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By
July-August 2001, it was clear that something
dramatic was about to happen. Pepe Escobar, our
"Roving Eye", was
traveling in Afghanistan and
the tribal areas of Pakistan. The rumor was that
US forces were about to use Pakistan to launch a
raid into Afghanistan. Escobar's article,
published by Asia Times Online on August 30,
2001, was headlined Get Osama!
Now! Or else ... Our Karachi correspondent,
Syed Saleem Shazad, was meanwhile filing
articles like Osama
bin Laden: The thorn in Pakistan's flesh
(August 22, 2001) ...
November 2003
Part
1 - This is the wild, wild
west
Part 2 - Why we are
here
Part 3 -
The
locals
Part
4 - Operation Decapitation
Part 5
(final) -
The wrong
Ayoub
Iraq: Three from one doesn't
add up
 The notion of
splitting Iraq into three parts, which
protagonists feel would fix the country's
"historical defect" and get United States troops
out sooner, is one solution that doesn't meet
the mark as it overlooks one important group of
people - the Iraqis. - Nir
Rosen (Nov 25, '03)
Rally of the realists
It's becoming increasingly
apparent, both in the United States and abroad,
that neo-conservative influence on the Bush
administration is dwindling. And much to the
chagrin of the hawks, the "disdained" realists
are filling the void. - Jim Lobe (Nov 25, '03)
Syria keeps US at arm's
length
Although there is little
love lost between the Bush administration and
Syria, Washington is at this time in no position
to seek conflict with Damascus, which in turn
wants to avoid direct confrontation with the
United States - for now at least. (Nov 25,
'03)
 On the warpath to
Damascus
Istanbul: Gateway to
terror
 In
renewed attempts in the United States to link
al-Qaeda with the ousted regime of Saddam
Hussein, the name of Abu Mosub al-Zarqawi has
cropped up. Certainly, the man with a US$5
million wanted tag on his head has spent some
time in Iraq, but the terror carnage in Istanbul
indicates that he has new, bolder plans. -
Syed Saleem
Shahzad (Nov
24, '03)
 PART 6
Peaceful jihad
Variously vilified as bandits,
terrorists and thugs and routinely arrested,
members of the Islamic movement Hizb ut-Tahrir
in Central Asia nevertheless continue their
peaceful struggle for the creation of a
region-wide caliphate. But time is running out
before they take up arms to achieve their
"revolution". (Nov
24, '03)
SPENGLER
George W Bush, tragic
character
It is hard to label "tragic" anyone as cheerful
and optimistic as President George W Bush. Yet
tragic he is: he wants universal good, but he
will end up doing some terrible
things. (Nov 24,
'03)
 SPEAKING
FREELY
Spengler really
understands
THE
TURKEY BOMBINGS (Nov
21, '03)
Hallmarks of an al-Qaeda
attack
There
is no need for al-Qaeda to claim responsibility
for its attacks, as there are clear tell-tale
signs: to force a divide between Muslim and
Western societies; to create anarchy in which
Islamist "democrats" will be forced to embrace
radicalism; and to eradicate US economic
interests from Muslim societies. All of these
pointers are present in the Turkey attacks. -
Syed Saleem
Shahzad
The enemy
within
There's a lot more to jihadi terrorism
than al-Qaeda, and people like British
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw are showing how
little they understand it. Thursday's attacks on
the British consulate and HSBC offices in
Istanbul follow the same pattern as last
Saturday's synagogue bombings and the Bali
bombings of last year: they were carried out by
locals, possibly allied to al-Qaeda,
but separate from it. - B
Raman
'Sow war and reap
terror'
United States support for the mujahideen
in the fight against the Soviet Union in
Afghanistan in the 1980s is well documented.
What is not so well understood is the US
support for these same mujahideen in the
struggle between Bosnian Muslims and Serbs, a
move that helped globalize the jihadi movement,
and that is now having ramifications in
Turkey. - K Gajendra
Singh
 WEEKEND
CARTOON
By Gavin Coates
|
Japan, Korea are new terror
fronts
Even before Thursday's
terrorist attacks on British interests in
Turkey, America's main allies in Northeast Asia
were worried - especially Tokyo, which was named
specifically in a tape attributed to Osama bin
Laden. Recent events in Iraq and Afghanistan
show that their fears are not exaggerated. -
Jamie Miyazaki
(Nov 21,
'03)
OPINION
Get smart or lose the
war
The US is on the
defensive, whereas the terrorists are on the
offensive both in and around Iraq, destabilizing
those neighbors allied with Washington.
