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Myanmar
tilts towards civil war
Escalating conflict between Myanmar's new government and Kachin, Karen and Shan
rebels threatens to roll back the foray into "disciplined democracy", while the
increased attacks and looming flood of refugees risk ties with China and
Thailand. Naypyidaw could have addressed army morale rather than buying
advanced weapons useless for jungle combat, and is forced to rely on the
insurgency's historic failure to unite. - Brian McCartan
(Jun 28, '11)
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The second freedom flotilla
sails
There is little doubt a confrontation is brewing as the "Freedom Flotilla II"
sets sail to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, but whether it will be as
deadly and controversial as the previous sea-borne attempt is open to question.
What is clear is that whereas earlier flotillas carried cargos of humanitarian
aid, organizers say this year's load is distinctly political.
- Victor Kotsev (Jun 28, '11)
US invigorates policy at Gaza's
expense
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned an aid flotilla not
to challenge Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, invoking Israelis' right to
defend themselves in language that suggests Washington backs a response similar
in intensity to the Mavi Marmara raid. After flip-flopping on the Arab
Spring, the US has found its voice. Gazans likely wish it had kept silent. - Ramzy
Baroud (Jun 28, '11)
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 SUN
WUKONG
CCP rediscovers
democracy, at 90
As the Chinese Communist Party celebrates its 90th birthday and prepares for
new leaders, it is re-implementing Mao Zedong's early ideas of intra-party
democracy. Chairman Mao believed his democratic model would allow the party to
avoid the fate of vanquished dynasties. Now, with the "on horseback"
revolutionary leaders long gone, votes are the only way to confer legitimacy. - Wu
Zhong (Jun 28, '11)
THE ROVING EYE
On crimes against humanity
The banality and gall of evil are in full display as perhaps the last batch of
senior Khmer Rouge face justice over the deaths of two million people in the
killing fields of Cambodia. Hanging over the tribunal is the specter of an
American Empire that back then put superpower "engagement" above concerns of
despotic pathology. Its old chains still rattle today, in the Middle East.
- Pepe Escobar (Jun 28, '11)
Push and pull in Obama's
withdrawal
United States President Barack Obama's decision to surge 33,000 troops into
Afghanistan in late 2009 was one of the most critical moments of his
presidency. Equally important is the timetable he has set out to bring all of
the soldiers home by 2014. Many of Obama's critics claim he is acting for
political gains. So, is he a "pragmatic idealist" or a "naive realist"?
- Dinesh Sharma (Jun 28, '11)
Taliban add song to the armory
Music might seem odd for a movement that once banned it, but the Taliban is
stirring emotions with patriotic songs and video clips that have drawn young
Afghans to the insurgents' cause. For all their hearts-and-minds work, touching
people at a personal level is a tactic that the Afghan government and its
international allies have largely failed to master.
- Hejratullah Ekhtiyar (Jun 28, '11)
Iran carves out an AfPak hub
The United States was the key suspect at Iran's anti-terrorism conference, with
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei expressing solidarity with his
Pakistani and Afghan guests over the US's "shameful and unforgettable" excesses
in the AfPak region. While Tehran has the most interest in forging a tripartite
alliance, apprehensions in Islamabad and Kabul over the US's Afghan intentions
make the overtures timely. - M K Bhadrakumar (Jun
27, '11)
The real face of Hizbul Tehrir
Pakistan army Brigadier Ali Khan and other arrested officers were inspired by
shadowy al-Qaeda-linked Hizbul Tehrir in planning a coup to convert the country
into a pure Islamic state, according to interrogators. In recent years largely
an export of British Islamists of Pakistani origin, the group targets the
military and social elite against leaders they claim are putting American
interests first. - Amir Mir (Jun 27, '11)
European harakiri in
Libya
As French and British jets fly sorties over Libya, claims that they are
rescuing the people from state-sponsored massacres raise the question of why
they are so ready to empty depleted coffers to gain a Pyrrhic military victory
even as protests of economic distress cause havoc at home. As Germany shows,
achieving stability for a crisis-plagued economy is a wiser goal for Europe.
- Sreeram Chaulia (Jun 27, '11)
 SPENGLER
Poisoning the well
of animal welfare
The Dutch parliament votes this week on a bill to ban kosher slaughter on
supposed humane grounds. This flies in the face of a three millennia-long
Jewish regard for painless killing, and poisons the well from which the concept
of the sanctity of life is drawn. It would be bitter irony if the Netherlands
were to defy its history of religious tolerance in the specious pursuit of
animal welfare. (Jun 27, '11)
Politics in China's exam system
China's grad-school examinations keep a crucial politics section in which wrong
answers are calamitous given today's job market. Testing students on Beijing's
brand of socialism, questions such as those on "Marxism's scientific nature"
appear outdated amid flourishing capitalism. But with a "New Left" rising and a
new generation of leaders preparing to take charge, "patriotic education" is
set to expand.
- Eric Fish (Jun 27, '11)
India hedges its bets in Myanmar
India's External Affairs Minister S M Krishna visited Myanmar last week bearing
gifts such as transport, capacity building and food security projects, in a
"people-centric" departure from New Delhi's historic wooing of the ruling
generals to check Chinese influence. While another official met pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the initiative is a nod to Myanmar's elections rather
than a shift in foreign policy.
