Pakistan

‘Half of US citizens live below poverty’

2012-01-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

Almost half of the Americans are living under the poverty line and considered as poor according to the US Census Bureau.

Sheldon Danziger, professor in University of Michigan who is a specialist in poverty said, “safety net programs such as food stamps and tax credits kept poverty from rising even higher in 2010, but for many low-income families with work-related and medical expenses, they are considered too `rich' to qualify.”

Danziger also said “the reality is that prospects for the poor and the near poor are dismal … If Congress and the states make further cuts, we can expect the number of poor and low-income families to rise for the next several years.”

The American establishment has not learned any lessons so far and as a result it is unable to protect its citizens from the poverty. If the American establishment fails to act quickly then its own citizens will rise against it to protect their rights.

The Taliban are not the enemy of USA

2011-12-28T22:08:00.000-08:00

USA is trying to appease the Taliban so that it can have safe passage to escape from Afghanistan after suffering defeat. This policy of appeasement is gathering momentum after Pakistan has banned NATO supply convoys.

In a bizarre statement the US Vice President Joe Biden‏ said, “Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy… There is not a single statement that the president has ever made in any of our policy assertions that the Taliban is our enemy, because it threatens U.S. interests.” This statement raised the important question of why USA attacked Afghanistan, if the Taliban were not the enemies of USA.

US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney labeled Biden's remarks and President Obama's belief that the Taliban are not the enemy as “bizarre, factually wrong and an outrageous affront our troops carrying out the fight in Afghanistan.” Romney said, “The statement is typical of the Obama administration’s foreign policy of appeasement.”

USA attacked Afghanistan to contain China and to control oil and gas deposits in the Central Asia. However, this strategy has backfired due to defeat of USA and its Western allies in Afghanistan. Now, Pakistan has stopped NATO supply route from its territory, as a result USA’s policy of appeasement of the Taliban is becoming vital.

The West’s policy to contain China is gathering momentum

2011-11-27T06:46:00.000-08:00

US President Barack Obama announced US Marine base in Darwin during his visit to Australia. His address to Australian Parliament was full of veiled threats to China. USA is preparing its Western allies for a potential war with China.

Obama said, “As we end today's wars, I have directed my national security team to make our presence and mission in the Asia Pacific a top priority. As a result, reductions in US defence spending will not - I repeat, will not - come at the expense of the Asia Pacific… The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay. Indeed, we're already modernising America's defence posture across the Asia-Pacific”.

USA is taking advantage of tensions between Vietnam and China. It is trying to lure Burma as well in an attempt to contain China from South China Sea to the Indian Ocean. Obama said, “We'll have new opportunities to train with other allies and partners, from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean… So let there be no doubt: in the Asia Pacific in the 21st century, the United States of America is all in”.

USA and its Western allies are teetering towards the bankruptcy. Hence, it is unwise to waste resources in a futile attempt to contain China. USA and its allies would lose this war, as they lost wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Great Game: China, Islam and the West

2011-10-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

It is too early to suggest with certainty that the West is forging close ties with the Islamists like it has during the cold war as a part of the Great Game. However, there is growing evidence that the western establishment wants to use the Muslims to contain China like it used them against Russia.

United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has shown concerns about the reports from China of government harassment of Uighur Muslims. The western governments were also very sympathetic towards the Uyghur detainees at Guantanamo Bay. USA released five Chinese Uighur Muslims from the Guantanamo Bay detention center to seek asylum in Albania.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said, “the five people accepted by the Albanian side are by no means refugees but terrorist suspects … We think they should be repatriated to China … accepting the Guantanamo suspects as refugees violates the U.N. Charter and international law”. Beijing regards the Xinjiang based East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a terrorist group and alleges that the group has links with al-Qaeda.

The Western establishment has shown willingness to hold talks with the Taliban. From Hillary Clinton to Paul Wolfowitz and from Hamid Karzai to the former head of MI5, all they want is to negotiate with the Taliban and even with al-Qaeda. United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed for reconciliation with Taliban in her recent visit to Afghanistan.

The Western establishment is also becoming very cozy with the so called Muslim fundamentalists in the Middle East and North Africa. Libyan rebel leader, Abdul Hakim Belhaj says MI6 helped CIA arrest him and send him to Libya for torture but now he is an ally of the USA. Belhaj allegedly had links with al-Qaeda and other extremist groups according to the Western media.

Islamist party in Tunisia has claimed the victory in recent elections. However, the West is quite about these advances by the Islamists in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and other parts of the Arab world. The West is also supporting China's Muslim Uighurs.

There is a change of heart by the western establishment about the Islamists from Tunisia to China. The West wants to have close relationships with the Islamists in the Middle East and North Africa. It is also has close relationships with the Justice and Development Party (JDP) in Turkey. JDP's Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan was banned from holding any political office and sentenced to a prison term for reciting a pro-Islam poem in 1997. Erdogan became the Prime Minister of Turkey in 2003.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn criticized the Turkey’s chief prosecutor’s decision to ask the Constitutional Court to ban Justice and Development Party in 2008. Rehn said, “In a normal European democracy, political issues are debated in the parliament and decided through the ballot box, not in the court rooms … The executive shouldn’t meddle into the court’s work, while the legal system shouldn’t meddle into democratic politics”.

China's Muslim Uighurs have linguistic, cultural and religious links with Turkey, the Middle East and the central Asia. The West is trying to draw a wedge between the Muslims and China by supporting the anti-China groups. It is the duty of Chinese and the Muslims to have open and frank dialogue to resolve any outstanding issue. Chinese and the Muslims are descendants of the great civilizations of the Asia. They should resist moves by the neo-colonialists in the West to divide Asia.

The West is pushing the world economy in a dangerous new phase.

2011-09-25T05:47:00.000-07:00

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said “a crisis made in the developed world could become a crisis for developing countries”. On the other hand, IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard said, “there is a wide perception that policymakers are one step behind the action. Europe must get its act together.”

Dreadful economic policies of the West are having adverse impact on the developing countries science the start of the global financial crisis. The Western economies are not taking any concrete action to stop the spread of the crisis.

Professor Tim Jackson, the author of Prosperity without Growth - economics for a finite planet says, “the days of spending money we do not have on things we do not need to impress people we do not care about are over”.

However, the West is unwilling to reduce its unsustainable standard of living. In the past the West relied on colonization to sustain ridiculously high standard of living. After the end of colonization the West was borrowing and spending to maintain its standard of living because it could not loot its colonies any more.

Now the West has no option but to live within its means because no one is willing to lend any more money. The days of superiority complex are gone and it’s the time for a reality check for the West. It should learn to live within its means because no one is willing to work as a slave for the West to provide high standard of living. It's time to work hard like other nations.

Demise of American hegemony is gathering momentum

2011-08-28T09:40:00.001-07:00

There was a huge debate about increasing the debt ceiling in USA. The Republicans were reluctant to increase the debt ceiling because it would exaggerate the debt burden in future. However, the Democrats are in favor of increasing the debt ceiling to stimulate the economy in short term. If the economy is not stimulated in the short term then it will increase the chances of double dip recession in USA. The recession will reduce tax collection due to collapse in the incomes of businesses and individuals.

Hence, the recession will exacerbate the debt burden due to increased reliance on the debt to finance government expenditures because of falling revenues. So, borrowing and spending will fix short term problem by avoiding double dip recession but it will increase future burden of the debt which is the root cause of the problems in USA.

Meanwhile, former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said that he was scared about the "debt problem and its order of magnitude". There is no way out for the Americans because both solutions (borrowing and not borrowing) will increase economic problems. Not borrowing will increase short term problems hence contributing to long term debt burden. On the other hand, borrowing will increase long term debt burden.

If Americans go for the long term solution by having short term pain it will drastically reduce the size of their economy and influence around the world. Meanwhile, other countries like China will keep on growing at a rapid pace while America will be going through economic depression. If Americans go for short term solution by borrowing more then they will have a major economic collapse like USSR in future because of "debt problem and its order of magnitude".

As everyone knows that Americans cannot steal huge sums of money anymore from the other parts of the world through their Western allies with the help of wars, the manipulation of the currencies and markets. As a result Americans cannot get out of their economic misery.

On the other hand, International criticism is increasing due to the poor handling of the economy by the consecutive administrations in USA. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said, "They [Americans] are living beyond their means and shifting a part of the weight of their problems to the world economy … They are living like parasites off the global economy and their monopoly of the dollar."

Meanwhile United States Vice-President Joe Biden is explaining to Chinese that "the United States has never defaulted and never will default."
It is obvious that the days of American hegemony are numbered. There is no way out for them. There is only one reality they need to accept that they cannot live like "parasites" anymore. They need to work hard and learn to live peacefully like other nations in the world.

Norway: The Western media is fueling xenophobia

2011-07-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Britain's best-selling newspaper The Sun portrayed the terrorist attacks in Norway through its headline as ‘Al-Qaeda’ Massacre: NORWAY'S 9/11. Brown University historian, Shiva Balaghi described this as a “tragic day for Norway, shameful day for journalism”. Latter on it was evident that these terrorist attacks were the work of a xenophobic Christian fundamentalist.

The Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg failed to depict these attacks as an act of terror according to transcripts on the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He portrayed these attacks as “shocking, violent and cowardly” but not as terrorist attacks.

On the other hand Australia Broadcasting Corporation also failed to describe these attacks as an act of terrorism in a story in one of its programs claimed as “one of the grand institutions of Australian public broadcasting”. The Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard as well failed to describe terrorist attacks in Norway as an act of terrorism however she portrayed these attacks as “the brutal and shocking”.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy labeled terrorist attacks in Norway as “odious and unacceptable action”. However, he fell short to describe these attacks as terrorist attacks.

The Former Norwegian Prime Minister, Kjell Magne Bondevik described the 7 July 2005 London bombing as “terrorist attacks on innocent civilians” and suggested that “we must continue to fight terrorism with determination and resolve” in a letter to then British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2005.

Why the Current Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg failed to described the tragic events in Norway as terrorist attacks?

Meanwhile, the Western media as usual is trying to depict Anders Behring Breivik - the master mind of terrorist attacks in Norway, as a lone gunman and a psychopath.

Lecturer in the Global Terrorism Research Centre at Monash University, Waleed Aly said, “If you stop describing it as terrorism and you start describing it as being the work of a crazy madman, a lone gunman, as though we can we can kind of dismiss it or write it off as some kind of aberration, then we run into problems. We're unable to formulate meaningful analyses of terrorism because we just factor out all these important episodes and really it just compromises our entire discourse and our policy response.”

It is evident that the Western media is fueling xenophobia and spreading lies through its news outlets. On the other hand, the Western leaders such as Stoltenberg, Sarkozy and Gillard have failed miserably to call these attacks as an act of terror because these terrorist attacks are the work of a xenophobic Christian fundamentalist acting along with right wing groups in Europe.

Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan reject external interference in Afghanistan

2011-06-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan are trying to consolidate their alliance against the West after the withdrawal of invading forces from Afghanistan. These countries issued a statement to reject external interference in Afghanistan after the trilateral summit between Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Tehran, on June 24, 2011.

On the other hand, US president Barack Obama announced the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. Obama is trying to tell Americans that it’s time to cut further losses after Americas’ defeat in Afghanistan.

Obama also said, “We will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by next summer. By 2014, this process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for their own security”. He further said, “We have learned anew the profound cost of war … Let us responsibly end these wars … America will join initiatives that reconcile the Afghan people, including the Taliban.”

Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan are maneuvering together to stabilize the region after the unjust invasion of Afghanistan and subsequent defeat of the USA and its allies. Hopefully Americans have learned their lessons in Afghanistan because of the “profound cost of war”. Now it’s time that Americans stop invading countries around the world and try to avoid bankruptcy by paying its mounting foreign debt. Otherwise, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan are ready to teach them the final lesson.

USA: It’s time to run away from Afghanistan after the “cold-blooded assassination” of Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

USA’s President Barack Obama said that it will talk to the Taliban. USA is trying to run away from Afghanistan after the killing of unarmed al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

The senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Richard Lugar said, “With al-Qaeda largely displaced from the country, but franchised in other locations, Afghanistan does not carry a strategic value that justifies 100,000 American troops and a $100 billion per year cost, especially given current fiscal restraints”.

On the other hand the killing of unarmed al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has been criticized all around the world. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said, “I think the killing of an unarmed man [Osama Bin Laden] is always going to leave a very uncomfortable feeling because it doesn't look as if justice is seen to be done.”

A prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials, Benjamin Ferencz said, “killing a captive who poses no immediate threat is a crime under military law as well as all other laws … the difficulty is that we have releases from the Government which are changed daily. I can understand the need for secrecy but the issue here is whether what was done was an act of legitimate self-defense or whether it was not.”

Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson told the BBC World Service that to call the killing of Osama Bin Laden justice is “a total misuse of language”.

“America resembles the land of the munchkins, as it celebrates the death of the Wicked Witch of the East. The joy is understandable, but it endorses what looks increasingly like a cold-blooded assassination ordered by a president who, as a former law professor, knows the absurdity of his statement that ‘justice was done’ ”, Robertson said in his article in The Independent.

Americans were using al-Qaeda as an excuse to attack Afghanistan. However the objective was to encircle China and to access the oil and gas deposits in the Central Asia. This dream has converted into a nightmare. The American defeat in Afghanistan has shown the limits of the power. This defeat has also shown the people who are willing to sacrifice cannot be colonized.

Censorship by British Royal Family

2011-04-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

British royals, who have been involved in genocides, crimes against humanity and colonization around the world, have decided to stifle the freedom of speech by imposing censorship on Australian Broad Casting Corporation (ABC). This is the same royal family which was willing to cooperate with Hitler.

“The ABC says it's not allowed to use the wedding footage in any drama, comedy or satirical entertainment program” according to ABC’s PM Program.

ABC’s, Julian Morrow says, “It's silly and it's petty, and I think it's inappropriate ... It seems a bit kind of crazy for the royal family to be trying to dictate the way they get represented in the media, it seems a bit out of step with you know a modern democracy, but I suppose royalty is out of step with a modern democracy, so there you go”.

The British people are facing hardships due to global financial crisis. The conservative government in Britain imposed austerity measures on people to reduce budget deficit. However, British royals are spending hundreds of millions of dollars of public money on the royal wedding while British public is forced to swallow the bitter pill of austerity measures.

British royals lecture the countries around the world to foster freedom of speech and democracy. But, their hypocritical stance is exposed by the ban on the ABC. Royals are also spending public money on their wedding while British people are going through hardships because of austerity measures. One day British people will tell them “It's silly and it's petty, and … it's inappropriate”. They will also demand the true democracy in which there will be no role for unelected and self-imposed royals.

Libya: The military intervention and the political project of the West

2011-03-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said, “The military intervention is there because we have a political project” in Libya. Protection of the civilian lives is a pretext to get rid of anti-Western regime in Libya. The West has intervened in the countries where it has political and economic interests. The control of oil is the main reason behind the colonial agenda of the West in the Middle East.

