Hunger Watch: Oxfam Warns Global Food Prices Could Double in 20 Years
OXFAM GROW CAMPAIGN
I believe that we are reaching a tipping point.
Many of the poor of the world are starving in the midst of plenty. For how much longer will they continue to suffer like this?
At the same time, the agricultural systems in the 'developed' world are balanced on a knife-edge. We only need a heatwave to strike the US, like it did in Russia last year (which knocked wheat production back 40%) for there to be a major crisis.
Global food markets have become increasingly volatile in recent years and increasing instability is a typical warning sign of an imminent crash.
What we can do about it?
Read the article GUARDIAN/Guatemala pays high price for failures of global food system
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There is definitely enough food to feed the world at present given the political will and also improve everyone's standard of living/health care. However, without associated birth control programmes there certainly won't be in the future - the simple maths of geometric progression is clear.
Ethiopia now consumes 50% more food than during 'Band Aid' ...... but this does nothing to reduce starvation as the population is also 50% larger - pedalling like mad to stand still!
Obviously, we are in no position to take the moral highground as we have managed to cram 60+ million on this tiny island, although at least we are now out of the geometric increase phase due entirely to family planning, rather than pious abstinence.
However, there are no votes in this for politicians scared of religious sensibilities and who like the attractions of softer and cheaper options of just chinooking in some sacks of grain to feel good about ourselves for a short period, instead of a well integrated/thought out programme of real aid.
Food alone is not a long term solution - if we cap the population by contraception or even reduce it over the next 2 decades speculators could not operate profitably where there is an over supply.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Guatemala pays high price for failures of global food system
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There's a real problem with a headline figure that food prices will double over a period of about 20 years. It sounds horrifying, but in fact it is nothing more than the result of annual increases of 4% or so over that period. Which is actually a lower rate of increase than we've had over the last couple of years.
What we really must concentrate on is that the world is producing more food than ever before, but a large part of that population is already unable to afford to eat and that number is increasing.
And this is a direct consequence of agricultural policy - cash crops for export displacing subsistence and the small farms that once fed a local population. Until recently, it was possible to import staples from somewhere else in the world, but nowadays there are precious few countries regularly running surpluses on basics such as wheat, corn and rice so that strategy is unwinding with catastrophic results.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Guatemala pays high price for failures of global food system
WHAT IS 'GROW'
Oxfam is right to predict food price rises but it has overlooked a major cause.
According to the FAO and other sources - some readers may be interested in
'Taste the Waste' - at least half the food in rich countries is thrown away.
This has serious consequences for the poor who must compete in an ever more
globalised economy for the same commodities.
Read the article BBC - HAVE YOUR SAY/Rising food prices increase squeeze on poor - Oxfam
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This is great news. Why?
1 Food's too cheap now in the West. I remember my
father saying when he was young in the 1930s chicken was a luxury eaten 2-3
times per year. Now it's dirt cheap.
2 Much perfectly good food is thrown
away due to the sell-by date scam.
3 People don't value food, they waste it
because it's cheap.
4 Overpopulation raises demand, making expensive
production methods viable.
Read the article BBC - HAVE YOUR SAY/Rising food prices increase squeeze on poor - Oxfam
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I must echo some of the comments below. The elephant in the room, namely,
population growth is being ignored and if we don't tackle it, nature will do the
job for us. Yes, what the report says is accurate and addreses issues that need
to be tackled but unless population growth is halted I doubt that any action
will be more than a sticking plaster on a gaping wound
Read the article BBC - HAVE YOUR SAY/Rising food prices increase squeeze on poor - Oxfam
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Is it really a food crises, or is it a food delivery crises? Part of the problem here is the greed based capitalistic, free-enterprise system that allows people to reap huge profits by exporting the food local people need to live on. One of the worst example of this kind of situation occurred during the Irish potato famine when the land owners continued to export food from Ireland while the peasants starved to death. The sad thing is that it is still happening in many parts of the world today.
Read the article CBC/Food crisis will create millions more hungry: Oxfam
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Food is political.
Farmers plant coffee trees, or apple trees, or pear trees, in hope of cornering the market in their country.
The buyers then shift their purchases to grapes, citrus and root vegetables.
The farmers who might have had an okay or fair 5 year run are then forced to dig up their trees and replant something else.
Some countries destroy their produce to create artificial shortages.
War and the burning of the crops of the adversaries is rife in some countries.
Then there is the crime of ethanol to fight a colourless benign gas which in higher concentrations actually supports the growth of food.
All political.
Read the article CBC/Food crisis will create millions more hungry: Oxfam
I was playing a game of 'Wide World' a couple of weeks ago with the family.
It was my game from the late 1960s.
The Travel Cards list the population and products of each country.
The population figures look astonishingly low by today's standards, especially for the developing world.
We have added billions of people to the world's population since 1969. Billions. And we had food issues in the 60s.
That we have even managed to have food production keep pace with the population growth as it went from 3.5 billion to 7 billion is a miracle. But by doubling the population pressure on the land, we have had to cut forests, increase reliance on pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, revamp the seed industry, scavenge water, deplete aquifers, develop new hybrids...
If climate change is real (and all the evidence suggests it is) then we are headed for trouble.
Famine was once not uncommon.
This problem transcends the banks, the markets, the oil industry, the Monsantos. Ultimately a relentless rise in population will meet a production limit. We might buy some time by dropping the use of vegetable matter for ethanol; or by curtailing our meat consumption; or by reorganizing distribution, but the ultimate problem is going to be numbers.
