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by Biju Mathew
There is also a quick labeling going on: India's 9/11. The subtext is that India could and should act as the U.S. did after 9/11 -- decisively and with great aggression. There is also the subtext that the Indian State is soft on terror that adds to the US-tough-on-terror contrast
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Analysis by Beena Sarwar
The pattern is all too familiar. Every time India and Pakistan head towards dialogue and detente, something explosive happens that pushes peace to the backburner and drags them back to the familiar old tense relationship, worsened by sabre-rattling war cries from both sides
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Analysis by Indranil Banerjie
The terrorists, estimated to number two dozen, apparently unloaded explosives and weapons from the boats and fanned out to different pre-identified locations. They displayed familiarity with the security systems of the ten places they targeted, said an intelligence operative
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by Yoichi Shimatsu
The eerie silence that accompanied the blasts are the very signature of Ibrahim Dawood, now a multi-millionaire owner of a construction company in Karachi, Pakistan. His is hardly a household name around the world like Osama bin Laden. Across South Asia, however, Dawood is held in awe and, in a twist on morals, admired for his belated conversion from crime boss to self-styled avenger
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Analysis by Beena Sarwar
The Mumbai attacks, hitting in the midst of the fifth round of the ongoing composite dialogue between India and Pakistan, are likely to have wide-ranging repercussions for India and Pakistan relations and for the international community at large. Analysts note that such attacks tend to take place whenever the South Asian neighbors are engaged in talks and peace initiatives. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had barely started his four-day visit to New Delhi to review the dialogue process when the attacks took place
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by Sandip Roy
Riots have raged through slums and housing estates. Bombs have gone off in local trains and underground markets. Even the Stock Exchange. But the five star hotel was off the menu. Until now
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by Ali Gharib and Zainab Mineeia
An estimated 17,000 Iraqis detained in their own country by occupying U.S. forces may soon face transfer into an Iraqi government detention system where reports of abuse and torture are commonplace, says a leading human rights advocacy group
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by Chris Arsenault
With more than 173 billion barrels of oil recoverable with current technology and more than $100 billion in committed capital investment, the Alberta tar sands around Ft. McMurray are considered the largest industrial project on earth. Unlike conventional crude, oil here isn't pumped, it's mined
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by Alexander Cockburn
Many a new face in Obama's cabinet brings not change but a continuity not always pleasant to contemplate. Here comes Hillary Clinton, who voted for the 2003 attack on Iraq and who now seems certain to be the new Secretary of State. Here stays Bush's defense secretary Robert Gates, who has made no significant mark on the vast pork barrel beside the Potomac
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by Alexander Cockburn
Above all else, Nov. 4 was a day of savage rejection of a sitting president and of unbounded joy at the prospect of his imminent departure
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by Alexander Cockburn
Emanuel represents the worst of the Clinton years. He made brisk millions in Wall Street then worked in the Clinton White House, where he helped push through NAFTA, the crime bill, the balanced budget and welfare reform. He favored the war in Iraq, and when he was chairing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006, he made great efforts to knock out antiwar Democratic candidates
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by Alexander Cockburn
Since there's one standard for automakers and another for bankers, the quickest way for GM to pick up some loose change would be to buy a few banks and thus get the company's mitts on some of the Treasury's $700 billion. If insurance companies are doing it, why not GM?
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by Michael Winship
Since the start of fiscal 2004, the once mighty five of Wall Street -- Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns -- lost around $83 billion in stock market value. But they reported employee compensation of around $239 billion. In other words, the engineers who dug this disastrous hole paid themselves almost three dollars for every dollar they lost
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by Steve Young
The second best thing that could have happened to right wing talk radio would have been McCain winning the presidency. The first best thing: McCain losing
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by Steve Young
Calling the Fairness Doctrine 'censorship' is as much a misnomer as calling Pro-choice groups 'Pro-abortion.' It's simply an attempt to demonize the opposition without the need for accuracy
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by Steve Young
Now comes the revelation that O'Reilly is abhorred by almost the
entire Fox News organization -- which probably includes every blonde Bill
likes to place himself between on his show, and who have to
force out a giggle at his pitiable attempts at humor -- makes for rather
conflicted feelings by at least one usual O'Reilly-Sucks suspect. Moi
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by Gareth Porter
The text of the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed by U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari Nov, 17 closes the door to a further U.S. military presence beyond 2011 even more tightly than the previous draft and locks in a swift end to Iraqi dependence on the U.S. military that appears to be irreversible
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by Robert Scheer
Both Clinton-era treasury secretaries deserve a great deal of the blame for the radical deregulation of the financial industry that has derailed the world economy. They both should, along with former Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan, perform rites of contrition and be kept at a safe distance from the leadership of our nation
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by Robert Scheer
