By Kaveh L Afrasiabi Just days after United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used the occasion of a speech in Paris to lecture China on its national security interests and warned Beijing of “economic insecurity and diplomatic isolation” if it did not sign onto new sanctions against Iran, China hit back. On Saturday, Beijing escalated its rhetoric against US arms sales to Taiwan, which it views as part of its territory, by suspending all military exchanges with the US, summoning the American ambassador to Beijing and using Clinton’s own language about “long-term implications”. Clinton had warned China it would … Continue reading Iran caught up in China-US bed!

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim heads for trial on Tuesday on a charge of sodomy, placing the country’s courts under scrutiny again after his doubtful conviction for the same offence almost a decade ago. Anwar was tried first on corruption charges and then for sodomy after his sacking as Deputy Prime Minister in 1998 amid a political feud with then premier Mahathir Mohamad. His case drew a chorus of international criticism with then-US Vice President Al Gore saying at the time that the trial “mocked international standards of justice”. Although Malaysia’s top court ultimately overturned the conviction, doubts … Continue reading Will Malaysia’s courts preoccupation with homosexuality, mullahs and power destroy it?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is reportedly angry with the private organisers of a cricket carnival who have excluded Pakistani players from a lucrative international contest to be hosted in India in March and April. Indian officials have indicated that the government was embarrassed by Lalit Modi, the head of the IPL, a private body that runs the garishly rich cricket event. However, officials have expressed their helplessness in doing anything about it, though pressure is mounting on Modi quietly to undo the decision. Indian officials have explained that the decision not to invite players from Pakistan was a commercial one, … Continue reading Cricket: the new whore of India’s private enterprise

Another week, another round of rumours that Hakeemullah Mehsud, the TTP leader on the run, has been killed by a drone strike. This time the strike in question took place on Jan 17 either in South or North Waziristan. Pakistanis officials are insisting that an injured Hakeemullah was taken for medical treatment elsewhere before eventually succumbing to his injuries. At the time of writing this editorial, there has been no independent verification of Hakeemullah’s death. However, the rumours come at what appears to be a critical time for the TTP. Military operations have resumed in Bajaur Agency, where parts of … Continue reading How many Mullahs killed will make Pakistan safe?

Leszek Kolakowski, the Polish-born Oxford philosopher who passed away last year, left behind a striking insight: “We learn history not in order to know how to behave or how to succeed, but to know who we are.” This is a message of tough love for countries such as Pakistan to whom history has not been kind. Admittedly, Pakistan’s rulers are in good company. Like France’s Bourbons and Britain’s Windsors, they have “forgotten nothing and learned nothing”. But this serious cognitive weakness did not prevent France and Britain from attaining greatness. So there are grounds for hope. But how much hope … Continue reading Reversing history

By Huma Yusuf Pakistani history can be charted through flights that have landed, crashed, been shot down, or hijacked on this nation’s tarmac. Urban theorist Michel de Certeau famously wrote that the only way to “see” New York City was from the 110th floor of the World Trade Center. At the city’s summit, lifted away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds, traffic, and street corners, one can start to make sense of the city’s complexities, he argued. From a bird’s eye view, the city becomes readable, and the practices of those who inhabit it are laid bare for … Continue reading A nation takes off?

Do Exit Programs for Islamists Actually Work? Experience Shows That Such Programs Tend Only to Work When the Militants Are Already Losing By PETER NEUMANN Jan. 29, 2010 — Germany wants to contribute ¬50 million to the Taliban “exit” program in Afghanistan. The idea is to undercut support for the insurgency by helping individual Taliban leave their group, de-radicalize and re-integrate into Afghan society. Sounds like a great plan, but how do these programs actually work? And — more importantly — are they successful? Over the past few years, countries all over the globe have started exit programs for Islamist … Continue reading Do Exit Programs for Islamists Actually Work?