Read the article CBC/Food crisis will create millions more hungry: Oxfam
The Hunt for Ratko Mladic Ends After 15 Years
This would have been better news if it wasn't a part of Serbia's PR campaign (and if it came 10 years ago). While Bosnia, the country it destroyed, is struggling to recover and going through the worst post-war crisis, Serbia will waltz into the EU as if nothing ever happened.
Yes, they should get an equal chance to break out of the mistakes of their past rulers (many countries did, Germany comes to mind) but it still makes for bitter-sweet justice and it feels as if Serbia has been playing PR game with the world. "let's keep some bargaining chips (Karadzic, Mladic, Kosovo) and let's pull them out in opportune times, nicely spaced so that they can serve a purpose" -- well done Mr. Tadic and Co!! I admire your style.
Too bad we, in Bosnia, don't have such good politicians. Instead we have the dead to remember, massive brain drain, youth with no future, corruption, no infrastructure, no direction... a bleak picture to which arrest of Mladic does not bring any relief.
Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/ Top Serbian war crimes suspect caught
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My wife and I have visited Bosnia twice since the Balkin wars fo the 1990's. We saw posters of this war criminal Mladic with a big smile in parts fo Bosnian countryside. We visited the Olympic Stadium in Sarajevo, turned into a mass cemetery, where the Bosnian Muslim population buried their dead after being systematically shot by the Bosnain Serbs from the hllsides around Sarajevo 24/7. We also paid or respects at the beautiful cemetary in Srebrenica where hundreds of men and boys are buried, the worst European massacre since World War II. We met with Bosnian Muslim widows from the town who had nothing, evicted from their homes by Bosanian Serbs. After the war these women tried to reclaim their homes, but the lucky ones had to live in the basement of their own homes with out heat nor toilet while the Bosnian Serbs who stole their homes remained in the main part of the homes. Not much has changed even after 15 years.
While justice may not be served by the arrest of this mass murderer Mladic, nor the real reasons behind the arrest, Serbia's entry into the EU, this is a good thing. It will help heal many emontional wounds and perhaps help the Bosnian people--Muslims, Orthodox Serbs and Roman Catholics--in this tiny country live together in peace.
There is a lesson for us here in the safety of the United States. The Dayton Peace Accords which brought about the end of genocide in Bosnia was a shining hour fo America. Once the world realized the European nations were incapable of intevention, it was the Untied States and NATO that ended the fighting in Bosnia the and seige of Sarajevo. I am proud of our contry for what it did.
This intervention by the United States in the Bosnian conflcit also serves a warning to others. While we cannot save the world from itself, we stand as a beacon of freedom to the whole of humanity.
Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/ Top Serbian war crimes suspect caught
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In the Balkans there have been bad guys on all sides hailed as heroes, but the International Community has always put the blame on Serbia for everything. I'm not at all saying Serbia was blameless, but the Hague must be prepared for a defense of Mladic that takes a hard look at the commonly accepted number of 8,000 dead in Srebrenica, a number that has fluctuated and was never confirmed.
Alija Izetbegović will be implicated, too, for leaving Srebrenica undefended before the anticipated offensive, suggesting a tacit deal. Focusing on Srebrenica allowed Clinton and Albright to divert the attention of the International Community from Croatia's Operation Storm, yet another act of ethnic cleansing.
I'm not saying anyone is "good" here, those years were ugly and nationalism remains throughout the region. I'm only saying that prosecuting Mladić might not be as easy as people hope.
Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/ Top Serbian war crimes suspect caught
Considering I spent 6 months in Sarajevo and have been to the mass grave sites located within the Srebrenica area, as well as having been surrounded by 24 Serbian soldiers during the crisis all I can say is the following: no man or country should be allowed to have any reaso or excuse for mass killing. Justice will be served one way or the other and we just have to let the legal system play out.
Read the article VOICE OF AMERICA/Serbian War Crimes Fugitive Ratko Mladic Arrested
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War criminals like these who have indulged in ethnic cleansing have no idea of the damage that they have caused. Survivors of such wars (and the next generation) will forever be haunted by the memories of their lost loved ones. I really hope that this man’s arrest can bring some peace and closure to the people who have survived the war. 2 decades may have passed but hopefully they will finally get their justice
Read the article CNN/Bosnia genocide suspect Ratko Mladic arrested in Serbia
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Don't mix up the usual business of wild conspiracy theories and the very valid question marks around the "coincidences" on the timing of Mladic's arrest. The political balance in Serbia is delicate and Mladic is seen as a hero by a significant number of people there.
"Full cooperation with the ICTY" is a condition of EU membership but only the Netherlands have been actively defending that. Without their blocking vote, there was a very real chance that Serbia could swing EU membership without delivering the top war criminals and upsetting their supporters adn sympathisers. To suggest that Mladic's whereabouts were a genuine mystery is naive. The Serbian authorities are not incompetent.
Now Mladic is delivered just before an ICTY report was going to give a negative view of Serbia's cooperation and the EU foreign affairs chief is in Belgrade and on the back foot as Tadic announces that this opens the door to joining the EU.
Well, there's Hadzic still out there and all the other reforms to do, but - along with the most critrical question of justice - this is a PR coup that will have a big impact.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Ratko Mladic arrest live updates
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How thoughtful and responsible of the Serbian government to hand over first Milosevic, then Karadic, now Mladic. Of course, none of these men was ever regarded as a war hero or defender of their country were they?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the evil men do in civil wars but their deeds do deserve to be judged in context of the bloody and bitter conflict where wrongs were done by both sides, and the former suppport of their nations taken into account. There is plenty of precedent for this, consider the pardons doled out to murderers in NI for example, or the unwillingness of supposedly high-principled countries like the US and UK to investigate callous infliction of "collateral damage" to civilians.
