Global Fight Against Terror Suffers Because of US Attitude

The treat given by an Al-Qa'ida member to blow up a US plane proves that the dangerous possibility of terrorist attacks is still threatening the country despite all efforts. This incident further exposes the US failure to curb terrorism within its territory even though it is leading the international campaign against terrorism.

Suitable Opportunity
It is true that there has been no major attack in the United States after the 9/11 incident. Yet, it cannot be denied that terrorists are looking for a suitable opportunity. They even try to strike occasionally. It is also clear now that terrorist organizations have started raising a terrorist army within the country itself. Apart from the United Kingdom and the United States, many terrorists who have been traced in the Western countries were brought up in these countries. Some of them have even undergone higher education. Only recently five US citizens of Pakistan origin were arrested near Lahore. They had come to receive training on terrorism.
The young man of Nigerian origin who was arrested for trying to blow up a Delta Airlines plane of the United States had received education in Britain. He is also connected with Al-Qa'ida. It is, therefore, quite evident that notwithstanding all restrictions imposed from time to time, terrorist organizations have managed to attract Muslim youths to the so-called crusade.

Frustrating Terrorist Ambitions
The United States cannot rest content just by claiming that it has succeeded in frustrating terrorist ambitions on its soil. In other parts of the world terrorism is spreading rather than being restricted. Barack Obama was expected to reconsider the US strategy on terrorism on assuming office. But this hope was soon belied. Barring a few positive statements the US administration is more or less following its old policy on terrorism.
There are enough reasons to believe that it is only assuring the protection of its own interests as far as the campaign launched by it against terrorism and described as "international", is concerned. As a result, minimum coordination among the different countries participating in this campaign is lacking.

Missing Target
This lacuna has made the task of terrorists earlier. Any big mistake can be made in such circumstances. It was by sheer luck that the terrorist of Nigerian origin Omar Farooq Abdul Multalat was seized just in time. He had managed to enter the United States in spite of being on its list of suspects. It is also a fact that Indian intelligence agencies have not been given the necessary information on David Headley who is believed to have been involved in the 26 November 2008, Mumbai attacks. India is even being made to wait for a sample of its voice. In this situation, how can it be assumed that the United Sates is actually willing to join other countries to fight terrorism?

Indian Policymakers Wasting Billions in Name of Cleansing Rivers

Looking at the appalling condition of major rivers of the country, including Ganga and Jamuna, the common man can only conclude that the mechanism responsible for keeping rivers pollution-free has become utterly useless. It is the height of callousness that despite intervention by the Supreme Court, there is no change in the situation.

Matter of Shame for Policymakers
It should be a matter of shame for the country's policymakers that in spite of spending billions of rupees, pollution of the Ganga and Jamuna has increased instead of decreasing. This clearly means that the massive sum was spent in a manner that made the rivers more polluted.
If it is not so, the country should be informed who would be accountable for the billions of Rupees wasted in the name of cleaning the rivers. What is the guarantee that along with declaring Ganga as the national river, preparations that are being made to spend billions to clean it would also not have the same result as the earlier?

Clean Rivers Campaign
If the Clean Ganga campaign is not run properly, nothing can be achieved except waste of time and money. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to create a system that would ensure achievement of desired goal in a project in time and without wasting money. That is why after spending Rs.18 billion, it comes out that the Jamuna has reached a condition worse than a drain, and that too in the country's capital, Delhi.
It seems our policymakers do not have the willpower to raise the hope of cleaning the country's major rivers. It is a fact that the resolve to clean the Jamuna by 2010 has been given up. Cleansing of Jamuna is not among the government priorities, a proof of which can be found in the fact that the Supreme Court has extended the time limit to cleanse it three times. When they are indulging in fraud at every level in the matter of cleansing these two major rivers, one can easily guess what would be the situation in the case of making other rivers pollution-free.

