In recent weeks, India's parliament, often justifiably derided for the frequent disruptions that mar its work, has surprised its detractors by passing two crucial pieces of legislation that could transform the lives of hundreds of millions of people. The first, the Food Security Act, grants 67 percent of India's population a right to 35 kilograms of rice or wheat for three rupees (less than five US cents) per kilo. Together with related provisions that would provide meals to infants and expectant mothers, and subsidized pulses to supplement cheaply available food grains, the law will add $6 billion to India's annual fiscal deficit. But it would also abolish the risk of starvation and malnutrition in a land where too many have gone hungry for too long. The second law assures fair -- indeed generous -- compensation to people, often small-scale farmers, whose land is acquired by the state for development purposes. In a country where two-thirds of the population is still dependent on agriculture and small holdings are all that a majority of Indians live on, the new law helps those who have often felt exploited and deprived of their livelihoods by the state's power of eminent domain. The new law requires the consent of 80 percent of a major tract's landowners before the state can acquire it, and includes exacting provisions for the rehabilitation and resettlement of those affected. It will even compensate tenant farmers for their loss of livelihoods and require that those displaced by land acquisition be offered employment in the institutions that displace them. Taken together, the new food-security and land-acquisition laws underscore the Indian government's gradual but firm move toward making the world's largest democracy a society in which citizens' welfare is based on rights and entitlements rather than ephemeral charity. Detractors on the right insist that the new laws will break the budget and undermine economic growth, while opponents on the left argue that they do not go far enough in covering all of India's poor and vulnerable. The government believes that criticism from both sides suggests that the laws strike an appropriate balance. At a time when democracies are struggling with various models of welfarism, seeking to balance the imperative of fiscal retrenchment with alleviating the insecurity of vulnerable populations, India has moved in a direction that few thought possible for a developing country. From the Right to Information Act, which has empowered citizens and boosted government accountability and transparency, to the Right to Education Act, which has led to record-high school enrollment and pumped resources into moribund classrooms, the current government's reforms have changed the face of Indian society. One in five rural households benefit from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which provides employment mostly to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, and women in villages (in my own state, Kerala, 92 percent of the beneficiaries are women, whose lives have been transformed by their new income). By raising the bargaining power of agricultural labor, the act's passage has led to higher farm wages, greater purchasing power for the rural poor, and lower distress migration. And sustained government investment in public health is reflected in steady improvement in India's infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, and life expectancy. These measures cost money, but they also enable the poor to break free of poverty. When government policies keep India's telecom rates among the lowest in the world, it ensures that the poor can have access to a technology that increases their autonomy. When the government promotes food security, it is part of a bold effort to strengthen agriculture, which has led to record-high production of food grains. At the same time, economic reform has not been abandoned. Controversial budget provisions that had earlier deterred investors are being reviewed. The decision to permit foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail and civil aviation has been pursued, even at the cost of losing a recalcitrant coalition ally. Subsidies on diesel and cooking gas have been reduced in the face of vociferous opposition. Pension reforms have been passed, and insurance reforms are on the anvil. India has suffered, like most developing countries, from declining foreign investment, poor export performance, and a depreciating currency. But even pessimistic estimates project 5 percent growth in the coming fiscal year, and a good monsoon should ensure a bumper harvest. The measures that India should take to get its economic narrative back on track are the stuff of heated debate among economists and pundits. But for the aam aadmi -- the common man in whose name every party claims to speak -- these debates pale in significance beside the major steps taken to build a social safety net in a country where everyone had been expected to fend for himself. Cynics say the new measures are motivated by political considerations alone: the next general election is due by May next year. Before it was passed, one wit joked that the Food Security Bill meant “food for the poor, security for the ruling party and the bill for the taxpayer.” But it should be no surprise in a democracy that the government should pursue policies that are popular with a majority of voters. The fiscal costs of such measures are high, but the average Indian is better off now than he or she was nine years ago. Any government would feel vindicated by that record.by Shashi Tharoor
Saturday, September 14, 2013
India embraces the welfare state
Intense use of tear gas blamed in death of man during protests in Istanbul
An autopsy has been performed Sept. 14 on the body of a man, following claims that his death the previous day might have been caused by the police use of tear gas.
Serdar Kadakal died from a heart-attack on Sept. 13 in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district where protests have been met with a fierce police intervention for three days.
Relatives have claimed that the death of the 35-year-old sound technician, who had a history of a heart condition, was caused by the intense use of tear gas by the police.
His sister Sibel Kadakal said that the whole family had warned him not to go to his workplace, a well-known bar in the Bahariye neighborhood, which was the epicenter of the protests during the week.