The line between justice and revenge is blurred, more than ever in cases like this I feel.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Ratko Mladic arrest live updates
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Great that he has been arrested and brings much needed closure to a horrible chapter.
Lest we forget this war was not as one sided as the west would make out
> Serbs committed war crimes
> Croats committed war crimes
> Muslims committed war crimes
There was also a great degree of profiteering and cynicism and inter tribal strife amongst muslims. Did you know muslim fought muslim for example? We in the west picked a side and came in on their side regardless of the murkiness of the realpolitik - it is not whiter than white much as we would like to believe that. We came in on the side of the albanians in Kosovo. Look at them now with the president being accused of smuggling body parts and all sorts of nastiness.
Bosnia is still divided into 3 and is a state that none of the 3 areas want to be part of (except the muslims).
It would do Serbia and the EU good to bring it into the EU fold and thus today is a day to celebrate if it moves forward that cause
Read the article GUARDIAN/Ratko Mladic arrest live updates
Mideast Policy: Obama Looks Back to Go Forward
Did half the commenters on here either listen to the speech OR read the New York Times article, whose headline is unnecessarily inflammatory?
The president endorsed the 1967 borders BUT with land swaps, not just unilaterally. He also proposed disarming the Palestinian state. These are striking and positive policies that, if implemented, would go a long way towards resolving the ongoing crises in Palestine.
Also, the President seemed mindful that, instead of our longtime dictator friends who promoted stasis and stifled democracy and development, many of Arab states now have thrown off the authoritarian yoke. There is no way that Israel and Palestine can keep operating as they have. Anyone who thinks that endless settlement-building OR continued arms selling to extremist elements among the Palestinians is a good idea really does not want to face reality. President Obama does, thankfully. Now if he would only actively push to create jobs in the US and end the civil liberties violations, he'd be one of the best presidents we've seen in the last 50 years.
Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Obama Sees ’67 Borders as Starting Point for Peace Deal
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This is truly astonishing. For a president that doesn't come from any kind of real foreign policy background, Obama has been doing incredible things in the region. It is right for him to finally take a stand and make concrete (an unbelievably strong-worded!) statements on further American involvement in the region. Syria, Bahrain, not to mention Israel/Palestine all have specific needs that can only come through American support - at last, they have it.
While normally I'd be concerned about increased US hegemonic imperialism, I feel that in this case President Obama is the right face to present to the Middle East and the rest of the world, and I honestly believe that this president has a more cosmopolitan, less US-centric vision for the world of the future, something that would certainly benefit us all. Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Obama Sees ’67 Borders as Starting Point for Peace Deal
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Why is the tiny state of Isreal percived as such a threat by every Arab state? Because not one of them has achieved the economic and political success that Isreal has, despite not having the vast oil wealth most of their Arab neighbors enjoy.
Now our president wants Isreal to forego even more security by retreating to their 1967 borders. Isreal was attacked twice, and annexed territory to provide a buffer against future attacks. But that's not important to our president. Appeasing the Arabs is all that matters.
Don't ever try to tell me that Obama is a friend of Isreal. He has shown his true colors, and it is obvious where he stands.
Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Obama Sees ’67 Borders as Starting Point for Peace Deal
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Mr Obama needs a dose of realism. The Hamas constitution calls for a genocide
against Israel and the PA publish school books with no mention of Israel and
maps of the area with no Israel on it.
One can only move towards a two state
solution if both sides accept the other's right to exist. This is not the case
at the moment - he knows this and his words are just playing to the gallery.
Read the article BBC NEWS/Israeli PM Netanyahu rejects Obama '1967 borders' view
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I am an Israeli living in a settlement bloc.
Palestinians and Israeli are
very similar.
We both accept Obama's doctrine.
We both have accepted an
internalised the changes in mindset.
We both are a strong people
We both
have abysmally weak leaders.
Peace will come ,but at the ballot box.
Obama spoke yesterday in the name of the 'leaderless' Israelis and
Palestinians.
Peace came a lot closer.
Read the article BBC NEWS/Israeli PM Netanyahu rejects Obama '1967 borders' view
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I am Jewish and liberal and I disagree with you my friend. I dont speak for all American Jews and neither do you. Obama didn't throw Israel under the bus.
He called out both sides and told them tough things they needed to hear. I agree with Obama's notion that to obtain peace, there has to be a two state solution. If peace means Israel should go back to the pre-1967 borders to give Palestine the land for a country of their own, then so be it. Israel will still have plenty of land for the Jewish Israelis and disagree with the notion that it would make an attack on Israel more likely.
The world is a different place now and the international community especially the US will never let Israel get attacked and wiped off the face of the map. It will not happen, we will protect them. The land is therefore a small price for peace
Read the article CNN/Obama calls for Israel's return to pre-1967 borders
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Israeli polls show that well over half of Israelis support President Obama's
vision and are opposed to Netanyahu's extremist views as do Europeans and the
majority of Americans, so to say that President Obama's Ideas face a tough
reception is inaccurate indeed.
Wednesday J Street, a prominent organization
representing moderate Jews, ran an ad in the New York Times urging Netanyahu to
work on creating a Palestinian state based upon the 1967 borders that was signed
by Israeli Prize laureates, former Knesset members, former Israeli diplomats and
former Israeli defense officials, so it seems only the Israeli radicals are
opposed to what the rest of the world knows must be done.
Read the article NPR/Obama's ideas on Israel face tough reception
The Queen in Dublin - A Royal Visit of Reconciliation
The vast majority of people, aside from a few on the lunatic fringes, wish to welcome the Queen to Ireland. The reason? It is long overdue as a sign of the maturity of relations between the two countries. Just remember, there are more people of Irish descent in the UK than live in Ireland and you will see the interdependence that exists.
