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Do the China-Pakistan pipeline shuffle

Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Aljazeera - By Pepe Escobar - May. 27 (Opinion) - China is adamant that the West "must respect" Pakistan's sovereignty. The message was delivered during Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani's recent four-day visit to Beijing, The Times of India reconstructed the message as a stark warning that: "any attack on Pakistan would be construed as an attack on China."

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US-Saudi Deal on Libya Exposed: Obama OK'ed Bahrain Invasion in Exchange for 'Yes' Vote on "No-Fly Zone"

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By Pepe Escobar - Apr. 03 (News Analysis) - Two diplomatic sources at the United Nations independently confirmed that Washington, via Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, gave the go-ahead for Saudi Arabia to invade Bahrain and crush the pro-democracy movement in their neighbor in exchange for a "yes" vote by the Arab League for a no-fly zone over Libya - the main rationale that led to United Nations Security Council resolution 1973.

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Pakistan ready for Middle East role

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Asia Times - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Apr. 01 (News) - With a broad Sunni Muslim bloc of countries lining up against an emerging Shi'ite crescent in the Middle East, Sunni-majority and nuclear-armed Pakistan could play an important - albeit somewhat reluctant - role.

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China forges uranium pact with Kazakhstan

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Asia Times - Mar. 30 - China forges uranium pact with Kazakhstan

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SE Asia weighs gains and losses from 'quake

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 03:06:17 -0700

Asia Times - Mar. 17 - Fears that Japan's catastrophes will destabilize its trade and investment position in Southeast Asia are countered by prospects of the region's role in rebuilding efforts and pledges that Japanese-backed projects in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam will be unaffected. - Sara Schonhardt

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Japan's nuclear disaster spooks India

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:49:22 -0700

Asia Times - Mar. 16 - India's nuclear agency has defended existing reactors and planned new plants as Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant teeters towards meltdown, claiming safer designs and locations ensure they will withstand earthquakes and tsunamis. The disaster, though, has reawakened fears over accident preparedness, as well as over "unproven" technologies to be implemented at a proposed plant set to become the world's largest. - Sudha Ramachandran (Mar 16, '11)

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China takes no chances

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Asia Times - Feb. 04 - Washington TimesChina takes no chancesAsia Times OnlineTo forestall anti-government riots in China, the CCP leadership has the past several weeks spotlighted the "close-to-the-masses" persona of senior cadres. ...LEE: Watching Egypt crumbleWashington TimesChina's Views of the Unrest in the Middle EastCouncil on Foreign Relations (blog)CHINA – EGYPT Beijing censors Egypt protestsSpero NewsWired News (blog) -Deccan Chronicle -DAWN.comall 22 news articles »

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Food and failed Arab states

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Asia Times - By Spengler - Feb. 02 (Opinion) - Not the destitute, to be sure, but the aspiring and frustrated young, confronted the riot police and army on the streets of Egyptian cities last week. The uprising in Egypt and Tunisia were not food riots; only in Jordan have demonstrators made food the main issue. Rather, the jump in food prices was the wheat-stalk that broke the camel's back. The regime's weakness, in turn, reflects the dysfunctional character of the country. 35% of all Egyptians, and 45% of Egyptian women can't read. Nine out of ten Egyptian women suffer genital mutilation. US President Barack Obama said Jan. 29, "The right to peaceful assembly and association, the right to free speech, and the ability to determine their own destiny … are human rights. And the United States will stand up for them everywhere." Does Obama think that genital mutilation is a human rights violation? To expect Egypt to leap from the intimate violence of traditional society to the full rights of a modern democracy seems whimsical.

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US bends to Pakistan's Afghan wish

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Asia Times - By M K Bhadrakumar - Jan. 10 (Special Report) - US bends to Pakistan's Afghan wish. The unscheduled visit by United States Vice President Joe Biden to Islamabad this week underscores Washington's embarrassment and anxiety that it stands excluded from a regional initiative on Afghan peace process that could be about to take off. The rapid sequence of events over the past fortnight has taken Washington by surprise.

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The war that won't end

Mon, 24 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Asia Times - By Ronan Thomas - May. 24 (Special Report) - June marks 60 years since the start of The Korean War of 1950-1953, a bitterly-contested conflict inspired by intense Cold War geo-strategic rivalry and competing West/East ideologies. The history is well known yet has daily relevance for North Asia's regional military, foreign policy and societal discourse. Visceral North-South Korean enmities persist, left from a conflict which ended in stalemate. Just last week, an international report concluded that North Korea sank the South Korean gunboat Cheonan on March 26, killing 46 of her crew. Pyongyang disputes this and is now rattling its own sabres.

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Terrorism: The nuclear summit's 'straw man'

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 04:16:31 -0700

Asia Times - Apr. 15 - For most of the world - particularly the Middle East and South Asia - inter-state conflict presents a much greater threat of nuclear annihilation than from terrorism. This week's security summit deflects from that more salient problem of disarmament, setting up a straw man in its place. This is because the atomic arsenals of the US's allies maintain a strategic balance that is favorable to Washington. - Shibil Siddiqi (Apr 15, '10)

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US reaps bitter 'Tulip' revolution harvest

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Asia Times - Apr. 09 - The people's revolt in Kyrgyzstan threatens the investment the United States has made in hopes of ensuring its military presence in the strategically placed country, particularly at Manas air base. Coming as the end game in Afghanistan slides into view and as the US accelerates its plans for strategic expansion into Central Asia, the events in Bishkek - where much will depend on interim leader Roza Otunbayeva - are most untimely for Washington. - M K Bhadrakumar (Apr 9, '10)

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Karzai faces anger in Marjah

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Asia Times - By Aziz Ahmad Tassal - Mar. 18 (Opinion) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai faced an angry reception from people in the southern town of Marjah following a major military assault against the Taliban.

