WHO BENEFITS FROM FALSE FLAG OPERATIONS IN INDIA AND GEORGIA By Niloufer Bhagwat

WHO BENEFITS FROM FALSE FLAG OPERATIONS IN INDIA AND GEORGIA

 

                                                      Niloufer Bhagwat

 

 Within a few minutes of the blast in New Delhi allegedly  on the car  of a staff member of  the Israeli embassy , it was announced that Iran and the Lebanese resistance movement  Hezbollah, were behind the attac.The incident  reveals that  American and Israeli governments among others, renowned for their false flag operations around the world on their own citizens and citizens of other countries, are from sheer exhaustion from their repetitive covert acts in so many countries, losing the touch of the ' Master's Hand' ,and every succeeding operation appears to be more and more botched , crude and a give away .A necessary  question , even as we explore the possibilities , at the very outset of  the  criminal investigation  is , who benefits? The answer in the case of the New Delhi  and  Georgia  blasts is obvious , the beneficiaries are those who have imposed sanctions on Iran as a prelude to attack .

 

Georgia is to be a part of the coalition of the willing,  for attacks on Iran and Syria after recent confabulations in Washington  . India for reasons of its own energy life line , and  not out of  any moral or legal objections ,  not  having joined in the illegal sanctions regime imposed on Iran, is sought to be  pressurized , as successive governments in India normally  bend over backwards to accommodate USA-UK-Israeli interests, ever since 'neo-liberalism' and   what is known as the 'Washington Consensus' was implemented in India . In the circumstances it  is necessary to artificially create public opinion by covert acts for propaganda, using  long time agents being  interviewed on diverse channels of  the corporate  media, or planting articles in the press , in an attempt  to influence  public opinion ,to prepare for the possibility of severing  all trade relations with Iran, though  India will lose out as much as  Iran . It cannot be ruled out that such are the pressures in the onward march to war ,with the desperation of bankers and financiers fearing an imminent collapse of the dollar and the Euro .

 

 

It is irrelevant who planted the bomb, what is material are who are the  conspirators behind the scenes .The Israeli lobby in India  is one and  the same as the lobby of the  United States of America and UK . Israel being  a creation of  Anglo-Saxon  Banking and political  interests,(  as per the communication addressed to a prominent Banker by a member of the British Cabinet when Britain planned the creation of the State of Israel )  and a military outpost of the Empire. Within Israel there is a not only apartheid practiced against Arab citizens  who are the original inhabitants , the non Ashkenazi's or Sephardic citizens of Israel from Asia and Africa , are also  lesser citizens in formulating policy . Therefore Israel's umbilical cord with NATO . It is universally known that the  financial subsidies which facilitate settlements and ongoing colonization of the region originate in Washington , with inter-connectivity between the Israeli weapons industry and major US Arms and Security Companies.

 

 It was not surprising that  the corporate and print media in India swiftly gave  reactions on TV and in the print media , of those known to be openly partisan to the cause of Israel  , without any investigation  whatsoever by any agency being completed . These propagandists echoed the  statement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who did not even have a fig leaf to cover his false propaganda  that Iran and the Hezbollah were responsible.When it is widely known in all knowledgeable circles that the Hezbollah does not operate or function beyond the borders of Lebanon  and in its vicinity,  and is primarily a resistance movement of Lebanon .The history of car bombings would reveal that from Ireland to elsewhere , including occupied countries like Iraq, countries targeted  like Libya and Syria , the killings of Chilean diplomats associated with the late  President Allende's government , among several such  incidents all over the world ,that  it is the usual suspects who plan these cowardly attacks as a part of their policy to  traumatize and terrorize the world.

 

   It is necessary to remember that car bombings have invariably been  instruments of the covert fascist extreme right wing , which is by ideology  anti-humanity , therefore the costs in terms of human lives are never calculated . The costs were not calculated in Ireland and has been the subject matter of several inquiries and investigations . We have seen the bomb blasts in occupied Iraq to kill , maim and spread fear to enable  societal control by occupation forces , deliberately   murdering  innocent citizens of all denominations to incite sectarian warfare ; the  recent murder of scientists in Iran, and the bombing of buildings with hostages inside the building by so called opposition forces in  Syria ,among other acts in several countries .We have seen bombings, killing and maiming in India , to spread an atmosphere of fear and loathing, when religious strife was attempted to be fostered in India . In every single case the question must always be ," WHO BENEFITS"?