Ignore the comments from Sinn Fein on how the visit is premature. They were brought into the peace process at a time when most people thought it premature. Noone would argue with that step now.
Therefore, yes, there might be some risk but to cancel such a visit concedes to the extremists - something England did not do in 1972 (in the midst of the troubles) when they came to Dublin to play a rugby international when other teams would not travel.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Queen's visit to Ireland - Live Updates
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I'm Irish, the vast majority of Irish people welcome this visit by the Queen and hope that it ushers in a closer era of friendship and mutual respect between our two countries.
She is the Head of State of the UK, our closest neighbour, with whom we currently share a land border, its now 13 Years since the Good Friday Agreement, and its absolutely right and proper that she is able to visit The Republic of Ireland and treated with respect and dignity.
It's symbolic of a more mature relationship between both our countries and their peoples. There is a lot of historical significance for Irish people, and it's right that is properly acknowleged, but we should not live in the past either. Where we have all come from is very important, but where we are all going is more the issue.
I think its a really positive step for both countries, but as other Irish people have mentioned it is a little worrying in case anything (god forbid) happens. It would set us all back decades. Unfortunately there is a very small but very hard-core element within Irish Republicanism (who do not represent anyone in Ireland at this stage, other than themselves), these are not Sinn Fein people, these are fringe Republic splinter groups, mostly based in the North, who have never accepted the peace process (or probably even the validity of the Republic of Ireland itself).
They clearly want to disrupt this visit by any available means, and cause ill feeling between Irish and British people (as it suits their purposes); ordinary people here are actually very nervous about that, and although its unfortunate that the visit requires such massive security, its wise that it be put in place.
It's important to remember that it was the President of Ireland and the Irish Government who invited the Queen here, and it is the Irish President and Government who represent the Irish people, not a tiny gang of extreme nationalists, and we should never allow ourselves to be held hostage by political extremists.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Queen's visit to Ireland - Live Updates
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Certainly, the Irish participated fully in the British and Irish empire and benefited greatly from it, as they did from the union.
Much of the separate nationalism in the UK and Ireland relies on myths created over the past two centuries, some of them quite recent.
At its most basic level, this starts with the labelling of Scotland, Wales and Ireland as "Celtic" nations and England "Anglo-Saxon".
These myths ignore inconvenient facts like the shared blood of our pre-Celtic ancestors and the fact that lowland Scotland is just about the most "English" (and Viking) region in the country.
They ignore the great Viking invasions of Ireland and the fact that all of the British isles came under Norman sway in the same movement of Norman expansion,not in some English conspiracy to oppress their neighbours.
The native people of the British isles are a mixture of different tribes of north Europeans and the small differences in ethnic/genetic make-up do not follow the modern day boundaries of England, Wales and Scotland.
Read the article DAILY TELEGRAPH/The Queen's visit to Dublin marks the end of a degrading and needless quarrel
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As an Irish Republican, I do think this visit is important for the normalisation
of relations between our countries and for better relations between loyalists
and nationalists in the North. Yes the British monarchy
stirs up deep
emotions for the crimes committed in the name of the Crown but it is important
that we show the loyalist population in the North that we can exist peacefully
together.
Read the article BBC/Queen in Ireland: Royal visit fails to nignite passions
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Ireland is a proud country that fought for her freedom through hundreds of years
of oppression. Those moments will never be forgotten and are recorded history.
However, our shared interests with UK outnumber the atrocities of the past.
Ireland and the UK have a simmilar `Joie de vivre` (enjoyment of life). Some
want the visit, others not -as in UK. I think the Queen would prefer a trip to
races.
Read the article BBC/Queen in Ireland: Royal visit fails to nignite passions
After the Raid - Outreach to the Muslim World
Great leaders seize the moment.
Nixon could go to "Red" China and
begin what is now our most important (by far) bilateral relationship because he
had spent his entire political career baiting "Reds." No one could accuse him of
being "soft" on Communism. As result, the two greatest economic powers on Earth
are at peace and, although at odds on some issues, in a close, mutually
productive relationship.
Until last week, President Obama couldn't "go to
China" because he had not firmly established his anti-terrorism credentials.
Now, with bin Laden's assassination on his watch and under his leadership, he
has.
It will take time, but you can expect the combination of the
President's initiative, bin Laden's death, and the "Arab Spring" to change the
world as much as Nixon's visit to China and China's subsequent renunciation of
Communism in all but name.
Like China, the Islamic world, including
Arabs, constitutes about one-quarter of the human race. Isn't it about time we
put our relationship with so many on a productive, business-like
footing?
Many will carp. Many will second guess. But in two or three
decades this initiative will be considered as consequential as Nixon's visit to
China in 1972, for the timing is just right.
Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/ President to Renew Muslim Outreach.
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That all sounds great. But, have you ever heard of the saying "two wrongs don't make a right?" Israel keeps using those same statements to expand its borders and you know it.
If Israel would just respect the internationally recognized borders it would have the full support and protection of the entire world in the event of another attack. Hammas, Hezbollah, Palestinians or any countries or organizations actions are separate issues from the dispute over land. In other words, their actions are not a justification for the occupation. Israel and the U.S. need to fight terrorism from within their borders not by expanding them.
What many Americans and Israelis won't ever acknowledge publicly, is that, not getting the land after all this fighting is just out of the question. The only sign that Israel is ready to start the peace process would be the withdrawal of certain occupied territories (even just a little piece of land) anything other then that is just smoke and mirrors.
