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US-Russia
reset on the skids
United States exhortations for Russia's neighbors to assert independence from
Moscow's influence belie the "reset" in US-Russia ties. As Washington prepares
to play the spoiler's role in the Kremlin's warmer relations with Ukraine and
Poland, intriguing questions arise about the real purpose of a diplomatic thaw
now conveniently frozen over by a Cold War-style spy scandal. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Jul 9, '10)
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US pressure
on Pakistan off-target
Senior United States officials were in Islamabad this week to put pressure on
Pakistan to crack down on jihadi groups based in the cities, fearful of their
links to possible attacks in the US and Europe. Pakistan has a lot to lose if
it acts, while the real threat lies far away in the mountains. - Syed Saleem
Shahzad (Jul 9, '10)
Iran cuts oil prices as sanctions
bite
With more sanctions approved by the  United
Nations, Iran's oil industry is struggling to find buyers, forcing it to offer
discounts and seek new customers. Despite this, Iranian officials are
optimistic they'll find ways around the trade blockade, though these too will
cut into profits. - Reihaneh Mazaheri (Jul 9,
'10)
Worries mount over ripple effect
Though governments backing the latest round of sanctions against Tehran claim
that the measures will hit high-level officials hard, the fear inside Iran is
that they will serve only to embolden the rulers and harm the middle class. - Omid
Memarian (Jul 9, '10)
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Sister Maha's Sadr City salvation
 Her
critics view Maha al-Douri, the most popular woman in Iraqi politics, as window
dressing for the hardline Shi'ite movement and an apologist for firebrand
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. From her power base in Baghdad's impoverished Sadr
City, the parliamentarian known as Sister Maha sees no conflict between her
"radical" views and her devotion to women's rights and humanitarian issues. - Ali
Kareem (Jul 9, '10)
Operation enduring war
The United States accepts a persistent state of war in fear of appearing weak,
while the detachment of modern warfare has fed a militarization of American
society. As difficult to contain as an oil spill, the US's enduring fascination
with war can only end with a rejection of the idea that it is seductive, along
with an end to the constant doomsday scenarios. - William J Astore
(Jul 9, '10)
SPEAKING FREELY
Lebanese cleric passes into lore
The death of Grand
Ayatollah Mohammad Fadlallah in Lebanon drew a curtain on a life of principled
advocacy and spiritual leadership to millions of Shi'ites. Many American
citizens joined crowds in Beirut to mourn his loss. But representatives of the
United States kept their distance from the last journey of a man they labeled
"terrorist". - Franklin Lamb (Jul 9, '10)
 BOOK
REVIEW
Tracing her majesty's
secret service
Defend the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5
by Christopher Andrew
Marking 100 years of MI5's existence, this book captures the reality of the
British security service's achievements from its struggles against Germany in
the world wars to its intense battles with the KGB and lesser-known rivals like
Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security. However, the author relies on
authorized files and was handpicked by MI5 to produce this work, calling his
objectivity into question. - Mahan Abedin (Jul
9, '10)
Thailand's forgotten war
simmers
A spike in the number of insurgent incidents in Thailand's troubled deep south
could be an attempt to refocus the preoccupied government in Bangkok on the
long-lasting unrest, with a view to reaching a settlement. In the meantime,
with a seemingly endless supply of new and increasingly mysterious recruits,
security forces will continue to face an uphill struggle to restore stability.
- Jason Johnson (Jul 8, '10)
China flexes its naval muscle
China's annual naval exercises in the East China Sea always rattle the United
States but this year they contained an extra sting. With a US aircraft carrier
set for deployment in joint exercises with South Korea, speculation was rife
that China would test so-called carrier-killer missiles off the north coast of
Taiwan. - Peter J Brown (Jul 8, '10)
Beijing focuses on 'far sea defense'
The Chinese People's Liberation Army's modernization plans are in full swing,
with signs emerging that the leaders are departing from their long-held
emphasis on the army in favor of the air force and the navy. By enhancing the
role of these two services, China could extend its power projection capability
into the Pacific, while reducing the size of its total military force. - Joseph
Y Lin (Jul 8, '10)
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ISRAEL, PALESTINE AFTER THE
FLOTILLA
Barriers to peace
In time, the easing of Israel's blockade on Gaza may result in fruitful
outcomes for the entire Middle East. Obstacles to peace must be overcome,
including enmity between Palestinian factions, a lack of unity and purpose in
the Arab world and the regional aspirations of Turkey and Iran. And then there
is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. - Jack A Smith
(Jul 8, '10)
This is the concluding article in a two-part report.
