The Federal Reserve’s attack on bullion is an act of desperation that, when widely recognized, will doom its policy
By Paul Craig Roberts
Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. His latest book, The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West is now available.
For Americans, financial and economic Armageddon might be close at hand. The evidence for this conclusion is the concerted effort by the Federal Reserve and its dependent financial institutions to scare people away from gold and silver by driving down their prices.
When gold prices hit $1,917.50 an ounce on August 23, 2011, a gain of more than $500 an ounce in less than 8 months, capping a rise over a decade from $272 at the end of December 2000, the Federal Reserve panicked. With the US dollar losing value so rapidly compared to the world standard for money, the Federal Reserve’s policy of printing $1 trillion annually in order to support the impaired balance sheets of banks and to finance the federal deficit was placed in danger. Who could believe the dollar’s exchange rate in relation to other currencies when the dollar was collapsing in value in relation to gold and silver.
The Federal Reserve realized that its massive purchase of bonds in order to keep their prices high (and thus interest rates low) was threatened by the dollar’s rapid loss of value in terms of gold and silver. The Federal Reserve was concerned that large holders of US dollars, such as the central banks of China and Japan and the OPEC sovereign investment funds, might join the flight of individual investors away from the US dollar, thus ending in the fall of the dollar’s foreign exchange value and thus decline in US bond and stock prices.
Intelligent people could see that the US government could not afford the long and numerous wars that the neoconservatives were engineering or the loss of tax base and consumer income from offshoring millions of US middle class jobs for the sake of executive bonuses and shareholder capital gains. They could see what was in the cards, and began exiting the dollar for gold and silver.
Central banks are slower to act. Saudi Arabia and the oil emirates are dependent on US protection and do not want to anger their protector. Japan is a puppet state that is careful in its relationship with its master. China wanted to hold on to the American consumer market for as long as that market existed. It was individuals who began the exit from the US dollar.
When gold topped $1,900, Washington put out the story that gold was a bubble. The presstitute media fell in line with Washington’s propaganda. “Gold looking a bit bubbly†declared CNN Money on August 23, 2011.
The Federal Reserve used its dependent “banks too big to fail†to short the precious metals markets. By selling naked shorts in the paper bullion market against the rising demand for physical possession, the Federal Reserve was able to drive the price of gold down to $1,750 and keep it more or less capped there until recently, when a concerted effort on April 2-3, 2013, drove gold down to $1,557 and silver, which had approached $50 per ounce in 2011, down to $27.
The Federal Reserve began its April Fool’s assault on gold by sending the word to brokerage houses, which quickly went out to clients, that hedge funds and other large investors were going to unload their gold positions and that clients should get out of the precious metal market prior to these sales. As this inside information was the government’s own strategy, individuals cannot be prosecuted for acting on it. By this operation, the Federal Reserve, a totally corrupt entity, was able to combine individual flight with institutional flight. Bullion prices took a big hit, and bullishness departed from the gold and silver markets. The flow of dollars into bullion, which threatened to become a torrent, was stopped.
For now it seems that the Fed has succeeded in creating wariness among Americans about the virtues of gold and silver, and thus the Federal Reserve has extended the time that it can print money to keep the house of cards standing. This time could be short or it could last a couple of years.
However, for the Russians and Chinese, whose central banks have more dollars than they any longer want, and for the 1.3 billion Indians in India, the low dollar price for gold that the Federal Reserve has engineered is an opportunity. They see the opportunity that the Federal Reserve has given them to purchase gold at $350-$400 an ounce less than two years ago as a gift.
The Federal Reserve’s attack on bullion is an act of desperation that, when widely recognized, will doom its policy.
As I have explained previously, the orchestrated move against gold and silver is to protect the exchange value of the US dollar. If bullion were not a threat, the government would not be attacking it.
The Federal Reserve is creating $1 trillion new dollars per year, but the world is moving away from the use of the dollar for international payments and, thus, as reserve currency. The result is an increase in supply and a decrease in demand. This means a falling exchange value of the dollar, domestic inflation from rising import prices, and a rising interest rate and collapsing bond, stock and real estate markets.
The Federal Reserve’s orchestration against bullion cannot ultimately succeed. It is designed to gain time for the Federal Reserve to be able to continue financing the federal budget deficit by printing money and also to keep interest rates low and debt prices high in order to support the banks’ balance sheets.
When the Federal Reserve can no longer print due to dollar decline which printing would make worse, US bank deposits and pensions could be grabbed in order to finance the federal budget deficit for couple of more years. Anything to stave off the final catastrophe.
The manipulation of the bullion market is illegal, but as government is doing it the law will not be enforced.
By its obvious and concerted attack on gold and silver, the US government could not give any clearer warning that trouble is approaching. The values of the dollar and of financial assets denominated in dollars are in doubt.
Those who believe in government and those who believe in deregulation will be proved equally wrong. The United States of America is past its zenith. As I predicted early in the 21st century, in 20 years the US will be a third world country. We are halfway there.
The use of threats and isolation against Iran and North Korea is a bizarre, perilous way to conduct foreign relations
By Jonathan Steele
By coincidence two clashes over nuclear issues are hitting the headlines together. North Korea and Iran have both had sanctions imposed by foreign governments, and when they refuse to “behave properly†they are submitted to “isolation†and put in the corner until they are ready to say sorry and change their conduct. If not, corporal punishment will be administered, since they have been given fair warning by the enforcers that “all options are on the tableâ€.
It’s a bizarre way to run international relations, one we continue to follow at our peril. For one thing, it is riddled with hypocrisy, and not just because states that have hundreds of nuclear weapons are bullying states that have few or none. The hypocrisy is worse than that. If it is offensive for North Korea to talk of launching a nuclear strike at the United States (a threat that is empty because the country has no system to deliver the few nuclear weapons that it has), how is it less offensive for the US to warn Iran that it will be bombed if it fails to stop its nuclear research?
Both states would be resorting to force when dialogue is a long way from being exhausted. They would also be acting against international law. That is patently clear if North Korea ever managed to launch a nuclear strike against South Korea or the US, but the same is true of an altogether more feasible attack on Iran. There is no conceivable scenario under which the United Nations security council would authorise the United States, let alone Israel, to take military action, even if Iran were to tear up its long-standing statement that nuclear bombs are un-Islamic and produce one. So why does Washington go on with its illegal threats?
The underlying cause of most international tension is the unwillingness of powerful states to recognise that we live in a multipolar world. The idea of hegemony, often sanitised as “leadershipâ€, is unacceptable. In a post-colonial era there are multiple centres of authority, international influence and soft power, and we should rejoice when new or old states, individually or collectively, have the courage and ability to challenge another state’s ambition to be a superpower. States will always make common cause or “coalitions of the willing†on specific issues, but interests fluctuate and priorities change – and we should junk the cold war-style system of military alliances and ideological or sectarian camps.
Let us go further and drop the figment of an “international communityâ€, at least in its current western definition as “the United States and its friendsâ€. By the same token, let’s correct the myopia around isolation. When the leaders of 120 nations travelled to Tehran to ratify Iran’s presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement last August, it was risible to hear US officials still talking of Iran being “a rogue stateâ€.
In Washington and Whitehall it may seem self-evident that the international community should arm the opposition to Syria’s President Assad, but that is not the view of the world’s largest democracy, India, or of the most democratic African and Latin American states, South Africa and Brazil. When their leaders convened with Russia and China (in the new Brics coalition) in Durban last month, they “re-affirmed our opposition to any further militarisation of the conflict†and called for a political settlement.
Of course, the non-aligned and Brics summits were barely covered by the US media in its news or comment columns, the normal technique of reality suppression used by American opinion-formers and policy-makers. Rami Khouri, the distinguished US-trained Lebanese writer, calls it “professionally criminalâ€. After a month in the US recently, he found that coverage of Iran was based on “assumptions, fears, concerns, accusations and expectations almost never supported by factual and credible evidenceâ€. In as much as these distortions build public support for a military attack on Iran, he finds it as culpable as the media’s role in the runup to the attack on Iraq a decade ago.
The alleged crises over North Korea and Iran are just not serious enough to warrant the classroom language of shunning and punishment. Dialogue and respect for other people’s positions are the better course. Discuss everything as a package rather than dangle incentives one by one like sweets.
Ironically, it was Iran at the recent talks with security council members that suggested a roadmap with a clear end state: the acceptance of Iran’s right to enrich uranium like any other signatory of the non-proliferation treaty. In other words, the issue is primarily a matter of national dignity and sovereignty. Meanwhile, the US declined to promise to lift all sanctions whatever Iran does.
On Korea the best approach is also comprehensive. This would mean trying to reach the full-scale peace treaty that was never concluded when the war ended 60 years ago. North Korea wants a treaty as a sign, like Iran, that the US accepts it as a legitimate state. Steps towards one were agreed in 2007 and a few positive moves followed. But they collapsed when the mentality of suspicion and sanctions revived under the pressure of electoral politics in Seoul and Washington and the arrival of an inexperienced new leader in Pyongyang. It is not too late to drop the self-defeating language of “rogue states†beyond the pale of the “international community†and try again.
Even as communalism grows in India, some of the fiercest voices raised in defence of Muslims happen to be those of Hindus
Aijaz Zaka Syed
Every time I despair of the land of the myriad hues and contradictions that is India, every time its many heroes give me fresh hope. And every time I stick out my neck to share the insecurities and concerns of my tribe and other dispossessed, I receive loads of fan mail most of which cannot be reproduced in these columns. Clearly, the Net is full of all sorts of fish. The comforting anonymity of cyberspace removes all inhibitions revealing our true colours.
But there are also those out there who never cease to amaze you with their generosity of spirit and ability to feel others’ pain. One such blessed soul is my friend Shashank Sharma, who heads a multinational IT giant. (I hope he will forgive this impudence to name him).
I have often found myself overwhelmed by his humanity and unqualified support in the face of my rants. More than a feedback, his mails are often the healing touch and empathy that emotionally-scarred souls crave and need. A kind word here and an understanding nod there may not cost much but they go a long way in healing wounds and winning hearts and minds.
Shashank isn’t an isolated exception. There are many like him out there. Some of the fiercest voices raised in defence of Muslims happen to be those of Hindus or non-Muslims. From Teesta Setalvad, Mukul Sinha, Harsh Mander, Rahul Sharma, RB Sreekumar, Sanjiv Bhatt and Ashish Khetan–all of them associated with the fight for justice in Gujarat–to Justices Hospet Suresh and Rajinder Sachar, Arundhati Roy, Amaresh Mishra, Prof Haragopal, Dr Manisha Sethi, Tarun Tejpal, Jyoti Punwani, Ram Punyani and many others, the list is endless.
If there’s still hope for our world and India notwithstanding its million mutinies and extreme incongruities, it’s because of these kindred spirits. All of us stick up and bat for ourselves. It takes real courage and selflessness to stand up and speak up for others. It’s all the more audacious to do so when the wind is blowing in the opposite direction. Swimming against the tide is never easy.
Press Council Chairman Justice Markandey Katju stood up this week to once again speak for a voiceless minority, turning on the media for its perpetual witch hunt of Muslims. Addressing a symposium in Hyderabad moderated by The Hindu’s Editor Siddharth Varadarajan, Katju tore into media for demonising the Muslims and deepening a sense of injustice and alienation in the community: “Whenever a bomb goes off, TV channels start blaming Indian Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed or some Muslim name based on an email or SMS. An email or SMS can be sent by any mischievous person. The certain message you are sending is that all Muslims are terrorists and they have nothing to do except to throw bombs.â€
Katju sees injustice, discrimination and poverty as the main causes of terrorism: “There’s discrimination against minorities in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. This would give rise to injustice and, therefore, to terrorism.â€
Not surprisingly, Katju’s plain-speaking has elicited nothing but derision and rolling up of editorial eyes. But the former Supreme Court judge, known for his brilliant speeches and inconvenient candour in and outside the court, has earned himself immense gratitude and silent prayers of millions, especially those condemned to waste their lives for years and decades in detention or under a cloud of suspicion.