The Western colonialists carved up the Middle East into puppet states under Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916. Since then the colonialists have not stopped intervening in the Middle East. The creation of Israel and current invasion of Libya is the extension of the political project of the West.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rightly said that invasion of Libya “resembles medieval calls for crusades.” He also said, “How can one, having in mind the protection of the civilian population, use the means which leads to more losses among the peaceful population? We can't help but be concerned.”

The Western “crusades” will fail and people of the Middle East will enjoy the real democracy in the light of their culture and religion.

Middle East: Winds of change or a false dawn

2011-02-27T06:46:00.000-08:00

The Western lobby including the Americans and Israelis are trying to manipulate pro-democracy movements in the Middle East. As usual the propaganda is their weapon of choice. However, the pro-democracy movement is not willing to be fooled or give up its demands for the democratic change in the Middle East.

In the beginning of the pro-democracy movement in Egypt, Americans were trying to support former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Frank Wisner, US special envoy to Egypt said, “I believe that President Mubarak's continued leadership is critical - it's his chance to write his own legacy.”

Wisner works with the litigation firm Patton Boggs which has links with “the Egyptian military, the Egyptian Economic Development Agency, and has handled arbitrations and litigation on the [Mubarak] government's behalf in Europe and the US”.

Wisner business links with Mubarak explains why he supported his presidency. But, the question is why he was appointed as the US special envoy to Egypt? This appointment shows the contempt of the Americans towards the pro-democracy movement in Egypt and in the Middle East.

The Western lobby is trying to convenience the people of Middle East that they should be happy with symbolic changes. However, people are still protesting in Tunisia and Egypt for a democratic change even after the resignations of presidents in their countries. The current regimes in Tunisia and Egypt are continuation of the old regimes.

It is too early to predict the exact direction of democratic changes in the Middle East. However, it is clear that America and its allies are losing the political, economic and military battles around the world. The days of American hegemony are numbered.

Pakistan warns USA over the new great game

2011-01-24T06:51:00.000-08:00

Pakistan has warned USA over stating the “new great game” in the region. This warning was delivered to the visiting US Vice President Joe Biden who was very eager to see the Pakistani Army Chief General Kayani. Biden said, “I am late for my meeting with General Kayani, and I am never late for generals”.

On the other hand Afghan President Hamid Karzai was in Russia to counter American influence in the region. Talking about ties between Russia and Afghanistan, Karzai said, “there are cultural and historic ties between our states …. We will do everything to develop them”.

America is becoming weaker and weaker day by day and it is losing its influence in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The American withdrawal from Afghanistan will be the last nail in the coffin of the imperialist America.

“People affiliated with our organization have already been assassinated” claims Assange

2010-12-30T05:50:00.000-08:00

The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange said, “People affiliated with our organization have already been assassinated” in an interview with BBC. However the Western media completely ignored the news. Instead of talking about assassinations of Wikileaks members, BBC in one of it news items reported that Assange said, “I feel at peace”.

In another headline BBC reported that “Assange concerned over 'natural justice' in Sweden”. BBC tried to ignore the allegations by Assange that members of Wikileaks have been assassinated. It is important to remember that the Assange’s interview was conducted by BBC.

This is a classical example of propaganda by the Western media. This type of contemptible reporting will increase the skepticism about the Western media. The dwindling creditability of the Western media will touch the new lows as a result.

Cracks are appearing in the Western economic hegemony

2010-11-29T06:49:00.000-08:00

The Western economic hegemony is challenged internally and externally. There in an internal dispute among USA and Europe over economic issues. German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said, “It is not that the Americans have not pumped enough liquidity into the market and now to say let's pump more into the market is not going to solve their problems”. China, Germany and South Africa have also criticized USA’s stimulus package.

British Prime Minister David Cameron also tried to deny differences with USA over economic issues. He said, “I think in the British case, the Americans and others absolutely accept that those of us with the biggest deficits ... have to accelerate the process of dealing with them because the big risk to our economies is actually... not dealing with the deficits. There's no difference between us and the Americans on that.”

Brazilian finance minister Guido Mantega also criticized USA. He said, “We’re in the midst of an international currency war, a general weakening of currency. This threatens us because it takes away our competitiveness”. The US dollar has depreciated by about 25 per cent against the Brazilian currency.

Coverage of Indian occupied Kashmir by the Western Media

2010-10-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

Indian soldiers were busy in killing Kashmiris on the streets while curfew was imposed to stop masses in Kashmir from holding peaceful protests during Commonwealth Games in Delhi. More than 100 Kashmiris were killed by India since June in the protests

However, the Western media was busy talking about Commonwealth Games in Delhi. For example the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) was running stories about India. On the other hand, ABC ran no story on Killings and curfew in Kashmir by Indian forces on its current affairs program PM during Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

ABC Radio's current affairs program PM website brags that “PM is one of the grand institutions of Australian public broadcasting. The program celebrates its 40th anniversary on July 7, 2009 - four decades of reporting Australia and the world.”

“The grand institutions of Australian public broadcasting” ran many stories about India from 3October to 14 October 2010 during Commonwealth Games in Delhi, such as, Australian athletes 'treated like cattle' and Delhi belly floors athletes.

Jane Cowan in New Delhi reported for PM said in one story that, “Dog catchers are rounding up dogs using long poles with nooses on the end and tossing them roughly into the back of a truck … In India courts have made rulings protecting street dogs. They are effectively seen as community pets.”

On the other hand, according to Deccan Chronicle “A 55-year-old man, allegedly beaten up by security forces on October 7, died at a hospital here on Friday, taking the death toll in the over four-month-long unrest in Kashmir Valley to 110”.

“The grand institutions of Australian public broadcasting” was willing to talk about the treatment of dogs in Delhi but it was silent on the Killing and incarceration of innocent people in Kashmir demanding freedom from India.

Indian Suppression of Kashmiri Freedom Movement

2010-09-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

More than 100 Kashmiri protesters demanding freedom from India have been killed by the Indian security forces since June. However, the champions of democracy in the West are quit over these deaths.

India has killed more than 70,000 Kashmiri civilians since 1990. There are more than 500,000 Indian soldiers in Kashmir to suppress freedom movement.

The Western media is quick to talk about the human rights issues in China, Iran, Burma and Zimbabwe. It has given disproportionally high coverage to human rights issues in these countries. However, the human right violations by India in Kashmir are ignored and India is labeled as the biggest democracy in the world by the Western media.

Does Pakistan deserve aid for flood victims?

2010-08-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

More than 20 million people have been affected by the biggest floods in the history of Pakistan. United Nations spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said, “The size of this disaster is equivalent to Austria, Switzerland and Belgium combined. That's pretty scary.”

Professor Martin Gibling of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada thinks that the floods in Pakistan can be linked to climate change. The global warming is a main reason behind the unseen weather pattern around the world. The flood in Pakistan is likely to be caused by the global warming. The reckless policies of the West have created the global warming.

The other reason behind the sufferings of the flood victims is the lake of capacity of the Pakistani government. This lack of capacity is due to economic problems in Pakistan resulting from the invasion of Afghanistan by the West.

The global warming and invasion of Afghanistan by the West are the two main reasons behind the misery of the flood victims in Pakistan. This is why the West is obliged to help Pakistan.

A new wave of racism in the West

2010-07-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

From Sara Palin asking Muslims not to build a Mosque in New York to Sarkozy stirring up burka debate in France and Tony Abbot in Australia declaring that boats caring asylum seekers should be turned away, belong to the same gang. They are all singing from the same hymn sheet of xenophobia.

This is not the first time that mainstream politicians in the West are using racism during tough economic times. It is the history of the West to look for escape goats to hide their own mistakes. The West use to persecute Jews and force them to live in ghettos for centuries in the past.

It is evident from the history that the West resorts to xenophobic policies during tough economic times. This is exactly what it is doing right now. It is highly likely that the West will persecute ethnic minorities in the future to divert the attention of its people to cover up the economic blunders of the Western establishment.

The West is running away from Afghanistan

2010-06-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

American policy in Afghanistan is in tatters after the sacking of US Afghan commander Stanley McChrystal. To add fuel on the fire the head of the British army David Richards said, “I think there's no reason why we shouldn't be looking at that sort of thing [talking to the Taliban] pretty soon”.

Furthermore British Prime Minister David Cameron said that he wants UK troops to leave Afghanistan within 5 years.

It is obvious that the West is adopting the policy of cut and run in Afghanistan. It wants to leave the Afghanistan as soon as possible. However, the Taliban are not willing to negotiate with the West before it leaves Afghanistan.

Afghan regard Britain as colonial, orientalist and a racist country

2010-05-31T02:14:00.000-07:00

British Defence Secretary Liam Fox said, “We are not in Afghanistan for the sake of the education policy in a broken 13th-century country. We are there so the people of Britain and our global interests are not threatened.”

This statement clearly shows the contemptuous views of British Defence Secretary. Liberal imperialists like Tony Blair were using spreading of education as a cover to colonize Afghanistan. However, the conservative Fox has blown the cover by showing the real intentions of the British establishment.

A senior Afghan government source replied to Fox by saying that “We see Britain as still a colonial, orientalist and racist country that they should have this view. Dr Fox really believes what he said, and he is not alone. London and Kabul must move on or things will be more difficult.”

Karzai threatens to join Taliban

2010-04-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Afghan President Hamid Karzai threatened to join Taliban according to reports by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in retaliation to draconian policies of USA and NATO. Karzai also accused USA and its allies to rig elections in Afghanistan.

Americans have killed tens of thousands of civilians in Afghanistan to extend its hegemony. Thousands of Americans soldiers are maimed and killed in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, Americans have lost the war to concur Afghanistan despite spending billions of dollars.

This is a clear indication of what Karzai will do after the withdrawal of occupying forces from Afghanistan. No matter what Americans and its allies do, their future in Afghanistan is doomed.

America’s defeat in Afghanistan

2010-03-25T07:21:00.001-07:00

America is running away from Afghanistan like it ran away from Vietnam. It is using so called negotiations with Taliban and other insurgent groups as a face saving exercise. It wants to use these negotiations as a cover to hide its defeat. Americans got no will or resources to continue unjust war in Afghanistan.

Former head of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, Gen Hamid Gul said, “America is history, Karzai is history, the Taliban are the future”.

The sooner Americans leave Afghanistan, the better it is. The people of Afghanistan should be given their democratic rights to decide their future. It is too late for Americans to play with the future of the Afghanistan. America has been defeated in Afghanistan, its time to go back to Washington.

The Greek financial crisis and the future of the euro

2010-02-25T06:24:00.001-08:00

Financial analysts are openly questioning the future of the Euro. As a result the Euro has depreciated against the major currencies of the world.

Greece’s prime minister, George Papandreou said, “there’s no issue of leaving the euro or of asking for help from the IMF”.

The rich northern European countries are criticising the Greece and other southern European countries. Financial markets are referring southern countries of Europe - Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain as PIGS.

The ill conceived idea of floating a single currency in Europe is testing the will and strength of the European Union to deal with the financial crisis in the southern European countries.

Obama has failed as the president

2010-01-30T02:32:00.000-08:00

There are many reasons for Obama’s failure as the president. He stands for the status quo. There is no chance that there will be any substantial change in USA’s domestic or foreign policies under Obama’s administration.

Obama has failed to achieve a substantial deal at Copenhagen climate change conference. He is also continuing to follow failed Afghan and Iraq policies of Bush administration.

Obama has also admitted failure of his economic policies. Obama said, “Nothing has been more frustrating to me this year than having to salvage a financial system at great expense to taxpayers that was precipitated, that was caused, in part by completely irresponsible actions on Wall Street.”

Economic Crisis in USA

2009-11-24T03:28:00.000-08:00

Burgeoning budget deficits in USA are a catalyst for the demise of USA’s political hegemony in the world. Former New South Wales Treasury economist Robert Carling, currently a senior fellow at the free-market Centre for Independent Studies said that USA’s budget deficit was 10 percent of GDP for the last financial year.

Carling further added that, “The really scary figures are in their long-term projections and these are official projections by the Congressional Budget Office, which suggest that under realistic assumptions, they could be looking at a deficit of 15 per cent of GDP 25 years from now and 22 per cent of GDP in 2050 with a public debt burden as a multiple, several times of their gross domestic product.”

USA is living on borrowed time. Its demise is inevitable. The only thing it can decide to demise with owner or demise under immense burden of humiliation. If it decides to alter its policies then the people might forgive it for its draconian policies.

Was Pakistan in danger of decline within months?

2009-10-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

Almost six months ago anti-Pakistan propaganda machine was in full swing, predicting that Pakistan was in danger of collapse within months. However, it was obvious that this propaganda was baseless.

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Howard L. Berman said in April 2009, “it is very alarming that we are now hearing predictions from a number of leading experts that Pakistan could collapse in as little as six months”.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that current situation in Pakistan, “poses a mortal threat to the security and safety of our country and the world”. She further added that “I think that we can not underscore [enough] the seriousness of the existential threat posed to the state of Pakistan … I think the Pakistani government is basically abdicating to the Taleban and the extremists”.

There was an attempt by the West to scare the people of Pakistan. Nevertheless, the people of Pakistan are used to this type of anti-Pakistan propaganda for decades. Actually, the anti-Pakistan lobby has become a laughing stock.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was leading the charge against Pakistan. Her complete failure to assess the situation in Pakistan has permanently damaged her reputation. No one is going to believe her assessments about Pakistan in future.

Pakistan is much stronger than six months ago. The state of Pakistan with the help of its well disciplined army is doing very well in the current geopolitical situation. If Pakistan is left alone by the thugs in the West then it will do very well with the help of its professional army.

Pakistan is a reality; it will exist in all circumstances because of the determination of Pakistan's people and its brave army.

G20 Pittsburgh's summit

2009-09-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

Leaders at G20 Pittsburgh's summit have made pledges like before. However, these pledges are not going to make any difference because no one is going to fulfill these pledges.

Detention of Shah Rukh Khan in USA

2009-08-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

Americans seems to specialize the art of offending people. Shah Rukh Khan a leading Bollywood film star was detained by the immigration officials for two hours at Newark airport. This is not the only time Americans tried to humiliate Indian dignitaries.

Former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam was searched and forced to take off his shoes while boarding Continental Airlines. Before these incidents former defense minister of India George Fernandes was twice strip-searched by the Americans at Dulles airport. Indian actress Shilpa Shetty was also humiliated by racists while participating in a TV program in UK.

The West does not differentiate among religions while humiliating people from non-Western backgrounds. It discriminates on the bases of race. This why it has killed millions of people around the world on the bases of race.

Replace US dollar by “super-sovereign” reserve currency

2009-07-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

American economic hegemony is coming under attack from all directions. It seems that it will be impossible for Americans to sustain it further. China’s Central Bank in its report has repeated its demand for US dollar to be replaced by a “super-sovereign” reserve currency.

“An international monetary system dominated by a single sovereign currency has intensified the concentration of risk and the spread of the crisis,” according to the People's Bank of China (PBOC).

“To avoid intrinsic shortcomings in using a sovereign currency as a reserve currency, we need to create an international reserve currency that is divorced from sovereign states and can maintain a stable value over the long term,” the PBOC report further added.