 

   It is clear from the extension of covert acts to India and Georgia among other countries, that  the sanctions and oil embargo imposed on Iran and earlier on Libya and Iraq , had as its objectives not the economic devastation of  these countries alone,  but was  a declaration of war on the energy life line, and commercial and trade interests  of more than one country in pursuit of a currency and  financial war on Asia and other regions of the world . If this is  not understood in  all its ramifications , there is  a catastrophe ahead  not only for Asia , Africa and Latin America, but equally for the majority of  citizens of North America and Europe, bleeding through war and banking frauds.There will be no deliverance from the economic apocalypse facing North America and Europe,  unless the military machine of NATO is halted in its tracks  , as this machine has been set in motion by the bankers and fraudsters protecting themselves at the cost of the destruction of the rest of humanity ,which includes their own compatriots .

 

 The Third World War which has begun ,aims to pauperize and  bring to its knees not one country  or one region alone . This is a war on the rest of the world  by NATO on behalf of financial interests and  those financing this war and actively promoting it,  include members of the Gulf Co-operation Council .It is a sign of the times , the capitulation of practically every single organ of the United Nations , that Navi Pillay, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights has not addressed a single General Assembly on the human rights violations of countries occupied by NATO and its allies or targeted for occupation,and ignored the collective murder and destruction  perpetrated by Israel on the Palestinian people .

India-Iranian Relations: Key Security Implications - By Ronak D. Desai & Xenia Dormandy

http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/India%20Iran%20Brief-%20Final%204.pdf


PROJECT ON INDIA AND THE SUBCONTINENT

Robert and Renée Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL

India-Iranian Relations: Key Security Implications
 

While India and the United States have embarked on a campaign to strengthen their bilateral relations, as symbolized by the proposed U.S.-India civilian nuclear deal, it appears as though New Delhi has similarly begun to pursue a more robust relationship with another major power: Iran. The two states have recently expanded cooperation in a number of key areas, including counter-terrorism, regional stability, and energy security. What are the implications of this “New Delhi-Tehran Axis” for the United States, and how should Washington respond to growing ties between India and Iran?
 
BACKGROUND
 
India and Iran speak often about the “civilization ties” that have bound the two countries for more than a millennium. The two states enjoyed strong bilateral relations following India’s independence, overcoming such obstacles as Cold War superpower politics and Iran’s relationship with India’s arch-rival, Pakistan. The 9/11 attacks on the United States, however, changed the context in which Indo-Iran ties had previously operated. South Asia was suddenly brought to the forefront of prominence within the broader context of the global war on terrorism, causing considerable concern in both India and Iran. India watched Washington resuscitate its relationship with Islamabad, while Iran witnessed the United States dramatically expand its military footprint in the region by invading Iraq and Afghanistan.
 
Already unsettled by the United States’ military strength as the world’s sole superpower, India and Iran have anxiously watched as Washington’s influence in the region has increased further. At the same time, New Delhi and Tehran have sought to strengthen their bilateral relationship: in 2003, the two signed the “New Delhi Declaration,” which set forth a vision of a bilateral “strategic partnership.”
 
CURRENT SITUATION
 
Relations between India and Iran are far-reaching and multi-dimensional. The two states have recognized that they have a lot to offer one another and have acted to expand cooperation in a number of key areas.
 

Energy Security: Given its exhaustive energy needs coupled with the lack of its own reserves, India is one of the world’s largest energy importers. New Delhi and Tehran have explored various methods to get Iran’s abundant hydrocarbon reserves to India. In 2005, the two nations unveiled ambitious plans for an Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) Gas Pipeline that would run directly from Tehran to New Delhi through Pakistan. 

Proponents of the pipeline contend that it would not only help meet India’s growing energy demands, but would also give the countries involved—especially India and Pakistan—a stake in regional peace, possibly reducing the threat of conflict between the two states. Plans to move forward with the project, however, have stalled. Iran’s insistence that the price of gas being sold to India be renegotiated every five years, coupled with a dispute with Pakistan over transit fees, has prompted India to opt out of the current round of trilateral talks on the pipeline. New Delhi has said it is still interested in pursuing the deal but is likely to wait and see how the precarious political situation in Pakistan unfolds before resuming negotiations.
 
Political & Strategic Considerations: Political considerations have also motivated stronger Indo-Iran ties. Communal tension and violence between Hindus and Muslims have risen in some areas of India over the past decade. India’s growing relationships with Israel and the United States and the domestic criticism it has engendered have prompted India to reinforce its ties with the Muslim world. Because it lies on Pakistan’s western border, Iran also presents a potential strategic advantage for India.
 
A close political relationship with New Delhi is similarly attractive, if not necessary, for Tehran. Following Iran’s designation as a member of the “axis-of-evil” in 2002, the United States has aggressively sought Iran’s international isolation. Close ties with a key regional, and increasingly global, power such as India could help Iran resist its “rogue” status and overcome Washington’s efforts in this regard. India has repeatedly urged a peaceful, diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear program and has largely resisted American pressure to reduce its ties with Tehran.
 
