TV talk shows: good, bad or just inane —Dr Syed Mansoor Hussain Being a strong supporter of freedom of the media I believe that every television channel and all the hosts have the right to say whatever they wish as long as it is within accepted societal norms of decency Every so often I decide to watch some of the Pakistani TV talk shows. After my most recent foray into the world of incessant shouting and entirely illogical arguments I was forced to coin two neologisms for the talking heads on TV. For the smoother ones, it is ‘the Gliberati’ and … Continue reading TV talk shows: good, bad or just inane

How it may have been done differently —Shahzad Chaudhry Both India and Pakistan today are at the verge of being water-stressed, at least figuratively. But that will become real very soon if we remain hostage to viewing our problems in a historical perspective. Much more than the political, territorial and security aspects, our civilisational existence is at stake A done deal is a done deal, and sulking over it post-facto does not pay much. But then India-Pakistan matters are hardly ever the last word that may seem to have been spoken. The foreign secretaries’ day-long parley in Delhi was one such … Continue reading Water problems due in India and Pakistan

Citizenship is a modern concept and a self-limiting notion. A detailed survey of a mix of Indian citizens, including Kashmiris, published by the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) in its latest edition gives the discussion a more meaningful and complex character than it is traditionally granted. But before we take a look at its findings, it would be useful to bear in mind that references to a foreigner or a “pardesi” in popular idiom – such as folk songs and traditional poetry – are at variance with the issue of citizenship the survey puts under the scanner. Much like the loose … Continue reading Who is a citizen of India, who decides who is not?

First contact: The man who’ll welcome aliens Jon Ronson meets Paul Davies, the scientist with an awesome responsibility ‘We don’t want anybody just turning a radio ­telescope on the sky and sending their own ­messages to the source.’ Photograph: Felix Clay If we are ever contacted by aliens, the man I’m having lunch with will be one of the first humans to know. His name is Paul Davies and he’s chair of the Seti (Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Post-Detection Task Group. They’re a group of the world’s most eminent scientists and will be, come the big day, the planet’s alien … Continue reading Boffin Mullah HE Dr Paul Davies thinks he will be the first person to meet Aliens on ‘our’ behalf!

By Kent Ewing HONG KONG – When China’s Ministry of Education suggested recently that the Hong Kong arm of Oxfam International is a subversive organization and warned university students against volunteering for its poverty-relief programs, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around world heard the message loud and clear: no matter how big or internationally recognized, when in China, play by Chinese rules. It is a lesson that has also not been lost on Google. The Internet giant In January threatened to close its Chinese website if it continued to be subject to censorship. Beijing gave the threat a cold shoulder, and the … Continue reading NGOs with Chinese characteristics

A Question of Command by Mark Moyar Reviewed by Brian M Downing In Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead, an operation on the fictional island of Anopopei comes to a successful conclusion, but owing to the campaign’s intricacies, no one is quite sure why. Headquarters writes a report crediting the commanding general and in time it becomes official history. Many campaigns might be a bit like Anopopei. Counter-insurgency thinking is once again much discussed, as it was 50 years ago. In the early 1960s, the United States was reeling from Fidel Castro’s seizure of power in Cuba and uncertain … Continue reading Counter-insurgency, then and now

Tran Dinh Thanh Lam HO CHI MINH CITY – A Vietnamese film that missed out on the short list for Sunday’s Oscars nonetheless offers a glimpse into how Vietnam and the United States are healing their decades-old war wounds, as well as how that war still generates emotional debate. Dung Dot, or Don’t Burn , is based on the wartime diary of a 27-year-old female Vietcong physician Dang Thuy Tram, who was shot dead by US soldiers in the early 1960s as US military involvement escalated in the country. The movie was Vietnam’s representative in the best foreign language category … Continue reading Vietnam loses out on Oscar glory

By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON – Last Thursday’s vote by a United States congressional committee condemning the deaths of up to 1.5 million Armenians during World War I as “genocide” is almost certain to complicate US ties with Turkey, a long-time strategic ally and increasingly influential player in the Middle East and Central and Southwest Asia. The 23-22 vote by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives prompted the immediate recall of Turkey’s ambassador here and an announcement by Ankara that ratification of a pending US-backed treaty with Armenia would be frozen. And the government of Prime Minister Recep … Continue reading Genocide vote poisons Turkey-US ties

The PLA raises its voice By Peter J Brown A growing number of senior officers in the different branches of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are becoming outspoken. But why they have chosen now to raise their voices is subject to debate. Following the recent decision by the United States to sell arms to Taiwan, three senior PLA officers from China’s National Defense University and Academy of Military Sciences – Major General Zhu Chenghu, Major General Luo Yuan and Senior Colonel Ke Chunqiao – told Xinhua News Agency that China should be selling off US debt, and that China … Continue reading Chinas Defenders finally speak up?

Ahmadinejad hunkers down with Karzai By Kaveh L Afrasiabi On Monday, Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad was due to visit Afghanistan on a short trip with a heavy agenda of issues concerning regional security and a drug trafficking problem that is growing despite advances against Afghan insurgents in Helmand province, the world’s opium capital. On the eve of his trip, Ahmadinejad once again captured headlines by describing the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington as a “big lie” that was “intended to serve as a pretext for fighting terrorism and setting the grounds for sending troops to Afghanistan”. His comment, … Continue reading Ahmadinejad hunkers down with Karzai and gives the US some thoughts!