Geopolitical thread

DavidD · Post by **DavidD** » 04 Jul 2010 05:59

I agree with what most of you two have said. As a kid, I seriously thought that the KMT avoided the Japanese while the CCP did all the fighting, haha. That's what we were taught in school! But now people all know differently, even the CCP is acknowledging it.

Anyhow, one thing I disagree with is that troubles between China and India is somehow the CCP's fault. I doubt it. I don't think the nationalists would be any easier on India. Post WWII, it would've almost certainly formed a coalition with the U.S. against the USSR-India axis, which means decades of conflicts and threats, as opposed to just one brief border conflict 50 years ago.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 04 Jul 2010 07:35

India did not have any alliance with USSR before. The Indo-Soviet friendship treaty was signed only around the time of the 1971 War.

I don't think the nationalists would have invaded Tibet so quickly. Tibet might have stayed independent until after the death of Nehru.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 05 Jul 2010 18:00

Poland has elected a moderate Pres. after the death in an air crash of its pro-US right wing pres. Pres-elect Komorowski is more liberal and wants Polish troops withdrawn from Afghanistan.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 18412.html

Excerpts.

Late president’s twin fails in bid to succeed brother

By Tony Paterson
Monday, 5 July 2010
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, presidential candidate, conceded defeat last night

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of former president Lech Kaczynski who died in a plane crash in April, conceded defeat in Poland's snap presidential elections last night. Exit polls suggested that the liberal candidate, Bronislaw Komorowski, was on course to narrowly defeat his conservative rival.

Mr Kaczynski, the leader of Poland's right-wing opposition Law and Justice party (PiS), told cheering supporters: "I have to start by doing what good manners require, that is by congratulating the victor."

Mr Komorowski, who is a member of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's ruling Civic Platform party, was between two and six per cent ahead of Mr Kaczynski, according to early exit polls. Official results are due to be published today.

"Democracy has won – our Polish democracy," declared Mr Komorowski to jubilant supporters last night. "We will open a small bottle of champagne tonight and a big one tomorrow," he added, in a reference to the final election result.

Mr Komorowski's victory is expected to put Poland on a more liberal, pro-business course than had been the case during Lech Kaczynski's tenure. Mr Komorowski has said he intends to build on Poland's EU membership plans to introduce the euro within five years. He has also called for the withdrawal of Poland's 2,600 troops from Afghanistan by 2012.

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 05 Jul 2010 18:16

Whoever managed to bump off the Polish president had calculated well, or reinforced the message by the bumping to clear away any hesitation in the new President, who is a close kin of the ex-President.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 06 Jul 2010 00:05

India, China discuss possibility of joint projects in Afghanistan
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-Chi ... 67360.aspx

India and China on Sunday discussed the possibility of working in collaborative projects in third countries, including joint initiatives in Afghanistan to tap large mineral resources, as part of efforts to broad base their relationship.National Security Adviser (NSA) Shiv Shankar Menon, who arrived here yesterday on a four-day visit as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's special envoy began his high-level engagements by holding talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Sunday.After one and half hour talks at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, Yang accompanied by Menon told the Indian media that "talks went off very very well... we have a tour of the whole horizon" of issues.A significant part of the discussions between Menon and Yang reportedly centred on economic issues and the booming trade between the two countries that is expected to touch a new of high of USD 60 billion this year.Apparently issues relating to Pakistan and the visit of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to China beginning from July 6 reportedly to firm up cooperation to build two nuclear power plants figured in the talks."We also went to specifics about certain aspects of our relationship," Yang said without directly referring to Pakistan and India's concerns to the two nuclear
These issues were expected to figure in Menon's scheduled talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and State Councillor Dai Bingguo tomorrow.India has expressed reservations over China's proposed nuclear deal with Pakistan under which it will provide two nuclear reactors to Pakistan.

( Menon in China when Dus %ti brings the Lota for Zakat)

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 06 Jul 2010 08:11

Actually, It's Mountains
Sometimes the toughest obstacles are the naturally occurring ones.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2 ... _mountains

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 06 Jul 2010 08:12

Clinton Seeks to Reassure Russia’s Neighbors

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/world ... inton.html

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 06 Jul 2010 08:35

China in check? The limits to Beijing’s assertiveness

The list of disaffected countries is long. European leaders emerged with strongly negative views after China’s behavior at Copenhagen — and have seen no subsequent rapprochement. Future EU China policies will likely take on a tougher and more focused character. The same is true in China’s neighborhood. Beijing has treated the opening provided by troubles in the U.S.-Japan alliance with complete indifference. South Korea has been insulted by China’s approach to the Cheonan incident. Sino-Indian tensions have been left to fester. And Southeast Asian nations have grown anxious over Beijing’s recalcitrant stance on territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
The opportunities this has afforded the United States in Asia itself have been obvious. China’s inept handling of Pyongyang has helped tighten both the U.S.-South Korea and U.S.-Japan alliances, and the list of Southeast Asian states seeking deeper defense cooperation with Washington has grown. More novel have been recent U.S. efforts at coalition-building outside the region: the Gulf States and Israel joining the U.S.-EU press on China’s Iran policy, and India and Brazil joining U.S. and European calls for currency revaluation. The scope to extend this approach across a range of economic and foreign policy issues is substantial.
This year, the Obama administration’s firm stand on key U.S. interests, coupled with face-saving ways for Chinese leaders to portray to their public that they are acting of their own volition, has begun to deliver some clear successes. It has also restored a level of sanity to a relationship that was starting to lurch out of joint. But in the absence of a real convergence in views between Washington and Beijing, this approach will not be enough. U.S. China policy needs to move further outside the bilateral box.

http://blog.gmfus.org/2010/06/07/china- ... rtiveness/

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 06 Jul 2010 18:42

More on the latest alleged Russian "spy scandal" in the US and the role of the luscious redhead,Anna Chapman,the main accused,who is fast becoming the world's most famous woman spy after Mata Hari.I'm sure that the makers of the James Bond 007 films will be sure of a massive "hit",if they star Anna Chapman in their next Bond film!