Previously, China’s Central bank Chief Zhou Xiaochuan has called for a new reserve currency on many occasions.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also demanded to dump US dollar as reserve currency. He also blamed USA for causing current financial crisis.

It is likely that China and other countries will increase pressure on USA to replace US dollar as the reserve currency. This will become a final nail in USA’s economic coffin.

Pakistan ranked ten in the failed state index 2009

2009-06-29T03:53:00.000-07:00

Anti-Pakistani forces are loosing their esteem and their propaganda machine is becoming a laughing-stock. Now, one of their cronies Foreign Policy magazine has issued failed state index in which Pakistan has been ranked as one of the top ten failed states. Ironically, Foreign Policy magazine was founded by Samuel Huntington who advanced the theory of Clash of Civilizations.

Foreign Policy magazine has issued similar index in 2006 in which Pakistan was ranked nine. It is obvious that the followers of Huntington got it wrong in 2006. Pakistan is still marching forward as a strong country in 2009 while the countries such as USA, which fund the activities of Foreign Policy magazine, are in dire economic situation. If a country is failing then it should be in deep recession like USA and Europe. However, Pakistani economy is still growing at a reasonable pace.

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Howard L. Berman said in April 2009, “it is very alarming that we are now hearing predictions from a number of leading experts that Pakistan could collapse in as little as six months”. So far two months have gone but there is no sign that Pakistan is going to collapse in next four months.

The rusted propaganda machine of the West, which is trying to propagate doom and gloom against Pakistan and other Asian countries, will be proved wrong in 2010 when it will issue another index.

USA in the terminal decline

2009-05-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

The only business doing very well in USA is printing industry because it is too busy printing dollars to finance exuberant budget deficit. There is no end in sight. However, one thing is very clear that USA and the West will no longer dominate the world economy.

The budget deficit ($13 trillion) is almost 90 per cent of national income. The Dallas Federal Reserve estimated that unfunded liabilities for retirement and health-care are more than $99 trillion or 700 per cent of national income of USA.

It is clear that USA under the leadership of Obama is opting for a shallow response to a severe economic dilemma. The end result is terminal decline of USA.

Is Pakistan in danger of collapse within months?

2009-04-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

Anti-Pakistan forces are gearing up to spread a new spate of propaganda against Pakistan. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is leading the charge. It would be interesting to watch next six months to check the credibility of US officials. These officials belong to the same country – USA, which used the existence of weapons of mass destruction to invade Iraq.

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Howard L. Berman said, “it is very alarming that we are now hearing predictions from a number of leading experts that Pakistan could collapse in as little as six months”.

Hillary Clinton said that current situation in Pakistan, “poses a mortal threat to the security and safety of our country and the world”. She further added that “I think that we can not underscore [enough] the seriousness of the existential threat posed to the state of Pakistan … I think the Pakistani government is basically abdicating to the Taleban and the extremists”. She described the rebels in Pakistan as a “loosely-confederated group of terrorists and others seeking to overthrow the Pakistani state”.

In response to mounting pressure on Pakistan its army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani condemned “pronouncements by outside powers raising doubts on the future of the country.” He also said, “Pakistan army never has and never will hesitate to sacrifice whatever it may take to ensure safety and well being of people of Pakistan and country's territorial integrity”.

USA and its allies have lost the war in Afghanistan, now they are trying to pressurize Pakistan. However, their efforts to reinstate their hegemony in this region will fail miserably. Wait for next six months.

Dump the US Dollar as the Worlds Reserve Currency

2009-03-31T05:28:00.000-07:00

Chinese central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan suggested dumping the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. This forced the United States President Barack Obama to defend the US dollar. US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner also defended the US dollar. It seems that US economic hegemony is coming under immense pressure from all directions.

The US dollar recorded its biggest weekly fall in 24 years. It lost almost 5.1 percent which is the biggest fall since 1985.

Former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said that it is "absolutely conceivable that the euro will replace the dollar as reserve currency, or will be traded as an equally important reserve currency".

Geithner conceived he had not read Xiaochuan’s proposal but added that "as I understand it, it's a proposal designed to increase the use of the IMF's Special Drawing Rights. I am actually quite open to that suggestion … But you should think of it as rather evolutionary, building on the current architecture, than rather than moving us to global monetary union."

Obama was quick to defend US dollar. He said, “As far as confidence in the US economy or the dollar, I would just point out that the dollar is extraordinarily strong right now ... although we are going through a rough patch”.

Chinese central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan said, “The crisis again calls for creative reform of the existing international monetary system towards an international reserve currency with a stable value, rule-based issuance and manageable supply, so as to achieve the objective of safeguarding global economic and financial stability.”

It is evident that sooner or later the US dollar will be dumped as the reserve currency of the world. This will be among a growing list of setbacks facing the US government.

USA: The End of Empire

2009-02-26T05:23:00.000-08:00

Americans are running around the world like beggars to collect money to salvage their debt stricken economy. However, they don’t realize that beggars can’t be choosers. The new world economic order is looming but this time the conditions will be laid down by Asian economic powers such as China. The end of American empire is in sight.

But US President Barack Obama, as usual with the power of his oratory, is trying to fool people. In his address to the congress he said, “Tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before … It is time for America to lead again.” Obama should know that the country which owes trillions of dollars cannot and should not lead the world. It should listen to lenders which are helping USA to avoid bankruptcy.

Investment analyst and entrepreneur Marc Faber said, “If I look at government debt in the US and debt in general, I think the only way they will not default physically on their debt is to inflate.”

Professor of economics at the Stern School of Business, New York University Nouriel Roubini said, “The banking system in the United States overall is insolvent; because the amount of losses they're going to accumulate are bigger than the capital that the banks have. I think you have to eventually nationalize US banks. I think even the biggest ones are insolvent and this kind of approach of guarantees, providing money, good-bad assets, is not going to work.”

American allies are calling for a new world economic order and urgent reforms of the international financial system. Italy's Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti said, “A new world economic order might seem rhetorical … But it is a true goal we should be aiming towards”. In a joint declaration, the G7 called for “urgent reforms” of the international financial system. These reforms will effectively end the American economic hegemony and empire.

Unclench the American fist

2009-01-30T07:13:00.000-08:00

US President Barack Obama is constantly trying to portray himself as an ambassador of the peace. However, his statements and actions are a proof that he wants to continue the American hegemony.

Obama said, “Two wars, one that needs to be ended responsibly, one that needs to be waged wisely.” On the other hand, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of USA said that between 20,000 to 30,000 troops could be sent to Afghanistan. These statements clearly show the true intention of the Obama administration. Obama wants to intensify the war in Afghanistan.

Obama in his inaugural address said that “we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” But it is obvious that USA under the leadership of Obama wants to clinch its fist by sending 30,000 thousand troops in Afghanistan.

Obama could not been elected until and unless he agreed with the USA’s establishment. Now he is trying to repay the debt by extending the establishment's agenda.

Obama should try to learn lessons from the history of the aggressors and colonizers and unclench the American fist.

India: Elections and History of Violence

2008-12-30T23:47:00.000-08:00

Elections resulting in delivering governments for forty five years were conducted in the mist of wars with neighbors or in the shadows of assassinations of Prime Ministers in India. No incumbent party has won the election in India until unless there is a war or a Prime Minister is assassinated in India.

History shows that there is a direct link between the violence and elections in India. Mumbai attacks have been covered in the media in detail. However, no one is trying to investigate the mystery behind the pattern of violence and elections in India. Fresh elections are due in 2009 few months after Mumbai attacks.

Whenever there are elections in India the incumbents try to divert the attention of the Indian public by creating wars with Pakistan. Whether, it is a coincidence or a plan there is a continuous pattern that Indian elections are won and lost in the mist of assassinations of Prime Ministers and by creating wars with Pakistan. The result of these policies is that the majority of Indian public is living in one of the worst living conditions in the world. On the other hand the ruling class in India is enjoying one of the best standards of living in the world.

Out of fifteen Indian elections since independence, four elections were conducted in the same years in which India conducted wars with Pakistan and China. Two elections were conducted after the assassinations of two Indian Prime Ministers. First two elections were organized in the shadows of Kashmir conflict and water disputes with Pakistan. The incumbents lost in the rest of the elections in India because they could not create conflicts with Pakistan.

General Elections in India by year

1951
Kashmir conflict in its early stages.

1957
Problems with Pakistan over water and Kashmir continue.

1962
War with China.

1967
War with Pakistan in 1965.

1971
War with Pakistan in 1971.

1977
No war with any neighbor or political violence, as a result Indira Gandhi lost elections.

1980
No war with any neighbor or political violence, as a result Charan Singh lost elections.

1984
Indira Gandhi was assassinated by Indian Sikh separatists. Gandhi’s son (Rajiv Gandhi) became the Prime Minister and won the elections.

1989
Rajiv Gandhi lost the elections because he could not create problems with Pakistan.

1991
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the Indian Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) group; as a result his party won the elections.

1996
Atal Bihari Vajpayee won the elections because P. V. Narasimha Rao could not create problems with Pakistan.

1998
No problem with Pakistan Inder Kumar Gujral lost the elections.

1999
India conducted five nuclear tests on 11 May and 13 May 1998 and the Kargil War started in 1999 as a result Atal Bihari Vajpayee won the elections.

2004
Atal Bihari Vajpayee lost the elections because he was trying to be friendly with Pakistan.

2009
Manmohan Singh is trying his best to create problems with Pakistan in a hope to win elections to be held in 2009.

Obama will fail as the President

2008-11-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

People hope that Barack Obama will bring the change if he becomes the president of the USA. However, Obama stands for the status quo. He did not propose any real change in the economic or foreign policies of the USA. It is impossible for any president in the USA to challenge the system. President has to rely on the House of the Representative and the Senate to get his/her policies implemented.

Politicians in the House and Senate rely on donations from big corporations to get elected. Democrats are the biggest beneficiaries of the donations from the Wall Street. How Obama will challenge the status quo and bring the big corporations under the control which have been donating enormous money to Democrats?

“Out [of] the top 25 political contributors for the 2008 election cycle, nine were Wall Street banking or investment firms, including the now defunct firm Lehman Brothers. Employees at eight of those nine firms gave more money to Democratic candidates” according to Jeff Poor of Business & Media Institute.

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader rightly believes that Obama will be "a corporate president." Nader said that Republicans and Democrats "don't stand for the people … They stand for big business. That's overwhelmingly documented. And they have not cracked down on the corporate crime-wave that the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post and the networks have documented day after day, the Enron scandal all the way to Wall Street."

Nader questioned whether the three main candidates for the presidency “have the moral courage … to stand up to corporate powers and get things done for the American people?”

Americans have to change the system if they want to bring the real change. Otherwise, the Presidents who “stand for big business” will keep on fooling them forever.

The dictatorship of the market is dead

2008-10-29T12:23:00.001-07:00

The economic hegemony of the USA and the West is going through a near death experience. However, the Bush administration is acting like a socialist regime by handing out hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money to failed financial institutions. It is trying to prevent the demise of the so called “democratic capitalism”.

World leaders such as, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, are openly criticizing capitalism. However, US President George Bush is trying to defend the failure of the capitalism. Bush is begging to save the capitalism. He said, “It is essential that we preserve the foundations of democratic capitalism”.

On the other hand Sarkozy said, “The ideology of the dictatorship of the market . . . is dead,” and that “we cannot continue along the same lines because the same problems will trigger the same disasters”. Rudd said, “What we have seen is the comprehensive failure of extreme capitalism - extreme capitalism which now turns to government to prevent systemic failure. The [same] institutions of government that extreme capitalism spent decades deriding,”.

It is unlikely that the Capitalism will survive in its current form. The nationalization of the banking system by the West will change the Capitalism for long time to come. However, during this change the Capitalism will destroy lives of millions of hard working people around the world.

United States of Socialist America

2008-09-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

Over consumption, excessive borrowing, budget deficits and deregulation are the underlying causes for mayhem in the USA’s economy. Rampant capitalism is likely to ruin the lives of the American people, because USA’s establishment will not try to fix the causes behind the current crisis. Socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor will continue.

USA under the leadership of George Bush, is transforming into a socialist economy. However, this transformation is for the benefit of the rich and greedy operators of the Wall Street. The current economic turmoil in the USA is providing a chance to fix the wrongs of the past and plan for a better future. But, as usual, it is highly likely that the market fundamentalists in USA will miss this opportunity.

Nouriel Roubini, Professor of Economics at the Stern School of Business at NYU and Chairman of RGE Monitor said, “With the nationalization of Fannie and Freddie, comrades Bush, Paulson and Bernanke had started transforming the USA into the USSRA (United Socialist State Republic of America). This transformation of the USA into a country where there is socialism for the rich, the well connected and Wall Street (i.e. where profits are privatized and losses are socialized) continues today with the nationalization of AIG.”

The only choice for the American people is to opt for a real change by discarding the current political system in the USA. The new system should be based on the social justice. Otherwise, the downward spiral of USA will be hastened by the ill conceived policies of the market fundamentalists.

Facts about Kashmir

2008-08-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

More than hundred thousand Kashmiri’s have died in Indian occupied Kashmir since 1989. Kashmiri people are struggling for independence from India for more than fifty years. United Nations has tried to resolve the Kashmir conflict.

The Security Council of United Nations passed resolution 47 (1948), “that both India and Pakistan desire that the question of the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan should be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite”. India is consistently denying to organize the plebiscite according to the United Nations’ resolution.

There are more than 800,000 Indian soldiers in Kashmir trying to suppress freedom movement. Kashmir has become the most militarized zone in the world due to the actions of the Indian army. Kashmir has a population of 14 million which is more than 114 member countries of the United Nations.

With an area of 86,000 square miles Kashmir is more than three times the size of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg combined. Kashmir is larger than 87 sovereign countries of the world and it shares borders with Pakistan, China, India and Afghanistan.
The strategic location of Kashmir demands an intervention by the international community to resolve the Kashmiri conflict. Otherwise, this conflict has a potential of becoming a wider conflict involving nuclear powers of India and Pakistan. This will have vital effects on the peace and stability of South Asia and the world.

Afghanistan and Encircling China

2008-07-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

USA is trying to encircle China since the downfall of Russia (USSR). Invading Afghanistan in the disguise of War on terror is one of the strategies to achieve this goal. However, China is also trying to neutralize USA’s efforts by forging close alliances with its neighbors such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma.

China’s alliance with Pakistan is extremely vital. China is keen to use Pakistani port of Gawader to counter an attack from south by USA and its allies like Japan and Taiwan. Pakistan can also help China to counter India which is planning to forge close ties with USA by signing a nuclear deal.

USA and its allies are trying hard to avoid a defeat in Afghanistan. But, it is becoming evident as days go by that the fate of USA is pretty grim in Afghanistan. USA has not learned any lesson from its defeats in Iraq and Vietnam. The best option for USA is to give up its aggressive policies to control the world. Peace is the best option for USA because the defeat is waiting in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan.