Read the article HUFFINGTON POST/Obama To Give Address On U.S.-Middle East Policy
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The "Arab Spring" and the death of bin Laden have nothing to do with Israel. (Of
the 970 words in this article 577 of them are on the topic is Israel.) If the
President really feels compelled to give another speech to the Muslim world then
let him focus on the Muslim world and their repressive dictatorships.
Connecting
the Arab revolutions with Israel in his speeches confuses the message and
distracts attention away from the real problems in Muslim and Arab nations. And
that is exactly what the dictators do! Let the Muslims focus on building their
own nations and their own freedoms. In the meantime, the President should not
stoop to using the "if only Israel would...." excuse, because no matter what
Israel does the Muslim nations of the world will not change because of it.
Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/President to Renew Muslim Outreach
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The people of this country knew perfectly well how to 'live with them' and we
still do. Sadly, 9/11 shook us to our very core. The 1+ billion Muslims who
could have reassured us that they subscribe to peace and tolerance did nothing.
We continue to see grim violence and oppression in virtually every Muslim
country and rampant terrorism in many non-Muslim countries. While Mr. Obama's
relentless lecturing curiously seems to captivate many Americans whose only
religion is 'celebrity', it will have no effect on Islamic religious fervor.
Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/President to Renew Muslim Outreach
Abbottabad Hideaway Casts Dim Light on Pakistan Intelligence Service
As a Pakistani - I have to agree with the general assumption. There is no way Bin Laden could have lived in Pakistan, especially in an army city like Abbotabad, for so long without the Pakistani army knowing or aiding him.
For several years, the army and the ISI have run a semi government on their own, the army swallows over 60% of the budget each year, they own airlines, construction companies, foundations and are in the business of making money rather than defending the country.
The US must stop all aid to the Pakistani military immediately. Unless the army reforms itself, and falls into line and obeys the directions of the President and Prime Minister, they should not get any funding whatsoever. The Pakistani army has betrayed millions of Pakistanis time and time again, and it is time the US and its allies make the Pakistani army pay.
Besides sucking up the budget and using aid dollars for their personal usage, the army has also supported and aided the Taliban and the extremists in Pakistani society today.
For years, they have looked the other way when Jihadi organizations have operated in broad daylight in the cities of Pakistan, especially in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Karachi. Funny thing is, when the US/UK calls them on that, they come up with the reply saying "show us the proof".
The proof is in the offices of the jihadi organizations that are all over the country! Anyone can see them...for God's sake they have signs outside their doors!
It's absolutely pathetic. Problem is the politicians are too weak and corrupt to challenge the army, and the majority of Pakistanis, who are not extremists, are too scared to do anything about these people, as there is no law or protection for the people who stand up and take a stand against these jihadis, because we all know the army is behind them.
Like I said, the army must be neutralized and reformed, otherwise the US will probably be in Pakistan within 2 years, and that will be the end of Pakistan as a state
The intelligence officers are basically military intelligence, so they tow the line of the military. Their intelligence gathering techniques are as backward as they come. See, for years the army has pocketed aid dollars and built farm houses, bought fancy cars, and sent their children overseas to Ivy league schools. They have rarely used the aid funds for what they were supposed to be used for...which is to improve training, facilities, intelligence gathering techniques, electronic equipment, etc.
There are so many Pakistanis who are fed up with the country. To be honest, a lot of us believe that things wont change and eventually our country will end up as another Afghanistan. Its a pretty sad state of affairs. Only way to stop this would be for the US to take decisive action now - stop all military aid. No more sending $ to a corrupt and money making army
Read the article CNN/White House: No Bin Laden photo release
Ever since I was a little boy in India, I have been hearing this refrain from Pakistan. "Oh we do not know anything - we are innocent." All this while maintaining hundreds of terrorists training camps with the full backing of the Army/ISI, and then sending the terrorists across the border to India where they slaughter the innocent.
Well, the birds have come home to roost. Pakistan has always showed the classic signs of a failed state - and it is not a reflection of the vast majority of Pakistanis. It is just a country of miserable leaders (at least the ones who managed to stay alive thus far) who are inept or corrupt or both, and combined with a very powerful army that doesn't play second fiddle to the government, is ripe for this scenario.
All the denials and haughtiness will not help you now, Pakistan. You had Osama Bin Laden practically in your living room for nearly 6 years while denying his existence, and we the Americans had to come barging in and take him out.
Consider your gravy train derailed.
Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Pakistan Pushes Back Against U.S. Criticism on Bin Laden
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Many of us who are familiar with South Asian geopolitics always suspected that bin Laden was holed up in an ISI safe house somewhere in urban Pakistan. I personally thought it would be just outside Karachi or just outside Muzzaffarabad. Abbottabad was a bit of surprise.
Some of us have been hoping that the U.S. would formulate a long-term Pakistani policy. We have been sorely disappointed. The influential experts like Stephen Cohen and Steve Coll have systematically played the Indo-Pak zero-sum policy game and muddying the waters. It would go something like: yes, Pakistani military and intelligence supports the Taliban, but on the other hand, they have genuine fear of Indians in Afghanistan. Yes, the Pakistani leaders are duplicitous, but on the other hand we must safeguard their nuclear weapons.
It's time for clarity and "one-handed" policy experts to define a comprehensive containment plan for Pakistan. If we just disengage and ignore Pakistan, terrorists will come out of that country systematically and attack us here. The primary Al Qaeda HQ is in Pakistan, not Yemen or Somalia.