Fundamental Reasons for Pollution
What could be more disappointing than that in the matter, court orders are also not being implemented properly? One fails to understand when our policymakers would realize that neither is anything going to be achieved by merely expressing concern, or by the kind of work plans that are being run for years in the name of cleaning Ganga and Jamuna?
Rivers can be made free of pollution only when the fundamental reasons for pollution, which are turning these rivers into sewers, are diagnosed.

Yemen Becomes New Al-Qaida Terrorist Network Base

When US President Barack Obama announced in early December 2009 of his decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan, he thought he could stop the revival of the Taliban and Al-Qaida network base there. However, before President Obama could even come out with any plan to train up the Afghan security force and prepare the total US troop withdrawal in a year or two, Al-Qaida terrorist network has already established a new base in Yemen as a new global terrorist shelter.

Large-Scale Conflicts
Yemen has never been a peaceful nation. All along, the Yemini Government has failed to provide social security to people. Activities of the Shiite rebels and family-based private Armed Forces have continued to be a challenge to the Yemini Government. Moreover, Yemen is also a Muslim country with long history of association with the religious extremists.
Since the armed rebellion staged confrontation with the Yemini Government in 2004,the Yemeni Government forces and the rebels have engaged in five large-scale conflicts resulting in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands people displaced.

Al-Qaida Terrorist Network
Yemen and the extremist forces have long established a kind of bond. From the early period when the former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Yemen has already become a safe haven for the Taliban militants in Afghanistan. Before the 9/11 terrorist attack incident in the United States, there were a large number of Yemenis trained by Al-Qaida terrorist network in Afghanistan. According to the media reports, at least two terrorist suspects who were released from the US Guantanamo Bay prison have later on gone to Yemen. These two terrorist suspects have eventually become the senior commanders of Al-Qaida terrorist network base in Yemen. One of the two has become the mastermind behind the terrorist plot in attempting to blow up the Northwest Airline plane heading toward the US homeland during Christmas seasons but failed.
Yemen is a country dominated with mountain plateau with narrow flat land along the coastal zone only. Such geographical contour is a perfect place for terrorists to hide, but difficult for the government forces to launch attack.

Favorable Factors
Based on favorable factors such as timing, human resource and geographical condition in Yemen, it is difficult for Yemen not to be chosen by Al-Qaida terrorist network to be its new shelter in addition Afghanistan. In addition, after the United States invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, the US Government has suffered heavy losses in both the US economic and military resources. If the US Government intends to get involved in the counter-terrorism war in Yemen, it is easier said than done.
Nevertheless, we heard that after the foiled attempt by a religious extremist to blow up a Northwest Airline plane heading Detroit, the US Government has reached a secret agreement with the Yemeni Government to allow the US military to launch cruise missiles or use the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to hit at Al-Qaida terrorists hiding in Yemen.

Wave of Counter-Terrorism War
It seems to us that the Arabian Peninsula branch of Al-Qaida terrorist network has now moved beyond from creating regional threat to become one of the most active Al-Qaida terrorist network branch outside Pakistan and Afghanistan. It also seems to us that Al-Qaida terrorist network indeed has the ambition to stage global terrorist attacks again.
Before the United States can counter the current wave of terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, another wave of counter-terrorism war will soon begin. Looking the counter-terrorism war from afar, it appears to us that the Obama administration that is already trapped in the quagmire of Afghanistan ,will have an extremely busy time ahead.

Roundtable on Telangana Issue

The Indian Government, facing heat on the Telangana issue, has called a roundtable on 5 January, to find a solution to the vexed problem. Eight important political parties from Andhra Pradesh have been invited to participate. According to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, the proposed conference is the first step toward resolving the Telangana issue.
The way the Central Government agreed in principle for establishment of a separate Telangana state to persuade Telangana Rashtriya Samiti leader K. Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) to give up his 11-day-long fast kicked up a political storm in Andhra Pradesh politics. It also encouraged leaders who were clamoring for separate states elsewhere in the country intensifying their demand to adopt effective measures to create separate states. They also decided to resort to hunger strikes and similar other tactics to force the central government to accede to their demands. When the demands for Harit Pradesh, Bundelkhand, and Seemanchal in Uttar Pradesh, Gorkhaland in West Bengal, and Bodoland in Assam and similar other demands raised their heads, the central government got perplexed and perturbed. These numerous demands added to its woes. All this forced the central government to adopt a clear-cut stand, and it announced that no other demands, barring Telangana, would be considered.