Conquering Iran a dream or reality

2008-06-30T05:25:00.000-07:00

In the dieing days of his presidency George Bush and his cronies are trying to beat up propaganda against Iran. Xenophobia and Islamophobia are the real motives behind this propaganda. Whenever, a non-Western country tries to acquire advanced technology the West starts crying.

Whether it is China, India, Pakistan or Iran, the West do not want non-Western countries to thrive and become stronger to challenge the Western hegemony. For example, there were many restrictions on India to acquire space or nuclear technology. Same is the case with Pakistan. The West has also tried hard to stop technological advancements in China as well.

The dream of subjugating Iran to accept the Western hegemony is not achievable. The West could not control Hezbollah and Hamas. How it can control Iran? The price to conquer Iran is beyond the West’s imagination.

USA and the West as a whole have not learned their lessons in Iraq and Vietnam. Iranians are eager to teach them the final lesson.

USA: The history of war and recession

2008-05-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

The military industrial complex of USA cannot sustain its growth without waging a war. There is a direct link between recession and war in case of USA. The history shows that USA uses war as a tool to avoid recessions or recover from a recession.

USA got out of the Great Depression by inflaming World War II. After the end of the World War II, it started the Korean War to keep out of recession. The Vietnam War helped USA to avoid a deep recession from 1957 to 1973.

After its humiliating defeat in Vietnam, USA tried to avoid direct conflicts from 1975 until 1990. However, USA kept involved in many proxy wars against USSR (Russia) in Afghanistan and against Iran in Gulf by helping Sadam Hussain. USA started First Gulf War in 1990 to kick-start its economy, which was becoming weak.

After the dot-com crash in 2000, the only way out for USA was to open another front and start a fresh war, which it did in the disguise of War on Terrorism. Accounting scandals of 2002 prompted USA to invade Iraq in 2003 to raise funds to keep its military industrial complex running.

Now USA is in a deep economic conundrum and USA’s establishment cannot do any thing about it but to start a new war. However, it is impossible for it to do so because the world is united against the efforts of USA to start a new war against Iran.

Biofuel production ‘a crime against humanity’

2008-04-29T04:35:00.000-07:00

“Producing biofuels today is a crime against humanity,” according to UN Special Rapporteur for the Right to Food Jean Ziegler. He said that massive increase in biofuel production will have a drastic effect on food prices. The West used to kill people through wars and genocides but now it is creating massive food shortages to kill poor people of the world.

Agricultural commodities are used to produce ethanol. This is causing immense food shortages around the world.

Ziegler also accused European Union for dumping agricultural commodities in Africa. “The EU finances the exports of European agricultural surpluses to Africa ... where they are offered at one half or one third of their (production) price”. “That completely ruins African agriculture” Ziegler said.

Apart from dumping crops, the West is using food to produce ethanol. Total ethanol production was 3.9 billion gallons in 2005 or 2.9 percent of the total gasoline pool and ethanol use increased to 5.4 billion gallons in 2006. “Ethanol blended into gasoline is projected to account for 4.3 percent of the total gasoline pool by volume in 2007, 7.5 percent in 2012, and 7.6 percent in 2030” according to Energy Information Administration of USA.

Energy hungry USA is waging wars to acquire energy sources around the world. Increase in ethanol production cannot satisfy demand for fuels in USA. However, it will make lives of poor people in the world more miserable.

Actions of the US Federal Reserve

2008-03-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

The fifth largest bank of the USA, Bear Stearns, lost 98% of its value. JPMorgan Chase offered $2 per share to buy Bear Stearns. The US Federal Reserve backed the deal by offering $30bn in loans.

The US Federal Reserve’s actions are questionable because in a free economy the government is not supposed to interfere in the running of the economy. It is similar to agricultural subsidies, which are offered to the Western farmers to sell their produce in the international market at a very cheap price. This causes acute difficulties for the farmers in the developing countries.

The actions of the US Federal Reserve are also questionable under the WTO rules because it is trying to keep alive the unviable businesses like Bear Stearns by offering loans and backing the deals. However, this action of the US Federal Reserve will be ignored by the Western dominated organizations because the Western acts are based on sheer hypocrisy.

Reprinting of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad

2008-02-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hypocrisy of the West and its media is not a secret. The Western hypocrisy becomes too obvious when Muslims are involved. Danish newspapers have reprinted the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to show their so called commitment to freedom of speech.

However the Western hypocrites are silent on the prosecution of two Spanish cartoonists. These cartoonists were found guilty of offending the Spanish royal family. Their cartoons depicted Crown Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia having sex. The weekly satirical magazine El Jueves was pulled by the police from the newsstands.

The Prophet Muhammad is loved and revered by hundreds of millions of Muslims and non-Muslims around the world. But, the Western hypocrites believe that the Spanish royal family is more respectful than the Prophet Muhammad. If this is not the case then the Spanish Government would have pulled the newspapers which published the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad like it did in case of the Spanish royal family.

Anyone, even with little intellect knows that the Prophet Muhammad and other religious figures are more revered than the self imposed Spanish dictators. This is not a religious issue. It is a matter of showing respect for religious and non-religious philosophers. But when the Western hypocrites will realize this?

The shift of power and influence away from the USA

2008-01-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

The USA is trying to stop the shifting of power to developing world by delaying its economic collapse by excessive borrowing and over consumption. The USA is becoming a failed state due to its flawed policies. Current economic crises are a clear evidence of these policies. Trade and budget deficit are very high which are making it almost impossible for the USA to recover from an economic disaster.

Over consumption is the main reason behind the economic collapse of the USA. If it tries to reduce the rate of consumption then it will immediately end up in a prolonged recession and lose its power. However, delaying the eventual economic downfall of the USA will amplify its economic problems.

The billionaire investor George Soros said, “I'm looking for a significant shift of power and influence away from the US in particular and a shift in favour of the developing world, particularly China … You do have to rescue markets otherwise you would go into a depression, as you did in the 1930s.”

The USA is living beyond its means. The only way out of the current crises is to adopt a sustainable way of living. The USA is clinging on to over consumption and excessive borrowing to retain its economic hegemony. This policy will lead it to a disaster.

Why Indians hold a favorable opinion towards the West?

2007-12-24T04:33:00.000-08:00

The racism in the West is evident, the way it treats minorities and non-White cultures. India is one of the Western allies and one expects that it will be treated with some respect by the West. However, this is not the case. Nevertheless, majority of the Indians holds a favorable opinion towards the West. One wonders why this is the case?

Ford wanted to sell British luxury car brand Jaguar and it short listed two Indian firms Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors as potential buyers. However, Jaguar dealers in the USA opposed the deal. Ken Gorin, chairman of the Jaguar Business Operations Council, told the Wall Street Journal, "I don't believe the U.S. public is ready for ownership out of India of a luxury car make ... and I believe it would severely throw a tremendous cast of doubt over the viability of the brand."

In a matter of days, Tata received another snub from the USA’s businesses.Tata-controlled Indian Hotels increased its stake in Orient-Express to 11.5 per cent. Paul White, chief executive of Orient-Express in a letter to Indian Hotels Vice-Chairman R. K. Krishna Kumar wrote, "Any association of our luxury brands and properties with your [Tata] brands and properties would result in a reduction in the value of our brands and of our business and would likely lead to erosion".

Indians are intent to favor the West over its neighbors such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and China. Snubs from the West may be a wakeup call for Indians.

Muslims share values with the wider community

2007-11-25T23:05:00.000-08:00

A survey by the Greater London Authority shows that London’s Muslims share values with the wider community repudiating the image created by the Western media. “Nearly all Muslim Londoners surveyed - 96 per cent - think that everyone should respect the law in Britain, virtually the same as the number of Londoners as a whole at 97 per cent” ,according to the survey.

This survey raises concerns about the role of the Western media, which is responsible for creating stereotypical images of Muslims. However, it is unwise to believe that the Western media will stop humiliating Muslims after this survey. The Western media knows the truth but it will never reveal it because, it will damage its vested interests.

The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said, “There has been much discussion about how to engage politically and socially with the Muslim community, but this survey shows that the vast majority of Muslims hold views in common with the rest of London about respect for the law, the value of democracy, the importance of mutual respect and equal opportunities, and debunking myths that are so readily perpetuated by some commentators and in certain sections of the media. The view that the Muslim community as a whole holds fundamentally different views to the rest of Londoners is shown by these figures to be totally untrue.”

It is time for the Western media to take a close look at its attitude towards Muslims. The West would be better of by mending relations with Muslims.

The Rise of China and the USA

2007-10-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

The Chinese economy is growing at an enormous rate and it is the second biggest economy in the world according to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in terms of GDP based on PPP (Purchasing Power Parity).

The cold war between China and theUSA is becoming intense as days go by. Chinese leadership is concentrating on long term goals however the American leadership is short sighted because of its electoral cycles.

Americans are trying hard to catch up and build strategic alliance against China with the help of Japan, India and Australia. These efforts are bearing no fruits because the Chinese economy is too strong and as a result countries around the world are refusing to become a part of Americans alliance against China. On the other hand, China is reacting by forming alliances with countries such as Pakistan to counter American efforts.

The White House-sponsored climate change conference has failed.

2007-09-29T01:51:00.000-07:00

US President, George Bush is becoming increasingly isolated on the issue of global warming. He does not want to agree on binding targets to stop emission of green house gases to halt global warming. The White House-sponsored climate change conference is a complete failure because it has achieved nothing in terms of a real plan to stop global warming.

Don Henry, executive director of the Australian Conservation Foundation said, “(US) President Bush is still resisting setting binding targets or commitments on greenhouse gas emissions.”

“He wants the flexibility of voluntary targets.”

“The US is the world's biggest climate laggard and are holding up global action on climate change.”

Bush wants citizens of this planet to forget the environmental crimes of the USA’s establishment. "Our nations have an opportunity to leave the debates of the past behind and reach a consensus on the way forward and that's our purpose today," Bush said.

Britain's climate envoy, John Ashton said, “It is striking that the (Bush) administration at the moment in the international conversation seems to be pretty isolated … I think that the argument that we can do this through voluntary approaches is now pretty much discredited internationally.”

The international community should pressure USA to agree on binding targets to reduce emissions of green house gases. It is impossible to stop global warming without binding targets to reduce emissions of green house gases.

APEC – Another talk show

2007-08-24T01:31:00.000-07:00

Another international talk show, the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum is about to start in Sydney. The developed countries of the world such as USA want to continue their economic hegemony at any cost. APEC is a brainchild of Australia, which’s Prime Minister, Johan Howard prides to be the “Deputy Sheriff” of the USA in Asia and Pacific.

APEC wants to liberalise trade and investment. Meanwhile, APEC members such as USA and Japan are spending billions of dollars on agricultural subsidies. Members of this forum have no commitment with its goal of trade liberalisation. Any one with sound mind can also understand that this task is too big for this incoherent forum. “APEC's vision of regional economic cooperation is being realised through the 'Bogor Goals' of free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific by 2010 for industrialised economies and 2020 for developing economies, adopted by APEC Leaders at their 1994 meeting in Bogor, Indonesia” according to APEC's official website.

This forum consists of countries such as China, USA, Vietnam, Australia and Papua New Guinea. These countries have very little in common. Former Australian Prime Minister, Paul Keating was one of the strongest supporters of APEC during his prim ministership. Keating says, “the most dangerous part of the world is not the Middle East, though of course that is dangerous, nor even those always-simmering tensions between India and Pakistan. In my opinion the most seriously dangerous part of the world is North Asia; within that triangle of unresolved tensions: between China and Japan and the Korean peninsula.”

On the other hand, USA - one of the most important members of APEC, is trying to build a strategic alliance against China with the help of Australia, Japan and India. This will exaggerate existing tensions among the members of APEC.

It is obvious that APEC is another talk show, which is going to waste millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money without achieving any substantial result. Developed countries are unwilling to take major steps to liberalise trade and investment. If developed countries are serious in liberalising trade then the first step is to stop spending billions of dollars on agricultural subsidies.

Is USA a failed state?

2007-07-29T04:27:00.000-07:00

It seems that USA is falling in the category of the failed states because of its failing economy. Irrational economic and political policies are the main cause of current economic crises in the USA. It is spending billions of dollars on wars to destroy the world peace. However it got no money for poor Americans who are living below poverty line.

USA’s economy is in a dire shape. Current account and budget deficit is reaching record levels. However, there is no sign that American establishment is going to fix this problem and help more than 12% Americans who are living below poverty line. USA’s trade deficit was $763.6 billion in 2006. It is continuing to increase for the last five years in a row and there is no sign that it will come down to a reasonable level.

USA’s public debt was $59.1 trillion in 2006 if unfunded future liabilities such as Medicare and Social Security were added. Public debt is running at 64.7 % of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product). There will be a deficit of 47 trillion or nearly 500% of the current GDP due to underfunding of the Medicare and Social Security in decades to come according to a report of IMF. “Closing this fiscal gap would require an immediate and permanent 60 percent hike in the federal income tax yield, or a 50 percent cut in Social Security and Medicare benefits” according to IMF’s report.

It is inconceivable to comprehend the reasons behind the irresponsible policies of the American establishment, which has shown no concern for average American. “Taxpayers are now on the hook for a record $59.1 trillion in liabilities, a 2.3% increase from 2006. That amount is equal to $516,348 for every U.S. household. By comparison, U.S. households owe an average of $112,043 for mortgages, car loans, credit cards and all other debt combined” USA Today reported.

It would be interesting to see the reaction of the American people in the coming presidential election in the light of above facts. If American public do not take corrective action to avoid economic crises then it would have great consequences for the peace and security of the whole world.

Rushdie's knighthood

2007-06-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

It is vital to understand the background of the United Kingdom’s decision to award knighthood to Salman Rushdie. United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and holds the title of “Defender of the Faith”. Humiliation of Muslims is the real reason behind the Queen’s decision to award knighthood to Salman Rushdie although she holds the title of “Defender of the Faith”. The question is which faith she wants to defend.

Queen belongs to The House of Windsor and one of its members Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor visited Germany to enjoy the company of Adolf Hitler in 1937. According to the official website of the British Monarchy "The only British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was King Edward VII, who reigned for nine years … King George V replaced the German-sounding title with that of Windsor during the First World War." The House of Windsor and its connections with the conservatives and rightwing are obvious to everyone.

United Kingdom and the West have always tried to destroy non-European cultures and religions. Islam is not the only target they have in mind. The Western history is full of genocides. Killing of millions of Jews and the Roma is a proof of the horrible history of the West.

Merchants of the Death

2007-05-26T07:40:00.001-07:00

Trillions of dollars are spent by the West on arms trade. It is a slap on the face of the West which pretends to be a champion of the human rights. Hundreds of thousands of people are killed by the arms produced and sold by the West. G 8 – a puppet of the West, gave away few billion dollars in debt reduction to African countries to show that the West is very concerned about the welfare of the poor people. However, the West is involved in the trade of the blood diamonds for centuries and it is still supplying arms to warring factions in Africa. This is enough to show the sheer hypocrisy of the West and its allies.

American economy relies on arms and oil industries for its survival. But, the West refuses to concede that it is responsible for the deaths caused by the arms produced by it. The Western killing machine is continuing to operate at full speed regardless of human sufferings and misery.

There are many reasons behind the cruelty of the West. The West wants to continue its colonial legacy by providing lethal weapons to maintain its political hegemony. It also wants to make money by selling arms, which are used to kill hundreds of thousands people every year around the world.

There is a need to organize a grass root movement to stop the Western killing machines.

31st Meeting Of Cairns Group in Lahore

2007-04-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Australian Trade Minister, Warren Truss chaired the 31st meeting of Cairns Group in Lahore. He was too busy in pretending as the champion of poor farmers. Meanwhile his government was spending billions of dollars on agricultural subsidies in shape of drought relief, fuel subsidies, and lower taxes for the Australian farmers. He belongs to a party, which is extremely conservative and advocates the protectionism. It is ironic that such a person is regarded as a supporter of poor peasants of developing countries.

Australian Wheat Board (AWB) was involved in one of the biggest corruption scandals of agricultural history while Truss was serving as Minister of Agriculture. Western Australian grain producer, Trevor Flugge was appointed as Chairman of AWB by the then Agricultural Minister Warren Truss. Flugge's appointment was publicly criticized by American wheat industry and the aid community. Flugge was allegedly involved in AWB kickback scandal.

A corrupt Pakistani agent was paid $12 million as secret commission by AWB to secure wheat contracts for Australia. However, the inquiry into the AWB bribery scandal, headed by Terence Cole, QC refused to name the Pakistani agent who was given a code name P2. The refusal to name the Pakistani agent highlights the double standards of the West. The Australian government has refused to name the agent so that the same person can be used to secure favourable trade deals in the future. The other reason behind the refusal is to send a message to the corrupt officials of the developing countries that the Australian government will never disclose their names. Hence, these corrupt officials can continue to support corrupt practices of Australian businesses in return for bribes.

Truss believes that Pakistanis are gullible. It is better that he keeps his focus on agricultural subsidies. He said, "Cricket is a passion which binds Pakistan and Australia" The former Australian cricketer, Dean Jones called the South African Muslim cricketer Hashim Amla "the terrorist". However, the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard refused to call Dean Jones a "racist" and said, "you cannot be too careful in relation to links between one particular racial or religious group and terrorism". Pakistanis do not want to be bound with a country which’s Prime Ministers refuses to condemn racism.

Its time that the Western politicians stop treating people of developing countries with contempt and show some respect for them. If the Western politicians do not change their hypocritical stance then the people of the developing world will take matters in their own hands by forging new alliances to save their economic interests.

India’s Survival Depends on A Stronger Pakistan

2007-03-29T09:24:00.001-07:00

Finally, the establishment in India has come to senses by realizing that a stronger Pakistan is a guarantee for a prosperous India. Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh says that prosperous neighbors are a guarantee for a prosperous India. He further said that he wants that India's neighbors feel secure and trust that India has good intentions for its neighbors.

The hawks in India should realize that a weaker Pakistan is an open invitation to the Western imperialists to surround India and China by consolidating the Western influence in Pakistan. India heavily relies on a stronger Pakistan for its survival and growth. India also relies on Pakistan to import energy and export its products through Pakistan.

Various regions of the world, such as the Western Europe and Far East Asia, have developed as a group. It is almost impossible for a country to grow by itself because of globalization.

It is time that Indian establishment takes concrete measures for the welfare of the South Asians by resolving the outstanding issue of Kashmir. The issue of Kashmir should be resolved according to the desires of the people of Kashmir to open the doors of prosperity for South Asians.

Pakistan: Implications of Trade Talks

2007-02-26T11:17:00.000-08:00

The developed countries of the West are exploiting developing countries like Pakistan through their economic policies. The West is also trying to manipulate developing countries in various trade forums to continue its economic hegemony at the cost of poor countries.

For example, the aim of Doha Development Round was to liberalise world trade. However, due to the stubbornness of the Western countries these talks are close to collapse like other trade talks such as Uruguay Round. The developing countries want a fair and just trade system where the West can not exploit poor people of the world. However the West wants to have free access to markets of the developing countries without allowing the developing countries to access the Western markets.

Pakistanis also believe in a fair and just world which is free of exploitation. Pakistan should try to lead small developing countries because big developing countries such as India are likely to have bilateral trade deals with the Western countries. Pakistan should also adopt the same strategy, which it adopted during the proposed reforms for the United Nation’s Security Council. This strategy will ensure that smaller developing countries can also achieve favourable trade outcomes under the leadership of Pakistan.

Rise of Racism in the West

2007-01-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

Yet again, the ugly face of the Western racism is exposed. The subhumans, participating in the infamous TV programme Bigoted (Big) Brother, tried to humiliate Bollywood's Shilpa Shetty because she was not from a Western background.

She was called a “dog” and a "c---" by one of the subhumans in Bigoted Brother. After Shetty cooked a dinner then one of the housemates commented that "They eat with their hands in India, don't they … Or is that China? You don't know where those hands have been." These racists should realize that India and China were centres of civilizations while their ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, "I have not seen this particular programme so I cannot comment on it,". Does anyone believe that Blair is not briefed on one of the major diplomatic incidents? It seems that Blair is accustomed to telling lies like the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

House of Commons leader Jack Straw said, "I don't think we should have a casual attitude to racism...We've been very tough on this issue in public and in private". Incidentally, Straw is the same man who was expressing xenophobic views against the Muslim women’s right to wear a veil. People like Straw are encouraging xenophobes to overtly express racist views against women from the non-Western cultures by criticising right to wear a veil.

There is a rise of racism in the West because of its xenophobic policies since September 11. Now, the right wing in the West thinks that it can spread xenophobic views using Muslims as an excuse. However, the xenophobes do not spare anyone from a non-Western background. Indian star Shilpa Shetty’s case is a clear indication of this trend. Minorities in UK are facing economic and social hardships because of widespread racism in the English society.

According to National Statistics UK, “unemployment rates for people from non-White ethnic groups were generally higher than those from White ethnic groups…Among men, those from Black Caribbean, Black African, Bangladeshi and Mixed ethnic groups had the highest unemployment rates (between 13 and 14 per cent). These rates were around three times the rates for White British and White Irish men (5 per cent in each case). The unemployment rates for Pakistani and Chinese men, 11 and 10 per cent, were around twice the rates for White British men or White Irish men”.

“The unemployment rates for Black Caribbean (9 per cent), Indian (8 per cent) and Chinese (7 per cent) women were around twice the rates for White British and White Irish women” in 2004.

Meanwhile, chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, Trevor Phillips said, "What we are seeing is a noxious brew of old-fashioned class conflict, straightforward bullying, ignorance and quite vicious racial bigotry".

In further developments, the chief executive of Carphone Warehouse, Charles Dunstone has cancelled the sponsorship deal with reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother for Britain's Channel 4. He said, "We are totally against all forms of racism and bullying. As a result we feel that as long as this continues we are unable to associate our brand with the program."

Pakistan: An Emerging Economic Hub

2007-01-12T09:57:00.000-08:00

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s dream of having “breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul” needs to be looked in a historical perspective. His statement has opened a new debate about the future direction of this region.

India is surrounded by China and Pakistan. In real a sense, India is like an island. The only land link for India is with Burma apart from going through China and Pakistan. Going through Burma or China will not take India to Europe, Middle East, or Central Asia. However, going through Pakistan will allow India to have a workable land link these regions.

Trading through land is the cheapest way to import and export. The only viable land route for India is through Pakistan to trade with Europe, Middle East, or Central Asia. Rapidly growing Indian economy is heavily dependent on Pakistan to import energy and export goods by land. Central Asian countries and West China are also closer to occasion through Pakistan. The new port of Gawadar is one of the best routes to import and export their goods. Pakistan is under constant focus of global powers because of its strategic location.

If India wants to join the wave of development then it have to resolve the outstanding issue of Kashmir according to desires of the people of Kashmir. This will ensure that Mr. Singh will be able to have a peaceful “breakfast in Amritsar”. However, he needs to do a lot to fulfil his desire of “lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul”. The first step is to stop the economic, political, and social suppression of Indian Muslims.

Agricultural Subsidies

2006-12-30T12:18:00.000-08:00

The West is spending more than a billion dollars a day on agricultural subsidies. Agricultural subsidies are the root cause of poverty in many countries of the world. It is very nice to pay a few billion dollars in the debt reduction to least developed African countries. The Western singers organize concerts for the debt reduction and poverty alleviation. However, these singers seldom raise their voices against agricultural subsidies and the unfair trade system. The poor people of the world do not want the Western charity. The Western people should realize that one of the major reasons behind the poverty is the unfair trade system imposed by the West. Free trade is a cover up to exploit poor people of the world.

"European cow receives $2.50 per day in government subsidies and the average Japanese cow receives $7.50 in subsidies, while 75 percent of people in Africa live on less than $2 per day", the former Chief Economist of the World Bank, Nicholas Stern pointed out this disgraceful policy of the industrialized world in 2002. Meanwhile, 2.7 billion people survived on less than $2 a day and 1.1 billion people had earned less than $1 per day according to the World Bank in 2001. However, this situation has not changed since then. The West and its allies are continuing to spend billions of dollars on their rich farmers. The industrialized world is mainly composed of the West and its allies like Japan.

OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) governments gave € 225 billion ($300 billion) as agricultural subsidies to farmers in 2005. OECD member countries such as the USA portray itself as champions of the free trade. However, the USA's stance on agricultural subsidies is based on sheer hypocrisy like most of its policies.

These stark facts show that the talk of the free trade by the West is a smoke screen to divert the attention of poor masses of the world from the real issue of neo-colonial agenda of the West. Champions of the free trade from the West are silent on various issues such as agricultural subsidies. They are not opposing the trade barriers erected by the West. However, they are quick to criticize developing countries for not allowing the West to exploit their economies. The West and its politicians are renowned for hypocrisy and double standards.

The only way out for developing countries is to unite against the cruel policies of the West to save poor people of the world.

Who is to Blame for Global Warming

2006-11-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

Global warming is a result of environmental pollution by the West since the industrial revolution. The West does not want to be held responsible for global warming. It is trying to blame developing countries for global warming which are producing goods for the Western consumption. The West wants to continue its economic hegemony by slowing down economic growth in the developing countries.

Repercussions of global warming are severe for the developing countries like Pakistan. According to a report by economist Nicholas Stern, “Melting glaciers will initially increase flood risk and then strongly reduce water supplies” in South Asia. It will have devastating impact on lives of people in this region.

The Sun warms up the Earth by solar rays. After the Earth warms up it emits infrared rays some of them are absorbed by greenhouse gases. This natural process is called greenhouse effect, which keeps the Earth warm. Industrialisation causes higher accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The excessive accumulation of these gases results in higher absorption of infrared rays emitted by the Earth. The higher absorption of infrared rays leads to global warming by increasing the Earth’s temperature. World Meteorological Organisation has warned that Greenhouse gases have reached a record level in 2005 and they are likely to keep rising until steps are taken to cut them.

USA is emitting 24.4 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases although it is less than 4.6 percent of the world’s population. On the other hand South Asian countries - Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Nepal, are 22.36 percent of the world’s population but they are emitting only 6.3 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases.

The West’s gruesome acts of colonisation, genocides, and wars have caused great pain and suffering around the world. The West forced Palestinians to pay for its crimes of the Holocaust and ethnic cleansing of Jews from Europe by creating Israel. Now, it is forcing the developing countries of the world to pay for the environmental holocaust orchestrated by the West. Its acts have created the environmental catastrophe, which is causing irreparable damage to this planet.

Pakistan is emitting 0.5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases although it is 2.54 percent of the world’s population. On the other hand, Australia is 0.31 percent of the world’s population however it is emitting 1.5 percent of world’s greenhouse gases in 2000 according to Human Development Report 2005. USA and Australia have blatantly refused to ratify the Kyoto protocol.

Australian Member of Parliament, Anthony Albanese said, “Perhaps most offensive is the [Australian] Prime Minister’s statement that China, India and all the developing world should be blamed [for global warming].”

United States President, George Bush described Australia as a “Sheriff” of the Asia Pacific. Australian Prime Minister, John Howard has expressed racist views and refused to condemn racism on many occasions. Now, Sheriff Howard wants to force Asian countries such as China, India, and Pakistan to pay for environmental crimes of the West by cutting greenhouse gases. If a corporation pollutes then it is forced to pay for damage. But, Howard does not want the West to pay for environmental damage.

The West has developed by polluting the world through burning fossil fuels since industrial revolution. Now it does not want the developing countries to burn fossil fuels for economic growth. It is the turn of the developing countries to grow their economies to reduce poverty but the West does not like it.

The West moved dirty industries in the developing countries to export pollution and to exploit cheap labour for increasing corporate profits. The Western corporations are polluting the land, water, and air in the developing countries. These corporations moved to the developing countries to cut costs and to avoid lawsuits from the Western citizens who were against pollution.

For example, Erin Brockovich filed a lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric Company of California for contaminating water in the southern California town of Hinkley. The case was settled out of the court for a record sum of $333 million.

Global warming is a direct result of rampant consumption in the West. According to Human Development Report 1998 Overview, United Nations Development Programme, “Inequalities in consumption are stark. Globally, the 20% of the world’s people in the highest-income countries account for 86% of total private consumption expenditures — the poorest 20% a minuscule 1.3%.”

The criterion to allocate quota for greenhouse gases emission is flawed because it is based on emissions caused by production. However, the production is a result of consumption. Goods are produced because there is a demand for their consumption. Therefore, the greenhouse gases quota should be allocated based on the consumption by every country.

For example, a chef preparing a meal cannot be blamed for smoke. The chef’s employer is responsible for smoke because the meal is cooked for the employer’s consumption. Similarly, the West is responsible for greenhouse gases emission in the developing countries, which are producing goods for the Western consumption.

Conservatives in the West argue that consumers should pay all costs for services such as health, education, and transport. However, they do not want to apply the same principle to the Western consumers by forcing them to pay all costs associated with goods they are consuming including environmental costs of greenhouse gases emission. A big percentage of greenhouse gases are emitted because of goods produced for the Western consumption in the developing countries.

Over consumption by the West is the main cause for global warming. The Western prosperity is achieved at the expense of the rest of the world through colonisation, wars, genocides, and global warming. The West should take responsibility for its environmental actions and reduce greenhouse gases emission to save this planet.

The Myth of Fundamentalism

2006-10-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Xenophobes do not leave any chance to criticise Muslims anywhere in the world, although, the overwhelming majority of the Muslims is not practicing Islam. Actions of the Muslims clearly show that they are not interested in following commandments of Islam as individuals or as a society.

The Muslims are breaking basic principles of Islam in their daily lives and they cannot be regarded as practicing Muslims from a theological point of view. For example, the Muslims are not following commandments about usury, sexual ethics, intoxication, daily prayers, beard, and Zakat.

