UnSaid

A very interesting sign greets you as soon as one enters Vancouver BC Canada.

If getting the United States and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006 was because of energy deficit in India, Canada should be highest on the list to get a similar agreement signed next. It should not just refer to the nuclear energy, but also other sources and areas of interest. A bit more than a full fledged free trade agreement.

Just a few reasons :

1. Canada is a developed free market economy with GDP much higher than most developed nations.

2. Alberta province is filled with energy sands which Canada plans to convert to crude oil. (Although, Expensive than pumping from below the ground, nevertheless a big ready source in the times of crisis)

3. Canadians have a great experience with harnessing nuclear energy.

4. Canadian dollar is almost at par with US. Its another lucrative market for Indian goods apart from outsourcing business.

5. Canadians are much more familiar with Indian culture than probably even Americans. With its English CommonWealth backgrounds, the understanding is greater.

6. Its a member of G-8 with a slow but strong voice.

7. It sits on a huge dump of a variety of natural resources. If they are not useful now for the Indians, they will be sometime in the near future. Although, Canada has been far more conservative, with its growing economy and changing outlook, the policy is slowly but surely changing. Americans are by far, best suited to take the most advantage of it, but it shouldn’t mean others won’t have a chance.

8. Its a big donor of humanitarian aid to Indian neighbours and others, and can have a big silent say in how they formulate their foreign policies.

9. Last but not the least, with global warming, Indians will need a cooler place to spend the summers. What can be better than Canada with its vast empty lands and great natural beauty.

Canada has been a silent predator whom no one notices because its always hidden by its bigger, wealthier, stronger and more thrilling southern neighbour, the USA. It has similar values and similar threats that India faces, along with a good defence production background.

I’m unable to find good reasons for why the Indian goodwill bus shouldnt stop in Canada next, may be even before Australia or Japan.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and a Happy Hanukkah

My Kingdom is not of this world
- Jesus Christ

Something I liked:

Jesus Christ pointed out, “The kingdom of God is within you” (The Bible: Luke – 17, 21). In a similar vein, an ancient Tamil saint admonishes in these words – “O! Those unwise persons, who seek light from the heavens above, see this within yourselves”.

A little off topic but nevertheless relevant:

As in the case of the injured who is finally enabled to walk normally through the medium of physiotherapy, exercises and medicines, the spiritual aspirant also has to involve himself through proven techniques of obtaining spiritual strength. Exercises in right living, lifestyle and spiritual evolution through various physical and mental exercises (sadhana) have been prescribed by various schools.

Bhagawad Gita refers to this as a process of discarding passion, desire and anger (II 56 and V, 28). Such exercises for the body, mind and the spirit enable one to discover light and divinity within. This is the state, described by Gita as that state of “joy within, comfort within and light within” — antasukah, antararamah, antarjyoti (V, 24)

Updated : To add Hanukkah celebrations

This really depends upon whose side you are looking at it from. But can they really be humans?

One of the greatest living US writers has praised terrorists as “very brave people” and used drug culture slang to describe the “amazing high” suicide bombers must feel before blowing themselves up.

Vonnegut said it was “sweet and honourable” to die for what you believe in, and rejected the idea that terrorists were motivated by twisted religious beliefs.

“They are dying for their own self-respect,” he said. “It’s a terrible thing to deprive someone of their self-respect. It’s like your culture is nothing, your race is nothing, you’re nothing.”

Asked if he thought of terrorists as soldiers, Vonnegut, a decorated World War II veteran, said: “I regard them as very brave people, yes.”

Ignoring to get into the arguments whether the terrorists deserve medals of bravery or not, it makes one think whether there is a genuine human angle to solving the problem of terrorism which people have not been looking at in the humdum of all the war drumbeats? Is today’s terrorism because someone’s culture has been trampled upon or because their cultural ambitions have been trampled upon? Or just because people are playing power games with their illiterate (or misguided) followers? What can they think that they can realistically achieve to get through terrorism than normal discourse? Can terrorists ever let development take place in their regions, or even they are false prophets not unlike any other politician, except far more lethal?

Reality Cafe has it that the Americans used psuedo Chemical weapons in Fallujah.

Is this just another way to win the hearts and minds of people? Not sure if the American public would ever get to know of this by the mainstream media.

Wonder Why then people get so surprised that the insurgency hasn’t died down yet? The Jihadis are being helped by their enemies (or I should say media savvy recruiting partners) time and again, will then anyone be surprised if they have another star Jihadi after al-Zarqawi is gone?

There can be an argument that the Jihadis will not think twice before using even Nuclear Weapons on Americans. But then, that is the difference. That is the reason why ‘the willing’ claim to have gone into Iraq in the first place, the third place rather (after supposed presence of WMDs ,and saving the region from Saddam).

Did the White House think that they can get results sooner in Iraq if they push the armed forces to go to this length? Is this another in series of the worthless handling of Iraq right from start? I’m sure if the White House just went to sleep for a long while, the armed forces would take care of the things there by themselves. I’m sure my neighbourhood’s 10-year olds’ gang will give a better leadership.

How many times have I stopped myself from saying that an intelligent enemy is better than a foolish friend, but well…I can’t think of a reason why the Americans chose the foolish friend who wouldn’t let go of an intelligent enemy. That is not to say that Iraqis (and for that matter, the World) be left to their fate at this juncture, but it is certainly hoped that the World and the Americans find a sound person\people to bring it to a closure. Surely there has to be someone capable who will look at all the things before committing to a cause and not be blinded by stupid buddies or lack of personal cerebral capabilities.

Updated: The US declassified documents themselves classify WP as a chemical weapon.

WARNING: (U) THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED
INTELLIGENCE. REPORT CLASSIFIED

———————————————————————
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
———————————————————————

DOI: (U) 910300.

