|
|
 |
The
riddle of Scarborough Shoals
In the matter of the Scarborough Shoal mess, the Philippines started it and the
infamous Chinese nine-dash line encompassing almost the entire South China Sea
looks like an audacious claim drawn from an appetite for aggression. A closer
look reveals that there is some genuine method to Beijing's madness, and a
chance that gas and greed, rather than international law and principle, may
salvage peace in the South China Sea.
- Peter Lee (May 18, '12)
|
 THE
ROVING EYE
NATO occupies
sweet home Chicago
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization hopes that If you can't beat them in
Pashtunistan, you can at least corral them in the home of the blues, with
NATO's Chicago summit planned to instill in members the "common values" behind
drone warfare and base expansion. As riot police lock down the city, some
partners likely fear they've married into the mob. - Pepe Escobar
(May 18, '12)
US Iran hawks in some disarray
Hopes by Iran hawks for the United States Congress to provide enough ammunition
to threaten Iran with a military strike on the eve of critical talks over
Tehran's nuclear program have fallen unexpectedly short. The House has
retracted its talons, while over in the Senate a new sanctions bill was blocked
by Republicans because it wasn't sufficiently aggressive.
- Jim Lobe (May 18, '12)
Tehran: To talk or not to talk
The possibility of direct talks between the United States and Iran emerged in
January when new sanctions gave the White House political cover to revert to a
policy of engagement. However, Tehran's profound mistrust of American sincerity
hampers progress. The only sensible way forward is to let bygones be bygones
and work through an intermediary such as Turkey or Oman.
- Peter Jenkins (May 18, '12)
|
The 'illogic' of China's North Korea
policy
China's refusal to use its leverage as North Korea's friend and protector to
halt its provocations strengthens the United States alliance system that
Beijing considers a tool of encirclement. As Pyongyang blithely continues with
missile launches and other acts that undermine China in the international
arena, it seems hard to image a policy more damaging to Chinese national
interests. - Ralph A Cossa and Brad Glosserman
(May 18, '12)
BOOK REVIEW
Cherry-picking from
China's
success
What the US Can Learn from China by Ann Lee
This book forces the reader to confront China's growth in the midst of
America's decline, drawing attention to the reasons US politics became too
self-serving, too short-sighted and too partisan. The author doesn't argue the
Chinese approach is flawless, but she does hold up China's single-minded
fixation on economic growth and a leadership process based on experience as
examples US policymakers must consider. - Benjamin Shobert
(May 18, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Nepal's constitution: Respect
the dissenters
The transition to a new constitution and the rule of law cannot be achieved
overnight (South Africa's model constitution was seven years in the making).
Yet the rush to get Nepal's new code into shape has been seemly, with the
result that it will not have legitimacy, simply because politicians have failed
to hear the dissenting voices of the people.
- Gyan Basnet (May 18, '12)
 To submit to
Speaking Freely click
here
|
Why ceasefires fail in Myanmar
Myanmar's Kachin opposition isn't following the rapprochement moves other
ethnic insurgent groups are taking towards the government - it has seen first
hand the results of "peace". A 1994 ceasefire deal facilitated rapacious
development that caused massive environmental degradation and social upheaval.
This and the tale of how the Kachin Independence Army took a corrupt slice of
those spoils provide a cautionary tale for fellow rebels. - Francis Wade
(May 17, '12)
Who's who at NATO's banquet
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization isn't inviting any Tom, Dick or Harry of
a nation to its summit this weekend in Chicago, where war in Afghanistan
dominates a banquet that also features the alliance's "smart strategy" and a
gravy train moving into the Central Asian steppes. But with no hint of Iranian
spice, China and India absent from the gilded guest list, and Russia having
sent a nyet RSVP, it promises to be a bland affair anyway.
- M K Bhadrakumar (May 17, '12)
Fate of Osama informer hangs in
balance
 Dr
Shakeel Afridi admits that a year ago he played an important part in helping
the United States Central Intelligence Agency track down Osama bin Laden to a
compound in Abbottabad, actions that could see him given the death sentence for
treason by Pakistan's courts. Pressure, meanwhile, is being maintained to have
him sent to the US, where a Congressional Gold Medal could await him. - Amir Mir
(May 17, '12)
 SINOGRAPH
Chen case hints at crack
in old
consensus mold
China and the United States were able to reach two agreements about the fate of
the blind dissident lawyer Chen Guangcheng in less than 48 hours - a feat
unthinkable in the era of consensus politics that started after Mao Zedong's
demise. That a crack in the old mold shows a leaner power structure, with
mandates for individuals to make quick decisions, could emerge as a legacy of
President Hu Jintao.
- Francesco Sisci (May 17, '12)
Dim prospects for political-legal
reform
China's labyrinthine police-state machinery continues in overdrive, with more
spent on the huge network of cadres and informants who maintain stability than
on the military budget. The urge to preserve the Maoist "one voice chamber" and
prevent dissidents from exploiting factional strife means the 18th party
congress is unlikely to tinker, even after the bad publicity generated by Chen.
