The Dalai Lama tells China to stop lying!

It seems that the whole world is watching with baited breath as to what China plans to do next vis-a-vis Tibet. China had accused the Dalai Lama of fomenting trouble in Tibet ahead of the Beijing Olympics so as to cause troubles for the communist government. But with the recent statements emanating from France it is quite obvious that there are no takers to the 'Dalai lama is behind the Tibet violence' story.
The Dalai Lama had come to Delhi to hold a prayer meeting and had asked for all of his friends to unite over the Tibet issue. The Dalai Lama had also told Beijing in no uncertain terms that no one is ready to toe the line that Beijing would like them to toe and that it is high time that Beijing accepted the ground realities of the situation in Tibet. As much as China would like to have the Dalai Lama disappear into thin air, that is not going to happen ever and China must have realized by now that to talk with the Dalai Lama is a much better option than not talking at all. With that in mind, the Chinese government has proposed to talk with the Dalai Lama but under precondition that the Dalai Lama and his followers forsake all violence in Tibet ahead of the Olympics. The next move is all up to the Dalai Lama, let the games begin!

China - say no to Olympics!

The recent Tibet violence is slowly spreading to other districts and towns in China and should give the Communists there some off for thought to see the countless thousands who are not very happy with the governance so say the least. That said,it would be a mockery to write off the current Tibet violence as a public relations disaster. It shows at the very least the amount of discord that is prevalent in this Buddhist capital, one that no matter how much the communists may try to whitewash it as something else. It is quite evident that the communist rule has been very harsh on the Tibetans living there and then to say that the Dalai Lama, his holiness, was behind all this is just typical of the kind of behaviour that one may expect from the current Chinese government.
The fact of the matter is that the current government and the style of governance is not exactly loved in China or out side of China either. The neighbouring countries like those of Japan,Taiwan and India well know the risk and the danger that China poses to the whole world. China must understand that in order to develop further and to be considered developed, it must get rid of its dependence on the age old policy of fear and intimidation and must start embracing the concepts of free speech and religious tolerance. Until and unless this happens, the other countries would soon become developed long before China has. Take a look at Japan,in spite of its connection to the war time atrocities, today Japan is accepted as a widely developed country and one that is also highlighted as a model of development. Take a look at India, with so much baggage and so much poverty, India is growing much faster than all the other developed countries put together and is already three quarters of the way to getting that label 'developed'. China,on the other hand,if it keeps on suppressing its own people, would soon find itself in very hot waters, not the kind that one would find at a spa, but one that preempts a revolution. All I can say to any Chinese reading this is to batter down, because a storm is indeed coming and it is heading for the Chinese mainland!

Russia and China block the Iran sanctions!

This is not exactly a surprising news, is it? Both Russia and China have enormous economic capital invested in Tehran and they know that if the U.N were to apply any economic sanction of any kind on Iran, they both face huge losses as well as the loss of lucrative oil contracts.
This does bring into the question of the 'Multi polar' world versus that of the 'Unipolar' one. Is the United states right in waging an economic war on a single country and expecting all the other nations to follow its lead? Many people may have something very strong kin nature to say to the United states, especially with the way that its foreign policies are being run. The way it is going, it is only a matter of time before the United states sees that it has no friends whatsoever in the International community. Both Russia and China are totally against the imperialistic attitude of the United states. What is more they both together with India are trying to fashion up a multi polar world, one that does heed to the rules of the book. Where the Unites states is concerned, it has long since thrown the book out of the window along with Jimmy carter. The United states has made it clear that it has no intention of being a 'hall monitor' but instead plans to be the bully. And do you want to take an educated guess who is in its headlights, Iran, right in the center of this storm that is yet to blow!

united states,iran,sanction,russia,china,foreign policy,

Bush puts the squeeze on Myanmar!

