By Gareth Porter WASHINGTON – United States President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought to portray a united front on the issue of a political settlement with the Taliban in their joint press conference on Wednesday. But their comments underlined the deep rift that divides Karzai and Obama over the issue. Karzai obtained Obama’s approval for a peace jirga (council) scheduled for later this month – an event the Obama administration had earlier regarded with grave doubt because of Karzai’s apparent invitation to the Taliban to participate. On the broader question of reconciliation, however, Obama was clearly warning … Continue reading Obama, Karzai still at odds

By M K Bhadrakumar Russian diplomacy has been on a roll in recent months, the revival of ties with Ukraine being the most dramatic manifestation. But a string of successes, major and minor, sung and unsung, has been notched up below that high point – in Poland, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Norway and Syria. Even with regard to Russia’s highly inflammable relations with Georgia, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has opened a new front by trying to find people to talk to in Tbilisi, such as former parliament speaker Nino Burjanadze. Russian commentators freely admit that the improved climate for relations with the … Continue reading Russia opens a new pipeline of diplomacy

By Ramzy Baroud Clad in his usual attire of a colorful, striped robe, Afghan President Hamid Karzai appeared more like an emperor as he began his fourth day in Washington . Accompanying him on a somber visit to the Arlington National Cemetery were United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen and top US (and North Atlantic Treaty Organization) commander in Afghanistan Stanley McChrystal – the very men responsible for the occupation of Karzai’s country. The clearly-rehearsed visit seemed set on giving the impression that the relationship between Karzai and these men … Continue reading Karzai kiss a prelude to Kandahar storm

By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – The year 2009 was a second watershed in the Taliban-led struggle against foreign forces in Afghanistan as the resistance took the war, previously limited mainly to the south and western parts of the country, to north and eastern provinces. In 2006, the Taliban emerged for the first time as a coherent force since being toppled from power by the United States-led invasion in late 2001. As the battle ground has extended, new groups have joined in, fighting in the Taliban’s name alongside old-guard Taliban commanders. For the Western coalition, this sprawling growth of the … Continue reading Militant splits span AfPak border

Montaigne, philosopher of life, part 2: Learning not to be afraid Montaigne had a terrible fear of death – until his own near-death experience showed him there was no need to worry Sarah Bakewell guardian.co.uk, Montaigne, as a young man, had an excessive fear of death, and it made it almost impossible for him to enjoy living. This was partly the result of a fashion of the time, which stated – following some of the ancient philosophers – that the best way to be at ease about your own mortality was to think about it constantly. Dwell on your death … Continue reading Montaigne had a terrible fear of death – until his own near-death experience showed him there was no need to worry

1- WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? Leadership is the single most important determinant in organisational success. Good leadership leads to success; bad leadership leads to frustration and failure. One of the harbingers of doom is to place leadership authority in the wrong hands. All members, supporters, and sympathisers of the organisation are stakeholders who are concerned about success and failure of leadership. Leadership is a pre-condition for civilised existence. Any group of 3 or more must have a leader. Absence of recognised leadership means chaos to the detriment of all. Leadership is the process of influencing people and making them do certain … Continue reading Concept of Leadership in Islam

For nearly two years now – thanks to the generosity of the Atkin Foundation – ICSR has given young leaders from Arab countries and Israel the opportunity to come to London for periods of four months to develop their ideas on how to further peace and mutual understanding in the Middle East. Against the background of current events, debate and constructive dialogue between Israelis and Arabs seem more important than ever – especially among those who are likely to occupy positions from which they can shape politics and public opinion in the Middle East. For this reason, we have started recruiting Atkin … Continue reading The Atkin Fellowship for Arab-Israeli Dialogue — NOW RECRUITING

Wine From openSUSE Wine is an open-source implementation of Windows API for Linux. This enables you to run your favorite Windows programs on Linux.Wine makes Linux “pose” as Windows. Unlike VMWare, Xen and others which pretend to be a computer, on which you then run the real Microsoft Windows as you would on a physical machine, Wine instead just pretends to be Windows, by offering applications the Windows API and functions they use, and mapping them to the corresponding Linux API. Given that Wine pretends to be Windows, and Windows is complex and convoluted, this posing works only to a … Continue reading Use your Windows software on Linux

World Leader in Personal Development Since 1960 Hi Centuries ago, all men and women lived lives of deep spirituality and incredible, unshakable faith. Their connection to the Divine was powerful and personal, a natural part of the fabric of their lives. If they needed, wanted, worried about, or longed for anything, they instinctively turned their minds and hearts upward, toward the Creator whom they knew was the source of all happiness and the true route to any kind of earthly fulfilment. People spent their lives studying ways to make their connection to God as clear, strong, and effective as possible. … Continue reading Sri Siva