“He told us that he had trouble breathing. He did not need to go outside [the bar] because the gas which entered inside affected everyone. It was a small area. We have warned him not to go to work. His throat and chest were aching,” Kadakal said.
“His wife was with him when he fainted. A doctor who knew about first aid has brought him back to life for a short time with cardiac massage. It’s a young death… So we have whys and hows,” she said.
However the police rejected that Kadakal's death could have any connection with the use of tear gas.
“This person was not in an area where gas was used by our forces," the police said in a statement on its website. “Kadakal’s relatives have said that although his heart valve was replaced in 1996 and he used a cardiac pacemaker, he smoked and took alcohol despite [doctors] forbade him,” the statement said.
But Sibel Kadakal said that they were not convinced that tear gas did not have any effect on his brothers’ death. “Exposure to [tear gas] harms even a normal person. It may cause different sort of effects in an ailing person’s body,” she said.
Kadakal’s funeral will be held tomorrow in Istanbul.
Six people have already died during anti-government protests across Turkey since the end of May, the last one being Ahmet Atakan, a 22-year-old demonstrator who passed away on Sept. 10 in Antakya.
Meanwhile, Taksim Solidarity Platform which initiated the protests in May denouncing the demolition of trees in Gezi Park, have called for a demonstration in Kadıköy on Sept. 15 at 3 p.m.
Obama says U.S. remains prepared to act on Syria if diplomacy fails
Poverty may strike 25 million more Europeans
Putin, Obama agree to exchange data on Syria’s chemical arsenal - Lavrov's interview
Russia: 2 million citizens back Communist no confidence in government bill– MP
Afghanistan:Zalmai Rassoul a Probable Candidate for Presidency: Karzai
http://www.tolonews.com/President Hamid Karzai on Saturday said that
India: Relief and hope after ruling in gang rape case
Deutsche Welle
Thousands celebrated in New Delhi after a court sentenced four men to death over a fatal gang rape last December. Many view the judgment as historic, hoping it will deter future attacks against women.A Mexican wave went up connecting a section of the crowd gathered outside the court in the Indian capital, New Delhi. Sweets were distributed while others gave each other hugs to rejoice a moment they had waited restlessly. It was the denouement of a case that had the entire nation riveted. It almost seemed as if there was a sense of closure following the verdict. The four men - Mukesh Singh (26), Akshay Thakur (28), Vinay Sharma (20) and Pawan Gupta (19) - who had been convicted of gang raping and murdering a 23-year-old medical student and attacking her male companion on the night of 16 December, 2012, were given death sentences."In these times when crimes against women are on the rise, the court cannot turn a blind eye to this gruesome act. We need to send a message that it will not be tolerated," Judge Yogesh Khanna said, while delivering his much-awaited judgment. 'A historic ruling ' Reactions were on predicted lines not just amongst the people waiting for hours outside the court, but also across the nation."I will sleep in peace. I was hoping to get justice. The incident was historic and therefore the ruling is also historic. No one should dare to commit such a crime again," said Badrinath Singh, the victim's father. Alongside him was the victim's mother, Asha Devi, who looked composed and even poised. "I was expecting this from the court. This verdict will deter other potential rapists and will also send a message to some parents to bring their wayward sons into line," she said.The sentencing can be appealed to a higher court and the convicts may also ask the president for clemency. But considering the brutality of the crime, many legal experts think death is almost certain for the convicts. Just a few days ago, a juvenile court verdict bitterly disappointed the parents. One of the attackers, who was 17 at the time of the assault, was sentenced to three years in a correctional facility, the maximum punishment for a juvenile found guilty of rape and murder. For others who had been following the high-profile case, the guilty verdict was what they wanted to hear. "It is a bold judgment and it will go a long way in securing justice for women who have been sexually assaulted. From now on, we have to send the word that justice should never be delayed," Poornima Advani, chairwoman of the National Commission for Women told DW. "I am very happy. It is a matter of great satisfaction and pride for everyone. The credit for the case reaching this verdict should be given to both the prosecution and the police," Neeraj Kumar, former police commissioner told DW. It was under his tenure that the police force captured the accused within 72 hours. 'Her fight has not gone unheard' A teenager who had been visiting the court where the men were being tried could not hold back her tears. "I can go back home today with some pride and honor. 'Brave heart Nirbhaya' as we all have referred to her in the last nine months can rest happily in heaven. Her fight has not gone unheard," said a sobbing Pratibha.The case was closely followed across India, turning the spotlight on the issue of violence against women. Pinky Anand, a senior lawyer practicing in the Supreme Court of India, said she was amazed at the pace of the trial. "For Indian standards, the conclusion of the so-called Nirbhaya rape case is remarkable. The crime was committed in December 2012 and the trial of the juvenile accused was concluded in July 2013," Anand told DW.
