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Letters

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Please note: This Letters page is intended primarily for readers to comment on ATol articles or related issues. It should not be used as a forum for readers to debate with each other. The Edge is the place for that. The editors do not mind publishing one or two responses to a reader's letter, but will, at their discretion, direct debaters away from the Letters page.

March 2007

I'd like to congratulate Eli Clifton [on] Washington enters 'comfort women' debate [Mar 30] and agree that Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe's demand for release of 17 Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea before any concession to Pyongyang is a legitimate and fair demand, and should not be mixed with the comfort-woman issue, which is a totally different problem. If we admit that both issues are related, we are just supporting abductions committed by Pyongyang, which would be complete nonsense. Obviously, each issue should be dealt [with] rationally, based on facts, and not manipulated politically.
M Murata (Mar 30, '07)

Syed Saleem Shahzad: Great article on Musharraf [Another stiff test for Musharraf, Mar 30]. What percentage of Pakistanis would you say support the extremists, and is there a segment of moderate secularists actively working to oppose them?
Brook (Mar 30, '07)

In all human societies moderates are a majority, and the same is true in Pakistan, but because of polarization between the extremists in the West and in the Muslim world, the voices of extremism are louder. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

Shawn Crispin: In my opinion, your article Hanoi's double-cross on democracy [Mar 30] is simply over-egging the custard. "Double-cross on democracy"? After such a declarative title, the rest of the article was anticlimactic. The US can and will, in the fullness of time, chuck the empire; speaking for myself, the US does not need an Asian neo-conservative phenomenon. On the other hand, I can't wait to read the next coverage in ATimes Online of the human-rights whodunit in that long-standing bastion of democracy, the Pearl of the Orient, "the 51st State of the Union", the Philippine Islands. Were those over 700 people killed, over a period of time, really all communists journalists/activists in thought and deed?
Tom Skiles (Mar 30, '07)

The Philippine issue was covered on February 13 by Cher S Jimenez in Deadly dirty work in the Philippines. As for "over-egging the custard", Father Nguyen Van Ly, a 60-year-old democracy activist mentioned in Shawn Crispin's piece, received an eight-year jail sentence on Friday. - ATol

Re Showdown looms over Iraq withdrawal [Mar 30]: President [George W] Bush will certainly veto legislation that ties supplemental funds of US$124 billion to a timetable to wind down America's failed war in Iraq and to begin [downsizing] US troop strength there. He has said so. Yet the new Democratic majority in the houses of Congress have managed to vote [for] a bill which has set a non-binding timetable of troop withdrawals. The American president may have forgotten to read Daniel, for in a way the new Congress has sent him a "mene, mene, tekel, upharsin", announcing a turn in Mr Bush's fortunes. This bill, which is certain to fail, is nonetheless the handwriting on the wall for the Bush administration's muscular diplomacy. Moreover, the stars too are not in Mr Bush's favor. A quick glance at the media raises questions about his flouting the constitution, rampant corruption which has tainted his Republic Party and administration, questionable bureaucratic measures, and an unwholesome disdain for the American people.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 30, '07)

"Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin" was the famous Aramaic inscription written on a wall by a disembodied hand, according to the biblical Book of Daniel. The prophet Daniel interpreted it as: "MENE (literally a 'toll'), God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL (literally a 'weight'), you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; PARSIN (literally a 'division'), your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians" (chapter 5). Wikipedia notes that parsin was also a pun on the Aramaic word for "Persians". - ATol

I burst into peals of laughter when I read the article Iran ahead of the game - for now [Mar 30] by Kaveh [L Afrasiabi]. It is [not] strange that Kaveh is holding a brief for Iran's thuggery of holding the British marines captive, cold-shouldering calls by the international community to release them. Leftists and journalists who have a soft corner for Islamic terrorism take umbrage at whatever the West does to burke Islamic terrorism. Where did Kaveh get the information that the illegal capture of the marines has created a wave of sympathy for Iran and its infamous mullahs? Is Kaveh aware of the fact that nearly 60% of the Iranian youth admire the West, especially the US, and that they are highly critical of [President Mahmud] Ahmadinejad's actions? Is parading a woman on TV, forcing her to dish out barefaced lies rammed down her throat by a group of terrorist mullahs, acceptable to any religion? [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair need not genuflect before the Iranian leadership by kowtowing to its demands for apologies or negotiations. The leadership in Iran will, eventually, solve this conundrum by releasing the sailors, as it has no other go. [US President George W] Bush has a job on hand. He and his allies, including Arabs, should take concerted efforts to free Iran from the clutches of loony leaders like Ahmadinejad. If not, they will take the entire Middle East to doom.
Crispin Wesley (Mar 30, '07)

Good idea, seeing what a bang-up job Bush et al have been doing in Iraq. - ATol

Reference to the article British pawns in an Iranian game [Mar 29]: The British government has published a map showing the coordinates of the incident that took place last week claiming that the sailors were 1.7 nautical miles within Iraqi waters when they were captured by Iranian gunboats. But an article on Craig Murray's website disputed the claims presented by the British government, arguing that only the two neighbors, Iran and Iraq, are the ones who should decide on their bilateral boundary. The Iran-Iraq maritime boundary released by the British does not exist. It's nothing but another lie in a long list of [Prime Minister] Tony Blair's horrendous lies about WMD [weapons of mass destruction], dodgy dossiers, Saddam Hussein posing a 45-minute threat to United Kingdom security, etc, to justify [his] future actions to the electorate and the world, since he decided [US] President [George W] Bush in his ugly, messy war on Iraq for the greed of looting oil and wealth of the Muslim world. The scenario has many similarities prior to the illegal invasion of Iraq: non-existent WMD, dodgy dossiers and Israeli invasion of Lebanon after the capture of two of its soldiers inside Lebanese territory by Hezbollah. The British-produced border map is fictitious, with no legal evidence to support it ...
Saqib Khan
UK (Mar 30, '07)

The Iranian capture of the British forces seems more to me like the kidnapping of Israeli troops by Hezbollah than anything else, roughly equivalent to the typical Arab/Muslim trick of capturing a few tourists in a remote area in the hope of extorting a ransom ... Why are there now "occupiers", just as there were "occupiers" even before oil was much of an issue? Because the Middle East maintained a group of defective political regimes, which were unable to maintain economic growth and stability relative to the West. Still the case. This "occupier" talk makes Arabs and Muslims sound like a bunch of cry-babies. They are unable to negotiate on an honest basis, so they decide to kidnap a few essentially under-armed British troops, who are individually innocent, and hold them hostage until they get what they want. So the Russians are the allies now, and the Chinese? Is this how the Russians and Chinese deal with the West, too? Do you see that anywhere? No. The Russians and Chinese may deal with the Iranians, but will this trick make the Russians or Chinese respect or even fear Iran? Doubt it. No, the Russians and Chinese will just think of the Iranians as miserable, weak, and lying wretches, without honor. "Contempt" is the operative term. No, this is a uniquely Arab/Muslim approach, or an asymmetrical-warfare approach, and in that sense is nothing but a display of weakness by Iran. And Iran wants the West and the Russians to trust them with nuclear weapons, when they act more like bandits, or pouty children, than a responsible government? How is this different, or better, than capturing journalists in Lebanon and holding them hostage for years? How is this different from bandits demanding ransom? And it is strangely reminiscent of the American experience in Iran, isn't it? Iran has a fair chance of uniting all its adversaries. The Iranian government may hope to distract its citizens from the economic issues in the country by this clever trick, but it is a costly ploy in the long run.
Richard Stone (Mar 30, '07)

Iranians are predominantly Persians, not Arabs. As for the apprehension and detention of personnel under questionable circumstances, see the new article US silent on detained Iranians. - ATol

In China turns cold on foreign brands [Mar 28], Robert Hartmann recycles complaints made by the Chinese media and government organizations about foreign brands. He fails to [see] the hypocrisy of these complaints. After all, many Chinese products are notorious for their poor quality. In many cases, these complaints are simply means to squeeze money from the deep-pocketed foreigners via lawsuits or legal settlements. The Chinese government countenances this undoubtedly as a form of protectionism ...
Han Meng
USA (Mar 30, '07)

In the year and half I have been reading ATol, many of Spengler's contributions have been anti-Iran articles in which personal bias or bigotry embedded in cherry-picked historical references and artful writing gives clear evidence of a writer struggling to walk a fine line between objective rationale and personal obsessions against a culture. As well written and creative as his [articles] may be, the irrelevancy of his meticulous, fanciful reasoning becomes clear in singular statements that reveal the primacy of his semi-disguised need for violence against Iran, an example of which appeared for a second time in The Most Un-Islamic Republic of Persia [Mar 27]. He writes [quoting an earlier article, Frailty, thy name is Tehran, Oct 24, '06]: "The Persians have been rather a nuisance since Thermopylae in 480 BC, and it is time that someone taught them a lesson." No matter what we think of the current government of Iran, what historical sins have the Persians committed that earn them a punishment, more so than the Germans, Russians, Britons, Americans or, for that matter, any major power known to history? In his latest article he even tries to justify the depiction of Persians as bloodthirsty, sexually decadent and ambivalent barbarians in the movie 300, by listing selective poetry of a Persian writing of his devotion to a mythical young boy! One does not even have to be a historian to know the well-established practice of gay sex in Greek history or their [ancient Greeks'] practice of slavery and brutal infighting. Putting even that aside, it is a well-known historical fact that the ancient Persians were known for their tolerance and that even the Greek kings, including Alexander himself, bore a fascination with the Persian kings and their culture. There is universal acknowledgement - even tacitly by the makers of the movie - that the negative depiction of Persians in the movie was based on the stark black-and-white mode of characters suited for a comic book inspired by the historical event. Yet Spengler actually defends the portrayal as having some historical roots! It is intellectually dishonest and petty of Spengler to give in to his inner bizarre anti-Iran obsession and the bigotry it breeds to such a degree to cherry-pick facts to substantiate the stark black-and-white content of a comic-book depiction. A skull superimposed on a well-known philosopher's photo illustrates that ATol recognizes the diabolical and intellectually bizarre inner makeup of Herr Spengler, and so I wonder why this manifestly unbiased, serious publication gives him a prominent place to the extent that it even hosts Spengler's forum and offers all his articles at a push of a button.
Sam Arman (Mar 30, '07)

Thailand is not thought to be a Muslim (or Nazi) country where disagreement is not respected. The view from the West is that a 10-year sentence for a slur is archaic (just as is a monarchy), and Byzantine. Westerners eagerly eat Thai food and consider Thailand on par with its other major trading partner, Japan. Sadly, this has all changed now. If you are going to participate in the Western 21st century, we welcome you to come on board. If this Swiss man spends another week in prison, consider yourselves invited to remain forgotten, and otherwise an enemy of enlightenment.
R Reese
Washington, DC (Mar 30, '07)

Why does the West automatically get to define "enlightenment" and not the East? When Asians go to Europe or the Americas to live, work or play, they are rightly expected to obey Western laws and respect Western traditions and mores. It's exactly the same in Thailand, as the Swiss government itself has recognized in its refusal to interfere in the case of Oliver Jufer, who has lived in Thailand for years and was therefore presumably well aware of the country's strict lese majeste laws. For more on the role of the monarchy in Thailand's political evolution, see the new article Back to the future in Thailand by Rodney Tasker. - ATol

Pepe Escobar's British pawns in an Iranian game (Mar 29) is as usual a magnificent analysis of the event of the capture of the British sailors by some Iranian Revolutionary Guards and a correct prediction for the coming future in Iraq. It is indeed true, at least from my perspective, that the Brits were in illegal waters whether the water is Iraqi or Iranian. The Brits have no business in that water and that region. It is reasonable for them to protect their own water and national security along their national border. They are an imperialist occupying force that once again has been embarrassed and humiliated by the people of the Middle East. The Brits seem to have lost their nerve, because how many times can a country be embarrassed in a region in order not to go back again? The Brits have been the source of most of the problems in the Middle East, including the sectarian divide in Iraq that the Bush administration has been capitalizing on to control the country in order to loot its oil. I think the Brits deserve this humiliation, and it is very cowardly on their part to try to get the West involved in their imperialist adventure. The Iraqi people, [except] the puppets, dislike the Brits and were able to defeat them soundly on July 14, 1958, under General [Abd al-Karim] Qasim's leadership, and the next defeat is coming very soon as Mr Escobar predicts. This time they will be defeated by the defenseless Iraqi people. At any rate, the humiliation of the Brits will give the Iranian mullahs the needed confidence to enhance the strength and the cohesiveness of their domestic front to face foreign forces, confidence that will revolutionize their cause to fight US forces in case President [George W] Bush decides to attack them. Moreover, the Iranian mullahs are using the event to send a message to the Iraqi mullahs that it is the time to go after the American occupiers. It is also a clear message to Hezbollah and Syria that sacrifices are needed to clean the region from imperialist occupiers. In addition, this event provides a clear signal to many countries in the world that the Iranian mullahs are able to fight and defeat the Brits whether or not the mullahs have their nuclear bombs. In one way or another, the Bush administration, through its imperialist occupation of Iraq, has contributed significantly to the rising power of the Iranian and the Iraqi mullahs. In other words, [British Prime Minister] Tony Blair has to blame himself first and President Bush second for the rising power of the Iranian and the Iraqi mullahs, because both leaders had gone wild about the threat of Saddam Hussein, neglecting the essential fact that Saddam's alternative is the rising power of the Muslim mullahs.
Adil Mouhammed
Springfield, Illinois (Mar 29, '07)

Pepe Escobar's titillating and literal bit of reportage [British pawns in an Iranian game, Mar 29, on] Shatt-al-Arab is what makes ATol a daily must-read of the actions and reactions that occur and have occurred on a regular basis between the once "de facto rulers and king/shah makers" based in London with a franchise in DC and the awakening chess players in Iran and elsewhere. News reports in the British media of the ultimatums (to Israel/US) made in the ongoing Arab League ministers' meeting in Saudi Arabia add a sense of expansion to Mr Escobar's astute commentary. Not only are the days of kingmaking passe, but also the ones of the continued control of the Falklands and others ...
Armand De Laurell (Mar 29, '07)

Re Land prices soar at Pakistan's prize port [Mar 29]: A new wind is blowing in the port city of Gwadar. It should surprise no one that land prices are soaring. And they more certainly than not will soar even more. The development of this deepsea port foreshadows infusions of capital, especially foreign monies, and creates new opportunities for amassing fortunes. It also announces the implantation of foreign companies which will whet the appetites of a baksheesh culture where corruption and malfeasance flourish. The port and Gwadar's industrial estates will bring new jobs and fan emigration from the countryside to a city that is going to spread and grow like mushrooms. Gwadar's awakening to the exigencies of a global economy will disturb age-old traditional patterns and expose both town dwellers and their country cousins to a quick-paced life. Urban life will offer a freedom which will clash with conservative values and, what's more, exacerbate the tensions between a growing return to Islamic sources and rule of sharia law and the freedom of the marketplace. Yet one has to wonder whether the influences of a modern economy will overcome these tensions and foster in a military-caste leadership and an Islamic clerisy will accommodate the port city of Gwadar and allow a ... more liberal political and economic culture to prevail.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 29, '07)

At the end of the excellent article Exurbia: Built on paradox and hypocrisy [Mar 29] there is an ad for subscribing to Ann Coulter's column. Can you go back to the ads with the girlie pictures, please? This is a family newspaper, after all.
W
South Carolina, USA (Mar 29, '07)

Those are "network ads", and different ones appear on the same story depending where on the planet your computer happens to be. Here at ATol's Thailand bureau, under that article there is neither a "girlie picture" nor an ad for Ann Coulter, but one for the University of London's distance-learning program. - ATol

In response to the letter from Chrysantha Wijeyasingha from Clinton, Louisiana, on Tigers take their struggle to new heights [May 28]: Sometimes ruthlessness [is pushed] under the democracy carpet, as India [is] doing in its eastern [states] and Kashmir, the US in Iraq, and Israeli with Palestine.
Affi
UAE (Mar 29, '07)

I would like to briefly add to ATol's response to Jayant Patel's letter of March 28, "The US is a vast and diverse country - in different ways than India, certainly, but no less so, especially outside the major cities." In the USA, immigrants and other ethnic minorities provide a lot of diversity of the senses, especially in food and the performance arts, that makes life for all more enjoyable. Some forms of arts and food, such as jazz, have such strong appeal that they have been gradually incorporated as American. For others, suppose immigration were to cease after, say, four generations - who would continue to be responsible to provide such ethnic diversity for all? Mostly foreigners, one should hope, unless one is resigned to racism. Why would a fourth-generation Betty Chen, say in 2080, be expected to be more expert at making dim sum than a Betty Crocker? Why should Betty Chen's grandfather John Chen, say in 2020, have any less opportunity to marry a white girl called Mary Crocker than his white peers; Betty Chen's father, in 2050, Mary Lopez? In fact, while the US society is not colorblind, interracial marriages are not rare. Such diversity of the senses would continue mostly because immigration would. There is a city properly called Germantown, outside Milwaukee, not quite ethnic anymore, where most inhabitants are now of the white melting pot; conversely, there are the so-called Chinatowns where persons of Chinese ancestry live and work. If immigration were to cease now, would there be the so-called Chinatowns in 2100 to showcase ethnic diversity? I think it would be an indictment on the USA for its social failure if Chinatowns still exist in 2100, if immigration were to cease now. In Jayant Patel's letter, I see the usual perspective of an ethnic person who refuses to anticipate the social reality, aspiration, and sense of value of one's offspring. The German newcomers were once particularly protective of their culture. If they had succeeded against all social determinants, perhaps Dwight Eisenhower would have been a German-American, not a white American of incidental German name, appointed to the highest military post against Germany. Some discrimination is worthwhile as it protects traditional culture, so the ethnic parent deludes himself. In any country, China, the USA, or Malaysia, what precisely is meant by the majority marginalizing minority cultures? What is the interpersonal mechanism for such alleged marginalization? To the offspring eventually, equal opportunity in courtship and marriage across traditional boundaries, if viewed as possible, would likely be considered a basic right; nothing less would be acceptable, not economic equality or mere respect from the opposite sex. Moreover, diversity of thoughts, among the whites and across the racial divide, is perhaps more seminal to American culture than diversity of the senses. The belief in the separation of church and state was once intellectual diversity; Roger Williams was once odd and Rhode Island was once rogue. Some diversity of thoughts, once among the whites, has great influence on all Americans. Last, like every American aware or not, I have no say in what my offspring would prefer or even how they would appear racially. Some Americans fancy that they do, but I, with expectation of US social progress, just don't fancy at all.
Jeff Church
USA (Mar 29, '07)

I sometimes enjoy reading your site and do gain insightful information at times. The blatant anti-Americanism is over the top, however. It ends up discrediting, to a large degree, the whole effort.
James (Mar 29, '07)

This is a fairly common but baseless criticism of Asia Times Online. It is similar to the once almost universal, but now rather rare, charge by Americans that the French, Germans, Russians et al were "anti-American" for not supporting the rush to war against Iraq prior to March 2003, or, closer to home, the bleating from some Chinese readers that ATol is "anti-China" whenever we report an analysis of the Taiwan issue that strays from the line preferred by Beijing. To the extent that the policies of the Bush administration have been used by some as an excuse for blanket denigration of the American people themselves, ATol and its writers have always stood firmly against such ignorance. - ATol

Dear respectable brother in Islam [Syed Saleem Shahzad]: I have found your articles very informative, [and am] forwarding you a link to a website [TheUnjustMedia.com] which I think will benefit you ... again, keep up the good work. PS: It is not right for a man who has enjoyed the hospitalities of mujahideen to refer too them as terrorists, or having an agenda which is in contradiction with the teaching of the Koran and Sunnah. Sometimes you have mentioned mujahideen collaborating with governments [that] are in name Muslim; this is not true. The reality is these supposed Muslim governments are the instruments from which the West implements [its] doctrine of animosity, hostility and butchery of Muslims all over the world. We do not see any Muslim government standing up to those who are murdering, looting, raping our sisters and injecting depleted uranium in our future generations, but a group of men from all walks of life have come forward to combat those who will not stop bleeding the Muslims ... Now the mujahideen combat zone is different, it depends on were they are, but a collective effect is being made around the world by mujahideen. If one is not participating in this global mujahideen movement, then one should not criticize them either.
KD KD (Mar 29, '07)

As usual, the above-named website is not endorsed by Asia Times Online; the link is provided for the interest of our readers at the request of Pakistan Bureau Chief Syed Saleem Shahzad. - ATol

Re Tigers take their struggle to new heights [Mar 28]: It is true the [Tamil Tigers have] taken their struggle to a new level. And the entire Tamil community around the world is overjoyed by this LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] attack, no question about that. It is especially [so] when we Tamils wake up with the news of 20 Tamils killed by a Sri Lankan Air Force raid, 50 schoolchildren killed by an air raid by the Sri Lankan Air Force, and 10 people died when a shell fired by the sri Lankan Army fell near a market, and the world chooses to keep silent on all these killings - not even a word of condemnation. The Sri Lankan government successfully blocked all media from working in the northeast, and the world doesn't know of the genocide committed by racist Sinhala regimes. Over the years nearly 70,000 Tamils have been killed by the state forces and 24,000 Tamils are disappeared. Nearly a million Tamils have fled the country (now living in India, Europe, America, Canada); this million is one-third of the Tamil population. Half a million are displaced internally. And the world turns a blind eye to this crime. Therefore once again the Tigers have proved they are the sole power to protect Tamils. And all we Tamils will stand by them. It is wrong to say the Tigers are terrorists; the right description of the Tigers is, "They use violence against state terror."
Mathan
UK (Mar 28, '07)

The article Tigers take their struggle to new heights [Mar 28] has finally revealed the dangerous potential of the [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]. The article states that this guerrilla group now poses a threat to "the entire South Asian region" [according to Sri Lanka's main political parties]. The problem with that statement is that the Tamil Tigers … have been a threat to the South Asian region for quite a while. The only difference is that the [LTTE] has now demonstrated to other terrorist groups that they too can have their own air and naval force, [and] wear cyanide-pill necklaces in case of being caught, and most likely other terror groups will now seek advice and technology from the Tamil Tigers for their own causes and the Tamil Tigers can gain cash from this transfer of technique and technology. With this first successful aerial attack by the [LTTE] life in the subcontinent is going to get worse as various terror groups seek to mimic the Tamil Tigers across the subcontinent and even further abroad. We can give thanks to New Delhi for procrastinating for so many decades. It is time that Colombo no longer should consider India an ally and seek help from more ruthless regimes like China and Pakistan to help solve this civil war.
Chrysantha Wijeyasingha
Clinton, Louisiana (Mar 28, '07)

Re the article by Malou Innocent, A US-China arms race on the final frontier [Mar 28]: If one were to seek the prime engine of increased international tensions, a good place to start might be with inflammatory misinformation such as presented by Mr Innocent. He criticizes what he alleges is "the White House's own National Space Policy, which declared that the US should have unimpeded supremacy in space, and will undermine other great powers from usurping this freedom". But even though it has been described in such terms in the crisis-mongering mass media, the actual document [pdf file] is a far cry from such an imperialistic, belligerent declaration, as anyone who actually reads it before commenting on it can discover. See for example my analysis of this pattern of misrepresentation, published recently (Outer-space war of words escalates: Russians overreacting on the basis of overwrought reports on US policy). This month, I revisited this theme in the Internet publication Space Policy Review, and also addressed the fraudulent fuss over US anti-missile elements in central Europe. Calmer and wiser heads, all too rare in the media furor over this Moscow propaganda gambit, have pointed out (correctly) that it is impossible in terms of engineering and physics for missiles in these locations to interfere with Russian missiles headed for North America - this is a consequence of the world being round (not flat, like so many maps printed with stories on this theme), a fact of nature that promoters of this hysteria don't seem to appreciate the significance of. I urge those readers tempted to become alarmed by Mr Innocent's scary allegations to make some simple verification efforts and discover that the world he describes does not coincide with the planet Earth that the rest of us are living on. There is indeed reason to be alarmed - but only because his views appear to be so widely believed and (sadly) acted on.
James Oberg
Media Consultant and Retired Rocket Scientist
Dickinson, Texas (Mar 28, '07)

