Image via WikipediaNorthern Iraq's budding Chinatown
Foreign investment is increasing in Iraqi Kurdistan. More than half of the 1,170 foreign firms investing there are Turkish, working in areas such as construction. Multinational firms are monitoring development of the area's 43.7 billion barrels of proven oil and 25.5 billion barrels of potential reserves.
Funds from abroad are also making their way into retail in an attempt to exploit the consumer potential of the 4.7 million strong local population, of which more than half are under the age of 20.
International investment surpassed $14bn from mid-2006 to September 2010, unconfirmed official sources have said.
Iraqi Kurdistan has had limited autonomy since 1991, due to a no-fly zone placed over it by international powers after attacks by Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime.
The region was also relatively unscathed by the subsequent war with the US that decimated the centre and south of the county. However, the proximity to Saddam's Iraq and the recent conflict has left it poor, lacking in infrastructure and skills.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is hoping the estimated 250,000 to 300,000 foreigners it has so far attracted to the region will help to enervate some of those deficiencies.
Kurdish Population - Diaspora
Image via WikipediaKurd's Plan to Change the Demographics of Northern Iraq in their Favour
Asia Sentinel
The Strange Case of Raymond Davis
A shadowy US official, jailed in Lahore, embodies the tensions in US-Pakistani relations... Read more...Not many people can claim to have had a sitting US Senator fly half-way across the world to bail them out of prison, but Raymond Davis can.
Before he shot dead two men allegedly trying to rob him at gunpoint in Lahore on Jan. 27, no one had ever heard of the former US Special Forces soldier turned consular officer. Today, however, Davis has become the most visible embodiment of the tensions and contradictions that have come to characterise US-Pakistan relations.
Despite optimism on the part of US Sen. John Kerry that he could bring Davis home with him, a Pakistani court stated on Feb. 17 that it would delay a decision on Davis’s diplomatic immunity until Mar. 14. Kerry told reporters Davis would be subject to a criminal investigation upon his return to the US.
The US is obviously putting enormous pressure on Islamabad for Davis’s release. But the case has struck a nerve across Pakistani society. In contrast to the ongoing drone strikes in the tribal areas, the consequences of which remain largely remote and abstract, Davis has given a name, a face, and a narrative to the sense of humiliation that many Pakistanis feel as a result of US policy in the country.
Why, many in Pakistan are asking, was an American civilian driving around Lahore with a loaded Glock 9mm pistol in his car? And if he is, as Washington is claiming, a mere "consular officer," then why is there such secrecy surrounding the precise nature of his duties?
Such questions resonate loudly in the echo chamber of local media, which regularly conflates fact, fiction and conspiracy theory. More importantly, they shine a bright light on what many Pakistanis see as the fundamental inequality in the bilateral relationship between Washington, DC and Islamabad.
The prevailing view is that Davis is not a diplomat at all but rather a private security contractor exploiting his official status to undermine Pakistani sovereignty. Such fears are not new. In 2009, for example, the presence of employees of Blackwater (now called Xe Services) became a lightning rod for anti-American sentiment. At the time, this paranoia resulted in frenzied reporting by local media of alleged Blackwater bases in the capital and front-page stories accusing foreign journalists and officials of being spies and Blackwater operatives.
The public outcry from Davis’s case has created a wedge that threatens to drive the two countries – nominal allies at best – even further apart. Islamabad was under immense public pressure to prosecute Davis in Pakistan. But the US stated that Davis held diplomatic immunity and demanded his release.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s administration was conflicted. At the outset, the country’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi lost his job for refusing to certify Davis’s status as a diplomat, though other officials have since done so. Zardari is loath to be seen on the wrong side of this issue. Having seemingly acquiesced to US demands for Davis’s release, he now faces the risk of heightened political opposition and intensified public antipathy towards his ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Following his capitulation to the religious right on the issue of repealing the country’s anti-blasphemy law, further pandering to public opinion came at a high price: his upcoming state visit to Washington next month, and possibly the five-year, US$7.5 billion, civilian aid program.
Comment
Under Hilary Clinton the US State Department is just a front for CIA Assassins
written by john francis lee , February 18, 2011
Gee... your reporter left out a 'the story'...
http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff02082011.html
' Raymond Davis fired through his windshield with his Beretta pistol,
Image via Wikipedia' Reporter Shaukat Qadir of the Pakistani Express Tribune says it has been stated by Lahore police authorities that the two dead motorcyclists were each shot two times, “probably the fatal shots,” in the back by Davis. They were also both shot twice from the front. Such ballistics don’t mesh nicely with a protestation of self-defense. '
The guy's just another CIA Assassin. He's going to burn in Pakistan.
Indonesian Islamist Delivers Rant in Court
Unrepentant Islamic Defenders Front leader warns ChristiansChina's "Fake News" Campaign
Fake, that is, except for government propaganda, which is okayAccording to the China Media Project at Hong Kong University, "fake news," or xujia xinwen, "has plagued news media in China since at least the Cultural Revolution, at which time media fabricated news to suit the political purposes of the Gang of Four. It is an extremely fuzzy term, and obviously, while it may be used by Chinese officialdom in campaigns against news regarded as unprofessional (or against party directives), could in its broadest sense (though not the official one) overlap with party propaganda itself."