Separating success and failure in the "war on
terror" is intelligence, and unless the
anti-terror forces get it soon, they will lose
the war. - Xiao Xi
(Nov 21,
'03)
Afghan plea falls on
deaf US ears ...
On a visit to
Washington, Afghanistan's foreign minister made
a plea for help to United States policy makers,
stressing that the Taliban were back in
Afghanistan. But his mistake was to use the word
"Pakistan", given the US's unwillingness to put
pressure on its "war on terror" ally. -
Seema Sirohi (Nov 21,
'03)
... as Bush just wants to
get the boys home
With a reelection campaign
looming, the Bush administration is taking a
shortcut to achieving its goals in Afghanistan -
an attempt to get United States troops home as
quickly as possible. But try as Washington may,
the "bad" Taliban just won't go away. - Ramtanu Maitra
(Nov 21,
'03)
House of Saud plays a
radical card
Galvanized by a bomb attack
this month in the capital Riyadh, the second of
the year, the House of Saud has stepped up
efforts to bring an end to unrest in the country
by soliciting the help of Islamist radicals. -
Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Nov 20,
'03)
 The truth leaks
out
Someone leaked highly
secret "evidence" to the US's Weekly Standard, a
neo-conservative mouthpiece, in an effort to
prove there were pre-war ties between Iraq and
al-Qaeda. If this was a desperate move by the
hawks to bolster their cause, it has backfired
badly, as the evidence does anything
but make the case for the alleged
ties, and the leak may also have compromised US
intelligence sources and methods. - Jim Lobe (Nov 20,
'03)
REALPOLITIK OF BUSH'S
REVOLUTION
Commentary
by Henry C K Liu
Part 2: Flawed visions of
democracy
 George
W Bush has built his new policy of world
democratic revolution on the assumption that
democracy in foreign lands would automatically
welcome US imperialism in the name of
capitalistic free trade. We see now that not
only can democracy not be easily imposed from
outside, but even if it does take root it may
well flower in ways detrimental to US interests.
(Nov
19,
'03)
PERCEPTION AND REALITY
Oiling the wheels of a tribal society
Before
rushing in to establish a new government system
for an essentially tribal Iraq, planners should
abandon failed notions of "nationalism" and
"self-determination" and look to ideas that have
worked, and which involve making full use of the
country's oil wealth. - Reuven Brenner
(Nov 19,
'03)
Democracy in Iraq, Act II
Realizing that its first
plan for democratizing Iraq has failed, the Bush
administration is turning to plan two, creating
an Afghanistan-style democracy. This idea is
better than the first, and could lead to a
quicker trip home for US troops, but
"democratic" Afghanistan is nothing to be proud
of. (Nov 19,
'03)
Kurdish concerns weigh
heavily
The truth behind the US's 'Iron Fist'
A recent after-action report released by
the United States Third Infantry Division
suggests that while the unit may have proved its
prowess on the Iraqi battlefield, what it was
expected to do after it "shocked and awed" is
anyone's guess. - David
Isenberg (Nov 19,
'03)
|
TIES ON TRIAL
(Nov 19,
'03)
US-Japan
alliance under strain
As the wave of violence
escalates in Iraq, US allies that once pledged
hefty support are beginning to question their
loyalties. For Japan, the question is whether
the government will risk sending its troops into
harm's way, and its leadership is weighing
carefully what seems guaranteed to be a no-win
proposition. - Richard
Hanson
Iraq and Okinawa: First the
bad news
Although Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi has reiterated his loyalty to
the US by insisting that Japan's troop
deployment to Iraq is "still on", his meeting
with US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
contained no good news - for George W Bush, or
for the residents of Okinawa. - Axel
Berkofsky
|
Reform takes on a new face
in Iran
If Iran's ayatollahs want
rapprochement with the United States, which it
is emerging they do, the country will have to
undergo significant reforms. And there is no one
better than the ayatollahs, who manipulate the
real levers of power, to do just this. -
Safa Haeri (Nov 18,
'03)
|
REALPOLITIK OF
BUSH'S REVOLUTION (Nov 18, '03)
Commentary by
Henry C K Liu
Part
1: The Philippines
revisited
 George
W Bush early this month sought to justify his
country's bloody and costly occupation of Iraq
as part of a proactive "global democratic
revolution". Shortly thereafter, Bush visited a
country still paying the price for a failed US
policy of imposed democracy: the Philippines.