Because of a computer glitch, the original upload of Malou Innocent's article was missing the first paragraph. The article has been corrected. - ATol

ATol's Sun Wukong [China Editor Wu Zhong] strips away another layer of China's underbelly of debt in Bankruptcy fears for China's universities [Mar 28]. Tipsy from the rapid pace of industrial development and smitten by the lure of unfettered market forces, China's schools of higher learning went on a buying spree of properties to develop, which brought no return on the yuan invested. Now, as [Wu] pointedly writes, the loans are maturing and the universities strapped for cash may default. Rises in tuition [fees] are not possible and the state, regional or national, is in no mood to rescue them from economic collapse, since the lending banks themselves may very well be facing financial difficulties, and thus [be] unable to sustain the universities' failure to repay debts. Of course the state, as [Wu] suggests, is willing to tighten the reins on these schools, but the damage has already been done. Since the universities have long embarked on expansion on capitalist lines, it is not inconceivable that they might enter partnerships or alliances with American or European or even Asian universities eager, with ready cash and know-how, to scale China's golden citadels of learning, and thus train future generations of core management workers for foreign companies in China as well as promoting or protecting their own interests in those industries like aerospace, automobiles, steel, and the like, which China is developing to challenge the multinationals [that dominate] these fields.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 28, '07)

In [Kaveh L] Afrasiabi's Iran: A mountain that doesn't move [Mar 27] and [Ian] Bremmer's Iran prepared to fight, if necessary [Mar 28] we are treated to Iran's apologists' warped view of the world. First things first: Iran's seizure of the British military personnel is an act of war; the cargo boat that they were searching was anchored in Iraqi waters where it remains today, having never been moved. Iran believes it can do whatever it wants and no one can force Iran to behave like a decent nation. Iran always complains about the British-and-American-backed coup that overthrew prime minister [Mohammad] Mossadegh; yes, this was wrong, but it was over 54 years ago. Iran has a long list of violent actions against the United States that continue to this day. Iran was involved in the murder of hundreds of US personnel in the Lebanon embassy and marine barracks bombing. Also, Iran was behind the Khobar Tower bombings in Saudi Arabia that killed American military servicemen. Iran supplies weapons to the Iraqi insurgents to kill American personnel. For some reason Iran thinks there is no chance of an American attack on Iran, [but] I would say the odds are 50-50. When America attacks Iran we will destroy [its] entire navy [and] air force along with [its] nuclear sites and, I hope, a big [chunk] of the Revolutionary Guards. This will put an end to illegal actions like the seizure of British personnel because Iran's navy will have no craft larger than 10 feet [3 meters] that is still afloat. Many people say that the US should talk to Iran. This I believe would be a waste of time because the essence of the Iranian theocratic totalitarian regime is anti-American and they [Iranians] will always wish us evil and take actions to harm the US and its interests. It is time for the US to stop talking and move with all our power to bring about the collapse of this evil regime.
Dennis O'Connell
USA (Mar 28, '07)

In Farce and fashion in Hong Kong's election by Kent Ewing (Mar 27), I believe the author correctly states: "The future of democracy in Hong Kong remains uncertain, but Sunday's result has given optimists more reason to hope. Beijing may have been the winner, but for the first time there was a challenge to the central government's candidate." However, one should also emphasize that democracy consists of both structural and cultural components. The former is best represented by the right to vote; the latter, by the respect for intellectual differences. In a mature democracy there is not only the right to vote, but also the culture of unyielding respect for intellectual differences - civility based upon diversity of thoughts. I would say that when the political climate is right (in Hong Kong's case based on Beijing's comfort zone), the establishment of structural democracy is rather fast as existing models abound, but cultural democracy needs time to nurture and flourish. From this perspective, I would say that democracy in Hong Kong is already in a fairly advanced stage, as Hong Kong has a democratic culture. Incidentally, while Taiwan's democratic structure has been fast to develop, would Taiwan's nascent democratic culture withstand the mounting pressure from the Chinese mainland in the decades to come? This also remains uncertain. Re Why Big Business needs China Games success by Benjamin A Shobert (Mar 27), I tend to think that the essence of the article centers on Beijing's success or failure in crowd control, not on multinationals' obligation to advocate for change (Jakob Cambria, letter, Mar 27). The essence is in: "It is not outside the realm of possibility to see US public opinion turn increasingly sour on China if political dissent is militantly stifled during the Olympics. In such a case, the repercussions would evidence themselves not only through increasingly brittle political exchanges, but the cold shoulder of consumers toward companies they believe empower an unjust Chinese system." [A] missile attack on Taiwan would be an order of magnitude worse for Beijing and the multinationals, so economic integration is effective in maintaining peace. Yet the multinationals keep investing in China; perhaps they also consider Taiwan independence innocuous, entirely futile (or arguably entirely successful).
Jeff Church
USA (Mar 28, '07)

Regarding the article Malaysia's melting pot on the boil [Mar 24] and Jeff Church's response [letter, Mar 27], coming from India where "unity in diversity" is a cherished value, I have to disagree. A sneaking feeling inside me thinks that Mr Church would feel differently if he was on the other side. The population of Spanish-speaking people is exploding in the US; what if they get to be the majority one day, would Mr Church be comfortable losing his ethnicity? Speak Spanish instead if English? Play soccer instead of baseball? This is especially hilarious considering the history of Europeans. Go to American and Australia, kill the local populations almost to extinction, force them to follow our way of life, done. Go to Mexico, South America, torture and kill the local populations until they give up their heritage, religion and language. Done. Go to Africa, enslave the locals, impose apartheid. Done. In the present day, millions of Americans live outside the US; ever heard of them assimilating? Can I hear Mr Church urging his countrymen living in, say, the Middle East to become Middle Eastern and stop living in enclaves? If assimilation was so great, why stop at language? What about food? All these different types of foods, so confusing. Let's pick, say, McDonald's and ban all other restaurants. How about music? Let's go with one. This is getting silly, it is obvious that Mr Church picks and chooses. Besides, ask anyone who has traveled - the sheer joy of seeing new things, new languages, new clothes, new food. The world would be a pretty boring place if every country was the same. I live in Chicago and apart from this city I haven't seen any of this country and have no desire to do so. What for? The same skyscrapers, the same McDonald's, what's there to see? I miss India so much; leaving my state meant hearing another language, seeing people eating different delicious-looking foods, wearing different clothes! It gave me an opportunity to learn four languages, which I think makes us better people. The problem in Malaysia is not that people are different, it's discrimination, pure and simple. The same problem exists here in the US: blacks are discriminated [against], and so the solution is? Blacks should pull a Michael Jackson and get themselves white, so then they won't be discriminated [against]? The problem lies with the person who abuses people who are different (see the treatment of gays), not with the people who are different.
Jayant Patel
Chicago, Illinois (Mar 28, '07)

Though our stomping ground is now Asia, several Asia Times Online staff members have also traveled widely in the US, and would disagree with your implication that venturing outside a city such as Chicago serves no purpose. The US is a vast and diverse country - in different ways than India, certainly, but no less so, especially outside the major cities. The joy, the opportunities for fellowship and education offered by travel, and which you have described eloquently in your letter, exist everywhere, including North America. - ATol

Re Iran: A mountain that doesn't move [Mar 27]: As usual, a lucid analysis by [Kaveh L] Afrasiabi; Asia Times Online is to be congratulated on his presence on its staff of correspondents. The only thing that might be added here is that Iranian Foreign Minister [Manouchehr] Mottaki's rhetorical queries - "Is there any better way to undermine an important multilateral instrument [the Non-Proliferation Treaty] that deals directly with international peace and security? Isn't this action by the Security Council in and of itself a grave threat to international peace and security?" - refer not least to the failure of the five "original" nuclear powers signatory to the treaty to fulfill their obligations under Article VI "to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control". But after all, it's only been some 37 years since the treaty came into force. But there is another intriguing matter which Dr Afrasiabi does not address at all - what was it that induced both the Russian and the Chinese leadership to accede to US/British demands on further Security Council sanctions against Iran, despite their good relations with that country and the obvious illegality of the measures adopted by the Security Council? What was - it is reasonable to assume that there was one - the quid pro quo? Were China and Russia informed that in the event no Security Council resolution could be obtained, the US and the UK would "go it alone" (no doubt with the help of the Poles and certain island nations in the South Pacific), but that they would refrain from a new war in the event the UNO [United Nations Organization] road was not blocked? Without a pipeline to Messrs [George W] Bush and [Tony] Blair, this can, of course, be no more than speculation, but Seymour Hersh's recent revelations in The New Yorker make it not implausible. Perhaps another of Asia Times [Online] well-informed correspondents could be induced to follow up this lead? I'm thinking, of course, of [former] ambassador M K Bhadrakumar, who seems to enjoy excellent connections, not least in Russia, and who is extremely well versed in matters pertaining to South and Central Asia.
M Henri Day, PhD, MD
Stockholm, Sweden (Mar 27, '07)

Re Iran: A mountain that doesn't move [Mar 27]: There is a great deal to support the idea that the [taking by Iran of the] 15 British hostages is a reciprocal action to the US capture of five Iranian diplomats. [The facts that] the British have refused to release GPS [Global Positioning System] data from satellites and remote-controlled aircraft and ... that the "mother ship" was too far away to intervene or was reluctant to enter the area point me to the conclusion that this situation is probably a covert action that has gone wrong. It would not be the first time that a civilian ship or aircraft was used as cover for getting in closer for espionage operations. I know that this is just guessing, but after listening to all of the lies of politicians during my 72 years, I'm comfortable that my guess is a lot more accurate than their "facts".
Ken Moreau
New Orleans, Louisiana (Mar 27, '07)

Spengler's The Most Un-Islamic Republic of Persia (Mar 27) makes a crucial point that the battle of Issus in AD 628 was hailed by the Koran as a "victory for believers", in that the Christian Byzantine Empire triumphed over the Zoroastrian-based Persian Empire. It would be interesting to note what Islamic scholars on both sides of the Sunni-Shi'ite spectrum would exactly make of the Sura in question. However, if there is general agreement that such an interpretation is indeed accurate, as Spengler contends, then the ramifications are far-reaching. What this goes to prove yet again is that racial and civilizational tribalism is a significant driving force in the theological development of groupings both within and between the world's great religions. We have Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodox Christians roughly aligned with southern, northern and eastern Europe respectively. We have Judaism with its ancient liturgical language of Hebrew, and we have Islam's counterclaim that the "language of divine communication" is Arabic. Then we have the theological and racial divide between Arab Sunnis and Persian Shi'ites, which was cynically manipulated by the United States in cohorts with Saddam Hussein in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. The problem ultimately is not in the determination of whether these evolutionary complex systems of racial and religious intermixing do in fact exist. The problem is how we as an emerging global community can bring these many divergent streams of race and religion to flow in a single river of peace and mutual respect without the antagonistic forces of our seemingly God-forsaken human condition rending us apart.
Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin
Canberra, Australia (Mar 27, '07)

[The Summer] Olympic Games in Beijing are now 500 days away. Benjamin A Shobert's Why Big Business needs China Games success [Mar 27] has a child's nursery tale tinge to it. It is as though Henny Penny has had a bit of the corporate sky fall on her head. Shobert is fingering his worry beads nervously. He needn't thread his cotton too fine. Judging by the supine behavior of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, corporate America will not challenge Beijing's human-rights record. The monetary rewards overwhelm high-minded principles. In fact, Intel has just announced that it is going to build a semiconductor factory in China. Mr Shobert may be thinking of the United Nations' fourth International Women's Conference held in Beijing in 1995. Then it was widely believed that delegates could and would raise human-rights issues, the more especially [as] memories of the bloody repression in Tiananmen Square remained more or less fresh in the world's mind. No major disturbances happened. The Chinese are past masters in crowd control and tight scheduling of events … so that difficult and embarrassing questions dissolve into thin air. China will do everything to appropriate American and European corporation sponsorship and advertising. And these very companies will gladly fall in to step for the greater good of the bottom line.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 27, '07)

Malaysia's melting pot on the boil by Baradan Kuppusamy (Mar 24) is written against the grain of political correctness that honors multiculturalism. The author writes: "Half a century into nationhood, the ideal of a 'Bangsa Malaysia' - a fabled blended Malaysian race that was to have climbed out of and transcended the melting pot - is still nowhere in sight." Repeatedly, the author implies that assimilation is the social ideal. With unavoidable simplification, I would succinctly add that segregation, multiculturalism, and assimilation are built upon the interpersonal microcosms of arrant bigotry, distant respect, and inter-ethnic love, respectively. Multiculturalism can be the valid social goal only when the ideal of assimilation seems unattainable, as for Malaysia without an effectively and salubriously dominant majority. "Cultural rights" is a politically correct spin for the acquiescence to social reality when the ideal of assimilation seems unattainable. While the advertising of "cultural rights", as a social policy, is often a laudable charade to parade inter-ethnic respect so as to elicit ultimate inter-ethnic love, hence to promote assimilation, "cultural rights" as an ideal should not be taken seriously. In the USA within a melting pot called the "whites" there is social inclusion in courtship and marriage. One can arguably state that this melting pot is the result of "cultural genocide" among the Europeans, that the killing of the inanimate object of traditional culture by love between a man and a woman is "cultural genocide". Haven't the "Chinese" in Malaysia as a group been the product of centuries of "cultural genocide" among the various East Asian peoples as well? Some say that a "fabled blended" American race also exists, as once exemplified by the food giant [General Mills'] Betty Crocker, the imaginary typical American homemaker. She was once drawn lily-white, but in the 1980s she was redrawn with external features that represented the idealized American melting pot. Her vivid blended racial features aroused so much controversy that [General Mills] depicted her only as a name. I wonder if Tiger Woods' children need any imaginative power to visualize her. If one imagines the fourth- or fifth-generation offspring of any Americans, Betty Crocker (or Betty Chen) may not be a fable at all. Last, policies that promote assimilation must have some coercive elements that may violate human rights, as forced busing of children in the USA clearly violates the freedom of association. Catering to the wishes of the present generation of ethnic parents to preserve traditional culture, at the expense of all in future generations, should not be lauded as good governance; in fact, the contrary, naturally with coercive elements, should not be categorically condemned - only the counterproductive excesses. No human being needs to be a Cherokee, or a Tibetan, or a Chinese to be happy. Human beings do not need the burden of inanimate traditional culture for the vicarious thrill of the politically correct. Happiness is certainly in living in a society that promotes the loss of traditional culture, and arguably in the state of having lost one's traditional culture with elevation of individualism.
Jeff Church
USA (Mar 27, '07)

My New Year's resolution was to avoid bothering with the tedious chore of critiquing Spengler anymore. Life is too short. Alas, a man so irritating and stupid needs critiquing, and since ATimes insists on printing this tripe, I guess I'm stuck with their obsessive need to write letters and complain about the retarded one. In [the Mar 20] bit of sophomoric cant [Why God lies and sex objects object to sex], we learn what Spengler thinks of sex. A truly frightening thought, I know. So let me be brief. Spengler: Courting as practiced in the Middle Ages was not a sign of respect for women, who had virtually no rights or personal sovereignty. It was perhaps even more objectifying than Playboy or MTV videos. Second, falling in love has, in fact, little to do (at least among the more mature) with believing one has found the one in 10 billion [whom] one was fated to be with. Adults all know we must make compromises and tradeoffs - and love is not a product nor is it an object (as Spengler seems to think) but is an emotional bond that grows and develops - or it dies (Woody Allen's famous comment from one of his films is that love is like a shark, it must always move forward or die - and what we have here is a dead shark). That Spengler finds [Sigmund] Freud a moron simply reinforces the already well-established fact of Spengler's own lack of education and awareness. I would suggest [Wilhelm] Reich's [The Invasion of] Compulsory Sex-Morality as part of my reading list for the retarded one. I would then ask Spengler if advanced capital hasn't, you know, a part to play in the alienation of modern men and women? Ya think, maybe? Reification was one of [Karl] Marx's most profound insights: we treat our friends like appliances, and our appliances like friends, as Russell Jacoby once put it. Well, now that's done - another attack on Spengler. Now for something useful - must walk the dogs.
John Steppling
Lodz, Poland (Mar 27, '07)

Chan Akya makes a number of salient points in his article Why Hollywood portrays Muslims as villains [Mar 24]. Market potential is clearly a very important factor in determining how Hollywood arranges its heroes and villains. I will venture a prediction that despite the continuing antics of Richard Gere, Hollywood will not be making any more Kunduns any time soon so long as Hollywood's integration with Chinese movie audiences and Chinese filmmakers continues. But I would also like to make the following points. I must insist that more narrow political and deeply ingrained cultural factors are also at play in selecting US film heroes and villains. While Muslims are popular villains these days, the most enduring ethnic villains are Germans. Unlike Muslims, they can be made to fit almost any setting (and will be predictably cold and robotic). And the ultimate cancellation of the proposed Ataturk movie back in the '90s cannot be explained on economic grounds - surely Turkish (without counting the larger Turkic world) moviegoers outnumber their Greek and Armenian counterparts combined and are not noticeably poorer. A crucial factor in that instance was probably how the Turks face lingering historical animosity from the right in the West on account of the Ottoman period, but at the same [time] are too Westernized politically and culturally to avail themselves of the leftist ... neo-Romanticism that say, native Americans, and sometimes even other Muslims (a la The Four Feathers) are beneficiaries of. [Second,] surely the unimpressive box-office showing of Kingdom of Heaven had something to do with dismal dialogue and wooden characters as well? Had the makers of the movie killed off Orlando Bloom instead of Liam Neeson, and constructed better lines and more engaging characters as was found in the equally historically spurious Braveheart, I think that it could have done much better. Saladin was supposed to come off as an honorable warrior king, but despite the vainglorious praise from some American reviewers ("cool as a glass of water", wrote one), the man barely says anything in the movie. All he did was strut around looking regal.
Jonathan X (Mar 26, '07)

The article by Chan Akya inappropriately titled Why Hollywood portrays Muslims as villains [Mar 24] is misleading, as it suggests that Hollywood is demonizing Muslims, pointing to the example of the recent blockbuster 300. As the article goes on to admit, the Persians depicted in the movie would most likely have been Zoroastrian at the time, since Islam did not exist yet. Likewise, none of the other examples, specifically Troy and Kingdom of Heaven, can be characterized as having Muslim villains. In Troy, Agamemnon, a Greek, is depicted as the villain, and the Knights Templar, a Christian order, are the villains of Kingdom of Heaven. Since [September 11, 2001] Hollywood has been very careful in its representations of Muslims.
Conor Lynch (Mar 26, '07)

Yet the Islamic Republic is offended by the film. See The Most Un-Islamic Republic of Persia for Spengler's explanation. - ATol

Chan Akya's Why Hollywood portrays Muslims as victims [Mar 24] is definitely spot-on. Hollywood's output is comic-book stereotyping and, given the return on investment, the production of such output is considered money in the bank. The ending sentence in Mr Akya's commentary is literal. Concurrent to the profit motive is the issue of informational brainwashing. A member of a group traveling to the "Holy Land" was asked to make it a point to view the exact spot where Moses parted the Red Sea (as shown on a yearly basis on television in a movie made over 25 years ago titled The Ten Commandments). Still, given that the decline of the empire on which the sun never sat is still unacceptable in some quarters, the image of a 007 character being either African, Asian, or Southern European shown in close physical contact with blondes, redheads, and/or mulattos will not only make the big bucks but might show that sex by any and all races is the same. That kind of movie-making is anathema to fundamentalists. Commendations to Mr Akya for telling it like it is.
Armand De Laurell (Mar 26, '07)

Re Why Hollywood portrays Muslims as villains (Mar 24), the title of Chan Akya's piece perhaps should more aptly be "Money drives Hollywood portrayals", in that characterizations he describes go beyond Muslims. But at any rate, it is an intelligent, revealing piece. As a moviegoer, I don't tend to analyze the characterizations with that much depth. I only know that generally standards of excellence seem to have declined ... I would suppose that the spectacle standards for the public, almost nauseating attention to stars, and the fashioning of movie portrayals to moneyed interests has a deleterious effect on American society and culture. The shallow mediocrity of American political leaders and the choice of egocentric personalities for TV (Donald Trump for one) is a byproduct of America's love of wealth and personalities rather than substance. Perhaps Hollywood has a bigger contribution to this than I thought. Re Asia's river systems face collapse (Mar 24): Alan Boyd's call for alarm is needed, but the damage done to major rivers like the Yangtze and the Ganges actually could and should have been predicted by the impacted governments and by UN leaders long ago. The West's pollution crises occurred when world population was much smaller and the global environmental threat much less, thus not rendering an immediate threat to the planet. Unfortunately that is not the case now. We could engage in hand-wringing laments about the neo-con coup and stolen elections, but we must look ahead. All world leaders have a stake in assuring that our planet survives into the next century. Much could be done through UN and US leadership. There is little likelihood this will occur during the Bush era, but we must not continue the inertia of Before Bush or the antipathy of [US President George W] Bush toward a healthy approach to our planet's environment.
Jim of Southern California
USA (Mar 26, '07)

Re North Koreans hungry for a deal [Mar 24]: Everyone is hungry for a deal, not only North Koreans. [US assistant secretary of state] Christopher Hill has moved mountains to get [North Korean envoy] Kim Kye-gwan to live up to the terms of the February 13 agreement to shut down Pyongyang's nuclear facilities. His [Hill's] boss Condeleezza Rice even elicited the help of the American secretary of the Treasury, to unblock North Korean's US$25 million account at the Banco Delta Asia, to hasten matters along. China, however, is the fly in the ointment. The monies have to pass through the bureaucratic mills of the People's Republic of China. And these mills grind things slowly and finely. North Korea's testing of an underground nuclear device caught Beijing off guard. And now it seems that it [is] payback time. Therefore, China will draw out the torture of anticipation [over] when and where [to turn] over funds to Kim Jong-il's emissaries. Where does this leave Mr Hill? Judging by current events, he is twisting in the winds, cajoling Beijing to speed up things. In sum, a breakthrough may happen today or tomorrow or [some time] in the future. The uncertainty may increase North Korea's hunger for a deal as Donald Kirk suggests, or playing a game of Chinese roulette may encourage a hardening of Pyongyang's positions which will put off denuclearization again. Whichever the outcome, Pyongyang and Washington are feeling the heat of Beijing's cold wrath.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 26, '07)

The article Malaysia's melting pot on the boil [Mar 24] by Baradan Kuppusamy was well researched and truly reflected the situations on the ground. What it could not possibly portray were the depth of anguish (or some call it anger) and the sense of humiliation (some call it persecution) [resulting from] these open-ended racist policies perpetuated by the Malay-led government [and] inflicted on the Chinese and other minorities in the country. While I cannot speak for the Indian and other ethnic-minority communities, the Chinese have generally resolved to taking the following countermeasures: to hell with the Malays and off we go emigrating to other, greener pastures. The biggest beneficiary of this exodus of funds and talent is none other than tiny Singapore. For those who cannot exit neatly and wholesomely from this misery due to inalienable commitments or other reasons, the least they [could] do was to try their level best to educate their children, preferably in pursue of a foreign degree, and place them on foreign soil with the ultimate aim of not returning. For the unfortunates who cannot afford to do either of the above, the morale is low and there is a deep sense of frustration, anger, despair and insecurity; some even begin to feel nostalgic about the bad old days of communist rebellion against the old Malaya and its British sponsor. Perhaps no one has really pondered the effect of this potent time-bomb, for Malaysia is both tiny and insignificant in terms of geopolitics. But one thing is for sure: when it explodes, the consequences will be devastating and far-reaching, because Malaysia happens to be located on the strategic Malacca Strait and a meeting point of Asia's three major races (Malayo-Melanesian/Polynesian, South Asian Indian and Chinese), major religions (Islam, Confucianist Taoism/Buddhism, Christianity and others) etc.
W S Lee
Chinese-Malaysian (Mar 26, '07)