Since her arrest, Mr Chapman, 30, a trainee psychologist, has been interviewed by MI5 to establish whether his ex-wife may have spied in the UK while they were married.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph he made comments about her personality, background and behaviour that have strengthened suspicions that she is a Kremlin agent.

He claimed that his ex-wife had told him that her father was a "high-ranking" former KGB officer, and said that she became a money-obsessed secretive social climber overnight. Mr Chapman said that he suspected she was being "conditioned" by shadowy Russian contacts in the UK at the time their marriage was falling apart.

Now Mrs Chapman's friends have hit back, accusing Mr Chapman of lying and of unfairly "pouring dirt" on her reputation.

"We are simply outraged by what Anna's ex-husband has been saying about her," one of her friends, Natalya Zolotova, told the news website, life.ru.

"Anna was never arrogant (as Mr Chapman claimed). She is very down to earth and modest. He should stop lying." Mrs Chapman broke off contact with Mr Chapman a long time ago, she added, undermining his claim to have spoken to her on the phone while she was in American custody.

"Anna did not like to remember about her early failed marriage," she said.

"The marriage only lasted two and a half years and ended on Anna's initiative. She quickly became disappointed in Alex and understood that he was not a man but a rag. The way he is behaving now at this difficult period in her life is only further proof of that. Besmirching your former wife like this is base."

The Kremlin is keen to downplay the spy scandal, however, and on Sunday Dmitry Medvedev wrote to President Barack Obama assuring him that US-Russia relations would be unaffected by the controversy.

...and now a Zimbabwean tycoon is also being probed by MI5.

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-2772-Zi ... /news.aspx

Excerpt:

The UK’s counter intelligence and security agency MI5 is said to be probing links between alleged Russian spy Anna Chapman and a controversial Zimbabwean businessman, Ken Sharpe.

The Russian woman, who is at the centre of the American espionage probe, reportedly worked with multi-millionaire Ken Sharpe for three years at a British registered company based in the London flat she shared with her then husband, Alex Chapman.

Alex revealed to UK media that an MI5 agent had spent much of a five-hour interrogation last week asking him about his ex-wife’s relationship with the Russian-speaking Sharpe.

During her time with the company, Southern Union, 28-year-old Anna is said to have moved millions of pounds between Zimbabwe and the UK, raising questions over whether the cash may have been laundered for the purposes of espionage.

The MI5 agent also quizzed Alex, 30, about Sharpe’s close relationship with his wife’s father, Vasily Kushchenko, a high-ranking Russian diplomat who was accused last week of involvement with his country’s secret services, formerly known as the KGB.

According to Alex, it was Kushchenko who first introduced his ex-wife to Sharpe, 38, whose businesses include property development and a plant exporting vodka bottles to Russia.

Sharpe is said to be a fluent Russian speaker living in his native Zimbabwe with Russian wife Joanna, a former bellydancer.
Alex claimed that his wife and Sharpe, who is understood to be linked to Zimbabwean strongman Robert Mugabe, set up Southern Union, which has charitable status, to enable Zimbabwean expats to send money home at competitive exchange rates.

According to Alex, the money was deposited in an HSBC account in London then distributed through a maze of international bank accounts and front companies, to avoid scrutiny by Zimbabwean authorities, before being distributed by Sharpe.

Alex was made a director of the company but was asked to leave just one month after he split from his wife in 2005.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 07 Jul 2010 07:32

Thais Warn of Violent Future

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_p ... 524678.stm

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 07 Jul 2010 18:31

'Rising powers do not want to play by the west’s rules'
By Philip Stephens
Image by Ingram Pinn http://tinyurl.com/343hrwz

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 08 Jul 2010 00:16

China Says Foreign Reserves Not Political 'Weapon'

BEIJING (AP) -- China tried Wednesday to allay concern about the political impact of its $2.5 trillion foreign reserves, saying they are not a ''nuclear weapon'' to control other nations and its vast holdings of U.S. Treasury debt ''should not be politicized.''
In the second in a series of statements this week on its handling of the reserves, the foreign exchange agency said its investments are judged on economic grounds. It expressed hope they would be beneficial for China and the countries where it invests. The statement appeared to be an attempt to defuse concerns in the United States and elsewhere over whether Beijing might threaten to sell off Treasurys or other holdings to punish them in political disputes. China is Washington's biggest foreign creditor, with just over $900 billion invested in Treasurys. In a question-and-answer format, the statement asked, ''Are China's foreign reserves a `secret weapon' or a `nuclear weapon'?'' The reply said China is a responsible long-term investor and ''doesn't seek the power to control recipients of its investment.'' The statement said the U.S. bond market is an important part of China's reserves. It said Beijing will adjust its holdings according to market performance and said they ''should not be politicized.''

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/07 ... .html?_r=1

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 08 Jul 2010 07:47

Asian influence in the Middle East -- friend or foe?