Cheng Yizhong, a former journalist with the Southern Metropolis Daily, said in his microblog that People's Daily and Guangming Daily, two major mouthpieces of the Chinese government, have also presented untrue pictures.
"It is ironic that the organizations which have fabricated lies on purpose and in a large scale are now emphasizing banning fake news," he wrote. "It is like a thief asking another thief to be caught."
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2994&Itemid=206
Why Beijing Censors Egypt News
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2963&Itemid=258
Beijing is taking no chances regarding the possible impact that the “color revolutions” raging in North Africa and Middle East may have on China.
all Chinese editors have been told by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Propaganda Department that they can only use news dispatches by the official Xinhua News Agency. Moreover, Netizens and bloggers are not allowed to discuss Egypt in the Chinese equivalents of Facebook or Twitter. Egypt-related searches on various micro-blogs, such as Sina.com, Netease.com and Weibo have produced either no results or error messages.
The Hu Jintao administration has attempted to divert public attention by focusing on the speed and efficiency with which Beijing dispatched chartered flights to send home hundreds of Chinese (including tourists from Hong Kong) stranded in various Egyptian cities.
An editorial in the official Global Times pointed out that “Western-style” institutions and norms ill-suited the people of Africa and the Middle East. “Color revolutions will not bring about real democracy,” said the Times, which is a subsidiary of People's Daily (Global Times, January 30).
Other academics and experts have focused on the fact that given the quasi-alliance relationship between Egypt and the United States, upheaval in Egypt will only spell trouble for Washington’s interests in the Middle East (China Review News, January 30). For instance, Shanghai-based international relations expert Li Shimo noted that if real elections were to take place in Egypt and neighboring countries, the ballot box could produce Muslim leaders who would not only spurn U.S.-style democracy but also threaten America’s oil supplies.
China's Internet Users Beat the Twitter Ban
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2938&Itemid=189
Although Twitter has been blocked in China since it was used to spread images and messages of deadly Uyghur riots in Xinjiang in July 2009, millions of Chinese Internet users have found a way around the blockage.
They have their own version of Twitter, called microblogs, which are offered by China's major Internet portals. Indications are that while the authorities are nervous about the messages, which can be 140 characters long, and have shut down some threads, mostly they have left them alone. Internet users can repost the threads after they have been censored, and the followers of that tweet can forward the post within a second, creating a huge Internet traffic.
The number of microblog users in the country has increased to 53.11 million, making up 13.8 percent of China's Internet users last year. A recent report by Shanghai Jiaotong University said 11 of 50 major events triggering hot public debate were first made known to the public by microblogs. Analysts believe microblogging plays an important role in raising civic awareness and exerting pressure on officials, even though – if the authorities demand – sensitive materials will still be deleted.
Luk Wah, a postgraduate student in Beijing, said she previously only used the Internet for e-mails or to watch video clips or news. She seldom writes on the Internet, she said, because she believes she has nothing special to share with others. But she opened a microblog in Sina, China's major Internet portal, two weeks ago, after her father had been detained for two weeks in Liaoning Province and her mother went missing.
Her father was involved in an economic dispute against the local government, and the local court ruled that the father should be compensated. But when he went to the local government office to demand compensation, officials detained him, allegedly because he had caused a disturbance.
"I am desperate and want your help," she wrote, leaving her mobile phone number.
"I am not a computer-obsessed woman. I believe communication via the Internet is something only fashionable people do," she told Asia Sentinel. "I used other methods to deal with my father's case, but all efforts were futile. I was so desperate and I did not know what to do. I didn't even know what a microblog is. But I needed someone to help."
The attention generated was beyond Luk's expectations. She received dozens of phone calls from strangers asking about her father's condition. She was thankful to the microbloggers after her father was released Friday.
"I almost want to write a thank you letter to Sina," she said.
Wang Sixin, a professor at the Communication University of China, said the easy-to-use feature of microblogging enabled many people who were reluctant to discuss public affairs to express their views.
"Unlike blogs or other online forums, you don't need to write long articles. Only 140 characters or a picture is enough," he said, adding that the other functions of microblog, which allow users to forward and comment on others' posts enable Internet users to interact with each others, forming a large group.
When negotiations with officials fail, or when they failed to attract the attention of mainstream media, or when the mainstream media are banned by the propaganda machine from reporting certain topics, the Internet users just write 140 words in the microblogs. The impact of such a little thread can be unimaginable, and undesirable to officials.
China's Media Crackdown Grows
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| From vultures in Delhi, to coups in Pakistan, a journalist?s un-edited take on current events |
Malaysia Getting Election Fever?
