October, 2011

• 17 October

  “Where is the U.S.-Iran Confrontation Headed?” Obama Doubles Down By Stephen M. Walt

  

    I had planned to write about something else this morning, but the simmering confrontation with Iran keeps intruding. For starters, President Obama is standing firmly behind the administration's allegations, but without offering any new evidence to support them. This approach isn't going to wash, however, especially if journalists do their job, start asking a lot of probing questions, and don't allow …

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• 17 October

  Is It Immoral to Vote for Obama? By Mike Whitney

  

    I don’t like mixing politics with morality, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. What I mean is this: how can anyone cast a ballot for a man who they know will continue to kill people in other countries merely to advance US policy objectives? That’s the question people need to ask themselves. Under normal circumstances, I can understand the “lesser of …

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• 14 October

  Monument of eternal friendship: Pakistan Pavilion at Buddhist Museum

  

  The government and the people of Pakistan established a historic Pakistan Pavilion at the Sri Dalada International Museum of World Buddhism, Kandy in response to the proposed plans for the establishment of an International Buddhist Museum. The Pakistan Pavilion was opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May. The pavilion offers an excellent opportunity for visitors to access to information about the …

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• 12 October

  U.S. Arms Bahrain While Decrying Russian Weapons in Syria By Thalif Deen

  

  UNITED NATIONS, Oct 11, 2011 (IPS) – Peeved at Russia's Security Council veto derailing a Western- sponsored resolution against Syria last week, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice implicitly accused the Russians of protecting the beleaguered government of President Bashar al-Assad primarily to safeguard their lucrative arms market in the Middle Eastern country. But around the same time, the United States was …

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• 11 October

  Lankan Haj pilgrims arrive in Saudi By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS

  

    RIYADH: The first batch of Sri Lankan pilgrims arrived at the Haj Terminal in Jeddah on Thursday evening. Ambassador Ahmed A. Jawad, Consul General Adam Bawa Uthumalebbe and officials from the Lankan consulate in Jeddah received them. At the Colombo airport, the pilgrims were seen off by senior minister in charge of Sri Lankan Haj operations Abdul Hameed Mohamed …

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• 11 October

  EGYPT – Islamists and Secularists Draw Closer Analysis by Emad Mekay

  

  CAIRO, Oct 8, 2011 (IPS) – Egypt, routinely the cradle for new Arab and Islamic ideologies, is now witnessing the birth of yet another line of thought – Islamic Liberalism. The term is touted now as a panacea for the eight-month impasse that has locked Islamists and their secularist rivals in bitter bickering over how this Arab nation should be …

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• 11 October

  Afghanistan: Ten Years of Aimless War By Eric Margolis

  The renowned military strategist, Maj. Gen. J.F.C Fuller, defined war’s true objective as achieving desired political results, not killing enemies. But this is just what the US has been doing in Afghanistan. After ten years of war costing at least $450 billion, 1,600 dead and 15,000 seriously wounded soldiers, the US has achieved none of its strategic or political goals. …

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