A Muslim cannot indulge in usury, which is charging or paying interest on financial transactions. “ ... Allah hath permitted trade and forbidden usury ... ” Quran 002.275. Banking systems of most of the Muslim countries are based on usury. For example, Pakistani financial system is similar to the Western countries. The political system of Pakistan has endorsed the practice of usury by running usury based banking system. Pakistanis as a whole are responsible for the breach of commandments about usury. The people who involve in usury cannot be classified as Muslim fundamentalists.

There is a suburb in Lahore – the second largest city in Pakistan, which is full of prostitutes and un-Islamic conduct. Islam forbids this type of conduct but it is tolerated in the capital of the biggest province in Pakistan.

“ ... The Prophet said, ‘All intoxicants are prohibited’ ... ” Narrated Abi Burda, Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 631. Many Muslims especially from South Asia chew tobacco, which causes intoxication. Some people also pray immediately after chewing tobacco although they know that use of intoxicants is not permissible.

There are strict instructions for the Muslims to pray five times a day with congregation in a Mosque. However, there are not enough Mosques in the Muslim societies to accommodate all Muslims for compulsory congregational prayers. The Muslims as a society do not expect all Muslims to turn up for compulsory congregational prayers five times a day. Otherwise, they would have built enough Mosques to accommodate all Muslims for prayers.

It is an old religious tradition to have a beard. A Muslim male is required to trim his moustaches and have a beard. “Allah's Apostle said, ‘Cut the moustaches short and leave the beard (as it is)’ Narrated Ibn 'Umar”, Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 72, Number 781. However, it can be observed that an overwhelming majority of the Muslims do not have beards but they have moustaches. The Muslim males are doing exactly the opposite of what is recommended by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

It is also compulsory to collect Zakat (obligatory charity) from wealthy Muslims and spent it for the welfare of the poor people. However, most of the Muslim societies do not have a system to implement commandments about Zakat.

A huge majority of the Muslim countries is using secular laws. These countries are not applying Sharia (Islamic law), which is compulsory for all Muslims to follow. The Muslims have not bothered to vote for fundamentalists in most of the Muslim countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Fundamentalists have never secured a substantial percentage of votes in these countries especially in Pakistan, which is portrayed as a hub of fundamentalism by the anti-Muslim lobby.

However, this is not enough to please the xenophobes or to stop their poisonous propaganda. It will continue at any cost. Islamophobes will keep on propagating stereotypical images of the Muslims.

If the West suspects the growth of fundamentalism in a Muslim country then it tries to eliminate fundamentalism by imposing a war. Afghanistan, Palestine, and Iran are a good example.

Some of its left-leaning politicians were against invading secular Iraq under Saddam Hussein. The fear of fundamentalism was one of the reasons behind the unanimous agreement to attack Afghanistan. The former German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder was against invading Iraq but he deployed German troops to attack Afghanistan.

US Senator, Hillary Clinton said’ “I believe we still have failed to pay adequate attention or have we given the appropriate resources that are necessary to Afghanistan ... This was summarized for me when I was greeted by a soldier, an American soldier in Afghanistan who said ‘welcome to the forgotten front line of the War on Terror’.”

The West also encouraged and supported Saddam Hussein to attack Iran to contain the Islamic Revolution after a popular uprising against dictatorship of the King of Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi. Israel also attacked Palestine to eliminate the democratically elected government of Hamas to contain fundamentalism with the help of the West.

Xenophobia is the driving force behind the actions of the West and its propaganda against the Muslims. The Western media is trying hard to imply that all Muslims are fundamentalist and extremists. The current increase in the vilification of the Muslims by the Western media and politicians is a proof of this.

Adolf Straw, Professor of Theology, Neo-Nazi University of Auschwitz spearheaded their attack. The xenophobes want to impose the Western values on the Muslims to control the political resistance posed by the Muslims around the world.

There is a sharp rise of neo-Nazis because of the xenophobic propaganda in the West. This is encouraging the ever-increasing crimes against ethnic and religious minorities such as Jews, Muslims, and Africans. The Israeli ambassador to Germany, Shimon Stein said, “I have the feeling that Jews in Germany do not feel safe. They are not always able to practice their religion freely.”

Nowadays, there is a tendency to label all Muslims as fundamentalists and supporters of terrorism. Terrorism is used as an excuse to spread Islamophobia. It is vital to understand the context in which Islamophobia is exercised and its effects on the world affairs.

The war to colonise hearts and minds

2006-09-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

The stories of honour killings, forced marriages, child brides, and gang rapes are regularly invoked to stir up the public opinion against Muslims to portray their societies as draconian. It is a familiar theme in the West to use women’s plight as an excuse to dehumanise the Muslims and to accuse them of crimes, which they do not condone.

The Western media is obsessed with these stories but, when it comes to its own backyard then it ignores similar problems. However, it never ignores a story if it portrays a negative image of a non-White person specially a Muslim. This is not a new trend. The discrimination against minorities has a very long history in the West. The Holocaust is a prime example. The war to colonise hearts and minds of the Muslims has been underway for a long-time.

The Western media is trying to escalate this war. It became hyperbolic while accusing a Pakistani Muslim for abducting his 12 years old daughter - Molly Campbell in Britain. Child custody disputes are common in the West because of high divorce rates. But, it involved a Pakistani Muslim that was the reason for its high-profile coverage. The Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper, reported that Molly “could be forced to become a child bride ... [and her father was] planning to marry her to a 25-year-old man”.

Later, Molly Campbell told that she was not abducted. Molly also asked to be called by her Islamic name Misbah Iram Ahmed Rana. Osama Saeed, Scottish spokesperson for the Muslim Association of Britain said, “this was not a straightforward case of kidnap as was being portrayed” by the media. The Western media did not bother to present a true picture and stacked arguments against Misbah’s father without investigating her story. Independent reports denied claims made in the Western media.

The gang rape of Mukhtar Mai was also used by the Western media to portray a negative image of Pakistan. However, it kept silent in case of a 14 year old girl who was gang-raped and murdered by American soldiers in Iraq. The soldiers also killed her father, mother, and young sister in her family home in in Mahmudiya.

The obvious silence of the Western media in case of the young Iraqi girl shows that it does not care about human rights if the victim is a Muslim. On the other hand, a rape victim gets a celebrity status if the perpetrator of the crime is a Muslim. One does not need to be a rocket scientist to work out reasons behind the dualism of the Western media. It is a case of pure hypocrisy.

However, the Western media tries to under-report rapes and murders in the West. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network in the USA, “Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted. One in six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape ... In 2003-2004, there were an average annual 204,370 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.”

In the USA more than 40 percent of female murders are committed by their family members. The Western media does not want to know what are the reasons behind the murders of thousands of women every year. It raises the issue of the honour killing only when a Muslim is involved in a murder. It tries to imply that there are no cases of honour killings involving the Western men. It is also guilty of condoning these murders by not using a strong language against the Western men who are killing thousands of innocent women.

The Western media also uses anti-Muslim voices such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali to defame the Muslims. According to Ali, her father arranged a marriage for her but she refused to marry. Later, she escaped to the Netherlands and became an icon of the anti-Muslim mob. She renounced Islam and became a member of Dutch parliament after fiercely criticising the Muslims. She horrified the Muslims all around the world by producing a film in which verses of the Quran were desecrated. Later, the director of her film, Theo Van Gogh was assassinated by a Muslim.

Ali fabricated her story and lied about her circumstances to migrate to the Netherlands. She was forced to resign from the Dutch parliament because the Dutch Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk said that her passport should be revoked. But, Verdonk made a U-turn and did not revoke her passport. The American Enterprise Institute – a conservative think-tank, came to rescue her and awarded her a lucrative job because she was an anti-Muslim. Time Magazine also declared her as one of the 100 people “with the clout and power to change our world” in 2005.

The Muslims should try to improve conditions of women. However, they should be aware of inner motives of the West. It wants to impose its culture on the Eastern people regardless of their religion before its economic demise. However, true liberals are united to expose this war.

The war to colonise the hearts and minds of the Muslims is a part of a wider strategy to strengthen the Western hegemony in Asia. There is a continuous spate of propaganda against China’s political, economic, and cultural affairs as a part of this strategy. Occasionally, India is also targeted. The Western media fails to understand that the Asian continent has multicultural and multi-religious civilizations renowned for their rich and diverse culture. The war against Asia is doomed to fail. Hearts and minds of the Eastern people will never be colonised.

Shadows of the Great Game

2006-08-29T00:26:00.000-07:00

A series of depressing incidents including the killing of a tribal leader, Sardar Akbar Bugti has opened a new debate about the future direction of this region. Asia has been a focus of the geopolitics for centuries. The Great Game was used as a term to describe the struggle between Briton and Russia which were vying to colonize this region since Tsarist Russian Empire in early nineteenth century. Britons were kicked out of Asia after a successful freedom movement resulting in the creation of Pakistan. However, Russians under a communist regime, continued to colonize Muslim countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, in Central Asia.

Americans displaced Briton after its demise in the Second World War to start the New Great Game. Americans forged a close alliance with Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey during the Cold War to contain Russians. People of this region turned against Americans because of their support for dictators. A power vacuum was left after the demise of the King of Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi because of a popular uprising under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini. Russians invaded Afghanistan to fill this power vacuum but their defeat in Afghanistan led them to free several Muslim countries colonized in Central Asia.

The Russian withdrawal from Central Asia has created another power vacuum. As a regional power, Pakistan is in an important position to fill this vacuum with the help of its cultural and historical links with Central Asia.

Meanwhile, China started to rise as an economic superpower. It will become the biggest economy of the world almost in a decade if it continues to grow at the current pace. Americans did not like the rise of China. They took advantage of the September 11 and surrounded China by invading Afghanistan. They also established bases in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Americans are trying to build an alliance against China in Asia with the help of Japan, Australia, and India. Chinese reacted to this alarming situation and signed various treaties with neighbouring countries such as Pakistan. China also accelerated the development of Gawadar port with the help of Pakistan as a wider strategy to counter the American influence in the region.

China is also trying to counter the American influence in Asia by building new alliances such as Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). It consists of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, while Iran, Mongolia, India, and Pakistan have an observer status. SCO asked the USA to set a timeline to withdraw its military from the region in 2005.

On the other hand, Americans are trying to intervene in the Middle East to control oil supplies vital for China’s growth. Meanwhile, Iran has emerged as a stronger player after Israel’s defeat in Lebanon by increasing its influence in the Middle East. The current situation in Balochistan can also be seen in the context of an American attack on Iran.

Central Asian countries and West China are closer to occasion through Pakistan. The new port of Gawadar is one of the best routes to import and export their goods. Indian economy is also growing rapidly and it is heavily dependent on Pakistan to import cheap energy. If Pakistan refuses to allow Indians to go through its territory then they will not be able to have a workable land link with the Middle East or Central Asia. Gawadar is under constant focus of global powers because of its strategic location.

It would be harder for Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, and Central Asian countries to negotiate with economic giants. European countries were facing the same problem and they formed the European Union (EU) to overcome this problem. However, the West does not like to see other races and regions to prosper. The West will try to twist the idea of collaboration among Asian Muslims as an attempt to revive caliphate. Its propaganda machine will use the usual themes of “war on terror” as an excuse to halt progress in Asia. It will also try to encourage its puppets to divide Asians on ethnic and sectarian lines.

Continuous hurdles are created to stop Turkey becoming a part of the EU. If Turkey joins the EU then it will have a huge impact on the Western policies because of its big population joining millions of Muslims already living in the EU. Muslims have to be integrated into regional organizations such as the EU to share economic benefits or they will be forced to form their own union. One-way or the other Muslims will share economic benefits around the world. The Western attempts to marginalize Muslims will eventually fail.

If Turkey is left out of the EU then it will have no choice but to join an Asian union. The union of Asian Muslims can be called caliphate in a cultural sense or an Asian union in a secular sense. The name does not make any difference. The main goal is the prosperity of Asian Muslims.

Anti-Asian forces are trying to destabilize Balochistan to harm Asian’s interests in the region. The best option for Pakistan is to try to resolve current situation by using political means to avoid further complications. It is obvious that the pace of development cannot be stopped and the people of Balochistan will be the primary beneficiary of this development. However, there is a need to explain this to Balochis so they can join the wave of development with enthusiasm. Once the suppressed masses of Balochistan feel the taste of an economic prosperity then no one will be able to turn the wheel of the time back to old days of suppression.

Cricket under siege by Islamophobes

2006-08-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Xenophobes in Australia are morphing into Islamophobes because of a late swing after September 11. However, this late swing is not because of ball tampering rather it is due to the paranoia caused by invisible beamers. Schizophrenia, which causes paranoia, delusion, and hallucinations, is the most likely illness for seeing unreal objects or actions.

The former Australian cricketer, Dean Jones became berserk because of paranoia. He called the South African Muslim cricketer Hashim Amla “the terrorist” during second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo, while he was commenting live on air. He said, “the terrorist has got another wicket” when Alma took a catch. Ten Sports owned by Abdul Rahman Bukhatir sacked him immediately. However, his Australian employer 3AW Radio refused to sack him.

If controversial Australian umpire, Darrell Hair cannot prove that there was a case of a ball tampering in the Oval Test then he will fall in the same category along with his compatriot Dean Jones. Former England captain, Ian Botham said, “They needed to make a statement specifying exactly why the ball was changed, what they had seen, who was involved and how often.” Hair needs to answer all of these questions before he is allowed to supervise any match. It is vital to find out the history of xenophobia in Australia to understand the nature of characters involved in these matters.

The Australian Prime Minister, John Howard refused to call Dean Jones a “racist” and said, “you cannot be too careful in relation to links between one particular racial or religious group and terrorism”. What Howard will say if a former South African cricketer becomes less careful and calls an Australian cricketer a “White Terrorist” for killing innocent Iraqis and native Australians (Aboriginals)?

Australia has a long xenophobic history of more than two centuries. When English colonised Australia, they declared it a “Terra Nullius” - a no man’s land, so they could occupy the land of Aboriginals without offering any compensation. “Terra Nullius” applies when a piece of land is unoccupied or uncultivated according to European law. However, Aboriginals occupied Australia and they were using the land for day-to-day survival. English settlers used European law to justify colonisation.

These settlers committed the genocide by killing most of Aboriginals in Australia. The legacy of genocide is still hounding Aboriginals and they are in dire circumstances. They have high levels of unemployment and low life expectancy. Further, they have low levels of income, education, and health. White settlers used to take away Aboriginal children by force from their parents so children can be westernised. Aboriginals were not considered as a citizen of Australia until 1967. They were required to take permission before travelling in any part of Australia. They were converted to Christianity by force and they were not allowed to use their own language to eliminate their culture.

The Boxer, Anthony Mundine is one of distinguished Aboriginal sport stars. He converted to Islam, however he paid a big price for his conversion. The World Boxing Council (WBC) stripped Anthony Mundine of his ranking because of his remarks about September 11. Mundine said, “They call it an act of terrorism, but if you understand the religion and our way of life, it is not about terrorism, it is about fighting for God's laws and America brought it on themselves what they have done in the history of time”.