Thousands of Muslims are estimated to be languishing in prisons across the country implicated in manufactured cases or as terror suspects. Even when some of them are fortunate enough to be freed, their lives and careers are wrecked beyond hope, as Deccan Herald reporter Siddiqui and DRDO scientist Mirza are beginning to realise. The stigma stays with you forever.
This week, Rizwan Baig, a witness in the 2012 Pune blasts case, put an end to the continuing police persecution by ending his life. Another case from Pune is that of Dr Anwar Ali. Once a distinguished professor at the National Defence Academy, he now sells books by the wayside following his release on bail after eight years of incarceration in the 2003 Mumbai blasts case.
The strange case of Mohammed Amir, picked up from Delhi when he was 18 and shunted for 14 years across various jail before being released last year without an explanation, has made it to several international publications. These are cases that have come to light thanks to some conscientious journalists and rights activists. Everyone isn’t as lucky.
Although many governments have changed in Delhi in the past two decades, little has changed for the Muslims. “Innocent youths are subjected to illegal arrests, fake encounters, fabrication of evidence and media trial in the same manner as was the routine under draconian laws like TADA and the POTA,†says Dr Manzoor Alam of the Milli Council which recently hosted a national convention on the issue in Delhi.
Manisha Sethi, chairperson of Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association, says the costs of malicious prosecution and long incarceration, let alone the financial, social and psychological costs, are simply staggering.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde have talked of fast-track courts to deal with the piling numbers of Muslim detainees after the issue was raised in parliament by some lawmakers.
It’s a welcome proposal although its timing is interesting. But how about doing something to check the illegal detention and victimisation of innocents in the first place? How do you deal with the mindset that puts a whole community in the dock? Former inspector general of police S R Darapuri, who runs NGO Rihai Manch against illegal detentions, sees the increasing communalisation of the police force as the root cause of the problem.
“They routinely arrest Muslim youths, often without any preliminary investigation. Even courts are biased as is often reflected in the routine rejection of bail applications of Muslim detainees,†he told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle this week. Rights activist Subhash Gatade agrees: “The rot runs deep. A large part of the judiciary, media as well as polity, suffers from this bias.â€
Journalism veteran and peacenik Kuldip Nayar is worried about the growing communalism and increasing distance between Hindus and Muslims. “They have no social contact with one another,†writes Nayar in his latest column. “The madness which I saw before Partition is just below the surface now. The spirit of accommodation is drying up.â€
Calling for punishing those threatening the secular foundations of the country, he says: “The destructors of the Babri Masjid are yet to be punished. Modi hasn’t been touched for the killing of 3000 Muslims. Instead, he is elevated in the party. I have this uncomfortable feeling communalism is getting legitimacy. More and more people are turning fanatic. Even the police and security forces have not escaped contamination. Little do they realise that democracy has no meaning without pluralism. Hatred and bias have to be eliminated from the body-politic, if democracy has to survive.â€
Is anyone paying attention to these solitary voices of sanity? Or will they once again prove the voices in the wilderness?
*Aijaz Zaka Syed is a commentator on the Middle East and South Asian affairs. Email: aijaz.syed@hotmail.com
San Francisco–April 14th–I have been overly concerned with analyses of possible effects of the (U.S.) President‘s ground- breaking pilgrimage to greater Canaan(Including Jordan) and have ignored the tenth anniversary of “Shock and Awe!â€
On the local news in the Bay Area here tonight it, was reported that the Russian Federation, who has had its issues with its own Islamic population, has banned visa application of the major American war criminals from the Iraq era. I personally wrote to an up and coming young diplomat expressing thanks for his nation’s courage, for the former (US) “President†Bush (#2), and seven key members of his administration were adjudicated guilty of war crimes in the Muslim majority — highly-economically developed — Southeast nation of Malaysia by a Panel of Seven Judges in Kuala Lampur.
Now the seven individuals found guilty in absentia and were indicted include former US “President†George W. Bush; and the architect for the Israeli-interest War, Vice President Dick Cheney; and the then American Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld and their legal advisers Alberto Gonzales, David Addington, William Haynes, Jay Bybee and John Yoo.
Now, John Yoo, esq. lives and works in my community of Berkeley, and, is a tenured Professor at the Law School, Boalt Hall, within my gradate Alumna Mater. I am proud to say my wife was a highly visible leader in the Impeach Bush Movement at the time. Norah, while finishing up her 35-year career the University, was most active in pressuring the President’s Office, the Regent of the Campus and the dean of the Law School to withdraw his crimes of manipulating the U.S. Constitution beyond its basic intend. Although this man’s memos were central in twisting our inviolate Constitution to allow torture! I must admit my (late) father’s description of academics as having backbones of s…t has some merit although, as having done part of my career in academia, I do feel this description is far from universal. Yet, the three administrators mentioned failed to express the slightest fortitude of courage!
The Kuala Lumpur Panel heard harrowing testimony of American actions against their surviving citizens!
The Malaysians have sent their findings to The Hague, but because of the overwhelming might of the U.S. this has been ignored. During the War, I had advocated that the American Courts handle the prosecution of some of these individuals through War Crime and treason trials (the throwing of the 2000 election) which, if found to be treasonous, is punishable by lethal injection whereas the maximum punishment is life imprisonment without parole in Europe.
I, in no way, promote capital punishment except in mass political murders and genocide of which the Bush Administration may he guilty! Like the Nuremberg, this neo-Conservative (Zionist) ideology must be contained; so, as not to come back to haunt us. If the American Courts cannot achieve conviction, the individual should be turned over to the International Courts.
Personally, if John Yoo is issued an Interpol warrant, would request the Mayor of Berkeley to hold him on any Interpol warrant until the legalities of the situation are sorted out. Until then, never again against for us, too!
Readers of The Muslim Observer are familiar with the work of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). The PCRF is the world’s largest children’s charity dedicated to helping the children of the Middle East, specifically Palestine and those in refugee camps in Lebanon, as they struggle under the triple burden of war, occupation, and poverty.
A little more than a year ago this newspaper carried an article about a proposed Pediatric Oncology Department, at that time far from completion. The Pediatric Oncology Department was the dream of Huda Al Masri Sosebee, a Palestinian social worker who had been with the PCRF for 17 years at the time of her death in 2009. Huda was the wife of the PCRF CEO, Steve Sosebee, and was loved and respected tor her hard work and the dedication she possessed and displayed for the children of Palestine. Huda succumbed to Leukemia and in her final days spoke of the necessity of cancer care for the children of Palestine.
In April 6 of this year the Oncology Department was opened. It is called the Huda Al Masri Pediatric Cancer Department. It is located in Beit Jala hospital. People entering the Department will see a picture prominently displayed of the woman whose dream was the foundation of this effort, the first and only treatment for childhood cancer in Palestine. At the time of its opening the Center already had eleven patients. It is the largest privately funded institution in Palestine. At completion it had taken two years and cost somewhat less than 3 million dollars.
An unlimited number of needy children will be accepted from all over Palestine. There are certain types of medication, treatment and tests, however, which will not be covered by the National Health Insurance provided by the Palestinian Authority. The PCRF asks for contributions to cover these expenses for the children. Contributions may be made by accessing the PCRF web site at: www.pcrf.net. The hospital will have state of the art treatment and skilled medical personnel. There is a room specifically for chemotherapy; another room that serves as an isolation chamber for children with compromised immune systems, and a Mother’s Room for women to take care of their needs while they sleep in their child’s room as that child undergoes treatment. Rooms are individual and contain chairs for visitors. These chairs open into beds so that a parent may be present at all times with the child .There is a surgical suite and a conference room for medical personnel. There is also a playroom for the patients. A blood bank will soon be completed, and there is advanced training for staff.
The Department is partnering with the King Hussein Cancer Center and the Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.
To be further informed about this outstanding achievement and to find out more about the PCRF, please access the web site cited above.
Far and few are the evidences found in the sheer history of Pakistan when any projects were ever actually executed to benefit the nation, however in a span of about 65 years, innumerable projects were created, funds were allocated, officers were assigned but somehow everything got dissolved somewhere in the territory and no one ever bothered to figure out about the outcome of sudden dissolution of those so-called unaccountable developmental projects.
There are only handful tangible projects that took off and successfully completed so far, among those from the recent past are heavily criticized Yellow Cab Scheme, Motorway Projects, adding Laptop Scheme, Ujala Projects, Metro Bus Service are some that people can count on the finger tips without giving much stress on the memory. At least there are two things common in them i.e, all of these were completed successfully and these were the projects ever created for the masses and beneficiaries are the public directly – without any discrimination of cast, creed, color, belief or affiliation etc. Nonetheless, there was much hue and cry about insurmountable corruption in each of the project but even if there was any truth in the echo, still, the projects brought fruitful results and till-to-date the nation is benefiting out it.
Like any developmental projects, the above cited were also triggered for corruption but soon they were fizzled out since they all were real, tangible and actually executed for masses. Interestingly, the originator of, at least, the above referenced projects was PML-N, initiated through the Punjab government. Well, someone at least put a little thought for the fellow countrymen! Since these deeds were sort of big deals so PML-N took a stride and started claiming that the Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has declared the laptop scheme as `completely transparent`. The statement issued by the Punjab government quoted the agency as saying in a letter to the higher education secretary that procurement process of 100,000 laptops by the Punjab government was in accordance with the set rules and regulations, while all laptops had been purchased transparently.
Subsequently, the statement further claims that Transparency International Pakistan has said that the Metro Bus Project was executed in a transparent manner as well. The TIP later also confirmed that the Lahore Development Authority had followed the Punjab Procurement Rules 2009 in all contracts. In addition, the TIP has also cleared the Ujala Solar Lamp project as in accordance with the laid down rules and regulations and free from any corruption in the procurement process of 200,000 solar panels.
However, TIP doesn’t seem to be issuing any confirmation of the above claim if in fact, TIP issued any notification to this effect rather, whistle blowers in Pakistan ascertains if this is only an election stunt from the N League and these were highlighted at this point in time only because general elections are due anytime soon. Even, if the completion of those projects, were to win the votes, but first they actually won the hearts of the masses. So strategy is working fine on both perspectives, people and projects originators i.e, PML-N.
Apart from any arguments, it is pertinent to mention here that seldom it happens when someone approaches the bureau to request the scrutiny but in this case, the Punjab government has made available relevant documents of procurement of laptops, metro bus project and Ujala Program to the National Accountability Bureau and not only this, in fact, they themselves knocked at the doors of TIP with a request to review, which means, they were confident of purification of the aforementioned projects that ultimately drew TIP attention that led to the unverified claim from them that TIP has declared all three projects, free of any corruptions rather followed all regulations as stipulated in the Punjab Government Procurement Rules 2009.
Even if TIP clearance is over exaggerated by the Punjab government, at least this has quashed the critics to a certain degree who were pointing fingers on them. At one point, Shahbaz Sharif has once said that he would be accountable to people if corruption of even a single penny was proved in any projects of Punjab government under him.
It is interesting to note that while referencing the provincial governments in Pakistan, it’s officially noted by TIP that, among all, Punjab, who was happened to be the most corrupt in the 2008 survey, miraculously, now, it has transpired as the least corrupt province of today.