Counter-terrorism and Regional Stability: The New Delhi Declaration called for the two states to “broaden their strategic collaboration in third countries,” a clear reference to Afghanistan. The Taliban’s ascension to power in Kabul caused deep concern in both India and Iran. Both countries face a serious challenge from the threat of Wahhabist extremism, especially from Afghanistan. Thus, the two states welcomed the Taliban’s demise in October 2001 and made Afghanistan’s reconstruction and stability a common, critical goal. India and Iran have since established working groups on terrorism and counter-narcotics; both these initiatives focus on al-Qaeda. Additionally, the two countries have continued to work to counter Sunni militant threats in the region and have expressed a mutual preference for a comprehensive convention against international terrorism at the United Nations.
 
Defense Cooperation: One of the most significant provisions of the New Delhi Declaration sought to upgrade defense cooperation significantly between the two countries. Sea-lane control and security, as well as discomfort with the emerging presence of the United States in the Persian Gulf, were partially responsible for Indo-Iranian naval exercises in March 2003 and again in 2006. Defense cooperation beyond this, however, has been sporadic and low-level. Expectations that India would assist Iran in upgrading its Russian-made defense system have not yet come to fruition. Cooperation in this area seems to represent generally strong Indo-Iranian relations rather than a broader defense alliance.
 

POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR THE UNITED STATES
 
Strengthening Indo-Iranian ties has far-reaching implications for India’s bilateral relations with the United States:
•
Growing Indo-Iranian ties may potentially complicate New Delhi’s new “strategic partnership” with Washington. Although the Bush Administration and Congress ultimately moved forward with the historic civilian nuclear deal, India’s ties with Iran have influenced how some American policymakers evaluate U.S.-India relations.
•
As Washington’s most important strategic ally in the Middle East, Israel’s safety and security remains a top U.S. priority. The cornerstone of the Indo-Israeli strategic partnership is military and defense cooperation. India’s decision to launch the Israeli Tescar spy satellite in January 2008 indicates New Delhi’s potential willingness to enhance Israel’s security vis-à-vis Iran, especially with regard to Iran’s nuclear program.
•
If the United States reaches a point at which it will engage Iran in some capacity, India could provide a helpful role. New Delhi’s close relationship with Iran, the United States, and Israel puts it in a unique position as a potential intermediary, similar to China’s role in the Six Party Talks with North Korea.
 
RECOMMENDATIONS
 
Because of Iran’s strategic importance and its own goal of ensuring a stable energy, it is difficult for New Delhi to abandon its relationship with Tehran. India should therefore pursue the following policy objective:
•
Distinguish sharply between Iran’s nuclear position and other areas of cooperation. While India will continue cooperation with Iran in pursuit of its own national interests, New Delhi should make it clear that it will continue to strongly support American efforts to bring Iran into legal compliance over its nuclear program. Voting against Iran in the IAEA for failing to satisfy its international obligations over its nuclear program, while simultaneously resisting American pressure to abandon the IPI gas pipeline project, is an effective illustration of New Delhi pursuing such a nuanced foreign policy.
 
Given that New Delhi is unlikely to totally sacrifice its energy and strategic interests with Tehran for its relationship with Washington, the United States should also adopt a more nuanced foreign policy towards India. The United States should therefore pursue the following policy priorities:
•
Refrain from publicly expressing disapproval of Indo-Iranian ties except in areas that directly impact U.S. security, such as Iran’s nuclear and military expertise and concrete defense enhancements. Such prioritizing takes into account India’s national interests and independence but at the same time fulfills principal U.S. objectives.
•
Explore the possibility of using India as a mediator between Washington and Tehran in relation to the nuclear question. Doing so would convey to New Delhi that Washington genuinely considers India a rising power with a role to play in international affairs, a recognition New Delhi has sought to secure.
 
by Ronak D. Desai & Xenia Dormandy

IS THIS AN ISRAELI SELF-GOAL TO DIVIDE INDIA AND IRAN? By Ghulam Muhammed

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Letter to the Editor:

IS THIS AN ISRAELI SELF-GOAL TO DIVIDE INDIA AND IRAN?

The first time ever use of 'limpet mine' in India, points to a foreign agency hand in the attack on an Israeli diplomatic vehicle, carrying an Israeli citizen, in the heart of Indian capital, New Delhi. As Indian Express as well as Ronen Bergman in New York Times has mentioned, 5 Iranian nuclear scientist had met their fate in the similar 'limpet mine' car blow-outs, and Iran has accused Israeli agency Mossad for the terrorist attacks on its scientists. Now Israel is blaming Iran for New Delhi terror attack. In fact, the ‘limpet mine’ has been known to be favorite Mossad instrument of assassination in the Middle East.

