proximity. The priorities of Indian Oil Corp's
management are also being challenged. - Raja Murthy
(Nov 4, '09)
The polling booths are finally
closed
The Independent Election Commission in Afghanistan has vigorously defended its
decision to hand President Hamid Karzai a second five-year term following the
withdrawal of his challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. At the same time, the
commission makes it clear the matter is not up for debate - it's time to move
on, like it or not. - Derek Henry Flood (Nov
3, '09)
Fighting the 'good' war
Afghanistan is not Washington's "good war", though it is now characterized in
that fashion not only by the Republican right wing but by President Barack
Obama and many Democrats who were critical of the "Bush" Iraq war. - Jack A
Smith (Nov 3, '09)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Afghanistan as a bailout state
In Washington's terms, the disaster unfolding daily in Afghanistan is not the
definition of failure. In economic lingo, it now falls into the category of
"too big to fail", which means upping the ante; America's leaders always opt
for more in counter-insurgency disasters rather than cutting their losses. - Tom
Engelhardt (Nov 3, '09)
Now it's a one-horse race
In Kabul's cavernous loya jirga council tent, built to signify the hope
and reunification of 
Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah's dramatic withdrawal from the presidential race
has set the stage for even more discord and instability; people are in a more
vulnerable place than before the start of the election. - Derek Henry Flood
(Nov 2, '09)
Sikhs take stock of 1984
In October 1984, the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi led to the
massacre of thousands of Sikhs. India now has a Sikh premier and ruling
Congress party leaders say they have won the hearts of the Sikh community. But
not all Sikhs are appeased; they are still waiting for justice. - Sudha
Ramachandran (Nov 2, '09)
US goofs the Afghan election
Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah's withdrawal from a runoff that he had
scant chance of winning ends what had become a mere sideshow to more
significant events unfolding in Kabul. President Hamid Karzai can now firmly
take center stage. He has turned the tables on Western powers that would have
seen him vilified and overthrown, and, if the rift worsens, he could yet blow
the lid on an explosive issue: the role of foreign troops in the narcotics
trade. - M K Bhadrakumar (Nov 2, '09)
Al-Qaeda has plans for its new
recruit
With the recent appointment of Ilyas Kashmiri as head of its military
committee, al-Qaeda has recruited a veteran who learned his trade on the
battlefields of Afghanistan and during the insurgency against India in disputed
Kashmir. Ilyas also took with him his elite 313 Brigade, which al-Qaeda claims
it now wants to unleash. A foiled plot in Denmark could be a prelude. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Nov 2, '09)
 SPENGLER
The idiot twins of American idealism
It is mad to believe, as the George W Bush administration did, that the United
States can remake the world in its own image. It is even madder to turn foreign
policy into an affirmative action program for disadvantaged or dying cultures.
In such lean times, Washington's "realists" do not seem focused on what should
be a core interest, fostering viable partners for the future and jettisoning
those that are beyond viability. - Spengler (Nov
2, '09)
Why Pakistanis see US as the bigger
threat
Most Pakistanis are anti-Taliban, but they are even more anti-United States, as
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton learned during her visit to
the country last week. The view persists that Pakistan is fighting an American
war; that before 2002 there was no terrorist threat in Pakistan; and that the
threat will vanish once US forces withdraw from the region. - Muhammad Idrees
Ahmad (Nov 2, '09)
NATO forces turn to warlords
Afghan warlords are earning millions of dollars from North Atlantic Treaty
Organization forces to guard forward operating bases and supply convoys. These
ruthless private armies are reviled by much of the public, and are likely to
turn their rifles on NATO forces should the protection money dry up. - Gareth
Porter (Oct 30, '09)
Europe stoops to conquer the
Uzbeks
A controversial decision by Europe to lift an arms embargo on Uzbekistan comes
as alarm bells are ringing in Central Asian capitals over a possible spillover
of the Afghan war. Tashkent may be the key to a northern supply corridor, but
regional leaders - increasingly skeptical of the West's will to win and the
prospect of "Afghanization" - are bracing for a Taliban victory. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Oct 29, '09)
Strong messages in Pakistan
 The
primary job of United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her
visit to Pakistan is to relay the message to both its civilian and military
leadership that it would be wise to join the US in fighting extremists as part
of the war in Afghanistan. The massive car bomb that killed 105 people in
Peshawar on the day of her arrival is the militants' message.
(Oct 29, '09)
SPEAKING FREELY
Hamid Karzai: Afghanistan's Diem
Fresh revelations of the Hamid Karzai government's opium trade links and the
alleged involvement of the Central Intelligence Agency render the United States
role in Afghanistan more murky and contradictory. With all the attention on
General Stanley McChrystal's troop increase demand, historical perspective has
been lost. We are back in Ngo Dinh Diem's Saigon of 1963. - Michael Wallach
(Oct 29, '09)
Peshawar blast adds to investor woes
The Peshawar car bomb blast that killed at least 105 people on Wednesday will
add further pressure on overseas investors to turn their backs on strife-torn
Pakistan, after foreign direct investment tumbled by more than 58% last month
from a year ago. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider (Oct
29, '09)
Rivals fiddle while Kabul burns
As President Hamid Karzai and his rival Abdullah Abdullah scramble to secure
political alliances and argue technicalities ahead of next month's presidential
runoff, a brazen attack on a United Nations guesthouse in Afghanistan's capital
highlights the Taliban's resolve to derail the vote. Monday's violence
underscores that even a resounding win for Karzai does not guarantee he will
form a strong, credible government. - Abubakar Siddique
(Oct 29, '09)
Bollywood gets political
Times are changing in Bollywood.  No
longer just a song-and-dance film industry, India's massive movie machine is
moving ahead of the curve both politically and socially, with recent
productions, one featuring box office star, Shahrukh Khan, pushing viewers to
address issues of communal relations and religious intolerance. - Noor Iqbal
(Oct 29, '09)
Britain's Afghan role in question
The British government has hinted that the Barack Obama administration's
"wavering" on the war in Afghanistan is hampering progress there. This ignores
the fact that Britain's own military contribution is undermined by its
unfavorable colonial legacy, poorly received anti-narcotics campaigns and tense
relations with a key Afghan player, Iran. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Oct 28, '09)
Taliban take over Afghan province
Following the withdrawal of United States troops from key bases, the Taliban
have taken control of Afghanistan's Nuristan province. It is now under Qari
Ziaur Rahman, a Taliban commander with strong ties to Osama bin Laden and
al-Qaeda. With this haven, the Taliban's first goal is to disrupt next month's
run-off presidential election, then to assist militants in Pakistan. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Oct 28, '09)
India-China nudge forward on climate
issues
An agreement between China and India to increase their cooperation on renewable
energy and power efficiency indicates their desire to tackle climate-change
concerns, even as they continue to oppose Western demands for binding cuts to
greenhouse gas emissions. (Oct 28, '09)
US report tarnishes Sri Lanka
victory
A United States report on human-rights abuses during the Sri Lankan
government's final offensive on the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
finds that while the rebel group used child soldiers and human shields, the
government shelled civilian populations and badly neglected refugees' rights.
(Oct 28, '09)
Helicopter rumors refuse to die
The United States is battling yet another rumor in Afghanistan, that Western
forces are using helicopters to transport Taliban fighters from the volatile
south to the north of the country. Officials have dismissed the claims as
rubbish, but locals are sticking to their stories. - Ahmad Kawoosh
(Oct 28, '09)
India lost in 'love jihad'
Religious groups in India's Kerala state say young Muslim men are luring
non-Muslim girls into marriage as part of an organized campaign of forced
conversions to Islam. Dubbed "love jihad", the phenomenon has sparked police
investigations and national security fears. It has even united Hindu and
Christian groups previously at loggerheads over the sensitive issue of
religious conversions. - Sudha Ramachandran (Oct
27, '09)
Welcome to 2025
An affiliate of the United States Central Intelligence Agency has predicted
that America's global pre-eminence will gradually disappear over the next 15 or
so years. Six recent developments - including reports on America's economic
rivals exploring a diminished role for the US dollar and Chinese rebuffs of the
US over strengthening sanctions on Iran - indicate we are already entering that
era. - Michael T Klare (Oct 27, '09)
Kerry argues for counter-insurgency
lite
The death on Monday of 14 United States troops in two helicopter accidents -
the single-deadliest day for US forces in Afghanistan in more than four years -
only adds to the urgency for the administration of President Barack Obama to
settle on its war strategy. Democratic Senator John Kerry, following an
extended visit to the country, spells out his vision for counter-insurgency
operations. - Jim Lobe (Oct 27, '09)
Afghan fury at Koran burning claims
Allegations that American forces burned copies of the Koran during a recent
raid in central-eastern Afghanistan have led to a series of protests, including
two in the capital, Kabul. The United States military denies the charges,
saying Taliban insurgents are behind the burnings. - Abdullah Obaidi
(Oct 27, '09)
India's nuclear drive sparks safety
fears
Since the civilian nuclear deal last year with the United States ended India's
decades of isolation from the international atomic market, New Delhi has begun
a vast drive to significantly increase its use of nuclear energy. The promise
of clean and affordable power has strong government backing, but fears remain
over the nation's patchy nuclear safety record. - Siddharth Srivastava
(Oct 26, '09)
NATO plays a waiting game
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization faces a crucial decision on Afghanistan,
with the top United States commander in the country, General Stanley
McChrystal, asking the body for 40,000 more troops. Until next month's re-run
of Afghanistan's presidential election comes to a close, NATO's defense
ministers aren't committing to anything. (Oct 26,
'09)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Failed war president or prince of
peace?