As always, I have brought in two exceptional individuals to present their point-of-view on the subject, let’s see what they have to speak:
Arif Afzal Usmani, a journalist by profession based in NJ, while commenting on the subject says: “Nawaz Sharif comes from a very wealthy family. He had many opportunities to serve the country nonetheless, his government has seen many ups and down as well but being a very well-off industrialist himself, his role should have been somebody doing nothing but servicing the country and his fellow countrymen, but he didn’t do enough. No doubt, if so, he is the only one and his is the only party that has done projects substantially beneficial for the public. Projects like Metro Bus, Ujala & Laptop were no double remain by far exemplary but motorway and yellow cab schemes brought huge controversy to his government. Motorway project started from Islamabad and ended at Model Town instead it should have been stretched to across country. So his approach was very provincial centric. On the other hand, if you talk about yellow cab, well I would say that the cabs were distributed to only 10 to 20 percent to the deserving general public, the rest were given to those for a give-away price who later repainted and then used the cars for themselves.â€
Parvaz Iqbal, an analyst from NY, elaborates on the subject: “No doubt on the surface they look good projects and for the public, but think about it, they used public money for public and Pakistan cannot be changed with one or two projects, it requires a lot more than that. Their thinking restricts to Punjab only. PML-N came to power twice, why nothing happened in other provinces? We need sincerity from the leaders beyond being provincial.†“PML-N should promote democracy in the party as well; their party structure reflects their mentality. There should be delegation of power in the party system too. To see real change in Pakistan, it requires changing the system at every level,†he concluded.
The pool of mess is colossal, at this point, what matters the most is the approach to deliver and a resolution to build Pakistan. No matter who comes to power but the leadership should be focused. So far, every government had issues, one way or the other but the art is how to handle and manage the issues and put all resources to benefit the nation. The prevailing dilemma in the country is no matter what, the power will remain either with PPP or PMLN they are the only players in Pakistan unless otherwise, a third party comes under some sort of arrangements, be it forming a coalition or through other means until then, the nation on the whole needs more education than metro bus or laptop or something.
– To participate in this column or for comments and suggestions, you may reach the scribe via email at theamericannotebook@gmail.com & follow him on Twitter @AsifJamalNY
People shout slogans during a protest rally against U.S. drone strikes in central Pakistan’s Multan on January 8, 2013. At least eight people were killed and four others injured in two separate U.S. drone strikes. | Xinhua/MCT
WASHINGTON — Even as its civilian leaders publicly decried U.S. drone attacks as breaches of sovereignty and international law, Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency secretly worked for years with the CIA on strikes that killed Pakistani insurgent leaders and scores of suspected lower-level fighters, according to classified U.S. intelligence reports.
Dozens of civilians also reportedly died in the strikes in the semi-autonomous tribal region of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan that is a stronghold of al Qaida, Afghan militants, other foreign jihadists and a tangle of violent Pakistani Islamist groups.
Copies of top-secret U.S. intelligence reports reviewed by McClatchy provide the first official confirmation of joint operations involving drones between the U.S. spy agency and Pakistan’s powerful army-run Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, or ISI, as well as previously unknown details of that cooperation. The review takes on important significance as the administration reportedly is preparing to expand the use of drones in Afghanistan and North Africa amid a widespread debate over the legality of the strikes in Pakistan.
The documents show that while the ISI helped the CIA target al Qaida, the United States used drone strikes to aid the Pakistani military in its battle against the Taliban Movement of Pakistan, or TTP – assistance that the Obama and Bush administrations never explicitly acknowledged or legally justified.
The White House did not respond immediately to a request for a comment on McClatchy’s findings. The Pakistani government denied there was ever any cooperation on drone strikes.
The partnership was so extensive during the Bush administration that the Pakistani intelligence agency selected its own targets for drone strikes. Until mid-2008, the CIA had to obtain advanced approval before each attack, and under both administrations, the Pakistanis received briefings and videos of the strikes.
The U.S. intelligence reports illustrate how the Pakistani army retained its grip on national security policy after 2008 elections ended the nation’s fourth bout of military rule and brought to power a civilian government, which condemned drone strikes as violations of Pakistan’s sovereignty and international law. The strikes killed hundreds of civilians and produced new recruits for Islamist extremist groups, charged the government, which resigned last month in advance of May 11 parliamentary voting.
What remains unclear is the degree to which the government under President Asif Ali Zardari, which tried unsuccessfully to wrest control of the ISI from the military, acquiesced in the CIA-ISI collaboration.
The ISI is a domestic and international spy and paramilitary service that officially reports to Pakistan’s prime minister. In reality, however, the agency answers to the chief of staff of the army, which has ruled Pakistan for most of its 66 years. Former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in 2011 called the army a “state within a state.â€
Traditionally commanded by an army general and mostly staffed by military officers, the ISI has an ominous reputation as the Pakistani army’s instrument for rigging elections and crushing internal dissent. It has been accused of directing proxy wars and terrorist attacks by Islamist extremists in India and on civilians and U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan.
The CIA-ISI cooperation on drones reflects one of the major contradictions that have long infected relations between the United States and Pakistan.
The United States has regularly praised the ISI for helping to capture and kill key al Qaida operatives, including those behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But senior U.S. officials also have charged that elements in the ISI support the Afghan Taliban and allied insurgents fighting U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan. Neither the ISI nor the army high commander were told in advance of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, for fear he’d be tipped off and escape. At the same time, the U.S. has provided billions to Pakistan in military aid and assistance to stabilize democracy and help secure its nuclear weapons.
For their part, Pakistani officials deny that the ISI supports Afghan insurgents. For years, the Pakistani army has spurned U.S. demands that it close their sanctuaries, contending that its counterterrorism cooperation with the United States has cost the lives of tens of thousands of security forces and civilians. And the army has declared its support for the civilian leadership’s position on drone strikes.
“As far as drone attacks are concerned, (the) army has repeatedly conveyed to all concerned that these are not acceptable under any circumstances. There is no room for ambiguity in this regard,†the military’s top commanders said in a June 9, 2011, statement.
A spokesman for the Pakistani Embassy in Washington said, “We forcefully contest†that there was any collaboration between the ISI and CIA on drone strikes.
In its limited disclosures about the secret drone program, the Obama administration has said drones only are used to eliminate confirmed “senior operational leaders†of al Qaida and “associated groups†involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. who are plotting “imminent†violent attacks on Americans and can’t be captured.
The U.S. intelligence reports reviewed by McClatchy covered most – though not all – of the drone strikes in 2006-2008 and 2010-2011. Several listed casualty estimates as well as the names of targeted militant groups. Most were against al Qaida. But they also targeted the Haqqani network of Afghan insurgents, several factions of the Pakistani Taliban and groups identified only as “foreign fighters†and “other militants.â€
While the Pakistani Taliban works closely with al Qaida, it wasn’t formed until 2007. Also, many U.S. officials never took seriously its occasional threats to stage attacks inside the United States, and the group is not known to have initiated any operations against the U.S. homeland. It did provide perfunctory training and funds to a Pakistani American who staged a failed car-bombing in New York’s Times Square on May 2, 2010, but he admitted seeking them out.
The Pakistani government, which resigned last month in advance of May 11 national elections, for years publicly insisted that it opposed U.S. drone strikes, and it frequently delivered official and unofficial protests to the United States.
In a statement after a March 11-13 visit to Pakistan, Ben Emmerson, a British lawyer who is leading a U.N. investigation into civilian casualties caused by drones, said that the Pakistani government “emphasized its consistently stated position that drone strikes on its territory are counterproductive, contrary to international law, a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that they should cease immediately.â€
Emmerson, who didn’t meet military leaders, quoted Pakistani officials as saying there have been at least 330 drone strikes that have killed an estimated 2,200 people, including as many as 600 civilians.
On Feb. 5, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Sherry Rehman, told reporters in Washington that drone strikes are “an anomaly that we are constantly addressing in all conversations with the United States, and it’s certainly not a part of our playbook to have drone operations carry on. It never was and we don’t see it as the future and we don’t want our engagement with the United States to be defined by that or our operations to devolve to this kind of low.â€
According to two former U.S. officials, however, it was accepted in Washington and Islamabad that the Pakistani government publicly would denounce the strikes to hide the ISI’s role in order to shield civilian and military leaders from angry popular backlashes over the strikes and civilian casualties.
“There was an understanding on both sides of the kabuki dance that . . . the Pakistani military had to be perceived as not being a participant,†said one of the former U.S. officials. Both requested anonymity to discuss the issue because of its sensitivity.
Secret U.S. diplomatic cables made public by the Wikileaks online whistle-blowing group corroborate the former U.S. officials’ assertions. In an Aug. 23, 2008, cable, Anne Patterson, then the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, reported that in a meeting with former Prime Minister Gilani, Gilani “brushed aside†his interior minister’s suggestion that the strikes stop and told Patterson, “I don’t care if they (the CIA) do it as long as they get the right people. We’ll protest in the National Assembly and then ignore it.â€
Finally, it was an open secret that the drones were launched from within Pakistan itself.
For years, CIA drones were based at Shamsi, a remote airfield in southwestern Baluchistan province once used by Gulf Arab sheikhs for hawking expeditions. They continued flying from there until December 2011, when the CIA was evicted after U.S. troops in Afghanistan, under fire from Pakistan’s side of the border, called in a NATO airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani troops. CIA drone strikes into Pakistan have since continued from bases in Afghanistan at a much lower rate.
Cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistani spy agencies on drone strikes began in 2004 during the rule of the former dictator, retired Army Gen. Pervez Musharraf, and extended at least through June 2010, according to the U.S. intelligence reports.
The first confirmed CIA drone strike took place on June 17, 2004. It killed Nek Mohammad, a Pakistani Islamist who’d fought for the Afghan Taliban regime that was ousted by the 2001 U.S. invasion. At the time of his death, he was leading an uprising in the South Waziristan agency. The New York Times reported on Sunday that the strike was a joint CIA-ISI operation.
The documents that reveal the most about the CIA-ISI cooperation covered drone strikes that took place in 2006 to 2008 and in a 20-month period ending in September 2011. During that period, at least 50 strikes were launched against non-al Qaida targets.
The CIA sought ISI approval for seven strikes in 2006, according to the U.S. intelligence reports. The ISI approved four attacks and rejected three. But it eventually relented under CIA cajoling and agreed to one “forced approval.†The documents said that the ISI requested a single strike in 2006.
“We wouldn’t win every argument. But they would help us and support us,†said a former senior U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The documents didn’t identify the 2006 targets, but Pakistani and international news media reported only two confirmed strikes that year. Several former U.S. officials, however, noted that in the early years, the Pakistani army took credit for attacks that actually were CIA strikes.
The 2006 strikes included a Jan. 13 attack on a compound in the Bajour agency that triggered what appears to have been Pakistan’s first official denunciation of the drone operations.
Al Qaida’s then-No. 2 leader, Ayman Zawahiri, was thought to have been in the compound, although U.S. officials later acknowledged that he wasn’t there. At least 18 civilians were killed, however, igniting violent protests around the country. The Foreign Ministry summoned then-U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker to deliver an official protest, and the Pakistani government vowed that it would “not allow such incidents to reoccur.â€
In 2007, the CIA sought ISI approval for 15 strikes, received prompt approval for three and a single “forced approval,†according to the documents, which said that the ISI asked the CIA to strike five targets.
One ISI-requested strike occurred on May 22, 2007, and was against an insurgent training camp in the North Waziristan agency after a Pakistani army assault on the compound was repulsed, the documents said. The Pakistani army sought the strike even though it had been told that drones wouldn’t be used to support Pakistani troops in combat, said an individual familiar with the episode. He requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue.
Pakistani and international news media reported five drone strikes in 2007, but they didn’t include a May 22 attack.
The following year saw a major escalation in drone strikes, with 35 recorded in one U.S. intelligence report. Independent studies based almost exclusively on news media reports put the number at 38. The increase came as the Bush administration began winding down the war in Iraq and redirecting U.S. funds, personnel and hardware to halting the expanding Pakistan-based insurgency in Afghanistan. It also sought to re-energize a flagging hunt for Osama bin Laden, who was believed to be hiding in Pakistan’s tribal area, and U.S. officials were growing alarmed over the stability of nuclear-armed Pakistan as the Pakistani Taliban insurgency exploded.
