Major Carrot and Stick Diplomacy

Divide and conquer usually rides in under the guise of carrot and stick diplomacy. It then deteriorates into something much deadlier, as the oppressed compete for scarce resources. The Gaza Strip, with its 1.5 million people, is nearly two years into this dreadful cycle. Most live in poverty in a virtual prison. After a recent Gaza rocket attack, the Israeli Interior Minister had this to say:

Mr Sheetrit hit the headlines for his outspoken response to a rocket attack from Gaza that badly injured a young Israeli boy. He told fellow cabinet members they should pick a neighbourhood in Gaza and "wipe it out".

Yet, two days later Mr. Sheetrit offered a carrot of his own to 1.2 million Israeli Arabs, a shining new city on a hill.

"I aspire to create a new Arab city in the Galilee and I am working on the planning for the project," the interior minister said. "It will be a modern city, where young couples can afford to buy property and live just like in any other city in the world," he said.

Who will be bribed by this offer? What will they have to do to reap the rewards? Only a select few will receive the reward. How many Arabs will step on their fellow brothers and sisters to get to live in the Emerald City? And how long before people like Mr. Sheetrit change their mind and order sections of it, "wiped out"?

Divide and conquer postpones and magnifies problems, it doesn't solve them. The current Middle East is a shining example of that. But the promised Arab city deflects criticism of Israel for once again not respecting the 1967 borders as a basis for future peace. Unfortunately, it likely means more war.

Bush Agenda in Pakistan Remains Crystal Unclear

Not long ago I wrote a piece, "Something Stinks in Pakistan". The odor just got worse according to senior U.S. official. Speaking on condition of anonymity in Washington, he told reporters:

"There is no question that the iconic leaders of al-Qaeda - (Ayman al-)Zawahiri, Bin Laden... are in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

"We believe that the Taleban's shura (consultation) council leaders led by Mullah Omar reside in Quetta in Pakistan."

The BBC hinted at the source of the information, although it didn't say if the terrorist took a ride on the waterboard.

Last month, captured Taleban spokesman Muhammad Hanif made similar claims about Mullah Omar's whereabouts, which were rejected by Pakistan. Mr Hanif said Mullah Omar was protected by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency. Afghan President Hamid Karzai made similar allegations last year. The ISI was instrumental in backing the Taleban after civil war swept Afghanistan following the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989.

This report comes days after Pakistani truce talks with the leader of the troubled tribal region, believed to be sheltering bin Laden. This is the same leader President Musharraf accused of killing Benazir Bhutto.

So what is the average American to make of this muddled mess? Does Bush want to set the table for another pre-emptive strike in sovereign Pakistan? Is the adminstration putting pressure on Musharraf with the leak? Get your intelligence folks in line, or else there will be consequences.

As for the political side of the equation, who is on whose side? Is Musharraf supporting terrorists or hunting them? What is America getting for its over $1 billion investment in Pakistan security?

This got leaked for a reason. I hope its more than a Deliverance, "I'm gonna make you squeal" signal to terrorists. Please let it be something strategic that benefits the people of Pakistan. They've suffered so at the hands of their leaders. Come to think of it, so have we...

Bush Team Language is MasterCard Worthy

Yesterday afternoon, my car radio broadcast priceless quotes from key American leaders. Condi Rice spoke of the conflict in Afghanistan. The media highlighted what she sees as progress in the region, but her words are worth noting. Condi praised folks for "beginning to turn that picture of Afghanistan around to a better day." Notice the sandbag words, beginning, turn, picture, around, better.

Of course, there is no instant pudding, but the U.S. tossed out the terrible Taliban in October, 2001. After nearly seven years, we're just beginning to turn things to a better day? This leads to other, Bush advisor comments. Consider the top U.S. General Dan McNeil's comments on the Afghan insurgency. He challenged the widely held view that the insurgency there is worsening, saying he thinks "it's probably stayed about the same." More sandbag words, probably, about the same.

Now I'm confused. Secretary Rice talked about progress in the War on Terror, yet the number of terrorists probably stayed the same? So what can turn the corner in Afghanistan?

In the definitive words of Pentagon Chief Robert Gates, "My view is that it represents potentially the opportunity to make further progress faster in Afghanistan if we had more forces there." The sandbag pile grows with such strong words as potentially, opportunity, further progress faster.

Who teaches these people to speak so indeterminately and conditionally? Hedging bets with hedged words is truly the Bush administration's gift to the world. Can I exchange mine for some straight talk, and I'm not talking about the John McCain version?

It's Official, U.S. Tortures

Super Tuesday became stupor Tuesday given the Bush administration's confession that it tortured three enemy combatants, via waterboarding. An AP report said:

"We used it against these three detainees because of the circumstances at the time," Hayden told the Senate Intelligence Committee. "There was the belief that additional catastrophic attacks against the homeland were inevitable. And we had limited knowledge about al-Qaida and its workings. Those two realities have changed."