Should he take the peace-maker route, United States President Barack Obama
stands a chance of success. History suggests that the path of war will be a
surefire loser. The past half-century makes clear what the US military can
achieve - destruction and mayhem; and what it has failed to do in Korea,
Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan - deliver a genuine and lasting victory. - Nick
Turse (Oct 26, '09)
Toxic alert as US ship heads for
India
Indian environmentalists claim a United States ship on the way to the country's
ship-breaking "graveyard", Alang, is the latest toxic vessel engaged in
trickery to avoid port-of-origin detoxification laws. Eyeing profits, the 4,000
unskilled laborers who would tear the possibly mercury- and asbestos-laden
vessel apart with basic tools don't seem to share their concerns. - Sudha
Ramachandran (Oct 23, '09)
Where Pakistan's militants go to
ground
The Pakistani military is taking the fight to militants in the South Waziristan
tribal area, even as the United States takes its Afghan fight to Pakistan. This
draws Pakistan into an ever-deepening quagmire, one in which militants are
carving havens. One of these is the Lyari area of Karachi, where an odd
assortment of groups - including the Iranian Jundallah and anti-Shi'ite terror
outfits - rub shoulders beyond the reach of the law. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Oct 22, '09)
The spy who lost his thumb drives
American space scientist, missile defense expert and leading lunar researcher,
Stewart Nozette, arrested this week in a Federal Bureau of Investigation sting,
is known to have expressed his willingness to work for Israeli intelligence.
What is not known is what he did with two thumb drives he took to "Country A",
which is speculated to be India. - Peter J Brown
(Oct 22, '09)
Islamabad dismayed by 'dithering' US
The view that the United States will eventually abandon Pakistan, leaving it
alone to fend off insurgent groups and suicide bombers, is pervasive in
Islamabad. And when US President Barack Obama appears perplexed over questions
on Afghanistan such as "How many troops?" and "For what purpose?", it does
nothing to instill confidence in a besieged ally. The fine line between
"rethinking" and "dithering" is fast fading. - Zahid U Kramet
(Oct 22, '09)
America, condoms and the Taliban
The United States didn't seem to care that it was unprecedented for a tribal
chief like Afghan President Hamid Karzai to be made to admit defeat in front of
his people - as he did in a press conference to announce a run-off election.
Whether Karzai was efficient or corrupt is no more the issue. The crux now is
the Afghan perception that Westerners use their friends like condoms - to be
discarded after use. - M K Bhadrakumar (Oct
22, '09)
China's navy sails past India's dock
Three Chinese naval vessels do not make a fleet, but they do make a statement.
By sending them to patrol off the coast of Somalia as part of the multinational
force operating there, in effect, China is saying to India, "We're back." - Peter
J Brown (Oct 21, '09)
Iran trapped in a ring of unrest
Whether the United States directed Jundallah to conduct the weekend's terrorist
attack in Iran is irrelevant. What is significant is that the Americans have
created - through their actions in Afghanistan and Pakistan - a strategic
environment in which such attacks are both practically and ideologically
possible. If Iran is to rid itself of Jundallah, and the close ties the group
has to organized crime, it has to actively lobby for the exit of foreign forces
from the region. - Mahan Abedin (Oct 21, '09)
Herat mourns a rebel commander
The funeral of a powerful rebel commander, Ghulam Yahya Akbari, killed this
month in a firefight with foreign and Afghan troops in Herat province in the
west of the country, drew over 5,000 people. Labeled a dangerous insurgent by
the government and foreign forces but revered by locals, the question lingers:
was he a hero, a villain, or a bit of both? - Mustafa Saber
(Oct 21, '09)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
A 'long war' in the blowback world
America tends to think of "blowback" as something in the past, something that
ended with the attacks of September 11, 2001. But in the Greater Middle East,
one lesson seems clear enough: for 30 years, the United States has been deeply
involved in creating, financing and sometimes arming an entire blowback world
that will strike again. - Tom Engelhardt (Oct
21, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
Jundallah versus the mullahtariat
Sunday's suicide bombing in Iran has set off a war: it's the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards Corps against Pakistani Balochistan-based Jundallah and
the massive drug trafficking network in the area. In terms of the turbulent,
internal political equation in Iran, the show of force against a key element of
the mullahtariat could not be more devastating. - Pepe Escobar
(Oct 20, '09)
China opens a new front in Kashmir
China, by issuing residents from Indian-administered Kashmir visas different
from those given to Indians from other parts of the country, is treating the
disputed area as a sovereign entity. This is a surprising departure from
Beijing's traditional policy of leaving the Kashmir issue to India and Pakistan
to resolve. Delhi suspects a hidden agenda. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Oct 20, '09)
For whom the Afghan poll tolls
Once viewed as a chance to give Afghans a political voice and as a signpost of
progress for the international community amid rapidly deteriorating security
and governance, Afghanistan's vitiated elections now seem an altogether
different animal. Lost in the whirlwind of fraud and politicking are the
millions of Afghans who did risk their lives to vote, only to find backroom
deals and decision-makers steal their right to choose. - Aunohita Mojumdar
(Oct 20, '09)
India's stocks in overreach mode
The strength of India's stock markets, with the benchmark Sensex more than
doubling since early March, has not been backed by any substantial improvement
in corporate performance and there is little indication that company revenues
are going to improve. - Kunal Kumar Kundu (Oct
20, '09)
SPENGLER
When the cat's away, the mice kill
each other
It is most astonishing that official Washington seems oblivious to the crack-up
of American influence occurring in front of its eyes. Without America to
mediate and restrain, each of the small powers in the Middle East has no choice
but to test its strength against the others. Those who wish to reduce American
power may get what they wish for, but they might not like it.
(Oct 19, '09)
A new battle begins in Pakistan
Pakistani troops are pouring into the South Waziristan tribal area for a
conflict against militants that they have little chance of winning outright.
The offensive does, though, emphatically shift the focus from Afghanistan,
which is what the United States has wanted for some time. Iran, following
Sunday's attack on commanders of its Revolutionary Guards Corps, also has
Pakistan on its mind. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Oct
19, '09)
 CHAN
AKYA
Us and them
Controlling the renewed menace of the Taliban will involve actions in the
United States and Europe to destroy the demand for heroin and oil; the twin
fuels of Islamic fundamentalism. Getting this achieved may not be the most
popular course of action, but it is more likely to succeed than mere
adjustments to the current war strategy. Historical evidence involving the
decline of the British Empire favors the notion, too.
