Lifting the cloak on North Korean secrecy The Cleanest Race, How North Koreans See Themselves by B R Myers Reviewed by Michael Rank North Korea, one of the poorest countries in Asia, is also the best defended with an army of over one million to protect a population of just 23 million. But it does not only depend on its army to fend off the outside world: it also relies on an extraordinary degree of secrecy to baffle its adversaries and throw them off-guard. Most Western Pyongyang-watchers are forced to rely on the absurdly obfuscatory Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and … Continue reading Uncovering North Korea…

Israel’s spies jolted again By Victor Kotsev There is a mythical aura surrounding Israeli intelligence. Much of it is well-deserved, as a string of spectacular covert operations has consistently shown in the decades since the formation of the Jewish state. Feats such as the 1967 destruction of the Egyptian air force, Operation Entebbe (1976), the destruction of Osirak (1981) and, more recently, of the Syrian plutonium reactor (2007), have enshrined the central role of the intelligence arm in Israeli military strength and deterrence. Not to mention a chillingly successful abductions and assassinations program, whose most famous targets range from Nazi … Continue reading Mossad hates War Mongerer Nethanyahu?

Evangelical Pax Koreana crosses the line By Andray Abrahamian “Do you agree that the Republic of Korea can become a superpower, stamping on defeatism?” This is the question one must answer to be accepted into Pax Koreana’s Internet cafe. Thus appears the online introduction to this group: a secular introduction to a blend of conservative politics and religion that has attracted a steadily growing 10,000 or so members. It would be easy to dismiss the group as another hyper-patriotic or passionate religious group, if it weren’t for the fact that it was involved with both Robert Park and Aijalon Mahli … Continue reading Christian Mullahs and North Korean Communists – In Love?

Peace process futile, says ex-Taliban leader By Habiburrahman Ibrahimi KABUL – In a wide-ranging interview with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, a former Taliban leader has said reported negotiations between insurgents and the government aimed at reconciliation are “futile”, as neither is prepared to make concessions. He described the talks as little more than “media propaganda”. Gholam Mohammad, 47, who used to command a force of 2,000 Taliban fighters and was later imprisoned for two years by the American military, told IWPR that he joined the Taliban in the 1990s to combat the cruelty and corruption of mujahideen … Continue reading Peace futile! says ex-Taliban Mullah

By Jian Junbo SHANGHAI – Nationalistic sentiments in China have grown quickly in recent years along with pride as the country’s fast-paced economic development encourages talk at home and abroad about China’s rise and the United States’ decline. Excitement about the Middle Kingdom’s ascendency, expressed online by the ranks of anonymous netizens and by ordinary people on the streets is growing. As it spreads, a number of Chinese intellectuals and strategists are pressing the government to change its foreign policy accordingly. This school of thought is well represented by at least two books.China Is Unhappy, by several Chinese young journalists … Continue reading China’s footloose climb to the top

China’s rail goals raise regional doubts By Roman Muzalevsky Beijing’s plan to build a high-speed railway network across Asia and Europe through Central Asia is its key project for the continent. A reflection of the rise of China on the global stage, the proposed network will connect 17 countries and comprises three major routes linking Kunming in China with Singapore via South Asia; Urumqi in northwest China and Germany through Central Asia; and Heilongjiang in northeast China with southeastern Europe via Russia. The implications of such undertakings are more than substantial for Eurasia. From expanded trade and economic development, to … Continue reading China Railways from East Asia to West Europe?

Not all sex workers are victims New laws on prostitution are sexist – being paid for sex does not objectify me any more than working in a low wage job did <!–Topsy–>  Thierry Schaffauser guardian.co.uk On the 1 April 2010, the Policing and Crime Act became effective. We are facing not a feminist measure, but an ideology that sees women as unable to be sexually independent and free of their own actions. Anti-sex-worker laws are sexist. They are essentialist, paternalist and reinforce the division of women. It is an essentialist conception to consider sex work as always a violence whatever … Continue reading Laws on prostitution are sexist?

My search for the real Robin Hood Ridley Scott claims his new film starring Russell Crowe will be the most historically accurate ever. But what do we actually know about the real outlaw and his merrie men? Stephen Moss The Guardian Stephen Moss as Robin Hood. Photograph: Martin Godwin ‘Robin Hood was almost certainly a pedestrian,” David Crook, the retired former assistant keeper of public records at the Public Record Office, tells me over tea one afternoon at his home in Grantham. Robin, in other words, had no horse. This is significant, because, as I settle down to try to … Continue reading Ridley Scott rapes Robin Hood on the altar of Ticket sales!

VIEW: Extremism: too late to contain it? —Yasmin Ali The Taliban would come to Swat residents’ houses and ask able-bodied men of the family to join them. The ‘pay structure’ then ranged from Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000. The atmosphere of insecurity has diminished whatever little opportunities they had of earning a decent livelihood. Are we pushing the locals of Swat to support the Taliban by closing the doors to gainful employment in their area? Extremism, fundamentalism, militancy — these are terms used and heard every day. Are they the same, or are they different? Is a fundamentalist an extremist … Continue reading Extremism: too late to contain it?

analysis: Power and responsibility of the media —Iftikhar Ahmad An adequate response to the moral panic created by the foreign media, for example, about Pakistan’s nuclear assets has to come from our own media to help restore people’s self-confidence and their trust in the ability of the nation to protect its strategic assets and sovereignty From the viewpoint of the power and influence of the media (press, radio and television) in world politics, crises and conflicts, there is a need to consider the issue of moral panic, biases, media representation and the need to make media contents and presentation balanced … Continue reading Power and responsibility of the media