      
|
|
| |
[-
IKRAM SEHGAL -] |
 Too
Close to Call! |
US Presidential Elections 2004 takes
place today, Tuesday Nov 2. By tomorrow morning (that
is if the many law suits in several US States being
planned by whichever Party loses doesn't hold up the
results) the world will know whether incumbent George
W Bush Jr retains the Presidency or has succumbed
to the challenge of Senator John Kerry. What a difference
a year makes! This time last year the Democratic Party
was down and out. The race for the Democratic Presidential
nomination being so open, as many as nine aspirants
took the Primary route. The early running had Governor
Howard Dean of Vermont in the lead. While he aroused
the imagination of the youth, “liberal”
is unfortunately a bad word with a majority of Americans,
the left constitutes only a vocal, heavily out-numbered
minority....more
|
Understanding
Terrorism |
There is a lot of rhetoric in Pakistan,
as indeed in the world, about the need to fight terrorism,
yet how much do we understand how terrorism germinates
in society, how it is incubated and then proliferates?
There is a dire need to study the root causes, and
effects, of terrorism. Without a clear understanding
of these, one can put out small fires here and there,
but can we stop the conflagration from spreading?
For several centuries muslims have not only been oppressed
but since the 19th century they have been increasingly
brutalized. People living in terror eventually react
in kind because in the recent past most terrorism
is perceived to have emanated from muslim causes,
it is important that we analyze these dispassionately....more
|
Kashmir |
In the most significant policy initiative for any
Pakistani leader since independence in 1947, Gen Pervez
Musharraf seemingly abandoned Pakistan's long-standing
demand for a plebiscite, something enshrined in the
UN Security Council Resolution on Kashmir. In a major
speech to media bigwigs recently, the President encouraged
both India and Pakistan to move away from their oft
stated positions for the sake of peace in South Asia.
India's response has been rather cool, saying such
negotiations should be confidential and through diplomatic
channels rather than being debated in the media. Pakistan's
major departure of policy, coming from a soldier,
is a 180-degree change of direction in the Army's
thinking. While recognizing the harsh ground realities,
this is certainly a courageous move to settle this
outstanding dispute with India, one has to agree with
the India's contention that using other than quiet
diplomatic channels is a risky proposition. On the
other hand what about the personal risk the President
is taking domestically for having dared to touch a
national sacred cow? Musharraf has thrown down the
gauntlet to friend and foe alike, both domestically
and externally. On the one hand friends have been
told line up and be counted or be counted out, on
the other hand enemies have been provoked to come
up with a better alternative to solve this bloody
impasse. Above all, India has been challenged to respond
with ideas of their own to untangle the proverbial
Gordian knot over Kashmir....more
|
Preparing
for Fallujah |
The
city of Fallujah has a population of around 300000,
with about 150000 crammed into the core of the fairly
modern city. Within the so-called Sunni Triangle, Fallujah
and Ramadi have been in the hands of Iraqi insurgents
since the collapse of the Saddam Regime, the well-known
terrorist Al-Zarqawi has been carrying well-documented
terrorist activity from within the city's confines.
An attempt by US Marines to clear the city of insurgents
was aborted in April this year for reasons other than
military, it left the Marines frustrated and angry at
the seeming political interference. The expert opinion
was that the US Marines would have to finish the job
at a later date, with a commensurate increase in casualties.
From sporadic attacks against stray targets, the insurgents
have become increasingly bolder. Not only they have
taken hostages but have executed them if their demands
were not met, they have also carried out a number of
suicide bomb and mortar/rocket attacks within the so-called
“Green Zone” in Baghdad, the HQs of the
US and Coalition Command in Iraq....more |
The
Fallujah Battle |
Situated
on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, Fallujah is bound
by the desert on all sides. Two bridges connect the
city to the peninsula on the west bank of the river,
where the city's major hospital is located. A railway
line is its northern boundary, the railway station is
located to the northwest just outside the city. A north-south
road is the intersection between the Jolan (northwest)
and Askari (northeast) Districts, US intelligence sources
reported where that most of insurgents are dug into
these two districts, no surprise therefore where most
of the initial fighting has taken place. Route 10, an
east-west road dividing Fallujah from the North to the
mostly industrialized south, this was largely reported
to be free of insurgents before the fighting....more
|
|
|