(Oct 19, '09)
UN's caste declaration riles India
A decision by the United Nations to make caste discrimination a human-rights
abuse is opposed by New Delhi. It's a sword that will cut both ways for India
as it will hopefully improve opportunities for Dalits, but it simultaneously
underscores the country's feudalistic and discriminatory ethos. - Neeta Lal
(Oct 19, '09)
Going 'deep', not 'big', in
Afghanistan
An analysis making waves in Washington by a veteran United States officer calls
for the withdrawal of the bulk of United States combat forces from Afghanistan
over 18 months, warning against General Stanley McChrystal's counter-insurgency
strategy. Lieutenant Colonel Daniel L Davis says that it is already too late
for US forces to defeat the insurgency. - Gareth Porter
(Oct 16, '09)
The Dragon spews fire at the
Elephant
Indian lobbyists - with an eye on profiting from arms sales with the United
States worth billions of dollars - are whipping up war hysteria and xenophobia
over China, and Delhi is playing along. Against this electrified diplomatic
backdrop, the state-run People's Daily tore into India this week. The
relationship could nosedive further if the Dalai Lama's approved visit to
India's disputed areas with China goes ahead.- M K Bhadrakumar
(Oct 16, '09)
Pakistan aid bill has explosive
impact
The same day that United States President Barack Obama signed a bill that
triples the current level of non-military aid the US provides to Pakistan, the
Pakistani Taliban mounted the latest in a 10-day series of devastating attacks
on key army and police facilities that highlight Washington's concerns about
the threat posed by the militants. - Jim Lobe
(Oct 16, '09)
Sri Lanka budget challenge for
IMF
The International Monetary Fund, returning to Sri Lanka after a more than
two-year absence, faces an immediate challenge to its latest support program as
the government seeks to postpone passing a budget until after forthcoming
elections. (Oct 16, '09)
Maoists go on pilgrimage in China
Nepal's top Maoist leader and former prime 
minister, Prachanda, took time out on his trip this week to China to visit the
birthplace of Mao Zedong. Prachanda has a deep-seated interest in original
communist concepts, and in comparing them with present-day realities. Beijing
is looking for a dependable ally in Kathmandu, and Prachanda believes his
Maoists can take on this role, he tells Asia Times Online. - Dhruba Adhikary
(Oct 15, '09)
India takes off against 'Red
Taliban'
The Indian Air Force has requested government permission to fire in
self-defense should its helicopters or crew operating in Maoist areas come
under attack, marking a significant change in India's counter-insurgency
strategy against what are now being called the "Red Taliban". - Sudha
Ramachandran (Oct 15, '09)
Taliban have a free ride in Kunduz
Once one of the most stable provinces in Afghanistan, parts of Kunduz are
falling under Taliban control, so much so that the insurgents ride around with
impunity in captured police vehicles. The governor of Kunduz blames Pakistan
for the emergence of the insurgents, while others point fingers at the United
States. - Gul Rahim Niazmand (Oct 15, '09)
AN ATol EXCLUSIVE
Al-Qaeda's guerrilla chief lays out
strategy
The top field commander of al-Qaeda, in an exclusive interview with Asia Times
Online, not only proves he is alive and well after repeated drone
attacks and delineates in broad strokes al-Qaeda's strategy. The
Afghanistan trap, baited on September 11, 2001, has been sprung, says
formidable guerrilla leader Ilyas Kashmiri, and events from Gaza to Mumbai
should not be seen in isolation but as part of the master plan to bloody the
United States and its proxies. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Oct 14, '09)
Obama beset by America's far right
Neo-conservative heavyweights are working overtime to paint United States
President Barack Obama's foreign policy as designed to weaken and constrain
American power by abandoning the more aggressive policies of his predecessor,
George W Bush. The Nobel committee's decision to honor Obama, they say, only
hastens America's decline. - Jim Lobe(Oct 14,
'09)
Hawks still link Taliban to al-Qaeda
The relationship between Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network and the Taliban has
been a central issue in White House discussions on Afghanistan strategy that
began last month, with security officials insisting that Afghan insurgent
groups have "much closer ties to al-Qaeda now than they did before 9/11". - Gareth
Porter (Oct 14, '09)
Tough guys don't need to dance
If United States President Barack Obama could silence the endless cries for
more troops and more war emanating from the military and foreign policy
"experts" around him, he would hear the voices of today's Norman Mailers, of
today's tough-minded dissenters. Were he to do so, he might yet avoid repeating
Lyndon B Johnson's biggest blunder - and so avoid suffering that president's
political fate as well. - William J Astore (Oct
13, '09)
Kerry-Lugar bill a Catch-22 for
Pakistan
Conditions attached in the United States Congress to the Kerry-Lugar bill -
which grants Pakistan US$1.5 billion annually over the next five years - have
rubbed some in Islamabad the wrong way. Leading voices berate the bill as
turning Pakistan into an American neo-colony. The dilemma is whether to align
with the US to combat militancy, or take a principled stand in support of a
weak democracy. - Zahid U Kramet (Oct 13,
'09)
Pakistan warns India to 'back off'
New Delhi has the capacity to play a decisive role in crushing the Taliban
insurgency, which is what makes the Pakistani military establishment extremely
anxious in the developing political scenario on the Afghan chessboard. When the
Taliban struck the Indian embassy in Kabul on Thursday, killing 17 people, the
timing may have been coincidence, maybe not. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Oct 9, '09)
IAEA's not-so-secret satellite game
Iran's decision to reject a protocol enabling the International Atomic Energy
Agency to conduct spot inspections of its nuclear sites means enforcing
safeguard agreements will become more risky and more satellite-driven. Israel's
desire to engage India's space-based surveillance assets is also likely to
intensify. - Peter J Brown (Oct 9, '09)
War of the Worlds redux:
Kabul, 2009
Sometimes it takes 66 pages to tell the story of a foreign invasion - as in the
case of Afghan War commander General Stanley McChrystal's  recent
report to the United States Congress. Sometimes a century old novel can do the
trick. H G Wells' 1898 sci-fi classic The War of the Worlds, old as it
is, offers a rare example of how Afghans may see the high-tech American war
machine. - Tom Engelhardt (Oct 9, '09)
Rural India set to ring in 3G
The expansion of faster mobile-phone services to India is expected to help
transform business practices, boost growth and add another dimension to
education in rural areas. (Oct 8, '09)
Heads or tails, Obama loses
Proponents in the United States of an increased counter-insurgency (COIN) in
Afghanistan want more troops. Those favoring a focus on counter-terrorism want
to maintain force levels while stepping up special operations. President Barack
Obama will be damned whichever option he chooses; perhaps he'd best flip a
coin. - Jim Lobe (Oct 8, '09)
Tortillas taste just great in zero
gravity
Space food has evolved since the toothpaste-tube purees of the early days, with
Japanese noodles, Chinese "moon cakes", Indian curries, and popularly,
tortillas on offer to astronauts. But the 21st-century versions do little to
ease the difficulties of eating in zero gravity, according to the world's first
celebrity space chef. - Raja Murthy (Oct 7,
'09)
US balks at Pakistan war-zone
factories
A plan to establish factories in strife-torn areas of Pakistan to produce goods
for duty-free exports is being held up in the United States over concerns the
goods will undermine jobs in America. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Oct 7, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
Stuck in Kabul, with Saigon blues
again
What is now being performed for Washington galleries is the dance of the
generals by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen,
National Security Adviser retired General Jim Jones and top man in Afghanistan
General Stanley McChrystal. The Pentagon and its experts argue the US should
"Afghanize" the war - but the staggering financial black hole is just getting
bigger as the US slouches towards "Chaos-istan". - Pepe Escobar
(Oct 7, '09)
India plays down Chinese
incursions
Reports of Chinese incursions into Indian territory are on the rise, with
alleged firefights, air space infringements and graffiti. But New Delhi has
downplayed them, saying there are diplomatic mechanisms for such issues. At the
same time, the Indian military is making its own assessment. - Priyanka Bhardwaj
(Oct 6, '09)
US stands right beside Islamabad
The Barack Obama administration now believes that the Pakistani Taliban have
effectively over-reached and that Pakistan's elite, including the army, has
come to see it and its al-Qaeda allies as a much greater threat to the country
than ever before. - Jim Lobe (Oct 6, '09)
More power to Afghan warlords
The West's strategy of promoting democracy in Kabul while taking on the Taliban
in the field with unproven Afghan troops and overstretched allied
forces has left it staring at defeat in Afghanistan. The plan ignores an
alternative that succeeded spectacularly in 2001: arming tribal warlords and
turning them loose on the Taliban. - Richard M Bennett
(Oct 6, '09)
Pakistan goes for militants' jugular
The pieces are all in place for Pakistan to launch an all-out
attack on the Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaeda in the Waziristan tribal areas on
the Afghan border. The formerly reluctant military is fully on board, the
United States is actively assisting with intelligence, and most important, the
financial lifeblood of the militants is being squeezed as never before. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Oct 6, '09)
Sex and security in Afghanistan
Apart from rollicking romps at the United States Embassy in Kabul, allegations
have emerged of private security contractors in Afghanistan frequenting
brothels notorious for housing trafficked women. - David Isenberg
(Oct 5, '09)
Manmohan's smile masks Indian woes
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's rare relaxed manner at the Pittsburgh
Group of 20 summit reflected well his own and India's growing international
stature. At home, there is less to cheer, with vital mega-buck industrial
projects bogged down amid opposition from marginalized citizens and Maoist
militants. - Santwana Bhattacharya (Oct 5,
'09)
India and China profess brotherhood
With flashy ads and eloquent statements, India congratulated China on its 60th
anniversary, with Beijing in turn touting its commitment to India's
economic development. Beneath the surface, however, a number of issues simmer,
particularly border disputes. Sreeram Chaulia
(Oct 2, '09)
CHAN AKYA
One man's terrorist ...