REQS: (U) T-8C2-2650-01-90.

SOURCE: [ (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4) ][ (b)(7)(D) ]

SUMMARY: IRAQ HAS POSSIBLY EMPLOYED PHOSPHOROUS
CHEMICAL
WEAPONS AGAINST THE KURDISH POPULATION IN AREAS ALONG THE
IRAQI-TURKISH-IRANIAN BORDERS. KURDISH RESISTANCE IS LOSING ITS
STRUGGLE AGAINST SADDAM HUSSEIN’S FORCES. KURDISH REBELS AND
REFUGEES’ PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS ARE PROVIDED.

TEXT: 1. DURING APRIL 1991, THE SOURCE TELEPHONED
BROTHER (SUBSOURCE) [ (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4) ][ (b)(7)(D) ]

. DURING THIS PHONE CONVERSATION,
THE SOURCE WAS ABLE TO OBTAIN THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON THE
PRESENT SITUATION IN KURDISH AREAS ALONG THE IRAQI-TURKISH-IRANIAN
BORDERS —
A. IRAQ’S POSSIBLE EMPLOYMENT OF PHOSPHOROUS CHEMICAL
WEAPONS — IN LATE FEBRUARY 1991, FOLLOWING THE COALITION FORCES’
OVERWHELMING VICTORY OVER IRAQ, KURDISH REBELS STEPPED UP THEIR
STRUGGLE AGAINST IRAQI FORCES IN NORTHERN IRAQ. DURING THE BRUTAL
CRACKDOWN THAT FOLLOWED THE KURDISH UPRISING, IRAQI FORCES LOYAL
TO
PRESIDENT SADDAM ((HUSSEIN)) MAY HAVE POSSIBLY USED WHITE
PHOSPHOROUS (WP) CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST KURDISH REBELS AND THE
POPULACE IN ERBIL (GEOCOORD:3412N/04401E) (VICINITY OF IRANIAN
BORDER) AND DOHUK (GEOCOORD:3652N/04301E) (VICINITY OF IRAQI
BORDER) PROVINCES, IRAQ. THE WP CHEMICAL WAS DELIVERED BY
ARTILLERY ROUNDS AND HELICOPTER GUNSHIPS (NO FURTHER INFORMATION
AT
THIS TIME). APPARENTLY, THIS TIME IRAQ DID NOT USE NERVE GAS AS
THEY DID IN 1988, IN HALABJA (GEOCOORD:3511N/04559E), IRAQ,
BECAUSE
THEY WERE AFRAID OF POSSIBLE RETALIATION FROM THE UNITED STATES
(U.S.) LED COALITION. THESE REPORTS OF POSSIBLE WP CHEMICAL WEAPON
ATTACKS SPREAD QUICKLY AMONG THE KURDISH POPULACE IN ERBIL AND
DOHUK. AS A RESULT, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF KURDS FLED FROM THESE
TWO AREAS AND CROSSED THE IRAQI BORDER INTO TURKEY.

I’m sure Saddam would not have declassified some of his documents himself, and that really is the difference. Why do we keep forgetting the blurred line?

The Chinese have mostly escaped the Islamic terrorism scourge, with many Jihadists calling China an ally rather than an enemy. It was even reported some time back in news articles that Mullahs prayed for Chinese victory against the ‘enemy’ US.

Not much Chinese reaction has been forthcoming even with Chinese citizens getting killed in Pakistan (Engineers working at Gwadar) and recently in the Jordan blasts. Most things that the Jihadis are fighting against, are also present in China (majority non-muslim population, yearning for materialism, etc.). They have been struggling with Islamic separatism in one of their own provinces for some time, but surprisingly, the Jihadists and the Chinese have not raised their voices against each other. What does it all really mean?

Is the Chinese gameplan to let the Jihadis can do their dirty work of keeping the world bleeding and preoccupied while they raise their own profile? Does this make China an ally of Jihadis? If China is an ally of the Jihadis, why is the world silent about it?

If the Chinese are not their ally, will they ever enter this ‘war on terror’ being played out in its neighbourhoods and around the world? The Chinese are pragmatic enough to realise that the Jihadis will ultimately start targeting them for not being muslims too. They can’t keep watching the world fight its battles forever without them and take all the spoils of war (presuming that the Jihadis get defeated). Or are they waiting for a trigger (bombs going off in Chinese cities), or just a good excuse? It might just be a matter of time when bombs start going off in Chinese mainland. Can they resist joining forces with the free world, even if they are not looking for an excuse? If it happens, rather, when it happens, What will it mean for the world, especially, its relationship with US, Russia, India and Pakistan?

It is reported that Omar al-Farouq, a top al-Qaeda operative in Southeast Asia has managed to escape from Bagram detention centre in Afghanistan being run by the Americans.

Thinking out aloud here whether this is a master stroke from the Americans. He is a top al-Q guy, if he escapes, he will either try to contact the big guy, bin Laden himself or atleast try to get around his old gang. Might not be a bad idea to let him get away and have a tracker stick on him. The Americans would’ve already taken out whatever they could’ve from him during his time with them.

If it is true, President Bush will finally have a shining star on him amid all his current troubles. But if it is not, the free world would just be hoping that he managed to get himself placed on a land mine while getting away.

But important questions would be, how did it happen? Did the torture charged American guy’s buddies have a hand in this to save their friend? Looks extremely unlikely. Did the Bagram base got infiltrated with Taleban? May be. Will this be a que to Taleban that the American bases are not all that impregnable? Sure.
Or did Pakistani agents play a role here? May be.

They will be sought after by Taleban themselves to boost their morale and to know about the insides of the American base and try their luck with other Taleban held up there.