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 War
and Terror
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September 2009
THE ROVING EYE
It's bomb, bomb, bomb Iran time
Israel, sundry Sunni Arab puppet rulers and dictators, the American right and
the European right, these all fear Iran's regional clout and want to castigate
Tehran in Thursday's nuclear talks. Iran's nuclear dossier - and new
revelations about a second, not-so-secret enrichment plant - could not be a
more convenient cover story for regime change. - Pepe Escobar
(Sep 30, '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)
 SINOGRAPH
A culture at ease with war
A common perception of China is that over the centuries there was a conflict
between culture and literature on the one side and military affairs on the
other. Similarly, a belief grew that China was unfit for war and an easy
pushover. An exhaustive new book tells another story, showing how the Chinese
are well prepared for opposing armies. - Francesco Sisci
(Sep 30, '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)
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 MANUFACTURED CRISIS, Part 1
The facts of the matter
Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has shrugged off the fuss over Iran's
construction of a second uranium-enrichment plant, saying the United States and
other countries are acting in bad faith just before talks on Tehran's nuclear
program. "We have done nothing wrong," Ahmadinejad said. - Jack A Smith
(Sep 29, '09)
This is the first article in a three-part report.
Missile madness targets the money
President Barack Obama's decision to shelve plans for an anti-missile defense
system in the Czech Republic and Poland continues a decades-long, military and
political debate frequently set in terms little more sophisticated than "mine
is bigger than yours". None of it is real, except the money, which is very real
and very huge. - Julian Delasantellis (Sep
25, '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)
Moscow holds the line on Iran
sanctions
There was just enough in Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's words on Wednesday
about a harder line on Iran for the White House to claim that Russia had bent,
finally, in Washington's direction. Even as the President Barack Obama
administration was savoring its success, however, China was there to spoil the
moment. - M K Bhadrakumar (Sep 25, '09)
The world picks sides ahead of Iran
talks
This week's United Nations summit has become a lively arena for Iran, the
United States and their respective allies and opponents to define and defend
their positions on Tehran's nuclear standoff before the international
community. Momentum for more stringent sanctions, should October 1 talks in
Istanbul fail, is rapidly building. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Sep 25, '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)
US perches in an 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 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)
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)
As US wins minds, Afghan hearts are
lost
Why is it that Afghan Taliban fighters seem so bold and effective, while the
police are so dismally corrupt and the 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)
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)
Iran and IAEA re-enter missile row
Negotiators from Iran stopped meeting with the International Atomic Energy
Agency last year when the nuclear watchdog began demanding - allegedly at the
behest of the United States and Israel - access to secret military data. The
design of the Shahab-3 missile's new re-entry system is of special interest,
but Tehran fears any disclosure would be leaked to its enemies. - Gareth Porter
(Sep 21, '09)
Calm before the storm of US-Iran
talks
Negotiators for the "Iran Six" nations are scrambling to refine their
strategies ahead of October 1 nuclear talks with Tehran now that US President
Barack Obama has dropped plans for a missile shield in Europe. The key question
is, will sanctions and threats be enough to compel the Iran to reconsider its
nuclear program - or just serve as a pretext to war? - Shahir Shahidsaless
(Sep 21, '09)
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Obama drops a missile bombshell
President Barack Obama's decision to scrap the longstanding plans of the United
States for an anti-missile shield in the heart of Europe has opened another
political front just when he is barely coping with the war in Afghanistan.
Moscow will carefully weigh the "overture", and Europe, Ukraine, Georgia and
Iran will huddle in anxiety to ponder the implications of what Obama has done.
- M K Bhadrakumar (Sep 18, '09)
Iran rattled by Washington's
resolve
The sudden decision by Washington to ditch its long-held dream of a missile
defense shield has generated unexpected momentum for a united diplomatic front
against Iran at next month's nuclear talks in Istanbul. Tehran has hardly
missed this point - President Barack Obama's gambit poses a tough test for
Iran's strategic acumen. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Sep
18, '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)
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)
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)
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)
Crucial Iran nuclear evidence
'covered up'
Iran has submitted serious evidence that documents purportedly showing a covert
Iranian nuclear weapons program are fraudulent - but the International Atomic
Energy Agency has so far refused to acknowledge it. The nuclear watchdog's
apparent lack of concern contrasts sharply with its 2002-2003 probe that
exposed as fabricated evidence cited by Washington as justification for
invading Iraq. - Gareth Porter (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)
Obama clings to hope as Iran hawks
circle
Hundreds of activists from America's pro-Israel community descended on
Washington last week to lobby for harsher sanctions on Iran, even as reports
came out suggesting Tehran is on the verge of nuclear capability. President
Barack Obama is under heavy pressure to act, and his end-of-September deadline
for Iran to respond to his engagement offer is fast approaching. - Daniel Luban
and Jim Lobe (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)
Iran steps up to the nuclear table
Tehran has presented the "Iran Six" nations with new proposals that Iran's
foreign minister calls a "new opportunity for dialogue" with the West. Although
the contents are still confidential, Iranian officials hint that for the first
time security and economic cooperation will be discussed alongside the ongoing
nuclear stalemate. Whether Washington takes this as an honorable detente or a
delaying tactic will be key to upcoming talks. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Sep 10, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
Fifty questions on 9/11
It's eight years since the fateful day when 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)
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China, Myanmar border on a
conflict
The Myanmar government's rout last week of ethnic Kokang insurgents on the
Chinese border may have been a test of Beijing's resolve to back its
Myanmar-based allies and the readiness of rebel groups to band together against
the junta. As all sides prepare for the next round of fighting, it seems
unlikely Myanmar's military will be able to control the ceasefire regions in
time for the 2010 national elections. - Brian McCartan
(Sep 9, '09)
Maliki hangs tough on Syria
As the Syria-Iraq crisis escalates, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki sticking
to his story that Syrian-based Ba'athists were behind the August 19 Baghdad
bombing, Iraqi discontent grows. Considering security was his only feather in a
cap filled with economic woes, unemployment and refugees, Maliki needs a
scapegoat fast if he's to have any chance in the next elections. - Sami Moubayed
(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)
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)
Taliban's bombs came from US, not
Iran
The roadside bombs killing and maiming Western soldiers in Afghanistan are not
Iranian, as a top United States intelligence agency has claimed. The devices
are crude but devastating re-adaptations of Italian anti-tank mines given to
the anti-Soviet mujahideen in the 1980s by the US Central Intelligence Agency.
- Gareth Porter (Sep 4, '09)
North Korea drops a uranium bombshell
Suspicions that North Korea never halted its uranium nuclear weapons program
have been at the core of United States diplomacy with Pyongyang for years. The
North on Friday officially confirmed these fears, and worse, that enrichment is
in its "final phase". Cornered by tough sanctions and a dire economic
situation, Pyongyang hopes the revelation will hasten one-on-one dialogue with
Washington. - Donald Kirk (Sep 4, '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)
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)
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)
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)
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ATol Specials
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Syed Saleem Shahzad reports on
the Afghan war from the Taliban side
(Dec '06)
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How
Hezbollah defeated Israel
By
Mark Perry and
Alastair Crooke
(Oct '06)
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Mark Perry and
Alastair Crooke
talk to the 'terrorists'
(Mar, '06)
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The evidence for and against Iran's alleged
nuclear weapons program
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Nir Rosen goes inside the Iraqi
resistance
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Nir Rosen rides with the 3rd
armored cavalry in western Iraq
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Islamism, fascism and
terrorism
by Marc Erikson
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For earlier articles go to:
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permission.
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(Holdings), Ltd.
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