Behind the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka and the
killing of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud are stories of countries
creating bands of terrorists to do things that were impossible for those in
power to be seen to be doing directly. In this dangerous game, blowback is
inevitable. (Oct 2, '09)
China maps an end to the Afghan war
A senior Chinese official has publicly put forward an unusually forthright and
timely view on the Afghanistan conflict, proposing concrete steps to be taken
towards unlocking the stalemate there. This, he argues, is an Afghan issue,
while al-Qaeda is not a big factor. Not the least important: US troops should
go home. - M K Bhadrakumar (Oct 1, '09)
If Afghanistan is its test, NATO is
failing
As it celebrates its 60th birthday this year, the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization is cracking, with its internal politics having become fractious to
the point of dysfunction. What was once billed as the most powerful military
alliance in history will surely outlive its failures in Afghanistan and its
adjustment to new global threats. But it may survive in name alone. - John
Feffer (Sep 30, '09)
Obama looks escalation in the eye
President Barack Obama faces a fateful choice over a Pentagon request for an
additional 40,000 American troops for the war in Afghanistan - an increase of
nearly 60%. Much like a turning point in the Vietnam War in 1965, the decision
will be shaped by fears in the military and the White House of being
blamed for defeat. - Gareth Porter (Sep 29,
'09)
A new cold war in Kashmir
The Kashmir dispute ranks with Palestine as one of the oldest, most
intractable disputes in the world. That does not mean that it cannot be
resolved. Only that the solution will not be completely to the satisfaction of
any one party, one country, or one ideology. Negotiators will have to be
prepared to deviate from the "party line". - Arundhati Roy
(Sep 29, '09)
US orchestrates Pakistan-India talks
Officially, the high-level talks between Pakistan and India at the weekend did
not result in any agreement for the resumption of the stalled peace process
between the countries. Behind the scenes, though, with Washington pulling the
strings, the groundwork has already been laid for a process that could see
Islamabad and Delhi settling their differences, especially over Afghanistan. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Sep 29, '09)
India plans all-out attack on
Maoists
New Delhi is putting the finishing touches on a huge offensive aimed at the
long-running Naxalite insurgency in India's east, with tens of thousands of
troops preparing for a coordinated assault with the air force and elite ground
units. The Naxalites, with their stranglehold on the country's critical coal
industry, are often described as India's gravest internal threat. - Siddharth
Srivastava (Sep 28, '09)
Pakistan pushed to its limits
An annual US$1.5 billion assistance program for Pakistan is expected to soon
pass into law in the United States. At the same time, a meeting in New York of
high-powered donors has pledged aid to the country. In return, Pakistan appears
ready to go where it has so far feared to tread - into the South and North
Waziristan tribal areas, home of the Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaeda. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Sep 25, '09)
Obama makes a plea for Pakistan
Insurgency is spilling into Pakistan from the war in Afghanistan and experts
fear a full-scale terror campaign that engulfs the whole country. In this
scenario, American resources would be insufficient, so President Barack Obama
is using this week's UN meeting to drum up international support. It's a tough
sell, and the US could find itself increasingly alone in Islamabad. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Sep 24, '09)
T Rex dinosaur tale gets a China
twist
It turns out the legendary Tyrannosaurus Rex has a 125 million-year-old Chinese
ancestor. Skeletal remains of a relatively tiny three-meter-long "Raptorex
Kriegsteini" - also known as "jaws on feet" - smuggled out of China have shaken
established evolutionary theories about one of the most powerful creatures to
have ever walked Earth. Raja Murthy (Sep 24,
'09)
US perches in an Afghan eagle's nest
When President Barack Obama spiked plans for a missile shield in Europe, the
international community was taken aback. Yet, Washington is leaving nothing to
chance. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently spoke of a "defense
umbrella" in the Persian Gulf if Iran refuses to agree to nuclear inspections.
Most likely, this "umbrella" will be a quick-striking military force overseen
from US bases in Afghanistan. - Zahid U Kramet
(Sep 23, '09)
The US on a new mission in Pakistan
General Stanley McChrystal, the top United States commander in the Afghan war,
has given a blunt warning of possible mission failure. Now the Barack Obama
administration has adopted a two-prong approach towards Pakistan, which it sees
as inseparable from Afghanistan, to prevent any such failure there. Aid will
continue to flow into Pakistan, and expect some unusual guests in Washington. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Sep 23, '09)
BJP gets much-needed ballot boost
Despite a massive defeat at the hands of the ruling Congress party in the May
general elections, India's Bhartiya Janata Party has pulled in surprisingly
good results in recent state polls, grabbing nine of 14 available seats. These
by-elections don't alter political equations in Delhi, but they have immense
value as a psychological blow for the Congress. - Neeta Lal
(Sep 23, '09)
The general and his Afghan labyrinth
The leaked assessment of the war in Afghanistan by top United States commander
General Stanley McChrystal, obviously an effort to force President Barack Obama
to agree to a significant increase in US troops, presents a highly discouraging
picture. Even more pessimistic are McChrystal's views on the Integrated
Civilian-Military Campaign Plan, which he agreed to just weeks ago. - Gareth
Porter (Sep 23, '09)
Nepal beset by chaos and conjecture
Maoists in Nepal are taking every opportunity to spark public chaos as means of
breaking a complex political impasse. Contrary to their pledge in 2006, to
abandon armed insurgency for the world of competitive politics, Maoist cadres
are now carrying out attacks - both verbal and physical - on their rivals,
leaving innocent people vulnerable and a government in turmoil. - Dhruba
Adhikary (Sep 22, '09)
Businessmen feel the pain
Abductions of businessmen in Balkh have prompted many company bosses to suspend
trade and take their money out of Afghanistan. And with the ongoing standoff
between the Balkh governor and the central government, people fear violence
beyond kidnapping could break out at any moment. - Ahmad Kawoosh(Sep
22, '09)
INTERVIEW
'Now, we don't cry anymore'
During his time as Afghanistan's deputy security chief from 2006 to 2008,
Lieutenant General  Abdul
Hadi Khalid specialized in border policing and internal security, and oversaw
the largest drug seizure in history. Still a leading thinker on ethno-politics
and crime, he explains why the United States must "Afghanize" the war, and why
Uzbekistan is the most important nation in Central Asia. - Derek Henry Flood
(Sep 22, '09)
Blood and thunder in embattled Balkh
In Afghanistan's Balkh province, the governor supports a rival of President
Hamid Karzai and accuses Kabul of distributing arms to various warlords in the
province. Kabul charges that the governor is creating a fiefdom and killing off
rivals. And the Taliban? They appear to not even be a factor in the battle for
Balkh. - P J Tobia (Sep 22, '09)
US wins minds, Afghan hearts are
lost
Why is it that Afghan Taliban fighters seem so bold and effective, while the
Afghan National Police are so dismally corrupt and the Afghan National Army a
washout? Because American military planners and policymakers believe Afghans
can be transformed into scale-model, wind-up American marines. That is not
going to happen. No amount of American training, mentoring or cash will
determine who or what Afghans will fight for, if they fight at all. - Ann Jones
(Sep 21, '09)
Congress faces test in Andhra
Pradesh
India's ruling Congress party is struggling to replace the chief minister of
its key Andhra Pradesh state, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who died this month. There
are growing calls from Reddy's large number of influential followers for his
son to take charge. But allegations of sleaze, violence and political
inexperience make this an unlikely choice. - Neeta Lal
(Sep 21, '09)
Pakistan works the crowd
Ahead of a United Nations meeting in New York, Pakistani President Asif Ali
Zardari is making all the right noises about his country's pivotal role in the
fight against the Taliban-al-Qaeda nexus; he's even making goodwill gestures to
India. What is left unsaid are the growing difficulties Zardari has with his
military. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Sep 21, '09)
Taliban put their heads together
In a significant development, rival Taliban commanders - including some of the
most powerful in Afghanistan and Pakistan - have agreed to cooperate in the
fight against coalition forces. They have also resolved to bury their
differences in the Pakistani tribal areas, where security forces and United
States drones have been exacting a heavy toll. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Sep 18, '09)
Goddess Durga and odes to Asia's
Paris
The tales of Durga, the goddess who rides a tiger, the death of American actor
Patrick Swayze and two coffee-table books were intertwined this week in
Kolkata, a city that can be compared to an unforgettable, warm friend whose
cranky, erratic nature tests one's patience to the utmost. - Raja Murthy
(Sep 18, '09)
Tea dispute may drive up price of
cuppa
Sri Lanka's tea plantation owners are demanding higher
productivity in return for better pay for their workers, in a business where
one in three wage-earners live in abject poverty. Their dispute is hurting the
country's main commodity export and could drive up the price for a cuppa around
the world. (Sep 17, '09)
A dangerous new Afghan road opens
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has blueprints for several new supply
routes through Central Asian countries into the north of Afghanistan as an
alternative to the current - and vulnerable - main route via Pakistan. The
Taliban-led war, though, is spreading from the south to the until recently
relatively harmonious northern belt. A new strategic front is opening up. - Derek
Henry Flood (Sep 17, '09)
Dalai Lama caught in Sino-Indian
dispute
Border tensions between China and India over the disputed Arunachal Pradesh
state - which China refers to as "Southern Tibet" - were already high before
the Dalai Lama announced plans to visit there. Beijing is likely incensed by
his plans to visit Tawang, a strategic piece of Indian real estate that China
reportedly covets above all others. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Sep 17, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
More questions on 9/11
Last week, on the eighth anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks on New
York and Washington, Asia Times Online posed 50 unanswered questions about the
immense, mysterious 9/11 riddle. Due to overwhelming reader response, here's a
follow-up with 20 more questions - with a hat-tip to all readers who joined the
debate. - Pepe Escobar (Sep 17, '09)
India steps into economy class
In keeping with its slogan of being one with the common man, the ruling
Congress party wants government officials to slash their pricey travel budgets.