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/ ... iddle_east

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 08 Jul 2010 09:07

Possible Dalai Lama Successor Bridges Age Gap
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162- ... 03543.html

Increasingly, the spotlight has been turned to the Karmapa Lama. He is close to the Dalai Lama and calls him "a spiritual and personal father figure." As head of one of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, he is also an accomplished scholar in his own right. But he's of a new generation.He plays video games and spends time after meditation listening to rap music. On a recent visit to his monastery in Sidbhari, a village near the Dalai Lama's exile home in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala, the Karmapa Lama tossed around ideas for which team might win the World Cup -- not exactly the subject that first comes to mind when you think monastery and Dalai Lama."Some people were saying Argentina would win but now they have lost and are gone so now people are saying Germany," said the Karmapa.
re's no doubt the Karmapa Lama is an unusual young man. His is an eclectic mix that bridges the gap between old and young. It's also turned him into the modern icon of the Tibetan struggle against China for autonomy.
Born Ogyen Trinley Dorje, he was pronounced the 17th incarnation of the Karmapa Lama as a 7-year-old boy and whisked away to a monastery near the capital Lhasa. He was quickly recognized by China which hoped it had found a potentially powerful rival to the Dalai Lama.But a 14-year-old Karmapa had other plans."At 18 I might have had to take a position in the Chinese government hierarchy ... and turn against the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan cause. That was one of the reasons I decided to leave."
eave he did, fleeing his home in rural Tibet for India, embarking on an eight-day journey by foot and horseback across the Himalayas. China was infuriated by the dramatic escape that echoed the Dalai Lama's flight four decades earlier.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 08 Jul 2010 09:59

Prem wrote:Possible Dalai Lama Successor Bridges Age Gap
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162- ... 03543.html China was infuriated by the dramatic escape that echoed the Dalai Lama's flight four decades earlier.

Trojan Horse

naren · Post by **naren** » 08 Jul 2010 11:05

^^^ AFAIK, Karmapa Lama was not chosen by PRC.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 09 Jul 2010 03:16

it's Panchen Lama who was chosen by PRC - after they kidnapped the real one chosen by Dalai Lama

Karmapa Lama was the one who escaped - walked over, I think?
It's not clear whether China deliberately allowed him to leave, to create a rival against Dalai Lama.

naren · Post by **naren** » 09 Jul 2010 06:06

^^^ True.

I saw a docu sometime back. It said that Karmapa Lama did not get the necessary training & decided to escape to India. Highly unlikely that he is trojan. HHDL has cleverly said that the continuation of Dalai Lama institution rests with the Tibetan people. So, if he turns out to be PRC puppet, he will be dethroned and democracy will kick in. Besides, his sect (black hat) is not as authoritative as HHDL's (Yellow Hat).

naren · Post by **naren** » 09 Jul 2010 06:11

Press Statement from His Holiness the 17 year old Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje April 27, 2001, Gyuto Ramoche Tantric University, Sidbhari, Distt. Kangra, HP, India

On December 28, 1999, under the cover of a dark night, my senior attendant and I escaped from my monastery in Tibet and fled to India to seek refuge. The decision to leave my homeland, monastery, monks, parents, family, and the Tibetan people was entirely my own: no one told me to go and no one asked me to come. I left my country to impart the Buddha's teachings in general and, in particular, to receive the excellent empowerment, transmissions, and instructions of my own Karma Kagyu tradition. These I could only receive from the main disciples of the previous Karmapa, Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltsap Rinpoche, who were predicted to be my teachers and who reside in India

There have been various reports in the press about my escape, and so I will simply and briefly tell the truth about my journey. In great secrecy, my companions and I made our plans, using various stories to cover our true activities. For example, when the preparations were complete, I announced that I was entering a traditional, strict retreat and would not come out for some days. This story worked and prevented us from being pursued right away.

On December 28, around 10:30 at night, my attendant and I slowly climbed down from my room and jumped onto the roof of the Protector Mahakala's shrine room. From this o building, we leapt to the ground where a jeep was waiting nearby with Lama Tsultrim and a driver. We left immediately. The story had been given out that Lama Tsultrim and his companions were going on a journey. As if preparing for this, they had driven in and out of the monastery several times during the day, and, therefore, everyone knew about this trip and we could easily leave. Usually, the monastery was strictly guarded, but no twenty- four-hour guards were posted and we also left through a side road.
After a while, Lama Tsewang and another driver joined us at a designated place. We decided to head directly towards western Tibet since few travellers used this road and the check posts were not so strictly guarded. Driving day and night, we stopped only to change drivers. By taking back roads through the hills and valleys, we avoided check posts and two army camps. Through the power of my prayers to the Buddha and through his compassion, we were not discovered and arrived in Mustang, Nepal, on the morning of December 30, 1999. Continuing the journey on foot and horseback, we crossed over several passes and finally reached Manang as I had planned. This part was extremely difficult and exhausting due to the poor and often dangerous condition of the paths and the freezing cold weather. During this time, I was tired and not very well physically, yet despite the difficulties, I was completely determined to reach my goal.

Once in Manang, a close friend of Lama Tsewang Tashi helped us hire a helicopter. We landed in a place of Nepal known as Nagarkot and then went by car to Rauxal. From there, we travelled by train to Lucknow and continued with a rented car to Delhi, arriving at last in Dharamsala early on the morning of January 5, 2000. I went straight to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the very embodiment of compassion, and he received me with his great love and affection. My joy knew no bounds.

Ever since my arrival, the Dalai Lama has given his continual and generous assistance. Following his wishes, the Office of Religion and Culture from the Tibetan Government in Exile has made arrangements for my temporary stay at Gyuto Ramoche Tantric University. Situ Rinpoche, Gyaltsap Rinpoche, and other major Kagyu lamas in addition to reincarnate lamas and followers from all the other traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, have come to visit and kindly shown their concern for my well being. This was a source of great happiness for me.

Pursuing my aim in fleeing Tibet, I am now receiving from Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltsap Rinpoche all the empowerment and transmissions of the Kagyu lineage that are possible under these present circumstances. Kyabje Thrangu Rinpoche and other Kagyu masters are teaching me the treatises of the Buddhist philosophical tradition. In this way, I am preparing for my life's work: to teach and study Buddhism and to encourage compassion and wisdom within the hearts of all beings.