Aspects of such a plan must include a small permanent base in Northern Afghanistan from which we can monitor the Pakistani military and launch drone attacks on terrorists as needed. Kazakhstan has just ratified the transit agreement that can be leveraged to maintain such a base. Our latest surveillance and remote sensing technologies can be tested in this theater. Military aid to Pakistan needs to be tapered down to near zero, especially hardware.
U.S. should work closely with India because the Pak military will soon start sending militants into Indian Kashmir as snow melts in order to distract attention away from this situation and stir up border tension with India.
Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Pakistan Pushes Back Against U.S. Criticism on Bin Laden
At last, the inevitable has happened. Osama bin Laden has been killed after 10 years of manhunt by the United States. His killing near the Pakistan Military Academy vindicates world’s stand that Islamabad was playing the double game of providing a safe haven to the terrorist, while being the frontline ally of the U.S-led coalition in the war against terror.
The post-Osama scenario in Pakistan remains ominous. Religious extremists' reaction to their leader's killing could prove explosive. The news of the most sought after terrorist's elimination will boost the morale of anti-terror campaigns all over the world. But before the world gets carried away by the euphoria, it should scrutinise the role played by Pakistan, which has consistently denied knowledge about Osama's whereabouts.
After one too many false reports of his death since 9/11, the U.S-led coalition has finally achieved its mission of eliminating the elusive fugitive. America's most trusted ally continues to remain the biggest hindrance to a successful global campaign against terror. The killing also marks the end of a failed experiment that the U.S. unleashed on its erstwhile Cold War rival. Pegged to take on the Soviets in Afghanistan, the experiment went horribly wrong when the monster it created turned on its master with disastrous consequences for the entire world.
Pakistan certainly has some soul-searching to do. Its political leaders and officials always rejected suspicions that the al-Qaeda leader was holed up in their country. It is deeply troubling that Laden, for whom the U.S. had announced a bounty of $50 million, had made a home not in some remote inaccessible corner of Pakistan, but in one of its most pleasant cities, close to the capital, in a house that was so big it could not have escaped notice.
That it was located less than a kilometre from the Kakul Military Academy is even more troubling. Is it believable that Pakistan's intelligence agencies did not know about the presence of the world's most wanted terrorist? Did they ignore what was going on under their noses? Or worse, were they involved in maintaining the safe haven? One hope the U.S. will no longer look at Pakistan as a reliable partner in the war against terror.
Read the article GLOBE AND MAIL/Pakistan must have known about bin Laden’s compound
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There are a bunch of things that don't make sense about this:
The conflicting story of the raid (first OBL was shooting and using his wife as a shield, then we learn that he was unarmed and there was no human shield).
The fact that the Pakistani Army didn't respond to a gunfight in a town that is in fact a military town. There is no way they were uninformed.
The fact that the Pakistani Army or Intelligence Service (ISI) didn't know about OBL residence there. That is not possible.
The issue of how they handled the body, while open to debate, I don't think proves anything. I think they followed pro-forma protocol on the Islamic burial thing, not to appease his supporters, but to show that they respect the religion, not the man. Also not having a marked grave prevents a collecting point for kooks.
There is going to be a lot of discussion of this. But it is beginning to be hard to gloss over the complex relationship between the west and Pakistan vis a vis the "War on Terror" and the Afghan campaign. More specifically, the fact we are dealing with a very fractured and corrupt state.
Read the article GLOBE AND MAIL/Pakistan must have known about bin Laden’s compound
Having lived near military bases all my life, I completely understand how someone could live under the radar just out side of one. I'm not saying that's the case, but the bast place to hide something is right out in the open.
Pakistan may be at fault, but it is not the place of the everyday person to point the finger. We do not have all the information that our governments have. If they are at fault, then let the governments handle it. Let's not make this reason to hate yet another society.
Read the article VOICE OF AMERICA/ Afghanistan: Pakistan Must Have Known bin Laden Was Living in Abbottabad
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Intelligence failures? Let's not forget that Atta and several other teams were in the USA for years before the 9/11 attacks, and even did much of their pilot training in the US, right under the noses of the FBI, NSA,CIA, and state and local law enforcement. It's not just Pakistan that has intelligence failures.
Read the article VOICE OF AMERICA/ Afghanistan: Pakistan Must Have Known bin Laden Was Living in Abbottabad
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Timeless:
Pakistan, terrorists live in mansions surrounded by walls, and
those walls have to be scaled by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You weep
for your sovereignty and you curse the SEALs. You have that luxury. You have the
luxury of not knowing what we know: that the death of your sovereignty, while
tragic, probably saved lives.
And our existence, while grotesque and
incomprehensible to you, saves lives! You don't want the truth, because deep
down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want the SEALs scaling that
wall! You need them on that wall!
We have neither the time nor the inclination
to explain ourselves to a country that rises and sleeps under the blanket of the
very freedom that we provide, and then questions the manner in which we provide
it! We’d rather you just said "Thank you," and went on your way.
Otherwise, we
suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post or ,better yet, get an
intelligence agency that isn’t working against us. Either way, we don't give a
damn what you think you are entitled to!
Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Pakistan criticizes U.S. raid on Bin Laden
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Pakistan is a mess, and poses a long term risk like Saudi Arabia does, but
taking the official statements at face value my not lead you to the right
conclusion.
I would imagine Pakistan had some knowledge that the operation was
in progress once it was in progress otherwise I suspect there would have been
some issues for the helicopters leaving their airspace. There are certainly
could have been some members of the ISI or Pakistani officials that knew of Bin
Laden's presence. They will deny it, just as Pakistani leadership will deny that
they allowed or approved of the US operation on their soil.
