Afghanistan spy contract goes sour By Pratap Chatterjee WASHINGTON – Mike Furlong, a top Pentagon official, is alleged to have run a covert network of contractors to supply information for drone strikes and assassinations in Afghanistan and Pakistan for the United States government. The contract built on his decade-long experience in running propaganda programs for the military in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq. Officially, Furlong worked in strategic communications for General David Petraeus, the head of the US Central Command. In reality, Furlong was in charge of a project titled “Capstone”, under which he hired former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and … Continue reading Afghanistan spy contract

By Gary LaMoshi DENPASAR, Bali – Indonesia remains one of the world’s greatest stories never told. United States President Barack Obama’s visit from March 23 to 25 to the country where he spent four years – as schoolboy Barry Soetoro with an Indonesian stepfather – provides an opportunity to enlighten Americans about this sprawling archipelago that has emerged as the world’s third-largest democracy. Indonesia is at times referred to as the world’s largest Muslim country; by law it’s a secular country with the world’s largest Muslim population. Indonesia’s overwhelmingly Muslim founders who won independence from the Dutch after World War … Continue reading Jakarta return a unique opportunity

By Peter J Brown The three days Barack Obama will spend in Indonesia no doubt constitute a nostalgic high-point of a trip that will also take in Guam and Australia. Yet the return to a boyhood city is also replete with significant geopolitical and economic challenges. The Obama administration has gone to great pains from its start over a year ago to make it clear that it intends to be fully engaged in Southeast Asia. It will be crucial for Obama to acknowledge Indonesia’s key role in the region, “amidst China’s growing assertiveness and influence” during this visit, according to … Continue reading Sensitive issues call for a soft touch

By Syed Fazl-e-Haider KARACHI – Former privatization minister Hafeez Shaikh has been appointed as Pakistan’s new finance advisor, a function previously carried out by finance minister Shaukat Tarin, who stepped down last month to focus on his private business interests. Tarin’s successor faces enormous challenges, including soaring inflation, dwindling foreign investments, a depreciating rupee, stagnant exports and a rising cost of debt servicing. Shaikh, 55, confirmed that he had accepted the government’s offer to succeed Tarin as an advisor (not minister), according to the Business Recorder. Official notification in this respect is likely to be issued today. Shaikh is not … Continue reading Shaikh takes on Pakistan economy

Karzai faces anger in Marjah By Aziz Ahmad Tassal HELMAND PROVINCE – Afghan President Hamid Karzai faced an angry reception from people in the southern town of Marjah following a major military assault against the Taliban. During the unannounced visit on March 7, 10 days after the Afghan flag was raised over this former insurgent stronghold in Helmand province, Karzai said the expulsion of the Taliban meant full-scale reconstruction and development could get underway. “Marjah will not be recaptured by the opposition,” Karzai assured a meeting of tribal elders, officials and ordinary people in the center of Marjah, a ramshackle … Continue reading Karzai faces anger

US-China trade war talk heats up By Eli Clifton WASHINGTON – A new bill introduced in the United States Senate is adding to tensions between Washington and Beijing. It attacks China’s trade practices and proposes legislation that would push the Barack Obama administration to charge China with currency manipulation and could lead to unilateral action against Chinese imports. The bipartisan group of senators emphasized what they considered to be unfair trade practices by China, and also the domestic economic conditions that created incentives for protectionist trade policies by the US “We are sending a message to the Chinese government: if … Continue reading US-China trade war

Lights, camera, action … By David Moon Last week, United States Vice President Joseph Biden visited Israel on a goodwill mission to regain the trust lost during last year’s attempt by the Barack Obama administration to strong-arm Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government into a “comprehensive settlement freeze” in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Biden began his rounds first with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the official residence. The message Biden wrote in the guest book, “The bond between our two nations has been and will remain unshakable. Only together can we achieve lasting peace in the region,” struck … Continue reading Biden reveals a backbone!

Brazil steps between Israel and Iran By Pepe Escobar Talk about a Via Dolorosa. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is the first Brazilian president to visit Israel officially. Lauded for his charisma, swing and formidable negotiating powers – United States President Barack Obama refers to him as “the man” – little did Lula know that to engage his hosts this week he would have to give the Prophet Abraham a run for his money, no less. In the end, he stood his ground. He made no concessions. And unlike United States Vice President Joseph Biden last week, he even managed … Continue reading Israel and Iran – Lula

By The Mogambo Guru I got a disturbing e-mail from Bianco Research which showed a chart of “Private Credit Market Debt” which they say shows “Total credit market creation not including Treasury Debt, Municipal Debt and Agency Debt”. It is actually a horror that the level of private debt in the United States peaked last year at about US$36 trillion, which is certainly a lot of money, especially since total gross domestic product (GDP) of the Whole Freaking Country (WFC) is only $14 trillion (and falling!). In some kind of bizarre “good news/bad news” joke, total privatedebt has now actually fallen by a couple of trillion … Continue reading Debt doom

Checkered record of the world’s policeman By Jeremy Kuzmarov “In the police you see the dirty work of Empire at close quarters. The wretched prisoners huddling in stinking cages of the lock-ups, the grey cowed faces of the long-term convicts, the scarred buttocks of the men who had been flogged with bamboos.” – George Orwell, Shooting An Elephant and Other Essays. “The police interrogation rooms smelled of urine and injustice.” – Graham Greene, The Quiet American. As the United States expands the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Barack Obama administration has placed a premium on police training programs. The stated aim … Continue reading US World Policeman?