In 1959, my previous incarnation, HH the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, was also forced to flee Tibet and come to India as a refugee. He settled in Sikkim and, with the assistance of the Central Government and the State Government of Sikkim, he was able to build the Dharmachakra Center, Rumtek Monastery, which became the basis for his world-wide activity. It was venerated and famous everywhere as the main seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage. Therefore, HH, the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Government in Exile, Tibetan people from all over the world, and the Buddhist community of India, in addition to almost all Kagyu lamas and members of their Dharma centres consider it extremely important that I go to my main seat in Rumtek. They have made repeated requests that I be able to do so. From my point of view, going to Rumtek Monastery would be like returning home to continue the activity of my predecessor. This is why I consider it so important.

I am fully confident that I will be able to go there since Sikkim is a state of India. I am also confident that just as my predecessor did, I will be able to travel abroad to meet my numerous disciples and fulfil their spiritual needs. With this end in mind, I have submitted an application to the proper authorities.

I am especially grateful to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Government in Exile, and the people and Government of India, all of whom have shown great kindness and generosity in providing for my stay in India. With great appreciation and respect, I offer them my thanks.

In the past, the Gyalwa Karmapas did not engage in political activity and I can do nothing but follow in their footsteps. Concerning the future path of Tibet and the Tibetan people, I endorse and fully support everything that His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama stands for. Embodying universal love, compassion, and non-violence, he is the supreme leader of Tibet and the champion of world peace and human rights.

Recently, HH the Dalai Lama and my disciples in Sikkim and the rest of India, in addition to disciples and centers abroad, made earnest and repeated requests to the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and the Foreign Minister to grant refugee status to myself and those with me. After due consideration, the Indian Government decided to grant us refugee status.

With this new status, I was able to go on pilgrimage for five weeks, visiting major sites of Buddhism in the sacred land of India. In these places, I gave blessings and initiations according to the wishes of numerous disciples who came from near and far.

Karmapa ended the press statement with these lines spoken in what he called his english with "rough pronounciation".

"Today, many people from the media in the East and West have come here for this press meeting. I consider it a precious occasion and give my thanks to each and every one of you. I thought it was important that the world know the true story and my true purpose in coming here. This was not possible until now, however, due to circumstances beyond my control. I hope that after this press meeting today, you will sincerely help everyone to know the truth."

-His Holiness The 17th Karmapa

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Jul 2010 15:13

US-Russo spy swap takes place.Like the good old days of the Cold War,The US has deported 10 Russian "spies",including gorgeous redhead "Anna Chapman" who looks as if she arrived straight out of a Bond film,for four western "spies",includign Igor Sutyagin,accused of selling the west Russian nuclear secrets.Sutyagin was spotted being met at Vienna airport yesterday by an MI6 agent.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/
Russian spies deported from US
Ten Russian secret agents who were part of a spy exchange agreed by Moscow and Washington have been deported from the United States.

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 10 Jul 2010 01:08

jurisprudence
Why Doesn't the FBI Prosecute More Spies?
The logic behind swapping the Russian agents rather than bringing them to trial.
By Asha Rangappa
Posted Friday, July 9, 2010, at 2:08 PM ET, Slate
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a tantalizing two weeks involving the arrest of 10 Russian intelligence agents in three U.S. cities, the anticlimactic denouement came yesterday with a spy-swap deal between the United States and Russia in which the accused spies will go free after spending just 10 days in jail. It may seem odd to end a 10-year investigation on suspected foreign agents this way, even if their intelligence amounted to Google searches and pool-party gossip. But given the way the FBI normally deals with spies, putting them in jail probably wasn't its only goal in the first place.

Relative to the large number of foreign spies tracked and monitored by the FBI, very few are brought to light through criminal prosecution. This is partly due to the limited number of laws against spying. Apart from the federal espionage statute, which requires prosecutors to prove the intentional passage of classified information, the only law against spies (and the one under which the latest Russian agents have been charged) is the Foreign Agent Registration Act. FARA requires anyone acting on behalf of a foreign government to register as a foreign agent with the Department of Justice. If you're caught breaking the law, the penalty is fairly weak: five years in prison. Only four criminal cases have been brought under the statute since 1966. The dearth of spies prosecuted under either the espionage statute or FARA reflects the FBI's reluctance to lay all of its cards on the table, which is what it generally has to do at trial in a criminal case.

In the game of spy vs. spy, the FBI's strongest weapon is keeping its adversary from knowing what it knows. The investigation into the 10 Russian spies shows that Russia's foreign intelligence service, the Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki (successor to the KGB) apparently felt confident that it was operating undetected. Working under this assumption, the SVR unwittingly enabled the FBI to collect a steady stream of information on the SVR's agents, contacts, interests, and capabilities. By staying behind the scenes, the FBI ensured that the SVR was giving up all these goodies for almost 10 years.

Criminal cases, by contrast, are public, and unless a judge chooses to seal sensitive evidence, they require the government to present exactly what it knows. The criminal complaint against the Russian spies, many note, reads like a Cold War spy thriller, complete with secret rendezvous, false identities, and messages written in invisible ink. For the Russians, though, it should read more like a McKinsey report for how the SVR can improve its game. The complaint names—or, in spytalk, "burns"—the specific FBI agents who conducted this investigation. While FBI counterintelligence agents normally operate overtly—meaning that they don't have to hide the fact that they are with the FBI—they generally do not reveal the country whose agents they are targeting. Now that the complaint has revealed the identities of the SVR's adversaries, the Russian intelligence service can keep an eye out for the specific agents working against them in the United States. (The FBI could, of course, counter-counter-counter by moving these agents to a different target, but given their institutional knowledge and Russian expertise, that would be a loss for our intelligence capabilities).