While as a knee-jerk reaction, Indian Government and Indian media, spearheaded by TIMES NOW and its over-smart anchor Arnab Goswami, has been widely repeating the Israeli charges, India should be very cautious in handing this very delicate situation, as its own interest in dealings with Iran, are at stake and that is the main reason, both US and Israel are pressurizing India -- without any regard or reference to an independent India' own economic and global interests.

A Times of India report, filed by its US correspondent, highlights how Israeli/American Jewish lobby in the US is building up pressure on India to force it to tow their line of antagonistic and warmongering agenda in the neighborhood of India.

India, its political analysts, its media and its people should be fully aware and vigilant about a war in our neighborhood that my cost us dearly, if things go wrong. It may be a very disastrous and damaging affair. Both  the US and Israel are hell-bent on abusing India's friendship and its vast resources, to carry on their own hegemonic agenda around the world, including the Gulf, South East and Far East --- all in the bogus pretext of their own self-serving security parameters. The canvas of their agenda is very vast and India will have to decide from very beginning, if its baby steps to humor the West and Israel may result it to desperately run a forced marathon to the last mile, that would change India for good. A hundred year struggle to free India from the clutches of foreign colonial powers may end up again in enslaving of a billion Indians.

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
<ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com>

BJP's 'dirty picture' - By Seema Mustafa - THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL - MUMBAI

http://freepressjournal.in/news/47720-bjp-s-dirty-picture.html

BJP's 'dirty picture'

• India
• Feb 13, 2012

FRANKLY SPEAKING BY SEEMA MUSTAFA

The filth that has crept into the party is a natural corollary of its anti- women, communal and divisive agenda
 
Is there a contradiction between an individual who insists that women should be fully clad in public, and watches pornography whenever he gets a chance? Actually not, as the first follows the second with both indicative of a dirty mind that treats women like objects and commodities to be used and discarded at will.

The three Ministers caught watching pornography in the Karnataka Assembly are all members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, clearly 'respected'by their senior colleagues.

It would have been a surprise had they been members of any other party, as the filth that has crept into the BJP is a natural corollary of its anti- women, communal, and divisive agenda. Right wing politics of the BJP kind breeds dirt that then spreads to a point where deviant criminal behaviour is accepted, and perhaps even perceived, as normal.

One would expect a political party calling itself national, and aspiring to be in government at the Centre as well, to have taken immediate action against the three Ministers - Laxman Savadi, J Krishna Palemar and C C Patil - instead of hedging bets. The resignations came only after the Opposition created a ruckus and it became very clear to the party and its government in Karanataka that the three men, close to a corrupt mining mafia in the state, were left with no choice in the matter. Even so it was really sad to see BJP spokespersons fielding questions on television, and instead of going all out to condemn the Ministers seeking refuge in the usual " let there be an enquiry, let the Speaker ( of the state Assembly) decide." The men in question claimed that they were 'working'and not watching a pornographic clip on their mobile telephones.

But the explanation made matters even worse because they said they were watching a gang rape that has the nation up in arms. The BJP remains reluctant to castigate these men, and to throw them out of the party. And even if it does so at the end of the day, the reluctance to do so has sent shock waves through the country.

BJP President Nitin Gadkari seems to be sheltering all that is criminal and deviant in the party. The mining mafia in Karnataka has a good representation in the state government, and many say these men call the shots at every level. They keep the political parties in good funds, and protect their own against any action. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is another case in point, with the BJP with support from several corporate honchos and sections of the media, insisting that he was 'innocent'of any involvement in the Gujarat violence where women were brutally raped and killed all over the state. This kind of mentality, protected and sheltered and nurtured, leads to the kind of behaviour that was captured on cameras in the Assembly.

The lack of remorse is amazing.

These men are elected representatives of the people, sworn to uphold the Indian Constitution and the rule of law.

Instead they violate the law at every step. Be it attacking young women for wearing jeans or watching pornography or as one of the Ministers had earlier gone on record to maintain that women should dress properly or they would invite rape. That comment should have been enough for the BJP to initiate action against him at the time, but then how can it when it endorses the same thinking and mindset.

It seems that all that is base and viciously anti- woman is drawn to the BJP. This is but natural as somehow right wing ideology of the kind espoused by many of our political parties and groups encourages such positions.

Fiscal growth that makes our Prime Minister very happy does not turn into mental growth at any level, as the status of women in India continues to be dismal. The murder of young women for making their own choices in Haryana and the role of Khap Panchayats in determining their fate has gone unchallenged. Both the Congress and the BJP, for the sake of votes, have kept quiet when confronted with this local form of bestiality, with the result that the killers have remained outside the law. And in fact, the mindset has been strengthened because of this support to a point where many young people have had to flee their homes to escape Khap Panchayat trials, and almost certain death.