Another reason for the escalation, said a former administration official, was that U.S. officials worried about an increasing threat to the United States following a series of plots in Europe by al Qaida-linked extremists who’d been trained in Pakistan’s tribal area.
“There was a growing chorus of threat reporting to the homeland,†said the former official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. “This was about European tracking of people migrating through Turkey (to Pakistan) and back to Europe and particularly to here (the United States). The agency (CIA) was tracking that down. They would not be left holding the bag if there was another 9/11.â€
Partway through the year, however, Washington stopped seeking ISI approval for drone strikes and began unilaterally hitting Afghan insurgents, particularly the Haqqani network, in the first so-called “signature strikes.†Those are strikes in which the CIA uses drones to monitor and then hit unidentified individuals whose behavior fits what the U.S. government considers terrorist profiles, such as frequenting compounds associated with al Qaida or other groups.
The main reason for ending the ISI’s ability to veto targets, said two former U.S. defense officials and a senior U.S. official, was that after several years of arguing, U.S. military and intelligence officials finally persuaded the White House that ISI officers were protecting the Haqqani network to ensure that it could participate in peace talks and bring a pro-Pakistan government to power in Kabul. The three requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
“Basically, they (the CIA and ISI) started out together but then they diverged because the two sides had different objectives. It was as simple as that,†explained the individual with knowledge of the North Waziristan strike.
Even so, the ISI continued working with the CIA on drone strikes, the documents show, listing a series of strikes against al Qaida, the Haqqani network and the Pakistani Taliban that began in January 2010, continued for at least six months and claimed the lives of at least 129 suspected extremists.
Honored for lifetime achievements in poverty alleviation
Star Online Report
Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus will receive Congressional Gold Medal, the United States’ highest civilian award, on Wednesday, according to the Yunus Centre.
The Bangladeshi microcredit pioneer will be given the honor at a joint session of the US Congress in its capital, Washington DC. John Boehner, Speaker of the US Congress, will hand over the award. Prof Yunus is currently in the USA to receive the prestigious US award.
US President Barack Obama earlier awarded Yunus the President’s Gold Medal.
According to sources at the Yunus Centre, the Nobel Laureate is scheduled to deliver a speech afterwards on issues like social business and poverty elimination.
In a short statement from New York, Dr Yunus dedicated this honor to the people of Bangladesh.
Since the American Revolution in 1776, the US Congress has commissioned gold medals as its highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions to humanity. The medals are given to honour individuals, institution or an event who are widely acclaimed by Americans for their sacrifice and contributions.
“Dr Yunus is being honoured for his lifetime achievements in the cause of alleviating poverty in Bangladesh and globally. Through his creative ideas, hard work and brilliant implementation of the idea of microcredit throughout Bangladesh and globally, Prof Yunus has made brilliant contributions in the cause of helping millions of poor, especially women, take charge of their lives to overcome heartbreaking poverty,†said Yunus Centre.
Since sharing the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize with Grameen Bank, Professor Yunus has redoubled his efforts to build a global consensus around the idea that business can be used for good works—coining the term “Social Business†to describe businesses that shun the profit maximisation motto and instead commit themselves to solve societal problems such as poverty, hunger, illiteracy, environmental degradation, among others, it said.
Times Square Rally Against the impending civil war in Bangladesh a huge success. Thousands of participants who covered 5 blocks demanded end to government crackdown
Thousands of Muslims gathered in the Times Square on Saturday, April 13, to bring attention to the wide scale abuse of human rights in Bangladesh and to avert an impending civil war. The rally extended for 5 blocks and most of the participants were from Bangladesh.
The crowd was addressed by many national and local leaders representing all the major Muslim organizations and ethnicities in the US.
Imam Ayub Baqi, the chair of the justice committee of the umbrella organization of the New York area Muslims, The Islamic Leadership Council of New York and the Council’s former president, Imam Abdul Latif Al-Amin, both eaders of civil rights struggle for African-Americans drew parallel from that struggle.
Nihad Awad, the national executive director of Council on American Islamic Relations pointed out that the war crimes tribunal’s workings are proven to tainted with outside influence but still the tribunal meted out death penalties. He declared that CAIR stands against such blatant injustice. Naeem Baig, the national president of ICNA expressed his solidarity with the struggle for justice of the Bangladesh masses. Abu Nooruz Zaman and Imam Delwar Husain spoke on behalf of Muslim Ummah of North America. They urged the participants to get involved in strategic advocacy in the US and educate the opinion makers and policy makers of America about the destruction of democracy in Bangladesh at the hands of the current government.
Shahana Masum Ali, the coordinator for Bangladesh Development and Women’s Rights spoke about the persecution of the women by the current Bangladeshi government. She demanded an immediate end to this persecution. Dr. Shaik Ubaid, the co-chair of Muslim Peace Coalition USA said that destablization of Bangladesh will destablize the region. He urged the Bangladeshis to protect the Hindu minority. He pushed for a truth and reconciliation commission to heal the country. attacks on democracy and rule of law by the Bangladeshi government and ask them to use the US leverage to reverse the undemocratic actions.
Among the more than 30 speakers representing tens of different organizations were many Bangladeshi-American leaders, imams and youth representatives. Arab American representatives, a few politicians and a representative of the Rohingyas, the most persecuted people in the world who live in the neighboring Burma also addressed the rally. Many speakers alluded to the violent crack down on the media and demanded immediate release of imprisoned journalists, especially Mahmudur Rahman. Abdul Aziz Bhuyan asked the participants to call Ms. Marie Orler at 212-963-1293 and tell her “not to recruit Police from Bangladesh on Peacekeeping forces who is terrorizing their own citizens in Bangladeshâ€.
Earlier the rally was commenced with the opening remarks of Mubashir Ahmed, the national coordinator of Americans United for Human Rights, who demanded an immediate end to the police crackdown on peaceful protesters and for the death sentences to be vacated.
All the speakers demanded a new and fair international war crimes tribunal and a resolution was approved unanimously by the enthusiastic crowds who had come from the tri-state area, many on more than 40 buses that were rented by different organizations.
RESOLUTION PASSED BY THOUSANDS OF PARTICIPANTS OF THE TIMES SQUARE RALLY
We, the Americans, gathered here for a rally for the protection of human rights in Bangladesh on Saturday, April 13, 2013 at the Times Square, NY, demand from the Bangladesh government:
1. Cease crackdown on peaceful rallies in Bangladesh. 2. Stop the intimidation campaign against independent journalists and opposition politicians 3. Release all the journalists who are in jails immediately, particularly Mr. Mahmudur Rahman, editor of the daily newspaper, Amar Desh. 4. Disband the present war crimes tribunal which in fact is a kangaroo court 5. Establish a truly independent international tribunal against war crimes to provide justice for both Bengali and Biharee victims and to punish perpetrators from all sides 6. Vacate the death penalty given to opposition leaders and Islamic scholars by the kangaroo court 7. Set up a truth and reconciliation commission so that the great nation of Bangladesh can start the healing process and then move forward 8. Form an independent commission to investigate the murder and arson that took place in the last few months including against Bangladeshi Hindus and the peaceful protesters, and prosecute the perpetrators including those belonging to the law enforcement agencies
And we demand our government, the Obama administration, to force Bangladesh government to follow the rule of law and appoint a new and true international war crimes tribunal as it was done for Bosnia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone by the UN. Justice must be rendered to all the victims. Furthermore, a truth and reconciliation commission be established to start the healing process in Bangladesh.
A bill introduced by the California Democrat would uniquely exempt Israel from long-standing requirements imposed on all other nations
By Glenn Greenwald
In order for the US to permit citizens of a foreign country to enter the US without a visa, that country must agree to certain conditions. Chief among them is reciprocity: that country must allow Americans to enter without a visa as well. There are 37 countries which have been permitted entrance into America’s “visa waiver†program, and all of them – all 37 – reciprocate by allowing American citizens to enter their country without a visa.
The American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) is now pushing legislation that would allow Israel to enter this program, so that Israelis can enter the US without a visa. But as JTA’s Ron Kampeas reports, there is one serious impediment: Israel has a practice of routinely refusing to allow Americans of Arab ethnicity or Muslim backgrounds to enter their country or the occupied territories it controls; it also bars those who are critical of Israeli actions or supportive of Palestinian rights. Israel refuses to relinquish this discriminatory practice of exclusion toward Americans, even as it seeks to enter the US’s visa-free program for the benefit of Israeli citizens.
As a result, at the behest of Aipac, Democrat Barbara Boxer, joined by Republican Roy Blunt, has introduced a bill that would provide for Israel’s membership in the program while vesting it with a right that no other country in this program has: namely, the right to exclude selected Americans from this visa-free right of entrance. In other words, the bill sponsored by these American senators would exempt Israel from a requirement that applies to every other nation on the planet, for no reason other than to allow the Israeli government to engage in racial, ethnic and religious discrimination against US citizens. As Lara Friedman explained when the Senate bill was first introduced, it “takes the extraordinary step of seeking to change the current US law to create a special and unique exception for Israel in US immigration law.†In sum, it is as pure and blatant an example of prioritizing the interests of the Israeli government over the rights of US citizens as one can imagine, and it’s being pushed by Aipac and a cast of bipartisan senators.
Israel’s religious- and ethnicity-based entrance exclusions of American citizens are so well-documented and pervasive that even the US State Department provides an official warning about it in its official travel advisory for Israel, noting:
Some US citizens holding Israeli nationality, possessing a Palestinian identity card, or of Arab or Muslim origin have experienced significant difficulties in entering or exiting Israel or the West Bank.â€
Friedman notes that the bill is specifically designed to protect “Israel’s regular and arbitrary denial of entry to US citizens . . . in particular US citizens of Arab descent or US citizens viewed as sympathetic to the Palestiniansâ€. As the former Director of the US Office of B’Tselem, Mitchell Plitnick, explained this week, concern over Israel’s discriminatory exclusions was heightened by Israel’s refusal this January to allow an American teacher of Palestinian descent, Nour Joudah, to enter Israel to teach English in the West Bank despite her holding a valid visa. As Plitnick noted, “Israel, undoubtedly, is concerned that a reciprocal agreement would compromise its ability to bar not only Palestinian-Americans, but also pro-Palestinian activists, from entering the country.â€
To accommodate this desire to discriminate, Boxer, Blunt and Aipac are now attempting to create a special exemption for Israel from the requirement to which all other countries are bound, and by which the US will be bound vis-a-vis Israelis. More amazingly, the only purpose of this exemption from these US senators would be to allow Israel to discriminate against the citizens of the country these senators are supposed to represent. As Mike Coogan of the US Campaign to End Israeli Occupation wrote in the Hill this week, “given that Israel views the mere existence of Palestinians as a threat, the [Boxer/Aipac bill] would essentially codify Israel’s discrimination against Palestinian-, Muslim-, and Arab-Americans into US law.†Indeed, Aipac is not even attempting to pretend this exemption has a non-discriminatory purpose. He further explained:
According to off the record accounts, AIPAC officials told members of Congress that there would need to be flexibility on this legal requirement to accommodate Israel’s ongoing discrimination against Arab- and Muslim-Americans who attempt to travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.â€
So brazen is this bill in the special favors it showers on Israel at the expense of American citizens that even normally loyal factions in Congress are balking. As Kampeas reported:
‘It’s stunning that you would give a green light to another country to violate the civil liberties of Americans traveling abroad,’ said a staffer for one leading pro-Israel lawmaker in the US House of Representatives.