More significantly, the complaint reveals what the FBI knew about the SVR's tactics and tradecraft. For instance, the FBI learned that in addition to old-school techniques like the "brush pass" (casually exchanging bags between two people while passing), the Russians were using Web imaging encryption software to encode secret messages into ordinary pictures on the Internet, a technique known as steganography. Discovering and decrypting this software allowed the FBI to analyze more than 100 coded text files related to this investigation and likely more communications related to other classified investigations. Now that the SVR knows we know, it will no doubt improve its codes, or abandon this technique entirely, drying up a potential intelligence source for the FBI. (Other, less sophisticated notes to self for future SVR spies include not using bright orange bags, mentioning "Siberia" in conversations, or throwing cell phone receipts into the garbage.)

Despite the information it reveals to the other side, criminal prosecution has been necessary and inevitable to stop exchanges of highly classified information such as the secrets passed on to the Russians by former FBI agent Robert Hansen. Still, even that case revealed more about the FBI's own shortcomings than about the Russians. After all, as a Russian counterintelligence agent himself, Hansen had the knowledge and training to outmaneuver the traditional techniques of his FBI colleagues for almost two decades. The investigation into his activities gave the FBI guidance on internal security loopholes that needed to be fixed. The FBI adapted accordingly, enhancing its computer security and requiring regular financial disclosures and polygraphs of its agents.

Trading the Russian spies makes sense to ensure that the FBI doesn't leak any more than it already has. But in light of what the FBI lost to the Russians with Hansen, officials must have thought carefully before making the decision to arrest the spies at all. The FBI's Russian counterintelligence program is the agency's oldest and the most protective of its methods and sources. Its agents were well-aware that they were killing (or at least maiming) the goose with the golden eggs by making this case public, and only an anticipated benefit would justify the injury. One possibility is that the arrests were necessary to force the SVR to shut down other activities that pose a greater threat to national security—one that the American public will never know about. Another may be that these arrests will serve to as an example to more important spies on the FBI's radar and help persuade them to work for us as double agents rather than risk being sent home, or to jail. What is certain is that the FBI must have thought it had more to gain than lose—otherwise, the normal course of business would have been to let the spies continue their charade, at the Russians' expense.

Like Slate on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Asha Rangappa is a former FBI special agent who specialized in counterintelligence investigations.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 10 Jul 2010 11:17

Somebody attacked the Cheonan, but we're not saying who

http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/post ... saying_who

You think the Cheonan statement was weak? It could have been worse

http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/post ... been_worse

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 10 Jul 2010 11:51

PHOTO ESSAY

The Shadows of Srebrenica
Fifteen years on, haunting images of the massacre that shamed Europe.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2 ... srebrenica

Carl_T · Post by **Carl_T** » 10 Jul 2010 20:43

abhishek_sharma wrote:PHOTO ESSAY

The Shadows of Srebrenica
Fifteen years on, haunting images of the massacre that shamed Europe.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2 ... srebrenica

I once dated a girl from Srebrenica, never got around to talking about this though. At least Bosnia is doing a lot better these days.

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 10 Jul 2010 22:14

Ah Serbia-Bosnia-Kosovo - the blueprint of how to manipulate the non-Muslim values into creating an islamic homeland and use it as a base to expand in the future.
http://leejaywalker.newsvine.com/_news/ ... he-balkans

Vojin Joksimovich highlights this in chapter five because he focuses on the role of Islamic charities. This applies to terrorism, indoctrination and the goal of creating an Islamic state in Bosnia and for others, then much further. On page 161 of ‘The Revenge of The Prophet’ the author Vojin Joksimovich informs us that the Third World Relief Agency (TWRA) stated that “Bosnia must become a Muslim state eventually, for if that did not happen, then the whole war would be senseless and would have been fought for nothing – concluded in 1994 Elfatih Ali Hasanejin (Elfatih Hassanein), the head of the organization the TWRA” (Miroslav Toholj, p.81)
[...]
Vojin Joksimovich also highlights this by stating that “There was a close partnership between the Islamist network in the U.S. and the one in Bosnia. Emerson, in his testimony to the U.S. Congress, pointed out the entire spectrum of radical groups from the Middle East has been replicated in the U.S. (Steven Emerson, 1998) Page 151
“Emerson cited Oliver Revell, former Associate FBI Deputy Director: The U.S. is the most preferred and easiest place in the world for radical Islamic groups to set up their headquarters to wage war in their homelands, destabilize and attack American allies and ultimately move against the U.S. itself” (ibid.) Page 151
[...]
John Pomfret, Washington Post Foreign Service, wrote an article called ‘Bosnia’s Muslims Dodged Embargo’ (Sunday, September 22, 1996; Page A01). He stated that “Last September, European police backed by anti-terrorist squads raided the office here of a seemingly obscure organization, the Third World Relief Agency, headed by a one-time Sudanese diplomat named Elfatih Hassanein.” “Since then, poring over several van loads of documents, they have pieced together one of the untold stories of the Bosnian war: how Bosnia's Muslim-led government evaded a United Nations arms embargo and purchased hundreds of millions of dollars worth of black-market weapons.”

“In the documents and in the bank accounts of the Third World Relief Agency, Austrian investigators have tracked $350 million they say flowed from Muslim governments and radical Islamic movements to Bosnia. At least half was used to purchase weapons illegally and smuggle them to the Bosnian government army, according to Western intelligence estimates.”

This article highlights the linkage between so-called Islamic charities and the reality of what was really happening. This applies to linkages between the TWRA, elements within the Bosnian Muslim leadership including Alija Izetbegovic, Osama Bin Laden, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, and a host of other major terrorists and nations which were either friends or foe of America. The article also highlights the role of Bill Clinton and his role in allowing these terrorist networks to move freely despite many massacres against innocent Christians and in the knowledge of what Islamic terrorism meant.