PIPES' LINE
The case for
'Iraqification'
Iraqis should -
with only distant coalition oversight - be given
the chance to make a go of it on their own,
which is why the United States has changed its
policy to give them more responsibility, and
soon. - Daniel
Pipes |
Pakistan struggles to keep
its end up
Serious discrepancies in the
field between what Pakistan promises to do and
what it is capable of achieving in the "war on
terror" cast doubt on Islamabad's ability to
remain "one of the most important partners" of
the United States, and also indicate that the
army remains out of step. - Syed Saleem
Shahzad (Nov 18,
'03)
Saudi rulers draw the wrong
line
By arresting and repressing
Islamist reformists within the country under the
pretext of a "war on terror", the Saudi rulers
are marginalizing moderates among the Islamists,
and increasing the chances of even more
opposition emerging. - Sudha Ramachandran (Nov 18, '03)
Afghanistan aid workers cry
for help
With most eyes focused on
the instability in Iraq, the recent killing of a
foreign aid worker in Afghanistan has forced the
international community to shift its gaze back
to the Taliban, and the gains that they continue
to make. - Jim Lobe (Nov 18,
'03)
 SPENGLER
What
is American
culture?
In America's
encounter with Islam, it is pertinent to attempt
a characterization of American culture. So hold
onto your baseball hat, here's a quick
nine-point guide. (Nov 17, '03)
New US fury misses the
mark
The United States response
to increased attacks in Iraq has been to rattle
its sabers a bit louder, further drowning
out important voices that need to be heard.
- Jim Lobe
(Nov 17,
'03)
Will the real collaborators
please stand up? The US has shown the
Iraqi Governing Council the door, not just
because of the need to speed up the transition
to self-government, but because the council has
become a little too independent for its own
good. With the council to be replaced by another
set of US-installed Iraqis, the search is on for
a new batch of collaborators. - Herbert
Docena (Nov
17, '03)
The other
sheriff
There is a newly assertive
sheriff in the neighborhood, and its
stick-and-carrot approach to the North Korean
nuclear standoff appears to be making an impact.
Pyongyang is suddenly almost
conciliatory. - Marc Erikson (Nov 17,
'03)
Skepticism grows among US
voters
If a new survey proves to
be an accurate indicator of what's going on
inside the minds of American voters, President
George W Bush might find himself looking for a
new home after election day as the numbers
aren't adding up for the man seeking another
term in the White House. - Jim Lobe (Nov 14,
'03)
BOOK
REVIEW
The crisis of American
journalism
A Heart, a Cross, and a Flag:
America Today by Peggy
Noonan
Had irrationalism, vacuity
and tediousness been this book's only features,
it would probably not have been worth reviewing.
However, the author's politically dangerous
rhetoric requires attention, and in turn some
serious questions need to be raised for the US
media to ponder. - Piyush Mathur (Nov 14,
'03)
A palpable sense of
panic
 The hasty recall to
Washington of the Bush administration's point
man in Iraq, and a very gloomy leaked CIA report
on the situation in that country, point to a
growing sense of panic in Washington.
-
Jim Lobe (Nov 13,
'03)
Jihadi anger: After Italy, Australia?
The deadly
attack on an Italian base in Iraq, more than a
reflection of anger against Italy because of its
support for the United States, is most
likely meant to warn other countries, Australia
in particular. - B
Raman (Nov 13,
'03)
Time
running out for Governing
Council
The US-appointed Iraqi
Governing Council, which is having difficulties
meeting a timetable for developing a
constitution and paving the way to national
elections, is testing Washington's patience to
the point that changes appear
inevitable. (Nov
13, '03)
The case for a provisional government
Occupation
enters critical phase
Undaunted
by the failure of "Vietnamization" four decades
ago, the Bush administration is trying to
fast-track "Iraqification". This policy is
unlikely to succeed, not only because of factors
similar to those in Vietnam, but because of
complexities unique to Iraq. (Nov 13,
'03)
Saudis forced to
look inwards
The car bomb
that ripped through a Saudi Arabian housing
estate on the weekend has galvanized the
monarchy's security apparatus into investigating
internal militant dissident groups. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Nov 12, '03)
No US escape from Iraq
trap
The
United States-led wars on Afghanistan and Iraq
bear some similarities in that they both began
as exercises in regime change, and they have
both resulted in the emergence of fierce
resistance movements. Unlike Afghanistan though,
Washington cannot afford to walk away from Iraq
in the face of an emerging third force. -
Syed Saleem Shahzad (Nov 11,
'03)
Rumsfeld takes more friendly
fire
Larger shows of
United States force in Iraq in response to
guerrilla attacks demonstrate that the
insurgency must be taken seriously, yet Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld appears desperate to
reduce US troop numbers, much to the
bewilderment of even his supporters. - Jim
Lobe (Nov 11,
'03)
The elusive quest for a
strategy
It seems that the
only constant about the Bush administration's
handling of Iraq is the quest for a strategy,
yet it appears to be looking in all the wrong
places. - Ehsan Ahrari (Nov 11,
'03)
Saudi blasts: More than meets the
eye
As is
the case whenever there is a terror blast
anywhere in the world, suspicion immediately
falls on al-Qaeda, the most recent example being
the fatal car bomb explosion in Saudi Arabia. In
this instance, though, it would be unwise to
jump to too hasty a conclusion. - B Raman
(Nov 11,
'03)
|
The
intelligence war (Nov
10, '03)
SPENGLER
Why America is losing it
 Put it
down to the unique nature of the United States'
culture, or lack of it in the strict sense, but
it is clear that in the intelligence war,
Islamists have a distinct advantage because the
US cannot recruit reliable spies from the
available pool of foreign nationals, nor can it
train its own.