As opposed to the far tougher deal negotiated on the bailout of AIG, the arrangement with Citigroup leaves the executives, including Rubin, who brought Citigroup to the brink of ruin, still in charge. Nor is there any guarantee of the value of the mortgage bundles that taxpayers will be guaranteeing. That is because, as candidate Obama clearly stated in his major economics address back in March, the deregulation pushed though during the Clinton years ended transparency in banking
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by Adrianne Appel
The government needs to get money into the hands of U.S. workers, as quickly as possible, he said. The goal is to get people working and spending again, and paying taxes, Mendelowitz said
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Analysis by Jim Lobe
While much of the world and many of his U.S. supporters are expecting a sharp break with his predecessor's foreign policy after President-elect Barack Obama takes office Jan. 20, they may be surprised by the degree of continuity between the two administrations
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by Cristina F. Pereda
The brutal Nov. 8 murder of Marcelo Lucero, a Long Island resident of Ecuadorian descent, brought seven national civil rights organizations together on Monday to denounce the recent wave of hate crimes against communities of color
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by Miren Gutierrez
The oil tanker Sirius Star may be the largest ship to have been hijacked so far, but piracy is far from rare. In all 251 such incidents worldwide have been reported this year
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by Joe Conason
In his rhetoric and his appointments, Obama can be expected to behave as Bush ought to have acted in a time of national crisis. That means drawing on goodwill wherever he can find it, drawing on talent regardless of party and drawing on the powerful desire of most Americans to live again in one nation
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by Joe Conason
Long gone are the days when a smiling Rubin appeared on the covers of the newsmagazines alongside Alan Greenspan, whose record as Federal Reserve chairman and avatar of laissez-faire economics is equally discredited. By now it would be natural for Summers -- who succeeded Rubin at Treasury -- to wish that everyone would forget his was the third face on those same magazine covers
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by Cherrie Heywood
Israel has imposed a virtual news blackout on the Gaza Strip. For the last ten days no foreign journalists have been able to enter the besieged territory to report on the escalating humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's complete closure of Gaza's borders for the last two weeks
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by Julio Godoy
Among the few things whose sales are picking up in these recessionary times are the works of Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes. Both, in their own way, argue a central role for the state in managing the economy
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by Bramantyo Prijosusilo
The suicide backpack bomb and the car bomb that devastated two clubs in a tourist area of Bali killed 202 people and injured many others. The only apology ever to come from the convicted bombers was for not killing more Americans, their intended victims. At every opportunity the bombers manipulated the media to further their jihad against the U.S. and its allies
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by J.R. Pegg
The concerns raised by the governors echo worries expressed by environmentalists and public health advocates, who also fear the Bush administration is keen to push through additional industry-friendly air rules before leaving office
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by Joe Conason
Of all the possible holdover appointees, defense secretary Gates has the highest reputation for effectiveness and the lowest potential for conflict with the new president. Unlike the previous occupant, he is respected in Congress and among the military's general staff. Based on his personal history, Gates seems to have a stronger basis for agreement with Mr. Obama than with his current boss on the salient issues of Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan
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by Joe Conason
Nobody can doubt that the Republican remnant in the Senate will obstruct as soon as that seems politically safe. Right-wing pundits, from Rush Limbaugh to the Wall Street Journal editorial page are already egging them on furiously. But is there enough muscle behind that filibuster threat to block Obama's mandate?
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by Enrique Gili
Created in 1981, the Tijuana River Research Reserve is an island of relative calm at the center of a political maelstrom that pits conservationists against advocates that promote tighter border controls. Nesting amid coastal sage and tall grass, 400 species of birds inhabit the wetlands. Thousands more birds return each year to one of the last vestiges of salt marsh existing in Southern California, where 90 percent have been lost to development
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by Claudia Ciobanu
Far from succeeding in pressuring Bulgaria to solve its problems with high-level corruption and organized crime, the European Union is forced to watch its aid money drain away into the coffers of shady businessmen well connected with the Bulgarian political class
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by Earl Ofari Hutchinson
The cruel irony is that the holy passion that propelled black voters to storm the polls in near record numbers to vote for Barack Obama tipped the scales in favor of Proposition 8. That wasn't the only Obama irony. Prop 8 backers flooded mailboxes in mostly black neighborhoods with a mailer that featured a stern faced Obama and his horribly out of context quote saying that he opposed gay marriage
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by William O. Beeman
Obama has a serious opening to improving relations with Iran, if he knows how to exercise it. Unfortunately, his transition advisory team is weak on Middle East affairs, and almost non-existent on Iran. This leaves the president-elect prey to the same forces that have tried to sabotage progress on rapprochement with Iran during the Bush administration
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by Earl Ofari Hutchinson
The immediate cause for some worry is Holder's role in Clinton's pardon of outlaw financier Mark Rich in 2001. Holder reportedly greenlighted the pardon, but soon regretted it. He says he never would have said anything favorable about Rich if he had known the full details of the case
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by Gareth Porter
The extremely small proportion of Iranian arms in Shi'a militia weapons caches further suggests that Shiite militia fighters in Iraq had been getting weapons from local and international arms markets rather than from an official Iranian-sponsored smuggling network
