– The New York Times has a great article on the post-Aquino Philippines, which discusses the disillusionment many Filipinos feel with the state of their society. The conclusion is that although the political structure of the nation changed the underlying political culture did not, which resulted in the lackluster political and economic performance that has […]
Pakistan has a deep interest in seeing stable, peaceful democratic processes in Afghan elections this week. Islamabad’s insistence on allocating resources to uprooting domestic factions and maintaing troops along the Indian border rather than focusing directly on fighting terror in Afghanistan do not mean they are uncommitted to stability in Afghanistan. Rather, Pakistan is better equipped and rightfully focused on fighting domestic turmoil and given current Indo-Pak relations, must keep forces on the Indian border. Also, Pakistan has a profound interest in seeing their large refugee population repatriate to Afghanistan, which can only happen if elections are successful and lead to a more stable, democratic Afghanistan.
U.S. Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke is in Pakistan, again! Personally, I admire America’s commitment to strengthen democracy in Pakistan. I also applaud Obama’s efforts to stabilize Pakistan. For some, it is obvious that Holbrooke’s intense efforts and frequent visits are a clear sign that Washington is very serious about doing whatever it […]
The world’s highest battlefield seems to be in danger due to climate change. According to Bansi Lal Kaul, the Siachen glacier has receded 800 meters in the last 20 years. In his book ‘Biodiversity Conservation in Himalayas‘ he discusses how the constant military presence in the region has deteriorated the eco-system, polluting the Indus River […]
-Najib Razak’s United Malays National Organization (UMNO) is fanning racial flames in an attempt to shore up power for its National Front Coalition. Although Najib came to office promising to be more inclusive of minorities, recent electoral pressure from the opposition People’s Alliance has prompted a change in strategy. Analyst believe the UMNO wants […]
After yesterday’s arrests of nine men off Sir Creek, the Gujarat coast is now reported to be on high alert for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) activity. Villages and towns north of Mandvi and Koteshwar ports are particularly being watched by Indian security and intelligence personnel. The LeT, in an act of desperation, has also reportedly asked the […]
U.S. Envoy to Pakistan, Holbrooke expresses possible U.S. assistance in energy development in Pakistan offering hope to everyday Pakistani’s. President Gilani specifies increased funding is most useful and this could serve as a profound opportunity to finally begin winning hearts and minds of Pakistani’s and move in the direction of truly securing Pakistan for the long term.
Nine Pakistani men were arrested in the Sir Creek area off India’s western coast. The Border Security Force (BSF) caught these men during a special operation. “We had information that some people from across the border were trying to infiltrate into Indian territory. So we conducted a special operation and apprehended nine men,” a BSF […]
– U.S. Senator Jim Webb (Dem. VA) recently met with the Burmese Junta and Aung San Suu Kyi and successfully secured the relief of the John Yettah, the Americans whose odd actions initiated the latest Aung San Suu Kyi trial and conviction. If the Obama Administration really wants to take take proactive and pragmatic steps […]
Rosslyn Jordan, who used to cover domestic topics for NBC (milk prices fluctuation, traffic lights not working etc), filed a report about Pakistan on Al Jazeera, and later followed up by vaguely answering couple of superficial questions from the anchor. Rosslyn Jordan, as for as I know, knows nothing about Pakistan. She has never traveled […]
On the eve of its 63rd Independence Day, India has signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The agreement that took around six years to negotiate will eliminate tariffs on some 4000 products by 2016. India also signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with South Korea earlier this […]
The Arroyo Administration continues its two-prong approach to the Philippines’ decade old para-military terrorist problem. The Filipino government has tried to renew peace talks with the Islamic separatist group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Although talks had been intermittent since 2001, an agreement was reached last years, only to be found unconstitutional by the Filipino […]
People in Pakistan are celebrating Independence Day on 14 August. Pakistani flags are flying all over the country, national anthem is playing in every car, every shop, and on every television channel. The overall atmosphere in Pakistan is very patriotic and celebratory. Good, this is what independence should be all about! But, there is one […]
CNN is reporting that U.S. President Barack Obama will attend the 17th APEC summit in Singapore on November 14 and 15 of this year. No further travel details have yet been released.
– The Thai courts refused a request to extradite Viktor Bout (aka The Merchant of Death) to the United States. Bout, an notorious global arms dealer, is accused by the U.S. of attempting to sell more than 700 surface-to-air missiles, a massive cache of automatic weapons, and airplanes and helicopters to the Revolutionary Armed Forces […]