Halfway into reading China cracks down on rioters! News at 11 by Muhammad Cohen (Mar 23), I encountered the same enigmatic puzzle I asked myself as events unfolded. In 1989, why did Beijing suddenly allow foreign media to cover the events leading to and on June 4? Why did Beijing deviate from entrenched secrecy and deliberately maximize the visual impact to its certain detriment? Cohen writes: "Imagine how much easier it would be for Beijing to get the world to forget the Tiananmen Square unrest of 1989 without that image of the lone demonstrator confronting the tanks. Shutting down Western media facilities left no visual record of the final assault on the square, giving the official version that the occupiers were dispersed with minimal force and casualties whatever credibility it has." Indeed, Beijing could have shut down Western media weeks before the use of force in Tiananmen. Later, I learned that Beijing had tolerated several large-scale student protests earlier, and ironically such tolerance, indicative of gradual political reform, had created the delusion of imminence of fundamental change and smugness in the minds of the idealistic students. Probably what happened on June 4 in Tiananmen was heat-of-the-moment madness deriving, ironically, from diversity of ideologies within the ruling elite in Beijing. Cohen continues, "But human rights in China is yesterday's news, and the current leadership knows it. Western concerns about democracy and freedom in China have been trumped by the mainland's economic integration with the world economy." I think the suggested mutual exclusivity is too presumptive, and there is also the chicken-and-egg consideration. The USA's ideal-driven policy of engagement by trade leads to rapid economic progress and economic integration of the PRC [People's Republic of China] that is mutually beneficial. More important, as much as China can wriggle inside the envelope of economic integration, it must also stay in it, even at the edges at times. In particular, Taiwan, even as an island facing abject energy vulnerability, would not be attacked by brute force. If the PRC were mad enough to actually use missiles on Taiwan, to be oblivious to certain global consumer outrage and then unemployment and upheaval in China, it would not heed the danger of a few missiles on Shanghai or Hong Kong. Economic integration is quite effective if the objective is clearly defined as peace, not "Taiwan self-determination". It seems quite predictable that by just wriggling inside the envelope of economic integration, the PRC would still be able to compel reunification across the Taiwan Strait, as long as it remains amenable to giving Taiwan autonomy. Eventually after a few decades, Beijing will be able to control Taiwan macroscopically by subtly and persistently (perhaps with words alone) targeting the island's abject energy vulnerability to cast the cloud of energy uncertainty on Taiwan to slowly erode its economy; however, the Taiwan Strait will remain an effective moat as a defense against Beijing's micro-management of Taiwan, which will have autonomy without independence as dictated by geography.
Jeff Church
USA (Mar 26, '07)

Re Japan shields itself from attack [Mar 23]: The "threat" to an economically and militarily vastly superior Japan, allied to the United States, posed by a destitute North Korea is about as "real" as that posed by Godzilla. Ever since [16th-century Japanese leader Toyotomi] Hideyoshi's day, Japanese leaders of a militaristic bent have cultivated a propensity to speak of "Korea" when they mean "China". That is no less the case now when the present Japanese government moves forward on the half-century-old project to abrogate the Japanese constitution's Article 9 and join the United States as a full-fledged military partner in East, Central and South Asia, in order to compete with a rising China. The Chinese and Korean leaderships, as well as the more knowledgeable members of the Japanese public, are well aware of this fact; it is a pity that so well-informed a journalist as Masaki Hisane should acquiesce in keeping it a secret from the readers of Asia Times [Online].
M Henri Day, PhD, MD
Stockholm, Sweden (Mar 26, '07)

[Re Waziristan jihadis wage war on each other, Mar 23]: After Lenin died, there was serious internal conflict between the followers of [Leon] Trotsky, who believed in "Global revolution now", and [Josef] Stalin, whose slogan was "Socialism in one country first". Many died. Trotsky went into exile in Mexico, and was eventually murdered. This looks like the same dispute.
Dave (Mar 26, '07)

I do not accept your defense of [Michael] Scheuer's article [What's behind Khalid's 'confessions', Mar 23] in the face of critiques and complaints already sent [see N Khan letter, Mar 23]. Scheuer is a professional CIA [US Central Intelligence Agency] disinformationalist and the article is almost entirely composed of lies, half-truths, illicit assumptions, emotional manipulations, and tendentious misrepresentations. Obviously I cannot detail these without entering into areas which involve leaks of classified data, but this is definitely one of those occasions when your attempts to straddle the fence regarding the fundamental world struggle of our time result in you simply looking like cowards, political time-servers, and drones.
Rowan Berkeley
London, England (Mar 26, '07)

You make some valid points, but call us "drones" again and we'll cancel your subscription. - ATol

In the article Why Europe chooses extinction [Apr 8, '03], the Thirty Years' War is said to have occurred between 1914 and 1944, clearly a typo error: "A second Thirty Years' War (1914-1944) gave unlimited vent to Europe's pagan impulses and drowned them in blood." The Thirty Years' War occurred between 1614 and 1644.
P A Renaud (Mar 26, '07)

You're kidding, right? "A second Thirty Years' War" was a metaphoric reference to the two World Wars of the 20th century and the troubled period in between. - ATol

I'm writing this in anticipation of an article on the subject of the seizure of the British troops by the Iranian navy. How many times must we replay this "Gulf of Tonkin incident" before the world learns to disregard this type of provoked propaganda?
Ken Moreau
New Orleans, Louisiana (Mar 26, '07)

See the new article by Kaveh L Afrasiabi, Iran: A mountain that doesn't move. - ATol

Syed Saleem Shahzad: I read your article Waziristan jihadis wage war on each other [Mar 23] in Asia Times Online. Good piece of work. Very informative ... Was most of it compiled through news reports and clippings or first-hand accounts of being on the ground? How could you prove to someone that there is an active dispute between the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and how can you prove the reason behind the dispute?
Revivalist (Mar 23, '07)

I have spent lot of time in that region and know the players and their moves, but I wrote this piece in Karachi and based it on telephone conversations with various sources and some news reporters. The reason behind the dispute is explained in the piece. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

Syed Saleem Shahzad's Waziristan jihadis wage war on each other [Mar 23] raises questions. Has the accord brokered by the Musharraf government with the tribes of Waziristan, seeking to convince them to police themselves and to stop the raids into neighboring Afghanistan, brought to a boil internal contradictions and strategic aims of a heteroclite amalgam of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaeda Uzbeks, Chechens, and Arabs, notwithstanding Washington's disappointment with Islamabad's [treatment of] fractious border tribes which nurture and nourish the growing Taliban menace in Afghanistan? Allowing the Waziri tribes a degree of latitude has brought to the fore cracks in a united front of the jihadis, and in consequence has sharpened the potential of pitting Pakistani against non-Pakistani. This has broken out in violence with the use of rocket-propelled mortars and grenades and Kalashnikovs, resulting in a hundred or so deaths, mostly Uzbek. There is little mystery as to the cause of this bloody skirmish: the foreign jihadis see [a] primary enemy in General [Pervez] Musharraf's government and military, whereas the Pakistani Taliban see him in the NATO-led coalition supporting the [Hamid] Karzai government in Kabul. Although united in the mystical bonds of an ideal Islamic state ruled by sharia law, national identity plays the spoiler card in the equation. One is almost tempted to find a distant and very watery parallel in the high-minded appeal of the Second Socialist International to the European working classes to not fight worker against worker in the approaching First World War; yet once the first shots [were] fired, a French worker found it easy to kill a German worker, and vice-versa. Nonetheless, the seeds of deviance of approach and military conceptions are sown, and it is perhaps a matter of time [until] the jihadis will reap the whirlwind of their choosing.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 23, '07)

Thank you for the article What's behind Khalid's 'confessions' [Mar 23]. This would never get published in the main media outlets in the US. He [Khalid Shaikh Mohammad] makes no excuses for what he is, nor does he need to. He seems a dedicated warrior in a fight against the US and Israel. KSM admits that he is a strategic killer in this war and the [Americans] should understand this very well as they are the foremost experts. There is much justification for his point of view and very little justification for the actions of the US. This situation is the personification of the quotation "Terror is a poor man's war and war is a rich man's terror." If we had any men of honor in this country [US] we would treat him as a prisoner of war. I'm afraid that's wishful thinking in this land of the free and the home of the brave. What a joke!
Ken Moreau
New Orleans, Louisiana (Mar 23, '07)

Michael Scheuer's What's behind Khalid's 'confessions' [Mar 23] is a truly pathetic and blatant attempt at justifying torture. This article shows up a member of the neo-con gang at his worst, unfortunately knowing that he can get away with making blatantly racist and Islamophobic comments on a mainstream website. To state as fact in a supposedly serious article that there is "Muslim hatred for the way Americans live, vote or think" is so ludicrous a statement that it beggars belief that this person was actually in the CIA [US Central Intelligence Agency]. The article is a sad attempt to try [to] cover up for the absurdly Stalinist show trial of Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, a trial where the accused repeatedly complains about being tortured in various American hellholes and admits to such a vast array of "terrorist" acts that individuals of Scheuer's "Israel first" ilk have to carry out serious spin to try [to] mitigate the damage to a script gone bad.
N Khan
Australia (Mar 23, '07)

You have misread the article. Michael Scheuer did not "state as fact ... that there is 'Muslim hatred for the way Americans live, vote or think'". He was rather pointing out that Khalid's failure to make any such comment put the lie to the theory that such attitudes are what drive al-Qaeda and people like Khalid himself to oppose the US. There is also nothing in the article "justifying torture". - ATol

Muhammad Cohen in China cracks down on rioters! News at 11 (Mar 23) has unnecessarily expanded and dwelled on the meaning of letting the BBC in to report on the riot in a village in Hunan province. It is a straightforward "event". The local bus company raised bus fares by about 100%. The villagers were hit hard and protested, to no avail. Local corruption is probably involved. The villagers started riots, burned buses, and surrounded government offices, undeterred by the small local police force. To arrest the situation, provincial troops were sent in to restore order. Bus fares were rolled back. Investigations and legal proceedings are probably under way. What else can or should be done under the circumstances? To bar outside reporting [would] surely raise more speculation and nasty comments. To my surprise, Mr Cohen's scholarly discourse has linked a local incident to the grand picture of national politics and international trade.
S P Li (Mar 23, '07)

In Battling evil with abs of steel (Mar 23), Eli Clifton makes much of the neo-conservatives' lauding of iron-willed Spartan standards but fails to mention the full measure of neo-con homophobic tendencies nor the neo-conservative policy of having others fight wars for them. Many of the neo-conservative leaders, including [US Vice President Richard] Cheney and [President George W] Bush, could not be bothered to risk their lives when pursuit of money, comfort, and power are more important to them. So safely on the sidelines they can cheer the dogged bravery of others who help assure their own profit and that of their cronies. This bit of neo-conservative hypocrisy seems to be an important omission in Clifton's piece.
Jim of Southern California
USA (Mar 23, '07)

For a broader look at the driving forces behind Hollywood, seen Chan Akya's latest, Why Hollywood portrays Muslims as villains. - ATol

Re Shaky Musharraf holds only the military card [Mar 22]: [The United States of] America has told General [Pervez] Musharraf to hold free and fair elections hoping that a stooge pro-USA government will be formed [in Pakistan]. The judicial crisis has strengthened the hand of opposition leaders, in particular the exiled head of PPP [the Pakistan People's Party], who has the popular support to transform angry crowds and protests into a mass movement. PPP has the blessing of America, given its secular democratic credentials, but is not trustworthy at all. The General's irksome electioneering got off to a bad start by dismissing the head of the judiciary, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary, who is a stern and independent-minded officer and has not got along well with the president, and even objected to his unchallenged second term in office. That was an audacity and punishable offense. It was his refusal to offer assurances of a compliant judiciary that prompted this attempted dismissal. His suspension has not only caused uproar in the legal institutions of Pakistan but also mobilized civil society and opposition political parties to openly demand his [Musharraf's] removal. But how: another general taking over? ... The problem with Pakistan is that the politicians are so corrupt that their credentials are short-lived and they are displaced because of their wrongdoings. As Field Marshall Ayub Khan [president of Pakistan 1958-69] once said: "We must understand that that democracy cannot work in in a hot climate. To have democracy we must have a cold climate like Britain."
Saqib Khan
UK (Mar 23, '07)

A belated comment or two on Spengler's Why God lies and sex objects object to sex [Mar 20]: One can only conclude that the entity Spengler calls God had a special fondness for what is commonly referred to now [as] the people of the Old Testament. This as some wit noted must be due to the fact that only one language could convey the understanding that makes up the full and complete expositions of the so-called Old Testament. A competing and competent exponent of the duality not only of sex and lies, not only between male and female but also with their Creator's participation, attests to rarely if ever mentioned transcripts/scrolls that the only proof that sanctions the Old Testament is the New Testament. The Star Wars movie series developed by George Lucas is a takeoff on the relationship between what is written first and the pursuant writings as proof of what came first. Thus in a manner of speaking Spengler's latest is as close to a tour de force as the intimation that the offspring of Adam and Eve could only have had sex with the "girls next door".
Armand De Laurell (Mar 23, '07)

Spengler in his article Why God lies and sex objects object to sex [Mar 20] quotes [Sigmund] Freud as asking, "What do women want?" The answer lies in a BBC sketch written by Barry Took and Marty Feldman: "Oh Charles, a woman needs certain things. She needs to be loved, wanted, cherished, sought after, cosseted, pampered. She needs sympathy, affection, devotion, understanding, tenderness, infatuation, adulation. That isn't much to ask, Charles." That's all.
Dan Porter
California, USA (Mar 23, '07)

This has reference to the article Time to step down, Nepali king urged (Mar 20) by Dhruba Adhikary. The article is no doubt a fine piece of writing. However, in the Nepali context, relevance of [the] monarchy has a different dimension. The institution of monarchy is, no doubt, the lingering vestige of feudal rule that once characterized the political mood of the entire globe. Even then, in [the] case of Nepal, the institution, though anachronistic, somewhat symbolized the unity of the nation due to its peculiar demographic spectrum. Regardless of its excessive political assertion at times, Nepalese monarchy had precariously maintained the symbiotic relation between the ethnic diversity and the kingship. But it is not the case now. King Gyanendra's reckless jumping into the political whirlpool without having prepared a viable roadmap has cost him the institution he represented. It is true that the signature theme of Nepali politics today is the call for republicanism. However, given the ground realities that people are facing, every Nepali is confronted today with a crucial question: Is republicanism the ultimate panacea for all the [woes] that the nation is afflicted with today or are there other factors too that need a careful ramification?
Ratna Bahadur Rai
Kathmandu, Nepal (Mar 23, '07)

How do I register to write articles in the forum?
Y G Tan (Mar 23, '07)

Under the "Announcements" section of The Edge forum is a topic called Apply for forum membership. Go there (or click on the link provided here) and follow the instructions. - ATol

As fate had its much-sought-after wicket, Inzamam ul-Haq has quit as Pakistan's Test captain and retired from the one-day internationals, rounding off an extraordinary weekend for his country's national cricket team. Inzamam still remains as one of Pakistan's most potent forces with the bat, boasting a formidable Test record. To his credit there are no extraordinary feats, though, but by being an asset to world cricket as a true moving spirit, he has played 119 Tests, amassed 8,813 runs and made 25 hundreds at an average of 50.07. The 37-year-old will be remembered as one of Pakistan's finest one-day batsmen. He was part of the team in 1992 which secured the trophy in Australia, beating England in the final under Imran Khan's captaincy. Overall, though, his memories of the World Cup will be wretched. In the last competition in South Africa, he mustered just 19 runs in six innings and said his performance was one of the major embarrassments of his career. Inzamam will remain both as an inspiration and a warning to the batsmen. He has taken batting for granted, as many others also do after getting recognition. 'Bye, Inzamam!
Abdul Ruff Colachal
New Delhi, India (Mar 23, '07)

My wife just returned from Bangkok and [the northern provinces of Thailand]. She says Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son are full of smoke and flights have been canceled and thousands of villagers have been hospitalized. Foreigners are not coming and not spending. Drug dealers are coming in through the northeastern and northern provinces knocking at doors in villages offering to sell drugs. There [are] "huge" protests in the middle of Bangkok with nothing in the newspapers or on TV. What say you?
Duane G Lankford (Mar 23, '07)

Slash-and-burn farming practices in northwestern Thailand, Myanmar and Laos have caused serious air-quality problems this year. This problem and the failed "war on drugs" in Thailand's "Wild Northwest", in the heart of the Golden Triangle, are just two examples of the quasi-anarchy in the country's more remote regions. There have been some protests in Bangkok recently marking the six-month anniversary of last year's military coup - democratic activism is as common in the capital's streets as it is rare in its Parliament. The next time your wife visits Amazing Thailand, perhaps she should come to Hua Hin, Asia Times Online's peaceful home town 200 kilometers south of Bangkok. Nothing exciting ever happens here (see this website for more information). - ATol

Syed Saleem Shahzad: I really, really liked your article [Shaky Musharraf holds only the military card, Mar 22] and I feel so honored that I'm being able to e-mail you ... I have always been interested in the political scenario of Pakistan. What is going to happen we can never predict. Is this the end of the so-called ace [Pakistani President General Pervez] Musharraf? Now we can see more conspiracy and dirty games. The same thing happened in Nepal, starting from the resignation of leaders, and over there judges are doing the same. I am really excited to see this game of chess. Yes, I definitely agree, "history repeats".
Sajju Shrestha
Nepal (Mar 22, '07)

Syed Saleem Shahzad: I have been reading your articles for some time now in Asia Times [Online]. I want to comment on the [Mar 22] one titled Shaky Musharraf holds only the military card. I must say with regret I term this article as garbage [because] of wrong facts and what we call here in USA trash journalism. Do you really believe the Taliban are a three-hour limo ride from Islamabad? If that is so and Pakistan is so weak, I think Indians will be more delighted to walk into Pak before the Taliban. You referred to [Isfandyar] Wali, son of Wali Khan [1917-2006] ... do you know how credible is he? Zero, just like his father and mother ... [If] you want to write an article you better move your butt and get first-hand facts or do not write ridiculous facts ... Is it that hard for you to make a living, or are you paid by some anti-Pakistan forces, or is this the only way you can get articles published by Pakistan-bashing? Either way, quality and information in this article [were] below the standard of any of the articles I have read. Shall I expect you to gain a conscience and write the truth?
A Concerned Citizen
USA (Mar 22, '07)

You think the people who are setting schools on fire in Pakistani cities of North West Frontier Province are not Taliban? Maybe you have a different opinion about Isfandyar Wali, but the fact is that from Kabul to Delhi there are millions of people who are great admirers of his grandfather Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (c 1890-1988) and his family. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

Mark LeVine's article [Rocking to the sound of guns (and roses), Mar 22] is refreshing for showing that the interests of conservative religion count for less in Pakistan than they do in the US, where [President George W] Bush's popularity never drops much below 30%. Although things look like falling apart in Pakistan, one has the gut feeling that it's a contrarian's play: bet money on a country that can only go up. Conversely, the US and Europe can only go down: one ought to take profits and bolt before it's too late.
Harald Hardrada
Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Mar 22, '07)

Re Pakistan port opens new possibilities [Mar 22]: Syed Fazl-e-Haider's sharp rundown of the significance and development of the Gwadar port ... is most welcome. China's interest in this port is primary but not paramount. Islamabad has chosen wisely in handing over the operation and the management to the Port of Singapore Authority, which is known for its no-nonsense seriousness and good practices, and which augurs well for Gwadar's future. Pakistani critics, says Fazl-e-Haider, look at China's predominant role in the port, calling for an open port. Fearful as these unnamed voices are, Pakistan will find it difficult to escape the geopolitical vocation of Gwadar and its closeness to the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the vast reservoir of oil and gas that is the Middle East. Gwadar will bring a degree of stability and a spreading of wealth in Balochistan, a province which in the past has shown much unrest, owing to the unequal distribution of gas revenues, and a long past of opposition to Islamabad.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 22, '07)

Kaveh L Afrasiabi's article on Iran [Calling time out on UN sanctions, Mar 22] failed to mention several key points: (1) A very generous offer has been made to Iran by the international community, including promises to build two light-water reactors paid for by US taxpayers. They [Iranians] have rejected this offer outright and continue to defy the international community. (2) Iran isn't a democratic nation by anyone's measure. Therefore, what right do they [Iranians] have to come to the UN and demand a stronger democratic voice in that body? Last week teachers in Iran were beaten and imprisoned by regime thugs, simply for protesting peacefully for better pay. Iran is a nation governed by bullies running around the world whining about being bullied, and I cannot understand why anyone would feel sympathetic towards them in any way.
C Lawrence (Mar 22, '07)

There have been various incentive packages offered Iran in an effort to forestall its uranium-enrichment program, but those involving assistance in building reactors have come from the Europeans, not the US. - ATol

Commenting briefly on the article The Iraqi refugee crisis [Mar 21]: I heard from a source that before illegally invading Iraq, President [George W] Bush was told by one of his senior staff that if he went ahead with his devious plan, chaos, disorder, sectarian violence and slaughter would follow and the Iraqi Sunnis and Shi'as would fight it out later in a civil war. President Bush was totally baffled at hearing it and said, "I always thought only Muslims lived in Iraq, that it was a Muslim country." No wonder Iraq is in a such a horrible mess. The pea-sized-brain president was so naive and stupid that once he honestly believed that to learn about world history was to have a trip down to a local library. Perhaps he never cared or bothered to borrow a history book. He was only interested in capturing Iraqi oil wells, irrespective of the consequence of horrific death of over 700,000 innocent Iraqis and horrendous destruction of their country.
Saqib Khan
UK (Mar 22, '07)

For more on President Bush's literary preferences, see Hurry to 'The End', for the end is nigh (Mar 20). - ATol

While reading through Time to step down, Nepali king urged [Mar 20] there was a question in my mind from the beginning to the end: Has anyone tried talking to the king and knowing his point of view? Everything is written, always, about what the prime minister said or the Maoist leader, once a person [on a] "wanted" list, but we never get to hear or read about [the] king's perspective. Is it that the king avoids the media or [have] the media never approached him? It is all speculation that he doesn't want to step down ... but have there been any formal words by the king? A person who is [represented] as the president of Nepal in the present scenario has himself not clarified his point. Today we hear him speak for [a] ceremonial king and the next day he speaks against his own words. So if there is no trust over the king, why is there trust over a person who is holding the topmost position in the country but still not sure and clear about his thinking? Or why should Nepalis trust a group who were the reason for more than 12,000 deaths in the country and [are] now still under suspicion over the arms issue? If we look at all these things, doesn't the king stand on the same platform as these leaders do? Then why is he the only one criticized, [and] why not these leaders?
Anamika Dahal
USA (Mar 22, '07)

I wish to briefly comment on ATol's classification of Greater China as it relates to journalistic advocacy. I refer to the classification of Taiwan on the websites of news organizations. ATol places Taiwan under Greater China whereas the BBC [British Broadcasting Corp] classifies Taiwan as a country. I believe that journalists should be vigilant to limit professional advocacy to practical unavoidability. In the case of ATol (with limited resources as indicated), I believe that the word "Greater" in Greater China is a succinct and effective way to indicate controversy and to elicit curiosity on the Taiwan issue. On the other hand, under its "Country Profile" on Taiwan, the BBC states at the beginning, "Legally, most nations - and the UN - acknowledge the position of the Chinese government that Taiwan is a province of China." (Incidentally, by consulting a dictionary one would know that the legal or diplomatic definition of "acknowledge" is "to recognize the claim or authority of". I believe one should read the second and third Shanghai Communiques ... In so doing, the BBC, unlike many other news organizations, has not entirely jettisoned journalistic integrity in deference to ideology, but has placed ideology over indicated legality (diplomacy in fact). Readers can judge whether the BBC has limited journalistic advocacy to practical unavoidability. Journalistic advocacy is an ailment to journalism as it detracts from the primary professional goals of providing information and eliciting thoughts. In the Taiwan issue, I believe readers should be encouraged to zoom outside the ideological box over Taiwan for more complete ideological, humanitarian, and practical considerations over East Asia and the world. On one column is Taiwan democracy and the suggestion of self-determination; on the other column are whether mainland China's design on reunification with Taiwan, an entity that once vowed to reclaim the Chinese mainland, indicates that conflict with the USA is inevitable, and how the USA could aid Taiwan further without risking a destructive war, or a series of destructive wars repeated every few decades. It serves no purpose to indulge in ideology at Taiwan's expense, and at East Asia's expense.
Jeff Church
USA (Mar 22, '07)