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by Peter Costantini
In the political arena, Hispanics have been a big part of the broader influx that has gradually reshaped the electoral landscape of Nevada from a rural Republican redoubt to an increasingly urban and suburban Democratic polity
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by Antoaneta Bezlova
The Dalai Lama's admission of failure in his 'middle way' approach -- a policy of compromise and peaceful dialogue that he has pursued for years with Beijing -- has led to calls by some radical followers to push for outright independence for Tibet
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About four years ago, the abandoned Edayah nuclear plant, about 35km west of Ninevah's provincial capital, Mosul, was looted by locals; some of its radiation-contaminated materials were sold in the local market as scrap
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by Stephen Leahy
Scientific studies have linked sharp declines in wild salmon populations in British Columbia to disease and parasites originating in open-ocean salmon farms. Millions of non-native salmon have escaped ocean net-pens in Chile and have become an invasive species, transforming the ecology of local river systems
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by Robert Scheer
Improved relations with Russia are critical to the change toward a more peaceful world that Obama has promised, but it is disquieting in the extreme that some of his closest advisers are inveterate hawks with a history of needlessly provoking tension with the Russians during the Cold War days
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by Robert Scheer
If Obama turns to the Wall Street Democrats like Robert Rubin, the Clinton-era treasury secretary who led the crusade for deregulation, then he will betray his own fervently expressed concern for the fate of ordinary folks. The change we need is a divorce from the financial moguls who have dominated both parties. That's what progressive politics is all about
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by Ali Gharib and Zainab Mineeia
With media and diplomatic attention focused on the international incident ignited by a U.S. cross-border raid from Iraq into Syrian territory last weekend, the Syrian government quietly handed down 30-month prison terms to a group of democracy activists
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by Steve Young
There it was. The knockout punch. I'm sure Bill doesn't even remember it. Yet it defined so well the difference between the fighting style of the right wing Lords of Lord and Jon Stewart. Labeling vs Thought
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by Bill Berkowitz
Although many in the mainstream media will write and talk about the movement's imminent demise, that demise is not likely to occur in the near, or distant, future. More relevant questions are how the religious right will behave during an Obama administration, and what steps the movement will take to revivify its disappointed, dispirited and angry ground troops
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by Marwaan Macan-Markar
The siege of Bangkok's international airport by a right-wing anti-government protest movement, which entered its fourth day on Saturday, is shredding the superior edge Thailand had enjoyed. This is the fourth airport in the country that this right-wing movement has succeeded in shutting down since it took to the streets in May to force a democratically elected government to resign
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by Diego Cevallos
The hope is that by increasing the proportion of revenues left in the hands of the oil company, Pemex will improve its performance, which has been undermined by a lack of funds and up-to-date technology, while output has steadily fallen and reserves have shrunk (according to official figures they will last less than nine years)
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by Annette Fuentes
Just two weeks after California voters approved Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage, a broad coalition of legal, civil and gay rights groups as well as women's and religious organizations have launched legal challenges in the state Supreme Court to invalidate the new law as unconstitutional
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by David Cronin
If 'change' and 'hope' were the watchwords of Barack Obama's election campaign, they were echoed strongly on the other side of the Atlantic, where his victory was swiftly applauded by Europe's political leaders
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Analysis by Cherrie Heywood
Arabs say the current U.S. strategy of military force is counterproductive if the desire is to win the hearts and minds of the majority of moderate Arabs and Muslims in the Arab street. 'There are too many memories of colonialism, and there is too much anger against U.S. ties to Israel for Western forces to succeed'
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by Jim Lobe
Obama swept the West Coast, the Northeast, the mid-Atlantic states, and the industrial Midwest. He also made major inroads in regions that have generally voted solidly Republican over most of the last four decades -- including the South, where he won Florida and Virginia
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by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
More than five years after the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, Arab capitals are beginning to send ambassadors to Baghdad. But some Egyptian commentators question the timing of the move, which they attribute to pressure from Washington
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by J.R. Pegg
The court, in a 6-3 decision, ruled that a lower court judge had wrongly allowed the environmental impacts of the training exercises to trump U.S. national security interests
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by Adrianne Appel
Paulson said he knows how he is going to spend the remaining funds, and foreclosure assistance and an auto industry bailout is not part of his plan
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by David Cronin
The hostility against Roma has been particularly acute in Italy, where parties in Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's ruling coalition have openly tried to portray all Roma as criminals. In May, the Italian government introduced a 'security package' which provided for the dismantling of Roma camps and the automatic deportation of migrants who cannot prove they have regular employment
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Albion Monitor Issue 175 (http://www.albionmonitor.com)
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