Sarawak assembly should be the last big one before national snap polls later in the year...Philippines Family Planning
Is it possible to curb poverty without a strong family planning program?...Noynoy Gets Cold Feet on Family Planning?
His own bill will focus on poverty reduction rather than population control...International Herald Tribune
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End of a Philippine General's Ugly Career
Former Armed Force chief of staff commits suicide amid a corruption investigation - Egypt's Lessons for Asia
- Why Beijing Censors Egypt News
- Burma's 2011: A Look Ahead
- How Afghanistan Looks to the Taliban
More:
... - A Lesson on Business in Burma
- Reddy, Steady: New India Oil Minister
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- Singapore and Foreign Workers
Canada Hit by Cyberattack From China
“Every indication we have at this point is that our sensors and our cyberprotection systems got the alerts out in time, that the information doors were slammed shut,” Mr. Day said.
He added that the attack, the latest in a series of confirmed assaults on government computer systems, was more directly focused than were previous strikes against Canada.
“It was a significant one — significant that they were going after financial records,” he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/world/americas/18canada.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2980&Itemid=233
Many have to endure abuse, discrimination and violations of their rights but few can obtain legal redress," the report says. "Their movements, behavior and even their ‘moral conduct,' are tightly controlled by their boss, who can terminate their employment and send them back to China at anytime and without any justification."
As Singapore has climbed steadily up the per capita income ladder in Asia, its 3.77 million residents, as measured by the 2010 census, have increasingly turned to foreign nationals from other countries to do the work they don't want to do. Depending on who is doing the counting, Singapore ranks either first in Asia, with annual per capita income of US$42,653 (the International Monetary Fund) or second after Japan at US$36,537 (the World Bank).
In addition, all of the island's statistics, as recorded by the CIA World Factbook, run to Singapore's detriment. Its birth rate, at 8.65 per 1,000 of population, ranks it 217th of 221 countries in the world. Its net migration rate, at 4.79 per 1,000, ranks it 15th in the world. Its population growth rate, at .0862 percent, ranks it 131st in the world. Thus foreign workers are integral to the conduct of the economy. With 76 percent of its residents ethnic Chinese, workers from the mainland are desirable.
How Afghanistan Looks to the Taliban
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2824&Itemid=241
. Political leaders have weighed the implications of straining present and future ties between their nations and the United States or losing their domestic base – and acted accordingly. How the US reacts towards these otherwise staunch allies may either lead to further withdrawals, or make long-standing relationship further casualties of the Afghan campaign.
The Taliban's diffuse and barely united leadership will have carefully monitored these developments and weighed their implications for their own priorities and agenda. Overall, and despite heavy losses among their own fighters, their assessment is likely to be far more upbeat as 2010 ends than their opponents.
Enemy disposition
The NATO forces' efforts to strengthen the government's army and police capacity have largely failed. Some army units are troublesome, but our fighters quickly learn to either avoid contact or seek other means of ensuring they do not press our forces. Our policy of warning junior enemy personnel and their relatives not resist our military or political actions or policies, and where necessary punishing those who fail to accede, is effective in many areas of the country.
We have no problem with junior government personnel, many of them recruited from the northern provinces, taking the foreigners' money so long as they recognize that any obligation this may create is subservient to their duty to our faith and country. The foreign money also ensures that there is a tax base we can draw on to help fund the resistance.
Enemy capability
Our ability to erode the enemy capabilities remains weak. Despite protracted attacks against their lines of communications, sufficient supplies continue to enable the enemy to maintain high-tempo operations against our forces. This is unlikely to change in the coming 12 months. Their growing dependence on pilotless aircraft, particularly across the Pakistan border, has disrupted our communications and command structure. This has forced our field commanders to devise alternative means of conveying orders and has constrained movement. While these obstacles have been identified by the enemy as indicators of success, we consider these tactical rather than strategic reversals as our timeline remains infinite and our opponents does not.
The past 12 months have seen a marked change in the foreign forces' attitude towards the conflict. All of the foreign troops are professional military personnel and their senior commanders' political sensitivities often appear more focused on their own career paths and service interests than in understanding the dynamics of their campaign in our country.
We confidently await the collapse of the Karzai regime, but still seek to manage the impact rather than simply respond to events. We maintain lines of communication into the government, and have made it clear what our expectations are once the foreign soldiers have left and our reaction if these expectations are not met.
Foreign support for the Karzai regime shows deep divisions between their most experienced diplomats and soldiers and the political aspirations of their political masters. The failure of the foreign powers to produce a credible Afghan government capable of unifying the country will continue to serve as one of our main sources of strength.
There is no indication that such an outcome can possibly be reached within the next few years, leaving the foreign armies in the position of facing an endless and draining conflict that distorts wider strategic interests and compromises their domestic political priorities.
Political failure has left our foreign opponents with few options other than to believe that they can kill their way to resolving the Afghan conflict. We appreciate the irony of this position as only a few days ago many of them marked their own losses in past and present wars, when hundreds of thousands of their fighters died. Do they doubt that we can also tolerate such losses in defence of our faith and land?
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