Stunning indeed, but unfortunately far from surprising. Coogan similarly reported:
“Numerous public reports and off-the-record accounts from legislators and staff signaled that the brazenness and late release of the Israel lobby’s legislative demands blindsided both individual members and various committees. Provisions appeared tone deaf and legally problematic, even among Israel’s strongest supporters. . . .
“Behind closed doors, members of Congress and legal counsel alike balked at the idea that Israel be allowed in the program but remain exempt from the reciprocity requirement. Attorneys for both individual members and committees privately advised that complying with the request would be a flagrant violation of certain US laws barring discrimination, and would undermine the US government’s call for the equal protection of all its citizens traveling abroad.â€
Apparently, none of that is a concern for Barbara Boxer, Roy Blunt or Aipac. Protecting the equal rights of their own country’s citizens quite obviously has little significance when weighed against the supreme mandate to serve the interests of the Israeli government. That’s not hyperbole: how else can this bill be fairly described?
The bill, formally named the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013, now has a total of 18 co-sponsors. That includes 9 Democrats and 9 Republicans, perfectly symbolizing how bipartisan is loyalty to Aipac on Capitol Hill. Besides Boxer, the bill’s chief sponsor, that list of co-sponsors includes such progressive favorites as Ron Wyden, Amy Klobuchar, Richard Blumenthal, and Benjamin Cardin, as well as reflexive right-wing GOP Israel supporters such as John Cornyn and Saxby Chambliss. Perhaps most disgracefully, one of the co-sponsors is Democrat Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, whose state boasts a large Arab-American and Muslim-American population: exactly the people who would be targeted by this discrimination from a foreign government which she is seeking to legalize. Coogan notes that, even with 18 co-sponsors in the Senate, the bill has attracted an unusually low level of support for an Aipac bill, which typically passes quickly and without much resistance. Plitnick says that “it certainly seems like AIPAC reached a little too far with this bill†and notes that Coogan’s reporting suggests “this is a sign that AIPAC’s grip on Congress might be weakeningâ€. This all follows an article in the Forwardsuggesting that Aipac’s possible attempts to have Israeli aid uniquely protected from the budget cuts mandated by “sequestration†could “deprive aid to Israel of its broader support in the foreign aid community†by creating resentment in Congress and in the country generally.
Indeed, as AIPAC itself notes in touting Boxer’s Senate bill, it includes numerous other provisions to further bolster Israel’s special status vis-a-vis US policy. The bill begins by reciting the standard narrative favored by the Israeli government: “the Government of Iran continues to pose a grave threat to the region and the world at large with its reckless uranium enrichment program and defiance of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.†At a time when American citizens are facing severe budget cuts, the bill vows “to continue to provide Israel with robust security assistanceâ€. The bill accomplishes its pro-discrimination goal by mandating Israel’s entrance into the visa-free program provided that Israel “has made every reasonable effort, without jeopardizing the security of the State of Israel, to ensure that reciprocal travel privileges are extended to all United States citizens’â€. That is the special exemption that no other country in the program is permitted: Israel, alone in the world, is not required to reciprocate for US citizens but merely will make “every reasonable effort, without jeopardizing the security of the State of Israel, to ensure that reciprocal travel privileges are extended to all United States citizens.â€
Despite the unusually tepid reaction in Congress, this fight is far from over. Aipac rarely if ever loses when it comes to bills they want Congress to enact. As Coogan notes, “even without a large number of co-sponsors, it could pass under unanimous consent or other rules used by members of Congress to stymie debate or give the impression that legislation has more support than is really the case.â€
Aipac and its supporters have long expressed righteous outrage at suggestions that they prioritize Israeli interests over US interests and those of American citizens. Yet it is hard to imagine a clearer or purer example of exactly that behavior than this pernicious bill. If you’re a US politician finding yourself working to allow a foreign government to discriminate against your own fellow citizens – by vesting that foreign country with a right that no other country (including your own) has – then you’re essentially broadcasting to the world that the interests of that foreign government take precedence over your own and over the equal rights of your own fellow citizens.
UPDATE
Somewhat ironically, as Kampeas notes, what long kept Israel out of the US’s visa-free program were “concerns in Congress’ Homeland Security and Intelligence Committees that granting visa-free access to Israel’s Arab minority could pose a security risk to the United States.†So what had previously prevented this deal was that the US was long driven by the same discriminatory mindset that is now driving Israel: we want to keep Arabs out of our country! Notably, the Boxer/Aipac bill accommodates only the Israeli concern about Arabs in their country, but not the identical US concern, as they provide this discriminatory exemption right only to Israel but not to their own country.
UPDATE II
To illustrate how central the concept of reciprocity is in foreign relations (and to seize the opportunity to highlight a story I love so very much): on Friday, the US announced it was banning 18 Russian officials from entering the US due to human rights violations; today, Russia, in response, announced a list of 18 US officials banned from entering Russia due to their participation in the US torture regime, including David Addington, John Yoo, and two former commanding generals at Guantanamo. The Russians did not hide the fact that they were driven by one consideration only: the principle of reciprocity.
In 2004, the US began photographing and fingerprinting upon entry to the country the citizens of various countries, including Brazil; in response, a Brazilian court ordered the Brazilian government to begin photographing and fingerprinting US citizens entering Brazil. I recall quite well that a separate line was then created at all Brazilian airports under a huge sign that read: “for US citizensâ€, where all arriving Americans waited in a long line. It’s likely that the Brazilian government – which had no real interest in fingerprinting people – threw the fingerprints and photographs away. They did it for one reason: reciprocity.
This is the crucial, central principle which Barbara Boxer, Aipac and friends are discarding in order to benefit Israel. And what’s most amazing is that they are discarding it not to the benefit of their own country and its citizens, but rather to their disadvantage, in order to benefit a foreign country. What they are saying, in effect, is that they want to waive reciprocity so that Israeli citizens can be treated better than US citizens in relations between the two countries. It is hard to overstate just how extraordinary that is.
White House spokesman Jay Carney responds to a question about the Boston Marathon bombing, during a news conference in which he also addressed the media about investigations of a suspicious letter containing ricin that was addressed to U.S. President Barack Obama, at the White House in Washington April 17, 2013.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
One day after the Boston Marathon was interrupted by two bomb blasts, speculation abounds regarding the perpetrator(s), possible motives, and whether or not the government had foreknowledge.
“The pattern is becoming too, too familiar. So, Boston cops were having a bomb squad drill the same day as the Boston bombing, just like the attacks on Sept. 11 in New York and the 7/7 attack in London,†Cynthia McKinney, former US Congresswoman said.
The Boston Marathon has been held on Patriot’s Day, the third Monday of April, since 1897. The state holiday commemorates Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolution. The marathon race from Hopkinton, Massachusetts to Boston’s Copley Square attracts about a half-million spectators every year.
The first bomb exploded around 2:50 pm at the Fairmont Hotel along Boylston Street. The second bomb detonated approximately 10 seconds later near to the bleachers close to the finish line.
Tracy Munro of Cambridge, Massachusetts told TMO, “I was a couple doors from the explosion at the finish line. The bomb exploded suddenly while we cheered on runners. Clanking cowbells. Holding up signs of support. Boom. Boom. Everyone started to run for safety. It was hysteria. I stopped myself suddenly and I went back to help and found a young child laying in the street, who was badly injured. Her leg was blown off. I held her head and talked to her until help came while others tied off her leg to stop the bleeding. Her name is Jane. And she held on to me while we carried her to the ambulance. Jane’s brother, Martin, did not survive. I’m horrified, but we are safe. It took a long while to track down my family and friends but all are safe and accounted for. I am horrified and in true shock. I appreciate all the love and support. I am not a hero. I am a mother who would hope someone would come to Stella’s aid in this situation if I couldn’t. She was just a baby, she was so strong and brave. I’m going to try and find the family. Somehow.â€
A rumor started by the New York Post, that a foreign student from Saudi Arabia who was injured in the bombing was being questioned, has led many to fear an anti-Muslim backlash. The Huffington Post reported, “Security officials at Boston’s largest mosque requested police to guard its campus in the wake of Monday’s deadly explosions at the Boston Marathon, a sobering reminder that Muslims in the U.S. often face threats after alleged terrorist attacks.â€
President Obama intervened on national TV to calm the public saying, “We still don’t know who did this or why they did this.†White House officials stated that “a thorough investigation will have to determine whether it was planned and carried out by a terrorist group, foreign or domestic.â€
The date of the April 15 attack corresponds with Israeli Independence Day, Tax Day, and Patriots Day. Most political analysts suspect right wingers or Muslims. The bombers are believed to be amateurs.
No one has taken responsibility for the bombing. The Pakistani Taliban and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood have denied any role. A home in Revere, Massachusetts was raided by the FBI but no further information has been made available. Police are searching for an unknown person who was filmed standing on a rooftop watching the pandemonium below without emotional reaction.
What we do know about the explosions that killed three and injured 170, is that they were caused by two small homemade pipe bombs filled with BB pellets or ball bearings and nails, which were hidden inside two trash cans. Surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital removed 20 to 40 pieces of shrapnel from some of the wounded. Terror experts said devices like the ones used in Boston could be made for $100 with instructions found on YouTube. This style of homemade pipe bomb is typical of teenagers who are experimenting with explosives for laughs.
One of the more disturbing aspects about the bombing is that it could have been inspired by a recent episode of Family Guy, which aired on March 17, 2013. In this prime time TV cartoon, the main character Peter is shown driving his car through the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Peter is shown smiling in his blood-drenched car, raising a clenched fist as he crosses the finish line past many dead bodies. Peter then becomes interested in converting to Islam, as a result of a new friend, Mahmoud, who gives him a cell phone. Wearing Islamic clothing, Peter dials the phone and an explosion is heard outside. He dials the phone a second time and another explosion is heard, and people screaming. The first explosion followed by quiet (most people did not know what happened) and the second explosion a few seconds later followed by screaming, as depicted in the cartoon episode, corresponds eerily with the real event.
State and local officials told CNN’s John King that there was no known credible threat prior to the explosions, though there are reports of heightened security and bomb squads present even before the race. University of Mobile’s Cross Country Coach, who was near the finish line of the Boston Marathon when a series of explosions went off, told local news he thought it was odd there were bomb sniffing dogs at the start and finish lines. Stevenson said he saw law enforcement spotters on the roofs at the start of the race. He’s been in plenty of marathons in Chicago, D.C., Chicago, London and other major metropolitan areas but has never seen that level of security before. “They kept making announcements to the participants do not worry, it’s just a training exercise,†Coach Ali Stevenson told Local 15.
TMO spoke with David Jesser, a teacher at Joseph Lee School, who ran the marathon to raise money for the local elementary school.