Instead of scoring brownie points as the Congress seems to be doing, the political parties should take the lead in launching a massive movement for the true empowerment of women through the universal principles of justice and equality.

But clearly this is like asking for the moon, as these same political parties have totally failed to accommodate even 33 per cent women within their organizations as a first step to ensuring similar reservation for women in the Legislatures. Women activists are usually ignored by the political parties with only relatives of known male politicians getting nominations to fight the elections. Others who have managed to contest an election or two speak of harrowing experiences, with every political step fraught with humiliation and uncertainty.

Even while writing this one has received a mail about the dipping sex ratio in Gujarat. Of the 956 girls for every 1000 boys in the zero to six year age group in 1961, modern Gujarat under the great administrator Modi now has a ratio at 886 per 1000 boys according to the 2011 census. In other words, instead of moving ahead we are moving backwards, and instead of ensuring a place for our girls in the sun are ensuring that they are moved into the backwaters, discriminated and forgotten.

FRANKLY SPEAKING - SEEMA MUSTAFA

Comments posted on Facebook over BBC’s story on : Rashid Ghannouchi on Britain, Islam and liberal democracy By Mukul Devichand BBC Radio 4:

On his visit to India and interactions with Muslim groups, Shaikh Raashid Ghannouchi spoke positively on democratic and secular polity of India and wondered why Indian Muslims have not taken the democratic route and participated wholehearted in political field, when the choices are so open and so available. He compared and lamented how Muslims in Arab Middle East has been banned from participating in elections, by the use of so many undemocratic moves by the dictators. He felt India is ripe for Muslims to take part in its mainstream politics and contribute to its development as a just welfare society.

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai

----------------

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16932923

12 February 2012 Last updated at 00:57 GMT

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Rashid Ghannouchi on Britain, Islam and liberal democracy

By Mukul Devichand BBC Radio 4

 

Continue reading the main story

In today's Magazine

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One of the leading ideologues of the modern Muslim world has a vision of a state where respect for Islam and other faiths exists within a secular system - and he points to the UK as a model. But can his words be taken at face value?

Woodville Road in Ealing, West London, is not necessarily the first place you would expect a new future for political Islam to be forged.
But it was partly here, in tree-lined English suburbia, that the softly-spoken Sheikh Rashid Ghannouchi developed a unique set of ideas that are are gaining traction internationally, in the wake of the Arab Spring.

The green lawns of suburban London appear to have been more than just a base for Mr Ghannouchi. He once famously declared that Britain embodied the values of his ideal Islamic state more than most Muslim-majority nations - a shocking statement at a time when many Muslim ideologues saw the West as a mortal enemy.

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“Start Quote

The state should not have anything to do with telling people what to wear, what to eat and drink, what they should believe in”

Rashid Ghannouchi

"We consider that a state is more Muslim, more Islamic, the more it has justice in it," he says.

"When people asked me why I came to Britain, I explained that I was going to a country ruled by a queen where people are not oppressed and where justice prevails."

More than 20 years ago, Mr Ghannouchi - then, as now, Tunisia's leading Islamist ideologue - sought refuge in Britain. He used the time in exile to complete a series of writings arguing that Islam and modern, secular democracy are compatible.

"His views have always been considered quite liberal," says Maha Azzam of the Chatham House think tank in London. "He was able to return after over two decades in exile… and still win the hearts and minds of the young."

In a dramatic sequence of events last year, Tunisia kick-started the Arab Spring by throwing off dictatorship, and then held elections, from which Mr Ghannouchi's party, Ennahda, emerged as the biggest winner.

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Find out more

• Listen to Analysis on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday 12 February at 21:30 GMT

• Download the podcast
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Mr Ghannouchi's writings, have already been required reading by Muslim parties competing in elections and they are now experiencing renewed popularity across large swathes of the Muslim world.

He says he sells more books in Turkey than Tunisia. He is being read in Malaysia's Islamic Party, and his writings are apparently attracting attention among younger members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood as they grow in power.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood recently followed in Ennahda's footsteps, winning a third of the seats in parliamentary elections.

Other Brotherhood-inspired parties hope to benefit if countries elsewhere in the region, such as Yemen and Syria, eventually move towards democracy.

In a detailed interview for the BBC's ideas series, Analysis, Mr Ghannouchi was candid about his ideology and the challenges it now faces.

Tunisia is now drawing up a new constitution and one of the key questions it faces is the role of Islam in the government apparatus. Many want religion to be the basis of the country's law, while others want to see a strict division between religion and state.