Party leader Sonia Gandhi led the way by traveling economy class on a flight
from New Delhi to Mumbai. Others are not so thrilled about joining her in
"cattle class". - Siddharth Srivastava (Sep
17, '09)
Obama faces backlash over
Afghanistan
United States President Barack Obama faces one of the most difficult political
questions of his first year in office as the country begins to doubt its role
in Afghanistan. Obama will be forced to decide whether to grant a significant
troop increase at the risk of alienating many in his own party. - Jim Lobe
(Sep 16, '09)
'New' Bagram rules under fire
Legal experts and rights advocates say Washington's new measures meant to
empower the 600-plus inmates in Afghanistan's Bagram prison are actually
identical to the procedures created by the George W Bush administration for
detainees at the soon-to-be-closed Guantanamo prison in Cuba.
(Sep 15, '09)
Drama in a theater of despair
Pakistan's decision to grant Gilgit-Baltistan a higher level of autonomy has
been dismissed by many as a sleight of hand that changes nothing for the remote
area that borders Afghanistan, China and both sides of divided Kashmir, even as
the region emerges as a new haven for militants. - Ajai Sahni
(Sep 15, '09)
Harley-Davidson joins India market
Harley-Davidson motorcycles recently took to the roads in New Delhi, as the US
company entered the world's second-biggest two-wheeler market two years after a
mangoes-for-machines trade agreement with the Indian government. - Raja Murthy
(Sep 14, '09)
Politicians' crashes prompt air
crackdown
The recent death of Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy is the
latest in a line of aviation accidents involving Indian politicians. Experts
now want stricter controls on the use of helicopters and small aircraft by
politicians in a hurry, especially on pilots who flout the rules to please
their demanding passengers. - Ranjit Devraj (Sep
14, '09)
Afghan peacekeeping overshadowed
Every month, Afghanistan descends further into a widening spiral of violence.
Now that force protection has become a priority for the United States military,
rather than robust peacekeeping, the number of civilian deaths can be expected
to increase. - Melek Zimmer-Zahine (Sep 14,
'09)
Why the US is afraid of
'Afghanization'
The weakest link in the United States' Afghan strategy has been its handling of
the calculus of power in Kabul. Now, any US strategy to salvage the war can
only work if its central axis is a strong, authoritative government in Kabul.
In 
other words, "Afghanization", which means leaving President Hamid Karzai and
his new team in the cockpit. While Washington has its own hidden agenda,
Afghans expect a single, identifiable fountainhead of power. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Sep 11, '09)
BOOK REVIEW
US hegemony slips into history
The Future of Global Relations by Terrence Edward Paupp.
The Barack Obama administration, dealing with the fallout of ongoing efforts to
preserve Washington's unipolarity since the end of the Cold War, is facing
unprecedented challenges. The author of this book traces the downward
trajectory of US power and forecasts a very different future for the
international community. - John Feffer (Sep
11, '09)
India taps US for a security boost
Anti-terror ties between India and the United States are deepening, with the
prime minister's complex in New Delhi given a full security revamp by American
experts and India's home minister visiting Washington to meet top officials.
Dismayed with Islamabad's response to last year's Mumbai attack, India is also
questioning Washington's continued military aid to Pakistan. - Siddharth
Srivastava (Sep 10, '09)
Chinese shun Pakistan exodus
As security concerns and a poor economy encourage many foreigners to quit
Pakistan, the number of Chinese engineers working there has more than trebled
this year. Railway projects that will help link the two countries and China to
Afghanistan are an important part of their work. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Sep 10, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
Fifty questions on 9/11
It's eight years since the fateful day that terror struck at the heart of the
United States. The rebranded "global war on terror" still rages, with the
epicenter now back where it began, in Afghanistan. After all these years,
unanswered questions remain over both the events of September 11, and what
followed; they're food for serious reflection. - Pepe Escobar
(Sep 10, '09)
Blinded in the fog of war
Amid the endless cant and rhetoric that followed the United States-led wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq, the original purposes of the wars can be lost. The first
casualty is said to be the truth; the second might well be remembering that
wars should increase national security. - Brian M Downing
(Sep 10, '09)
Bhutan tells Japan how to be happy
Newly elected Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley of the tiny Himalayan nation of
Bhutan was at no loss for words during a recent visit to Tokyo. Among the
advice he gave Japan, the world's second-biggest economy, was that it "rethink
its growth model". Bhutan, he pledged, would be more than happy to teach Tokyo
how to lighten up. - Catherine Makino (Sep 9,
'09)
India's rain brings crop of doubt
Late rains in India have eased concerns over the drought that earlier seemed
likely to engulf the country - or so some politicians and experts would have
farmers and grain suppliers believe. - Santwana Bhattacharya
(Sep 9, '09)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Afghanistan by the numbers
This month, the Barack Obama administration will deliver a set of "metrics" to
the US Congress for measuring "success" in Afghanistan (and Pakistan). It's not
known what metrics Obama will choose, but there is one list - from
"war-fighting" to "contractors" to "the presidential election" - that makes for
fascinating, and tragic, reading. - Tom Engelhardt
(Sep 9, '09)
Afghan war reaches a tipping point
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's air strikes in the northern province
of Kunduz on Friday, which killed or injured more than 100 people, have left
Afghan blood equally on the hands of all NATO countries. The incident shows
this is no mere fight against terrorism; it is about NATO's role as a global
political organization and the "unfinished business" of the Cold War - as well
as about defining the new world order. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Sep 8, '09)
India mourns a tireless lynchpin
Indian remains in a state of shock following the death in a helicopter crash of
the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh state, Y S Rajasekhara 
Reddy. His slavish devotion to the welfare of his people was the backbone of
his massive popularity, which translated handsomely into the power base of the
ruling Congress party in Delhi. His will be a hard act to follow, even for his
son. - Santwana Bhattacharya (Sep 8, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
Enduring Freedom until 2050
In only 450 days, the number of troops in Afghanistan has swelled from 67,000
to 118,000. Since 2001, the United States has spent $179 billion in the
country, while its European allies have burned $102 billion. The tragicomedy is
clear: the US and its allies will do - and spend - whatever it takes to implant
military bases on the doorstep of Russia and China, and to get their gas
pipeline on track. - Pepe Escobar (Sep 8,
'09)
Spooks spill blood in the Hindu Kush
An era that could be Afghan President Hamid Karzai's second presidency got off
to a bloody start on Wednesday with the highly professional killing of Dr
Abdullah Laghmani - a popular figure in the Afghan security establishment and a
member of Karzai's inner circle. He was destined to occupy a key post in any
new government under Karzai, and there will be many in Kabul who will want to
avenge his murder. - M K Bhadrakumar (Sep 3,
'09)
New Delhi receives mixed report card
In the first 100 days of its second term, India's Congress party-led United
Progressive Alliance has pushed through important education, tax and social
security legislation, but has been accused of going soft on terrorism. Stern
tests loom in the shape of skyrocketing commodity prices and truant monsoon
rains. - Neeta Lal (Sep 3, '09)
Pakistan acts to guard Chinese
interests
A change in status for Pakistan's Northern Areas, now known as Gilgit
Baltistan, reflects a desire to improve security for China's growing financial
stakes in the strategic region. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Sep 3, '09)
Indian economy drier than forecast
The Indian government argues that the worst is over for the economy, with the
prospect of at least 6% growth this year, based on the latest quarterly
figures. Stripped down, the data, like the deepening drought whose impact has
yet to be revealed, are far less friendly. - Kunal Kumar Kundu
(Sep 3, '09)
Kandahar presents critical Afghan
test
Whoever is elected as the next president of Afghanistan, Kandahar will be his
critical first test. Security is at an all-time low as the Taliban and tribal
rivalries tear the region apart. If Kabul loses control here, many believe it
will have lost the country. - Abubakar Siddique
(Sep 3, '09)
India battles with nuclear fallout
The debate in political and scientific circles stirred by scientist K
Santhanam's claims that India's 1998 nuclear tests had more "fizzle" than
fission just won't go away. If one of Santhanam's aims in going public now was
to prevent India from being railroaded into signing the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty, he's done a good job. - Ninan Koshy (Sep
2, '09)
Poll's fate hangs on a probe
The contest for Afghanistan’s next president is far from over. While most
polling stations have yet to announce results, fraud complaints keep rolling
in. If the more serious of the allegations now under investigation turn out to
be true, the outcome - and whether or not a runoff vote is needed - will be
severely affected. - Lal Aqa Sherin (Sep 2,
'09)
Washington's Afghan clock ticks down
With support in the United States for the war in Afghanistan at an all-time
low, the call by a prominent right-wing pundit for Washington to pull out has
raised something of a storm - especially among his fellow hawks. President
Barack Obama might be considering even more troops for Afghanistan, but he
needs results - and quickly. (Sep 2, '09)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Bush's third term? You're living it
Imagine if George W Bush had served a third term. He would have continued his
policy of "extraordinary rendition", proposed the largest military budget in
the history of the world, kept on Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and
re-appointed Ben Bernanke to run the Fed. He might well have surged in
Afghanistan. These, in fact, are the first-term acts of President Barack Obama.
