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Strippers, Georgia on
Russian-US minds
 As the United States-Russian
"reset" turns to an "upset", thoughtful Russians
suspect that, like American missiles in the Black
Sea, Russian strippers are being deployed by a
third party in an attempt to trigger a conflict at
the top of Kremlin politics. A vitriolic US senate
demand for Moscow to end its military
presence in Georgia's breakaway regions is also
exercising minds.
- M
K Bhadrakumar (Aug
5, '11)
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US drags
its feet in Iraq
Iraqi politicians appear
ready to give ground as the United States
pushes for some troops to stay beyond the
year-end withdrawal date to "train" Iraqi forces,
even if keeping tabs on the oil-producing Kurdish
heartland is the real reason to linger.
With wounds inflicted by mercenary contractors still
raw, the sticking point for Iraq is the
issue of immunity for US trainers.
-
Karamatullah K Ghori (Aug 5, '11)
Syrian unrest charges Lebanese
tinderbox
The
protests and violent counter-protests in Syria are
echoed in Tripoli, the second-largest city in
Lebanon and a microcosm of the treacherous field
of Lebanese politics. Recent clashes in the city
show that sectarianism remains a tinderbox, with
the specter of competing factions in the country
and beyond keen to enter the fray.
- Chris Zambelis (Aug 5, '11)
INTERVIEW
Test begins for
new Tibetan PM in exile
 Newly-elected prime minister
of the Tibetan government in exile, Lobsang
Sangay, will be officially sworn in on August 8
amid high expectations for the first Tibetan
premier since the Dalai Lama retired from
politics. In an exclusive interview, Sangay says
the movement to free Tibet from Chinese rule will
likely see "justice or defeat" in his lifetime,
and that conditions inside Tibet are "tragic".
- Saransh Sehgal (Aug 5, '11)
US silent
on Iran's Kurdish raids
Washington won't comment on claims it tacitly
supports Iranian efforts against the Kurdish Party
of Free Life for Kurdistan and the Mujahideen-e
Khalq - outfits the United States deems terrorist
organizations. While shelling of the Kurdish
group's hideout suits US interests, American
officials say emptying the cult-like MEK's camp
could provoke a mass suicide.
- Barbara
Slavin (Aug 5,
'11)
US
steps up pressure on Syria
The
United States is edging towards openly calling for
regime change in Syria, saying that President
Bashar al-Assad is the cause of the instability in
which more than 1,600 people have been killed in a
government crackdown. At the same time, new
sanctions coordinated with the European Union
against the regime and its supporters are being
prepared.
- Jim Lobe (Aug 5, '11)
 BOOK
REVIEW
J Street
battles for Jewish hearts and
minds
A New Voice for
Israel: Fighting for the Survival of the Jewish
Nation by Jeremy Ben-Ami
This manifesto of
"pro-Israel, pro-peace" lobby J Street and memoir
of leader Jeremy Ben-Ami lays out the group's
strategy to steer United States policy on the
Middle East towards favoring a two-state solution.
While J Street is emerging as a strong voice,
forces aligned against it - Christian Zionists,
neo-conservative think-tanks and the Israel Lobby
- exert a powerful grip on US foreign policy.
