Thursday, January 3rd, 2008...9:02 am
Even before Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization had been planning for severe disruption of its supply lines from Pakistan into Afghanistan. The situation is now even more critical, and with Pakistan’s political map no longer anything like the one dreamed up in Washington, US special forces are highly unlikely to be given Islamabad’s permission to operate inside Pakistan to beef up the border. – M K Bhadrakumar
A lot of pious gibberish has been written about Benazir Bhutto since her killing, most of it glossing over her less than stellar performance as head of two governments and persistent allegations of corruption against those close to her. All the same, given the nature of her death and the reaction to it, her legacy may yet render a final service to Pakistan and the world.
Pakistan’s economy has thrived for years under reformist President Pervez Musharraf, attracting ever-increasing amounts of overseas investment. The prospect of continued violence following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto threatens to reverse the gains, with billions of rupees in revenues and exports already lost. – Syed Fazl-e-Haider
Farmers in three provinces are firing up the Internet with demands for an end to the vaunted communist ideal of collective land ownership. Their anger is aimed at greedy developers and corrupt officials who seize farmland for real estate projects. Though Beijing has taken little official notice, it’s a sign of things to come if land-use policy doesn’t change. – Kent Ewing
A theoretical briefing just released by a Washington-based think-tank posits the various outcomes of a nuclear war between Iran and Israel as well as an Israel vs Syria scenario. Israel is the ultimate victor in all exchanges, but at a terrible cost. The only way to win is not to play. – David Isenberg
Nepal’s legislature last week passed a historic amendment to transform the country into a “federal democratic republic”. The ancient institution of monarchy is gone, so goes the official line, but King Gyanendra is still in the palace and even a Maoist mouthpiece is likening the situation to a leaf suspended between a tree and the ground. – Dhruba Adhikary
Talks between Manila and the Philippines’ major Muslim rebel group are on shaky ground once again despite a new government concession to consider allowing an expanded Muslim-dominated autonomous region on the southern island of Mindanao. A complication is the proposed inclusion of more than 1,000 non-Muslim communities into the region, including hundreds of Christian communities that are expected to oppose the deal. – Jeoffrey Maitem
Clashes between rival eunuch groups have led to street battles and at least one murder in central India. For centuries, castrated men, or hijras, have been paid to perform on special occasions, but poverty and unemployment have driven many Indians to impersonate them to get the gigs. Officials are so perplexed they’re considering issuing medical certificates to distinguish between the imposters and the real McCoys. – Shuriah Niazi
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