- David Swanson (Sep 2, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
US 'arc of instability' just gets
bigger
In 2007, a former US ambassador to Colombia was sent to Afghanistan to
implement a counter-insurgency disguised as a war on drugs. It makes some
sense: Afghanistan is to opium what Colombia is to cocaine. And inevitably
that's where the North Atlantic Treaty Organization comes in. The only part of
the world where NATO is still not active is ... South America. The New Great
Game will soon stretch from AfPak to Mexico. - Pepe Escobar
(Sep 2, '09)
India drops anchor in the Maldives
India jumped at the opportunity when the tiny Maldives asked for assistance in
protecting the 
seas in which its more than 1,000 islands lie. Delhi wasn't just being a
friendly neighbor. The Indian Ocean area holds vast military, transport and
commercial interests, and China already has a foothold. - Siddharth Srivastava
(Sep 1, '09)
In Afghanistan, war trumps elections
Regardless of the outcome of Afghanistan's presidential elections, ballot boxes
won't make peace. Nor will purple fingers and billions of dollars in economic
assistance. The fighting has gone on long enough and the Taliban aren't
actually a legitimate global threat. Now would be a good time to negotiate an
end to the war that president George W Bush started and which Barack Obama
inherited. (Sep 1, '09)
Satellites flying in formation over Asia
Over the next two or three years, China, the United States and the Europeans as
well as Japan and India plan to launch smaller and more advanced
formation-flying satellites. At the same time, concerns are mounting about the
"dual use" dimensions of this technology. - Peter J Brown
(Sep 1, '09)
Wizards and wives drive Afghan
election
President Hamid Karzai, called the "wizard" for his ability to outwit
opponents, insists he is the rightful winner of the Afghan presidential
election and won't face a runoff just to satisfy American demands. His
challengers - Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani - are too-soft technocrats
that Afghans may come to call "Obama's wives". As days pass, the standoff gets
messier and messier. - M K Bhadrakumar (Aug
31, '09)
Clinton has her own problems
As United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reacts to changing
realities abroad, most recently in Japan, the Department of State itself
warrants her close attention. In the process, she will have to wear many hats,
including a few that may not fit too comfortably as she addresses problems
involving staffing, security and strategic communications. - Peter J Brown
(Aug 31, '09)
India reels under explosive nuclear
charge
Claims by a senior Indian scientist that the country's nuclear tests in 1998
went off with a whimper rather than a bang have caused not just outrage, but
major concern that the hard-won India-United States civilian nuclear deal could
now be in jeopardy. - Neeta Lal (Aug 31, '09)
Warmongers in China, India miss the
mark
Alarmists in the Indian and Chinese media warn of imminent war between the two
countries over their long-running border dispute. Officials in both capitals
have dismissed the reports for the nonsense they are. Such turbulence is
inevitable between two rising powers, with people losing sight of the fact that
there is nothing wrong with healthy competition. - Bhartendu Kumar Singh
(Aug 28, '09)
Kabul draped in a veil of
uncertainty
As results slowly roll in from last week's elections, Afghans enter a holy
month gripped with equal parts of uncertainty, doubt and resignation. President
Hamid Karzai has stayed relatively out of sight, even as his challenger, Dr
Abdullah Abdullah, remains defiant and cries voter fraud. In this fluid
situation, the talk in Kabul's dusty lanes is of a possible coalition
government. - Derek Henry Flood (Aug 27, '09)
Afghan elections expose US war
doubts
As United States President Barack Obama leans toward an escalated
counter-insurgency campaign in Afghanistan, a growing number of critics in the
foreign policy establishment and among the American populace have begun to
question whether defeating the Taliban and building a strong Afghan central
state is a war worth fighting. (Aug 27, '09)
Raw Indian nerves exposed
The expulsion of former Indian foreign minister Jaswant Singh from his
Bharatiya Janata Party over his book on the events leading up to India's
partition in 1947 cannot hide the fact that he has raised some pivotal issues.
Not the least of  these
are his partial exoneration - in Indian eyes - of the architect of Pakistan's
creation, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and the evolution of the Hindu-Muslim divide. - Santwana
Bhattacharya (Aug 27, '09)
Opposition party adds to its
disarray
By kicking out Jaswant Singh, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has
reinforced its image of being intellectually intolerant. It has also deepened
the splits that led to its failure in national elections this year, and shown
that its preoccupation with the past makes it completely out of tune with the
present. - Sudha Ramachandran (Aug 27, '09)
Nepal and India agonize over China
The visit of Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to India was noteworthy
in what was not accomplished, such as addressing key issues that rankle. These
include water concerns, encroachment and armed insurgent groups. This ensures
that ties between the countries will remain tense, especially as Delhi
continues to fret over what it perceives as China's interference in Nepal. - Dhruba
Adhikary (Aug 27, '09)
Cops turn robbers on India's roads
India plans US$70 billion of investment to develop its road infrastructure over
the next three years. Much of the increased efficiency the government seeks
could be achieved more cheaply simply by stopping policemen from stealing
US$4.5 billion annually from truckers. - Raja Murthy
(Aug 26, '09)
India on a tiger hunt in China
China's insatiable demand for supposedly libido-enhancing tiger parts from
India fuels an illegal cross-border smuggling trade now second only to
narcotics trafficking. As poaching decimates India's tiger population, Delhi's
new environment minister is on a mission to sensitize China's consumers and
save his country's national beast. - Neeta Lal
(Aug 26, '09)
Australia approves gas
megaproject
Developers of the vast Gorgon natural gas project off Western Australia have
won environmental approval from the Australian government to proceed. That is
good news for PetroChina and India's Petronet, which have agreed to take more
than US$60 billion of the fuel. Japan is another key customer. - Robert M Cutler
(Aug 26, '09)
Water recklessness worsening drought
India's poorest monsoon in seven years is laying bare more than just parched
soil. Excessive groundwater withdrawal for government-led intensive farming
threatens to exhaust vital supplies, while the use of water-guzzling hybrid
crop varieties further exacerbates arid conditions. (Aug
26, '09)
A United States-Iran opportunity
arises
United States special representative for AfPak, Richard Holbrooke, and Iranian
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki posed for the cameras in Turkey on Tuesday
while attending a meeting on Pakistan. The next step is for the two to engage
over the country that is much more on their minds - Afghanistan. Tehran has a
simple proposal: if the Barack Obama administration gives up its interference
in Iran's domestic affairs, Iran will talk with the US on Afghanistan. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Aug 26, '09)
US steps up its Central Asian
tango
An axis with Uzbekistan influence in northern Afghanistan and Islamabad playing
a role in the country's south and southeast is required by the United States as
it addresses the Taliban's reconciliation and return to political life in
Afghanistan. But President Barack Obama has also to reach for the door that
opens engagement with Tehran. He may find the answer in the bazaars of Central
Asia. - M K Bhadrakumar (Aug 24, '09)
Karzai's rival cries foul play
On the eve of the announcement of the preliminary results of Afghanistan's
presidential elections, Abdullah Abdullah, the main 
challenger to President Hamid Karzai, is crying foul. All the same, he will
wait to see how complaints are dealt with before acting. One thing is clear,
though - he won't take part in any power-sharing deals. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Aug 24, '09)
Pakistan seeks US, China aid on
energy
Pakistan, its cities suffering power cuts on a daily basis as the country
struggles through its biggest energy crisis, is turning to both the United
States and China for help in building a more viable energy platform for its
industrial sector. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Aug 24, '09)
Seven steps to peace in Afghanistan
The ballots are still being counted in Afghanistan's elections, but a far more
important vote has already been decided. Contacts with the Taliban are well
underway in the first of what could be seven steps towards reconciliation. A
key negotiator, a former Taliban minister of religious affairs and now a
senator, Moulvi Arsala Rehmani, believes the only stumbling block is Taliban
leader Mullah Omar. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Aug
21, '09)
BOOK REVIEW
India renews its tryst with destiny
Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani
Weaned off a half-century of dependency on quasi-socialist ideologies, India
may now be poised for a major role on the global stage if it can overcome its
internal divides, the author argues. With demographic and other advantages over
economic rival China, he writes, India's resurgence could even fulfill the
heady promise of its founding. - Dinesh Sharma
(Aug 21, '09)
INTERVIEW
From microfinance to social shake-up
Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus, after revolutionizing the way in which
credit is disbursed among the poor, has now set his sights on universities,
arguing that students need to get their hands dirty - not only for their own
benefit, but also for the advancement of rural folk.