After George Bush had introduced even more sanctions against Myanmar, the Junta went on a damage control measure aimed at the United states lifting off its sanctions. But their efforts were termed as 'cosmetic' by the White House and rightly so. The Junta seized power even though Aung San Sui Ki clearly won the election by popular mandate, and had ruled Burma with a iron fist for a really long time. The world has decided that enough is enough, especially when the whole world witnessed the ruthless way the Junta attacked the unarmed Buddhist monks. The White House is leading the pack for increasing the squeeze on Myanmar and the whole world agrees that something must be done about Myanmar and that the status quo cannot be allowed to continue any further.
But the dispute is all about what exactly should be done, with the Asian giants, China and India, both refusing to interfere in Myanmarese affairs directly. This refusal stems from the fact that both these Asian giants view Myanmar as a strategic buffer and as such both are at pains to avoid offending the Junta without due cause. Further more, Both the Asian giants and Russia are due to have a trilateral conference very soon and Myanmar sanctions will figure in it. Whatever method is chosen, it will only serve to increase the squeeze on Myanmar, either by way of sanctions or by way of aggressive action on the part of the Asian giants. The Junta can be sure to count its last days in power. It seems that it is true,"absolute power does corrupt absolutely".

myanmar,burma,junta,india,china,

Myanmar security forces kills opposition dissident!

Things are not exactly cool in Myanmar right now especially as the people have got the news that one of the opposition dissidents seems to have been killed by the security forces during interrogation.this only bodes ill for the peace loving people of Myanmar.we have seen how the security people have attacked the unarmed Buddhist monks recently and this killing is only a manifestation of that.most of the World has rightly condemned what is going on in Myanmar right now.but the opinions of the Asian giants,the ones that really matter in Myanmar and the rest of east Asia,the opinions of both Indian and China has been rather muted.
What is more,both countries have been talking to each other and it seems that both the Asian giants as well as Russia will not only not back any moves to sanction Myanmar but will finalise their own policy as far as Myanmar goes.it is in this light that the soon to be held trilateral conference between India,China and Russia should be seen.all the three view Myanmar as their own neighbourhood and the west should well be aware that any move to recreate an Iraq like move will not just be countered with words but with military might of all of the three nations.by the way this is the second such trilateral conference between the three nations.it is not that all the three want the Military Junta to rule Myanmar,it is just that they want a peaceful resolution of matters and a stable handover of power to a democratically elected ruler.the end game is still on!

democracy,myanmar,india,china,russia,

Myanmar-end game begins??

Myanmar a nation that has always stood for peace and democracy-well,that was what it stood for 20 years ago and it has been suffering under the dictatorship of the ruling Junta and now it has all come to a boil.with An Sang Su Chi under a virtual huose arrest the ruling Junta has pretty much had their way until now,keeoing the riches of the land to themselves.is it any wonder that Myanmar is considered to be one of the most corrupt nations in the whole wide world.the people had put up with the ruling Junta and their corrupt practices for so long and they have decided that enough is enough.they want their democratically elected leader An Sang Su Chi to be in power and the Junta to go away.but that is easier said than done.
Now that the Junta has started cracking down on Buddhist monks and protesters alike,killng nearly 9 people in the process,well,the world is watching with horror as this goes on ad it is only a matter of time before intervention takes place.the key question that is doing the rounds in diplomatic circles is will it be India or China that will do the intervention?as it is both the Asian giants have a very close relationship with Myanmar and now the whole world from the Asean group to the United states and now the United nations all are increasing their pressure on both India and China to act and to take whatever action is necessary to take so as to ensure peace and put an end to this violence.
The problem for both India and China is that they both enjoy a close relationship with the Junta and neither wants to change the status quo.what is more,they both see Myanmar as an important allay as well as an essential buffer zone between the two giants.both India and China are enjoying a warming of relations they have not seen in
quite a while.and as such neither wants to upset the regional balance.what is more,both know that any intervention by one will not be seen friendly by the other.it is high time that both of these asian giants got off their high horse and did something to prevent the army slaughtering the monks.if they are not comfortable with the idea of one acting alone then they both can sit down ad talk and do the intervention together!lets see what happens!

myanmar,united states,india,china,junta

The China-Taiwan question?

