Archive for July, 2006
The US-Israeli Middle East Game Plan
A series of Israeli airstrikes has killed over 50 civilians in the village of Qana, Lebanon, who had taken shelter in the ground floor of a 3-storey building. At least 19 were children (i.e. potential future Hezbollah militants, and therefore justified targets based on the principle of preemptive war).
Explaining its actions, the Israeli government said [...]
Indo-US Nuclear Deal: Faulty Criticisms
The US Congress has approved the US-India Nuclear deal. With a vote of 359-60, the status quo certainly seems to have moved to favor the deal (news from the NYTimes, CNN, my previous post on negotiating strategies).
Still, that hasn’t stopped the naysayers from complaining about it, incessantly. The NYTimes editorial says the deal is a [...]
The UN, Resolution 1559, and Israel
Much has been made of UN Resolution 1559, calling for the disarming of Hezbollah. Israel has repeatedly called for its implementation, and used it to justify its actions. Unfortunately, there are some weaknesses in that argument.
First, resolution 1559 is merely a guideline. It was not passed under chapter 7, which implies that it has no [...]
The Middle East Mess - Israel in Lebanon
Fresh off the press: US Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis.
The conflict has been criticized by much of the world. I, too, am appalled, indeed furious, at what Israel can get away with. It is as if Israel got a blank check after World War II, to do as it pleases in the Middle [...]
Book Review: The Argumentative Indian
Its been over a week since I finished this book by Amartya Sen but the review had to wait till the Mumbai blasts. It is, in brief, an excellent book with but a few weaknesses. Yet, the appeal of this book is at many levels.
It is, first and foremost, a fresh perspective on India. In [...]
Mumbai Blasts - Aftermath
Ok, what happened here? In their ignorance, the Indian authorities are banning blog websites, in the aftermath of the Mumbai blasts! Well, I guess doing something is better than having no clue who did this, right? So much for freedom.
Well, if you cannot read a blog you want to, try pkblogs.com (unless you are a [...]
Indo-US Nuclear Deal: Lessons in International Negotiation
Much has been made of the recent US-Indian Civilian Nuclear deal. On the American side, there were major concerns about how the agreement would undermine the nuclear non-proliferation regime, while contributing to India’s nuclear arsenal. American misgivings notwithstanding, the deal has been backed by both Congress & Senate panels, and now awaits a full vote.
As [...]
Climate Change & Equity
What does climate change portend for the planet? And for the citizens of Asia and Africa?
BBC World’s Horizon program today aired an episode on a phenomena called Global Dimming. Put simply, the amount of sunlight reaching the earth’s surface has declined by between 5-25% over the past 50 years. This is an empirical fact, proven [...]