- Sudha Ramachandran (Jun 27, '11)
 Nine
war words that define our world
Nine common terms associated with the United States' wars probably don't mean
what you think they mean. These range from victory (the verbal equivalent of a
Yeti) to enemy (any super-evil pipsqueak on whose back you can raise at least
$1.2 trillion a year for the National Security Complex). Since you live in a
21st century in a perpetual state of war, you might consider making them your
own.
- Tom Engelhardt (Jun 27, '11)
Singapore casinos defy odds
A year after the grand opening of Marina Bay Sands, the casino resort and rival
Resorts World Sentosa together make more revenue than the Las Vegas Strip and
are helping to fuel an economic boom in Singapore. That has not silenced
concern over moral and social costs. - Muhammad Cohen
(Jun 27, '11)
Costs rise in 'worst industrial
disaster'
 Some
of the consequences of "the biggest industrial catastrophe in the history of
mankind" at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan are fairly mundane - economic
and technical. In a broader sense, the nuclear industry is doing some major
soul-searching, and seems set for a period of decline. The global economy will
face reshuffles, as will the world's energy market. - Victor Kotsev
(Jun 24, '11)
Obama puts the heat on Pakistan
Pakistan's military, its reputation sullied by the American raid that killed
Osama bin Laden and arrests of officers over alleged links to militants, is
feeling the heat as United States President Barack Obama holds up the threat of
another solo operation on its turf. Being kept out of the loop on US talks with
the Taliban and plans that could undermine its border add to the angst.
- Karamatullah K Ghori (Jun 24, '11)
 BOOK
REVIEW
A black man from
Kenya and a white
woman from Kansas
A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother
by Janny Scott
The Obamas: The Untold Story of an African Family by Peter
Firstbrook
While Barack Obama's Kansas-born mother was a trail-blazing globalist whose
idealism gave the United States president access to the progressive soul of
America, his intelligence, resourcefulness and ambition can be traced back
several generations in his economist father's African bloodline. Obama's own
books openly discuss his roots, but these works paint a clearer picture of his
two guiding lights.
- Dinesh Sharma (Jun 24, '11)
<IT WORLD>
Firefox refreshes itself
A new version of the popular Firefox browser is available only three months
after the previous iteration, signaling Mozilla's determination to keep up with
its rivals. Among these, Google is being hunted down by US regulators, who
claim it manipulates its search results into steering users towards its own
sites and services.
Martin J Young surveys the week's developments in computing, science,
gaming and gizmos. (Jun 24, '11)
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Asia Times Online fund
A fund has been established for the family of Syed Saleem Shahzad - his wife
Anita, two sons aged 14 and seven, and daughter aged 12. Asia Times Online's
Pakistan bureau chief was killed last month. For details of the bank account
number to which donations can be sent, please
click here. Please note that payment can no longer be made via Paypal.
Tributes to Saleem
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Bangladesh
wins
China pledges
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dipu Moni received welcome assurances of support
and development assistance from China's Vice President Xi Jinping during her
eight-day visit to Beijing. She left with backing for her country's telecoms
industry and hopes of cash to build a deep-sea port. - Syed Tashfin Chowdhury
Taiwan keeps gates chained
Taiwan's rejection of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts' bid to take Taipei-listed Yageo
Crop private supports suggestions that the island is more protectionist than
the attractive investment destination it claims to be - unless the regulators'
concern over leverage and other issues is a sign they know their job. - Jens
Kastner
EU aid plan dies
A European Union bid to help flood-hit Pakistan by easing access for the
country's exports has failed to win World Trade Organization approval, thanks
to opposition from other exporters and within the EU itself. Delays and
adjustments had already reduced any impact the package might have had. - Syed
Fazl-e-Haider
THE BEAR'S LAIR
Greece can share Byng's fate
You cannot subject a country to the firing squad for inept performance in the
field, the fate of Admiral John Byng. But other measures are possible. In the
case of Greece, that would include compelling its residents to live on what
they can actually produce. - Martin Hutchinson
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Red alert
Italy is now clearly on the dark side of the eurozone debt crisis following
downgrade warnings for its banks, yet the absence of a dramatic response in
equity prices suggests the markets have bought into the notion that
policymakers will prevent things from spiraling out of control.
(Jun 27, '11)
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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Turkey
toughens its
stand on Syria
No sooner than the Turkish parliamentary elections were out of the way, a more
robust intervention by the reelcted leadership of Recep Erdogan in Ankara in
Syrian upheaval has begun. Turkish press has been highlighting a steady flow of
Syrian 'refugees' across the border - obviously, building up a case for
intervention. For the first time, the Turkish government is encouraging
journalists to meet the refugees... - M K Bhadrakumar
Deflation ahead
There are plenty of reasons why the United States can expect deflation, not
least the austerity programs being forced on local governments and the
administration's suppression of the risk-taking, entrepreneurial side of the
economy. - David P Goldman
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[Re Ysais Martinez letter, Jun 21] I'd just like to be somewhere in the world
where the US Marines were absent, because if they are there in a democracy
(Japan) they are nothing but trouble, and if they are there when there is no
democracy, they are there to support a dictatorship.
Miles Tompkins
Canada
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