Major Shock for Central Government
The political storm that emerged in Andhra Pradesh on Telangana added to the problems being faced by New Delhi. Despite putting aside demands for separate states, the announcement on a separate Telangana proved a major headache for New Delhi, as differences erupted even within the Congress-led government in Andhra Pradesh. A large number of members of Legislative Assembly belonging to various political parties tendered resignation to protest against the state's bifurcation.
But the major shock that the central government got was from members of its own ruling Congress, when several of ministers in the state resigned. This led to a division in the ruling Congress, while assembly members from the Telangana region were celebrating the announcement to grant statehood to Telangana region. Other members of the assembly from the rest of Andhra Pradesh, including those belonging to the Congress, resigned in protest against the federal stand. Those Congressmen who resigned included 13 ministers in the state. They, however, withdrew their resignations after New Delhi announced the convening of a roundtable on the issue. Even Members of Parliament from Telangana appeared to be divided on statehood for Telangana.
It was due to these developments in the state that the Central Government had to explain its stand maintaining that the final decision on the issue would be made only after consensus among people and political parties. The proposed roundtable to be held on 5 January assumes significance because a roadmap and a mechanism would be prepared to solve the issue. Home Minister P. Chidambaram admitted that it is an issue indeed, and a solution to it must be found.

Positive Result Expected
It is a matter of conjecture what would be the outcome of the roundtable, and how far it succeeds in reaching a consensus. Yet, by announcing the holding of a roundtable, the Congress party has succeeded in pacifying its rebel ministers and thereby stalling the political crisis in the state. It has also succeeded in reducing its own problems. The announcement made by 13 rebel ministers in Andhra Pradesh goes to prove it. Chidambaram maintains that New Delhi is serious about getting the Telangana issue resolved, and it would consider the demand for statehood for Telangana.
The announcement of holding a roundtable has settled the dust its earlier announcement had raised. There is no doubt that the decision to agree to statehood for Telangana was made under pressure of the hunger strike by KCR. However, by announcing to hold a roundtable, it has succeeded in preventing the storm in Andhra Pradesh for the time being.

Malaysia Fails To Seal Free Trade Agreement With US

Malaysia and the United States have terminated the negotiation of a bilateral free trade deal. While many Malaysians felt that Malaysia has finally gotten rid of this unequal Malaysia-US Free Trade Agreement (MUSFTA), there is a need for Malaysia to ponder on why MUSFTA could fail after going through eight rounds of negotiation since 2006. This failed trade negotiation has reflected the reality that in Malaysia's economic construction process, Malaysia has ignored or tried to outsmart the free trade negotiation pattern that is generally accepted by the international community as standard. Malaysia is afraid that other countries might have already noticed Malaysia's failed trade agreement with the United States. It is likely that other nations would not agree with the way Malaysia handles bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA). As such, when other countries want to engage the FTA with Malaysia in the coming days, they will give Malaysia very specific requirement as a base to negotiate for trade deal.

Maintaining National Dignity
Through this failed experience, the Malaysian Government should realize that in terms of logical global economic trend, it is difficult for Malaysia to insist on using traditional economic policy to negotiate with another country at trade negotiation table.

Another lesson the Malaysians can learn from this failed MUSFTA experience is that the maintenance of the national dignity should involve the full cooperation of all citizens.