- Mitchell Plitnick (Aug 5, '11)
US business guru loses Afghan battle
Paul Brinkley won his spurs at the Pentagon by helping slash unemployment and
attract United States investment in Iraq. That he fell victim in Afghanistan to
policy feuding shows liberals and conservatives alike have little stomach for
diverting resources from the armed forces and ineffective aid into doing what
America does best as a nation of merchants. - Mark Perry
(Aug 4, '11)
Engineer
dismantles facade
of Japan's nuclear industry
Nuclear engineer Koide Hiroaki has emerged at the forefront of Japan's nuclear
power debate with scathing critiques of the industry, its fatal assumptions,
and the huge waste in resources it attracts. How long a sentence should be
meted out for the fraud involved? 100 years per official would about do it. - Koide
Hiroaki (Aug 4, '11)
Tokyo
at peace with
inflows of China cash
Chinese funds are flooding into the Japanese securities markets, and finding a
warm welcome, despite local antagonism towards Chinese themselves. It is a far
cry from the defensive response of the United States when its businesses
attract Asian interest. - Hussain Khan (Aug
4, '11)
Rebels take high ground in
western Libya
Libyan rebels have retaken the vital mountain supply hub of Nalut through a
combination of crude artillery fire, Western air strikes and Qatari-supplied
arms, with an assault on Muammar Gaddafi loyalists after suffering weeks of
rocket barrages. The victory opens a road to Tripoli, but belies the rebels'
bravado to win the fight without intervention. - Derek Henry Flood
(Aug 4, '11)
A revolving CIA door in Pakistan
The United States Central Intelligence Agency's station chief has left
Islamabad prematurely, seemingly under pressure from Pakistan's military and
intelligence establishments. His departure follows hard on the heels of the
previous chief, who also left earlier than scheduled. This threatens to upset a
vital office that is supposed to play a key role in the region to ensure the
success of the US-led "war on terror". - Amir Mir
(Aug 4, '11)
 SUN
WUKONG
DaVinci and the price of vanity
Pride about their nation's economic miracle hasn't stopped people in China from
worshipping all things foreign. As the newly rich flaunt their wealth, there is
a golden opportunity for reaping profits from goods sold as imported but
actually made in China - a product of vanity that one aptly named local company
has admitted using to its advantage. - Wu Zhong
(Aug 4, '11)
A secret war in 120 countries
Boasting a budget of US$9.8 billion, command personnel numbering 60,000,
extra-legal powers and an extensive network of secret prisons, the United
States' rapidly expanding Special Operations forces have grown into an
"industrial-scale counter-terrorism killing machine". The Osama Bin Laden raid
was just one example of how hunter-killer units once deemed "special" for being
small, tight-knit, outsiders now stand out for their superhuman aura. - Nick
Turse (Aug 4, '11)
Russia reaches out to Iran
Russia and Iran are seeking an end to the US's pre-eminence in the Middle East
as neither stands to gain from an unstable region. However,with Moscow
embarking on intensive dialogue with Tehran on strategic and nuclear issues
over the coming fortnight, both have a long way to go to become partners in a
substantive Middle East project.
- M K Bhadrakumar (Aug 3, '11)
Soon in Hong Kong: Invasion of the Amahs
Landmark legal cases involving foreign maids in Hong Kong seeking permanent
residency have led the largest political party to paint a nightmare scenario of
the island being overrun by Southeast Asian domestic workers and their
families, with the race-baiting scoring a hit among a population wary of rising
unemployment and ballooning housing costs. - Kent Ewing
(Aug 3, '11)
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MARKET
RAP
Asia
joins rout
The
panic sell-off that saw US equities crash
overnight continued into Asia on Friday, with
Hong Kong and Taiwan leading the way down with
falls of more than 5%. With little sign of fresh
ideas to resolve Europe's debt crisis or revive
the US economy, a sense of fear is likely to
linger.
R M Cutler runs his eye
over the ups and downs in the week's
markets.
REUVEN
BRENNER
Less
aid an opportunity
Tight times in the United
States and Europe mean less cash for
international aid. That is an opportunity for
the usual recipients in Africa and elsewhere to
put their houses - and capital markets - in
order and discover they can grow without
handouts. China has shown it can be done.
The
danger within
Internet security
company McAfee's discovery of breaches of
computers across dozens of companies,
organizations and governments in 14 countries
once again has fingers pointing to China as the
source of the problem. Victims' reluctance to
recognize they have been attacked does not
help.
Martin J Young surveys the
week's developments in computing, gaming and
gizmos. |
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Reality ignored
As negotiations to avoid a US debt ceiling debacle approached deadline, the
Treasury market enjoyed another rally! The divergences between market
perceptions of "moneyness" and deterioration in underlying creditworthiness are
the trappings of crises of confidence. (Jul 29, '11)
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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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 in May. 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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Chinamerica goes on vacation
The recent weeks’ tense moments over an American default passed India by. This only shows how little India counts as a globalized economy, how shallow are our self-conceptions as an "emerging power" whose views are listened to with rapt attention in the G-20.
- M K Bhadrakumar
Senseless
On fundamentals, the stock plunge makes no sense. We've never had this kind of market bloodshed with corporate earnings above 7% and the monetary authorities ready to provide unlimited liquidity to the market. But there are falling knives which no one should try to catch.
- David Goldman
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