- Willy Lam (May 17, '12)
|
Terrorists blur into freedom
fighters
The US State Department is mulling the removal of Iranian exile group
Mujahideen-e-Khalq from its terrorism list, following a glitzy US media
campaign that paints it as a democratic alternative to the mullahs in Tehran.
However, delisting the MEK would feed into Iranian perceptions of menacing
foreign powers, increasing public support for the regime and emboldening the
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. - Brian M Downing
(May 17, '12)
Rupee slide puts India in
quandary
India's central bank has blown billions of dollars trying to halt the rupee's
decline to record lows, while government fumbling is driving away foreign
investors still interested in the country. Yet the currency crisis could lead
to an economic revival to match that of the 1990s. - Raja Murthy
(May 17, '12)
JPMorgan not so dumb
JPMorgan's US$2 billion loss from hedging operations was a shock to the
markets, but amid fuss about the "Volcker Rule" restricting bank proprietary
trading, JPMorgan still has the last laugh - and "dumb trading" was only the
half of it. - Henry C K Liu (May 17, '12)
India dumps Iran, squeezes Obama
India has taken a decision to reduce oil imports from Iran, and the Barack
Obama administration will be delighted that its sustained diplomatic and
political pressure on India is finally bearing fruit. Yet, the big question
remains: What is it that Delhi hopes to extract from the United States in
return for its momentous decision to comply with the US's Iran sanctions? - M K
Bhadrakumar (May 16, '12)
THE ROVING EYE
Will 'Onshela' save Europe?
German Christian Democrat Chancellor Angela Merkel will say nein to
French Socialist President Francois Hollande's vision of a Europe true to its
construction - less technocratic, less hostage to the market and less
constrained by the financial system. This would require a betrayal of the
foundations of the German miracle, and an admission that Europe's economies are
controlled by a cartel of bankers.
- Pepe Escobar (May 16, '12)
China's suicide bomber: Hero or
heroine?
For 24 hours, China had its first female suicide bomber, with the story of her
protest against illegal land grabs going viral as bloggers dismissed the
carnage and hailed a modern-day "heroine" for the rights of common people. A
day later, state media said the perpetrator was male and hell-bent against
society. That facts can change so dramatically overnight underlines two
disturbing truths about China.
- Kent Ewing (May 16, '12)
A capitalist class emerges
in Myanmar
Myanmar is widely portrayed as an impoverished but resource rich country ripe
with opportunity for outsiders. Yet new arrivals will discover home-grown
business families well placed to provide the foundation of a future capitalist
class - and stand as a bulwark against the privileges of the military-linked
elite. - William Barnes (May 16, '12)
|
|
|
China's
start-ups hold global potential
Western opinion has largely greeted China's early attempts at innovation with
skepticism. Yet companies such as Tsing Capital and Chrysalix Venture Capital
are discovering entrepreneurs whose concepts represent a potential next wave of
innovative technologies that could impact the world. - Benjamin A Shobert
US gives green light to
investment
in Myanmar
The United States is to permit investment by US companies in Myanmar, while a
ban will remain on imports from the still largely military-run country. Critics
say the move is too early, with armed conflict still raging in the north, and
will inevitably benefit human-rights abusers.- Carey L Biron
Facebook floats
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is now officially worth close to US$20 billion
after successfully bringing off the initial public offering for his young
social network site. Fans keen to grab a piece of the company may have to pay
50% more than the initial price when the shares start trading Friday.
Martin J Young surveys the week's developments in computing, science,
gaming and gizmos.
|
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Tighter days ahead
JPMorgan's self-flagellation over its US$2 billion loss obscures the fact this
amounts to a "rounding error". More important, it indicates that writing credit
and market risk insurance has again become a risky proposition - with attendant
tightening of financial conditions.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
|
|
A
voice from inside
Quetta Shura
Kathy Gannon of Associated Press goes back a long way to almost where it all
began in the 1980s in the Afghan civil war, and she began reporting from the
rim of the volcano. Trust her to have got through to the Taliban's Quetta Shura
to someone who is "one of the most powerful men" within that council - Agha Jan
Motasim. - M K Bhadrakumar
|
|
The obesity of bureaucracy, political paralysis, debt, bailouts, infinite wars
and a citizenry expecting something for nothing has turned Wonderland into the
nation-state equivalent of a sofa spud.
Hardy Campbell
Texas
|
|
Go to Letters to the Editor |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
All material on this website is
copyright and may not be republished in any form without written permission.
Copyright 1999 - 2012 Asia Times Online (Holdings),
Ltd.
|
|
Head Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li
Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East, Central, Hong Kong
Thailand Bureau: 11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua
Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
|
|
|
|