Protection of Intellectual Property Right
In retrospect, the trade issues involved at MUSFTA were quite basic issues that the international community has considered norm. In principle, Malaysia should understand that when Malaysia talked to the US trade negotiation team, those trade issues and items that both parties put on the negotiation table, including issues such as lowering tariffs, opening trade market, management of workers' rights plus issues relating to the protection of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) and environment have already been considered as global consensus. As such, the US requests for the US companies like Microsoft or GE's products to enter the Malaysian market as well as issues on strengthening environmental conservation were but normal request. This is also the global trend when booming developing countries begin to seek FTA with other countries.
Since those MUSFTA negotiation items and issues were also what many countries engaging in trade deals would pursue vigorously, negotiations based on those suggestions have become rule of the game in the international community. As such, there is a need for Malaysia to follow such rule of the trade game when engaging FTA with other countries.
It would be useful for Malaysia to, based on the eight rounds of MUSFTA negotiation, to review FTA negotiation stand from both sides of the view and understand why MUSFTA could finally fail to go through.
It seems that at the seventh round of trade negotiation, trade negotiation representatives from both countries have already narrowed down trade differences substantially leaving about 20 items for further discussion. Areas that were close to reach mutual agreement have included trade in services, pharmaceuticals, and intellectual property. However, unexpectedly, at the eighth round of MUSFTA negotiation table, the US trade negotiation team suddenly requested the binding tariff ceiling condition of few hundred products, such as the tariff rate of not more than 10 percent on agricultural products, and not more than 20 percent tariffs on industrial products, In additional, the US trade negotiation team also quoted the General Agreement on Trade in Services and required Malaysia to have a substantial opening up of Malaysia's financial services, telecommunications, tourism, transportation; and other ideas for the creation of new market. To Malaysia, the sudden expansion of items for the negotiation of trade deal at the eighth round of trade negotiation was quite massive and the impact of it was far-reaching. Apparently, at the eighth round of MUSFTA negotiation, the United States has taken advantage of Malaysia's weakness in wanting to seal MUSFTA deal quickly. As such, the United States has asked for additional items for tariff reduction. However, it was also a fact that some of the tariffs on goods and products in the Malaysian market were indeed quite high. In addition, the doors of some of the market and services in Malaysia were also very tightly guarded without opening them up for fairer negotiation. Malaysia should learn from this experience that during critical period of trade negotiation, good communicate with negotiation partner would be beneficial for the removal of trade barriers.
On the negotiation on environmental protection, the United States did not have thorough understanding of the implementation of environment protection in Malaysia. It could also because information received by the United States on Malaysia's effort to do conservation work was different from the actual situation in Malaysia. If Malaysia and the United States could strengthen communication in environmental protection work, it would be beneficial to help Malaysia's work on conservation of nature at the same time to reduce the misunderstanding of the United States over Malaysia's effort in conservation of nature.

Trademark and Patent Violations
However, on IPR negotiations, the United States insisted that patent law under negotiation should also include the importation of genuine goods that universally consider without "prohibition." The United States also repeatedly pressed the issue that Malaysia's judicial authorities should severely punish trademark and patent violations. The stand taken by the United States over the IPR issue has given Malaysia a negative impression that the United States tried to intervene with Malaysia's legislative and judicial independence. Therefore, Malaysia deeply regret that, as a country that so proudly hails the operation of the separation of powers and checks and balances to take tough stand and total disregard of Malaysia's judiciary independence was indeed not acceptable during MUSFTA negotiation. Similarly, the country also regret the Malaysian representatives have failed to stand firm on what they aimed to achieve for MUSFTA. Instead, they have taken advantage of the intention of the US companies like Microsoft in wanting to open their market share in Malaysia to set a precondition for the United States to allow the bumiputera (the Malays) to enjoy preferential treatment in their share market. The use of the Malay special rights to exchange for open market are what Malaysia deeply disagrees.