He was a rugby player, but he left the game because of continuous racism and discrimination. He decided to follow the footsteps of his father and decided to become a boxer. However, becoming a boxer does not mean that discrimination will stop. He faced a barrage of abuse by racist crowed which was supporting a white boxer named Danny Green. Street brawls erupted after the match in which dozens of people were involved. Many victims suffered severe injuries and ended in hospitals.

The tradition of racial slurs and discrimination is common in Australia. The former Opposition Leader of New South Wales, John Brogden described the wife of former premier Bob Carr as “mail order bride”, because she was a Filipino. Australian Prime Minister, John Howard is not strange to controversies. He is extremely conservative, pro-war, and an ally of the American President, George Bush. He is a populist and tries to exploit fears of people by talking about terrorism and unauthorised arrivals of immigrants.

Dean Jones labelled Muslims as “terrorists” and his Australian employer did not sack him. But, when Mundine criticised the USA, the World Boxing Council stripped of his ranking. This is a classical example of double standards. Islamophobia and discrimination are widespread in the Western societies. It is exercised in all areas of life such as education, housing, and employment.

Islamophobes can act in the presence of thousands of people and live cameras. Imagine what they will do when no one will be watching them. Think of a situation where a Muslim dares to seek a job in an institution in which Dean Jones have to make a decision to award the job. Jones will kick out the Muslim after labelling the Muslim jobseeker as a “terrorist”. Jones should stop commenting on cricket and become the President of the USA because he fulfils all requirements.

Current events pose a greater responsibility on Pakistani cricketers. Islamophobes are out there to get them. However, Pakistani players should be assured that they have done nothing wrong. The whole nation is supporting them to protect their reputation. They have to fulfil their responsibilities as role models by upholding higher standards of conduct. Pakistani players can handle any situation through their dignity and wisdom. This nation will always protect them from Islamophobes who believe in discrimination and racism.

Iran in the new Middle East

2006-08-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

A clear picture has started to emerge after the cessation of hostilities in the Middle East. The USA after losing its global propaganda war has started to lose its proxy wars in the Middle East while its Deputy Sheriff, with all of its military might, has failed to muster its will on Hezbollah. This leaves limited options available to Americans to counter their demise in the region, as their dream of “the new Middle East” has collapsed spectacularly. This dream has turned into a nightmare and it has been buried beside the infamous “New World Order”.

This conflict has changed the dynamics of the region. It will force Americans to think hard before dealing with Iran. However, history shows that Americans have failed to learn lessons form their debacles. What would be effects of this conflict on the American strategy to deal with Iran?

Iran has emerged as a stronger player after Israel’s defeat meanwhile Iran has also increased its influence in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki also criticised Israel for its actions in Lebanon, which is a clear sign of his pro- Hezbollah stance. He cannot afford to annoy Iraqi Shias by supporting Israel. Americans are trapped in a quagmire of “the new Middle East”. If they try to attack Iran then they will face strong opposition in Iraq because of radical pro-Iranian elements.

Americans also know that in case of a ground invasion of Iran they will be hunted down by Iranian guerrillas. Like Israelis were hunted down by Hezbollah’s. Iran has more population and resources than Hezbollah. Americans will not like to create another Vietnam. Public opinion in the USA is turning against the policies of the Bush Administration. The defeat of the pro-war, pro-Israeli, three-term incumbent Senator Joe Lieberman, in Democratic Senate primary, by a novice politician Ned Lamont is a clear indication of a new trend.

The former US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage said, “If the most dominant military force in the region—the Israel Defence Forces—can’t pacify a country like Lebanon, with a population of four million, you should think carefully about taking that template to Iran, with strategic depth and a population of seventy million”, according to US Journalist, Seymour Hersh’s article in the New Yorker magazine. Hersh also broke the story about Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq.

Further, a European intelligence officer told Hersh, “The Israelis have been caught in a psychological trap. In earlier years, they had the belief that they could solve their problems with toughness. But now, with Islamic martyrdom, things have changed, and they need different answers. How do you scare people who love martyrdom?” Iran has the same “psychological trap” ready for Bush. Is he prepared to encounter it?

The other trap, which Bush should be worried about, is regarding oil prices. Oil prices will go through the roof because of an attack on Iran. It will have a profound effect on the world economy. High oil prices will lead to a worldwide recession.

The Western people usually spare their politicians for killing hundreds of thousand innocent civilians around the world. But, they will not digest a global recession because of the American adventurism in Iran. They are very particular about the effects of political decisions on their income.

Before the Israeli defeat, the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice was pushing the idea of “the new Middle East” where every move would be made with the permission of Americans. She used all tricks available to delay a cease-fire. So Israelis could crush Hezbollah to reduce Iranian influence in the region. Do these tricks show true intentions of Americans behind their plan of “the new Middle east”?

During this war, Americans supplied weapons to Israel to kill civilians in “the new Middle East”. However, the American President, George Bush was trying to cover it up by diverting the attention of the world away from the reasons of the conflict. The reason behind this conflict is the Israeli occupation of the Arab land and the American desire of a regime change in Iran. Bush said, “we've launched a forward strategy of freedom in the broader Middle East .... But they also know that young democracies are fragile and that this may be their last and best opportunity to stop freedom's advance”.

The forward strategy of freedom is an American ploy to suppress people in the Middle East with the help of dictators to secure oil supplies. Therefore, Israeli attack on “young democracies” of Palestine and Lebanon is a way to stop “freedom’s advance” in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Bush kept on spinning the truth by claiming that Israelis had won the war against Hezbollah to show that Iranian influence had declined. However, Israeli public opinion does not agree with Bush’s claim about a victory.

Israelis are shocked that they cannot defeat Iranian ally. Infighting and calls for heads to role have intensified in Israel after the cease-fire. Israeli army's Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz, sold his shares hours before he went to advise the Government to go for a war. Why he sold his shares? Did he worry that effects of war would reduce the value of his shares? One of the most prominent Israeli newspapers Haaretz called for an “immediate resignation” of Halutz for failing to defeat Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert also confessed the defeat by saying that "there have been failings and shortcomings” and “we must ensure that next time things will be done better."

It is obvious that the American plan of “the new Middle East” has collapsed. However, Americans and Israelis can learn a lesson from this experience by allowing Palestinians to exercise their right of self-determination. They can also avoid confrontation with Iran and resolve outstanding issues within the framework of established international standards. This time a preemptive war against Iran will cause an irreparable damage to the USA.

Blair’s Dilemma of Future Foreign Policy

2006-08-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair’s speech to the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles was full of rhetoric and historical errors. He failed to address the issue of forming a coherent foreign policy in his wide-ranging speech. Surprisingly, he talked about the political and economic demise of the West. He also echoed the clash of civilisations, while asserting that the Western values were superior, hence, these values should be imposed on the Muslims. The focus of his speech was on the ways to suppress anti-imperialist sentiments and desire for true democracy among the Muslims.

Blair conceded setbacks in the “battle against global extremism” and said, “the US has suffered heavy losses ... in Iraq and in Afghanistan.” Interestingly, he did not mention “war on terror” and wished to defeat “reactionary Islam” before the political and economic demise of the West. Blair appeared to be in a dispute with the American President, George Bush and neo-conservatives, who preferred a hawkish response.

Blair’s dilemma is about achieving strategic goals without putting the prestige and resources of the West on the line. In fact, Blair has conceded a setback by showing “willingness to negotiate or compromise”. He tried to conceal his weakness by using tough language and sounded like a politician delivering a concession speech after a landslide electoral defeat.

Blair said, “The purpose of terrorism - whether in Iran, Afghanistan, Lebanon or Palestine is never just the terrorist act itself. It is to use the act to trigger a chain reaction, to expunge any willingness to negotiate or compromise. Unfortunately it frequently works, as we know from our own experience in Northern Ireland, though thankfully the huge progress made in the last decade there, shows that it can also be overcome.”

Apparently, he used abstract language to convey message to aggrieved parties. Moreover, he showed the “willingness to negotiate or compromise” without mentioning any party, while using Northern Ireland as an example. Who he wants to negotiate with and what issues he likes to compromise on? However, it seems that his “willingness to negotiate or compromise” is too little, too late. He should have courage to show his cards and come clean on this issue.

Blair predicted the demise of the West and said, “the future in which Europe and the US will no longer, economically or politically, be transcendent.” The West will not be a major player in the world affairs due to the rise of China, India, and other Asian countries. This will happen partly because of the aging population in the West and transfer of jobs to Asian economies. This raises an important question about the maximum limit of time left for the West to enforce its will on the Muslims. “Within 20 or 30 years” China and India will emerge as major powers according to Blair. The West does not has much time left to implement its will on the Muslims.

Blair made a huge assumption that the Muslims around the world have short memory and that somehow using fanciful language can fool them. His speech was full of contradiction and historical errors. He vigorously defended the Israeli policy in the Middle East. He also praised the former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who was responsible for Sabra and Shatila massacre in which thousands of civilians were killed in Lebanon in 1982.

Because of their brutal policies, USA and UK suffered heavy losses in many parts of the world such as the Middle East and Afghanistan. The West in general and USA in particular, were under the impression that they could impose the “New World Order” without any opposition, after the end of the Cold War. However, it is impossible to take control of the world’s affairs due to its dynamic nature. The West comes to grips with the reality due to the resistance presented by the Muslims and the rest of the world against its unilateralism.

The focal point of Blair’s speech was the “changing the values systems” in the Muslim countries and to convince the Muslims to adopt the Western values. He echoed the controversial theory of the “Clash of Civilizations” by Samuel P. Huntington by saying that “our values are stronger, better and more just, more fair”. However, it is obvious that most of the Western policies are unjust and brutal. Is Blair trying to defend the Western policies of neo-imperialism and Islamophobia?

The claim about the superiority of the Western values can be tested by looking at the economic, political, and social conditions of the minorities in the West. It is evident that minorities in the Western countries are in a dire situation. The existence of ghettoes in the Western cities is a living example of these policies. These ghettoes are full of non-white minorities such as Arabs, Africans, and Asians. They have high levels of unemployment, low-income and low-literacy rates. Does Blair want to promote these policies in the Muslim countries?

The West has successfully suppressed non-white communities currently living in the Western countries. It has also tried to do this to the rest of the world as well, regardless whether they are Muslims or Non-Muslims. Due to these policies, suppressed countries regardless of their colour and religion are united against the West. Because it wants to suppress any country, which dares to disagree, North Korea and Cuba are good examples. The West tries crude ways of aggression and war if it cannot control the situation by suppression. The killing of millions of civilians in Vietnam and spraying of chemical orange is a vivid reminder of this brutal policy.

Blair also talked about promoting “democracy” in the Muslim countries. However, by looking at the history, it is obvious that the West has played an active role in suppressing people around the world by supporting dictators such as Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Ferdinand Marcos, and Augusto Pinochet. Nowadays, most of the dictators in the Middle East are regarded as close allies of the West because they are ensuring unrestricted supply of oil to the Western countries.

The West has always championed the cause of the democracy. Nevertheless, it has refused to accept the democratic verdict of Palestinians to elect Hamas as a governing party. The West put economic pressure on the Palestinians to accept its will. However, Palestinians refused to budge and as a result a go ahead was given to Israel to attack the Palestine and reoccupy parts of Gaza strip. This is not the only time when the West rejected a democratic verdict. Islamic Salvation Front won the elections in Algeria in 1991 but the military cancelled second round of the elections and Islamic Salvation Front was banned, however, the West did not take any action in support of the democracy in Algeria. The West accepts the democratic verdict of the people only if pro-Western parties are elected.

It clearly shows that the Western values are not just and fair in case of the Muslims. It is obvious that the West has very limited room for manoeuvring under current geopolitical conditions. What options are available to the West to implement its agenda? It can go on a confrontational path and invade countries like Iran and Syria. But, the question is whether it is worthwhile to go for an invasion. The other issue is, how much it will cost in terms of money and human life. Is the Western population willing to go for a war and sacrifice?

If the West goes for a war to implement its will on the Muslims then it will become weaker due to huge costs involved. If it does not go for a war and try to maintain the status quo then it will be bogged down into current conflict until its eventual demise. The chances are that the status quo will hasten its demise.

Therefore, the only feasible option for the West is to learn to co-exist and resolve grievances of the Muslims as soon as possible to slow down its eventual demise.

The West got a very ambitious agenda, which it was unable to implement during centuries of colonization. What makes it think that it can be implemented now? Perhaps, the thought of the ultimate demise has triggered the desire to impose its old agenda.

Israeli State Sponsored Terrorism

2006-07-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

“I very much hope that the Americans understand what's happening to Lebanon …the destruction of the infrastructure, the death of so many children and so many people. These have not been surgical strikes … and it's very difficult … to understand the kind of military tactics that have been used.” Does it sounds like a statement by an al-Qaida sympathizer? No! Not really, these are the words of British Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells. Israel is responsible for state sponsored terrorism in Lebanon and Palestine. Destruction of the infrastructure and killing of civilians is used as a collective punishment. There is an endless spate of war crimes by Israel in this region. USA and its allies have directly or indirectly encouraged Israel to punish its neighbors. On the other hand, United Nations has once again proved that it is an impotent institution so far as Muslims are concerned. This conflict has wider implications for the world and it has the potential to destabilize the Middle East and Muslim countries.

The underlying reason of this conflict was the victory of Hamas in Palestinian general elections in January 2006. The flawed policies of the USA and its allies have caused this conflict to flare up because they do not want to accept the democratic verdict of Palestinian people and they want to impose their own will on them. They declared Hamas a terrorist organizations but a majority of Palestinians rejected that and voted for Hamas. It was pretty obvious that the USA and its allies would be unwilling to digest the victory of Hamas and they would do their best to destroy it. Israel as usual, kept on killing Palestinians and in one incident it killed seven people including children partying on Gaza beach. This caused further escalation of the existing conflict and Hamas started firing rockets into Israel in retaliation to unprovoked attacks by Israel on civilians. Later on, Hamas captured one Israeli soldier on 25 June and Israel responded with ground invasion of Gaza.

The conflict escalated further, when Israel responded disproportionately to the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon to put it very mildly. Israel is certainly guilty of collective punishment by its continued destruction of civilian infrastructure. It has informed United Nations that its objectives are far-reaching than the release of its two captured soldiers. Its main objective is to destroy Hezbollah. The Israeli action has strengthened the support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and across the region according to the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East.

Hundreds of civilians have died or wounded due to Israeli attacks about one third of the victims are children. Most of the civilian infrastructure in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon has been destroyed. Israel has also imposed air and sea blockage of Lebanon resulting in total collapse of its economy.

Since, the start of the war Israel has destroyed bridges, highways, water supplies and power stations. More than one million Palestinians are living without electricity for most of the day and night due to destruction of power station by Israel. Civilians are unable to escape due to damage to highways and bridges.

On the other hand Israelis are dropping leaflets warning civilians to evacuate parts of southern Lebanon. So far Israelis have refused to allow a safe passages to civilians trying to escape. Many people who were trying to escape came under attack and died as a result. Some of the escapees are seen to be waving white flags to evade unwarranted Israeli attacks. There are more than 500,000 people who are displaced due to current conflict. This has created a dire situation for aid agencies to deal with looming humanitarian crisis.