"Tunisia's elite is very closely connected to French secularism - the idea that society and state have to be secular and religion has very little role to play in that society," says Maha Azzam of Chatham House.

In pre-revolutionary Tunisia, even the hijab or female headscarf was largely banned.

Mr Ghannouchi argues that Britain's version of secular democracy is more neutral and tolerant than the French, and therefore has some of the answers.

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Ennahda

• Founded in 1981 as the Islamic Tendency Movement, inspired by Muslim Brotherhood
• Changed name to Ennahda - or "Renaissance" - in 1989
• Banned by then-President Ben Ali in 1992; regained legal status in March, 2011

"The type of state we want is one that doesn't interfere in people's private lives," says Mr Ghannouchi.

"The state should not have anything to do with imposing or telling people what to wear, what to eat and drink, what they believe in, what they should believe in."

He says he has no plans to ban bikinis on the beach or the sale of alcohol, for example. "I would prefer it if people didn't do this, but it is up to them," he says.

"His vision for the model of an Islamic nation is built heavily on the idea of values," explains Anas Altikriti, a British Islamist intellectual whose father led the Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq.

Mr Ghannouchi goes back to the values of the Koran rather than a literal reading of it. He then argues that these values - such as justice, public consultation and human rights - are encapsulated in modern democratic states.

But many secular-minded people simply do not trust Rashid Ghannouchi.

"He's just playing on words," says Ibtisam, one of a group of Tunisian feminist law students.

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“Start Quote

For the past 30 years the Muslim Brotherhood has been raising the slogan, 'Islam is the answer' - well now they really need to answer many, many tough questions”

Anas Altikriti British Islamist intellectual

"The danger is that yes, they say you can go to the beach in a bikini. But at the same time when women on the beach are attacked [by Islamists], they are doing nothing to protect them," she says.

Others in both the Arab World and the West accuse Mr Ghannouchi of double-talk when it comes to Islam and democracy.

While he encourages Islamists to work in a secular system he has also written that "secularism is turning the West into a place of selfish beasts".

He says this was meant as a criticism of how religious and moral values were fading away. "This leads to threats to family values, to values of solidarity," he explains.

Doubts are also expressed by those who worry that Islamist leaders will turn on Israel. When questioned by the BBC about Israel's right to exist, he didn't answer directly - saying instead that Israel has a duty to make peace with the Palestinians.

So is this all tactical talk - using democracy as a way to impose theocratic states by the back door?

No, says Maha Azzam. She argues that Tunisians and other Arabs have now lost their fear of tyrannical dictators, and so Islamic parties have no option but to remain democratic.

"The struggle of those that came out on to the streets of Tunisia is for accountable government," Ms Azzam says.

"Within that context, they still want respect for Islamic values, but I don't think that there is a desire for an Islamic system of government that throws away democracy."

Anas Altikriti says Mr Ghannouchi's theories are helping the Muslim Brotherhood to stop talking endlessly about ideology and instead address the tough questions - such as how to create jobs - that the electorate care about most.

"For the past 30 years the Muslim Brotherhood has been raising the slogan, 'Islam is the answer,'" he says. "Well now they really need to answer many, many tough questions."

You can listen to the full Analysis programme about Rachid Ghannouchi's ideas on the BBC Radio 4 website, or on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday 12 February 2012 at 21:30 GMT. You can also download the podcast.

 

Anonymous vows ‘crusade’ against Israel - RT | 'Anonymous' hacker group threatens 'reign of terror' against Israel - HAARETZ

http://rt.com/news/anonymous-crusade-israel-iran-081/

Anonymous vows ‘crusade’ against Israel

Published: 11 February, 2012, 16:19

New York : A man wears an Anonymous mask and a NY Giants jacket. (AFP Photo/Don Emmert)

TAGS: Conflict, Military, Scandal, Middle East, Protest, Politics, Human rights, Internet, Israel

Online collective Anonymous has pledged a “crusade” against Israel. Claiming the country is committing “crimes against humanity” and gearing for “nuclear holocaust”, the group promised a campaign against the Israeli government.

In their statement issued early on Friday, Anonymous accused Israeli leaders of creating false democracy, serving the interests of a “select few” while “trampling the liberties of the masses.” The group said that Israel manipulates public opinion with a combination of “media deception” and “political bribery”.

Addressing the Israeli leaders, Anonymous stated that their “Zionist bigotry” is to blame for killings and displacements, adding that “as the world weeps” they are planning their “next attack”. The group pledged not to allow the attack to happen.

"You label all who refuse to comply with your superstitious demands as anti-Semitic and have taken steps to ensure a nuclear holocaust,” said the Anonymous. “We will not allow you to attack a sovereign country based upon a campaign of lies."