How so? Osama bin Laden's organization uses Pakistan's tribal region to train for attacks in Afghanistan, the Middle East, Africa and the United States, U.S. intelligence chief Mike McConnell said said Tuesday. "Al-Qaida remains the pre-eminent threat against the United States," Mike McConnell told a Senate hearing more than six years after the Sept. 11 attacks. A MSNBC report says the Pakistani government has been unable to disrupt or damage al-Qaida terrorists in their safe haven region. Those tribal regions serve as a potential base for global operations. It seems those two realities haven't changed, after all.

The AP report on waterboarding added:

Hayden said Khalid Sheik Mohammed, Abu Zubayda and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri were waterboarded in 2002 and 2003. Hayden banned the technique in 2006, but National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell told senators during the same hearing Tuesday that waterboarding remains in the CIA arsenal - so long as it as the specific consent of the president and legal approval of the attorney general.

As for the impact of waterboarding, consider Khalid Sheik Mohammed's testimony with a laundry list of super terror crimes. Later, experts questionned the accuracy of confessions from harsh interrogation techniques.

Even a casual reading of Khalid Sheik Mohammed's transcript shows him trying to right his confession. Had someone walked up with cellophane, a bucket of water, and wet washcloth, Mr. Mohammed might not have raised a peep. On the generalities, Khalid confessed to being an enemy of America, but on the specifics, he seemed to want to set the record straight. Why wouldn't the aim of U.S. justice be to hold people accountable for their actual acts?

This brings us back around to American governmental officials using torture against people in its custody. Waterboarding is a clear violation of international treaties, U.S. law and the ideal of America not stooping to the level of our enemies. Who will be held accountable?

For another Super analogy, once again the Giants (President & AG) beat the Patriots. Stoop we will, this stupor Tuesday. If you can't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.

The Freedom to Be Monitored

The FBI is expected to announce in coming days the awarding of a $1 billion, 10-year contract to help create the database that will compile an array of biometric information -- from palm prints to eye scans.

Kimberly Del Greco, the FBI's Biometric Services section chief, said adding to the database is "important to protect the borders to keep the terrorists out, protect our citizens, our neighbors, our children so they can have good jobs, and have a safe country to live in."

This $1 billion expenditure will create jobs, at least several divisions within The Carlyle Group hope so. Authentec specializes in fingerprint ID technology. Their technology is used to secure computers and cell phones. The FBI already has 55 million fingerprints in their database. What happens if Uncle Sam asks the cell phone companies to share their fingerprint database with the feds? Will this fall under the proposed telecom immunity?

In addition to fingerprints, the FBI wants to store palm prints, iris scans, scars/tatoos, and facial shapes. Might Authentec be working on those technologies as well? Since the FBI wants to keep the country safe and protect its citizens, could it also want access to drug tests? A new Carlyle investment, eScreen, specializes in that very service. Not only does Uncle Sam want your key identifying information, he may just want to watch everyone pee. Things seem to be getting rather creepy in the land of the free and our ally across the pond.

Bring it On! For What?

"President Bush says that Al-Qa'ida's war is against American freedom and democracy while Al-Qa'ida and Taliban say that the U.S. war on terrorism is actually a war against Islam. On the other hand, nationalist forces think the aim of the current war is the genocide of the Pashtun (ethnic Afghan) people. These are the ideological foundations of the present crisis (in Pakistan)," says Khadim Hussain Amir, a political analyst and professor at Bahria University in Islamabad.

War with end, at least it sounds like a precription for it. The professor went on to say:

"In my view this war is against the people and their resources just to promote capitalist interests. Militancy and militarism both end in the large scale sufferings of the already marginalized people"

Guess who bears the brunt of this idealogical impasse? Once again, it is the common citizen, the little person, the voter, the shareholder...

PNAC & Middle East Cable Cuts

What are the odds that two cables routing internet traffic through the Middle East would break, while a third would snap competely, all in a matter of days? That's exactly what happened, according to news reports. It will be days before crews reach the fractured cables and up to ten days afterwards to complete repairs. Thus many Middle Eastern countries will have limited internet access, placing them at a strategic disadvantage. At least that's the belief of the Project for the New American Century, which called the internet a key part of the new global commons. Cyberspace and access to outer space must be controlled by the United States, the only benevolent super power. Three members of the committee managing the Iranian nuclear situtation are PNAC'ers. Paul Wolfowitz, the architect of the Iraq war, is the committee chairman.

I shared my theory that Israel will attack Iran's nuclear facilities with Uncle Sam standing strong and ready to contain any blowback. I believe it will happen after the two Supers, the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday. This way George W. can say he's not impacting the Presidential primary process. It appears Middle East internet access will be disrupted until February 15th. Might Prime Minister Olmert and President Bush want to get their war on during a time of decreased communications? Mr. Ahmadinejad, I think George and Ehud have a Valentine's gift for you. Time will tell...