Furthermore, hundreds of thousand of foreigners are caught in this conflict and their respective governments are trying to evacuate them as soon as possible. For example there are 40,000 Canadians, 30,000 Philippines, 25,000 Australians, 25,000 Americans, 22,000 British and 20,000 French citizens who are displaced. Some of the Western countries negotiated a safe passage with Israel to evacuate their citizens to the safety. Most of these foreigners ended up in Cyprus and they are causing enormous burden on its limited infrastructure. Cyprus is facing an uphill battle to cater for these refugees. Foreigners from developing and poor countries are unable to escape due to the lack of resources of their respective governments.

There is an acute shortage of food, medicine and other important supplies. Many trucks carrying medicine and food came under Israeli attack. Once again they are refusing to give a safe passage for humanitarian supplies such as medicine and food. The excuse used by them is that these trucks are carrying weapons. One of the trucks was attacked but no weapons were found. It was carrying food for people displaced due to the conflict.

Hospitals are also facing difficulties to treat injured people. Most of the hospitals are running out of supplies due to an overwhelming number of people to be treated. On the other hand hospitals cannot procure supplies due to attacks by Israelis on trucks and overall damage to the transport infrastructure. This is causing more problems for the hospitals.

This systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure has attracted condemnation from all quarters of the world except from the USA and its client states such as Australia. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, in New York on 20 July said, “Israeli operations have made it impossible for UN agencies and their humanitarian partners to reach almost any part of southern Lebanon, even to assess the needs, let alone to deliver the actual assistance needed.” He further demanded that, “hostilities must stop. But, while they continue, it is imperative to establish safe corridors for humanitarian workers and relief supplies to reach the civilian population.”

Meanwhile, US President George Bush is too busy in rubbing the neck and shoulders of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She appeared to be displeased by this unwelcome sexual advancement by Bush during the G-8 summit. He was likely to be charged with sexual harassment if he happened to be in an office. Leaving this aside, American administration is showing criminal negligence on the issue of Israeli war crimes in Palestine and Lebanon.

Bush was caught on the microphone using offensive language while discussing the issue of Middle East with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Bush said, “The irony is, what they really need to do is to get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit, and it's over.” He has given a go ahead for an all out offensive against Palestine and Lebanon. He said, “the world must confront the root causes of the current instability [in the Middle East]. And the root cause of that current instability is terrorism and terrorist attacks on a democratic country … in order to be able to deal with this crisis, the world must deal with Hezbollah, with Syria and to continue to work to isolate Iran.”

Furthermore, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has constantly refused to call for a ceasefire in the beginning of the conflict. She echoed the rhetoric of Bush and said, “the Israelis are, I think, trying to defend themselves … there is a responsibility of Israelis to defend their people. I don't think you can ask any less of any state.” She further added, “if violence ends on the basis of somehow Hezbollah or Hamas continuing to hold in their hands the capabilities anytime they wish to start launching rockets again into Israel … if violence ends on the basis of Syria and Iran being able to turn on the key again anytime, we will have achieved very, very little.” It is very clear that she wants Israel to continue its attack in Lebanon and Palestine and cause as much destruction as possible.

Meanwhile, Tony Blair is behaving like Bush’s poodle. Blair has refused to rein in Israel for its war crimes. On the other hand former British International Development Secretary Clare Short condemned Tony Blair's stance on the Middle East. "We had a debate and most of those who spoke said that they thought Israel's response was disproportionate, that Britain should criticize, that there was a question of war crimes, that there should be a call for an immediate ceasefire," she said.

One of the most stern warning was issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour who expressed grave concerns over the killing and maiming of the civilians in Lebanon and Palestine. "International humanitarian law is clear on the supreme obligation to protect civilians during hostilities", the High Commissioner said. "This obligation is also expressed in international criminal law, which defines war crimes and crimes against humanity", she added.

She said, "International law demands accountability. The scale of the killings in the region, and their predictability, could engage the personal criminal responsibility of those involved, particularly those in a position of command and control”. She also demanded the unrestricted and secure passage for humanitarian aid and access for humanitarian workers.

Israeli state sponsored terrorism and war crimes in Lebanon and Palestine have strengthened the support for Hezbollah and Hamas in the region. It has also strengthened their resolve to put up a stiff resistance against the Israeli aggression. This may also strengthen other radical groups in the Islamic world. Moreover, artificial division created by the West between Shia and Suni Muslims is starting to disappear due to this conflict. This is the most significant outcome for the Muslims as a consequence of the Israeli war crimes. On the other hand this conflict has offered another chance to the USA and its allies to implement a long lasting peace in the Middle East. If they failed to do so then the consequences would be far reaching beyond their expectations.

False Sense of Grievance

2006-07-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair said, “if we want to defeat the extremism, we have got to defeat its ideas and we have got to address the completely false sense of grievance [among Muslims] against the West.” while delivering a virtual sermon to British Muslims. It is crucial to find out if there are any grounds for grievance among Muslims in United Kingdom (UK). Whether these grievances are based on facts or perceptions. There has been a long debate in the West about reasons of resentment and alienation among non-white migrants and particularly among Muslim youth since September 11. Therefore, it is vital to find out answers to this important debate, because, it will determine the policy direction of the West to manage this resentment and alienation.

Usually, levels of resentments in any community are a reflection of its economic, political, and social conditions. Communities which are economically well off are less likely to resent and show alienation to wider society. However, levels of resentment and alienation can be very high in disadvantaged communities living in ghettoes. This is why most of unrests find its roots in disadvantaged communities. Last year’s riots in France were among socially and economically disadvantaged migrant communities living in ghettoes.

The starting point of these riots was poor housing for migrant communities. Many innocent women and children died due to fires in rundown apartments. There were other reasons as well such as unemployment and discrimination. The German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, pointed out that, “as long as employers prefer to give jobs to applicants with French-sounding names, rather than to those whose names suggest Arab or black African parentage, social policies will be a dead letter”. Now it is time to ask if migrants in UK are in a better economic, political, and social conditions than their counterparts in France?

Migrants in UK are also a part of economically disadvantaged community. Most of the Muslims in UK are from second or third generation non-white migrants. They are also facing high levels of unemployment. This high unemployment translates itself into low levels of income, housing, health and education.

According to National Statistics UK, “unemployment rates for people from non-White ethnic groups were generally higher than those from White ethnic groups…Among men, those from Black Caribbean, Black African, Bangladeshi and Mixed ethnic groups had the highest unemployment rates (between 13 and 14 per cent). These rates were around three times the rates for White British and White Irish men (5 per cent in each case). The unemployment rates for Pakistani and Chinese men, 11 and 10 per cent, were around twice the rates for White British men or White Irish men” in 2004.

People from non-white background were more likely to live in low-income households. For example 68 per cent of the 1 million Pakistanis and Bangladeshis were living in low-income households after housing costs were deducted. Black Non-Caribbean households represented 49 per cent of such group. However, only 21 percent of white population was living among low-income households in 2000/01 according to National Statistics.

The critics of migrants and Muslims can turnaround and say this is their fault that they find themselves in such dire circumstances. But according to human rights point of view this is not the case. It is the duty of the wider community to make sure that minorities also enjoy same levels of employment and disposable income as their majority counterparts. A society in which minorities do not enjoy same standard of living cannot be regarded as an egalitarian society.

For example one can demand high standards from the legal profession of a society. When it come to its openness to offer employment to minorities. However, UK legal profession also failed to employ enough workers from minorities.

Law Society’s Equal Opportunities Committee’s Chairperson Caroline Herbert said due to racism among "sections of the legal profession … ethnic minority students continue to face a difficult task in obtaining training contracts and permanent positions at law firms … the last place in which it should be tolerated is the legal profession, where lawyers are charged to embody the principles of justice”, according to one of BBC reports. She commented on this issue back in 2003. Since then, is there any material change in the status of ethnic minorities in the legal profession of UK?

Non-white minority in UK is almost 7.9 percent of the population. If you look at the House of Commons or House of Lords then it is evident that they are under represented in both houses of the parliament. There are 646 members of House of Commons and numbers of members from non-white minority are extremely low. Muslims are 2.8 per cent of UK’s population that means if they are properly represented in the House of Commons then there should be around 19 Muslim MPs and there should be around 51 MPs from non-white minorities. However, only 15 members represent non-white minorities and out of those only 4 are Muslim.

The editor of the Muslim News paper, Ahmed Versi said, "Whilst welcoming the election of two more Muslim MPs, this reflects the lack of commitment by the three political parties to select Muslims in winnable seats,"

Here is another example of political marginalization this time by the British Prime Minister himself although this is not the first time he did this. It is an established tradition for the politicians in the West to say that he/she will work for the whole community rather than just for the people who voted for him/her. Blair Said, “I am probably not the person to go into the Muslim community... It's better that we mobilise the Islamic community itself to do this.” It is obvious that he is trying to exclude Muslims from his area of responsibility by saying that he cannot face Muslim community. Is he a Prime Minister for whole of UK’s population, which includes Muslims as well? If yes then why he cannot go and talk to people in Muslim community?

The former Home Secretary, David Blunkett, has criticized Tony Blair while he was talking about integrating Muslim community into society. He said, “If I'm honest we haven't made enough progress. It's one of the great challenges of government…We never move fast enough. We have excellent initiatives, not soundbites, not some sort of spin, excellent initiatives…We're very poor at following them through.”

Apart from failing in integrating Muslim community into society Tony Blair also failed to improve educational outcomes for minorities. For example in case of admissions in universities minorities do not do well. Most of the elite universities such as Oxford and Cambridge prefer students from private schools. It is obvious that minorities which are over represented in low income groups will not be able to afford high fees of private schools. As a result, young people from these minorities will not be able to join elite universities. University admissions have been a big political issue in UK in the past, because, there was a tendency among the universities to ignore students from minorities and disadvantaged socioeconomic background.

According to National Statistics, “In 2004 people from the Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean and Pakistani groups were less likely than White British people to have a degree (or equivalent). Among men, Bangladeshis and Black Caribbeans were the least likely to have a degree (11 per cent for each group). Among women, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis were the least likely to have a degree, 5 and 10 per cent respectively.”

Minorities are less likely to have better education but they are more likely to be searched by police. According to a report by the Home Office, "Forcewide, minority ethnic people were 1.9 times more likely than a white person to be searched, however this varies on the divisions,". The arrest rates show that 8.9 per cent of minority people and 8.7 per cent of white people were detained after search. It is clear from these figures that arrest rates after searches are almost identical then, why police searches more people from minorities? If minorities have high crime rates then there should be more arrests after searches. Apart from this, there have been many incidents of racial discrimination by the UK’s Police. Last year police killed a Brazilian man who was mistakenly suspected as a suicide bomber. Recently a man was shot by police but was released without any charges in terrorism related raid. These incidents have been widely criticized by human rights groups.

How to improve human rights of Muslims in UK? If Muslims in UK work hard and become successful even then the problem of discrimination will not be resolved. If we look into the history, Jews in Europe worked very hard and became very successful but did that success saved them from discrimination? We all know the answer to this. Jews used to be massacred in Europe from time to time and they used to seek refuge in Ottoman Empire inhabited by Muslims. The history of minorities is very heartbreaking all around the world, especially in the West. They have to suffer in all circumstances, because, the root cause lies in the discrimination by the majority. If minorities become successful then they are accused of being greedy and exploitative, and if they remain poor due to discrimination then they are labeled as lazy and welfare dependent. The main obstacle is discrimination by the majority. Once this obstacle is overcome then human rights situation of minorities improves.

The economic, political and social grievances among minorities in UK have wider implications for the West. There is a growing evidence of the rise of China and India in the future. On the other hand the West is likely to become less prosperous due to aging population and transfer of jobs to economies in Asia and other parts of the world. If these grievances cannot be resolved now, while the West is wealthier and stronger, then what will happen when the West will be much poorer and weaker? The history shows that in the time of economic difficulties racial tensions tend to rise. The West is busy criticizing other nations for human rights abuses, its time to look into its own backyard.

Is Pakistan a Failed State?

2006-07-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

Prophets of doom and gloom are trying their best to portray Pakistan as a failed state. Their propaganda machine is working overtime to propagate stereotypical images of Pakistan.

They are circulating like vulture in a hope that they will have a share in the bounty. Their wishes will not come true. They have failed miserably in the past and this is their ultimate fate. Pakistan has proved that it can thrive under very tough conditions and it has a vast potential to grow and prosper.

Pakistan is among the fastest growing economies in the world. Businesses will never invest in a country, which is unstable. Economic growth of Pakistan is proof that it is a stable and prosperous country.

Pakistan has a huge potential to be an economic and business hub. China is investing billions of dollars in Pakistan. It is involved in building a huge oil refinery in Gawadar, Pakistan. It is very keen to use Pakistan as a gateway to import oil and export finished products because North West China is closer to ocean through Pakistan. Central Asian countries are also landlocked and Pakistan is one of the best routes to access ocean.

Meanwhile, India is starting to engage with Pakistan in various projects to import energy. China and India cannot afford to have an unstable Pakistan because they are going to rely on it to import energy.

It is illogical to assume that Pakistan will be unable to grow while residing besides the fastest growing economies of India and China. History has proved that countries in a region grow together and overall economic trends in a particular region head in the same direction. For example countries in South East Asia and Western Europe grew together.

By Muhammad Azeem Akhter

Islamophobia and Nuclear Technology

2006-07-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

The history of Xenophobia and Islamophobia in the West is very old. The genocide of innocent Jews, colonization and existence of ghettoes in the Western cities is a living example of the xenophobic past. These ghettoes are full of non-white minorities such as Arabs, Africans and Asians. Nowadays, there is a tendency to label all Muslims as fundamentalists and supporters of terrorism. Terrorism is used as an excuse to spread Islamophobia. It is very vital to understand the context in which Islamophobia is exercised and its effects on the world affairs. Specially, when a Muslim country tries to acquire or transfer nuclear technology then the use of Islamophobia becomes very evident.

For example, every effort is made to stop technological progress in any Muslim country. When a Muslim country tries to acquire a technology such as nuclear then the West unites to stop it. One of the excuses used to stop technology acquisition or transfer is that the technology might fall in the hands of terrorists. Almost every technology has a potential to be used for a peaceful or a destructive purpose.

Why nuclear weapons are safe in the hands of U. S. A., who used it against civilians in Japan? When U. S. A. supplies nuclear technology to its allies, it is called technology transfer. But, when Pakistan supplies nuclear technology to its allies then it is called proliferation. Why double standards are applied in case of Pakistan? Why countries like Germany can be trusted who committed one of the worst crimes in the history against the innocent Jewish population during World War II? Why a country like Iran is not trusted to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful means?

Why every move by the Muslim countries to acquire or transfer nuclear technology is regarded as suspicious? What are inner motives to stop acquisition or transfer of nuclear technology by the Muslim countries? May be this is the time to look into Islamophobia as a tool to stop acquisition or transfer of technology by the Muslim countries.

By Muhammad Azeem Akhter