Re The Iraqi refugee crisis (Mar 21): Kristele Younes tells a story that needs to be told. I can't begin to understand the resentment, the disgust, and the anger felt not only by the Iraqis who have lost their homes and their country but also by the people of the various countries who are taking them in. There are absolutely no signs that the Bush administration cares about the plight of any of these people. Its focus has always been Iraqi oil, establishing bases and building an embassy in Iraq. The safety and welfare of the people [have] been of little concern. On top of the lives lost, property destroyed, displaced people, the lost opportunities, now we have the sacrifices made by other countries, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, to name only a few. Is it [any] wonder that [the United States of] America has lost all shreds of goodwill and respect?
Jim of Southern California
USA (Mar 21, '07)

Re One big happy family in Cambodia [Mar 20]: The Phnom Penh Post, as Bertil Lintner reports, has stripped the wrappings off the growing hold on levers of political power and control in Cambodia by the leadership of the Cambodian People's Party through the down-to-earth, old-fashioned path of arranged marriages. The veil is ripped by the newspaper, thereby exposing the bare-bones facts of social and political life. After the horrible bloodletting of the Khmer Rouge genocide, and the war against Vietnam's "colonization" of Cambodia decimated the old castes and classes of the Khmer kingdom, the vacuum was filled by the former renegade Khmer Rouge Hun Sen, who ruefully outwitted the older brother of King Sihamoni, thereby consolidating his hold over Cambodia. What we are seeing now is something which Westerners might understand, in spite of the the laundry list of Khmer names, what is happening in Cambodia after a horrific genocide and long war, the coming together of the old and new elites. A similar example is found in one of the 20th century's most important political novels, The Leopard [Il Gattopardo, 1958], which Luchino Visconti brilliantly brought to the screen [1963], in the hour-long ball scene of the melding of the old and new elites (the latter aping easily the airs of their once-betters). As the novel's protagonist the Prince of Salina pithily says: "We give in a little to retain the lion's share." For those who have a more Gallic taste, Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past [A la recherche du temps perdu, seven volumes, 1913-27, retranslated and published in 1995 as In Search of Lost Time], extraordinary prose follows the rise of a demi-mondaine from mistress to the heights of the aristocratice and moneyed classes as the Duchesse de Guermantes. And such is the import of Lintner's article on the the consolidation of the arrivistes with the old aristocracy in Cambodia.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 21, '07)

Re Time to step down, Nepali king urged [Mar 20] by Dhruba Adhikary: Thank you for giving space to the little-known but burning issue of Nepal. The writer has rightly pointed out that there is a situation of mistrust in the Maoist who appears to have accepted democratic values. But the country, at present, has little choice. Neither the political parties nor the king were able to solve the problem owing to their inability to forecast the situation. In Nepal, people are the drivers of all changes that happened in the past. Parties and even the king had to bow against mass protest. Hence, whatever the circumstances, the right approach should be to let the Maoist [join] the government, and to see what their plans and policies mean to the public. If they are to try an autocratic system like King Gyanendra tried before, the fate of the Maoists will be decided by the people of Nepal. After all, it's the people who forced the king to bow down even after the support of a [100,000-strong army].
Kishor
London, England (Mar 21, '07)

In reference to the article Billboarding the Iraq disaster (Mar 20): Very good article. We need many more and in great quantities to offset the constant barrage of US smoke-and-mirrors propaganda. Hong-Lok Li's attempt to whitewash the US actions in Iraq [letter, Mar 20] reminds me of the old adage about trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
Ken Moreau
New Orleans, Louisiana (Mar 21, '07)

Ralph A Cossa and Brad Glosserman, in The need to dwell on Japan's past (Mar 16), have the right insight on the USA's perspective on Japan's role in East Asia. In a partly oblique tone they write: "His [Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's] responses came close to undoing the progress he had made in restoring relations with China and South Korea and threatened to drive a wedge between Tokyo and Washington. They reveal uncomfortable truths about Japan - but facts that the US must nonetheless acknowledge when dealing with its ally." As I have paraphrased, Japan's usefulness as a member of any security alliance with the USA is maximized when Japan has good relations with China and South Korea. There are two obvious reasons. First, the USA continues to see enough auspicious possibilities in East Asia re the PRC [People's Republic of China] and is very far from having given up on solving the fundamental China problem salubriously for all. Thus the USA [will] continue to strive for policy balance in the region. Second, the USA is not so ignorant about 20th-century East Asian history as to be oblivious to Japan's historical baggage - a natural instigator of deep emotions; at least the more democratic South Korean ally overtly remonstrates. Perhaps a more subtle factor is social progress and the decline of racism in the USA. The USA is becoming more ethnically diverse, relevantly with the influx of East Asian immigrants, who are increasingly politically involved and assertive. Perhaps the US populace in aggregate, with rather less compunction over the use of weapons of mass destruction on Japan, is increasingly bearing a gripe against Japan.
Jeff Church
USA (Mar 21, '07)

I wish that your letter writer Jeff Church would learn some facts before writing. For example, his statement, "The USA recognizes China's claim on Taiwan," is simply false [letter, Mar 19]. The USA "acknowledges" that both the ROC [Republic of China] and the PRC [People's Republic of China] officially claim that there is only one China, with each having its own definition. But nowhere in US law or diplomatic language can anyone find a support for the statement that the USA recognizes China's claim on Taiwan. Not even Chinese Communist Party members have such an unswerving belief in false rhetoric as Mr Church. Perhaps he will need to undergo de-cultization therapy before his cognitive abilities can return to normal.
Daniel McCarthy (Mar 21, '07)

In his latest paean to Islam [letter, Mar 20], Saqib Khan posits: "The Muslim world has always fascinated foreigners by its cult of the body and call to pleasure, which are its foundations." What [alternative] universe does Mr Khan inhabit? He should know that non-Muslims worldwide are nowadays dumbfounded by another aspect of Islam, and its real-world interface with the human body, as daily reported in the world media. To wit, the mind-boggling murder and mayhem wrought [between Shi'ites and Sunnis] ...
Richard Greene
USA (Mar 21, '07)

The overall scenario in the Middle East is becoming fairly clear with the US adding more forces to the region aimed at the "ultimate victory" over the Arabs. The earlier impression gained was that the USA and other nations that have sent forces to Afghanistan and Iraq would go for a gradual withdrawal beginning with troop reductions, leaving the Islamic nations to choose their own "democratic" establishments. Before the US congressional poll there was indeed a plan discussed among the contributing nations to Middle East wars about their withdrawal once the elections were over. But the defeat of the Republicans and the majority gained by the Democrats in Congress has changed the overall perception of the USA, not just the Republicans alone. Notwithstanding the fight in Congress over troop withdrawal or additions between the Democrats and Republicans, there seems to be consensus between them as well as the Central Intelligence Agency-Pentagon combine to stay on in Afghanistan and Iraq and concentrate on the Iranian and Syrian borders. This idea seems to have run into rough weather with other nations differing largely on the subject, but Washington has the capacity and means to persuade them to fall in line [with] the USA. Ideally, then, the USA single-handedly will manage the affairs, including the resources in the region, aided by the United Nations Security Council and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The most credible conclusion of all this maneuvering was to ensure that the USA will stay on and all other countries will withdraw themselves at their convenience or completely. Over 17 nations across the continents have already withdrawn their troops fully or partially, while the USA has added more troops to the field. That means that the US has decided to annex the energy-rich nations in the Middle East and these nations would be made part of the US empire according its neo-imperialistic plan. References in support of US empire are being forwarded by the US officials to Russia's annexing Chechnya and Tatarstan etc, and India capturing Kashmir and making it part of the Indian Union soon after it became independent. The neo-cons reckon that this sound justification would be offered in due course. Agreement, then, rather than any disagreement, on the US controlling the Middle East seems to have been worked out among the occupying forces in favor of the US decision to [stay] on. Establishment of a New Middle East supported efficiently by [the] US brand of democracy is at best a farce, if not a joke. Meanwhile Russia and the USA have resumed their old Cold War tactics, probably to [distract] the world's attention from the US agenda for the Middle East. Would some spokesperson in the White House speak out [on] the real intention of the USA in the Middle East at least, please?
Dr Abdul Ruff Colachal
New Delhi, India (Mar 21, '07)

We are all of us indebted to Anthony Arnove, who authored [Billboarding the Iraq disaster, Mar 20], Tom Engelhardt, who first published it on Tomdispatch, and the editor(s) of Asia Times [Online], who have now made it available to a wider audience. It is a rare pleasure to read an article from the United States which abjures the newspeak of bungled US "good intentions" and tells it like it is. Let us hope that a sufficient number of people read it to make the consequences at home of attempting to implement the New American Century plan for bringing death and destruction to the multi-ethnic states of Southwest and Central Asia (Iran, Syria, Lebanon next?), step by vicious step, too costly for even a man like Richard Bruce Cheney to contemplate.
M Henri Day, PhD, MD
Stockholm, Sweden (Mar 20, '07)

We initially neglected to credit Tomdispatch for providing us with Anthony Arnove's piece. That oversight has been corrected. - ATol

History is a mirror. If either terrorists or dictators gain power in any country, they trample down by brutal methods. They prohibit the expression of any opinion but their own, they discipline the whole country into a slave camp. These are indisputable facts. That's why I am puzzled by many statements that Anthony Arnove made in his article Billboarding the Iraq disaster (Mar 20). He pointed out, "Nowhere on Earth is there a worse refugee crisis than in Iraq today." However, does he realize that most Iraqi people even did not have a chance to become refugees under Saddam Hussein's regime? One has to risk his own life to flee. Today, in many countries such as North Korea, Iran, Cuba, there may not [be] refugees, [but] are those places [where] we want to live? The article mentioned that "basic foods and necessities, which even Saddam Hussein's brutal regime managed to provide, are now increasingly beyond the reach of ordinary Iraqis". Dictators like to use words like "we have to feed our people", "making sure that our people are not hungry is already a great achievement". They simply confuse the cause and effect by deliberately mistaking the means for the end ... and the unimportant before the important. In fact, they are servants of the country. It is the people who are the boss. A man who is deprived of freedom, even [if he] has a little food to survive, is nothing more than a walking corpse and running flesh. After all, freedom is more valuable than life, no matter [if] they are Vietnamese or Cuba, boat people, East Germans crossing into West Germany, not to mention many people all over the world [who] make every attempt to leave their own country for the US. Just like JFK [US president John F Kennedy] put it, "Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on Earth worth living." The author also wrote [of] "an ongoing crisis, in which hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have already died ... In October alone, more than 6,000 civilians were killed in Iraq." When the former Yugoslavia came out of totalitarian regime, it went through civil war and genocide. The so-called stability in the past was a forced one in which people had guns held to their heads. The United Nations even did not help stop the civil war. It was NATO [the North Atlantic Treaty Organization] and US [that] intervened. After more than a decade, the place is peaceful now. It would be folly for one to expect nothing but breezes and calm weather and everything is working in the most agreeable fashion after crumbling of the Iraqi tyranny regime. Moreover, Iraq is moving towards a democratic constitution and the public has access to news. In contrast, who knows how many Iraqis were killed by Saddam Hussein on a daily basis? It is crucial to realize the cause of all the violence happening in Iraq today. Is US troop withdrawal an option? It depends on whether US troops in Iraq should be counted on as a factor in the defense of this country, and as an element for the stability of the whole Middle East. The US's hour of weakness is the Western world's hour of danger. It is no use trying to satisfy a tiger by feeding him with cat's meat. Freedom comes with price. How to deal with the current Iraqi problematic situation is one of momentous importance. Things [that] happened in Vietnam, Somalia, Lebanon where America was hit then ran away were very humiliating. Iraqi people deserve and will get more room to breathe. It needs both their determination and the US's support to take these difficult steps into the sunshine of a generous age. To compare Sudan to Iraq is not appropriate. Is Sudan a "rogue state"? Is it a "state sponsor of terrorism"? The fact speaks for itself. Does the US have unlimited resources to fight against every dictator? Does the US have obligation to act in that way? There are many voices wanting Americans not to act like a world police [force]. Why did the author suggest that the US is failing the people of Darfur by not militarily intervening?
Hong-Lok Li (Mar 20, '07)

I refer to Spengler's article Why God lies and sex objects object to sex [Mar 20], but do not agree with the notion that the female sex drive vastly exceeds that of men. I believe that it is very much a subjective way of perceiving things, but I do agree that in women, monthly mood swings are directly related to the quantity and fluctuations in levels of the female sex hormone estrogen that affects responsiveness of their brains, a "reward system", with a peak in the first part of the menstrual cycle. Brain changes reflect evolutionary programming to make women more receptive to sex in the run-up to when they ovulate and are fertile and in their full fecundity. Czarina Katharine of Russia was most notorious for not sparing guardsmen or soldiers standing outside her bedroom especially on those nights. The reward system works biologically differently in women: it dictates the amount of pleasure attained from various activities, whether it be from having sex, looking at a cucumber, eating a chocolate, listening to Elvis or dreaming of a slithering snake climbing a tree. The Muslim world has always fascinated foreigners by its cult of the body and call to pleasure, which are its foundations. It is unbelievable that many Western writers of the old times had immense fascination for Arab manuals of medieval erotology, [such as] The Perfumed Garden, written by the 15th century by Sheikh [Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-]Nafzawi, a theologian who exalted the body in the name of God. Islam has never repressed this carnal pleasure but in lawful cohabitation. According to its medieval wise men, one made love in the name of God, not just to beget but also to get divine or, as I call it, celestial pleasure. In the erection and ejection, there is an indescribable pleasurable journey that one wishes would last to eternity, and in the rejection is intense dejection. In the Islamic entity ... the word that designates religious marriage is the same that designates coitus (nikah), which authorizes the jurist (qazi) to decide that it is enough to invoke the multiple meanings that pervade the word to know, canonically, coitus is the reason for marriage with consent of the couples. If there is esthetic loss, it stems from the way bodies are mistreated: they are no longer surrounded by the care that the cult of beauty, one of the attributes of ancient Islam. For the body to blossom, it must move in an architectural space, in total conformity and coordination of geometrical and musical harmony as much in relation to concord as to dissonance. It is important, too, that in turn bodies are not mistreated and the female body honors the principle of beauty and esthetic enjoyment, not like the whores or those who seek perverse pleasure, both men and women. This is why Islamic culture has been one of the great cultures of the so-called minor arts: profusion of objects produced through work in wood, leather, stone, ceramics, fabric, cotton, wool, linen, silk, so many beautiful things designed to exalt the body in its movement and sublime splendor. Islam does not abolish or excommunicate beautiful and esthetic dimensions of [the] body; it encourages as it accompanies the ethic of Islam and, as the famous hadith confirms, "God is beautiful and loves beauty in purity" ...
Saqib Khan
UK (Mar 20, '07)

Hurry to 'The End', for the end is nigh [Mar 20] by Jim Lobe is so insightful, it's pure brilliance.
Francis
Quebec, Canada (Mar 20, '07)

Pepe Escobar's article The waterboarded evildoer [Mar 17] is spot-on when he states: "The impeccable timing - although more than four years late - of KSM's [Khalid Shaikh Mohammad's] 'confession' also happens to knock the scandal surrounding US President George W Bush's chief law enforcer and torture apologist, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, off the media cycle." Amen. The Bush/Cheney regime has an excellent record of luck when it comes to shoving news stories off the front pages that illuminate their corruption, greed ... and outright stupidity. Last fall, when the truth about the illegal activities the National Security Agency - sanctioned by [US President George W] Bush - were making headlines, a video purportedly showing [Osama] bin Laden claiming he was behind the [September 11, 2001] tragedy surfaced and was all the rage of the TV talking heads of the bulletproof-hair variety. Anyone who believes that KSM's confession was not due to torture and was only recently obtained probably also believes in the Tooth Fairy ... Since Bush and his fawning attorney general Gonzales have stated that waterboarding is not torture, then perhaps those two and [Vice President] Dick Cheney would submit to that little game so the world can finally get some truth out of that ongoing criminal enterprise.
Greg Bacon
Ava, Missouri (Mar 19, '07)

Re The waterboarded evildoer [Mar 17] by Pepe Escobar: Well! I'm glad that [September 11, 2001] who-done-it thing is cleared up (and I'll bet there are a few little guys in the Washington cabal who feel the same). That myriad of conspiracy websites out there can now take 90% staff layoffs - or shut down - and let us all resume our blind faith in our Western, born-again Judeo-Christian good guys. But before these doubting Thomases do go offline, I hope Dubya's master sleuths and mind-benders will tell us how this "KSM" evildoing-type fella managed to avoid detection of his plan by all those Elliot Nesses and Dick Tracys who guard the world's bastion of all-that-is-good, 24/7/365. And before his martyrdom arrives, I hope these truth-squeezers will get his story of how the stand-down of the Air National Guard was managed; and how he was able to bring sleepy-time to the air-surveillance systems of the entire northeast corner of that great nation during that "time of terra". I am sure there are scores of similar questions floating in minds of the unwashed masses out here. But the biggest bone-knocker I have is how ol' Khalid [Shaikh Mohammad] managed to get those five Manhattan skyscrapers to come down precisely as if they had been inside demolition jobs - and how he made the debris from the Pentagon airliner disappear. Heck! Hang on to this guy! He's just what Washington and Jerusalem need! Think of what he could do in the West Bank, Gaza and West Beirut, or - on yet another "Manhattan Project".
Keith E Leal
Pincher Creek, Alberta (Mar 19, '07)

Re The waterboarded evildoer by Pepe Escobar (Mar 17): Many respectable journalists are accepting as fact that Khalid Shaikh Mohammad - or KSM - is a high-ranking al-Qaeda operative. They also accept as fact that he confessed to an encyclopedic list of past and future crimes. In the timeline up to this point they take the US, or people who claim to be speaking in its behalf, at face value - that all these really happened. The only "fact" they are debating is that his "confession" was under torture and therefore invalid. Pepe Escobar is kind enough to KSM to conjecture he resisted 150 seconds instead of the usual 14. Escobar is an objective and thorough reporter. What kind of verified evidence does he have that (a) KSM exists at all and is in fact a real character; (b) who has ever seen this person in real life; (c) besides one purported photo of a disheveled man who looks like the bakery worker who just took the bread out of the flame oven and is tired by the long work and annoyed by the furnace heat, what do we have; (d) who really is he beyond the story of his supposed capture as purported by unnamed officials; (e) is he a member of al-Qaeda, let alone its top "mastermind"; (f) how do we know that and with what evidence? The bottom line is, is it possible that we are debating the ruthlessness of exacting "confession" from him, when for all we know he could be a fictitious character to begin with? Shouldn't respected journalists like Escobar look at this aspect of the story also, instead of accepting the official story at face value from his "capture" to his "forced confession"? Back when he was "captured", we endlessly debated if the timing was political or if he was captured before but timing of the announcement timing was political - before making sure if he was a real or imaginary (high) al-Qaeda character. Now, we're continuing on the same path. Escobar is one of a handful of journalists who's used as a reference because of the high quality of his work. Are we seeing an aberration here with what might be called "speculative journalism"? I wish Pepe Escobar could explain why he accepts the [US] government's story as real and only debates its morality.
CounterSkeptic (Mar 19, '07)

Kaveh L Afrasiabi's article US and Iran: Squint-eyed double-dealing [Mar 17] goes to length to point out the United States' "double standards" regarding Iran. The article even quotes an Iranian scientist that the US cannot have its cake and eat it too. [With] this I fully agree. But Mr Afrasiabi fails in his article when he also points out that Russia too is playing this same game, when he states: "Anonymous Russian officials have told the Russian press that Iran should not expect Moscow to 'play Iran's anti-US game'." Especially since Russia was willing to build nuclear plants in Iran and supply fuel, would not one consider this a "double standard" by Russia? As for Iran, it is the last nation to be pointing fingers at other nations about "having its cake and eating it too", for that is exactly what Iran's foreign policy has been. At one moment Tehran is ready to annihilate Israel and take on the West and in the same breath it boasts of its "peaceful" nuclear intentions and wants a diplomatic solution ... All parties involved in Iran's nuclear program are playing this "double-dealing" game, and that includes Iran.
Chrysantha Wijeyasingha
Clinton, Louisiana (Mar 19, '07)

Unfortunately, [Henry] C K Liu is not Superman and does not have 100 variations at hand as does the [US] Federal Reserve when it sees a critical situation at hand. Surely Mr Liu knows the entire market is manipulated [Why the subprime bust will spread, Mar 17]. Even his own comments are a form of manipulation. Thanks, but no thanks. I do not buy his theory of a mortgage collapse as no one gains at all - only sensationalists in their doom-and-gloom scenarios.
Karl B (Mar 19, '07)

Re US, Japan in security overdrive by Alan Boyd (Mar 17): the concept of containing China is trite and the author does not make it any less banal. The author quotes from Alan Dupont: "What would be the purpose of formalizing such an alliance? The only reason would be to constrain China's rising power." Few Western scholars on China would clearly define what this Chinese power is and what objectives the Chinese aim to achieve with this power. "Containment" seems to be a mere buzzword. As an essential question, what would be the PRC's [People's Republic of China's] methodologies in using such power to achieve its objectives? Can such methodologies be obstructed by any "security alliance" under the current and expected environment of global economic integration and regional peace with perceived or actual auspicious possibilities in East Asia? No major country is aiming to impede the PRC's economic growth; therefore, if it can overcome its own problems and sustain economic development, it will be a major military power by status and capabilities within two to three decades. No formal security alliance to contain the PRC can alter this eventuality. Even as a member of good diplomatic standing, the PRC can spend about 2% or even 3% of its GNP [gross national product] on defense. This is not just a national right, but well within the constraint of diplomatic acceptability (even upon the backdrop of economic integration) even if other countries would pressure the PRC for greater transparency on military spending. Not only would China acquire great economic, military, and diplomatic power within the constraint of economic integration and diplomatic acceptability, it would have the methodologies to achieve its declared national objectives within the some constraint. In particular, economic integration would not prevent reunification across the Taiwan Strait. The PRC's methodology re Taiwan would be long-term economic abrasion with exploitation of Taiwan's abject energy vulnerability, together with innumerable enticements on the island's population. Mostly soft and some firm power applied for decades over an increasingly vulnerable, feeble, and irresolute Taiwan would likely achieve the Chinese objective of reunification. The island would slip into economic malaise under the cloud of energy uncertainty, which the mainland side would eventually be able to disperse easily with almost no force. The USA recognizes China's claim on Taiwan but insists that reunification be peaceful, so it would be. In short, China would not need to expand to achieve its objectives. Containment, whatever it means, should be viewed from this perspective. As long as the USA continues to see enough auspicious possibilities in East Asia, especially re the PRC, Japan has to have good relations with the PRC, the object of alleged containment, to be a useful member of such a formal security alliance. Moreover, while it impedes the actuality of conflict, economic integration also provides essential and exploitable elasticity for all, particularly the PRC, which can occasionally push to the edge of the envelope of acceptability and retreat strategically to normalcy.
Jeff Church
USA (Mar 19, '07)

Re The third way for China [Mar 17]: [James] Mann [author of The China Fantasy] seems to think the US and the West [have] no experience with one-party-government states. They do. How about Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and India for a long time until Congress misrule ([the] Emergency etc led to some change), among other countries? And from the looks of it, democracy of his vision is going to be changing in his own place of residence.
May Sage
USA (Mar 19, '07)

It would have been helpful if Syed Saleem Shahzad, in Musharraf's headache for the US (Mar 16), had provided us with some more detail of the charges that Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf has leveled against Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary. Justice Chaudhary's suspension is actually based on President Musharraf's fear that the independent-minded judge would oppose any move by him to retain his role as army chief, which constitutionally the president should relinquish this year. This means that the allegation of "abuse of power" against Justice Chaudhary could just as easily have been leveled against President Musharraf himself. Moreover, Justice Chaudhary has also taken up human-rights cases and has called on authorities to account for people who have disappeared after being taken into custody. But as Shahzad rightly contends, "Washington has relied heavily on strongman Musharraf out of fear that Islamic radicals might take control of the country if he were to go." This leaves us with the suspicion that Washington could be the major player behind President Musharraf's delicate standoff with the country's top judge. It also leaves open the problematic question of President Musharraf overriding the nation's constitution in order to hold on to the reins of power. Such grave matters of injustice will only heighten concerns over the US's legal, moral and ethical credibility in fighting the war on terror in a region where al-Qaeda forces continue to freely operate. And if President Musharraf fails to hold his balance and falls off the tightrope of power, the US will only have itself to blame for whatever comes next.
Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin
Canberra, Australia (Mar 19, '07)

