Internationally Speaking

With all the dynamics in the the US election cycle, I have not had much time to write on international affairs. I apologize, for it use to be my strong suit. I just cannot get enough of the happenings in this fascinating contests.

There have been a few developments in the world that deserve a post or two. One Kosovo has declared independence from Serbia. US applauds the move, Russia condemns. That alone is something, since there seems to be a revival of the old Cold war days and now the US and Russia are once again heading into a head butt on the international stage.

Across the world there is mixed emotions. Countries that are dealing with their own separatist movement are worried that it will spill over into their country and political scene. This will be worth watching to see who does what and to whom.

Yesterday the news came out that Castro resigned from the presidency and the parliment, but would remain the head of the Party. The US said nothing has changed until there is true democracy on the island. But behind the scenes, since Raul is a bit of an economic liberal, business is getting a thumper with the prospect of the opening of the country to their claws.

The embargo will remain in place. But with a little opening business will rush into the island and stake their claims to the profits that could be made from the island. we will have to watch the situation develop. Both Clinton and Obama are for keeping the embargo in place. But will that change? Only time and circumstance will dictate what will occur.

Lastly, the ruling party of Pakistan lost its ass in the recent election. there are calls for musharraf to step down--yeah right! He will hang on until he is forced to resign. The new government has said it wants talks with Islamists. If you listen real close, you may hear Bush's ass slamming shut.

All three of these situation will most likely be put on back burner until November and the general election. Things could change. Mostly likely they will not.

Pakistan Without Benazir

Pakistan Without Benazir


Holding true to the idea of saying nothing bad about the dead, the media is turning Bhutto into a martyr. The truth is far from democratic.

Bhutto--They Got Her!

Sad that the death of Benazir Bhutto had to replace all the crap in the news like tigers attack, car crash, plane crashes, yada, yada. This could be disastrous for the country of Pakistan. Ms Bhutto was shot twice and then her attacker blew his ass up, killing many with him.

Pakistan is basically, 4 countries within the borders of one. It is slowly falling apart. Musharaff has a couple of options....my choice and prediction is he may declare a state of emergency--again. This will be an attempt to quieten down his opposition.

My personal opinion is that this was an inside job....but of course to keep the funds flowing it will be blamed on al Qaeda or some similar organization. The problem is that Bhutto was far from the saint that she will now become because of her death. But will she be deified in her country...Bush and most of the candidates will say what a great leader she was and that she will be sorely missed.

I will not jump on the bandwagon and turn her into some martyr. Her push for more democracy in Pakistan was motivated by greed and ambition, her ascension to power would be a replay of her days as PM.

Yes, her assassination was a tragedy and may be a step backwards for Pakistan, but what will it bring to the table in the Bush war on terrorism?

Look At Pakistan

A look at some of the restrictions and suspended rights in the state of emergency declared by Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf:

• Protection of life and liberty.

• The right to free movement.

• The right of detainees to be informed of their offense and given access to lawyers.

• Protection of property rights.

• The right to assemble in public.

• The right to free speech.

• Equal rights for all citizens before law and equal legal protection.

• Media coverage of suicide bombings and militant activity is curtailed by new rules. Broadcasters also face a three-year jail term if they "ridicule" members of the government or armed forces.

This probably will not last very long. The US is half assing it with Pakistan. Democracy was never the real thing just a justification for involvement in the country. Money WILL NOT stop. Musharaf is a dictator and the US is well aware of it. His support on the War On terror buys him a lot of latitude.

The General has arrested his opposition, then the supreme court judges have been arrested, then, the press has been shut down with the exception of the state owned ones. Now what part of this sounds democratic? The State of emergency is in reality is martial law and the General is a dictator. It is just that simple, sports fans.

CHUQ

Bhutto/Musharraf And Pakistan

I realize that many people are following the occurrences happening in Pakistan; I am and why? So when it goes to crap I can be the first to say, "I Told You So". I love my job!

Bhutto and Musharaff have been in talks for a couple on months about the possibility of a power sharing deal, where they both are somehow in control of the Pakistani government. Think about this! Bhutto wants Musharaff to give up his control of the army, the only thing that keeps him in power, other than the US. Bhutto is leery of the army because her father was PM he was killed by an army coup. She just wants to cover her butt. Right? I say not really, she wants Musharraf to be weakened and she will make her move to seize complete control of the government.

Will she by a good PM? Her last time the administration was shot full of corruption. Her husband was known as Mr. 10%, when she was the PM. He was in control of overseeing all foreign investment in Pakistan and to do business there he would get 10% of the gross amount of the business deal. When she was running last time she promised to help women move out of the shadows and become a more prominent factor in Pakistani life. Once she was PM, women never came up again. She is a politician, enough said?

Will she help bring stability to Pakistan? probably in the short haul, but I see her as wanting all the power and she will be looking for a way to eliminate Musharraf. Old habits die hard.

And then there is Sharif. Another opponent that is being ignored; he will have a hard on if the deal between Bhutto and Musharraf goes into full swing. he also will be pursuing a path to power. So IMO, this power sharing deal will look good for awhile, but it will not last. It is only a matter of time before Pakistan blows a valve and the US will be up to there butts in another civil conflict.

We will see. I am waiting for my chance to state the obvious.


CHUQ