‘AMEN TO THAT!’

After months of teeter-tottering between fairness to the Palestinians and complete prostration before Israel’s amen corner in the US, George W. Bush has come down decisively on the side of the latter – and the so-called war on terrorism has taken a new and ominous turn. It was pathetic, really, to see that Chairman Arafat … Continue reading “‘AMEN TO THAT!’”

Did India Cry Wolf to Secure US Intervention?

Did America’s newly discovered ally, India, cry wolf (that is, deliberately exaggerate tentative indications of the presence of Al-Qaeda in Kashmir) to get the United States to intervene sympathetically on its behalf and secure a commitment from Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf to end “cross-border infiltration” of militants? Although there is no irrefutable proof of this, … Continue reading “Did India Cry Wolf to Secure US Intervention?”

‘Missile Man’ as India’s President

By choosing to nominate APJ Abdul Kalam as its candidate for Presidential elections next month, the Vajpayee government has sent out an unambiguous message: It has no compunctions in making an appeal to crass militarism to advance its narrow parochial interests. And by going along with the nomination or co-sponsoring it, the bulk of India’s … Continue reading “‘Missile Man’ as India’s President”

TREASON IS THE REASON

RETRACTION In the following column, I wrote about Sibel Edmonds, a wiretap translator formerly employed by the FBI who has stepped forward with allegations about infiltration of the FBI by a mysterious "Middle Eastern country." Citing "a trusted source," I wrote: "According to his Justice Department sources, the mysterious “Middle Eastern country” the [Washington] Post … Continue reading “TREASON IS THE REASON”

The Relevance of Détente

After the visits of Richard Armitage and Donald Rumsfeld, which formalised the commitments made by Islamabad and New Delhi to their American mediators or “facilitators”, the threat of overt war has diminished in South Asia – although it has by no means disappeared. A new triumphalism is now discernible in parts of political India, and … Continue reading “The Relevance of Détente”

Balkans Leaders Chose Servitude

It’s been a fact for at least a year now, ever since the Treaty of Ohrid was signed, that the Balkans was fully conquered. Perhaps the final, unnecessary confirmation came in March, when the last remnant of the last Yugoslav federation was officially dismantled. Those who inherited the rubble of what used to be Yugoslavia … Continue reading “Balkans Leaders Chose Servitude”

PUNDITRY IN THE AGE OF TERRORISM

P>I couldn’t help but notice the number of hits coming from an ezboard site, where people post messages and a kind of conversation in cyberspace ensues. Our hit report enables me to click on the url and find out the source of the hits – and, in this case, I was in for a surprise. … Continue reading “PUNDITRY IN THE AGE OF TERRORISM”