Part 1: Change
is in the wind
Bombs away! Remember Cambodia
 Despite
key differences, an important similarity links the conflict in Afghanistan to
the 1970-1975 Cambodian war: increasing United States reliance on air power
against a heterogeneous insurgency. The US carpet bombing of Cambodia was
partly responsible for the rise of what had been a small-scale Khmer Rouge
insurgency. In Afghanistan, the beneficiaries are the Taliban. - Ben Kiernan
and Taylor Owen (Jul 8, '10)
The Guevara legacy
Latin American leaders delivered strong words against Israel on the occasion of
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's recent visit to the region. The comments
demonstrated his hosts' sincere desire to take on a new role in the Middle East
while echoing relationships harking back to the revolutionary days of Che
Guevara. - Sami Moubayed (Jul 8, '10)
Macau resort gambles on heritage
 Ponte
16 in Macau's old harbor district is a rare place where the city's casinos meet
culture and history. So far, they're getting along fashionably, but not
profitably. Maybe that's why Michael Jackson's presence has been added to the
mix. - Muhammad Cohen (Jul 8, '10)
Afghan probe excluded key witnesses
Eyewitnesses who saw US troops digging bullets out of the bodies of two Afghan
mothers and a teenage girl after a botched Special Operation Forces raid in
February were not interviewed in a follow-up investigation ordered by General
Stanley McChrystal. - Gareth Porter and Ahmad Walid Fazly
(Jul 7, '10)
Al-Qaeda's new man eyes Pakistan
Al-Qaeda's latest number three and chief of Afghan operations, Egyptian Sheikh
Fateh al-Misri, is new to the group, although he has spent the past several
years earning a formidable reputation fighting in Afghanistan. His focus will
now also be on Pakistan, where last week's suicide attacks on a Sufi shrine
have opened opportunities. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Jul 7, '10)
Geopolitics behind Cambodian
conviction
When California-based Chhun Yasith led a coup attempt on Cambodian Prime
Minister Hun Sen in 2000, open advocacy of "regime change" by the United States
government sanctioned the ethnic Khmer accountant. His sentencing in the US
last month ends the relative impunity Indochinese rebel groups have enjoyed in
the Golden State as US relations in Southeast Asia warm. - Sebastian Strangio
(Jul 7, '10)
Obama and Netanyahu all smiles
It was a meeting seemingly designed to 
serve the domestic political interests of both sides. United States President
Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had only compliments
for one another following their White House meeting on Tuesday. The kiss and
make up, however, is unlikely to bring about much change in the Middle East. - Jim
Lobe (Jul 7, '10)
US takes hard look at China's secrets
The fruition of China's new state secrets law, which some see as a mechanism
for Beijing to tighten its grip on the private sector and the Internet, can be
seen in the Google controversy and the Rio Tinto case. Doubts over the law's
intentions coincide with growing concern in Washington that the US has stared
too far past China's authoritative style - a model now spreading worldwide - in
the interests of economic engagement. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Jul 7, '10)
Europe keeps mum on Russian
cobalt
Kosh-Agach, reputedly the driest spot in Russia, is home to an important
reserve of cobalt, a metal so rare foreigners require special permission to dig
it up. Yet the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has spent US$30
million investing on a project there, details of which it insists on keeping
secret. - John Helmer (Jul 7, '10)
Japan takes a shot at China - via
Taiwan
Without consulting Taiwanese authorities, Japan has extended an area in the
East China Sea in which civilian and military aircraft are required to identify
themselves. Taipei is fuming, seeing the move as a response to the island's
pro-China drift. Tokyo, though, has bigger things in mind - strengthening its
hand in the complicated sovereignty disputes it has with China. - Jens Kastner
and Wang Jyh-Perng (Jul 6, '10)
Weather clears for a strike on Iran
Frenetic diplomatic activity in the Middle East and reports that American and
Israeli forces are tightening a noose around Iran suggest a looming military
confrontation. Any attack is likely to be brutal, intense and brief - nobody in
the region can risk all-out war - and targeted mainly at persuading the Iranian
people and the Muslim world of the regime's weakness. - Victor Kotsev
(Jul 2, '10)
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David P
Goldman
(Jul 7, '10)
Munis ultimately will be bailed out ... it's a matter of survival.
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 CHAN
AKYA
The
'why'
of Europe's banks
The dismal state of European banks, in stark contrast to the Agriculture Bank
of China's world record US$22 billion share sale, offers Chinese authorities a
window on what should - and should not - be done to prevent Chinese lenders
heading in the same direction that European banks followed over the past 20
years.
MARKET RAP
Reality absent
However comforting the gains by Asian stocks over the past week appear, the
present moves are driven not by system dynamics in Asia but by chaotic forces.
This looks to be a technically driven rally that has no evident basis in the
real economy.
R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups and downs in the week's markets.
A glimmer in the
eighth Window
Microsoft's great success with its Windows 7 operating system may increase the
company's reluctance to make public proposed changes for version 8. But hints
are out there, and speed appears to be of the essence.
Martin J Young surveys the week's developments in computing, science,
gaming and gizmos.
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 China,
commodity king
Strange, but some folk believe commodity prices might fall, which is utterly
daft if for one reason only - China, and its strengthening currency, is not
going to stop building infrastructure and growing its economy. Which means it
will need ever more "stuff", driving up prices. Including the price of gold!!!
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FROM THE BLOG
All or nothing
For all of Warren Buffett's dire warnings about municipal finances, the fact is
that the federal government can't let major US municipal debtors (at the level
of states, for example) go under without also bringing down the banking system
and everything else. - David P Goldman
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Unavailability of spending
Fears of a structural debt crisis have moved from Europe to the United States
and the speculator community has switched from playing government-induced
reflation to wishing they could unwind long positions and even go short. That
means the marketplace faces a period of tough conditions.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
(Jul 6, '10)
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Re Weather clears for a strike on Iran
[The author] writes, �As a rule, no Middle East war in the last 60 years has
lasted for much longer than a month!� Should lay readers like me remind such
�pundits� of Middle Eastern affairs that the Iran-Iraq war lasted for eight
years and the Iraq war and occupation has entered its eighth year and is still
continuing? - arshadafzal
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From Our Mailbox
[Re Ysais Martinez Letter July, 8] Very courteous, can I invite Ysais Martinez
and other readers to participate in debate on this topic and other issues on
The Edge?
Ian C Purdie
Sydney, Australia
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