The group promised a three-step campaign against the current government of the country.

These will include “systematically” removing it from the internet and turning Israel into a free state, the third step remaining undisclosed. 

However, in announcing the news, Israeli daily Haaretz comforted its readers by saying that the group is far from putting all of its threats into reality. The group previously threatened to attack the Knesset’s website but failed to fulfill the promise.

Still, in one of the recent developments Anonymous did crash the CIA website, which remained down hours after the attack. The group said it did this for “lulz”, meaning “for laughs”.

-------
 

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/anonymous-hacker-group-threatens-reign-of-terror-against-israel-1.412118

• Published 06:31 10.02.12
• Latest update 06:31 10.02.12

'Anonymous' hacker group threatens 'reign of terror' against Israel

Group uploads video blaming Israel for committing 'crimes against humanity,' and criticizes its treatment of Palestinians.

By Oded Yaron

Tags: Palestinians

The hacker group “Anonymous” released a video Friday threatening to begin a ‘reign of terror’ against Israel, in the latest round of cyber warfare between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli hackers.

The video, which was posted on YouTube in the early hours of the morning, blamed Israel for committing 'crimes against humanity,' and criticizing it for its treatment of Palestinians.

	Anonymous hackers group logo.

“Through the use of media deception and political bribery, you have amassed the sympathies of many. You claim to be democratic, yet in reality this is far from the truth. In fact, your only goal is to better the lives of a select few while carelessly trampling the liberties of the masses,” says the clip's computer-generated narrator over ominous background music.

The video also makes reference to the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran, claiming that Israel has “taken steps to ensure a nuclear holocaust,” and that it will not be allowed “to attack a sovereign country based upon a campaign of lies.”

Moreover, the video threatens to start a crusade against Israel that will take the form of three steps, only revealing that the first of these steps will attempt to systematically remove Israel from the internet.

It must be noted that, to date, not all of the group’s threats have been carried out. Anonymous has previously threatened to attack the Knesset website, although the site did not suffer any damage. 

Furthermore, due to the decentralized nature of the group, previous hacking threats on sites such as Facebook were later discovered to be the result of misunderstandings between members of the group. 


Over the past month, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli hackers have been battling in cyberspace. Starting on January 3, the hackers group, "Group-XP", claimed it had obtained personal information of about 400,000 Israelis, but checks carried out by the credit card issuers and the Bank of Israel determined that the details of between 14,000 and 15,000 active cards had been exposed. According to Maglan Internet Defense Technologies, a total of 31,000 credit card numbers had been exposed in all, some of them belonging to foreign nationals.

Anonymous Message To The State of Israel

http://youtu.be/nrJ551FFWp0?t=3s

YouTube - Videos from this email

What Role for Indian Think Tanks? - By Bhaskar Menon - http://undiplomatictimes.blogspot.in/

Bhaskar Menon has written a very thought-provoking and historical article that is a grave warning and a call for review of all that is going on in India in the name of progress, development, modernity and security. Foreign funds are not only flooding the corporate world, but are taking on our entire thinking faculties as a proud, independent and old civilisation that was toast of the world. The sectors that were starved of funding during the earlier Congress clamping down of India, have suddenly rushed to devour whatever crumbs are thrown at them, without even a shade of reflection as to where are we heading. Bhaskar Menon deserves great honour for having the courage and insight to bring out the calamitous slide of the nation into a quagmire that will not give us any chance for a free existence for another millennium. Saner elements should band together and expose all those carpetbaggers, opportunists and self-seekers who are willing to sell the nation, for a few pieces of silver.

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai

<ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com>

------------

http://undiplomatictimes.blogspot.in/

undiplomatic times

An Indian view of the world

What Role for Indian Think Tanks?

By Bhaskar Menon

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

According to an Edit Page article in The New Indian Express on 6 February, a global ranking of Think Tanks has found not one of India's 292 institutions good enough to be in the global top 30. In terms of number of TTs we rank third, behind the US with 1815 and China with 425,

The writer, Amitabh Mattoo, billed as a JNU professor and Director of the Australia India Institute at the University of Melbourne, admitted that the criteria used in the ranking had been widely criticized, but nevertheless, urged remedial action by the government to avoid a “mushrooming” of American and European franchises with Indians as “junior partners.” His “guesstimate” was that some 50 percent of projects run by Indian Think Tanks were already funded from abroad.

Mattoo saw three factors as most responsible for the weakness of Indian Think Tanks: lack of adequate and steady funding, government suspicion of “truly independent” organizations, and the tendency of “idealistic founders” to become “feudal patrons.”