Thin-skinned Iranians and prickly Persianophiles aren't alone in bemoaning the movie 300 ['Axis of evil' seeps into Hollywood, Mar 14] Read this March 8 AP [Associated Press] wire-service report, carried in the International Herald-Tribune under the headline Greek critics lash Hollywood's ancient epic '300'. Must be a Zionist plot here somewhere.
Richard Greene
USA (Mar 19, '07)

Spengler's [Europe is not the sum of its parts, Mar 13] is just deja vu ... It's interesting to see how many issues Herr Spengler can conflate in a single article. First, nations were not the invention of one man (in this case it's supposedly Cardinal Richelieu) but rather a gradual coalescing of feudal fiefdoms into the patrimonial statelets that eventually led to what we have today. I would suggest the mid-16th century as a period when this became clear - certainly in France, anyway. The Church is the cultural bedrock of Europe, but not its political foundation. All such generalizations are doomed to come apart at the seems, but for the sake of this discussion, lets just lurch forward. Nations, if you are a Marxist, came into existence because of irreconcilable class antagonisms. Now, even if one is not a Marxist, this seems at the very least partly true. Nations, and the apparatus thereof (ie police, army, tax collector, etc) are there to protect the property of those ruling elites who own property. For Spengler such nuances are just to be tossed aside. He has little interest in serious scholarship or history. Better to just demonize Muslims (as a population bomb come to wipe out good Catholic peoples). The Catholic Church today has great influence in Poland, and few other countries. Its influence in Poland has resulted in the minister of education asking that [Charles] Darwin be taken out of high schools and replaced with Creationism (sic) and for the representative to the EU to wax nostalgic for General [Francisco] Franco. The backward and reactionary Church leads, wherever it exercises its influence, to stagnation and intolerance. The more secular the government, the better chance that country has to take care of its people. This is the object of separation of church and state. For Spengler, this is not to even be discussed, for he sees only marauding hordes of bearded men on camels at the gates of civilization. Such idiotic and racist bile has no place in serious discussion or in serious newsmagazines. The answer is not the Panzer Pope, but the curbing of imperial (US) madness.
John Steppling
Lodz, Poland (Mar 19, '07)

"We have a policy of disallowing any remark that disparages any religion" (ATol editor, [under Geoffrey Sherwood's letter of] Mar 16). ATol is an oasis because it places few constraints on the amusing and endless variety of ways its contributors and letter writers, erudite and crackpot, disparage George W Bush, Kim Jong-Il, Alan Greenspan, democracy, free-market capitalism, China, Japan, anything that is, was, or could be America, American or American-like, and each other. Religion has caused more mayhem and suffering than all of the above put together. Yet some, out of fear or misplaced sensitivity, still treat religion with kid gloves. Saqib Khan can disparage me, and my "shameless Christian ancestors", in a very personal and offensive way, saying that we have "filth and perfidy in mind" (letter, Mar 13). This doesn't excite the ATol editors as much as Richard Greene's hilarious reference to Bedouin cutlery (admit it - that brought a smile to your face, just before the "Uh oh"). At least once a year, everyone should take a break from beating up on each other's politics and devote a day to smashing mankind's most deep-seated and destructive fairy tales, in the spirit of Ambrose Bierce [author of The Devil's Dictionary] who, after 150 years, still says it best: "Religion is the daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable."
Geoffrey Sherwood
New Jersey, USA (Mar 19, '07)

While your qualified notation/disclaimer regarding Richard Greene's references to CSPI [Center for the Study of Political Islam] in his letter of March 15 are commendably judicious, you might be interested to know that there have been opinions expressed to the effect that [those] not agreeing in toto with CSPI's findings leave themselves open to the ever-convenient charge of being called "anti-Semitic", an oxymoronic word that is, sad to admit, still much in vogue.
Armand De Laurell (Mar 19, '07)

As an enthusiastic reader of your website I must point out that your recent decision to truncate articles into pages is most distracting. Sure, other online newspapers do it too, but most offer a single-page view, which is easier to view. May I recommend that you consider a print-view option for longer articles, which would broaden text width from your current single-column look, allowing easier reading and printing? If there are considerations other than esthetic, for example that by clicking on new page numbers, advertisers get a better chance of being noticed, my recommendation would be to offer the above as a premium feature to registered readers.
Salt (Mar 19, '07)

Julian Delasantellis deserves our thanks. He has introduced an element of sanity in The subprime dominoes in motion [Mar 16]. The unraveling of the subprime market exemplifies the holy principles of laissez-faire. Mr Delasantellis is shrewd enough to quote from Charles Mackay's Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds to explain subprime madness in the high world of finance. As though they were Ali Babas who found untold and endless riches, the lenders made hay while the euphoria lasted in the subprime mortgage markets (Bear Stearns analysts, defying the logic of a sudden, uncontrollable loss in New Century Financial's stock, put out a buy recommendation). But unbridled optimism knows no limits until the bills become due - which is what is happening now. The dog didn't bark, and there was no Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery of the sudden drop in the market. And the heart's desires of millions who dreamed of a home of their own are defaulting on loans which their meager savings had put a stake on. A bleak future awaits them. The banks of course will write down bad loans, and these bad loans will in turn find a way of making money in what used to be called junk bonds.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 16, '07)

Julian Delasantellis' The subprime dominoes in motion (Mar 16) provides a simple but very sophisticated analysis of the current financial problem in the American economy. This type of informative analysis can help many readers of ATol to understand the basic characteristics of the ongoing economic crisis under American crony capitalism, and I commend ATol for publishing such honest and significant articles. I would like to add to this analysis the fact that this work is actually grounded in Thorstein Veblen's theory of the business cycle and in some other important scholarly works developed by the late Hyman Minsky and Charles Kindleberger. Debt and the inability to pay the debt by Ponzi (very risky) firms can create a chain of financial collapse that pushes the capitalist economy into a sever crisis. For these scholars, high interest rates create financial instability and bankruptcy. Veblen does take the interest rate seriously but for a crisis to occur, he thinks, the labor cost per unit of output must rise as a result of either higher wages or low productivity or both. For the US economy, wages have been stagnating and squeezed for several years, but productivity has been growing on the average. Hence firms have not been facing the significant problem of rising labor cost per unit of output that will trigger a crisis. In fact, this per unit cost has declined over the years. I agree with Veblen in that higher interest rates alone cannot create a severe crisis. However, the situation can generate a slowdown in the growth of gross domestic product (GDP). Higher interest rates by the [US Federal Reserve] over the last three years have created a decline in the investment rate in the housing sector and change in inventory, a variable (explained also by uncertainty and fear about the future) that was crucial for the trade cycle in John M Keynes' General Theory. The Federal Reserve [has] increased the interest rates (federal funds rate) many times due to the fear of inflation which is the nightmare for the financiers who control the American crony capitalism. These higher interest rates have been associated recently with the decline in the order for civilian capitalist goods and inventory, which are very important variables for optimistic expectations and investment growth that can create high-paying jobs and incomes. Moreover, the surge in oil prices has been contributing significantly to rising cost and reducing profitability for several firms. Logically, the high oil prices and interest rates have been the results of the imperialist occupation of Iraq. In other words, the occupation of Iraq has led to high military expenditures that usually generate higher actual and expected rates of inflation, a situation that forces the Fed to increase the short-term interest rates. (The Fed has not done that over the last months because it tries to tolerate a higher rate of inflation than a higher rate of interest rate. In short, if the Fed does increase the interest rates further, then a financial panic or a recession is most likely to occur.) The housing sector is directly affected by these higher interest rates, as the mortgage rates rise and house prices decline. Financiers may make more profits by buying houses at low prices and then selling at higher prices later on, but the average individuals will lose and [become] bankrupt as interest rates rise and employment and income decline for the many non-rich Americans. This may create the contagion problem, but the big financiers along with the oil corporations and the military complex are making huge profits at the expense of the smaller fish (or capitalists) and the underlying American people. A basic easy solution for this deteriorating economic condition is to leave Iraq and cut military expenditures. Inflation and interest rates will decline to stimulate the economy, as uncertainty and fear erode, and investment funds become available for developing new technologies and introducing innovations that are able to create high-paying jobs and incomes for the American people.
Adil Mouhammed
Illinois, USA (Mar 16, '07)

[Re 'Axis of evil' seeps into Hollywood, Mar 14] Well said, [Kaveh L] Afrasiabi; you have done a service to those with a minimum of education, who would now hesitate wasting their time and lowering themselves into watching 300, this latest pretentious garbage produced by the US movie industry. Your review did not come out as a shocker: in decades, I haven't come across a single [US] movie with a pretense to history that was not junk, historically and morally. Only, with the years passing, they get more brutal, and the inane racism nowadays is no more directed against "redskins" or "niggers", but rather against "Asians" or "Arabs" (with some flourished wordings applied to these people too). Of course, simple-minded bigots will not read your fine review and comments, and less simple-minded ones will relish now to the prospect of delving into yet another silly and trashily racist show. Just entertainment, ya know. Yes? Let us try to forget for a minute the sickness of producers to whom Middle Easterners are only worth being "piled high" (hello Iraqis, hello Afghans!). But lumpen masses, watch out! There is a fascist agenda to be brought on the backs even of those supposed to be on the good side - the movie's title says it all: only the 300 Spartans, representing one of the most militaristic, brutal and racist societies in history, akin to modern-day Israel, are worth mentioning as far as the Greeks are concerned. What about the six times as many Helot slaves and Boiotians who fought and died just as bravely as the Spartans did? Not a word (tried to watch [Clint] Eastwood's latest grandiloquence, Flags of Our Fathers? where are Iwo Jima's black soldiers? Hello, Latino migrants and Afro-Americans! Handy and gullible fodder for your masters' plans). Should anyone be surprised? Already in antiquity it was convenient to forget about those Boiotian peasants and subhuman Helots who had fought alongside the Spartans - for political reasons and out of sheer prejudice. So, nothing new under the sun of Western civilization. Nevertheless, frankly, the stench is getting too heavy, there is something akin to massive bad breath in the incessant production of hateful nonsense by the Anglo-US entertainment consortiums. Western civilization? In the dreams of some theoretical thinkers from the past, and their sour imitators of today, possibly. But not, by any chance, in the pompous "made in the USA" tradition, where it stinks more of WC. "West versus the rest", indeed.
Dr Bittar Gabriel Jivasattha
Switzerland and Australia (Mar 16, '07)

The hasty media release by the Pentagon of Khalid Shaikh Mohammad's confession to the [September 11, 2001] and Bali atrocities, which he allegedly made on March 10 at a closed military hearing in Guantanamo Bay, points to the immutable fact that the US-led war on terror is no less a propaganda war than it is a war aimed at immobilizing the enemy. No amount of propaganda, however, will eliminate the fundamental need to address the causes of a war that continues to produce an endless number of Islamic jihadists intent on sacrificing their own lives for Allah. Moreover, what the September 11 attackers did succeed in achieving was to reignite an ancient and historic contest between two of the world's most predominant religious civilizations: Islam and Christendom. The ongoing intractability of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict not only provides the apocalyptic backdrop to this contest, but it also provides terrorist leaders, such as Shaikh Mohammad, with near-total justification in the Islamic world for the mass murder of innocents. Clearly, it is time we put an end to the propaganda, the lies and the self-righteous indignation following September 11. It is time we turned this ancient battleground into a place where followers of the world's three great Abrahamic faiths exercised the courage to bridge what stands as a most diabolical affront to our common belief in the one God.
Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin
Canberra, Australia (Mar 16, '07)

The waterboarded evildoer, Pepe Escobar's analysis of the Shaikh Mohammad affair, is now online. - ATol

I have to say to Richard Greene that his [letter of Mar 15] was fatuous and devoid of cerebral membrane. I need not waste my time to convince him and hordes of his look-alikes in opinion and thought as they are creatures of mistrust and born with [mendaciousness] against Islam. The verse [of the Koran] that he quoted has been explained in good length on many occasions in the past according to its circumstantiating context. There is a saying in Hindi, "It is useless to play a flute to a cow to yield more milk as it would not know the difference between two notes." I should recommend that he along with [the] author of his quoted study, take not only a "giggle test" but also a lie-detector test to confirm aberration of their distorted evidence and imagination for spreading malicious and uncorroborative propaganda and lies against Islam.
Saqib Khan
UK (Mar 16, '07)

I have seen brief ATol editorial comments on books and articles that were mentioned in letters to ATol, but never before have I seen a disclaimer, such as the one that followed Richard Greene's letter (Mar 15). It was for a book that makes the unremarkable claim that millions upon millions of human beings have died as a result of conquest in the name of Islam. Does this mean that we can expect to see disclaimers every time a letter mentions a book or article that claims that the Crusades were bloody, or that current American foreign policy is misguided? And if you are going to comment on a book without actually reading it, wouldn't it make more sense to put every noun and adjective in your comment in quotes, rather than just the current crop of four-letter-word equivalents, like "scientific"? I would think a phrase like "Western-style religious criticism", which is a wink, nod and nudge that the author is probably a running-dog imperialist, would be bolded and festooned with five sets of quotation marks: one for each word, and another - the whole being greater than the sum of its parts - for the entire stinking mess. If you want to guarantee that your readers know that the book does not carry an ATol imprimatur, that should do the trick.
Geoffrey Sherwood
New Jersey, USA (Mar 16, '07)

We have a policy of disallowing any remark that disparages any religion, a policy that sometimes clashes with our more general policy of free comment and the fact that religion is a crucial part of Asian history and politics and cannot be avoided altogether. Richard Greene's letter came pretty close to the "banned" line, but we opted to run it because it seemed a fair response to Saqib Khan's lengthy (but also fair) letter of March 14. The Web is full of sites claiming scientific credentials but whose purpose in fact is to promote or discredit a particular religion. The Center for the Study of Political Islam may or may not be in that category; we simply don't know, hence the "disclaimer" you found so worrying. - ATol

You should take very seriously the possibility that the Bush administration has planted someone in your website group. Why do I say this? Many times when I wished to read or print an article critical of the Bush gang, my access was disrupted. Why do I think it was done by some interloper in your website group? (1) I have 40 years' experience with computers, including 10 at IBM headquarters as manager of systems education. I have programmed and taught programming and systems design. (2) My computer is protected with several programs. When I contacted your technical support, someone responded by blaming my computer. That is a suspicious response. (3) I experience no problems with other sites. I experience no problems with articles on ATimes that are not critical of [US President George W] Bush and his traitorous policies and actions. You need to vet all members of your website group. You need to access your own website from time to time to check on further meddling. You might ask other readers if they have had similar problems.
Campaign Manager (Mar 16, '07)

Please check with your Internet service provider for censorship issues. Our website is a simple static page publication with no "hidden technology". We have not had similar complaints from our other 100,000 or so daily readers across the globe, indicating that the problem is at your end. - ATol Webmaster

Anyone keenly following the course of US foreign policy would be greatly threatened not so much by US nukes as by the nature of confusion Washington has generated in the world with its fluctuating policy maneuverings. The pro-US commentators with an anti-Islamic bent for too long hoped that the US, aided by its NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] allies from the West, would quickly take full control of the energy resources of the Middle East by invading countries in the region, beginning with Afghanistan. They were satisfied with the progress the US-led forces made in Afghanistan and Iraq. But the US's delay in invading Iran or Syria makes them go wild much more than the neo-cons of Washington do. After all, Iran has both oil and gas reserves and by using them Washington can convincingly control [all of] Europe as well as the rest of the world and successfully contain Russia and China. The Central Intelligence Agency-Pentagon combine is seen busy cooking up evidence for the [attacks of] September 11 [2001] and WMD [weapons of mass destruction] in order to make the invasion of Iran and Syria easy and quick enough. But one thing seems to cheer them all up. The ability of the USA to coerce Russia to sing according to its music, albeit with occasional angry rhetoric from the Kremlin, only to be ignored by the White House, is admired by one all. The manner by which the Bush administration tries to intimidate Russia in its economic relations with Iran, an earlier ally of the USA, especially in throwing a spanner into the nuclear wheel, makes the pro-US critics amply happy. Iran seems to be concerned about Moscow's vague attitude in implementing fully the nuclear deal.
Dr Abdul Ruff Colachal
New Delhi, India (Mar 16, '07)

Tom Engelhardt (A bombshell that nobody heard, Mar 15) provides reasonable information about the Bush administration's intention regarding the Iranian and the Iraqi mullahs. The useful conclusion out of this information is that the world community does not trust things that come out of the United States of America anymore. What people do these days is to check the relevant radical theory of imperialism with the concrete facts generated by the Bush administration's foreign policy. As far as I can tell, US imperialism has been engaged in a historical fight for looting oil, a fight that is located within the zone of Middle East. This zone has defeated all imperialist adventures in the past and has become a cemetery for all imperialist occupiers. The same outcome (defeat) will happen to US imperialism. Whatever the Bush administration does to create fear in the Middle East, it will be faced by lethal resistance and popular revolutionary sentiment, creating more hatred to the US but more profits for the oil corporations and the military complex. Eventually, this hatred will get bigger and bigger, forming a huge snowball that will swallow US imperialism and its cronies as it swallowed the Brits, the Italians, the Soviets, and the French in the recent past. At that point US imperialists will have to realize that looting, profitability, and other forms of greed do not always lead to victories, but freedom from imperialist hegemony does.
Adil Mouhammed
Illinois, USA (Mar 15, '07)

In A bombshell that nobody heard (Mar 15), Tom Engelhardt says, "It seems that there's a crime going on and no one gives a damn." This is how I have felt for six long years of the Bush administration. In fact there are so many instances of abuse of power, intimidation of its enemies, lying to the people, lying to Congress, politicizing everything, defrauding the taxpayers, illegally spying on the people, torturing prisoners, firing good servants of the people, polluting our environment, encouraging mercury poisoning by power plants - this is just a list from memory ... Yes, Tom Engelhardt, no one seems to care. We hear late-night jokes about [Vice President Richard] Cheney being from Transylvania but no one offers to impeach him ... Many of us citizens are tired of canned responses from our representatives, tired of giving money to myriad good organizations that have taken the place of government agencies that we pay to protect us but instead protect the perpetrators of pollution, fraud, waste, worker abuse, etc. Many of us wonder where Bush forces have found so many loyal servants of a mediocre, corrupt administration, like America's attorney general and the members of the rubber-stamp Congress that voters just discarded. Perhaps many conscientious Americans have given up until the revolt comes or total surrender occurs.
Jim of Southern California
USA (Mar 15, '07)

Another very interesting piece from Tom Engelhardt (A bombshell that nobody heard, Mar 15). This time, Mr Engelhardt has pointed out major problems both in the Bush administration and the American press. I find it hard to understand how so many people in the USA can continue to look in the mirror without revulsion. This ongoing rejection of fact, and deliberate, desperate clinging to the misinformation and propaganda shoveled out by their government, indicates that many Americans must be either dreadfully stupid or willful co-conspirators in the imperial plans of their government. While the mindless [President George W] Bush befuddles the mindless American masses, the deceitful and despicable [Vice President Richard] Cheney carries out the heinous hatchet-work of this hideous American administration. American society is very sick! We in the UK can only hope that by discarding our American-puppet prime minister, [Tony] Blair, in the near future, we will be able to start the long climb back to some basic dignity and respect. I can only hope that the presidential elections in the USA will allow the American people the same opportunity to start their even longer climb back, first, to basic democratic freedoms and functioning government, and second, to some basic dignity and respect.
Jonathan
UK (Mar 15, '07)

Re Dining with the Dear Leader [Mar 15]: Bertil Lintner looks at North Korea's upmarket Pyongyang Restaurant in Phnom Penh with a captious eye. He finds it suspect that it caters to Cambodia's upper crust and foreign elite in the same way they might drop in for a drink at Phnom Penh's Elephant Bar. He, it seems, is perplexed when he comes upon a communist-owned and -run enterprise in a capitalist environment. This confusion pricks his conception of what a hardline communist state should be like. Had he read his Lenin, he might find out that in State and Revolution, the founder of the Soviet Union urged communists to be both red (revolutionary) and expert (in the manner of Henry Ford). Nonetheless, Pyongyang's venture into the culinary arts is not out of step with business ventures in the First and Third worlds in the days when there was a socialist camp. On the other hand, Lintner has no trouble documenting the close relationship between former king Norodom Sihanouk and Kim Il-sung, a special friendship which began during the years the [Richard] Nixon-backed Lon Nol carried out a coup d'etat against the then prince Sihanouk and ruled Cambodia in the early 1970s until they [Lon Nol regime] were defeated by the Khmer Rouge. Linter forgets another salient fact: King Norodom Sihamoni lived and studied cinematography in Pyongyang, and as the world press keeps telling us, Kim Jong-il is a dyed-in-the-wool film enthusiast. This, in brief, adds another layer of understanding of the ties which bind Cambodia to North Korea, and helps to explain the presence of the Pyongyang Restaurant in Phnom Penh.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 15, '07)

Re 'Axis of evil' seeps into Hollywood [Mar 14]: I have not yet seen 300 but from what little I know about the movie, the Spartans do not seek to conquer Persia nor to rule the Persian populace in the Persian homeland. Nor does Sparta seek to impose its own socio-religious system in Persia, under a Spartan ruler. The cinema Spartans wish to pile up the invaders' bodies. Not having seen the movie, I wonder if the Persian king will use religion as a tool of opportunity. I think the real ancient Persians sought to understand the great lie and respected the universal implications of fire, as do many real Persians today.
Mike Bailor
Washington, DC (Mar 15, '07)

I just wanted to drop you a quick note about the Spengler articles on Asia Times [Online]. This is probably one of the five best article series I have read online. Excellent work. Please let the author know. Not that he doesn't know that already. I recently quoted Spengler's article in one of the academic papers but did not have the full author's name. Who is Spengler?
Sam (Mar 15, '07)

Not sure. We'll try to find out and get back to you. - ATol

Saqib Khan's recent fatuous screed [Letter, Mar 14] in praise of the alleged pacific spread of Islam must be subjected to the giggle test - can an objective, knowledgeable student of Islamic history read it without giggling (let alone guffawing)? According to a comprehensive recent study by scholars at the Center for the Study of Political Islam, approximately 270 million non-believers worldwide died over the last 1,400 years by jihad, Islamic warfare against kaffirs (infidels). A detailed breakdown is provided: 120 million Africans, 60 million Christians, 80 million Hindus, 10 million Buddhists (CSPI, Mohammed, Allah and the Mind of War, 2006, pp 210-11). Maybe Mr Khan believes the long sword emblazoned on the Saudi Arabian flag is a stylized piece of Bedouin cutlery, but in fact it is iconic of the infamous koranic "Verse of the Sword": "Slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush" (Sura 9:5). According to almost all Muslim scholars, Sunni and Shi'a, this explicitly pro-war aya (verse) and numerous others from the later "Meccan period" abrogate well over a hundred earlier, comparatively pacifistic, Medinan-period verses. Hence, truth be told, the color of Islam, by past and present-day history, shouldn't be green - red is much more symbolic.
Richard Greene
USA (Mar 15, '07)

Asia Times Online does not vouch, one way or the other, for the objectivity of the CSPI, which appears to employ Western-style religious criticism and a "scientific" approach to study of the Koran and Islamic history with an emphasis on its alleged record of violence. - ATol

Leon Hadar [Paulson, the US cabinet's top alpha male, Mar 14] is scraping the bottom of the barrel if he's looking for alpha males in [US President George W] Bush's and [Vice President Richard] Cheney's inner circle. They're all chicken-hawks, and [Treasury Secretary Henry] Paulson's no different, just as [former defense secretary Donald] Rumsfeld, who never served in combat, was no different either. It explains why they're willing to waste (as [Senator] John McCain says) American lives in Iraq while overpaying for armaments that their top generals say are failing to persuade the Iraqis to give up. Hadar doesn't seem to notice that Paulson's trips consist in begging Asian countries for help because his boss's deficit spending has left the cupboard bare. It must be great to have a job writing commentary where the text comes straight from the White House's spin lab.
Harald Hardrada
Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Mar 14, '07)