Why MUSFTA Failed?
Although MUSFTA failed to go through during the final stage of negotiation, there is a need for the Malaysian Government to reflect on a trade deal that failed.
First, against the accusations coming from the United States, the Parliament should accelerate the enactment of labor rights and environmental protection legislation. The enactment of these laws should eventually help the Malaysian Government to reduce pressure coming from home and abroad. Second, Malaysia should continue to keep the US trade mission posted on information on Malaysia's enactment of trade laws such as the labor laws. There is also a need for the Malaysian Government to show to the world that Malaysia would take concrete action in the implementation and executive of these laws. This is because according to the US trade representatives who directly involved in MUSFTA negotiation, they have remarked that Malaysia was only good to file paperwork but could not produce concrete result of what they put on paper. As such, the United States has lost confidence and patience to continue the FTA negotiation with Malaysia. In other words, what the US trade team demanded was concrete results, but a nice packaged copies of "Program."
Finally, whether it is in the lowering tariffs, opening markets, strict enforcement of intellectual property protection provisions, as well as the implementation of the provisions of the conservation of wild animals, it is inevitably that the sealing of these deals with a foreign country will bring inconvenience to companies and individuals. However, if the Malaysian Government put the national interest as the top priority, all Malaysians, including NGOs should abandon their selfish needs or self-centered perspective, so that Malaysia can move toward trade liberalization, internationalization, and modernization in the new era.

Continued Assaults on Students To Strain India-Australia Relations

The murder of an Indian student in Melbourne is enough to prove that the Australian Government is not at all committed to prevent assaults on Indians. Its sole interest seems to be that such incidents are not believed to be racial attacks. Since only Indians are being targeted, the obvious conclusion bound to be drawn is that Indians are becoming prey of violence because of racialism.

Implementation of New Law
If it is assumed even for the sake of argument that this is not so, then it becomes the responsibility of the Australian Government to give a plausible explanation for these attacks. It is frustrating to find the Australian Government unable to stop attacks on Indians, and to take necessary steps to discourage forces that are targeting Indian students.
The Australian media has suggested the implementation of a new law to deal with the situation. This only points out the failure of the Australian Government to take necessary measures.
It is equally distressing to find the Indian Government unable to do anything in this respect except to lodge an official protest. This is the situation when Indian students went there at the invitation of the Australian Government, in a way. Australia should be reminded of the invitation extended to Indian students for studying there to help its educational institutions to earn foreign exchange.

Victims of Racial Violence
It is difficult to understand why the Indian Government is so very mind in defending the interests of students staying in Australia! It is, perhaps, because of this careless attitude of the Indian Government that the Australian Government does not go beyond expressing an official reaction to these incidents.
It must be borne in mind that in addition to being victims of violence, Indian students are facing many other problems in Australia. Teaching has stopped in some educational institutions. Some of them are even demanding higher fees from Indian students. These are nothing short of a kind of deceit.

Anarchic Situation
As the Indian Government is not conscious of the welfare of its citizens, no initiative is being taken at the international level to draw the world's attention to racial attacks on Indian students because of anarchic situation in Australia. Not much satisfaction can be derived from External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna's reminder to the Australian Government about its responsibility to investigate into the death of the Indian student in Melbourne and to punish the guilty.
India has expressed such reactions on earlier occasions also. It has now become essential for the Government of India to make Australia realize that such incidents will affect mutual trust in the relationship between the two countries.

US Should Continue To Hold Talk With North Korea on Denuclearization Issue

Recently, US special representative to North Korea Stephen Bosworth went to Pyongyang to engage talks with Pyongyang officials. It was the US intention for North Korea to return to the Six-Party Nuclear Weapon Negotiation talks. Before Bosworth's visit, Pyongyang has already sounded out that the condition for North Korea to return to the Six Party nuclear talks would depend to a great extend on the outcome of the direct talk between Pyongyang and Washington officials. In other words, if Bosworth's visit to Pyongyang did not reach any breakthrough, it would be difficult for North Korea to return to the Six Party negotiation table.
In fact, Pyongyang has long expressed the hope that through direct talk with US officials, North Korea and the United States could establish friendly ties for example, to change the Korean Armistice Agreement into a peace agreement, to normalize the US-North Korea diplomatic ties, and ensure North Korea's peace and safety, among other issues. However, Washington has reacted to a series of Pyongyang's peaceful gesture coolly. If the only thought in the mind of the United States is to get rid of all the nuclear weapons and missile heads of North Korea but nothing else, how can this be possible for North Korea to accept?