They could have
easily had an agreement in place that secretly allowed the US to come in if they
knew that had any high value target, just as there could be secret approval of
drone strikes while they bristle at them in public.
The Pakistani government may
be corrupt, but I suspect they are delicately walking the line between their
more militant domestic elements and their geopolitical needs. The ambiguities
are probably necessary for Pakistan to keep a lid on things, and hopefully we
can continue to have success in spite of our sometimes tenuous relationship with
"allies".
Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Pakistan criticizes U.S. raid on Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden Killed in U.S. Raid on Terrorist Compound in Pakistan
Congratulations to the dedicated, tireless professionals of the US joint military and intelligence communities who finally brought justice and put an end to a mass murderer.
Given that the burden of supporting two wars, one necessary and one terribly misguided, have fallen unequally on the families of military personnel, let this bring a moment of clarity to highlight their sacrifice.
As President Obama hoped, let this time of celebration once again bring the American family together in seeking a common ground to promote a more perfect union.
Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Obama announces killing of Osama bin Laden
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I can't believe it - I thought he was just going to fade away - die and we wouldn't know. I never thought the US could actually do it, for some reason.
I am 22, and for over 9 years we have been at war trying to catch this one guy. We've been trying to catch him for almost half of my entire life. It certainly is a momentous event.
Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Obama announces killing of Osama bin Laden
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In Sept. 2001, I was in World Trade Center with my dad. It was an ordinary day and nobody knew that planes were heading to WTC. My life changed due the attacks and I experienced so much health problems and more. Every time I cried or prayed or went through my hardships, I prayed to God that OBL and the terrorists be punished.
Yesterday, I was looking at a distance the WTC area in a park and also a very big flag of USA. I looked at both for a good amount of time and reflected the past and the present. Today, I know why I looked at them both.
I thank God and the hard working men and women that fought terrorism and bringing justice. OBL now you face God. The one that heard the prayers of the people that were affected by any of the attacks that he and his terrorists had done around the world. OBL Rot in Hell for Eternity.
Read the article CNN/Operation was designed to kill bin Laden, source says
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I am a Muslim, and I'm so happy they finally nailed this creep.
He's killed thousands of Americans, including many Muslims in my community who worked in lower Manhattan. 9/11 even destroyed the local mosque at the Towers.
Bin Laden was never a Muslim leader, back in the 1990s Muslim leaders spoke out against him and called for his capture, after his involvement in bombing of US embassies. Even his "spiritual leader" told the press that Bin Laden is not qualified to speak for Islam and he had no training to make rulings or give fatwas.
God's gonna judge him, and I hope He gives Bin Laden what he deserves, for the misery he's put Muslims worldwide through, and for disgracing Islam and the millions of peaceful patriotic law-abiding American Muslims
Read the article CNN/Operation was designed to kill bin Laden, source says
It is a simple matter of logic. Abbotabad is a cantonment area, just 50km from
the capital of Pakistan. There is a very strong presence of military in this
town. We cannot ignore the probability of the Pakistani military and
intelligence units knowing the coordinates of Osama bin laden long ago and
assisting him in evading capture.
If you read reports, it comes to notice that
the US intelligence had been scrutinising this "mansion" for several months
before they decided to carry out the offensive. Yes, USA has advanced technology
and strategic experience, but Pakistan's ability cannot be underestimated to the
extent that they would have absolutely no clue to what was going on in their own
country, that too in a cantonment! This is not negative propaganda, it is a
matter of common sense.
Read the article TIMES OF INDIA/Hiding bin Laden: Finger of suspicion at ISI
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First: Abbotabad is a quiet town near the capital of Islamabad. Second Osama was
passionately hated by most Pakistanis since he gave a bad name to Islam and
Muslims around the world and al-Qaeda has killed more Pakistanis than the number
killed in the 9/11 attacks.
As far as ISI there are rouge elements in it that
were fostered during the Afghan-Russia conflict and helped on by General Zia and
the CIA. Its these forces that are now a bigger enemy for Pakistan than any
external forces. Many fundamentalists become dangerously anti-American because
they blame the US for the drone attacks in the north west part of the country.
Believe me the majority is anti Osama and is celebrating his death and wishing
we could be rid of all these foreigners or misguided locals locals who create
problems within the country.
Read the article TIMES OF INDIA/Hiding bin Laden: Finger of suspicion at ISI
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It's telling in any event, how we make "understanding." As is always the case, interpretations are imperfect, based on limited data, selectively chosen and filtered.
For me I think it ridiculous to Bush bash; although I understand the desire. Liz Cheney, and all the rest harping about how the president is making the country less safe. John Mc Cain this Sunday second guessing the president on national TV about his measured response to the situation in Libya. These figures on the right have been shown to be the fools they are.
Nevertheless, the death of Bin Laden is the result of a new strategy, two years in the making. Our improved relations with India, combined with the military pressure coming from Afghanistan, specifically through the use of predator drones pressured Pakistan into finally giving him up. One thing is for sure, in my mind anyway, Pakistan gave him up as part of a negotiation to get us to stop the drone attacks.
With Petraeus at the CIA now and Bin Laden dead, we will soon be able to withdraw from Afghanistan. The war on terror will shift to what it should have always been: a policing action, using small highly trained forces to perform precision strikes based on good intelligence.
Beyond all of that though, I am very happy at the thought of our soldiers being able to come home from that hell hole. Let Karzai fend for himself.
Read the article CBS/Osama bin Laden is dead
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Total over reaction of delight to Bin Laden's assassination - sickening and misplaced
Not really. Perhaps to those who were not there or did not feel the horror of that day or even react it may appear so. Yes, perhaps rejoicing for the death of one man won't change a thing.