Syed Saleem Shahzad: In your [Mar 14] article in ATol on the Talibanization now spreading rapidly in Pakistani society as it breaks down due to the effects of prolonged corruption and neo-colonial toady elitist misrule [The Taliban's brothers in alms], you say that this influence is spreading due to a lack of viable political opposition to [President General Pervez] Musharraf's rule. This is the stock opinion of all of our experts, but the fact is, what political opposition do they speak of? The only viable opposition is either the mullahs themselves (Muttahida Majlis-e-Ama) or that of Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan People's Party) and Nawaz Sharif (Pakistan Muslim League). Both Benazir and Nawaz got two opportunities each to rule this country since 1988, and they both robbed it as never before. They both instituted a culture of "kleptocracy" or the "institution of corruption" in politics and society here and took it to levels never before seen; in fact it was the increasing breakdown and disorder manifesting in Nawaz Sharif's second government that gave Musharraf the excuse for his military coup in 1999. Like all before him, Musharraf too promised to "deal" with corruption culture, but it exists as happily within his present establishment now as it did over the past 20 years in the other governments - though slightly more discreet. Who is to say that if Benazir and/or Nawaz get yet another "democratic" opportunity to misrule, they might realize that it is the last and wipe everything clean in the process? That is all they are interested in as politicians, and we as Pakistanis know it all too well. The truth is beginning to dawn now that there is no remedy for Pakistan: it is too late in the day, its system has suffered more than the lethal share of abuse and its end has come, and has to be faced. No justice has been done concerning the thieves (and that is the only cure). Pakistan needs a clean emergency dictatorship, not our brands of "democracy" or "martial law". But that is like asking for the moon, given the Pakistani social psyche, which is too cynical and corrupt to realize the needs of ordinary natural justice. Therefore I think that this society is finally getting what it has all along deserved ... Talibanism is the upcoming and true awami political paradigm of Pakistan's real masses, and moreover this fact is 99% valid concerning Pathan areas, because that is where it first developed and now already exists. It is also becoming evidently clear that [the United States of] America is in a state of change vis-a-vis Pakistan, and will also turn to new, more desperate and blunt solutions to contain the danger that a "deteriorating" and Talibanizing Pakistan might pose to them [Americans] and their interests; once they know that Pakistan is irreparable for their purposes and that their friends there (the old elite regime) are powerless or incapacitated, they won't hesitate to contemplate and implement drastic measures in rendering it "neutralized". This is all the more so in the [scenario of a] possible near-future attack on Iran, which could very well add its own fuel to the fire and speed up Pakistan's Talibanization and further disintegration of the rotten old order here. The present judicial crisis is one such sudden unexpected internal event which reflects that the old order is thoroughly crisis-ridden and its dynamics are not at all well. It itself could contribute to the general flow of the bigger scenarios discussed above.
Arif Hasan Akhundzada
Peshawar, Pakistan (Mar 14, '07)

Re North Korea hawks down but not out [Mar 14]: The situation is fluid in South and North Korea. Since the cards are being reshuffled and the political touts are giving improbable odds, speculation has an open season, as Donald Kirk follows his journalist trail. It boggles the imagination that unnamed sources in South Korea fear that if and when the United States winds down its lackluster war in Iraq, Washington will open a new front, this time in Korea. Which means nothing short of turning the 1953 Armistice into a hot war on the divided Korean Peninsula. This [is] in flat denial of a recent agreement between Seoul and Washington that [the latter] will turn over command of troops in 2012. Now, this doesn't sound as though the ground is being cleared for war, the more especially since the United States' forward command post is shifting south of the South Korean capital. On the economic front, things are looking up for American investors, according to the leading American and British financial press. So it looks more as though hawks in South Korea and in the United States may very well be turning the rumor mills. Sunny Lee's article [US cartoons 'made in North Korea', Mar 14] adds a piquant flavor to the stew that Donald Kirk has served up. Market forces being what they are, the money looks for an outlet offering bigger and greater return. In the world of animation, South Korea is a major player, and since Seoul's infusion of capital in North Korea, new market ties are binding the North more firmly to the South, and in a way which circumvents the sharp trap of American law when it comes to Hollywood animated blockbusters. All this goes to show how slowly but surely the liberal market economy is tying Pyongyang closely to its apron strings.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 14, '07)

In reference to the article [The futuristic battlefield, Mar 9] by Jack A Smith and a letter of response by Robert McCallister (Mar 12): The article does a good job of explaining the US stance of trying to dominate the Earth militarily. To assume that the US has not already put nuclear-capable satellites in orbit is to be naive in the extreme. The Russians and the Chinese both are preparing to be able to kill satellites from the ground as well as space. Why do you think there was such an uproar over the Chinese satellite shoot-down recently? The US is heading for a world conflagration where the US will militarily defeat the conventional forces it attacks, but will lose this country to the billions of incensed refugees of this world conflict. The huge percentage (approximately 50%) of the US population who think like Mr McCallister are the driving force behind all of this insanity. They do not understand that it is the US that is the aggressor, with 730 military bases outside of the US, and that the US Department of Defense is really the US department of war! They talk like the attack on September 11, 2001, was something out of the "blue" and the US had nothing to do with its provocation. Look at Israel as formed in 1948 and look at it today. Look at the history of decades of US interference and covert activity in the Middle East under the guise of "US Interests". To quote Pogo, "I have met the enemy and he is us." Our country is under the control of elitists who feel the sacrifice of the US is okay as long as their personnel gain is enough money to buy their paradise anywhere they end up. Does buying a large estancia in Paraguay ring a bell?
Ken Moreau
New Orleans, Louisiana (Mar 14, '07)

Since 1947, India has carefully practiced policies so as to deny the Muslims their due in the nation's resources and development. The fact the Muslims in India opted to stay back in India after independence on the assurance given by the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru that they would be safe and their interests would be protected in India has been totally forgotten, and neither he nor his successors kept that promise, let alone considering them for "preferential treatment" as proclaimed by the constitution of India. Governments just empty-talk about upliftment of Muslims only to be branded by anti-Muslim forces in the country as "appeasement policies". With no Mahatmas (Greats) around to support them, the Indian Muslims have been on the defensive since 1947. Overseas remittances from Muslims working in the [Persian Gulf region] have significantly contributed to the economic surge of India. India, like its strategic partner the USA, has sufficiently used the terrorism plank to keep the Muslims on the run. The same attitude is reflected in India's attitude to Kashmiris, waging a long struggle for re-independence, now known in New Delhi as "separatists" and "terrorists", whereas, strangely enough, those who fought for India's freedom are called "patriots". It seems Nehru used to admire the line: "The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have a promise to keep." The terrorism plank employed by the governments has harmed the Muslims greatly. The Indian mindset has to change. Who knows, one day someone in New Delhi's corridors of power would care for those promises sooner than later.
Dr Abdul Ruff Colachal
New Delhi, India (Mar 14, '07)

The article China moves into India's back yard [Mar 13] demonstrates New Delhi's inability to secure its "area of influence". The article is sprinkled with statements such as "India is watching with grave concern" while China, Pakistan and for that matter even the USA are running rings around New Delhi. Instead of being so "concerned", when will New Delhi realize that action should have been taken to resolve Sri Lanka's civil war and not [cower] from the pressure of the Tamil vote in Tamil Nadu? I believe India's apathetic approach to Sri Lanka's civil war is going to severely cost India's security.
Chrysantha Wijeyasingha
Clinton, Louisiana (Mar 13, '07)

Spengler: Indeed Europe is the faith [Europe is not the sum of its parts, Mar 13]. For years I have wanted to say what you have just said, but did not have the drive to see something like that through to publication. God bless you. As it happens, I am just finishing Garrett Mattingly's Renaissance Diplomacy, which you would like very much, although you may well have read it already. If not, I strongly recommend it.
Steve McCaffery (Mar 13, '07)

Garrett Mattingly (1900-62), professor of history at Columbia University, published Renaissance Diplomacy in 1955. It was reissued in 1988. - ATol

Syed Saleem Shahzad: I have read your articles on Asia Times [Online] and have found them informative, perceptive and an eye opener. Keep on writing and informing the public about it. I hope you keep writing on.
Tayeb Siddiqi
Lahore, Pakistan (Mar 13, '07)

Syed Saleem Shahzad's latest, The Taliban's brothers in alms, is now online. - ATol

I refer to the letter of Geoffrey Sherwood of March 2. Let me tell him and many of his lookalikes in opinion and thought that Prophet Mohammed followed non-violent principles and methods throughout his life even under extreme provocations by his enemies. Prophet Mohammed in his entire prophetic life engaged in war only on three occasions. All the other incidents described as ghazwa [battles in which Mohammed supposedly participated] were in actual fact examples of avoidance of war and not instances of involvement in battle. There were only three instances of Muslims really entering the field of battles: Badr, Uhud and Hunayn. In all these battles, it is estimated that 263 Muslims were martyred and nearly three times the number of non-believers were killed. The Prophet was compelled to take arms as all attempts of avoidance failed and self-defense was the only option. Furthermore, these battles lasted only for half a day, each beginning from noon and ending with the setting of the sun. Thus it would be proper to say that the Prophet in his entire life span actively engaged in war for a total of a day and a half. It is true to say that that the Prophet observed the principle of non-violence throughout his 23 [year] prophetic career, except for one and a half days. He believed that violent method invariably invokes ego that results in breakdown of the social equilibrium. He was pragmatic, foresighted and also a brilliant thinker. After the battle [of] Badr, about 70 of the unbelievers were taken as prisoners. They were educated people and the Prophet announced that if any of them would teach 10 Muslim children how to read and write, he would be freed. This was the first school in the history of Islam in which all of the students were Muslims and all of the teachers were from the enemy rank ... Islam is an entirely tolerant religion. Islam says tolerance is the only basis for peace in a society and where tolerance is absent, peace will be non-existent. Islam also preaches nothing but peace and harmony all around. Let me also say that Islam also rules out the concept of community superiority for any given group and even Muslims have been told that salvation by Islamic standards depends upon the individual's own actions, and that it is not the prerogative of any group. With regard to the command of war in Islam, it is true that certain verses in the Koran convey the command to do battle (Qital 22:39). What the special circumstances are which justify the issuance of and compliance with this command we learn from our study of the Koran. The first point to be noted is that aggression or the launching of an offensive by the believers is not totally forbidden. It is permissible but with certain provisos. We are clearly commanded in the Koran: Fight for the sake of God those that fight against you, but do not be aggressive. Only defensive war is permitted in which aggression is committed by some other party so that the believers have to fight in self-defense. Initiating hostility is not permitted for Muslims. Furthermore in the case of the offensive being launched by an opposing group, the believers are not supposed to retaliate immediately. Rather, in the beginning all efforts are to be made to avert war, and only when avoidance has become impossible is battle to be resorted to inevitable in defense. One great problem for the Muslims these days is that peace does not necessarily guarantee them justice. This has caused a few disenchanted young Muslims to become violent and neglect opportunities for dawah [inviting non-believers to convert to Islam]. Islam would have by now spread in hordes to every inch of our Earth with dawah if the stupid kamikaze bombers had not attacked the Twin Towers [of New York's World Trade Center] on [September 11, 2001]. Muslims the world over are cornered, persecuted and humiliated by the West and Zionist Israel. Muslims are in a state of physical and mental unrest and want nothing but to live in peace ... Perhaps Sherwood put on blinkers when he read recent history of his shameless Christian ancestors who massacred over 25 million native Americans to forcefully convert them to Christianity, and for the greed of colonizing America; in the name of Christianity and greed, they enslaved more than 60 million Africans and killed another 30 million transporting in captivity, and colonizing Africa; in the name of Christianity and greed, they colonized Muslim lands, massacring over 40 million Muslims during their colonial rule, and are still doing it around the world. It is so stupid and naive of the Christians that they do not know much about their own religion and try to explain Islam to us with filth and perfidy in mind. Have you heard the saying "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter"?
Saqib Khan
UK (Mar 13, '07)

Mature though the Sino-American economic relationship may be, [US] Secretary of the Treasury Henry "Hank" Paulson has worked little of the magic that he displayed when he was chairman of the board of all-powerful Goldman Sachs in his money-making dealings with China. As Dr Jing-dong Yuan clearly demonstrates [China-US: Little to show from dialogue, Mar 10], Paulson is offering the Chinese nothing that will spur them to open markets more fully to outside capital or hasten a revaluation of the yuan, nor put into force universal accounting practices and soundness in business practices which would satisfy requirements of credit agencies. In fact, Beijing is now enacting a law which will put an end to economic incentives and tax privileges for foreign companies investing in China in favor of "building a harmonious society". Stripping this felicitous turn of phrase to its bare bones, an attentive eye will interpret it to mean that Beijing is no longer heavily dependent on the influx of America's private capital, since China has a fat purse of cash reserves and holds sizable holdings of United States debt. In consequence, Mr Paulson's words will be politely listened to, but the Chinese authorities will smile and do nothing but simply promote their own interests. The Chinese are taking the American secretary of the Treasury through an introductory course in economic and political statecraft. It is one thing to promote the desired efforts of a foreign government by a private investment bank, and the aims of a country going through the rapid paces of an industrial revolution.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 12, '07)

Re A catalogue of errors in Afghanistan [Mar 9]: It is a widely quoted maxim that Afghanistan is an unconquerable and inhospitable land, as the British and the Soviets discovered to their peril in 19th and 20th centuries. Yet it is only when one encounters its austerity that one realizes why this probably is true. Distances bear no relation to time and space in this most unforgiving and ceaselessly hostile terrain. Traveling on four wheels, winding tortuously around the endless belt of eerie mountains, ramshackle villages, towns and cities without proper roads but only rutted dusty stone tracks, makes one wish that one was never here and let the Taliban rule the land, and [that] we go back into civilization. The scenery is almost a photocopy of what you find across the border in Pakistan. As a young man, I traveled in these notorious and fearless parts of Pakistan by air and land and remember distinctly feeling rich boldness and courageous excitement at facing danger, and risking life for fun of the adventure. You admire the resilience and toughness of the people who live there. For the last 30 years [almost] every spring [has brought] renewed hostilities and offensives, and the Afghans have become so used to the sound of gunfire, bombs and drums that it is a way of life for them. They relish a challenge to throw out these European and American invaders from their country and free themselves from their subjugation and occupation. There is no doubt in my mind that in a not very distant future, the Taliban will once again emerge as the winners. It is in the psyche of every Afghan with diverse ethnicity that he wants to live free as a nation and under the flag of Islam, as it is their only identity. The Soviets tried and failed, and so will the Americans and the Europeans ... The Americans have got stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan so deep that if they come out alive in one piece, they should thank their god.
Saqib Khan
UK (Mar 12, '07)

The March 9 issue of Asia Times Online has an article titled [The futuristic battlefield] by Jack A Smith. Smith writes: "'We will export death and violence to the four corners of the Earth in defense of our great nation.' - President George W Bush in Bob Woodward's book Plan of Attack." While I haven't read Woodward's book I would suggest that this quotation was taken out of context. I have read some of Woodward's other works and as a result have little faith in his material, which at best is frequently stretched to support his viewpoints. In this [technological] age much is possible such as the [September 11, 2001] attack on my country [US] by a group presumably, at the time, located in Afghanistan. Some nations, for whatever reason, have been developing missiles capable of striking this country from afar. Which is more logical, developing technology to strike at the source or wait until we have been hit and then start to work on countermeasures? As a veteran of World War II I hope that we have learned the lessons of history and that our government is taking appropriate steps to avoid future damage. Any other course most surely will lead to disaster.
Robert A McCallister
Winchester, Virginia (Mar 12, '07)

The article Nepal: The king speaks his mind [Feb 27], though it came to my notice late, provided an inside view of what is happening in Nepal, especially for those living away from their land. But how much of the population believes that an intervention by the Nepalese Army is needed or would have a positive impact in the nation's sovereignty and integrity? In the name of the people a lot has been done in the past by multiple parties which turned out to be no help to the general public. Above all, is the Nepalese Army capable of taking such a step and still continue to get foreign support? Will it be able to lead the country in a right track, which [President] General Pervez Musharraf has been able to do in Pakistan? Isn't it time the country settles down rather than have trial and error? [For the] past 15 years (since democracy was restored by the late King Birendra) this has been going on, leading to a situation that the general public has no trust in any party or the king.
Anamika Dahal
Boston, Massachusetts (Mar 12, '07)

This is regarding A catalogue of errors in Afghanistan [Mar 9] by Michael Scheuer. Let us for a moment assume that there is a religious ideology behind the Taliban movement which sustains them. Then the question arises, where does the motivation for that ideology comes from? Deobandi school of thought and many others of the type, Pakistani state-funded muftis, and Pakistani state-sponsored mullahs? Where does this religious ideology come from? Does Mr Scheuer know that all these things are not indigenous to the Pashtuns at all? Pashtuns, being a proud nation/ethnicity with history going back thousand of years, do not need a religious identity - in other words, the use of religion as a means for acquiring political power either in Afghanistan or in Pakistan. In fact the crisis of identity is with the Pakistani state, which needs religion to bind it together in the absence of any meaningful contract between the various groups for the collective well-being of all its citizens. You remove that religious motivation and preach secularism for a while and the phenomenon of Talibanization will recede automatically, because it is superfluous, imposed and not indigenous to the Pashtun culture, which offers a much better alternative identity. The fact of the matter is that the Taliban were not a force/movement until they were given a political agenda, to control Afghanistan and marginalize the Pashtun nationalists in the context of Pak-Afghan relations. Which means that there is nothing religious about the Taliban - it's the political agenda behind that facade which needs to be addressed/neutralized if there [is] to be a long-lasting solution to the problem. The moment that political agenda is addressed, the Taliban phenomenon will recede. Just as an example, can Mr Scheuer tell me why there has not been/is no mushrooming of religious madrassas across the Durand Line in Afghanistan despite the fact that these are also Pashtun areas? The simple answer is, there has been no funding, facilitation, sponsoring. The problem with Mr Scheuer and most Westerners is that they simply assume that all these madrassas have been there for centuries in the same numbers. No, sir, they have mushroomed since the '80s, and are still mushrooming. One just needs to allude to the role of Saudi money, and funding from the entire [Persian] Gulf region, which has been instrumental in sustaining the phenomenon of Talibanization. My whole point in saying all this is that Talibanization is not indigenous to Pashtun culture and quickly can fade provided the right strings are moved. Stereotyping the Taliban as Pashtuns is like stigmatizing a whole ethnic group with religious extremism ...
Azmal Pashtonyar (Mar 9, '07)

I refer to Michael Scheuer's article A catalogue of errors in Afghanistan [Mar 9]. Neither America nor NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] has any business to be in Afghanistan, and to say that the West is losing Afghanistan is colonialist arrogance. Until this day and after four years it has never been proved, forged [Osama] bin Laden videos aside, that either Afghanistan or Iraq was responsible for [the terror attacks of September 11, 2001]. There is already a huge worldwide movement of skeptics with very good arguments as to why that event, which involved highest levels of technological sophistication, planning and logistics support, could not have been planned and carried out by people living in Third World countries, let alone a person such Osama bin Laden. However, invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq has exposed American and European warmongering and colonialist mindset and those journalists who have not yet realized that people of the so-called Third World are not going to allow themselves to be subjugated any longer better change their mindset or give up journalism. The world has changed dramatically since the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq and the people of the developing world are no longer willing to tolerate invasion of their countries, whether by military force or globalization. No amount of technologically superior weapons will work against the resolve of a people who want to live in peace, freedom and security. Warmongering nations better realize this, otherwise they themselves will become extinct in time, as laws of nature cannot be bent at will.
Vincent Maadi
Cape Town, South Africa (Mar 9, '07)

Re A catalogue of errors in Afghanistan [Mar 9]: While [Michael] Scheuer discusses the military aspects of the debacle, there is that other debacle - the government delivery debacle. Asia Times [Online] readers might find [this] article an interesting read: How an overabundance of foreign aid is killing Afghanistan by Joshua Foust [TCS Daily (Feb 27)].
May Sage
USA (Mar 9, '07)

Foust makes some good points, centering on standard conservative theory about the inefficiency and unaccountability of governments and non-governmental organizations. However, like many conservative ideologues, Foust glosses over the role of corporate profiteering, incompetence, and shady political connections with foreign players in the Afghanistan debacle. See The fall and fall of Afghanistan (May 6, '06). - ATol

[Antal E] Fekete's articles are demanding and enlightening [Gold 101: The basics of basis, Mar 9]. I'm awaiting the outrage that the foot soldiers of Ludwig von Mises will show as they defend their infallible master: it's worth a laugh.
Harald Hardrada
Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Mar 9, '07)

Re Gold 101: The basics of basis [Mar 9] by Antal E Fekete: This whole argument has been carried on ad infinitum. The simple answer is there is not enough gold. Manipulation of the gold market has been considered by many brilliant minds. The history of the Bass Brothers' attempt to corner silver foiled by a flood from India was fun to follow. The problem is that money is not a thing; it is an idea, an idea that is acceptable to all. The fact that people will always set up a silly system and then disobey their own rules doesn't negate the need for a system of valuation. A hard drive can hold as much money as you please as long as everyone agrees. The abuse by setting up all kinds of additional rules doesn't say it is wrong. Professor Fekete uses the term "irredeemable currency" as a catch-all for what's wrong in the world today. China is finding a way around its currency reserves by using it to buy from other countries with our [US] irredeemable currency. It appears that as long as people will accept it, it will be considered a store of value based on the perceived value of American assets. I could go on and on about the history of money and the misconceptions, but the simple fact is that the present malfunctions will be settled with some Plaza Accord recognizing that people in general have to have a medium of exchange and that the abuses of a few cannot penalize the many as it did during the so-called "Great Depression" of the 1930s. There are so many new paradigms.
William O Bishop Sr
USA (Mar 9, '07)

In A perilous changing of empires [Mar 9], Walter T Molano is carried away by his own voice. His grasp of history is shaky. Take his example of the United States' waffling on entering World War I. Molano suggests that Washington's entry waited on the sidelines until the "outcome was all but decided". What about the sinking of the Lusitania? Or the Zimmermann telegram, for that matter? The American Expeditionary Forces' entry into the "war to end all wars" ensured victory. And they fought for almost 24 months, which is not exactly saying that the American troops thought that their participation in that war was a piece of cake. As for the European phase of World War II, he might have been on safer ground, for it was Herr Hitler in a moment of utter euphoria [who] declared war on a seemingly firmly isolationist-leaning America. Molano's handling of history leaves much to be desired. He's tentative and limns with much caution the rise of China as the United States' heir as supreme superpower. It is worthwhile pointing out that Gibbons wrote the multi-volume The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (read, the British Empire) a good century and more before the British sun had set on Great Britain. In fact, Gibbons misread the signs of the time, for it was [in] the 19th century that London's power waxed strong and powerful. But Molano is talking about the fall of the United States, [and] his evidence is not persuasive.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 9, '07)

According to Wikipedia, "The Zimmermann telegram (or Zimmermann note) was a coded telegram dispatched by the foreign secretary of the German Empire, Arthur Zimmermann, on January 16, 1917, to the German ambassador in Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt, at the height of World War I. The telegram instructed the ambassador to approach the Mexican government with a proposal to form a military alliance against the United States. It was intercepted and decoded by the British and its contents hastened the entry of the United States into World War I." British historian Edward Gibbons' six-volume work was published in 1776-88. - ATol

In reference to Pepe Escobar and the article Bush down South [Mar 8]: Are Pepe and I the only ones getting a whiff of sulfur on the south wind? Sulfuric odors are very hard to disguise!
Ken Moreau
New Orleans, Louisiana (Mar 9, '07)