Pakistan-IMF relations
EDITORIAL : Daily TimesThe International Monetary Fund(IMF) has issued Pakistan’s economic scorecard, predicting a near term crisis if the policymakers of the country do not pay heed to the issues inflicting the country. Of the many crises pulling the country down financially, security, the energy crisis, law and order and institutional imbalance stand out. The report says that the impending drawdown of US-led NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2014 could trigger a new spate of Taliban assaults that could jeopardize the economy as investment could shrink further and GDP growth decline. With the dearth of foreign and domestic investors taking its toll, the budget deficit would climb up to eight percent, pushing more people below the poverty line as double digit inflation sets in. Barely a month in office and with stark economic realities staring it hard in the face, the government had little option but to reach out to the international lending agencies for funds to replenish its diminishing financial coffers. Under the new agreement, the IMF will give Pakistan $ 6.7 billion over the next three years. The first tranche of the loan has been released early this month to the tune of $ 540 million. In the absence of this programme, Pakistan ran the risk of suffering a balance of payments crisis. Based on past experience, the real challenge before the government will be to implement the IMF's conditionalities, without which this Extended Fund Facility too could suffer the same fate as earlier IMF programmes. These conditionalities call for widening the tax base, bringing tax evaders into the tax net and pushing the underpayers to pay fully. Even now these issues stands unresolved and unless the government is determined to do things differently, the country will not come out of its economic disasters as predicted by theIMF that sees Pakistan's economy at high risk in the near future. Quarterly IMF reviews will determine the release of future tranches. There is no gainsaying the fact that Pakistan with a three percent economic growth rate is standing on the edge. In order to provide a decent living to its people and to fully absorb the growing labour force, Pakistan requires at least seven percent growth. Even that looks improbable in the near future as Pakistan enforces austerity measures conditioned by the IMF. What we are looking at is economic contraction for the short term as investment bogs down and growth slows. But this short-term pain could eventually get the economy's essentials right, provided the government implements the hard but critical decisions. One of the important decisions is to bridge the fiscal deficit which the Finance Minister has committed to reduce to 4.5 percent of GDP over a period of three years. However, this commitment would require sounds actions in improving tax collection, reversing the energy deficit and plugging the drain on the exchequer from Public Sector Enterprises (PSE). The track record of the Federal Board of Revenue has been unsatisfactory over the past few years. Failing to put into effect the necessary measures, it incurred a shortfall of almost Rs 300 billion in its own target for 2012-13. To the IMF this had been a major policy flaw, in fact reneging on a commitment by the previous government given when securing the last loan of $ 11 billion. The shortfall reflects the inability or worse the weakness of the government to govern the ungoverned. As far as the PSEs are concerned, they had remained storehouses of political employment and depending on the government’s bailout plans to survive. For the energy sector, the IMF has again asked the government to drop costly subsidies. Electricity tariffs have already been increased, to make up the cost incurred on paying the circular debt. However, these measures should translate into long term economic prosperity for which the government should stem the wave of terrorism and the long running energy crisis. The IMF report expressed concern over the sectarian violence in Balochistan and street crimes in Karachi. We are hard put to build any case in our favour. Let’s hope we put down our old binoculars and see things anew with a fresh perspective. We should pursue implementing agricultural tax and documenting the informal economy. Tough as the situation is, our future depends on making the hard choices.
Bilawal Bhutto: PPP Patron-in-Chief’s statement – International Day of Democracy Sept 15
http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/
Pakistan: Former President Zardari condemns Lahore child rape
Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has condemned child rape in Lahore and termed it a test case for police.He said that the inhuman act committed to the innocent child was a slap on the face of society. Zardrai demanded of the government to bring the culprits to book carrying out speedy investigation. He also stressed the need to reform criminal justice system in the country to avert such incidents.
Bahrain intensifying human rights abuses: Activist
The Al Khalifa regime has significantly intensified its crackdown on the ongoing anti-government movements in Bahrain over the past month, a Bahraini human rights activist tells Press TV.
“For the past one month, we have seen a deteriorating situation especially with the human rights record,” said Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei in a Friday interview.
“We have recorded so many incidents of house raids, ongoing arrests on streets, checkpoints everywhere, so the situation more or less on daily basis has been deteriorating by all means,” he pointed out.