Miscalculations and misconceptions
The United
States decision to disband the Iraqi army was
bad enough, but coupled with a "dramatic" lack
of knowledge and information about the Ba'ath
Party, the seeds for the current guerrilla
resistance in the country were sown, and will
grow. - Safa
Haeri
US
stuck without a Turkish
crutch
|
Bush finds a new axis
to grind
Declaring that "communism,
and militarism, and rule by the capricious and
corrupt are the relics of a passing era", US
President George W Bush in a major speech has
vowed to adopt a new "forward strategy of
freedom in the Middle East". Given progress in
Iraq to date, his words could come back to haunt
him. - Jim Lobe (Nov 7,
'03)
Does the Shi'ite turban
fit?
 It
would be tempting to take heart from Iraq's two
main radical Shi'ite groups considerably
softening their anti-United States rhetoric,
were it not for the nagging doubt that this is
but the calm before an almighty divine-inspired
storm. - Nir Rosen
(Nov 6,
'03)
Loss of Feith in
Douglas
 It's
blame time in the United States regarding the
situation in Iraq, and a lot of fingers point to
one man, Douglas Feith, the Bush
administration's highly influential under
secretary of defense for policy with a hardliner
history up there with the best of them. -
Jim Lobe
(Nov 6,
'03)
The answers to Rumsfeld's
queries
US Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld raised a number of
questions over the war in Iraq and the "war on
terror" in a recently publicized leaked memo.
Now, a retired US army colonel responds, giving
answers that Rumsfeld is unlikely to receive
from his subordinates. (Nov 6, '03)
Rumsfeld's new model
army
While spending on hi-tech
whiz-bangs is at an all time high, the Bush
administration has steadily shaved the cost of
personnel in the US military, which, if nothing
else, helps the president in his own particular
battles. (Nov 5,
'03)
Iraq the talk of the
neighborhood
Iraq's neighbors, fired by
concerns over the situation in the country, have
thrashed out some common problems to be
addressed. Unfortunately, the country best
positioned to help them with their troubles -
Iraq - was not present at their ground-breaking
meeting. - K Gajendra
Singh (Nov 5,
'03)
US pays for intelligence
blunders
Washington's
intelligence gathering operations have once
again been thrust under the microscope following
the deaths of 16 United States soldiers on
Sunday, and the Bush administration's "go solo"
mentality has been found wanting. (Nov 4,
'03)
Afghan allies turn
enemies
Even as the deteriorating
security situation in southern Afghanistan,
where the Taliban are resurgent, gains most
headlines, fierce fighting between rivals in the
northern areas is emerging as another serious
problem. And then there's the poppy issue. - Sudha Ramachandran (Nov 4,
'03)
Limited foreign hand in
Iraq resistance
Unlike Afghanistan,
and contrary to what the United States
administration claims, foreign jihadis play a
small role in the Iraq resistance - not that
they haven't tried to join in the action. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Nov 3, '03)
What the Jews won't tell
you
Contrary to popular
belief among many Jews, anti-Semitism can't be
blamed on a chemical imbalance in the brain.
Hatred of the Jews stems from profound roots
that will not, unfortunately, disappear with a
few sessions on a psychiatrist's couch.
(Nov
3, '03)
Trailblazing Aljazeera loses its edge
Qatar-based
Aljazeera television station has gone from
reporting live, developing action in formerly
taboo areas for Arab broadcasters, like Israel
and Saudi Arabia, to appearing increasingly
frail before US pressure. - Iason
Athanasiadis (Nov 3,
'03)
'Dysfunctional' UN takes
stock
The United Nations, after being accused
of being complacent, ill-disciplined and
dysfunctional by the independent panel it
appointed to investigate the attack on its
headquarters in Baghdad, has good cause to
reconsider the direction of its internal reform
program. - Alexander Casella
Annan walks the middle
ground
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