But, put yourself in the shoes of those young people in the squares across America, they witnessed one of the greatest horrors of American history, they grew with the repercussions and there are few Americans that do not know someone who died that day. Their lives changed that day as did so many others, but few, particularly teens today know anything but war and terror, paranoia and fear.
You know, Britain is not a golden sun when it comes to terrorism, wars or trampling across the world with might either. So while I'm not an apologist for all things American, I was there on that day and I do understand the relief, it could be grabbing at a straw, but let them rejoice, just as many rejoiced when America was hit. Many people had never heard of Bin Laden when they watched in horror and the sounds of that day, something few of us will forget, let the young have their day, they had a figurehead to hate, there will be others, but for now, we have one less.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Osama bin Laden dead; live news and reaction.
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To those Guardian readers who are a bit uneasy about how OBL's body was disposed. Could they please tell us what they would have done with it? The fact is that no country would want it, apart from perhaps some despot nation and the site of the burial would have become a place of pilgrimage for terrorists. Is that what they would want?
Communist Russia realised this when they found Hitler's remains in Berlin, and they went to every length to prevent any symbols of martyrdom remaining.
As for the celebrations in America, I think celebrating the death of a person who made the world a much more dangerous place is understandable, much more understandable than the celebrations of many in other countries after the death thousands of innocent civilians on 9/11. If I lived in NYC, where millions of immigrants have been welcomed into the US, I would be celebrating, not just for the death of Bin Laden, but for the memories of those who died on that terrible day.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Osama bin Laden dead; live news and reaction.
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Serious thoughts:
1. We should all be very proud of this country's
ability to produce women and men capable of the sustained effort necessary to
make this a reality.
2. The fight isn't over, the radical followers of
Islam, and the god concept in general, will continue to produce horrors that
people of reason must stand against.
3. Never forget that we are one
nation and regardless of our political differences, we will rise or fall
together.
Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/U.S. forces kill Osama bin Laden
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I completely agree that Obama couldn’t actually execute the intelligence work
or the raid himself to get the job done. So full credit to the intelligence
community and the brave soldiers that put their lives on the line to make this
day possible.
However, if the raid were to have gone bad (i.e. Osama wasn’t there, we let
him get away, or worse, we lose American lives) than we start pointing the
finger NOT at the intelligence community, but at Obama and his “poor judgement”
when ordering the attack. Seeing that the raid was successful, we will not give
credit to Obama but ONLY to those that executed it. Double-standard?
Obama deserves the credit for working with the intelligence community (more
than W did) and validating their work by putting his head on the line and giving
the go-ahead. The SEALs did what they do best. So instead of finding someone to
bash in this whole thing, how about you try taking a step back and acknowledge
that a lot of gutsy calls and actions took place, and everyone involved should
be getting their share of credit.
Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/From Abbotabad: Live Tweeting the Bin Laden attack
There are some incredibly idiotic comments on this string today.
Osama Bin Laden was allowed to escape from Tora Bora by a poor decision made
by the Bush Administration. They determined at the juncture in the battle when
sending in US forces would have ensured his capture or destruction, to let
“locals” go in and do the work. The Jawbreaker team and other US forces in the
area were forced to sit on the sidelines, and when the smoke cleared, Bin Laden
was gone.
Over the years the CIA, military intelligence, the FBI, NSA, the armed forces
and countless others have been sifting through mountains of data to find the
clues that would lead to OBL.
Bush didn’t initiate the effort to find and kill or capture Osama Bin Laden.
This was undertake by the Clinton administration and handed to the Bush
Administration after the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania (and the USS
Cole). The Clinton administration was the first to create a cabinet position
specifically for Terrorism and in the mid 1990′s, the CIA developed a unit
dedicated to find Osama Bin Laden…long before 9/11.
If Bush knew where Osama Bin Laden was and failed to act, it would have been
cowardice or criminal…But I sincerely doubt this allegation, and I know if
Bush’s team had the chance again, after the failure at Tora Bora, they would
have acted. It was too important strategically and politically.
Obama and the enormous team of men and women involved in the years of
intelligence gathering and decision making had to act as soon as any actionable
intelligence was identified…and as promised, they were allowed to do what needed
to be done.
Where Obama has proven to be a difference maker is in how he has chosen to
treat Pakistan. Pakistan has long been considered an ally. But elements within
Pakistan’s government, specifically the ISI (Pakistan’s version of the CIA) and
some of leaders in Pakistan’s military have long assisted the Taliban – with weapons, intelligence, and money. By proxy they have knowingly supported
Al Qaeda.
Crossing the border with drone based missile strikes has been
risky. Destabilizing Pakistan would be horrible. But as Obama stated he would,
he has committed to striking in Pakistan to get Bin Laden and others tied to the
Taliban and Al Qaeda…without tipping off government officials in Pakistan by
requesting permission.
The fascinating reality behind the methods used in this instance makes the
operation personal. This could have been accomplished with drones and missiles
and been far less risky. Had we lost these teams and the assets they brought
with them, it would have been a huge victory for Al Qaeda. But that we were
willing to take such a risk and personalize the attack says we are not afraid,
and we can and will hit you any way we choose where ever you may hide.
Had they failed, Obama would have been put in with Carter’s association with
the C-130 crash during the failed rescue attempt during the hostage crisis in
the late 70′s and the Black Hawk Down episode in Somalia under Clinton.
Obama could have said no, this is too risky to our troops, to the surrounding
Pakistanis, to the relationship with Pakistan, and to his political career, but
the President did what he said he would do…and they got him.
Read the article REUTERS/Bin Laden was found at luxury Pakistan compound