“Nothing seemed atypical to me in terms of security. There’s always a large police presence and there’s always some military lining the course as well as some running the race. It seemed pretty normal to me, although I could not see the area of the explosion and don’t know if security looked any different in that area. But for 25.8 miles it seemed pretty normal… I guess there were about 4500 runners that didn’t finish and we were right up at the front of those runners. I think around 23,000 ran yesterday.â€
Sandstorms are not just the stuff of legend; rather, they’re a real phenomenon in which strong, dry gusts of wind sweep over a desert area and create massive “clouds†of sand and dust. Sandstorms reduce visibility and can grind the daily life of a city to a halt if they are severe enough. They are rare in the United States but typically occur in the Middle East and China. Causes. Forceful desert winds are responsible for sandstorms. The wind originates as a result of convection currents created by intense heating of the ground. The storm-causing winds that blow in North Africa and Arabia carries sand all the way to Europe and to significant distances out to sea. Typical sandstorms only reach heights of 49 feet. In high-velocity winds, a phenomenon known as saltation explains the projection of sand particles and occurs when grains of sand are momentarily lifted and then bounced along the surface in a hopping motion. As different sand particles collide, the impact may lift them into the air, at which point the force of gravity pushes them down again. The process then repeats, getting stronger and stronger as the storm blows across the desert. Location. Sandstorms are relatively rare in the United States, although they sometimes occur in the desert areas of the southwest. Most sandstorms occur in the springtime in the dry countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mongolia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan are the countries with the highest incidence of sandstorms. Sandstorms may even take place on Mars. Prediction and Control. Sandstorms can be scientifically predicted, but the limited resources of the countries where they occur most frequently limit predictive capabilities. For example, China endured a very serious sandstorm in March 2002, but the negative impact was limited because the event was forecast. Meteorological satellites help scientists predict the occurrence of storms. Minimising deforestation and drought-prone farming techniques can reduce the occurrence of sandstorms. Negative Effects Because the wind can displace so much sand, it can cover an entire road and interfere with travel. The thick dust clouds reduce visibility, build up on skin and clothes, penetrate the interior of buildings and contaminate food and drinking water. The force of sandstorms erodes textile materials, such as protective outerwear and shoes. Additionally, high sand concentrations can induce or aggravate respiratory problems in humans. These storms also wreak havoc on machinery, electronics and buildings. Blowing sand and dust scour surfaces and wear away protective coverings (i.e., glass becomes frosted, wire wrap wears away and electric circuits ground out). Unfortunately, the more sophisticated an electrical system is, the more dust affects it. Dust compacts easily, solidifies with little added moisture and combines with lubricants — often resulting in clogged and/or jammed equipment and machinery. Dust and sand storms also set up electrostatic discharges that, while not typically fatal, can have negative consequences in fuelling operations, computer or electrical systems. A sandstorm is exactly what it sounds like; a very strong windstorm, especially in the desert, that carries clouds of sand or dust, and greatly reduces visibility. These are also known as dust storms. This wind is usually caused by convection currents (which are created by intense heating of the ground), and is usually strong enough to move entire sand dunes. Air is unstable when heated, and this instability in the air will cause the mixture of higher winds in the troposphere with winds in the lower atmosphere, producing strong surface winds. Sandstorms can interfere with travel, and sometimes obliterates entire roads, and dry, flat regions, such as parts of the western United Sates. They can be seen as solid walls of sand that are up to 5,000ft high. Similar dust storms from windborne particles can be found on the planet Mars, and are thought to be seasonal. In the United States of America, sandstorms are very rare due to the lack of large deserts, the development of proper agricultural techniques, and the common cloud cover, which will block out some of the sun’s heat. The last recorded devastating sandstorm in American history was the Dust Bowl which caused the depression. One that occurred near Tucson, Arizona, on July 16, 1971, was extensively documented by meteorologists. Deforestation and excessive cultivation of farmland can cause a sandstorm problem. Over-grazing and excessive use of water resources can also cause sandstorms. In order to protect themselves from sandstorms, some people wear protective goggles and suits. Special air filters can be installed in some cars to prevent sand from getting into the engine. In Kuwait, the month of April is known as ‘sandstorm month’. Sandstorms that come from Northern Africa and drift across Europe are called ‘Sahara Sand Storms’. Sand storms can cause hacking coughs, and the sand and dust have also been known to be capable of carrying ‘infectious diseases’. Sand particles, unlike dust ones, will clog air passages, and cause the person who breathes them in to choke. Dust particles may simply cause an Bedu Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures | 1999 | COPYRIGHT 1999 The Gale Group, Inc. (Hide copyright information)Copyright Bedu PRONUNCIATION: BEH-doo ALTERNATE NAMES: Bedouin LOCATION: Deserts of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt POPULATION: 4–5 million LANGUAGE: Arabic RELIGION:Islam 1 • INTRODUCTION The Western term Bedouin is actually a double plural; in the Arabic language the people we know as Bedouin refer to themselves as “Bedu†(also plural, but for simplicity it will be used here as both singular and plural). The definition of who is and is not a Bedu has become somewhat confused in recent times, as circumstances change and the traditional nomadic life of the desert herders has had to adapt. Generally speaking, a Bedu is an Arab who lives in one of the desert areas of the Middle East and raises camels, sheep, or goats. The Bedu traditionally believe they are the descendants of Shem, son of Noah, whose ancestor was Adam, the first man (see the book of Genesis, chapter 5, of the Bible). The Arabian Peninsula historically has been the crossroads for trade as well as war. Bedu tribes often took strangers into their system and offered them the tribes’ full protection and identity, thus intermingling with other peoples. Bedu are considered the “most indigenous†of modern Middle Eastern peoples, meaning they lived there before anyone else. The first appearance of nomadic peoples in the Arabian desert can be traced back as far as the third millennium bc. 2 • LOCATION Bedu territory covers the Arabian deserts of the Middle East, including parts of the modern states of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt. Their entire range extends almost 1 million square miles (over 2.5 million square kilometers)—about the size of western Europe. The exact number of Bedu living within this huge territory is unknown, but it is probably only about 4 to 5 million (the entire population of the Arab nations combined is about 300 million). It would be as if the population of London or New York City were living scattered all across Europe—the population density is around 2.5 persons per square mile (less than 1 person per square kilometer). Probably no more than 10 percent of all Bedu still live in a purely traditional way: nomadic camel herders who follow the scattered, sporadic rainfall to find grazing for their animals, live off the products of those animals (milk, meat, hair, and skins), and use them as their sole form of transportation. (This article primarily focuses on the nomadic Bedu.) Life for the other 90 percent of the Bedu is similar to that of other urbanized Arab peoples. The desert environment is harsh and does not lend itself easily to the support of human life. Much of the Bedu territory receives only 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain per year, and those 4 inches are scattered and unpredictable. Temperatures can go as high as 122° F (50° C) in the shade during the summer months, and as low as 32° F (0° C) during the winter. At night, the temperature drops dramatically, plunging as much as 86° F (30° C) from daytime temperatures. The beginning of summer is often heralded by violent sandstorms and scorching winds. The Bedu recognize four or five environmental seasons which vary in length depending on the amount of rainfall. In a good, rainy year, spring can last as long as six weeks (during February and March), whereas in a dry year there may be no spring at all, with winter simply shifting right into summer. Despite these harsh conditions, a great deal of life animal and plant life manages to exist in the desert. The Arabian deserts are not all sand, although they do boast the highest sand dunes in the world (with some as high as 600 meters [2,000 feet]). Within Bedu territory are mountains, rock outcroppings, gravel and stony plains, wadis (dry riverbeds, which can become sudden torrents during a heavy rainfall), and stands of scrubby bushes or trees. A few days or weeks after a rainstorm, the desert floor is transformed into a carpet of grasses and brilliantly colored wildflowers. The Bedu travel in search of these green places in the desert. 3 • LANGUAGE The Bedu speak Arabic, but it is a very rich, stylized Arabic dialect (regional variety of a language). Bedu Arabic is somewhat comparable to the English of Shakespeare’s day. As in all societies, the language is filled with words that pertain to the details of their life, making distinctions that are difficult for others to comprehend. The Bedu have many words for desert, and the differences between them are hard to define in English. A badiya is something open and uncovered—country in full view. A sahra is a vast open space that is generally level, defined in contrast to a “settled†area. To a non-Bedu, both these terms seem to describe the same sort of terrain. But to a Bedu, the distinction is clear. The Bedu also have many words for water, a scarce resource in the desert. 4 • FOLKLORE The two main types of Bedu folktales are realistic stories involving the familiar Bedu way of life, and fantasies that tell of love and include a woman as a main character. These two types of folktales generally fall into three categories: raiding stories, which celebrate heroism, strength, and courage; love stories, which describe the emotional highs and lows of star-crossed lovers and struggles to overcome obstacles to true love; and stories about thieves of the desert, which tell of robbery, murder, and treachery. Some Bedu are superstitious, putting great stock in amulets and charms, lucky numbers (odd numbers are usually considered lucky), and spirits. Stones and designs in jewelry are believed to have magical qualities. Triangles, which represent hands, called khamsa, ward off the evil eye, as do blue stones such as turquoise or lapis lazuli; red stones will stop bleeding or reduce inflammation. Children, especially boys, are protected by charms hung around their necks or ankles and with ear studs containing what they believe are magical stones. Animals that prey on the Bedu’s herds (such as wolves and wildcats) are considered the embodiment of evil, and in southern Arabia the camel is believed to be the direct descendant of the spirits of the desert. 5 • RELIGION Bedu are now Muslim (followers of Islam). At one time there were Jewish and Christian tribes, but none of them survive today. For the most part, Bedu do not follow Islamic duties and rules strictly. Given the Bedu’s desert environment and demanding existence, many Islamic rituals are difficult to practice in the same manner as elsewhere. For example, ritual dry washings are utilized when there is insufficient water. The hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) is an important ritual for the Bedu, and most parents take each of their children on his or her first pilgrimage at the age of seven or eight. Some Bedu construct a place of prayer, called a masjid or mashhad, shortly after setting up their tents by enclosing a small piece of land with pebbles. The morning and noon prayers are usually considered the most important of the five daily prayers of Islam. 6 • MAJOR HOLIDAYS The most highly regarded Islamic festival among Bedu peoples is Eid al-Adha, the “feast of sacrifice,†when the Bedu sacrifice a camel or sheep from their herd to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. Since Islam uses a lunar calendar, the dates for Muslim holy days change each year on the Gregorian calendar. Many Bedu do not fast during the month of Ramadan (the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which Muhammad received his first revelations—celebrated by complete fasting from dawn until dusk each day of the entire month). Therefore, the festival of Eid Al-Fitr (a three-day celebration to break the fast at the end of Ramadan) has little meaning. Bedu also do not pay much attention to the celebration commemorating Muhammad’s birthday or his flight from Mecca; in fact, some Bedu do not even know the dates for those holy days in any given year. 7 • RITES OF PASSAGE Some Bedu tribes require that when girls reach puberty, they must cover their hair and wear a mask or veil over the face when in public (whenever anyone but immediate family is present). Girls look forward to wearing these head and face coverings as a sign of maturity, and many design them so as to be alluring and provocative. They use their masks and veils to flirt. 