The devil you say. - ATol

Re Shadow boxing on Pakistan's border [Mar 7] by [Syed] Saleem Shahzad: The idea that the American and NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] armies would operate inside Pakistani territory would bring nothing but disaster to General [Pervez] Musharraf's clinging to power as well as vehement hostility against the USA and Europe ... The West has failed to win hearts and minds of the Afghan people and its time is up. Afghans will never live under the subjugation of greedy invaders. Western politicians and their occupying armies are immensely loathed by the subjugated Afghans and Iraqis but unsurpassable greed of oil motivates their goals, and they march on in search of big oil wells. Pakistan has arrested over 450 al-Qaeda activists including some top-ranking [ones], 80,000 its troops have been deployed in the tribal agency of North Waziristan, over 700 of its soldiers have died fighting on the frontier, and nearly 2,000 innocent Pakistani civilians have been killed since the invasion of Afghanistan. Musharraf has even stooped as low as to allow NATO forces to be supplied through Karachi port and by land routes to southern Afghanistan. American artillery regularly fires shells across the Pakistani border and US planes have bombed targets inside Pakistan it considered legitimate, always killing innocent civilians. And yet the British and the Americans repeatedly accuse Pakistan of not doing enough. The fact is that they expect too much from Pakistan when they know that they are now fighting a war they cannot win ... Re Kaveh Afrasiabi's excellent article Iran moving in from the cold [Mar 8], I should rather say it is moving into the cold ... Iran is in dire danger because according to President [George W] Bush's dim logic, what it is doing in Iraq, did in Lebanon and threatens to do to Israel is punishable audacity and a serious threat to world peace. The flourish of tongue by [Iranian President Mahmud] Ahmadinejad regarding his denial of the Holocaust and wiping off Israel are good enough reasons for President Bush to do what the American Jewish lobby and Zionist Israel want him to do, "Kill your enemy before it hits you." Furthermore, Iran has lost a lot of goodwill and sympathy in the Sunni world because of its involvement in supporting and helping Muqtada al-Sadr and his thuggish Mehdi Army for the barbaric slaughter of thousands of innocent Iraqi Sunnis and their expulsion from Iraq. This is an ideal opportunity that President Bush cannot miss in attacking Iran's nuclear sites and teaching the Iranian mullahs a lesson that Israel could not inflict upon Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Saqib Khan
UK (Mar 9, '07)

[John] Steppling's letters referencing Spengler's commentaries have always been surgically pointed. His latest [Mar 8] about Spengler's last [Snatching war out of the jaws of peace, Mar 6] is by far the ultimate. He is to be congratulated and commended for putting in as few words as possible the ... ramblings made by the most trite contributor of ATol.
Armand De Laurell (Mar 9, '07)

I wish to extend congratulations to Kaveh Afrasiabi for his stream of brilliant articles [most recent: Iran moving in from the cold, Mar 8]. His superb mastery of the Iranian scene and knowledge of the Middle East complexities puts his articles head and shoulders above most of what is put out in the US and Canada on the subject.
Tim Bowen
Toronto, Ontario (Mar 8, '07)

President [George W] Bush is going on a visit to a selected group of the United States' neighbors south of the border. He will have on his heels Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who will mock his efforts of concern for the needs of the people of the countries that he is going to visit. The weight of events and a swing towards the left among a growing number of Latin American governments have raised a red flag for Washington to doing something, anything. Pepe Escobar [Bush down south, Mar 8] gives a good account of what Mr Bush hopes to accomplish. Yet more historical background is welcome, for it is worth recalling that president John F Kennedy, in response to the rise of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution, called on his hemispheric neighbors to join the United States in an Alianza para el Progreso (Alliance for Progress) to achieve more or less the same aims as Mr Bush. It did not, and chances are Mr Bush's ambitions will bear the same sterile fruit.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 8, '07)

According to Exporting Democracy: The United States and Latin America, the Alliance for Progress aimed to reduce the appeal of Cuba-style revolutions in Latin America by reducing the grinding poverty in the region, but the program went nowhere largely because US foreign policy became mired in Vietnam and because the right-wing dictatorships then flourishing in Central and South America opposed any social reform - as did the corporations getting rich off the region. The moribund committee set up to implement the Alliance for Progress was formally disbanded by the Organization of American States in 1973. - ATol

Re Israel, Iran, US lead 'least-liked' countries (Mar 8): It amuses me to read of Iran's score in this global popularity survey which was recently conducted by BBC. The vast majority of people who have any basis at all for such an opinion have received it from the corporate, Western media - as disseminated by Washington and London. Any country which democratically elects a leader, such as President [Mahmud] Ahmadinejad, who does not immediately grovel to Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee, can never hope to win fair renown in the world we know today.
Keith E Leal
Pincher Creek, Alberta (Mar 8, '07)

I'm curious if anyone ever asks Spengler to defend his endless nonsense [Snatching war out of the jaws of peace, Mar 6]. Clearly ATimes doesn't. I wonder, for example, if the doltish one finds anything wrong with a nuclear-armed Israel, with the 1,600-plus nukes the US military has on standby. Yet somehow, the endless demonizing of Iran leads to the deeply delusional conclusion that the US is somehow justified in bombing this country that has attacked nobody. Certainly not the US. Spengler, as I've said before, is both stupid and in the grip of his own sadistic struggle with authority. I hate to psychoanalyze people, but with Herr Spengler it's hard not to. The anal-sadistic personality projects its own demons outward, and hence finds countless villains and enemies on which pain must be inflicted. Lately it's Iran. All of this, in Spengler's case, is couched in pseudo-rational jargon and a pompous tone of pedantry. The US will bomb Iran because for almost seven years it has wanted to, planned to, and sat in a masturbatory haze, with sweaty palms (and upper lips) longing for the moment when it can manufacture enough propaganda to justify it - more shock and awe. That innocent lives will be the cost is a true tragedy - but one lost on the likes of Spengler (who I'm guessing won't be on the front line).
John Steppling
Lodz, Poland (Mar 8, '07)

Re US ally Musharraf in a tangle over Iran [Mar 7] by [M K] Bhadrakumar: I don't agree with the analysis of this author. The average Pakistani might view US hostility toward Iran as yet another instance of Washington's "crusade" against the Islamic world, but they will be happy to see that the Shi'ite nation is suffering. The majority of Pakistanis (Sunnis) might actually help the US in destabilizing Iran. Look at [such] developments [as] Saudi Arabia working with Israel and the US to counter Iran's presumed influence in the region.
SAM
USA (Mar 7, '07)

Syed Saleem Shahzad [Shadow boxing on Pakistan's border, Mar 7]: The answer to Pakistan's problems lies in overthrowing [President General Pervez] Musharraf and letting democracy take over. The West and the USA should not support a dictator.
Gautam Jayaswal (Mar 7, '07)

Re The Sadr movement 'will eventually triumph' [Mar 7]: Dr Munthir al-Kewther's picture of how the end will come for [the United States of] America in Iraq makes much sense to me, since I was in Iran when the same sort of process transpired. This was 1978 and I was in Ahwaz, Khuzestan - where all those "restive" Arabs live. My trainees were a pretty good mixture of at least a half-dozen of the tribal groups, Persians and Arabs in the area, but all of them were - unmistakably - Iranian patriots who wanted to see US and British Big Oil out of there - along with the shah. Throughout the latter half of the year, general strikes and fire-bombing of Western-type edifices increased in frequency; and my students (all of whom were "insurgents") brought me news of regime officials and police flying the coop and of a few selective assassinations. In those six months, none of us at the Training Center ever witnessed a death or gunfire in anger, although the army - which soon went over to the people - did make some noises from time to time. As the "resistance" came down to our "withdrawal" date (New Year's Eve), it was pretty obvious that Washington and London had blown it again. It was all over pretty quickly and quietly. However, I think the case in Iraq will be another story. Whereas the 42,000 American and British military based in Iran had not played turkey-shoot with the natives and were out of the country weeks ahead of us poor civilian help, Uncle Sam's "coalition" has reason to expect a violent departure from Iraq. In their imperialist stupidity, they have made far too many Iraqi martyrs.
Keith Leal
Pincher Creek, Alberta (Mar 7, '07)

Re Japan in a bind over North Korea [Mar 7]: I am not convinced by Hisane Masaki's assertion that the abduction case has already been settled. Pyongyang owes a full accounting of the kidnapped Japanese still. It is no secret that [under former Japanese prime minister Junichiro] Koizumi ... [Shinzo] Abe stood firm on a complete airing of the kidnapping matter. DNA examination of ashes returned of allegedly deceased kidnapped Japanese leaves room for doubt about whether other Japanese unnamed and accounted for are living there. And as the six-power accord brokered in Beijing to defuse North Korea's nuclear issue stipulated a six-nation approach to resolving the matter, so a grain of Japanese sand may stall the accords mechanism. Pyongyang has much to gain [by settling] unanswered questions.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 7, '07)

Re Rocking the subprime house of cards [Mar 6] by Julian Delasantellis: This article makes clear, in a delightful way, the non-contingency of Chinese and Western capital markets. But isn't there a larger pattern? What about the constellation of stock market index futures, plunge protection, and collateralized mortgage obligations rolled over into treasuries? Isn't this how the Anglo-American global hegemonic fantasy is being financed? That is, is it a question of mortgage backed securities or treasury backed securities? This didn't happen February 27 or last month or last year. This colossal expansion of credit began decades ago with government preempting the lion's share to finance this fantastic vision of reworking the social, economic, and political arrangements of an entire globe - or, at least, those that might be profitable to that government's masters.
Dan Fritz
Akron, Ohio (Mar 7, '07)

As a good HSBC employee, I have to take umbrage with Julian Delasantellis' assertion in Asia Times Rocking the subprime house of cards (Mar 6) that "financial institutions that had invested in subprime mortgage debt [including] HSBC were looking at very serious balance-sheet problems". Although HSBC's US mortgage unit experienced difficulties in 2006, leading to a 20% increase in provisions, this did not prevent the HSBC Group reporting record high profits of US$22 billion, up 5% from 2005. This is hardly consistent with the "very serious balance sheet problems" which Mr Delasantellis suggests. HSBC is fortunate in being large enough in scale to handle setbacks of this nature.
Will (Mar 7, '07)

I want to thank you for allowing [Julian] Delasantellis to submit his article about subprime lending [Rocking the subprime house of cards, Mar 6]. The US mainstream media appear unwilling to discuss this important topic. I've followed your work for years, and I greatly appreciate the honest, open reporting. Thanks for your quality journalism.
Scott Goold
Political Economist
State of New Mexico, USA (Mar 7, '07)

Kudos!! Rocking the subprime house of cards [Mar 6] - keep it coming, please.
D C Beard (Mar 7, '07)

Julian Delasantellis wrote a good article [Rocking the subprime house of cards, Mar 6] , but he should not use the term "trailer trash". It is derogatory on the order of an ethnic slur in many parts of the USA.
Lewis L Smith (Mar 7, '07)

Recently there's been a Letters page discussion regarding advertising content on the ATol website, with many people (including me) agreeing that they like ATol to be free of charge but dislike some of the content of the advertisements that generate the revenue to keep it free. At the same time, it seems that every issue ATol publishes yet another letter spouting worn-out old arguments on the issue of Taiwan. There's never any new information or insight in these letters, just endless reiterations of points already made and lists of international organizations, treaties, and countries that do or do not recognize Taiwan. After reading all these mind-numbing letters about Taiwan (It is a part of China! No, it isn't! Is! Isn't! Is! Isn't! ad nauseam), the only thing I'm certain of is that this issue won't be solved by endless letters to ATol or any other publication. Therefore, I propose that ATol remove all of the letters regarding Taiwan from the Letters page and put them in an exclusive forum. Charge [US]$19.95 per month for the permission to view and post in this forum. I've even thought up a name for the forum which I give ATol permission to use: the "Serious Taiwan Unification Proposals International Discussion" forum. This solves many problems. It frees up space on the Letters page for letters about interesting topics that haven't been beaten to death, increases ATol's revenue so [it] can ditch the naughty advertisements, and gives the masochists who like getting involved in arguments that have zero possibility for civil discourse or resolution their own little corner of ATol away from the rest of us where they can reiterate their arguments from now until the end of time. So, for all of you out there who are passionate about the Taiwan issue, join the "Serious Taiwan Unification Proposals International Discussion" forum now! It's really where this kind of discussion belongs, instead of on the Letters page.
TaMu
China (Mar 7, '07)

I am a great fan and a regular visitor because of your varied, balanced and in-depth analysis. However, can you please consider adopting a clearer font and layout that [are] easier on the eyes?
Oliver Wu (Mar 7, '07)

We use Arial, one of the most readable fonts available for Internet use because of its simple, uncluttered design. We also use true black type (many websites use gray or some other color that looks pretty but is hard to read by those with poor vision) and are careful to use backgrounds that enhance contrast. Some may find the font a bit too small for easy reading, but most modern browsers enable users easily to adjust the font size to their liking. - ATol

In Snatching war out of the jaws of peace (Mar 6), Spengler accurately points to a major geostrategic defect in US foreign policy in the Middle East by claiming that "if Washington had sat down to horse-trade with the Russians, Iran would be isolated". At the heart of the state of play lies the continuing nuclear contest between these two (former) Cold War antagonists, which was so excellently analyzed by F William Engdahl in When cowboys don't shoot straight (Mar 1). Engdahl argues persuasively that the singular and most significant driving force behind US military strategy is to achieve "nuclear primacy" over and against Russia's formidable nuclear arsenal. It is a strategy that is ultimately bound to destabilize the entire international order of nation-states. And if the US were indeed to launch a military assault on Iran, it would be certain to mark the next blood-filled chapter in America's unparalleled pursuit of global domination.
Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin
Canberra, Australia (Mar 6, '07)

Re Snatching war out of the jaws of peace (Mar 6): Spengler must know that for the neo-cons, attacking Iran has been a six-year or more project. While Iran was labeled one of the "axis of evil" countries by the feckless [US President George W] Bush in 2002, neo-cons have laid plans to provoke Iran into war well before [September 11, 2001]. Long ago, neo-cons concluded that the Persian Gulf belongs to Americans, not Persians. So Spengler's observations are correct. BushCo has rejected every opportunity for peace because it is intent on regime change, and no amount of logic or reason seems able to shake neo-cons from this inflexible desire to control the entire Middle East. Control of the Strait of Hormuz and of the second- and third-largest reserves of oil are too engaging a prize for the Bush administration's CEO mentality. You can risk someone else's life and limbs for this prize as long as you hold positions of power. So they have a two-year window for attack.
Jim of Southern California
USA (Mar 6, '07)

I must say that I am forced to smile (wanly) when I read articles such as Defiance as sanctions begin to bite [Feb 27] by Kimia Sanati. Iran is not "defiant". It is disobedient. And sanctions have been "biting" it for 27 years. Why beat around the "Bush"? The great majority of the world's people know by now that what is playing out in the Middle East and Central Asia - worldwide, in fact - is a frantic attempt by a very few psychotic people who have gained control of the most powerful (military) country in history, have brought various little Third World nations and islets to heel - for practice and example - and are now hell-bent to go all the way to mastery of the planet (and its space, of course), regardless of the consequences. Any free and inquiring mind should be able to see this. Iran is a special case for a couple of reasons. (I won't even mention the nuclear thing, since it is a no-brainer.) Almost three decades ago, Iran divested itself of 25 years of American control and brutal subjection by the Central Intelligence Agency-trained SAVAK (secret police). At the same time, the people regained control of their very valuable reserves of hydrocarbon energy (a no-no). The consequences are, of course, that Iran has been blockaded, sanctioned, squeezed and harassed (Cubanized) for 27 years by the "American-led" West. And this for simply not kowtowing to the self-styled planet-master. Indeed, these perverse Persians have (for a second time) committed the ultimate sin of democratically electing a leader of their own choice! And a ("hardline") leader to boot, who does not gulp and grovel when the Washington warriors speak. And, worst of all, [President Mahmud] Ahmadinejad is the first, one-and-only Middle East leader who has ever had the spine to take such a position. This is scary for Dickie, Bill, George and their cabal of handlers - especially the latter. Mahmud is a baaaad example! So "regime change" is needed.
Keith Leal
Pincher Creek, Alberta (Mar 6, '07)

I was disappointed not to see an article concerning the US's planned sale of $421 million in missiles to Taiwan, in spite of China's typical histrionics. A scholarly treatment of the topic would be welcome.
Daniel McCarthy (Mar 6, '07)

Re Beware the Iraqi boomerang [Mar 3]: The residents and citizens of the USA and those of the rest of the world are doomed to repeat the events of recent history, until either the former learn to accept that the United States is not the unique repository of global political virtue or until a general conflagration puts an end to human life on the planet - whichever happens first. You pays your money and you takes your choice.
M Henri Day, PhD, MD
Stockholm, Sweden (Mar 5, '07)

Although South Korean reporter journalist Park Ke sung has come to the defense of China's former ambassador to Seoul Li Bin, it will do little good to free Li [A South Korean reporter's confession, Mar 3]. It is not every day that a reporter reveals how he [got] his "scoop" of Kim Jong-il's secret trip to China last year. Yet his own confession may very well put another nail in the case against Li. As Sunny Lee says, Li's arrest has more to do with the Chinese Communist Party's internal struggles, and the former ambassador is on the losing side. Here's a good example of how the secrecy of the Chinese state is airtight, for no one is saying anything. Li's fate is not in balance, since he will not benefit from any political freedom nor the benefit of a doubt in the Byzantine world of a totalitarian state. And sad to say, journalist Park has not the sophisticated nose of a bloodhound to find the trail which led to Li's falling out of favor.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 5, '07)

Re Say it loud, say it proud: Nigger vs N-word [Mar 3]: I have read this online news source for many years. Spengler has not even offended me enough to find an [alternative] news source. This article has no value and has resulted in the reduction of your readership. Nice parting insult!
Korcel (Mar 5, '07)

Whatever criticism ATol's letter-writers may have leveled at Syed Saleem Shahzad's Ready to take on the world (Mar 2), the second part of his two-part report, Looking for a new home in Iraq (Mar 3), states this inescapable fact: "The US invasion of Iraq served to mobilize jihadis to join either the Iraqi resistance or militant outfits in their country." According to a recently released survey on global threats conducted by US intelligence chiefs, and headed by retired Admiral Michael McConnell (who is also the new director of national intelligence), it was concluded that the US faces growing threats on multiple fronts with al-Qaeda still the top danger. The survey also found Iraq in a "precarious" condition and the Taliban gaining strength in Afghanistan despite suffering heavy combat losses last year. In addition, Iran was ominously seen to be on the rise and on course to produce nuclear weapons early in the next decade. But of far greater significance, and in agreement with Mr Shahzad's own analysis, was Mr McConnell's claim that although a major al-Qaeda attack would most likely come from Pakistan, elements of the network in Iraq, Syria and Europe "also are planning". This leaves us in no doubt that Islamic jihadism remains the No 1 concern of the US military-intelligence establishment, and that al-Qaeda remains the jihadists' most potent means of global expression.
Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin
Canberra, Australia (Mar 5, '07)

Please say it ain't so! Is ATol now succumbing to the warmongers of the Bush/Cheney cabal and regurgitating their sordid propaganda? That must be the case, as the article by Syed Saleem Shahzad Ready to take on the world [Mar 2] shows in living color photos of an alleged al-Qaeda manual for making a nuclear bomb, with a cover that prominently displays the photo of [Osama] bin Laden interspersed with photos of the WTC [New York World Trade Center] towers. Later on in the story, pictures on how to make a nuclear bomb are shown, as if anyone with a high-school chemistry set and a few pounds of U235 could throw one together in [his or her] back yard. My high-school physics is a bit fuzzy, but [I] believe one needs about 50 pounds [23 kilograms] of enriched uranium to make a bomb. And a nuclear trigger, which must go off the exact same moment that the uranium masses collide. Not as easy as it sounds. Just ask North Korea, [which] claimed to explode a nuclear device last October. Whether the device was actually nuclear or not has not been proved, but Kim Jong-il definitely got the world's attention. As for the National Enquirer style of photojournalism complete with bin Laden's mug and the WTC towers, David R Griffin, professor emeritus at Claremont School of Theology, [says] the theory that bin Laden was responsible for the [September 11, 2001] attacks is far from the truth. Not only did the US not produce the "white paper" promised by former secretary of state Colin Powell that was to be an indictment of bin Laden, in addition, the FBI [US Federal Bureau of Investigation] in response to a query as to why it does not list September 11 as one of the crimes for which bin Laden is wanted, has said: "The reason why [September 11] is not mentioned on Osama bin Laden's Most Wanted page is because the FBI has no hard evidence connecting bin Laden to [September 11]." Please, ATol, go back to what made you famous - actual reporting on the facts - and stay away from stealing "talking points" from Dick Cheney and Rupert Murdoch, or else you'll soon have photos of scantily clad babes on your website along with the occasional news story about "man bites dog".
Greg Bacon
Ava, Missouri (Mar 5, '07)

Well, now that you mention it ... read the next letter. - ATol

I am of mild temperament, but this time your commentator Chan Akya has gone too far [India 1, China 0, Mar 3]. He has offended all rational, thinking human beings around the world by daring to lump Chinese regulators with the redoubtable Jessica Simpson. I trust that you will publish a retraction to that statement, at least after seeing the enclosed image link which offers comprehensive evidence that Ms Simpson takes perfectly good care of her, er, assets.
Salt (Mar 5, '07)

I liked Syed [Saleem] Shahzad's article Pakistan makes a deal with the Taliban [Mar 1]. But Pakistan recently announced that it had arrested Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, a leading Taliban figure. Can you offer any insight into how Pakistan can make friendly deals with the Taliban and arrest Taliban leaders at the same time?
Dan Lynch
Cottonwood, Idaho (Mar 5, '07)

There is disagreement over whether Mullah Obaidullah was really arrested. See Syed Saleem Shahzad's latest article, Taliban fire off spring warning. And as Saleem pointed out in the former article, there are now pro-Pakistan Taliban in leadership positions, and you can bet that none of these will be arrested. - ATol

It's hard to believe how ignorant some people actually are. I'm sure ever Texan who read The Iraq gold rush took offense to the article. I understand it was published three years ago (May 14, 2004). But [there] is no excuse for such stereotyping. I mean, I don't walk around talking about how Asians are overpopulating the planet while not being able to take care of the children they have to begin with. I don't say these thing because it would cause unneeded tension between opposing countries, along with being an ignorant remark to begin with.
Sam (Mar 5, '07)

To James Lin, MD, USA [letter, Mar 2]: Do not do any research about Taiwan. You will be more disturbed to find that Taiwan is not listed as a country anywhere in the world, not on the website of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, the International Olympic Committee, the US State Department or Central Intelligence Agency or Japanese Foreign Ministry, the European Union, or any government in the world. Confucius says that to name a thing properly is of uttermost importance; otherwise, everything will fall apart. Taiwan is only a province of China whether represented by Republic of China or People's Republic of China. It is no longer a colony of the imperialist Japan that you want to defend.
Junming Jiang (Mar 5, '07)

I am writing to congratulate you on the introduction of the audio edition of Asia Times Online. This is a good first step that will allow readers who cannot spend long periods of time at a computer the option of enjoying your articles. Once your customers become more familiar with this format, I would like to encourage you to provide a longer and more detailed audio version that drills down a little deeper into the information contained in your articles.
Sir Rogers
USA (Mar 5, '07)

This [Media Kit] is no way to send a letter. Please send me the e-mail address.
Walter Satola
USA (Mar 5, '07)

The e-mail address is at the top of this page. It's in image format, which means you will have to type it into the "send" field manually - you can't copy-and-paste it. This was necessary to foil spammers, who previously were cluttering our inbox with hundreds of unwanted items every day. - ATol

The article Ready to take on the world [Mar 2] bodes ill, not just for the world but for al-Qaeda itself. The article points to al-Qaeda's growing power across the world, and we all should take note of this. But al-Qaeda should realize that this "world" it plans to "take on" is quite large and far more powerful than the al-Qaeda entity. The harder al-Qaeda strikes its victims, whether they are the West, East or Islamic nations, the faster they will slip out of al-Qaeda's grip and join against it. The reply to al-Qaeda "taking on the world" is that the world with all its militaries is also ready to take on al-Qaeda. The more terrorist acts al-Qaeda commits across this planet the greater the hate and loathing [that] will take place against al-Qaeda. One only has to look at history to see how past powers have tried what al-Qaeda is planning, only to end in utter ruination for them and their ambitions. A case example would be the Axis Powers during World War II.
Chrysantha Wijeyasingha
Clinton, Louisiana (Mar 2, '07)

I have always held Asia Times [Online] in the highest regard until now. Why on earth would you publish Ready to take on the world [Mar 2]? It is such trite, unsupported bullshit.
Ron (Mar 2, '07)

