RUSSIAN HISTORY OF OLYMPICS

REVISING RUSSIAN HISTORY

The western view of Russia tends to paint it as a cold war, inhospitable land inhabited by equally taciturn people. Certainly the Cold War increased this distance as the USSR remained inscrutable behind the iron curtain dividing communist countries from western Europe. But Russia’s opening to the world after communism ended in 1991 and its subsequent highly published struggles have begun to create a different view. If the opening ceremony of the fun and more importantly, to reclaim its place as a great power on the world state. The ceremony itself was spectacular as it took us on a brief walk through Russian History. The fireworks and lighting were equally astounding. The piece tag on the game puts Russian ambitions in context $50 billion the most ever spent  in Winter Olympics history, more than four times the initial budget estimate. Critics point to this as proof of Russia’s endemic problems. Then too there is criticism of Russia for its stance on gays. However, very little in the way of protests marred Russia’s Olympic friendly spirit.

Pakistanis are all too aware of the distortions that rewriting history in this way can bring. Refusal to acknowledge our region’s history before the Arab invasion of 712 AD and exclusive focus on the history of Islamic conquests in India have and intolerance. When Russians stray into denying their communist past  they run a similar risk of not learning from history.

TALIBAN WANTS ISLAMIC SOCIETY

TALIBAN WANT A ISLAMIC SOCIETY

It is hard to argue against the notion that Pakistan is a fertile ground for extremist Islam, its causes and conflicts. Pakistan’s status as an ideological state has resulted in the proliferation of Islamic political groups of all kinds. The country’s constitution states that it is an Islamic state, religion is a way of life the indoctrination and no other competing ideology, is allowed. Moreover the national policies since Pakistan’s creation have set the country’s trajectory away from the tolerant, syncretism and peaceful strands of Islam and towards a harsh, literalist and limited version of Islamic values, extremism is also driven by pernicious mix of cultural and religious factors.

Extremists with different strategies flourish in Pakistan, while the writ of the state continues to weaken. Extremists can argue that because Pakistan is an Islamic state, actions aimed at imposing Islamic sharia across the country, even by force of arms are consistent with the writ of the state. The Pakistani Taliban several extremist groups have received state patronage or at least tolerance at one time or another. Others have operated independently or with the support of fellow Islamist groups outside the country. The Pakistani leaders publically flaunt their own piety and support the deeper islamisation of institution and society. The Pakistani state’s approach to militant Islamism is a combination of a state  of denial lack of clarity and intransigence in accepting past strategic mistakes; a specious distinction between good and bad Taliban is still made in official circles, politicians are often part of expedient political alignments with islamist groups etc.

It is somewhat point what pointless, therefore, to keep harping on about the existential threat to Pakistan from extremist violence and terrorism if society itself has stopped viewing the grip of extremism as ultimately self-destructive. Sadly trends do point to the Pakistani state and society continuing in a downward spiral of hate and spite, rage and self pity, poverty and oppression, with all that implies for horrible and troubled future. It is difficult if not impossible, to seed how the Pakistani state and society can disengage itself from the suffocating embrace of extremism, generally it would require that society abandon grievance settle its differences and join its talents energies and resources in a common Endeavour to combat extremism for its own sake and by its own choice. The state has to stop projecting Pakistan as a citadel of Islam, and must curtail the freedom of organization, funding and movement of extremists. The political will has to be found to firmly push back against the religious groups who are demanding the establishment of a theocratic state. Another step should be to rally the public behind the broader rollback of religious legislation that strengthens religious absolutism and obscurantism, at the expense of individual rights, freedom and liberty.

As a result, there is no guarantee that it will work but looking at the fundamental trend lines in Pakistan, it is hard to be optimistic if things continue the way, Taliban are now.

PAKISTAN WAITING PEACE WITH TALIBAN

PAKISTAN WAITING FOR PEACE.

The government of Pakistan for the first time, nominated a negotiating team. Pakistani Taliban are not the same as the Afghanistan Taliban. The latter consider themselves to be freedom fighters working to rid their country of foreign occupies.

The Pakistani Taliban on the other hand are purely local movement. Based largely in the northern western KPK province, they want to see an Islamic system of government installed in Pakistan. The reject the Pakistani constitution and the democratic system of Pakistani government in general. They have waged a campaign of terror over the years. Their suicide bombers have killed maimed tens of thousands of innocent Pakistan civilians. They have attacked military bases destroying aircraft and equipments. Army convoys have been ambushed and bombed.

The current love fest seems to have made more progress. the general public is watching all this with somewhat bemused disbelief. They know as would any objective observer with common sense that there is no common ground. And they also know that in the end of the Taliban will have to be defeated on the battleground, no in the conference room.

What does Pakistan’s powerful army make of all this? They have not sensibly expressed their preferences in public. But it is not hard to imagine that they are raring to have a go at their noir and would like nothing better than a clean, unrestricted mandate from the civilian administration to use whatever means necessary to achieve this objective.

The Pak army has proved that it has the ability will and firepower to extirpate the Taliban. The last time they received a clear mandate to do so was in 2009 when the Taliban and affiliated groups had occupied the Swat district. Within a few weeks they defeated and evicted the occupiers, enforced the government‘s writ and allowed hundreds of thousands of refugees to return to their homes. But for the time being at least it seems that Pakistanis are going to have to wait and see the outcome of the government’s negotiations with the Taliban and what will be discussed?

