Winds of Change.NET: Robi's South Asia Briefing: 2003-10-01

October 1, 2003

Robi's South Asia Briefing: 2003-10-01

by Robi Sen at October 1, 2003 5:30 AM

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. This Regional Briefing focuses on South Asia, courtesy of Robi Sen.

TOP TOPIC

Pakistan has for several decades been treated as a valuable ally of the United States yet many people have started to question if Pakistan really is. At the same time Pakistan has helped the U.S. apprehend numerous terrorist and now Al-Queda is calling for President Mushraf’s removal which Pakistan is taking as a serious threat.

Topics Today Include: Commentary on the Israeli and Indian alliance; India gains influence in Washington; Australia sees U.S. as necessary ally in stabilizing South Asia Islamic terrorism throughout SE Asia; and Tech Central Stations new Asia/Pacific site.

Pakistan often claims that it does not support in any way terrorism in India but recently one of India’s most wanted terrorists, Dawood Ibrahim, has shown up in Karachi and is responsible for bombings in Pakistan.

India in the last few years has started to develop greater relations and influence with the United States and has actively started to lobby the U.S. congress to get more favorable treatment for its self.

Three more terrorists suspects where captured September in Indonesia. Indonesia is a hot bed of Islamic fundamentalism with one of the largest Muslim populations in the world and it’s not hard to see how young men turn to terrorism with schools like this.

Many people have wondered why Australia has been so supportive politically and militarily recently of the United States and in part it is because Australia thinks that the situation in Indonesia is so bad that it may need the military muscle of the U.S. to help stabilize the region if Indonesia’s government should collapse.

Niraj offers up a lengthy post on Sharon’s visit to India with additional links to Varnam's comments.

South Asia seen as the new hub for global terrorism.

Tech Central Station has started to publish articles focusing on Asia and the Pacific. Check it out for some really new and interesting points of view on South Asia.

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Comments

#1 from blaster at 5:14 am on Oct 02, 2003

Actually, Pakistan was on the outs after the military coup where Musharraf took power, and of course their nuclear test in, what, 1998?

Musharraf took the offer that he could not refuse after 9/11. If he had not allowed use of Pakistani airspace, we would have gone to war with Pakistan before Afghanistan.

I think Musharraf gets it on "with us or against us." There are US troops operating in Pakistan right now. Some of the biggest fish have been caught in Pakistan with Pakistani help. They helped catch and they prosecuted the murderers of the journalist Daniel Pearl. Musharraf has purged many of the radicals from his government and made significant democratic reforms.

They certainly are not perfect. But they are better allies than say, France. Pakistan is willing to put troops in Iraq, which France is not.

#2 from robi at 5:34 am on Oct 03, 2003

Great points and Pakistan is helping. I have in a couple of other briefings linked to articles that discuss Pakistan�s almost schizophrenic behavior towards the US (see from last month). Pakistanis have at various levels in the Pakistani government been assisting various terror groups as well as specific individuals but this does not mean that it�s a government policy or that Pakistan is our enemy but it does mean Pakistan has some serious issues.

I have been meaning to write something about how US deals with India and Pakistan and frankly it�s not very easy. US policy in that area has been rather messy and the US has often dealt with India as a hostile country because of its past leanings towards Russia as well as its favoritism towards Pakistan because it was a convenient place to wage a proxy war against Russia (like they did with us in Vietnam and other places). But it is still not that simple.

What are your thoughts?

#3 from Human at 4:53 am on Jul 12, 2008

Who are we as a people? We are Human.

I mean more specifically, Racially? South Asian, Deshi, Sarracian, Indian.

What are the major subgroups? Bengali in the East, Hindi in the West and Central, Tamil in the South, Urdu in the North.

What are the major cutoffs? The Hindu Kush to the Northwest, The Himalayas to the Northeast, The Chini Hills to the East, The Indian Ocean to the Southwest, The bay of Bengal to the Southeast.

How many are there on the planet? We estimate about 1.5 Billion Deshis.

How many are there in North America? We estimate about 5 Million people.

What do you find is our key goal in North America? We should build a megacity for nearly 1 Million South Asian people.

How will we do that? The Millions will build it for their benefit. Others can help them at a cost.

Why are we here in North America? Larger forces in nature have placed us here.

What is the goal of man? To evovle.

What is the price of the wheat? I don't know.