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Asia Times

The Biden factor in US-Iran relations

The Democratic ticket in the US presidential race holds with it the possibility of a serious change in American foreign policy, especially with regard to Iran. Senator Joseph Biden is a strong advocate of engagement with Tehran and a vocal opponent of any military action against it as a result ...

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Biden's stumble over Iraq

In response to the consequences of the US invasion of Iraq and the resulting weakening of popular support for the war, Senator Joseph Biden has recently joined the chorus of Democrats calling for the withdrawal of most combat forces. Yet Biden's key role in making possible the US Congress' authorization ...

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Russia sets off alarm bells

The alacrity with which Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree formally recognizing the breakaway Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states has stunned Western leaders. US President George W Bush labeled the action "irresponsible", with Medvedev countering that Russia is "not afraid of a cold war". ...

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Victorious Anwar on the path to power

Malaysian opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim's overwhelming victory in Tuesday's by-election has galvanized his campaign to topple the government and made true his pledge to move to Putrajaya, the administrative capital, where he intends to look Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi "in the eye". - Anil Netto (Aug 27, '08)

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Sectarian clashes flare in Iraq

A United States-backed security operation meant to target al-Qaeda has instead focused only on Iraqi cities with large Sunni populations. Sunni residents claim the operations are clearly sectarian and also blame Shi'ite militias backed by the government in Baghdad. - Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail (Aug 27, '08)

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Past presents problems for Tibet

Neither Beijing nor the Tibetan government in exile is prepared to concede to the other's version of history, but as frustration looms in the Tibetan diaspora and China shoulders the mantle of responsible world player, the two sides will have to find a way to reconcile the present. - Karine ...

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Recycling the Himalayas

India's has a trash crisis, while rapidly growing wealth levels have kick-started rampant regional construction. Both have encroached on the sacred landscape of the Himalayas and the Ganges River. A rag-tag bunch of volunteers has stepped in with a "devotional" response, which they aim to replicate nationwide. - Raja Murthy ...

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Turkey has a rough road ahead

Turkey is trying to develop an autonomous foreign policy, including deeper energy ties with Iran, in unprecedented conditions, among them war on its doorstep. Yet its regional Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform will not solve the country's basic economic problems and the outlook cannot be optimistic amid the worldwide downturn. ...

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Politics hold Pakistan economy hostage

The breakup of Pakistan's short-lived ruling coalition adds to concerns for the economy, with foreign investors already pulling out funds and the risk of debt default growing. Islamabad may yet have to go with begging bowl in hand to the International Monetary Fund. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Leviathan's return

The current global economic crisis will mark the end of the state's retreat initiated by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Deeper government interventions in society are here to stay and the hunting ground for financial heists, fictions and bubbles by capitalists making a fast buck at the expense of lay ...

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Foreign spigot off for US consumers

Foreign investors, faced with a falling US dollar and the plunging value of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are unlikely to repeat the recent scale of lending to the US, a borrower of more than 50% of internationally available savings. The diminishing role of Fannie and Freddie will impact more ...

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

THE MOGAMBO GURU : Retirement wake-up call

Folks will finally realize - if only as they face what they thought was going to be their retirement - that it is impossible for even the majority to take more purchasing power out of the stock market than they put in. Chumps. Poor chumps.

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Setback for Pakistan's terror drive

The defection to the opposition of the second-largest party in the ruling coalition in Pakistan will not immediately bring down the government. It will, however, significantly strengthen the forces opposed to Islamabad's participation in the "war on terror", and make the military less willing than ever to crack down on ...

Posted on August 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Thai protests turn nasty

Anti-government protesters violently stormed government buildings and blocked roads in the Thai capital Bangkok on Tuesday, sending residents fleeing and the stock market diving. The unrest ominously points to splits inside the military, and the honeymoon following former premier Thaksin Shinawatra's flight into exile is over. - Shawn W Crispin ...

Posted on August 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM

SUN WUKONG : China misfires with divisive 'people's war'

A notice posted by Beijing's secret police during the Olympics put the capital's mostly ethnic Han citizens on high alert to report any Tibetan and Uyghur strangers. The Games concluded without major incident, but the fallout from the heavy-handed tactics may further splinter ethnic divisions. - Wu Zhong (Aug 26, ...

Posted on August 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Biden as Obama's 'bridge'

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama, facing steady slippage in opinion polls, selected six-term Senator Joseph Biden as his running-mate to attract skeptical older, working class and Catholic voters. If Biden's beaming smile at Monday's Democratic convention is any measure, his selection is just the ticket. - Jim Lobe (Aug 26, '08)

Posted on August 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM

SPENGLER : The lady doth protest too little

The Democratic Party wheeled out a sunny and smiling Michelle Obama for the keynote slot of its national convention on Monday night - the first time any candidate's wife has had that honor. The break in precedent may help reshape her image, but the retooled Michelle Obama and her Obama ...

Posted on August 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Parliament gives Medvedev a boost

The United States has urged Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to ignore his parliament's call to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia from Georgia. Medvedev might be in no hurry to respond: the resolutions give the Kremlin leader a valuable bargaining chip as he negotiates the status of Russian ...

Posted on August 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM

The UN at a dead-end in Myanmar

United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari's left Myanmar at the weekend embarrassed and empty-handed. His latest failure to break the deadlock between the military junta and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi raises doubts about the UN's role in Myanmar, as well as other conflict-resolution efforts around the world. - ...

Posted on August 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM

KEBABBLE : Turkey's odd man of the sea

Turkey's one-man environmental crusade, Imdat Avci, has spent years sailing the turquoise inlets and bays off Marmaris on the Mediterranean coast to protect its fragile marine ecology and accost its violators. The salty, stubborn Don Quixote has used tactics such as hunger strikes and threats to cut off his fingers, ...

Posted on August 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM