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[1] From: "C.K. Vishwanath" <ck_vishwanath2000@yahoo.com> Date: Wed Nov 23, 2005 Subject: Re: [indiathinkersnet] National Youth Project at JNU, New Delhi the deep rooted pragmatic attitude is nothingelse but a clear cut ideology of statusquo --- vimal khawas <vimalkhawas@...> wrote: > QUOTE: > > "each and every product of globalisation should be > diverted towards the goodness of mankind but the > same ------------------------------- [2] From: Sukla Sen <suklasen@yahoo.com> Date: Wed Nov 23, 2005 Subject: Changing Profile of India's Elite "Nationalism" http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1304470.cms LEADER ARTICLE: Go Beyond The USA P R Chari The Indo-US relationship has proceeded at a furious pace over these past few months. A review of the relationship would, therefore, not be out of place. It started with Condoleezza Rice's visit to New Delhi in March this year when she expressed the US desire to help India achieve major world power status and stressed the need for an energy dialogue. This was followed by the new framework for the US-India defence relationship agreement signed on June 28,completion of the next steps in strategic partnership, and finalisation of the George Bush-Manmohan Singh joint agreement on July 18. The joint pact includes their nuclear deal that is the focus of controversy in both countries. This was followed by India's surprise vote in the IAEA on September 24 along with the western nations; it envisages that Iran would be referred to the Security Council if it did not satisfactorily account for its suspect nuclear activities. The foreign secretary, in a public address delivered on October 24, clarified India's current perceptions regarding nuclear non-proliferation and international security. Given the tradition of secrecy in the Indian bureaucracy, this effort to enlarge the public discourse is intriguing. But it must be welcomed as a long-overdue attempt to bring greater transparency into Indian foreign policy. How does all this contribute to an improved understanding of the present state of Indo-US relations? Left parties and their supporters in the media and academia are ideologically opposed to everything American, and to any effort by India to improve its ties with the US. However, there is a vague and widespread sense of unease over the rapid progression in this bilateral relationship. Why? Foreign policy establishments are supposedly immune to sentiments, but are guided by cold calculations of national interests. And, there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests. The growing cordiality between India and the US can be evaluated from two angles. First, a counter-factual question ??” For how long must the world's oldest and largest democracies remain estranged? Realists are agreed that a common dedication to democracy is a weak foundation on which to premise bilateral relations, which could come under strain when vital national interests are at stake. Besides, the aggressive promotion of democracy is a contradiction in terms, as democracy requires the exercise of free choice. However, the Bush administration has anointed democracy as a national value for active pursuit abroad to combat terrorism, since democracy and terrorism are antithetical to each other. India is agreeable to this approach ??” witness its recent involvement with the UN Democracy Fund, designed to spread democracy throughout the world. Another counter-factual comes to mind: Why should India desist from taking advantage of the US desire to elevate it to a major world power and fashion a new balance of Asian powers? Does it not serve India's national interests if the US promotes India and Japan to balance China? Energy security becomes a crucial element in this scheme of things; China and India will become the two largest energy consumers by 2020, and also emerge as the second and third largest economic powers in the world, after the US. Easing India's access to nuclear technology, materials and equipment is the leitmotif of the Indo-US nuclear deal, which advances India's quest for energy security and sustains its rapid economic growth. Nevertheless, its increasing dependence on oil and gas from the Gulf region cannot be ignored. It could, therefore, be argued that suspicions about improvement in Indo-US relations are plainly misconceived. Is this an overstatement? The nature of the emerging concert of global powers needs to be recognised to answer that question. It is plainly apparent that the US occupies the apex of national power within the inter-national system in all its dimensions ??” economic, political, military, nuclear, technological, even pop-cultural. However, China is a revisionist world power with clear superpower ambitions. Its economy would exceed that of the US by 2050. India's bilateral trade with China could exceed its trade with the US by 2010. India's trade with the European Union is already more than that with the US. Its commercial ties with South East Asia are rapidly on the increase. These are new realities that must guide India's foreign policy and strategic calculations of its national self-interest. What does all this mean? While Indo-US relations are clearly of the essence, India's ties with China, Russia, the European Community and Japan need equal attention and nourishment. Multilateralism in the