Alwadaei also pointed to the continuation of “systematic torture” at state-run buildings, including the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) from which there have been numerous evidences of different torturing tactics such as hose beating, electric shocks and even sexual abuses.
The Manama regime’s human rights record has come under scrutiny over its handling of anti-regime protests that erupted across the country in early 2011.
Bahrainis demanded political reform and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.
Manama also called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring states. Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others arrested in the clampdown.
On September 9, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) that she was frustrated with reports of human rights violations in Bahrain.
Turkish prosecutors indict Syrian rebels for seeking chemical weapons
A court indictment by the Turkish prosecutors into the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian rebels has once again highlighted fears this week that sarin toxic gas was used by the opposition and not the Assad government.
The prosecutor in the Turkish city of Adana has issued a 132-page indictment, alleging that six men of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and Ahrar ash-Sham tried to seek out chemicals with the intent to produce the nerve agent, sarin gas, a number of Turkish publications reported.
The main suspect in the case, 35-year-old Syrian-national Hytham Qassap has been charged with “being a member of a terrorist organization” and “attempting to acquire weapons for a terrorist organization.” The other 5, all Turkish nationals are being charged with “attempting to acquire weapons for a terrorist organization.”
The indictment alleges that Qassap tried to setup a network in Turkey in order to obtain chemical materials for the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham Brigades. Citing telephone calls made by the cell, the prosecution believes that the group ordered at least ten tons of chemicals, Al-Alam News Network reports.
The prosecution also dismissed claims that the suspects were unaware of their wrong doing. “The claim that the suspects didn’t know about the possibility of producing sarin nerve gas from the chemicals they tried to buy is not true which was established when they were testifying,” the document reads.
Meanwhile all six suspects have pleaded not guilty. “The suspects have pleaded not guilty saying that they had not been aware the materials they had tried to obtain could have been used to make sarin gas. Suspects have been consistently providing conflicting and incoherent facts on this matter,” the indictment said.
If convicted, Qassab faces a 25 year prison sentence, while his accomplices face 15 years prison terms.
The six men were a part of a group of 11 people arrested in their safe house in Adana on May 23, 2013. Their apprehension came about after surveillance by Turkish police who’d received a tip that Syrian jihadists were trying to acquire two government-regulated military-grade chemical substances. Five of the detained were released from custody after questioning, background checks and after lab tests proved that chemicals seized during the arrest were not sarin gas.he international community has long been ignoring worrying reports that the rebel fighters in Syria might be capable of carrying out a chemical attack. Russian President, Vladimir Putin also reiterated this week that while no one doubts that poison gas was indeed used in Syria, there is “every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons.”
Evidence that chemical weapons were used by the opposition was also highlighted by the two European hostages that were freed from Syrian rebel captivity last Sunday. In a phone conversation overheard by hostage Pierre Piccinin da Prata, he said it was clear the rebels used gas on civilians in an August 21 attack near Damascus.
“I don’t think that Bashar Al-Assad and the Syrian government are to blame for the chemical attack in Al-Ghouta,” Piccinin told RT. “It would have been absurd for the Syrian government to use chemical weapons.”
The Syrian government has always rejected any accusations of using chemical weapons. After one of the first alleged incidents in Aleppo in March, it was the government that called on UN to send in chemical experts. Another alleged chemical weapons use was reported in Homs in December 2012.
Russian experts flew out to the site of the attack in March to collect samples from the incident. On 9 July 2013, Moscow submitted the results of its inquiry into the use of chemical weapons at Aleppo to the United Nations. Russian scientists analyzing the 19 March 2013 attack found that it was most likely launched by opposition forces, and not the Syrian government.
“It was determined that on March 19 the rebels fired an unguided missile Bashair-3 at the town of Khan al-Assal, which has been under government control. The results of the analysis clearly show that the shell used in Khan al-Assal was not factory made and that it contained sarin,” UN envoy Vitaly Churkin has said.
The United Nations independent commission of inquiry on Syria into the attack in March concluded that no evidence of the use of sarin by Syria’s government troops has so far been uncovered. The lead investigator, Carla Del Ponte, did hint that it was the rebels that most likely used the chemical weapons.“The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic wishes to clarify that it has not reached conclusive findings as to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties to the conflict. As a result, the Commission is not in a position to further comment on the allegations at this time,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the UN chemical weapons inspection team has completed the report on the latest chemical attack in Syria on August 21 and will deliver it to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon over the weekend.
"I believe that the report will be an overwhelming report that chemical weapons (were) used, even though I cannot publicly say at this time before I receive this report," Moon said.