Or something you'd rather not hear. Part 2 of Al-Qaeda's Resurgence, Looking for a new home in Iraq, is now online. - ATol

[Syed Saleem] Shahzad's [Mar 2] article [Ready to take on the world] about Al-Qaeda's new military capabilities including the Abeer rocket is problematic. Look at the photos enclosed with the article. The rocket pictured could not carry 4 kilograms 12 kilometers, much less 40 kilograms 120 kilometers. I launch larger rockets than the Abeer in my back yard every 4th of July - seriously! I fear that he has fallen for rank - even amateurish - propaganda. A rocket needs guidance and payload to be effective. A free rocket over ground is a random missile to who knows where. The Abeer is a middle-school science project whose technology dates to the late 1930s. It's a dangerous toy, nothing more. I'm concerned that he has lost his perspective, as his perspective has been very insightful in the past.
Robert Broadway (Mar 2, '07)

The Abeer rocket shown in the video is one of a generation of Abeer rockets. According to the insider who spoke to our writer, work is proceeding apace to upgrade range and payload capabilities. We are well aware that such claims may be propaganda, which is why they are reported as claims rather than facts. - ATol

[Re Ready to take on the world, Mar 2] Really. Who is the al-Qaeda insider? Could it be Dick Cheney or [Ehud] Olmert? Which one?
Joe (Mar 2, '07)

Your recent articles on the new Iraqi oil law are very interesting [see Selling Iraq by the barrel, Mar 2]. I have, however, noticed that The Economist has claimed that PSAs [production-sharing agreements] will generally not be applied to the largest oilfields. Trying to evaluate these competing arguments is frustrating because none of the articles link to an English-language version of the draft law in question. Could you tell me where an online one could be found?
Jonathan X

Raed Jarrar, Iraq project director for Global Exchange, has posted an English translation (along with the Arabic original) of the draft law on his weblog In the Middle. To download a pdf rendering of the English version, click here. - ATol

[The Vietnamese are] ruing the day [they] joined the World Trade Organization, says Shawn W Crispin [Vietnam has second thoughts about WTO, Mar 2]. And they very well should be. As good Leninists they should have recalled that the slightest straying from the socialist path will encourage "petty-bourgeois tendencies" and foster all the vices of capitalism. Which means that such forces will engender individualism, and that will challenge the party of a new type which Uncle Ho built from scratch. Hanoi may shudder at the very thought that [it has] begun digging the grave of a monolithic one-party state, by entering a global trade organization which calls for free trade.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 2, '07)

It is fair to add to the article Taiwan: The struggle to spin history by Jonathan Adams (Mar 2) a note about Li Ao quoted therein. Li Ao is a very well-known literary figure, a respected historian who [was] imprisoned for his writings by Chiang Kai-shek twice in Taiwan. Li wrote a number of books fiercely attacking Chiang for his rule on the mainland and in Taiwan. But Li also researched the incident of 2/28 and concluded in his writing that the number of local Taiwanese killed was about 800. There were a number of mainlanders killed by the locals during and after that incident, [which] has never been aired and investigated. The DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] has been in power for seven years and has chosen only this year to reopen and aggravate old wounds in anticipation of elections next year. If Taiwanese again fall for such a spin, they deserve no better.
S P Li (Mar 2, '07)

Reading your webpage, I am disturbed to find that Taiwan is not listed as a country in Asia. Instead, all the news about Taiwan was under Greater China. You might want to do some research about Taiwan. It does have its own president elected by a population of 23 million people, territory and a true democratic sovereign government. Its GDP [gross domestic product] is higher than most of the developed European countries. On the contrary, China is associated with communism, dictatorship, oppressive government and military threat against Japan, Taiwan and other Western democracies. It's a major mistake and insult to the people of Taiwan by associating Taiwan with China. Thanks for your attention. Your prompt reply and explanation will be appreciated. Hopefully, the mistake will be rectified when I read ATimes.com next time.
James Lin, MD
Maryland, USA (Mar 2, '07)

"The mistake will be rectified" when you can guarantee the ATol offices will be surrounded by aircraft-carrier battle groups to fend off Beijing's wrath (and you hire the Letters Editor a personal assistant to handle all the rabid missives from offended Chinese). Taiwan itself does not have the courage to declare itself formally separate from China, so why should we? In any case, a large proportion of Taiwanese, probably a majority, view themselves as Chinese and favor de facto reunification with the mainland once a practical way is found to achieve it. - ATol

Re The totalitarian streak in the US (Mar 1) by Dmitry Shlapentokh: While I totally disagree with the author's implication of a US "totalitarian streak", I feel that a part of Dennis O'Connell's letter in response (Mar 2) should be examined. I refer to the internment of Japanese-Americans. As much as Shlapentokh's accusation is rhetorical even though valid, O'Connell's rebuttal is superficial. A better-known expression from Dwight Eisenhower (when he first crossed the German border, I believe) was that he (almost) regretted his German name. The internment of the Japanese-Americans should be examined from the perspective of the prevailing profound racism in the USA half a century earlier, not merely the "injustice in time of war" (O'Connell). Was Dwight Eisenhower a German-American or was he a white American with an incidental German name? If [president Franklin] Roosevelt appointed him chief commander because he was not a German-American but a product of the great American melting pot, then the question that begs to be answered is whether there was a paucity of Tanakas, or of other equally incidental Japanese names, also products of the great American melting pot, to be appointed to high military positions in the Japan theater of war during World War II. This is the most profound and significant question, the social crux. One has to be insightful and observant to understand and answer it. What would the physical appearance of these Tanakas be? Would they be the product of amalgamation with the Chens and Kims of Asian ancestry, or the Smiths and Schroeders of European ancestry, or both? Perhaps Tiger Woods and his blond wife, and later their children as thoughtful adults, can be expected to have the right insight.
Jeff Church
USA (Mar 2, '07)

Perhaps, yet here in Thailand (the homeland of Tiger Woods' mother), white expatriates are often bemused by (and cosmetics firms make big profits from) the extent to which some Thais disparage their own natural beauty and yearn for the fair skin and hair coloring of ethnic Europeans - viz the popularity of luk kreung (part Thai, part European) movie and television stars here. - ATol

It has been a good week on ATol. [F William] Engdahl can be commended for his latest analysis [When cowboys don't shoot straight, Mar 1], where he sifts through the evidence to demonstrate that the US nomenklatura does have a grand strategy for world domination, and is implementing it. Eschatological dreams of madmen, indeed, but madmen are not necessarily idiots; they may look so, they may talk so (and the US variety is outstandingly practiced at playing the brutish idiot), but watch out for their plans and their actions. US administrations - from [Richard] Nixon to Baby Bush, what a gallery! (I was too young for the preceding ones, but I'm told they could be interesting to watch too.) Obviously, the USA have been a fertile breeding ground for power-obsessed madmen, who happen to have at their disposal the weapons and the resources needed for realizing their planetary empire of Mickey Mouse fascism. [Dmitry] Shlapentokh, through his thought-provoking analysis of the US Disney World brand of totalitarianism [The totalitarian streak in the US, Mar 1], leaves a door open: Do the console-game fascists at the command of the USA really have the social structure and manpower means to achieve their grand strategy? Is their social ideology really compatible with their objectives? Possibly not, the accelerated degeneracy of the USA to a society of whining and hedonistic egoists not being a good human material for the masters of the world. So the glorious aim of a New American Century might in fine be out of reach for [Vice President Richard] Cheney et al - but power of nuisance and destruction, they have. And it must be said that the USA has been quite successful in having other peoples play little soldiers for them, and/or servile argentiers. On the other hand, non-US nomenklaturas, supposed to be submissive and dedicated soul and body to the hyper-and-sole-to-be Supreme Power, can adroitly play their weak hand and pursue their own agenda, like as many remoras sticking to the great stalking white shark. [M K] Bhadrakumar's and [Syed Saleem] Shahzad's latest contributions [Cheney meets a general in his labyrinth and Pakistan makes a deal with the Taliban, both Mar 1], where they bring the spotlight on the clever playing hand of the Pakistanis, will be fondly remembered by all amateurs of dry humor. Ah, these treacherous Orientals, they cannot be trusted as servants, you know.
Dr Bittar Gabriel Jivasattha
Switzerland and Australia (Mar 2, '07)

Your comments, and the excellent readership statistics we have enjoyed this week, support the view that ATol should not stray from our proven formula of interesting, controversial, thought-provoking and well-written articles not easily found elsewhere. - ATol

Firdousi [letter, Mar 1] certainly raised a very important point about your publication being an essential source of international news that should remain free. As there are many of us who do gladly pay for your excellent publication, may I make a suggestion? Let your publication complete with ads remain free. To benefit those who wish to pay something to keep your publication alive, a [US]$20 annual subscription sounds about right. Allow us to have a sign-on access to a version without the annoying ads. On each page of your website, have a password sign-on box that will hide the ads. Your advertisers will not miss attracting the eyeballs of your subscribers (their overriding concern) as their ads will appear on each page until we sign on to hide them. If we spot any ad of interest, we can always click on them first. For a higher subscription ($40?) allow these subscribers automatic access to participate in your forum. ATol will already have a valid identity from the online payment process that will discourage these subscribers from posting spam and offensive comments. A moderator can easily monitor this group.
Kelvin Mok (Mar 2, '07)

Re Saqib Khan's letter dated February 28: Japanese kamikaze pilots, Tamil Tigers, and Tibetan fighters are not referred to as "Buddhist terrorists" because they do not use Buddhism to rationalize their actions. The same can be said of Basques and Irish Republican Army terrorists with respect to whatever Christian beliefs they may hold. The term "Muslim terrorist" makes sense because most modern-day terrorists who are Muslims attempt to justify their actions through reference to the Koran and Hadith, and especially to the concept of "defensive" jihad contained therein. The vast majority of Muslim terrorists openly declare that they are guided entirely by their belief that they are fulfilling their obligations as Muslims. It is unfair to the memory of Japanese kamikaze pilots to speak of them in the same breath as Muslim terrorists. Kamikaze pilots fought with honor and dignity, striking only at military targets. Muslim terrorists who intentionally target civilians are among the most brutal, dishonorable barbarians the world has ever seen. A more appropriate comparison would be the Japanese soldiers who committed the "Rape of Nanking" or the American soldiers who massacred unarmed villagers in My Lai, Vietnam. Mr Khan takes issue with the claim that "Islam is inclined to terrorism". I partially agree with Mr Khan. Where we disagree is that I believe that Islam can be more readily used to justify violence than the other major religions. That is not to say that Islam is better or worse than any other organized religion. But it is obvious that Islam was involved in a great degree of violent conflict with other religions and pagan beliefs at or soon after its inception, and this early history of violent confrontation deeply marked it. Is it any wonder, then, that the Koran and Hadith, more than any other religion's scriptures, [have] so many references to how to confront and subjugate one's enemies, and when, and what manner of violence is justified? The predominant message of Islam is one of complete subservience to Allah, but it is this wellspring of violence, written into the Koran and Hadith, that modern-day preachers of hatred so easily draw from. Fortunately, there is now a slowly growing dialogue among Muslim scholars regarding the proper emphasis and applicability to the modern era of those aspects of Islam that lend themselves to hatred of, and violence toward, non-Islamic peoples. Whether such a dialogue can effectively counteract the effects of the daily propagandizing in the Muslim world that depicts Muslims everywhere as always "victims" rather than the truth that they are sometimes victims, sometimes aggressors, remains to be seen.
Geoffrey Sherwood
New Jersey, USA (Mar 2, '07)

Regarding the article Pakistan makes a deal with the Taliban [Mar 1]: [This] may result in one of the worst strategic plans by Pakistan. Pakistan is a regional power that can give the Taliban the necessary support against NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] but [this] could be an extremely costly act by Pakistan. It risks losing aid and support from the US and ending up being a [pariah] in the eyes of the Pentagon and US's allies. Such a brazen plan by Islamabad may even lead to closer strategic alliance between India and NATO. In the bloody war, [with] Pakistan's decision to cozy up to one of the United States' prime enemy, Pakistan stands in a net loss. One always gets burned when one decides to dance with the devil, something Islamabad cannot afford.
Chrysantha Wijeyasingha
Clinton, Louisiana (Mar 1, '07)

Syed Saleem Shahzad: I find your article [Pakistan makes a deal with the Taliban , Mar 1] very interesting, and it will be in Pakistan's interest to make Taliban [its] ally, after all the big pressure the Americans are putting on Pakistan. By the way, do you think the Taliban are very much stronger then before?
Abu Khatab (Mar 1, '07)

They are indeed very strong. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

Syed Saleem Shahzad: You say, "Whether it was former Afghan premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar or Taliban leader Mullah Omar, they refused to be totally Pakistan's men" [Pakistan makes a deal with the Taliban, Mar 1]. This seems quite logical to me, since [Pakistani President General Pervez] Musharraf had gotten into bed with global enemy No 1.
Keith Leal
Pincher Creek, Alberta (Mar 1, '07)

Syed Saleem Shahzad: Your article titled Pakistan makes a deal with the Taliban [Mar 1] Your article is baseless and contains unproven [claims]. This is negative propaganda against Pakistan ... There are thousands of Afghan people fighting against US/NATO occupying forces. Pakistan sees Afghanistan [as a] brother country and is cooperating with allied forces to bring peace in Afghanistan. Peace in Afghanistan means peace in Pakistan.
Kamran Shakoor
Pakistan (Mar 1, '07)

Syed Saleem Shahzad [re Pakistan makes a deal with the Taliban, Mar 1]: How accurate are these depictions to the facts on ground? How much damage does this article do to Pakistan?
Suleman Aziz (Mar 1, '07)

These are facts. When Pakistani policymakers devise any policy, they know what they are doing and very well understand that it will not be hidden from the eyes of others. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

Syed Saleem Shahzad: I was reading your article [Pakistan makes a deal with the Taliban, Mar 1]. It looked like a very well-written article initially, but when I reached the paragraph about Pakistan integrating subsystems from an unexploded Tomahawk cruise missile into a Russian surface-to-air missile, I was laughing my head off. Let me inform you that Tomahawk missiles are used to attack stationary ground targets, and use a completely different guidance system than a surface-to-air missile. The Tomahawk missile uses terrain mapping to identify its target, whereas the SA-7 uses infra-red imaging to chase its target aircraft. This lack of basic knowledge shows that you haven't done any research on the subject. I think you came up with this theory yourself and not from another source. Overall it cast a shadow over the reliability of this report.
Aneel
London, England (Mar 1, '07)

In Dmitry Shlapentokh's The totalitarian streak in the US [Mar 1] we are treated to a bunch of nonsensical musing of a Russian who blames the US for the collapse of the great Soviet Union. Communism has been defeated everywhere, [but] it reigns supreme on American college campuses. Just for the record, the US had very little to do with the collapse of the USSR - it collapsed because it was a corrupt failure as a state. We are subjected to his inane concept of the US as a totalitarian state. He writes [of] the "totalitarian streak that made it possible for the US to stand against the Soviet Union". First, the United States has free elections and the rule of law, something the USSR never had. America stood up to the Soviet Union because we did not want to be ruled by godless, lawless communists. He compares McCarthyism in the US - which I do not defend but which cost maybe 100 people their jobs - to communism, where 100 million people lost their lives. If he cannot see the difference between them, I cannot help him. His view [is that] the Cold War [was] a struggle between two empires and that there was a "small difference between the US and USSR". Complete nonsense: I don't believe US tanks were on the streets of Berlin and Paris in 1954 and 1968 killing Germans and Frenchman to maintain the American empire. However, Russian tanks were on the streets of Budapest and Prague in those years killing Hungarians and the people of Czechoslovakia to maintain the Russian empire. And just for the record, American defense spending at the height of the Cold War was around 6% percent of the US GDP [gross domestic product]. We are also told of the "hundreds of thousands of innocent Americans of Japanese descent [sent] to camps". Yes, this was a terrible injustice in a time of war, but the number was 120,000, and comparing American interment camps to the Russian gulags would be like comparing a five-star hotel to the Black Hole of Calcutta. The US system helped speed the collapse of the Soviet empire not because we were similar but we were so different and youth of the USSR didn't want to live in fear of being sent to a gulag but wanted a pair of blue jeans and to listen to the Beatles. The USSR had a crap culture and could not provide basic consumer items to its people. For some reason Mr Shlapentokh understates US deaths in World War II, Korea and Vietnam by 129,000, perhaps to lessen the US contribution to freedom. Also I resent his referring to the US military as a "mercenary army" - the US military is made up of some of the finest Americans and they fight for reasons of patriotism and honor. To see the difference between the US and USSR, just look at Afghanistan, where the USSR was bled dry for 10 years, lost over 20,000 dead and accomplished nothing. The US took less than two months and 100 dead to topple the Taliban. I do agree that we are living in a bubble economy; however, if the US economy goes into the toilet at 10am on a Thursday, the rest of the world will have joined the US by noon.
Dennis O'Connell
USA (Mar 1, '07)

Re When cowboys don't shoot straight [Mar 1] by F William Engdahl: This article is both alarming and alarmist, not necessarily in that order. Its basic premise may very well be correct, but the described events seem to be somewhat over-interpreted. First of all, Russia can't be surrounded. It can be [discomfited], alienated and even cordoned off from Europe at Europe's own peril, but surrounded? Can't be done - and should never be tried. Second, Russia's geopolitical cards are far better today than they've been at any point in the last 15-20 years. Both of its perceived adversaries - the West and militant Islam - are locked in a mortal embrace with no resolution in sight. Ukraine is slowly turning eastward. Kosovo is intractable. EU expansion is over. NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] soldiers are fighting and dying in Afghanistan protecting Russia's "soft underbelly". Eurasia is ascendant. Relations with China are excellent. Russian diplomacy is fleet-footed and nimble enough to partially compensate for still relatively modest, though fast-growing, economy. Third, the US is ill-equipped for any meaningful confrontation with Russia. With its economy tied down by enormous and growing financial leverage, its balance sheet at the precipice of accelerating deterioration, its currency in unprecedented disrespect, its political class paralyzed by addiction to status quo, and its foreign policy defeating no one but itself, the world's only superpower is reduced to doing what would bring Teddy Roosevelt to tears - namely talk loudly while carrying a thoroughly worn-out stick. Luckily for Russia, the Kremlin's body language betrays nothing but methodical calm. Military spending, while at a steep climb, is being kept within a steady ratio to gross domestic product. After witnessing first-hand how oversized arms expenditure can lead to national bankruptcy, Russians are perfectly content to counter all threats in a cost-effective fashion. They also believe that the United States is hubristic enough to render itself militarily harmless. There are very few people in Russia outside of psychiatric institutions who believe that America will risk war with Russia, even if its missile interceptors can disintegrate [a] few incoming warheads. In Munich, Vladimir Putin simply registered Russia's objections to destabilization of Europe and predicted the eventual demise of an American Imperium. The former should serve as a shock absorber if and when Russia opts out of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The latter [would] prove him a visionary once more. After all, it was Putin who counseled "his friend" George Bush against venturing into Iraq.
Oleg Beliakovich
Seattle, Washington (Mar 1, '07)

Resentment builds against China's wealthy by Kent Ewing (Mar 1) is a summary of well-publicized old and recent news about a number of corrupt Chinese officials and businessmen fleeing the country with their loot. It exposes, perhaps unintentionally, the hypocrisy of countries like Canada, which continues to stall deportation of such criminals on legal technicalities despite the fact that hard evidence is presented and non-execution is promised by the highest authority after they are returned for trial. In the meantime these "fugitives" enjoy a life of luxury and employ expensive lawyers with their money in the banks of the haven countries. China derives a small "compensation" in sending out warnings to would-be criminals by its earnestness to pursue prosecution.
S P Li (Mar 1, '07)

Hypocrisy is in the eye of the beholder. Apart from a few lawyers, Canadians derive no benefit from the presence of foreign felons in their country; it could therefore be argued that the real cause of certain extradition problems is some governments' refusal to abolish such practices as capital punishment and torture that are abhorrent to many civilized nations, not just Canada. - ATol

The temporary collapse of shares on the Shanghai stock exchange sent markets tumbling the world over. China sneezed and the world's financial markets caught a cold. Walter Molino's China's 'correction' rattles world markets [Mar 1] is informative but leaves out the fall in exchanges of its neighbors. The 9% fall in the Shanghai Composite Index sent shock waves in East, Southeast and South Asia which banks had not seen since the Thai meltdown in [1997]. Singapore lost 3%, Seoul 2.56%, Kuala Lumpur and Manila fell more than 8%, right up there with Shanghai. Although the wise old men in the world's central banks gravely pronounced urbi et orbithat China's fundamentals were basically sound, all the markets nonetheless are slow to rebound in spite of the optimism of the graybeards' pronouncement. In the panic that ensued [after] the Shanghai meltdown, China's [premier] added a whimsical note, proclaiming that China will maintain "socialism for 100 years"! This flies in the face of the glaring fact that China is firmly part and parcel of the world's capitalist system, and is subject to the caprice of the market which Adam Smith attributed to the invisible finger of a hidden higher power which influences economic behavior.
Jakob Cambria
USA (Mar 1, '07)

Commenting on the article US's Iraq oil grab is a done deal [Feb 28] by Pepe Escobar ... There is no order or discipline left in Iraq but chaos, anarchy and embedded civil war propagated by the USA for its capitalistic and political interests, financial gains and primarily to loot Iraqi oil ... Now the Iraqi government is preparing to allow foreign firms to exploit its oil and gas riches and, as the article says, the draft bill will be approved without any obstruction, opening the world's second-richest oil reserves to the Americans as it was the benchmark of G W Bush illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Iraq's oil reserves are among the world's largest and since the invasion, production had fallen to 1.3 million barrels a day, but under the new plan, foreign companies will take over the production and reap the benefits. Though the Iraqi oil minister, Hussein Shahristani (a Shi'a), promised that oil and gas resources will be the "property of the Iraqi people" and the revenue distributed equally among the regions, the Sunnis, who live mainly in oil-poor areas, know that they would be worse off as long as the Shi'a government rules Iraq and oil profits are controlled by the Shi'a majority ...
Saqib Khan
UK (Mar 1, '07)

On the subject of my discussion of malnutrition and poverty rates [letter, Feb 28], ATol questioned my sources. For the malnutrition rate the source is UNICEF [United Nations Children's Fund]; for poverty rates of China, the World Bank, and for the US, the US Census Bureau. If it is a question of apples and oranges, why are there discussions of rates as a way to get countries to improve their status? OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development], UN, WHO [World Health Organization], UNICEF etc compile stats for this purpose.
May Sage
USA (Mar 1, '07)

This is a real "thunderbolt" on me that you are going to charge a subscription fee for ATol. ATol is the second-most-important thing in my life after studies. Most of my student friends have the same opinion. The quality of your articles and the writers and contributors [is] next to none. It is the only source for [us] poor students for quality analysis of news and views. ATol deserves real appreciation for enlightening thousands of people who cannot afford to subscribe for similar services. Please do not deprive us and a lot of poor Pakistanis and East Asians of this [alternative] source.
Firdousi (Mar 1, '07)

We have made no decision to charge a subscription fee; that is only one of several options we are looking at to improve our revenue situation. We are fully aware of how valuable our resource is to students and educators; please rest assured that our eventual decision will be made taking in the views not only of our sponsors and investors, but of readers such as yourself and your colleagues. Thank you for taking the time to tell us your opinion on the matter. - ATol

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) led by the USA is becoming more and more aggressive, and thinks it can intervene and destroy any weak nation at will. What was purely a defensive alliance throughout the Cold War is revealing itself as an aggressive inter-state police force circumventing the UN. Afghanistan is the latest example of NATO's global misadventure. In Italy, Prime Minister Romano Prodi's government has lost a very crucial foreign-policy vote in the Senate over the government's continuing Prodi's predecessor's pro-US policies. The issue was the continued deployment of 2,000 Italian troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO contingent. There have been mass protests in the country. This means that more and more people in Europe are becoming convinced that NATO has become an instrument in the hands of the US to threaten and browbeat weaker nations. It is time to consider dismantling NATO.
Dr Abdul Ruff Colachal
New Delhi, India (Mar 1, '07)

February Letters

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