By David Moon While the government of Israel retains the military option for meeting what it sees as the existential threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program, a strike by Israel’s air force at this time can be considered premature. The reasons: a new United Nations sanctions regime targeting Iran coupled with separate and more extensive United States and European Union sanctions are aimed at restricting the political, economic, military and intelligence reach of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Barring any overtly offensive action by Iran’s military, this fourth round of UN sanctions at the very least will gestate until the … Continue reading Amid war talk, arms buildup continues

Israel-Turkey axis turned on its head By Chris Zambelis For many observers, the long-term implications of Israel’s deadly May 31 assault against the MV Mavi Marmara, the Turkish flagship that was part of the Gaza Freedom flotilla, on Israeli-Turkish relations are unclear. The attack left eight Turks and one Turkish-American dead and scores more wounded. The flotilla set off to break Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza and to raise global awareness of the suffering endured by the 1.5 million Palestinians living in what is widely described as the world’s largest open-air prison. While acknowledging the growing rift between Israel and Turkey … Continue reading Israel-Turkey

ASIA HAND US slips, China glides in Thai crisis By Shawn W Crispin BANGKOK – When United States Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell bid to bring together top Thai officials and close associates of self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra at a joint breakfast meeting in Bangkok in early May, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government declined the high level invitation. Officials familiar with the overture say that Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya was furious at Washington’s overt attempt to intervene at a crucial juncture in the country’s violently escalating conflict. The pro-Thaksin protest group, the United Front for Democracy Against … Continue reading US slips – China glides

Kyrgyz deal a Silk Road turning point By M K Bhadrakumar Central Asia arrived at a turning point last weekend far removed from the history of Genghis Khan riding out to conquer the world, as it sought peacekeepers from Europe. Russia, which has provided security to the region for the past century and more is stepping aside – unable or unwilling, and possibly incapable of performing that role anymore. The historic decision to bring in European peacekeepers was taken on Saturday at a conclave of statesmen from 56 countries in Almaty, a short distance from the Chinese border. Beijing was … Continue reading Kyrgyz Silk Road deal

Continue reading Police Brutality – Public Service Announcement!

VIEW:Law unto themselves —Yasser Latif Hamdani Ahmad Shah Abdali, the hero of our Pakistani textbooks and a first-class marauder, would have wondered what all the fuss was about when his contemporaries Edmund Burke and Fox took Robert Clive to task in the English parliament for his corruption All England Law Reports — the most reliable record of English case law — date back to 1558. Recorded case law dates back another 400 years prior to that. In 1558, the English began to see the benefit of compiling and publishing case law for easy reference. Institutions like Lincoln’s Inn had already … Continue reading Law unto themselves

COMMENT: The republic of fear —Dr Syed Mansoor Hussain It is this ‘fear’-based environment that allows the terrorists to work their evil so successfully. They realise that the safety and welfare of the average Pakistani is not really the major concern of the ruling elite A few weeks ago I wrote in these pages that one of the major problems in Pakistan is a lack of respect. Respect for each other as well as that for institutions and this lack of respect even extends to how different institutions of state feel about each other. As I have thought more about … Continue reading The republic of fear?

COMMENT: This talk ain’t going nowhere —Shahzad Chaudhry The need for peace in South Asia is as much India’s as it is Pakistan’s. Under a nuclear umbrella and a strategic equilibrium of sorts, there is neither a threat, nor a probability of an insane military mind dreaming of a limited war, or even a conflict “Two roads diverged in a wood. And I took the one less travelled by. And that has made all the difference” — Robert Frost. These Track II dialogues are interesting events. One gets to mingle with all sorts: young, old, the not-so-old diplomats, academics, generals, … Continue reading This talk ain’t going nowhere