(Aug 21, '09)
Wary India frisks North Korean
freighter
Another mystery has surfaced concerning a North Korean cargo ship, nuclear
paranoia and a boatload of intrigue. After a tense six-hour 
chase, North Korea's Mu San was dragged to India's Andaman Islands,
where the ship and its crew are now in custody. Delhi, which recalls North
Korean ships carrying missile and nuclear parts to Pakistan and Iran, has sent
an unmistakable signal not to snoop in its waters. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Aug 20, '09)
Politicians have their day in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan's presidential and provincial elections got off to a bang on
Thursday, with Taliban rocket attacks on a number of cities. The runup to the
polls has seen its own fireworks in the form of some strange alliances,
especially by President Hamid Karzai. The big challenge is to turn this
political expediency into a viable front to deal with the Taliban. - Syed Saleem
Shahzad
(Aug 20, '09)
Karzai's fraud scheme could backfire
Evidence of fake registration cards, ghost voters, threats and intimidation
suggest Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his powerful warlord allies plan
large-scale voter fraud for Thursday's presidential election. Critics say the
reported scheme means the widely anticipated poll is more likely to damage the
government's credibility than boost it. - Gareth Porter
(Aug 20, '09)
Powers line up to stir Afghanistan's
pot
If Afghan President Hamid Karzai secures a clear-cut victory in the first round
on Thursday,  he
will bring into power a coalition that the United States will find extremely
hard to control. As such, regional capitals are concerned the US might now
engineer a post-election "Iran-like situation" to muddy the waters and install
a surrogate power structure in Kabul. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Aug 19, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
The Afghan pipe dream
Washington says success in Afghanistan involves "diplomacy, development and
good governance" - but all that the world sees is the 96,500 - and counting -
coalition troops now on the ground to "fight the Taliban". As for the election,
who cares who's the winner - President Hamid Karzai, Abdullah Abdullah or
anyone else? Afghanistan will be ruled by Barack Hussein Obama anyway. - Pepe
Escobar (Aug 19, '09)
The US has a plan for Afghanistan
With an unexpected boost from a heavyweight Uzbek warlord, Afghan President
Hamid Karzai's chances of winning re-election on Thursday have significantly
increased. Pakistan and the United States, though, are looking beyond the polls
to the creation of a broad-based administration that would include all the
major players - and a sprinkling of Taliban. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Aug 18, '09)
Concerns over post-poll unrest
Concerns over the likelihood of widespread poll fraud have led
some of the challengers in the presidential race to promise mass protests if
their suspicions are realized, but they have stopped short of pledging
violence. - Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi (Aug 18,
'09)
Chopping it up with Karzai's
challenger
Abdullah Abdullah, former foreign minister, ex-Northern
Alliance spokesman and once an eye surgeon, has emerged as President Hamid  Karzai's
only substantial challenger. Asia Times Online accompanied Abdullah on his
campaign deep into remote provinces in a bid to undercut Karzai where it
counts. "I am with the people," Abdullah says, but can he beat the Karzai
machine? - Derek Henry Flood (Aug 17, '09)
A fog swirls in the Hindu Kush
As the Pentagon prepares to expand its Afghan mission well beyond the Barack
Obama administration's early focus, President Hamid Karzai's re-election bid
presents it with an uncomfortable challenge. The United States needs an Afghan
leader in step with its overarching goal of an extended stay in Central Asia -
not one working against it. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Aug 17, '09)
Taliban rooting for Karzai's defeat
The Taliban are warning voters in the strongholds of President Hamid Karzai to
stay away from Thursday's voting - they perceive that a defeat for the
incumbent will play into their hands. For people still planning to go to the
polls, the Taliban have a special message for them. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Aug 17, '09)
Educating Sita no easy feat in India
Sixteen years after a Supreme Court ruling made elementary education a
fundamental - and free - right for all Indians, it has only now become law.
Hurdles lie ahead, such as the contentious issue of finance and infrastructure,
with many remote areas lacking a school. - Santwana Bhattacharya
(Aug 17, '09)
Afghan race becomes Karzai's
cliffhanger
By ostentatiously distancing itself from former ally President Hamid Karzai in
recent days, the United States has sent a clear signal that its preferred
candidates in next week's Afghan election are former finance minister Ashraf
Ghani and ex-foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah. Inside Afghanistan, there is a
growing conviction Washington is fixing the election to suit its geopolitical
priorities. - M K Bhadrakumar (Aug 14, '09)
US tweaks its rules of engagement
With record numbers of its soldiers dying in battle over the past two months,
the United States is yet again broadening its strategy in Afghanistan. Civilian
experts from the fields of governance, media, terrorist-financing and
agriculture will be assigned to complement the ongoing military efforts.
(Aug 14, '09)
India's election machine under fire
The flawed paper ballot system may have made way for electronic voting
machines, but election losers in India are still crying foul. Poll authorities
have rushed to the defense of their prized machines, which they claim are
infallible due to their high technology. - Santwana Bhattacharya
(Aug 14, '09)
Life has new meaning in the
Himalayas
A 10-year search by scientists in the eastern Himalayan regions of India,
Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Tibet has unearthed 353 new species - one of the
biggest-ever series of discoveries of new life forms. The startling results
have focussed attention on how many more unknown species await to be found in
the vast, deep depths of the oceans. - Raja Murthy
(Aug 14, '09)
China calls halt to Gwadar refinery
China has shelved its multi-billion dollar refinery project at Gwadar, in
Pakistan's insurgency-troubled Balochistan province, casting doubt also on
plans for a fuel pipeline running the length of Pakistan to China's far west.