To deal with the situation, he urged the government to create four new TTs, each with an endowment of Rs. 1000 crore, dealing with Economics; Security; Politics/Governance; and Social Change. He recommended that they be given unconstrained “freedom to hire the best global talent to work on critical areas of policy” and work without “interference.”

Strangely for a piece titled Unthinking Think Tanks,” Mattoo said not a word about the quality of thought that has emerged from Indian Think Tanks.

If he had looked at that issue, it might have become quickly apparent that pots of money will not help, and that the “best global talent” might make things worse. For the basic problem with Indian TTs is not lack of money or access to foreign talent; it is the hangdog "Bollywood" state of mind, reflecting the belief that our reality is second-class, that it gains meaning only from association with that of the West.

Remember NDTV's maddening crawler "India's 9/11" that disfigured its coverage of the 2009 attack on Mumbai? It was as if Indian loss of life and blood lacked authenticity without a Western reference.

That syndrome is widely evident in India, including in areas of marked success.

"Bollywood" has been followed by the equally silly (and confusing) Tollywood, Kollywood and Mollywood.
 "Silk" is "India's Marilyn Monroe."

The Jaipur Literary Festival is "India's Cannes."

Jug Suraiya is "India's Art Buchwald."

Indian cuisine, traditional fabrics and costumes are referred to as "ethnic." (This might be mere ignorance: the usage originated in the United States, where the non-ethnic default was WASP: White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant.)

If we look at more considered manifestations of thought, for instance, at the books that have come from our post-1947 political and corporate leaders, there is the same unquestioned kowtowing to the dominance of the West. Paranoia about American intentions in India does not qualify as evidence to the contrary; it is an attitude fostered by a political "Left" slavishly imitative of the British model.

The slavishness can be traced back to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's hugely influential attitudes to the West (and his fundamental differences with Mahatma Gandhi on that count). Perhaps the crux of his attitude was captured in his declaration to Gandhi during their 1928 exchange of letters: "You misjudge greatly, I think, the civilization of the West and attach too great importance to its many failings. ... I think that Western, or rather industrial civilization, is bound to conquer India."

Nehru's staggering presumption has become general today. The fact that industrial civilization has proved to be unsustainable and is in a state of terminal crisis has made hardly a dent on the views of Indian acolytes. For instance, former President Abdul Kalam's several books and numerous speeches present a vision of a "developed India" entirely in technological terms. He hardly ever mentions Gandhi's vision of how India could progress, and ignores the great problems that beset industrial development.

An ancillary to the worship of technology seems to be ignorance of Indian realities. Nandan Nilekani's " Imagining India" is a good example of that phenomenon. Consider his explanation of why newly independent India was mistrustful of free-market economics: "Nehru saw Britain as a hard, repressive State, and the market-friendly systems it had established got tarred with the same brush." (Colonial rule, established and maintained with violence, grossly discriminatory towards Indian business, was "market-friendly"!!!) Other examples of ignorance are rife. At one point he refers to Sita's "Kush" as "the son of Vishnu."

I could give numerous other examples from a wide range of writers, but will desist for fear of boring the reader. The evidence is overwhelming that the Maya of the West has come to suffuse the disordered view of our thought leaders. We have not had since Gandhi a leader who comprehended clearly the challenges facing India.

To understand how Mattoo's hankering after the "best global talent" is rooted in post-colonial confusion, consider how ridiculous it is to have a global ranking of Think Tanks.

In the United States, Think Tanks are instruments of a variety of interest groups, making the arguments to be taken on board by legislative processes minutely overseen by political lobbyists. Chinese TTs are meant to facilitate, strengthen and on occasion hide the Communist Party’s brutal grip on power. In India, as Mattoo notes, TTs are founded by idealists who then become invested in keeping control of their creations and turn into “medieval patrons.”

Given those differences, what is the basis for comparison?

This is not to deny Mattoo's point that we stand in danger of a foreign takeover of our policy space.
But money and foreign talent are not an appropriate response to that danger.

Indian reality, more than that of any other nation, is sui generis. We Indians are its best judges.

Perhaps the way forward would be to reorient our Think Tanks so as to generate on every major policy issue, a national discourse rooted in an understanding of our post-colonial situation. The overall aim must be to understand contemporary global realities within the frame of India’s historical experience.

The difficulty in undertaking such an effort will lie in surmounting the enormous distortions that colonial rule introduced in our understanding of Indian history. Perhaps a National Truth Commission about the colonial period, examining what the British did to India would be a good way to begin. Once the past is clear our policy options will clarify themselves.

Posted by Bhaskar Menon at 2:51 PM 0 comments Links to this post

 
Labels: Bollywood, china, india, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mattoo, Nandan Nilekani, Think Tanks, United States