international system has become the zeitgeist. In this milieu, the Bush administration's addiction to unilateralism is clearly unviable. India must bear this in mind to avoid errors of singularity and over-commitment in foreign policy. The writer is with the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. -------------------- [3] From: Sukla Sen <suklasen@yahoo.com> Date: Wed Nov 23, 2005 Subject: China Clamps Censorship on Internet HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH China: End Censorship of Internet New Regulations a Major Step Backward (New York, September 28, 2005)-The Chinese government should repeal laws and regulations aimed at complete government control of the Internet, Human Rights Watch said today. Leaders of democracies must press President Hu Jintao at every meeting to adhere to international standards on freedom of _expression and to tear down its Internet "firewall." http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/09/28/china11798_txt.htm -------------------------- [4] From: Sukla Sen <suklasen@yahoo.com> Date: Wed Nov 23, 2005 Subject: Al-Jazeera investigates 'bombing' memo Al-Jazeera investigates 'bombing' memo Dominic Timms Guardian Unlimited (www.guardian.co.uk) Tuesday November 22, 2005 Arabic TV news channel al-Jazeera has called on the US and UK governments to provide a "good explanation" for comments allegedly made by George Bush about a plan to bomb its Qatar headquarters. Today's Daily Mirror claims that a leaked memo shows that the US president considered bombing al-Jazeera's offices in Doha, the capital of Qatar, at the height of last year's Iraqi insurgency in Fallujah. Al-Jazeera said it was still investigating the validity of the memo and whether the US president was "serious" about his alleged comments or not, but warned that if it was credible it was a "bad day" for news organisations worldwide. "We are still investigating the credibility and the contents of the document and in the absence of comment from Downing Street we are slightly cautious," the al-Jazeera London bureau chief, Yofri Fouda, said. "We certainly hope it's not true, but if it turns out to be true it would be horrific and bad news not only for al-Jazeera but for every news organisation around the world," he added. "We hope Downing Street or the White House comes up with a good explanation - either denying the memo exists or if it is true, that the president was at least joking." Mr Fouda said if details about the alleged memo were correct, it would throw into question US explanations about attacks on its Kabul and Baghdad offices in 2001 and 2003. "It will cast even more doubt on the circumstances surrounding previous incidents," he said. Mr Fouda said al-Jazeera wrote an official letter to the Pentagon at the start of the 2003 Iraq war, detailing the locations of its offices. "Our Doha office is a one storey building located in the middle of nowhere. It would be incredibly easy to knock out," he added. Quoting unnamed sources, the paper claims the US president was "deadly serious" about the plan, which he allegedly talked about at a face-to-face meeting with Tony Blair in April last year, but backed down after pressure from the UK prime minister. The US has long criticised al-Jazeera. During the Iraq war of 2003, the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, accused the broadcaster of "consistently lying" and "working in concert with terrorists". ?· To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email editor@... or phone 020 7239 9857 ?· If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1648387,00.html ------------------ [5] From: Hussain Hyder Ali Khowaja <hhalik@yahoo.com> Date: Wed Nov 23, 2005 Subject: FW: Encarta integration with messenger Dear Colleagues, Follow the step for Encarta integration with messenger 1. Open MSN Messenger and sign in. 2. Add Encarta as a contact: encarta@... 3. Double click Encarta from your Contact List. 4. Ask a question! regards Hussain Hyder Ali Khowaja URL: www.hhalik.cjb.net Email: hhalik@... Cellular: 0044 (0) 7951 434197 ---------------- [6] From: Regi P George <george_regi@yahoo.com> Date: Wed Nov 23, 2005 2:09pm Subject: WTO: A Decade of Imperialist Onslaught on World People WTO: A Decade of Imperialist Onslaught on World People The establishment of World Trade Organization (WTO) on January, 1 1995 as the outcome of the prolonged Uruguay Round of GATT talks (1986-94) parallels neoliberal globalization initiated by US led imperialism in the post-cold war period http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mahajanapada ----------------------------------- [7] From: yogi sikand <ysikand@yahoo.com> Date: Wed Nov 23, 2005 Subject: Interview: Muslims in Gujarat Today: Shakeel Ahmad (Islamic Relief Committee, Ahmedabad) Shakeel Ahmad is the Administrator of the Cell for Legal Help and Guidance of the Jama???at-I Islami??™s Gujarat unit and is also the head of the Islamic Relief Committee, based in Ahmedabad. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand, he talks about inter-community relations in Gujarat. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mahajanapada/message/8402 |
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November27, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net] Chennai issues,Nukes.... (by Sukla Sen) >> |
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