John Pomfret continues by stating that“The agency took funds and support for Bosnia from wherever it could find it, and the bulk of the cash originated in the Middle East: Iran was a big contributor, as was Sudan, which like Iran is on the U.S. State Department's watch-list of countries that support terrorism. Saudi Arabia was the largest contributor, according to banking officials and intelligence sources, and donations also came from pro-Western countries like Pakistan, Turkey, Brunei and Malaysia.”

“But militants in the terrorist underworld are also believed to have used the relief agency to get money to the Bosnian government, including the wealthy Saudi Arabian émigré Osama Bin Laden, a suspected sponsor of militant Islamic groups around the Middle East. Bin Laden, a resident of Sudan until last year, is reportedly now in Afghanistan, where he has issued statements calling for attacks on U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf.”

“Investigators say the agency also had ties to Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, a radical Egyptian cleric who was convicted of planning several terrorist bombings in New York and is linked to the group that carried out the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993. Intelligence agencies say they have tapes of telephone calls by Rahman to the agency's office, during which he discussed its commitment to sell the sheik's videotapes and sermons in mosques around Europe.”

“Hassanein, identified by Western sources as a member of Sudan's ruling National Islamic Front, built his arms smuggling operation with Islamic activists from Bosnia who, like him, had ties to Izetbegovic, the Bosnian president. Several of these men now hold senior positions in the Bosnian government and, according to U.S. officials, they form the core of a radical Islamic movement that has resisted U.S. attempts to exert influence over the army and security services.”

The CIA also states that prominent Islamic charities were involved in terrorism because the report which was given to the State Department (1/1996) states that “……of more than 50 Islamic nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in existence, “available information indicates that approximately one-third… support terrorist groups or employ individuals who are suspected of having terrorist connections.” The report notes that most of the offices of NGOs active in Bosnia are located in Zagreb, Sarajevo, Zenica, and Tuzla. There are coordination councils there organizing the work of the charity fronts.”

“The report notes that some charities may be “backed by powerful interest groups,” including governments. “We continue to have evidence that even high ranking members of the collecting or monitoring agencies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Pakistan - such as the Saudi High Commission - are involved in illicit activities, including support for terrorists.” The Wall Street Journal will later comment, “Disclosure of the report may raise new questions about whether enough was done to cut off support for terrorism before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001… and about possible involvement in terrorism by Saudi Arabian officials.” (Central Intelligence Agency, 1/1996; Wall Street Journal, 5/9/2003)
[...]
Returning back to Vojin Joksimovich he states that “Bosnia established a successful model for embattled countries around the world: organizing, arming, and funding mujahideen units, skimming money from humanitarian charities, linking up with crime bosses including narco-terrorists, etc. Islamism both produces and profits from mayhem. Albeit to a much lesser magnitude, the Bosnian model was replicated later on in Kosovo, Southern Serbia and Macedonia. Al Qaeda and the Taliban found a route for the heroin trafficking from Afghanistan into Europe via the Balkans.” Page 150
[...]
The wars in the former Yugoslavia were very different to the mass media versions. After all, Alija Izetbegovic stated his dream of an Islamic state and fellow pan-Islamists did not care about Bosnia but they did care about the creation of an Islamic state and in time an Islamic Caliphate.

Turning back to a quote from the book by Vojin Joksimovich on Page 161 “Bosnia must become a Muslim state eventually, for if that did not happen, then the whole war would be senseless and would have been fought for nothing – concluded in 1994 Elfatih Ali Hasanejin (Elfatih Hassanein).”

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 11 Jul 2010 07:22

In spy swap, agents were pawns in a practiced game

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... QD9GS7CLG0

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 11 Jul 2010 07:23

Russian, US spies start new lives but mystery swirls

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... zLHV4fuEyA

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 12 Jul 2010 23:18

More on the Russian spys...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... rests.html

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 13 Jul 2010 09:20

Five big questions

http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/201 ... _questions

1. Where is the EU project headed? ...

2. If China's power continues to rise, how easy will it be to get Asian states to balance against it? ...

3. What's the relationship between U.S. defense spending, the deficit, and America's economic health and well-being? ...

4. If the U.S. disengaged from key areas in the Muslim world -- most notably Iraq and Afghanistan -- would the threat of anti-American terrorism rise or fall? ...

5. Is the era of U.S. primacy over? How will the end of post-Cold War primacy affect its grand strategy and foreign policy?
...

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 13 Jul 2010 09:43

Ex-KGB general: Soviet sleeper agents were tasked with blowing up DC power grid; poisoning water supply

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts ... _grid_pois

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 16 Jul 2010 09:01

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-0 ... eting.html

U.S. Criticism of China May Overshadow Asian Security Meeting
July 15, 2010, 8:18 PM EDT
MORE FROM BUSINESSWEEK

July 16 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. criticism of China’s military buildup may overshadow Asia’s biggest security forum next week after the sinking of a South Korean warship showed the potential for conflict in waters vital to world trade.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi are set to attend the Asean Regional Forum in Hanoi on July 23, where they will meet with diplomats from 24 countries and the European Union. The Asia-Pacific gathering comes as the U.S. questions China’s motives for beefing up its armed forces, with President Barack Obama’s top military adviser saying last month he’s “genuinely concerned.”
“There’s certainly been a lot of concern about China’s growing capabilities,” said Roger Cliff, an analyst at the Rand Corporation, a non-profit policy research group based in Arlington, Virginia. “By 2015, things could get quite dicey for the U.S.”
Growing potential for conflict in waters off China’s 18,000-kilometer (11,184-mile) coastline came into focus in March, when the torpedoing of a South Korean warship killed 46 sailors. After an independent inquiry blamed North Korea for the attack, the U.S. and South Korea vowed to conduct joint military exercises in the Yellow Sea.
“The drill is a threat to China’s security and risks escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula,” the state-run China Daily wrote in a July 13 editorial. “The U.S. move will be a new roadblock to the resumption of normal military ties between Beijing and Washington.”
Suspension of Ties
China, which cut off high-level military exchanges with the U.S. in January over arms sales to Taiwan, has declined to blame North Korea for the ship sinking. North Korea denies it had a role in the March 26 incident. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said in Singapore last month that China’s suspension of military exchanges “makes little sense” and threatens regional security.
Admiral Mike Mullen, Obama’s top military adviser and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke last month about the “gap” between China’s stated intent and the reality of its military programs.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 16 Jul 2010 09:18

Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore
http://watchingamerica.com/News/61258/t ... omination/
The Decline of Anglo-
Saxon Domination

By Yu Shi Yu

Even the conservative Wall Street Journal has admitted that the present tea party in the U.S. represented, to a large degree, the reaction of middle- and lower-class WASPs toward the loss of their status in society.

Translated By Edward Seah

5 July 2010

Edited by Heidi Kaufmann

Singapore - Lianhe Zaobao - Original Article (Chinese)

After Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal was fired by the White House for his “disrespect,” the focus of the American public and officials has turned to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. This is an important process of acknowledgment by Congress of Solicitor General Elena Kagan, a candidate nominated by President Barack Obama, to the Supreme Court.

This is because in the last few decades, within the institution of checks and balances, the Supreme Court — a key branch of power, along with the president and Congress — is playing an increasingly important role in the internal affairs of the American government. From the abolishing of racial segregation and the legalization of abortion to George W. Bush’s “winning” of the presidential election in 2000 — which started eight glorious years of the “conservative revolution” — there was hardly anything that was not a result of the Supreme Court’s “authoritative” verdicts.

The Decline of WASP Domination

If Kagan is confirmed by Congress, as most people expect, the U.S. Supreme Court will not only have set a precedent in becoming an all “Ivy League club,” but will also establish a new milestone that is no less important in meaning than having Barack Obama, a bi-racial man with a Muslim bloodline, as its president.

This is the first time since the founding of America that the Supreme Court actually has no white, Anglo-Saxon, protestant — WASP, for short — representatives. Out of the nine chief justices, six are Catholics, and three are Jews (including the rookie Kagan).

It was only five years ago that the Anglo-Saxons still made up the majority with five chief justices. Such a rapid change is the best indication of the decline of Anglo-Saxon domination.

Though the American Revolution was the Anglo-Saxons’ “rebellion” against their motherland England, everyone from “Founding Fathers” like Washington, Jefferson and Adams right down to the main population of the North American colonies were white Anglo-Saxons.

For the last 200 years or so, the WASPs have sustained America’s politics, culture and economy. Almost all the presidents before Kennedy, the elitist education and leadership grooming systems represented by the Ivy League institutions, and the Ku Klux Klan — which had been extremely powerful in the South Central region for a long time (West Virginia U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, who passed away recently at age 92, was a KKK member) — were all representatives and symbols of WASPs.

Such a long-term and absolute leadership status caused scholars to term American politics “WASP ethnocracy.”

This is especially so because the American judiciary is largely of an Anglo-Saxon heritage. Besides the fact that the Declaration of Independence and the American judiciary are a kind of inheritance from England’s Magna Carta, the jury system and habeas corpus represented the bright spot in the Anglo-Saxon’s tradition of judiciary independence and is the cornerstone of American civil and legal society. It is regrettable that America’s supreme judiciary authority does not have any WASP representatives now.

The fall of WASP domination is not limited only to the judiciary system represented by the Supreme Court. We can see the presidential chain of command stipulated by the U.S. Constitution regarding times when a president is deceased or unable to carry out his responsibilities. Should anything happen to Obama, the vice president would first provide the backup. Current Vice President Joe Biden is a Roman Catholic. Next would be current Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, also a Roman Catholic. Following her is the current Senate president pro tempore, Senator Daniel Inouye, a Hawaiian of Japanese heritage. It is only the fourth in line who is someone who can be considered an Anglo-Saxon — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In addition, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is a Mormon, and House Minority Leader John Boehner is a Roman Catholic. Neither of them fit the WASP criteria.

The Key Factor: The Principle of Meritocracy

There are many historical reasons for the decline of American Anglo-Saxon domination, such as immigration and the mixing of races. However, Noah Feldman, a Harvard Law School professor of Jewish descent, has recently pointed out that one of the key factors is the advent of the dominating principle of meritocracy in America’s upper strata before and after World War II.

Under this guiding principle, the American elitist education represented by the Ivy League institutions gradually opened up to ethnic groups outside of the WASP criteria, especially to the Roman Catholics and Jews who had been oppressed and discriminated against for a long time. This rapidly changed the ethnic composition of the American political and cultural elite. This is complemented by the economic success of the non-WASP, which has finally changed the ethnic structure of the American upper- and middle-classes, and especially the elite, in a little over half a century.

Of course, no ethnic group would willingly relinquish its dominating position. Even the conservative Wall Street Journal has admitted that the present tea party in the U.S. represented, to a large degree, the reaction of middle- and lower-class WASPs toward the loss of their status in society. This may be the WASP domination’s last gasp for air in the short term.

The development of history lies not in the will of man. The decline of the WASP following the gradual fall of elitist education and in the midst of economic competition is an unstoppable trend. This is especially apparent in the “blue-blooded” WASP families in the Northeast, where those who once were nobles are now starting to become commoners.

The Wall Street Journal cited a survey last month saying that among new converts to American Christianity, which includes the WASP, only 21 percent of the families have an annual income exceeding $100,000. The proportion of families of the same income level among Jews is 46 percent, and the proportion within typical Asian families was also more than 40 percent. In an America ruled by money, the implication of such an economic reality speaks for itself.

CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL VERSION

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 16 Jul 2010 10:58

Amazing article.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 17 Jul 2010 00:37

From Srebrenica to Johannesburg to Jerusalem

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/ ... _jerusalem

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 17 Jul 2010 01:47

http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2 ... nd_beijing
A teachable moment for Pyongyangand Beijing

After rumors that the Obama administration might back down in the face of Chinese pressure, the Pentagon confirmed on July 14 that the United States and the Republic of Korea would in fact go ahead with joint naval exercises off both coasts of the Korean peninsula in response to North Korea's March 26 sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan. Time will tell, but this could be the moment that Barack Obama finally found his inner realist when it comes to China strategy.

From the beginning, the Obama administration has had a schizophrenic view of China's growing power and influence. On the one hand, realists in the administration continued the prevailing "Armitage-Nye" strategy (named after former Bush administration Deputy Secretary of State Rich Armitage and former Clinton Defense official Joe Nye) of engaging China while maintaining a favorable balance of power in the region through tighter relations with U.S. allies. Consistent with that strategy, Obama made a point of inviting Japanese Premier Taro Aso for the first bilateral summit in the Oval Office and Secretary of State Clinton made Japan her first overseas stop last March.

DavidD · Post by **DavidD** » 17 Jul 2010 02:46

The U.S./SK naval exercises will go on, but the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, the Aegis cruisers, and the nuclear submarines may move to the East Sea(Sea of Japan) instead of the West Sea(Yellow Sea).

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/htm ... 00198.html

South Korea and the U.S. are mulling a joint maritime drill in both the East and West Seas this month after China lodged a protest against a huge U.S. military presence on its doorstep. The idea is to deploy some of the bigger American ships including an aircraft carrier to the east of the Korean Peninsula instead of the West Sea as originally planned.

A government source on Monday said there is "near-consensus" for turning the planned West Sea drill into an exercise in both the East and West Seas to reflect the positions of Beijing and Washington. The source said the change could be announced as early as Tuesday.

Good compromise IMO. Both sides will likely keep up the same rhetoric(i.e. China would still lodge complaints, and the U.S. will maintain that they're displaying resolute force and unity), but they'll likely be far less confrontational and there'll be no real damage to any relationship whether it's U.S.-SK, U.S.-China, or China-SK.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 19 Jul 2010 01:38

http://www.globalpolicy.org/qhumanitari ... warq-.html

America's Tragic Descent into Empire: an Excerpt from "The American Way of War"
( Expansion & Intervention )

Picture credit: AFP
According to this author, war has become the "American way." While most US residents live in peace at home, their proxies fight constantly overseas. Policy-makers seem to increasingly equate war with national security. Pentagon budgets continue to rise. The US controls over 68% of the global arms trade and over 70% of the market for arms sales among developing nations. The US no longer wages war for territory or direct conquest; rather, it engages in prolonged, un-winnable wars against concepts. This author's argument raises the question, "What kind of state will the US be in the 21st century?"

By Tom Engelhardt
July 07, 2010
AlterNet

The following is an excerpt from The American Way of War: How Bush's Wars Became Obama's by Tom Engelhardt (Haymarket, 2010).

"War is peace" was one of the memorable slogans on the facade of the Ministry of Truth, or Minitrue in "Newspeak," the language invented by George Orwell in 1948 for his dystopian novel 1984. Some sixty years later, a quarter century after Orwell's imagined future bit the dust, the phrase is, in a number of ways, eerily applicable to the United States. On September 10, 2009, for instance, a New York Times front-page story by Eric Schmitt and David E. Sanger was headlined "Obama Is Facing Doubts in Party on Afghanistan, Troop Buildup at Issue." It offered a modern version of journalistic Newspeak.

"Doubts," of course, imply dissent, and in fact just the week before there had been a major break in Washington's ranks, though not among Democrats. The conservative columnist George Will wrote a piece offering blunt advice to the Obama administration, summed up in its headline: "Time to Get Out of Afghanistan." In our age of political and audience fragmentation and polarization, think of this as the Afghan version of Vietnam's Walter Cronkite moment.

The Times report on those Democratic doubts, on the other hand, represented a more typical Washington moment. Ignored, for instance, was Wisconsin senator Russ Feingold's call for the president to develop an Afghan withdrawal timetable. The focus of the piece was instead a planned speech by Michigan senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee. He was, Schmitt and Sanger reported, hoping to push back against well-placed leaks (in the Times, among other places) indicating that war commander General Stanley McChrystal was urging the president to commit fifteen thousand to forty-five thousand more American troops to the Afghan War.

Here, according to the two reporters, was the gist of Levin's message about what everyone agreed was a "deteriorating" U.S. position: "[H]e was against sending more American combat troops to Afghanistan until the United States speeded up the training and equipping of more Afghan security forces."

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 19 Jul 2010 11:31

In the last part of this video, Fareed Zakaria discusses the position of UK in the world

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/podcas ... t.0718.cnn

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 21 Jul 2010 00:37

http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/ ... -ocean.htm
C Raja Mohan
Rediscovering their naval heritage...

While China has Admiral Zheng He and India has Rajaraja Chola as maritime heroes, it would not be inaccurate to state that the naval orientation in China and India has at best been episodic. The principal security threats in both China and India were from their land frontiers, and interestingly from the same direction, the northwest.
The Chinese preoccupation with barbarian invasions from the northwest saw the building of a great wall, and India had to devote most of defence energies to the stabilization of the region between the Indus and the Hindu Kush. That did not leave much time and space for the sustained development of naval capabilities, despite being blessed with long coastlines.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 21 Jul 2010 12:05

The sun is shining on George Shultz

http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/201 ... rge_shultz

Pretty good article