Spy swap: John le Carré watches the exchange The creator of George Smiley looks on as Russian and US agents are swapped in the largest such event since the cold war guardian.co.uk, Friday 9 July 2010 19.40 BST Article history Which Russia did these deluded spy-babies fantasise about when they played under the bedclothes with their top-of-the-range spy toys, cleared their magic dead-letter boxes, dispatched their magic microdots, and lied away their lives to their friends, neighbours and lovers? Whose great cause did they imagine they were serving, these virtual martyrs who are about to be sent home in disgrace … Continue reading John le Carré watches spy exchange

The People’s War Kashmir’s Inner Demons By FARZANA VERSEY Talking in terms of when the situation normalises in Kashmir amounts to living in a fool’s paradise. That the person saying so happens to be the chief minister of the state reveals the paucity of any real incentive to find solutions. Situations do not normalise as a matter of course when people in a place have been fighting a battle within. A nine-year-old’s death during this tense-filled month clearly shows that no one is in control. While the home minister, P. Chidambaram, has insinuated the role of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, it is … Continue reading Kashmir’s Inner Demons

In the Name of Security Blackwater’s Nine Lives By CHRISTOPHER BRAUCHLI The Gods have their own rules. Ovid, Metamorphoses One of the many nice things about being a United States Senator is that you can ask just about anyone in government to explain actions being taken and anticipate a response and, in many cases, a change in conduct. Here is one example of how a United States Senator was able to influence policy. It pertains to Blackwater. On February 25, 2010 Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee sat down and wrote a letter to Attorney General … Continue reading Blackwater – beyond US laws?

Why Helen Thomas Was Right Hard Facts About Israeli/Palestinian Peace Peace Possibilities By JEFFERSON CHASE Now that all the accusations and insults about the Gaza Flotilla and Helen Thomas incidents have been hurled from both sides, it is time to look at the often-ignored facts underlying the Israel-Palestine conflict. Because while it is very hard to believe in the present atmosphere, peace and justice for both Palestinians and Jews is possible – extremely difficult to achieve to be sure, but possible nevertheless. 1. After the horrors of Hitler’s Germany it was natural for those Jews to want a country of … Continue reading Was Helen Thomas Right ?

10 Books That Might Help Change America Summer Reading By RALPH NADER Summer time is reading time. Here are ten suggested new books: 1. Toxic Talk (Thomas Dunne Books) by Bill Press, the liberal talk show host, unloads in his words, on “how the radical right has poisoned America’s airwaves.” The five major syndicates are dominated by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage and Bill O’Reilly. Using their own statements, Press applies indignation, satire and humor to demonstrate the bigotry, the falsehoods and the propaganda that sustain the concentrated power of corporate oligarchs … Continue reading 10 Books That May Help America

Business as Usual Behind Turkey and Israel’s Not-So-Secret Meeting By RANNIE AMIRI Recriminatory words exchanged between Turkey and Israel over the latter’s May 31 assault on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla have given way to the pragmatism of national self-interest. On June 30, ministers from the two countries “secretly” met in Brussels to attempt to smooth over differences and repair bilateral ties marred in the wake of the attack. It was a startling development when contrasted with the indignation voiced by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after eight Turkish activists and one dual U.S.-Turkish citizen aboard the Mavi Marmara were … Continue reading Turkey and Israel’s Not-So-Secret Meeting

Zigzag Follies Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban By BRIAN CLOUGHLEY A paper published on June 13 by the London School of Economics states that Pakistan, at the highest political and military levels, fosters and supports insurgents in Afghanistan. Its author, Matt Waldman of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, declares that “as the provider of sanctuary, and very substantial financial, military and logistical support to the [Afghan] insurgency, the ISI [Pakistan’s Directorate of Inter Services Intelligence] appears to have strong strategic and operational influence – reinforced by coercion. There is thus a strong case that the ISI and elements of [Pakistan’s] … Continue reading Americans – Radicalising or helping Pakistanis tackle Terrorists?