Is it fair for any large country to threaten its Small neighbour and tell that small country that it considers that country to be a part of its own.we,,what am i talking about?i am talking about the so called 'one china' policy.this policy is so flawed in so many levels that i would not even know where to start.China considers Taiwan to be a part of mainland China itself.and it has made its feelings known to the entire world and has even managed to successfully block Taiwan's bid to become a part of the United nations family.but that has not stopped Taiwan from striving for independence.the world as a whole should stand tall with Taiwan and make it known that the world will not stand for any bullying of any sort.it is high time that China learnt that Taiwan will never be a part of mainland China,no matter how desperately it wants that to happen.

China and Pak area thrilled at the Impasse in India!

Is it any wonder that the recent Nuclear deal problems has brought a cheer in both the Pakistani and the Chinese establishments.it is only to be expected.however the deal only underscores that the west need a counter balance to the growing influence of China in the Asian continent and they see India as the counter weight.of course whether India wants to be sen as that is totally another question?
the way that things are going on,this nuclear deal between India and the United States is sure turning out to be one huge surprise after another!

The India and the U.S tango!

With the nuclear bill now more sure than ever before the tango between the the worlds oldest and the largest democracies has surely began.the United States is now doing its best to wedge open the door to the indian markets for the american companies all in the name of cooperation and the United States for its part is now looking into the tariffs it currently imposes on Indian imports to the United States mainland.so if you are in the United States,you should not be all that surprised if the prices of the curry leaves were to go down.
But the long term goals of the United States is all to clear,with the nuclear deal now almost a certainity,the United States is doing all it can to contain not just Iran[that is a perk rather than a goal] but rather to make sure that not only does it become a very close allay of the next superpower but at the sme time it is making sure that it contains China effectively.almost all thinktanks agree that within the next decade or so,there will be two new superpowers with huge economies far surparssing that of both Europe and the United States,they are both India and China.
the United States is okay with India being a superpower since it is a democracy but when it comes to China,that is a totally different cup of tea.
I am pretty sure that the chinese thinktanks would have come to the same comclusion that it is being contained slowly but effectively by the United States.which is why all of a sudden,China is acting hostile to India vis-a-vis the Indo-china border in Sikkim.just the day before yesterday,the chinese issued a statement of sorts warning the Indians to remove their bunkers or else...that tone itself should convey everything.it seems that the chinese must have got an advance copy of the 123 agreement before the public did and they were none to happy to see that India will become in effect a Nuclear power without all the legal trappings that being a part of the muclear powers club entails initself.of course,China would love to get coasy with India and make sure that the power and the reign that the UniteD States seems to enjoy the world over is brought to a screeching halt.the Russians would like that to happen for their own reasons.the future does hold some intresting times for us,but either way we look at it,the tango between India and the United States is turning into a quatret of sorts with all sorts of bed partners!

india,united states,russia,china,politics,

North Korea de-Fangs!

North Korea has shot down one of its main nuclear reactors,thus giving peace a change as well as the possibility of both Korea's merging into one.but of course thats too far into the future so lets see what happens.anyway for the present moment the chief U.S. nuclear envoy expressed optimism after a day of meetings Tuesday with his North Korean counterpart, saying no new obstacles to progress on disarmament have emerged following Pyongyang's shutdown of its sole operating reactor.
With Pyongyang taking such a move well for one thing Japan as well as South Korea can now rest a little bit easier.of course credit should also go to the Chinese without whom this would not have been possible.now all that remains to be seen is how far would
Pyongyang go to appease the Allied Forces as regards its nuclear arsenal.it is rumored that North Korea has already an operable nuclear bomb.well,now that Pyongyang has taken this step one can only hope that North Korea would continue the rest of the path to peace and prosperity!

Thank god Nixon did not win!

Even today most of the Bangladeshi's are happy that the U.S did not get its way especially during the India-Pakistan war of 1971 which gave independence to Bangladesh from the Pakistani rulers.as foreign policies go by,1971 saw most of the well formed foreign policy plans of Nixon and Henry Kissinger go into the dumps.the Bangladeshi's were suffering under the control of their Pakistani rulers and there were protesting for their independence from their Pakistani rulers.East pakistan as Bangladesh was known then was biting at the reins and things were going from bad to worse with the Pakistani army taking affirmative action against the rebels.
India,being aware of all this wanted a dialogue to be started between the various parties with the hope that peace would prevail.but that proposal did not even get off the ground.in the meanwhile Pakistan which was allied with China was taking serious action against the rebels in East Pakistan,driving the rebels into the Indian territories.Indira[India's prime minister] seeing that India was becoming overcome by the wave of refugees decided to meet with Nixon prior to which she and India had signed an all weather friendship pact with Soviet union.the all too infamous meeting between Indira gandhi,Henry kissinger and Nixon took place in late 1971.the U.S and nixon in particular wanted India to back off East Pakistan so that no war interferes with the U.S plans vis a vis China.but that did not happen.the U.S and Nixon in particular undrestimated Indira gandhi's resolve and the rest is history.Bangladesh got her independence and both India and the Soviet Union can truly be credited for helping her achieve this.all that the U.S did at that time was to vehemently object to the idea of a free Bangladesh,also the U.S asked China to attack India and at the same time the U.S had also sent in one of her warships into the bay of bengal thinking that would be a deterrent to the creation of Bangladesh.of course as history would tel you,the U.S failed miserably in its foreign policy at that time because in one dumb decision by a paranoid president[Nixon] and an arrogant adviser[Kissinger] the U.S managed to rub off India the wrong way,the consequences of that decision still resonates ever so loudly in the sub continent.of course the parameters as well as the players have changed and probably the new generation may not remember much but India and Bangladesh both have a long memory and they are not going to forget what the U.S tried to do in 1971,sacrificing democracy so that the U.S foreign policy vis a vis China would be on track!the recently declassified documents sheds light especially on the Nixon-Indira meetings.

india,united states,pakistan,1971,war,nixon,bangladesh,

Big brother is watching in China!

China has always held 'privacy' down and the latest rules should not come as a suprise to many.according to the latest rules,all bloggers from China are hereby required to register with their real names and addresses.these latest guidelines comes from the 'internet society of China',obviously following government orders.this is contrary to the recent reports that the chinese government was considering lossening up the registration requirements for bloggers.all they have done is to make 'big brother' a reality,which many intrepid chinese are going to have to bear.probably this is done so as to keep track of those who make anti-chinese blogs.big brother or not,this is really a case for the funny farm.how much of the big brother are the chinese bloggers going to take?is 'anonymous' blogging gone forever in China?

the tension factor!

With all the tension that is raging all around us all the time one can only wish that the world was amuch quieter place.but that does not seem to be happening anytime soon.especially with Iran increasing the tension levels in the middle east.
thinngs in the sub continent are not that great either.especially with the recent anti china view proposed by the defense department.but the facts do remain that China is building up her military and they seem to be quite aggresive about it.
the defense department siad in not so many words that if China was to attack any country be it Taiwan or India itself,it can mean only one thing -war.and thats all we need right now.why is it so hard for the people to think of peace?

All about Pax

Well it seems that Pax is the only thing in this world that is hard to maintain,from Africa to India to Iran to China.anyway you look at it it seems that half of the world's population is fighting with itself and the other half is just intrested in sitting on the sidelines to see what is happening.all is going down yet we cannot seem to help ourselves.so is all Pax just a dream to be.
can we truly have a peaceful world or is it just too much for the realpolitik to bring about??