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Marjah fears return of warlords

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Asia Times - By Mohammed Elyas Daee, Abubakar Siddique - Mar. 10 (News Report) - his most impassioned and telling appeal...was for karzai to avoid repeating a past mistake: do not hand over control of local affairs to former militia commanders or other "people with influence"

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MARKET RAP : Steady as they go

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Asia Times - Mar. 08 - US jobs data and the prospect of a resolution to the Greek debt crisis encouraged strong and steady advances across Asia's stock markets last week. More gains, however, will be required before they break out of medium-term trading ranges, and risk appetite may yet prove fragile. R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups and downs in the week's markets

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The meaning of Marjah

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Asia Times - By Kamran Bokhari, Peter Zeihan, Nathan Hughes - Feb. 17 (News Analysis) - Why Marjah? The key is the geography of Afghanistan and the nature of the conflict itself. Most of Afghanistan is custom-made for a guerrilla war. Much of the country is mountainous, encouraging local identities and militias, as well as complicating the task of any foreign military force. The country's aridity discourages dense population centers, making it very easy for irregular combatants to melt into the countryside. Afghanistan lacks navigable rivers or ports, drastically reducing the region's likelihood of developing commerce. No commerce to tax means fewer resources to fund a meaningful government or military and encourages the smuggling of every good imaginable - and that smuggling provides the perfect funding for guerrillas.

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China feels US-Iran fallout

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Asia Times - By Peter Lee - Feb. 12 (News Analysis) - The question of the day in Washington is will the People's Republic of China veto further United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran over Tehran's nuclear program? Informed opinion says "no".

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AN INDIA-PAKISTAN TEST : India papers over cracks

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Asia Times - By Chietigj Bajpaee - Feb. 09 (News Analysis) - The silver lining in the current climate may be a narrow window of opportunity created by a relatively stable government in India, which may accelerate momentum for renewed dialogue. Indian policymakers have little appetite for renewed conflict with Pakistan.

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US woos India back to the Bush era

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Asia Times - By M K Bhadrakumar - Jan. 25 (News Analysis) - Delhi has opted to hitch its wagon to Washington's strategy. Delhi's choice is limited. Pakistan has done everything possible to keep India out of any regional frameworks, such as Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan, Turkey-Afghanistan-Pakistan or the Organization of Islamic Conference initiative. Other like-minded countries that abhor religious militancy such as Russia, Uzbekistan and Iran have their own agenda born out of national interests.

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Islamabad dismayed by 'dithering' US

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Asia Times - By Zahid U Kramet - Oct. 22 (News Analysis) - As White House officials continue to debate the call of the United States' military chief in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, for an additional force of 40,000 to win the war against Taliban insurgents in the Afghanistan-Pakistan war theater, the overall impression in Pakistan is that rather than any decisive victory, the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are now looking for a face-saving exit to leave Pakistan to face the brunt of the fallout - once again.

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A new battle begins in Pakistan

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Asia Times - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Oct. 19 (News Analysis) - Pakistani troops are pouring into the South Waziristan tribal area for a conflict against militants that they have little chance of winning outright. The offensive does, though, emphatically shift the focus from Afghanistan, which is what the United States has wanted for some time. Iran, following Sunday's attack on commanders of its Revolutionary Guards Corps, also has Pakistan on its mind. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Oct 19, '09)

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Going 'deep', not 'big', in Afghanistan

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Asia Times - By Gareth Porter - Oct. 16 (News Report) - An analysis making waves in Washington by a veteran United States officer calls for the withdrawal of the bulk of United States combat forces from Afghanistan over 18 months, warning against General Stanley McChrystal's counter-insurgency strategy. Lieutenant Colonel Daniel L Davis says that it is already too late for US forces to defeat the insurgency.

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October surprise in US-Iran relations

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Asia Times - By Kaveh L Afrasiabi - Oct. 02 (News Analysis) - The meeting on Thursday between Iran and the six countries dealing with its nuclear case resulted in agreement for a follow-up encounter, in itself an important development, given the heated atmosphere in the lead-up to the talks. As significant, the United States and Iran made an initial direct contact, raising hopes of a real breakthrough. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Oct 2, '09)

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Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Asia Times - By Chan Akya - Oct. 02 (Special Report) - Behind the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka and the killing of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud are stories of countries creating bands of terrorists to do things that were impossible for those in power to be seen to be doing directly. In this dangerous game, blowback is inevitable. (Oct 2, '09)

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Middle East News, Iraq, Iran current affairs

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Asia Times - By Jim Lobe - Sep. 28 (News Report) - Iran, as if on cue, ahead of international talks this week on its nuclear program, on Sunday and Monday test-fired both long-range and short-range missiles. Coming hard on the heels of reports of a second Iranian plant to enrich uranium, Tehran has some explaining to do.

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