Crisis and Opportunity

Re:Reply #: 61

hobbyty,

The only things from your list that seems feasible is 1 and possibly 2. USA is not going to infuse any extra money from its coffers than what IMF gives. It has sustained tremendous damage and has to rebuild. You may however see the following happen:

1. Pakistan`s nuclear program scrapped. Western democracies have always been wary of an islamic nation being nuclear. This will definitely happen with or without Israel`s help.

2. Pakistani army de-talibanised. This will have to happen when US goes about the task of destroying Taliban. If this does not succeed, one may see Musharraf overthrown and someone else take over. Needless to say, the newcomer will not be sympathetic to US as he will be pro-Taliban.

3. General elections held under some kind of international supervision and a people`s democracy installed in Pakistan. This may be part of the deal. Musharraf has a good chance of becoming president if he is popular at the end of it all. US, when it is finished with Taliban and Pak would like to leave a country friendly to India (for economic reasons, India being a huge market)which brings me to the next point

4. Kashmir will be resolved if Pak has a democracy and successfully destroyes Taliban and eschews Jehad as a state policy. Anything short of this will not have India`s cooperation.

Sridhar

We should also look to the pertinent question...the $40 billion dollar question...

By wearing the fashionable patriotism with the head full of vengeance its very easy to distract from the path of Justice. Its the common man that suffers, whose war we are fighting...the few, the powerful, the corporate America...whose only interest is to their shareholders not to the planet where we all breath in. It will be me or my family next time but the hunt for Justice will be alluded to power drunk who r ready to shed blood. Being a Desi or a Pakistani I would be easily singlehandedly treated a traitor or unthankful but its this country where me n my children futures belong and we should not cowed down to find the truth in amidst of blind patriotism and vengeance. There`s clear writting on the wall, its the myopic policies.

...here is another perspective and I believe the right one.

Why I Won`t Rally Around the President

by Robert Jensen

We are told that in this time of crisis, all good Americans should rally around the president and the flag.

I will rally, but not around a leader calling for war or a symbol of nationalism.

It is easy to understand the emotion behind the chanting of ``USA, USA.`` But I will not chant.

In this time of crisis, I will rally around policies that seek peace and security, for all people everywhere. And instead of chanting, I will speak quietly about the grief we all feel, and loudly about the need to resist our leaders` plans for global war.

Decent people agree that in this time of crisis, we cannot let the lines of color and culture, of language and religion, divide us. But we need to go another step, to understand that the lines dividing people based on nations are just as dangerous. We must also agree not to give in to the urge to value the lives of innocent Americans over the lives of innocent people in other countries.

For the past few days -- in person and on the phone, through email and on the radio -- I have been called ``unpatriotic,`` condemned as a ``traitor`` and labeled ``anti-American`` because my writing has opposed the drive to war, the call for blood to avenge those who died in the terror attacks.

But I also have heard from many others who also are concerned that U.S. officials will take us into a war that will bring only more death, pain and grief, leaving us less secure. They want to speak out but fear being attacked for not being ``good Americans.``

This is a moment when we need the courage to say that being a good American does means supporting a war so violent and so indiscriminate that more innocent people will die.

That does not mean we renounce the ideals of freedom and justice so often associated with the United States; we should hold onto those ideals more fiercely than ever and put them into practice by resisting the rush to war.

We should honor the ideals of this country by saying, in as clear a voice as we can manage: Not in our name will the United States seek vengeance or go forward to kill.

It is important to read closely the joint resolution passed by Congress, which authorizes the president ``to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.``

That is not a resolution based on a quest for justice. It is an open-ended invitation to attack anyone U.S. leaders decide to target. And those leaders -- Dick Cheney and Colin Powell among them -- are some of the same people who during the Gulf War unleashed attacks not only on military targets but on civilians and the entire civilian infrastructure of Iraq, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people during and after the war.

This resolution, and the statements from the Bush administration about an ongoing global war, suggest that what is coming will be even more frightening.

When we speak out against war in public, we will find support, but we also should expect hostility. We should expect the question posed by one of the people who wrote to condemn me: ``Whose side are you on?``

The answers to that are simple:

I am on the side of the people -- no matter where they live -- who will suffer the violence, not the leaders -- no matter where they live -- who will plan it.

I am on the side of peace, not war.

I am on the side of justice, not vengeance.

And most important, I am on the side of hope, not despair.

We do not have the luxury of despair right now. There is too much at stake for too many people.



Robert Jensen is a professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He can be reached at rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu.

Anarayan,

Not that I know of. Thankyou for your concern though. I saw many Muslims, Pakistanis and Indians on TV and otherwise who have lost their loved ones... One Pakistani Aunty was crying her eyes out ....

What have these terrorists done? Why have they destroyed the one true symbol of the World? Couldnt they just destroy something else instead?

Like I said before the flags in the lobby of the WTC represented the nations of the entire world... Pakistani Flag was in Tower 1 I think and Indian flag was in Tower 2.... One can truly say that WTC was not just a symbol of America... it was the symbol of a Free and Modern World... a Prelude perhaps to the `United Confederation of the Nations of the World` ....