Drone Strikes Decline

Drone Strikes on the decline?

It is becoming increasingly clear that president Hamid Karzai will not sign the US Afghan Bilateral Security agreement before presidential elections in April. This poses a major dilemma for the White House, which must decide whether to make contingency plans for a small residual force should afghan approval be forthcoming at a later date or plan a full withdrawal. But the implications run much deeper as to both the US ‘s legal rationale for its war on alQaeda and the US ‘s ability to carry out drone operation in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

If the White House is forced to commit to a total with drawl by the end of 2014, the US will  lose its last remaining zone of active hostilities in the war with alQaeda. In this way the legal rationale for drone strikes in Pakistan. Yemen and Somalia will be completely untethered from any traditional war theater. This bodes ill for the continued ability of the Obama administration to wage drone warfare without incurring massive reputational damage to the United States. Without good options elsewhere, US drone operations in the tribal areas will be seriously circumscribed, if not altogether curtailed.

The United States will use lethal force only against a target that poses a continuing imminent threat to US persons. In the absence of such a threat, the US will forgo the use of lethal force. However a leading human rights. Intended or not the switch in the operative language is cause for concern as US interests could be stretched indefinitely to render a much wider swath of individuals targetable for drone strikes. What is important, however is whether the administration adopts an expansive or narrow interpretation of its own policy guidelines. With such elastic concepts as imminence and US interests determining who is targetable, White House can opt to keep the US on permanent war footing long past the Iraq and Afghan Wars if it so chooses.

The legal advice included the striking conclusion that should a UK person share intelligence with the US with the knowledge that such intelligence could be used for a drone strike, that person might be criminally liable as an access story to murder under UK law. What effect it will have on intelligence cooperation is nuclear but the implications of business as usual have been rendered transparent. The White House can put forth dubious legal justifications for its drone operations, but that will  not prevent close allies from risking criminal liability should they continue to cooperate with United State.  

However US allies especially in Europe have long castigated the US for its global war on terror and parted ways with successive White Houses over the applicable legal framework. 

UNESCO established Malala Fund

UNESCO issued Malala fund for girl’s education.

The director of UNESCO signed the Malala funds in Trust agreement to support better access improved quality and safe learning environment for girls in the hard to reach areas of Pakistan.

The funds in trust will focus on building up capacities in both formal and informal education, from gender sensitive training for teachers to awareness rising in communities to support girls education.

UNESCO and government of Pakistan  in December when the Malala fund for girls right to education was announced.

Girls education is one of the most powerful forces for human dignity. It is a human rights issue and a breakthrough strategy for human development and peace. There is  no better long term investment a country can make to foster social inclusion, justice, equity and economic growth.

The right accorded to girls in Islam are absolutely equal to those of boys. Education in today’s world is not a choice but a fundamental right of every child. Families want to send girls to school but they want safe, quality education for their girls. Schools need to be located closer to families and sharper policies in place to reach the unreached.

With the Malala fund programme implemented in Pakistan we intend to narrow that gap to 5 percent in 3 years. UNESCO and commitment to increase education spending from 2 percent to 4 percent of GDP along with the development of a national plan of action to define targeted initiative. 

Cancer will be common till 2030

CANCER CASES SET TO RISE BY HALF BY 2030.

New cases of cancer will rise by half of 2030, reaching million per year compared to 14 million in 2012, according to a UN report.

Cancer deaths meanwhile, will likely rise from 9 million to 15 million per year as the world’s population grows and ages and more people adopt risky lifestyle habits.

It took aim at Big Tobacco saying its sales drive was inextricably linked to a likely surge in lung cancer.

It is the first such overviews in six years, WHO, director said the overall impact from cancer would unquestionably hit developing countries the hardest. These nations are already grappling with poverty associated cancers caused by infection or disease. The particularly heavy burden projected to fall on low and  middle income countries makes it implausible to treat our way out of cancer, even the highest income countries will struggle to cope with the spiraling costys of treatment and care. Cancer overtook heart disease as the number one cause of death in the world in 2011. New cases will likely rise to 19.5 million in 2025, with 12 million deaths.

In men cancer most often attacked the lungs followed by the prostate, colorectum, stomach and liver.

For women, cancer was most common in the breast, colorectum, lung, cervix, and stomach.

Measured as a proportion of the population however high income countries in north America and western Europe as a Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand had higher fugures. Cancers of the breast, colorectum and prostate are more typical of the industrialized world and those of the liver, stomach and esophagus are also more common in the low income countries. 

US Warns Russia about Suicide Bombs

The US warns Russia for Bomb during Olympic

The Unites States has warned to airports and some airlines flying to Russia for the Olympics to watch for toothpaste tubes that could hold  ingredients to make a bomb on a plan.

It is said that Russian forces are on high alert to head off possible attacks at the Winter Olympic Games, which begin on Friday in Sochi. But at meanwhile, some of US politicians have expressed concern about security at the Black Sea resort, but US president has told that Sochi is safe. But suicide bombers killed 34 people in the Russian city of Volgograd 700km northeast of Sochi, during last December 2013. The attacks raised fears of violence at the Olympics.

In 2009 a Nigerian man tried to set off an explosive hidden in his underwear aboard a US bound airline. In 2001 a man tried to blow up a jumbo jet with explosives in his shoes, according the media reports.