A spectacular assault by Taliban suicide bombers on the main prison in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on the night of 20 June 2008 led to the escape of at least 1250 prisoners there and laid bare the West’s failed Afghan mission. Of these 1250 prisoners, 350 have been officially identified as Taliban fighters. There is little doub
A recent journey to Russia and various Western European countries yielded some revealing experiences of and insights into the Zeitgeist by providing many opportunities to witness the growing sense of uncertainty, fear and despondency gripping western societies, while uncovering the rising confidence and even hubris experienced, rightly or wrongly,
Some people may have been surprised to see the dour-faced, acerbic-tongued Peoples Democratic Party chief, Mehbooba Mufti, sitting cozily behind Pranab Mukherji at a recent meeting of the Congress Working Committee, days after she brought down the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led Congress-PDP coalition government in over the Amarnath land allotment episode.&nb
[Executive Intelligence Review reports African military intelligence sources say the violence preceding the 27 June 2008 Presidential run-off election in Zimbabwe was reminiscent of British-style special-forces counter-insurgency operations used against the country’s freedom fighters before independence, using Rhodesian Selous Scouts. A Londo
Most Americans have a rough idea what the term "military-industrial complex" means. President Dwight D. Eisenhower introduced the idea to the public in his farewell address of January 17, 1961. "Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime," he said, "or indeed b
Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources. These operations, for which the President sought up to $400 million, described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, are designed to des
The massive suicide bomb attack on July 7, which killed 41 people at the Indian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, including the Indian military attaché and counsellor, indicates the ruthlessness of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-British MI6-aided Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, to break up Pakistan and creat
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York - The reality of US troops killing and dying for Iraqi oil hit US public consciousness hard on June 19, 2008, when it was announced that the occupied government of Iraq intended to award no-bid oil service contracts to ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron and Total. Political cartoonist Jeff Danziger deftly captured the
Vivekananda described the pilgrimage as “the very soul of the Hindu nation laid bare in all its innate beauty and sweetness of faith and devotion.” “ The pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath is embroiled in controversy over land allotment at the base camps. The allegations by political parties and protests by Muslims in Kashmir
“After generally giving out the duties of the soldiers he postulates ‘He is thus the very basis and silent, barely visible, cornerstone of our fame, culture, physical well being and prosperity in the entire nation building activity. He does not perform any of these chores himself directly; he enables the rest of us to perform these with
Even as China prepares to host the Olympic Games, four countries of South Asia are engaged in a political race against time that may prove more breathtakingly frenetic than any forthcoming event in Beijing's state-of-art stadia. The government in the biggest of the four, India, is making a grimly determined effort to beat a deadline on its nuc
The US oil giant Chevron will continue to do business in Burma [Myanmar] after a provision to stop it operating there was removed from the latest round of US sanctions on the country. The new sanctions plan, approved yesterday [22 July 2008] by Congress and expected to receive quick approval from the White House, prevents the sale of Burmese gems a
As Delhi courts grapple with a petition seeking ban on the publication and distribution of Arya Samaj founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati’s magnum opus, Satyarth Prakash, it may be pertinent to recall Sri Aurobindo’s tribute: “In the matter of Vedic interpretation I am convinced that whatever may be the final complete interpretation,
A civilisational continuum binds India and Iran, nurtured by long centuries of commerce and diplomacy that even the en masse change of religion in one country has been unable to snap. History is witness that political stability in our part of the world requires a strong Iran and a strong India. Though there are many sources of instability in
r The actual costs incurred in producing the most expensive oil is only $70 or $80 a barrel, implying that around $50 of the current price represents the markets’ risk premium and speculative buying – Larry Chorn, Chief Economist, Plattsr Price of oil should be between $50-55 per barrel &n
Allegations of Rs.25 crores for buying each political horse notwithstanding, it seems almost certain that when the special session of Parliament begins on 22 July 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his government will be ousted, owing to the ignominy attached to the clandestine nature of nuclear deal with USA, which Mr. Prakash Karat has right