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RE # 47 sameertb

[I think USA has decided to do away with Afghanistan as a nation-ending states by Paul Wolfowitz. My feeling is that after prolonged bombing USA or proxy military will take over Kabul with Uzbek area given to Uzbekistan, Tajik area to Tajikistan and remaining Pashtun area to Pakistan since Pakistan has already agreed to cooperate ``fully``.]

This is truly scary. How will pakistan deal with such a large number of jahil pakhtoon animals? They will ask for qazi courts a la malakand and would demand protection of honor killing under the constitution. Not to mention their narcotics peddling, gun running, loan sharking, child kidnapping for kharkari and other heinous customs.

Please read the attached article and pass this along to your Muslim brothers and sisters.

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/ibn_al-rawandi/review.html

As with some other boards on related topics, on this one too there are those whose approach to the tragedy is a desperate effort to rescue their anti-Israel, anti-Zionist, anti-West agenda. Every mention of the victims in NYC invariably is coupled with Israeli `oppression` of Palestinians (the guys who were celebrating, remember) or America`s `myopic` policy towards Muslims. Some are even suggesting that Indian intelligence agencies were behind this. Others have questioned the ourpouring of grief by wondering why nobody `cares` for the people of Rwanda, Kashmir, and Gaza.

Every effort is made by these folks to minimize the enormity of the tragedy. By doing so, they are only confirming the accusations of those who have never seen a Muslim or an Arab unconditionally condemn terrorism without the ususal `but` and `if`.

What a shame!

There is not and can never be a comparison between what happened in NYC and the tragic happenings in Kashmir, Rwanda, Chechnya what not. New York was not in a war zone; New Yorkers were not fighting any wars; this was a city at peace, thousands of miles away from any combat zone. THe WTC towers housed peaceful men and women who were earning bread for their families and many of whom probably couldn`t find Rwanda or Gaza on a map.

This was a wanton act of unparalleled cowardice. It shall and must be answered with an unprecedented show of force. GOD BLESS AMERICA and all those nations who stand by her unreservedly at this hour.

Kafir K khan

``Cut the Head - body will die of autolysis.``

Doesn`t seem to have worked so well in your case.

look for the following to happen:

1. Sanctions lifted

2. IMF and WF forth coming.

3. Direct infusion of US cash in the economy.

4. Musharraf, President, NRB active, NAB active.

4. Elected members of Majlis e shoora

5. Kashmir resolved.

6. Pakistani state restructured, terms of political competition redefined.

re faiza`s

``Islamic countries throughout the world are currently conducting their affairs through democratic means. ``

Which world are you talking about? Mars? Jupiter? Some other inhabited planet? Because in this world of ours, the one we call Earth, there are some fifty `Islamic` countries(those with Muslim pluralities/majorities) and only four of them are, by any strech, pluralist democracies: Turkey, Bangladesh, Comoros Islands and Indonesia. Malaysia and Jordan are close. Someday, maybe even Iran too. But by and large, pluralist democracies and Muslim majorities do not seems to mix.

re the author`s

``Unfortunately, at this time of crisis and opportunity, the greatest power on Earth is led by a neophyte who can barely put three words together and is surrounded by Cold Warriors with no understanding of the new realities.``

When that `neophyte` whips some rearends from one end of the world to the other, then we will see what you guys say. He is quiet, humble, and folksy. That hardly means he is stupid. The last person who believed in this myth of W`s naivete was a man from Tennessee named Al Gore.

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From The BBC:

Pakistanis pray for US victims

Special Friday prayers have taken place at major mosques in Pakistan for those killed in Tuesday`s suicide attacks in the United States.
Separate prayers were also offered for Pakistani citizens who are believed to have died in the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York.

In their sermons clerics expressed their sorrow for the loss of life, saying Islam was totally against such acts against innocent people.

However, more conservative religious leaders have warned the United States against any retaliatory action against Afghanistan`s Taleban rulers.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service

Perhaps some Chowki can explain why statements

like the following are acceptable :

I have sympathy for the Americans killed but the US had it coming

but statements like the following are dangerous expressions of hatred :

I have sympathy for the Muslims killed but the Muslim world had it coming.

-Arun Gupta

I have just got a question.... why does irrespective of how big a catrostophe is for some ppl it will always divides into Indo-pak conflict. There is a lot more at stake right now then the past - maybe we should use this change in the history to make a history of peace and tranqulity rather then a place for division and hatred. It is time to step out of our cocoon of sub-continent conflict, and solve the bigger issues which in relation will change the Indo-pak conflict.

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There have been some interesting developments in the last 24 hrs...

...according to MOSSAD, in a briefing to the Israeli cabinet, it was Iraq which carried out this attack and suported it...MOSSAD says that OBL does not have means to plan and execute an attack of this scale and sophistation...

...Pakistan has agreed to all US demand except the right to use its soil for a ground campaign...Pak air space has been granted to the US...use of Pak soil is optional if the attack is under the ``umbrella`` authority of either NATO or the UN...

...Pak response will be firmed up in the 24-48 hours...

...European nations asking US to show restraint and asking the US to consider the root cause of this attack...

Ciao