8 • RELATIONSHIPS Two things shape the interactions of Bedu people—the Arab tradition of hospitality, and the Bedu code of honor, or sharaf. These customs have been shaped by the extreme conditions of desert nomadism. Survival as small groups of wanderers in the harsh desert required tremendous cooperation. A guest fed in one’s own tent today may be the one who can provide food tomorrow. Passersby traditionally exchanged formal greetings with the families in the tents they passed, and were asked for any news. The polite reply was to say one has no news or only good news. The passersby were then invited into the men’s side of the tent for coffee and tea, served in a ritual way. (It is still considered polite to drink at least three cups before wobbling your glass to show that you do not want it refilled.) Guests were assured of food and shelter for three and one-third days, and then protection for another three days after leaving the tent, that being considered the length of time it takes for all traces of the host’s food to pass through the guest’s body. Anyone who even exchanged greetings, whether they came into the tent or not, was considered a guest entitled to the host’s protection for the customary three days. Women are protected in the Bedu code of honor. A man who is not closely related to a woman is not allowed to touch her in any way, not even so much as to brush his fingers against hers while handing her something. To do so is to dishonor her. Likewise, in some tribes, if a woman brings dishonor to herself, she shames her family because honor is held not by individuals but by whole families. The loss of a woman’s honor, her ird, is extremely serious among the Bedu. Another important element of Bedu honor is as-sime, giving up something so that a weaker person will benefit. Children are trained in the code of honor and tradition of hospitality from a very early age. By the time they are seven or eight years old, boys and girls know well what is expected of them and can behave with adult dignity when called upon. 9 • LIVING CONDITIONS The traditional Bedu live either in tents made of woven goat hair, known as a bait sharar (house of hair), palm-frond shacks called barasti, or in the shelter of a few bushes or trees, on which they may drape blankets for more protection from the wind. Bedu adapted to more modern customs live more settled lives in villages, or take advantage of technological items such as portable cabins. A tent houses an extended family of around ten people, and it is divided into at least two sections—the men’s side, or alshigg ; and the women’s side, or al-mahram. Cooking is done and possessions are stored on the women’s side, and guests are entertained on the men’s side. The men’s and women’s sections are divided either by a woven curtain called a sahah or gata’ah, or by a wooden mat called a shirb held together by wool woven around the canes in geometric patterns. These tent dividers are frequently beautiful works of art. Bedu families stay close to their permanent wells during the dry summer months, then migrate to better grazing areas during the winter. The Bedu can travel as much as 1,600 miles (3,000 kilometers) or more in a year. Traditional Bedu ride camels. Some modern Bedu have acquired trucks and other four-wheel-drive vehicles to replace the camel as transportation. Each tribe has its own territory, or dirah, but as modernization encroaches on their range, the Bedu have had to cross over each other’s territories. However, each tribe still knows its dirah and the boundaries of those of other tribes. The life of Bedu in oil-rich Arab nations is not quite as extreme, as tanker trucks often bring water to outlying areas. Mobile medical units have made Western medicine more available to the Bedu, but most only turn to them when folk medicine fails. Traditional Bedu beliefs held that physical health is related to the actions of spirits and devils. The Bedu traditionally put red-hot coals to their skin to open a door for an evil spirit to exit the body at a place where it was causing trouble (such as between the eyes in the case of headaches). Herbal medicine (teas, poultices, etc.) is widely used, as are charms and amulets. If all else fails, including folk and Western medicine, the Bedu may turn to sahar, practitioners of alternative medicine who have been outlawed by most of the governments in the area but who continue to provide their services. 10 • FAMILY LIFE Bedu society is based on complicated lineages that govern the formation of tribes and family clans. Bedu introduce themselves by giving their name, then naming two generations of male ancestors, and then stating their tribe: for example, “Suhail son of Salem son of Muhammad of the Bait Kathir.†Women are also known as the daughters of their fathers and grandfathers, and they keep their family names even if they marry into a different tribe. Bedu live in extended families made up of paternal cousins. A group of families who are related to each other make up a fakhadh (literally, “thighâ€), which means a clan “of the same root†or “part of the whole.†A group of fakhadhs constitutes a tribe, called a kabila or ashira, though these words may also refer to subsections of a larger tribe. Tribes vary widely in size and are constantly changing through marriage or territorial needs for grazing. A small tribe that has to move into the territory of a larger tribe to feed its herds may become absorbed by the larger tribe. Later, if the original small tribe has gained enough members and/or wealth, it may strike out on its own again. Every group of Bedu has a sheikh, or leader. The sheikh always comes from the same family line within each group, but it is not necessarily the oldest son who takes over when the father dies. The post is given to the male family member most qualified for the job. A sheikh leads by mutual agreement, not by absolute will, so all members of the group must respect the sheikh in order for him to lead them effectively. Marriage is more of a social contract among the Bedu than a love match. The bride and groom are usually first cousins. Women marry between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two, while men marry between the ages of eighteen and thirty. The wedding is essentially a process of customary negotiations after which the bride is escorted to the groom’s tent. Divorce is just as simple: a man simply states in front of witnesses that he wants a divorce. A woman can initiate a divorce by moving back to her parents’ tent. If she refuses to return to her husband’s tent with him, he will grant her a divorce. Siblings are very close to and protective of one another; brothers fiercely guard their sisters’ honor. allergic reaction
KARACHI (Reuters) – Pakistan’s chaotic financial heart is home to 18 million people, Taliban bombers, contract killers – and one of the world’s most successful stock markets.
With 49 percent returns in 2012, the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) was one of the five best performing markets in the world. Now it is seeking a foreign partner to buy a stake and take over management of a market that has risen three-fold over the past four years.
At least some of that performance came on the back of a government amnesty that allowed people holding undeclared assets or “black money†to invest it freely in the market. And the relatively illiquid market has also been vulnerable to manipulation.
But government officials say the market’s success highlights the economic potential of a country better known for spiraling sectarian violence, the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban, crippling power cuts and entrenched corruption.
The market’s benchmark index continues to soar to record highs — up 10.34 percent year to date — fueled in part by expectations May elections will mark Pakistan’s first transfer of power from one democratic government to another. For foreigners, an 11 percent depreciation of the Pakistani rupee against the dollar since the start of the year has offset those gains.
“Pakistan has a lot to offer investors and this is our chance to show it,†said Nadeem Naqvi, the KSE chairman. He plans to embark on a series of roadshows for potential foreign partners that will take him to London, Frankfurt and Hong Kong in the coming months.
Many of the companies listed on the KSE offer double-digit returns, low stock prices and resilient business models in this frontier market with a population of 180 million. The index still has an attractive price/earnings ratio of 8.50 despite the soaring returns of the past few years.
Pakistan now has a 4 percent weighting in the MSCI Frontiers Market Index and has become somewhat of a discovery for foreign investors chasing new markets and yields.
THE SEAMIER SIDE
But the KSE’s spectacular rise last year can at least be partly attributed to another factor entirely – the cleansing of “black moneyâ€.
The market took off last year just as a government decree was finalized allowing people to buy stocks with no questions asked about the source of the cash. Average daily volume more than doubled last year to 173 million shares from 79 million in 2011.
Authorities say the measure will bring undocumented funds into the tax net in a country where few pay taxes. But some critics decried it as a gift to corrupt officials and criminals seeking to launder dirty cash.
“Politics and dirty money go hand in hand in Pakistan,†said Dr. Ikramul Haq, a Supreme Court lawyer and a professor on tax law. “People want to be outside the regulatory framework and outside the tax net.â€
The black money amnesty also drew attention to the seamier side of the Karachi stock market. Interviews with regulators, brokers, market officials and analysts showed insider trading and other manipulations are routine. Regulators have been largely ineffectual in controlling the shady practices.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) said it found 23 violations of securities laws that merited fines in fiscal year 2011-12 (April/March). The market regulator sent warning letters in another 19 cases, it said in its annual report. (http://www.secp.gov.pk/)
That’s a drop in the bucket, says Ashraf Tiwana, dismissed as head of SECP’s legal department after years of clashes with his bosses over fraud in the market. He has petitioned the Supreme Court to replace the SECP chairman and commissioners.
“There’s a lot of fraud, a lot of market manipulation … but not enough action has been taken, especially not enough criminal action has been taken,†Tiwana told Reuters. “They’re just passing small fines and giving out warning letters.â€
Regulators are too close to the market, Tiwana said. The head of the stock exchange is a former broker and the two top members of the SECP are former employees of Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, founder of one of the country’s biggest brokerage houses.
BIG DHEDHI
Nicknamed “Big Dhedhi†for his ability to move markets, Aqeel Karim Dhedhi heads one of Pakistan’s largest domestic conglomerates, the AKD Group.
Lately, the well-known philanthropist and leading member of Pakistan’s business establishment has been trying to fend off arrest over allegations of insider trading.
An SECP investigator accused traders, including Dhedhi’s brokerage, of buying shares in a state-run Sui Southern Gas Co before an official announcement allowing the company to raise its prices. In the weeks before Sui Southern’s announcement, the stock price jumped from 13.5 rupees to 20 rupees, its biggest hike in five years.
The National Accountability Bureau, the state-run anti-corruption agency, called it a case of insider trading. But the SECP said its own confidential investigation showed no evidence of fraud. The SECP whistleblower in the case has been suspended from her job for disclosing “confidential informationâ€.
Dhedhi strongly denied any wrongdoing and said he purchased his gas stocks years before the announcement.
“There is nothing there. The (SECP) report totally cleared us,†said Dhedhi, a burly man wearing a traditional long cotton shirt and baggy pants. “I’m proud to say that in more than 40 years of operating, we’ve never paid a penny in fines.â€
Dhedhi says he often offers advice to government officials on financial policy. His business empire includes two equity funds that were among the best performing in Asia in 2012.
“The SECP has really started listening to the market,†Dhedhi said, a suited executive acting as translator.
REVOLVING DOOR
Dhedhi remains under investigation. But even if regulators were to find him guilty of insider trading, past practice shows he would likely get a slap on the wrist. The SECP’s fines are almost always a fraction above the amount of money made in the stock manipulation, and sometimes even less.
In December, a broker was fined half the amount he made from trades that manipulated the share price of tobacco giant Philip Morris. In February, the SECP fined Pakistani brokerage BMA Capital $500,000 – after it made $460,000 by misleading a foreign client. BMA Capital has appealed.
Imtiaz Haider, the SECP commissioner in charge of market regulation, acknowledged fines were largely symbolic. If they were too high, he said, brokers might not be willing to pay them. Contesting fines in the congested court system could take years.
“The purpose is more to name and shame,†Haider said in an interview. “It causes them reputational damage.â€
Like KSE Chairman Nadeem Naqvi, Haider is a former employee of Dhedhi’s. Both men denied any conflict of interest.
“It’s important to have people in charge who know the way markets work,†Haider said. “I’ve had lots of other jobs than just working for Dhedhi.â€
The SECP can revoke licenses, impose hefty fines, or open criminal cases against offenders. But it almost never does. It has launched only 10 criminal cases in the past five years – all still held up in the judicial backlog. It has issued dozens of small fines.
“We have great laws and regulations but they are not properly enforced,†said Khalid Mirza, a former SECP chief. “The SECP is just catching the small fish as far as I can see.â€
Naqvi, the KSE head, acknowledged his priority has been to boost the market, not to crack down on it.
“My management style isn’t confrontational because I want to build confidence in the market,†he said.
Separating the commercial and the regulatory functions of the market is one of the main reasons the KSE is looking for a foreign partner. It has appointed Deutsche Bank as its advisor on its quest to demutualise – a process that will separate those two functions.
“Demutualization is another step on the road to reform,†Naqvi said. “Right now we have a fairly robust system. But I’m not saying its foolproof.â€
BLACK TO WHITE
The Karachi market’s small size and lack of liquidity make it vulnerable to manipulation. Market capitalization is only $41.5 billion – the Bombay stock market’s capitalization is more than 10 times higher at $578 billion.
Only a quarter of the shares are freely floated – about 30 percent of that is held by foreign funds and investors, including Franklin Templeton, Invesco Ltd, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Mackenzie Financial Corporation.
Since only 60 of KSE’s 600 listed companies trade regularly, small trades can rapidly make a big difference in a company’s share price.
Boosting volumes on the exchange was one of the intentions behind Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s decree last April turning black money into white.
It said no questions could be asked by the Federal Board of Revenue about the source of funds invested in stocks till July 2014. The investments become legally legitimate.
The pool of such funds is potentially huge. A report by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime projected the size of Pakistan’s informal or “black†economy at $34 billion in 2010-11, one-fifth of the formal economy.
The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, which monitors money laundering, said the decree did not contravene Pakistan’s existing anti-money laundering legislation. But anecdotal evidence suggests controls are lax.
In one case shown to Reuters by a lawyer, a man invested $10 million buying stocks in a single transaction. His address: a Karachi slum notorious for Taliban infiltration.
(Additional reporting by Abhishek Vishnoi in Mumbai, India; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (R) talks with Egypt’s Prime Minister Hisham Kandil after a news conference at Diwam Emir in Doha, April 10, 2013.
REUTERS/Stringer
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s prime minister was due in Qatar on Tuesday for talks with his country’s biggest Gulf Arab financial backer as Cairo is negotiating for an IMF loan to help ease a deepening economic crisis.
Hisham Kandil was to fly to Doha after attending the swearing in of Kenya’s new president in Nairobi, his office said. He is due to hold a joint news conference with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani on Wednesday.