Weapons for National and Self-Defense
From Asian perspective, there are valid reasons of why North Korea would want to process nuclear weapons. Pyongyang national leader Kim Jong-il has repeatedly reiterated and mentioned earlier that North Korea would need to develop nuclear weapons for national and self-defense. When North Korean Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Pak Gil Yon spoke at the UN General Assembly recently, he has made clear that the Korean Peninsula denuclearization goal would have to depend on whether the United States would change its nuclear weapon policy toward North Korea. Pak Gil Yon stressed that if the United States was unwilling to change its nuclear weapon policy toward North Korea, then North Korea would have to depend on developing reliable nuclear weapon power to ensure the region's nuclear weapon balance and to help maintain Northeast Asia's peace and stability.
It seems to us that there is not very much different between President Obama's North Korean policy and former US President Bush's North Korean policy. Washington only wants to pressure Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapon development plan but it is unwilling to propose an alternative peace plan for North Korea. It will be difficult for North Korea to give up its nuclear research activities if the United States continues to carry out political subversion on the Pyongyang leadership. The United States has continued to impose economic sanction on North Korea and strengthened its military cooperation with South Korea. The United States has also promised "nuclear umbrella" to protect Japan and South Korea. When North Korea is constantly under security threat from its neighbors, we cannot expect North Korea to give up its nuclear weapon development plan for self-defense.

North Korea Negative Impression
In the past years, the Six Party Nuclear Weapon talks have only given North Korea negative impression. For example, when North Korea has taken positive step to freeze and seal off its Ongbyon nuclear facilities, to explode its cooling tower and to allow the IAEA to send inspection team to monitor its action, the United States did not respond to North Korea's positive gesture with corresponding positive measures. During that critical period, the US government then still did not want to give up its hostile attitude toward North Korea. In retrospect, we feel that all these cooperative gesture taken by North Korea during that critical period has indicated the genuine intention of the Pyongyang leadership in wanting to abandon its nuclear facilities in order to exchange for peace, security and economic development for North Korea.
Unfortunately, during this most critical moment, instead of giving North Korea a more friendly hand, the United States did not want to give up its stiff nuclear weapon policy toward North Korea. They insisted on wanting to investigate North Korea's nuclear facilities thoroughly. The United States has also tried to interfere with North Korea's internal affairs. All these unfriendly action taken by the United States then annoyed the Pyongyang leadership. This has led to North Korea changing its mind by taking an aggressive stance to carry missile tests and withdrawing totally from the Six Party Nuclear Weapon talks. It was most unfortunate that when Six Party talks have achieved considerable achievement, the negative attitude of the United States toward North Korea during critical period has wasted all the cumulative effort taken by the Six Party team in trying to bring North Korea back to the normal international arena.

US Nuclear Weapon Strategy
If the US nuclear weapon negotiation team or the US representatives assigned to engage talks with North Korea continue to insist on using the same old US nuclear weapon strategy to engage talks with North Korea without showing interest to explore out outside factors, it will be difficult for both sides to achieve any consensus.
United States single-handedly created the North Korean nuclear weapon crisis. The United States should bear the responsibility to resolve the nuclear weapon crisis that looms over the Asian sky. It is thus most appropriate for the United States to deal with North Korea directly. The United States should prepare to take a different approach to handle North Korea. The United States should establish diplomatic relations with North Korea to ensure North Korea's peace and security.
The long-term US confrontation attitude toward North Korea can only make the Pyongyang leadership feels that North Korea will have to "surrender" to United States if it gives up its nuclear weapons and missile heads. Such a sentiment will be difficult for the Pyongyang leadership to accept. If President Obama wants North Korea to return to the Six Party Nuclear Weapon Negotiation talk, he should ask his special envoy to North Korea to come out with constructive proposal to create a peaceful and friendly atmosphere in order to reap reward toward achieving the denuclearization plan in the Korean Peninsula.