Lack of progress is the given reason. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Aug 13, '09)
Karzai suffers an election blow
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's alliance with ethnic Uzbek strongman General
Abdul Rashid Dostum's Junbish-e-Milli party is in tatters, just over a week
before August 20 polls. The split plays right into the hands of the president's
main rival, Abdullah Abdullah. - Ahmad Kawush
(Aug 13, '09)
India recovers, then falters
The weak monsoon in India, which threatens agricultural
output, figures large in accounts of recent stock-market declines, overlooking
weaknesses in the government's budget, among other factors. On the plus side,
resilient internal demand will stand the country in good stead. - R M Cutler
(Aug 12, '09)
Pakistan, US look across the border
Compared to the situation a few months ago, Pakistan, with active help from the
United States, has taken big strides towards containing militants in the tribal
areas. Yet the root cause of this militancy lies across the border in
Afghanistan, and that is where Islamabad and Washington are intensifying their
efforts to reconcile with rank-and-file Taliban. - Syed Saleem Shahzad(Aug
12, '09)
The politics of building statues in
India
The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, has embarked on a vast
statue-erecting spree, with some 10,000 planned - mostly of herself - for her
impoverished, underdeveloped state. She says the statues will embolden India's
lower castes; others see it as a huge waste of public funds. - Siddharth
Srivastava (Aug 11, '09)
BSNL - the undoing of a giant
India's largest telecommunications company, BSNL, is being kept alive by
interest payments on unused cash reserves even as private rivals expand and
prosper. Government interference does not help, but bloated payrolls and gross
inefficiency tell their own story of corporate ineptitude. - Kunal Kumar Kundu
(Aug 11, '09)
Tigers get a boost at the ballot box
A political party regarded as a proxy for the devastated Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam has scored a surprise victory in the first elections held in
post-war Sri Lanka. To be sure, the victory came in a small, local election,
but given the desperate situation in which the Tigers find themselves, even
this win will come as a shot in the arm. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Aug 11, '09)
More of the same for Baitullah's
fighters
Baitullah Mehsud's Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan is a loose nexus of militant
groups bound by an ideology that pits them against the United States-aligned
Pakistan state and its military. The groups enjoy a very high degree of
independence, which will continue even if reports of Baitullah's death in a US
missile attack turn out to be true. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Aug 11, '09)
Hope's gone AWOL in Echo platoon
United States soldiers caught absent without leave are often consigned to Echo
platoon - a special "holding" group at Fort Bragg, North Carolina - to await
trial. Platoon members say it's a bleak state of legal limbo, with dire living
conditions and verbal abuse. Traumatized by past combat, many refuse the
fastest route out - redeployment. - Dahr Jamail and Sarah Lazare
(Aug 10, '09)
Guessing games over Taliban leader
Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud has been variously described as "dead
and buried", "gravely ill" and "alive and well" following a drone missile
attack on his South Waziristan region last week. It could be he is simply lying
low to take some of the heat out of Islamabad's intensifying crackdown on
militancy - it's a tactic al-Qaeda and the Taliban have used before. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Aug 10, '09)
Pakistan piles on IMF debt
An increase to US$11.3 billion in International Monetary Fund loans to Pakistan
brings the total to 6.3% of the country's gross domestic product. Critics say
this merely increases the country's debt-servicing obligations and squeezes
resources meant for development. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider
(Aug 10, '09)
Kerala fights clock in ASEAN
free-trade deal
India's lush Kerala state is racing the clock to delay India's free-trade deal
with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. New Delhi claims the pact, to
become operative in January, will boost efficiency and open new markets. Kerala
says it will decimate the agriculture and fishing livelihoods of its people.
(Aug 10, '09)
Baitullah: Dead or alive, his battle
rages
Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud has been reported killed in a United
States Predator drone attack in his South Waziristan tribal area. Baitullah is
the glue that binds al-Qaeda, Pakistani militants, tribal militants and the
Afghan Taliban. Although he would be a hard man to replace, he has built a
network that will carry on his uncompromising brand of resistance. - Syed Saleem
Shahzad (Aug 7, '09)
New Tiger chief does not pass go
It was an extremely short stint as leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam for Selvarasa Pathmanathan, arrested in Southeast Asia this week and
shipped back to Sri Lanka. The capture of the elusive legend who ran the
Tigers' lucrative international operations is a coup for Colombo, but it may
have sabotaged any chance that the LTTE would reinvent itself as a political
force. - Sudha Ramachandran (Aug 7, '09)
BOOK REVIEW
Australia's plucky blonde jihadi
The Mother of Mohammed by Sally Neighbour
Referred to as the "Elizabeth Taylor of the jihad", Rabiah - born Robyn -
Hutchinson was an Australian doctor who ended up marrying a leading al-Qaeda
ideologue and member of Osama bin Laden's inner circle. This book investigates
her past and present with flair, candor and wit. - David Wilson
(Aug 7, '09)
The West has its own suicide bombers
From the Bay of Tripoli in 1804 - where American seamen introduced the use of
the suicide bomber in a battle against Muslims - to Will Smith in the
futuristic vampire movie I Am Legend , Westerners in reality and in
popular culture have acted as suicide bombers. The West has its suicide bombers
- they're called heroes. The culture of indoctrination is called basic
training. When Westerners kill civilians, it's called collateral damage. - John
Feffer (Aug 7, '09)
India's air carriers spin loss
riddle
Indian airlines, burdened by high fuel taxes that are helping to drive up
losses, called off a threat to halt services after the government showed
"willingness to enter into dialogue". But are some running an essentially free
service merely to collect taxes - or is there other mischief afoot? - Raja
Murthy (Aug 7, '09)
SPEAKING FREELY
Jundullah a wedge between Iran,
Pakistan
Jundullah - a Sunni fundamentalist group with ethnic separatist goals - has
impaired relations between Iran and Pakistan. Unless the United States and
Pakistan crack down on this terrorist outfit, it may succeed in bringing Tehran
and Islamabad to the brink of war, and in energizing the Taliban. - Raja
Karthikeya (Aug 6, '09)
India and US build stronger ties in
space
Greater India-United States cooperation in space will likely intensify
competition between India and China - if Delhi's space sector suddenly surges
ahead as a result of the American connection, Beijing will be more than
slightly annoyed. - Peter J Brown (Aug 6,
'09)
Kashmir carpet industry hit by
recession
The Kashmiri carpet industry is struggling to survive amid the global economic
downturn. Concerns are growing that artisans will have to turn to other sources
of income and the skills necessary to produce the world-renowned carpets will
be lost before tourists and buyers return to the area.
(Aug 6, '09)
US shrugs off Pakistan-Taliban links
When the US Congress last month approved US$6 billion in aid to Pakistan, there
was no mention of evidence linking Pakistani army chief General Ashfaq Pervez
Kiani to a major military assistance program for Taliban insurgents in
Afghanistan and Kashmir. - Gareth Porter (Aug
5, '09)
Gayatri Devi, the last of the maharanis
With the death of Gayatri Devi, the last of the notable Indian queens, a link
has been severed to the days of royalty, palanquins and cruel 
animal hunts. (She admitted to killing 27 tigers.) Bloated royal egos live
on, though, in a political class that makes it its business to harass and
trouble citizens. - Raja Murthy (Aug 4, '09)
A search for motives in Christian
attack
Al-Qaeda and linked groups are being blamed for riots in which seven Christians
were torched to death at the weekend in Pakistan's Punjab province. The area,
though, is the stronghold of the country's leading opposition party, and
politics can't be ruled out. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Aug 4, '09)
Helmand's 'dagger' cuts three ways
The governor of Afghanistan's Helmand province believes the
United States-led Operation Dagger is running smoothly, with no civilian
casualties. A Helmand member of parliament, meanwhile, says over a dozen
civilians have been killed, with many more displaced. The Taliban describe the
offensive as the last nail in the coffin of the US's Afghan strategy. - Wahidullah
Mohammad (Aug 4, '09)
Clinton's India visit a low-key
success
The visit of United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to India was
dominated by talk of nuclear cooperation, expanding military ties and
convergent geopolitical interests. Behind the scenes, Clinton - a
self-confessed fan of all things Indian - was quietly establishing the
economic, technological and societal links that will be the foundation of a new
era in US-India affairs. (Aug 4, '09)
US's $1bn Islamabad home is its
castle
The United States is forging ahead with a US$1 billion upgrade of its embassy
in Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad. Washington dismisses charges the
expanded facility will house hundreds of marines, but there is no disputing it
will serve as a hub for the US's ambitious regional plans - plans for which the
Taliban and al-Qaeda are already preparing. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Aug 3, '09)
Japan looks for zone boost in
Pakistan
China's plans, led by the giant Haier Group, to boost its role in the Pakistan
economy through a special economic zone are being dogged by land acquisition
and financing issues. That may offer a chance for a counterpunch by Japanese
manufacturers about to start work on their own exclusive industrial zone. - Syed
Fazl-e-Haider (Aug 3, '09)
Ten steps to liquidate US bases
If Washington continues to operate in the role of a global hegemon, with its
military inventory of 865 facilities in more than 40 countries and overseas US
territories, it could well follow in the former Soviet Union's footsteps and
become a crippled economic power. - Chalmers Johnson
(Aug 3, '09)
India struggles with dossier
controversy
The ongoing India-Pakistan bilateral engagement is now dominated by an odd
focus on dossiers - some real, some imaginary and others still in the making.
Particularly unfortunate for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is talk of a
dossier handed to New Delhi on Pakistan's Balochistan province - it appears to
have gone missing. - Santwana Bhattacharya (Aug
3, '09)
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ATol
Specials
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Syed Saleem Shahzad in
Pakistan's Swat Valley (May '09) |
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By Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Jan '09) |
Syed Saleem Shahzad reports on
the Afghan war from the Taliban side
(Dec '06)
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A series by Syed Saleem Shahzad
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Central, Hong Kong
Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
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