Qatar has provided Egypt with $5 billion in loans and grants since Islamist President Mohamed Mursi was elected last year and diplomats said Cairo was seeking further support as it faces a long, hot summer of power cuts and fuel shortages with or without a $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan.
Qatar has been propping up Cairo’s sagging foreign currency reserves – which hit a new low of $13.4 billion in March, less than the cost of three months’ imports – by making deposits in the Egyptian central bank.
Kandil’s visit follows three days of preparatory meetings by Egyptian central bank governor Hisham Ramez in Qatar, amid tension between Cairo and its major donor over two financial disputes, of which Egypt moved to defuse one on Monday.
Egypt’s financial regulator is holding up a proposed joint venture between QInvest, majority owned by Qatar Islamic Bank, and EFG Hermes, the Middle East’s top investment bank. EFG said the deal signed last year will expire if not approved by May 3.
The deal, which will place EFG’s main operations in a company 60 percent owned by QInvest, is politically sensitive in Egypt because both of EFG’s chief executives are on trial with the two sons of ousted President Hosni Mubarak over allegations of illegal share dealings in relation to a 2007 transaction.
Qatar was also angered by Cairo’s decision to impose a 10 percent tax last month on investment gains from the takeover by Qatar National Bank of local lender National Societe Generale Bank, making QNB effectively overpay.
However, a finance ministry aide said on the eve of Kandil’s visit that the government had decided to cancel the tax on stock dividends and investment gains and would reimburse the revenue already levied to shareholders.
QNB said in December it planned to buy only the 77 percent stake in NSGB held by France’s Societe Generale but in February, the Egyptian regulator gave its approval on condition that the Qatari lender buy 100 percent of NSGB.
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia will hold general elections on May 5, the government said on Wednesday, in what could be the toughest test of the ruling coalition’s 56-year grip on power in Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy.
Opinion polls suggest a narrow victory for the National Front led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is under pressure to restore the two-thirds majority the coalition lost for the first time in 2008.
Najib ended months of speculation when he called for the poll last week, less than a month before the end of the parliamentary term. He says he needed time to show the impact of his economic transformation program, but critics say the delay was a sign of indecision that kept financial markets on edge.
He told reporters after meeting coalition leaders in Kuala Lumpur that he wanted to form a “strong and viable†government at the national and state level.
Najib faces a confident opposition led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose Peoples’ Alliance won five of Malaysia’s 13 states in 2008 and has the best chance of toppling the coalition in Malaysia’s post-colonial history.
“Najib has to perform better than 2008; if the result is worse, there could be internal challenges against his rule,†said Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in neighboring Singapore.
“For Anwar, it’s another old battle. If he doesn’t make it this time, his age will catch up with him and he won’t be a viable opposition for the next general election,†he said.
The May 5 poll could be 65-year-old Anwar’s last chance to lead a fractious alliance that includes Muslim conservatives and ethnic Chinese minorities. His alliance wants to tap into a growing desire for faster political and economic reform.
The ringgit currency rose to its highest level since January 21 after the New Straits Times leaked the polling dates earlier on Wednesday. It appreciated 0.4 percent to 3.0245 to the dollar, also due to continuous bond inflows. Financial markets were otherwise mostly unchanged, with the Kuala Lumpur Stock index up 0.2 percent at the midday break.
Elections Commission Chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof said candidates will be nominated on April 20, meaning roughly a two-week campaigning period. That falls short of the 21-day campaigning period sought by the electoral reform group, Bersih.
“I disagree that it will be a dirty election,†Abdul Aziz told reporters in Malaysia’s administrative capital, Putrajaya.
Bersih wants electoral rolls cleaned up and equal media access to all parties. Recent Bersih protests often ended in clashes with riot police, prompting the government to meet some demands for change such as allowing overseas voting.
“The Election Commission has made a lot of positive steps towards meeting the demands placed by civil society and also pro-democracy voices here in Malaysia,†said Ibrahim Suffian, head of respected pollster the Merdeka Centre.
“But there remains fundamental concerns about the reliability of our voters’ list,†he said.
Defying electoral rules, parties from both sides have already been campaigning, courting voters across Malaysia with party banners and allies and setting out populist manifestos.
The National Front and the opposition are both targeting the 2.4 million first-time voters, nearly a fifth of Malaysia’s eligible voters, with promises of reform and handouts.
(Additional reporting by Siva Sithraputhran in PUTRAJAYA; Editing by Niluksi Koswanage and Paul Tait)
Two Brooklyn baby boys (not pictured) became sick after the centuries-old, ultra-Orthodox ritual associated with the bris known as metzizah b’peh.
Two Brooklyn infants have contracted herpes through a controversial religious circumcision ritual in the past three months, according to the city’s Health Department.
The unidentified baby boys became sick after the centuries-old, ultra-Orthodox ritual associated with the bris known as metzizah b’peh.
Under the practice, the rabbi or mohel removes blood from the wound on the baby’s penis with his mouth — a practice city Health Department officials have slammed, saying it carries “inherent risks†for babies.
The Bloomberg administration has moved to require mohels who perform the ritual to provide parents with a document informing them of the health risks involved. The parents must then sign a consent form.
But several influential religious Jewish organizations have sued, arguing the policy violates the First Amendment.
In January, a federal judge ruled against the group’s initial legal maneuver to block the new city policy.
“As enacted, the regulation does no more than ensure that parents can make an informed decision whether to grant or deny such consent,†said judge Nami Reice Buchwald.
City health officials say babies can contract herpes from the practice, citing 13 cases — two fatal — since 2000.
In September 2011, a 2-week-old boy died at a Brooklyn hospital after contracting herpes through the ritual, city officials said.
In the latest case, city health officials say one of the babies infected survived after developing a fever and lesion on its scrotum following the circumcision. The parents did not sign a consent form and it’s unclear who performed the circumcision.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A lawyer for a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden said on Monday that he may try to move his client’s trial out of New York, saying he was concerned about having the proceedings in the city that saw the greatest destruction from the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Suleiman Abu Ghaith’s attorneys said at a federal court hearing in Manhattan that they are considering a request for change of venue.
Martin Cohen, one of the defense attorneys, said after the hearing that the concern stems from the potential “prejudicial nature†of having a trial in New York. He declined to say where the defense might seek to move the case.
Abu Ghaith, who acted as an al Qaeda spokesman in videos, has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to kill Americans. He is one of the highest-ranking al Qaeda figures to face trial in the United States for crimes related to the September 11 attacks.
The bearded, balding Abu Ghaith did not speak at Monday’s hearing after being escorted into the courtroom in handcuffs. He listened to a translation of the proceedings through headphones.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is presiding over the case, did not set a trial date. He said a trial could start this September or next January.
Cohen said a September start would overburden the Federal Defenders of New York, a nonprofit group providing Abu Ghaith’s defense. Each lawyer at the organization, which receives federal funding, has to take off 5-1/2 weeks from work by October because of sequestration cuts, he told Kaplan.
Kaplan said it was “extremely troublesome to contemplate a case of this nature to be delayed because of sequestration.â€
Abu Ghaith was captured in Jordan on February 28 and brought secretly to the United States by the FBI on March 1.
The case is Unites States of America v. Hage et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 98-01023
(Reporting by Bernard Vaughan; Editing by Martha Graybow and Prudence Crowther)
KARACHI (Reuters) – Pakistan officials have complained to tennis governing body the ITF that their players were left distraught and the team suffered financial loss after they were disqualified from a Davis Cup tie against New Zealand.
Pakistan were on course to take a 2-0 lead in the three-day Asia/Oceania Group II tie on Friday when Sri Lankan referee Asitha Attygalla abandoned the contest due to an “unplayable court†in the neutral venue of Yangon, Myanmar.
As the encounter had been a designated ‘home’ tie for Pakistan, who are unable to host matches due to security concerns, Attygalla awarded victory to New Zealand.
Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) president Kaleem Imam told Reuters that Attygalla’s decision was a “disaster†and added: “Our manager said the players were very distraught after the referee’s decision.
“We spent thousands of dollars on preparing for this tie and sending a full-fledged squad to Yangon. We were desperate to win this tie and confident we could do it.
“We had no option but to complain to the ITF (International Tennis Federation) after the referee awarded the entire tie to New Zealand claiming the playing surface was dangerous.â€
Pakistan’s Aqeel Khan beat New Zealand’s Artem Sitak in the opening singles while Pakistan doubles specialist Aisam Qureshi was leading Daniel King Turner 6-2 3-6 3-0 in the second singles when the Sri Lankan referee halted the tie.
New Zealand captain Alistair Hunt said on Friday the match had to be abandoned because a hole about “an inch deep and half a foot wide… opened up on the baseline, which proved too dangerous to play onâ€.
Pakistan, however, feel the court was still playable.
“What we have complained is that when the grass surface was okay for the first match, what went wrong in just a few hours time that it turned unplayable? We also met all requirements asked for by the referee,†Imam said.
The PTF official said Pakistan had chosen Yangon, Myanmar as a venue over Dubai and India because of the grass courts which Pakistani players favor.
Pakistan have been forced to host international matches in many sports at neutral venues as foreign teams have refused to travel to the country after eight Pakistanis were killed following an attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in March 2009.
KARACHI (Reuters) – Pakistan were disqualified from their zonal Davis Cup tie last weekend because the referee showed bias towards their opponents New Zealand, doubles specialist Aisam Qureshi said on Wednesday.
Pakistan were on course to take a 2-0 lead in the three-day Asia/Oceania Group II tie on Friday when Sri Lankan referee Asitha Attygalla abandoned the contest due to an “unplayable court†in the neutral venue of Yangon, Myanmar.
As the encounter had been a designated ‘home’ tie for Pakistan, who are unable to host matches due to security concerns, Attygalla awarded victory to New Zealand.
An angry Qureshi questioned the referee’s decision.
“I will meet with Davis Cup officials this week in London to tell them what actually happened in Myanmar and how we were treated unjustly by the referee,†Qureshi told a news conference in his hometown Lahore on Wednesday.
“I think the referee was partial and favoured the New Zealanders.â€
Pakistan officials have already lodged an appeal with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), complaining that their players were left distraught and the team suffered financial loss due to the referee’s decision.
Pakistan chose to ‘host’ the tie in Yangon after New Zealand refused to play in Pakistan due to security concerns.
New Zealand captain Alistair Hunt said on Friday the match had to be abandoned because a hole about “an inch deep and half a foot wide… opened up on the baseline, which proved too dangerous to play onâ€.
Qureshi disagreed: “The area deemed dangerous was outside the lines of the court. I am convinced we were treated unfairly and unjustly and I want to plead this case for Pakistan.â€
The ITF confirmed it had received a complaint from Pakistan.
“The Davis Cup Committee will be considering both Pakistan’s appeal and the report of the ITF referee (about the court being unplayable) in making their decision,†an ITF spokesman said.
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and his Dutch partner Jean Julien Rojer clinched the men’s doubles Miami Open title on Saturday after beating Polish duo of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in straight sets.
The Pak-Dutch duo, seeded number five, brushed aside the number eight seeds 6-4, 6-1 in 57 minutes.
Earlier, the pair had defeated number two seeds Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-3, 6-2 to reach the final.
Qureshi-Rojer have won prize money worth $ 235,640 and 1000 Emirates ATP Ranking points. The win marks their third title together, the previous two won in Halle and Estoril in 2012.
The 33-year old Qureshi admitted that the pair had not been playing well consistently but added that they were working hard to change that.
“Since the beginning of the year, Jules and I have been putting in the hard yards each week. Other than Marseille, we have not both played well at the same moments. We were both up and down a bit. However, we knew that if we kept doing the right things regardless of the results, our time would come,†Qureshi said before the match.
Qureshi joined Pakistan’s Davis Cup team in Myanmar where they played New Zealand in their Oceania Group II match the following week.