Although the team was not authorized to draw any conclusions on who was the perpetrator of the attack, a number of US officials speaking to the media on condition of anonymity over the last couple of days indicated that the report would hint the Assad government was responsible.
US-Russia reach landmark deal on destruction of Syria chemical weapons arsenal
Russia and the United States reached a deal on a framework that will see the destruction or removal of Syria’s chemical weapons by mid- 2014. Under the plan, the Assad government has one week to hand over an inventory of its chemical weapons arsenal.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry announced the plan on putting an end to Syria’s chemical weapons program following their third day of negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Kerry outlined several points of the plan, which would see the “rapid assumption of control by the international community” of Syria’s chemical weapons. He further stressed US-Russia commitment to the complete destruction of not only of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, but also its production and refinement capabilities.
Syria will also become a party to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which outlaws their production and use.
Damascus must submit within a week’s time – “and not 30 days” – a complete inventory of related arms, “including names, types, and quantities of its chemical weapons agents, types of munitions, and location and form of storage, production and research and development facilities."
The Syrian government should provide the OPCW, the UN and other supporting personnel “with the immediate and unfettered right to inspect any and all sites in Syria.” Lavrov later said that security for all international inspectors on the ground should be provided for not only by the government, but opposition forces as well.
It remains undecided who will actually be tasked with destroying the stock, although their destruction “outside of Syria" and under “OPWC supervision” would prove to be optimal.
On the timetable, Kerry said UN inspectors must be on the ground no later than November, while the destruction of chemical weapons must be completed by the middle of 2014.
"Providing this framework is fully implemented it can end the threat these weapons pose not only to the Syrian people but also their neighbors," Kerry said adding that Russian and US teams of experts had reached "a shared assessment" of the existing stockpile and that Syria must destroy all of its weapons. It was possible that the Syrian rebels have some chemical weapons, he acknowledged.
If Damascus fails to comply with the plan, a response in accordance with UN Charter Chapter 7 will follow, Kerry said, in a reference to the use of military force. The chapter provides for "action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security" in the event other measures fail.But Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said the agreement did not include any potential use of force against Syria. He however said that deviations from the plan, including attacks on UN inspectors, would be brought to the UN Security Council, which would decide on further action.
There is no prior agreement about what form the Security Council’s measures might take if Syria does not comply, Kerry said.
The joint press conference was rather jovial in nature, contrasting sharply with the public barbs which have been traded between Russian and US officials in recent days.
Kerry in fact concluded the press conference by teasing Lavrov that he “could be a senator” after the Russian FM gave a rather voluble reply to a question posed by a Russian journalist.
Kick starting Geneva II
Meanwhile, both sides reiterated previously stated intentions to meet with Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria, on the margins of the UN General Assembly on September 28.
Speaking alongside Kerry and Lavrov in Geneva on Friday, Brahimi said ongoing work to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control was a necessary step for convening the Geneva II conference. The conference, which is intended to hammer out a political solution to the brutal civil war which has embroiled Syria for over two years, could be held in October, Lavrov told reporters.
On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to present a report to the Security Council which sources say contains overwhelming evidence that “chemical weapons were used” in an August 21 attack in a Damascus Suburb which killed between 355 and 1,729 people.
The government of Bashar Assad strongly denied government forces were responsible for the attack, while the West overwhelmingly blamed Damascus, prompting US Barack Obama’s threat of military action.
Obama has threatened to strike Syria unilaterally, prompting Russia’s Saturday’s joint proposal which will see Syria’s chemical weapons brought under international control.
Although President Assad immediately acquiesced to the Russian-backed plan, rebel forces have resisted efforts which have staved off Western intervention in the country.
On Saturday, the Free Syrian Army rejected a US-Russian deal as a stalling tactic and vowed to continue fighting to topple the Assad government.
"The Russian-American initiative does not concern us. It only seeks to gain time," said Salim Idriss, the chief of the FSA command, said.
"We completely ignore this initiative and will continue to fight to bring down the regime," he told a press conference Saturday in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Democracy in the Arab world?
Even when the Arab world was in deep winter, I was an early supporter of its spring. Inspired by a Jewish friend who fifteen years ago launched an organization called, “free the 400 million,” I gave lectures at the Oxford Union and wrote columns around the world calling for the end of dictatorships in Libya, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab despotisms. “Where is the Arab George Washington?,” one of the columns asked. How could hundreds of millions of people live without a freedom movement to liberate them? Why would they voluntarily submit to a thugocracy?When the Arab spring eventually broke I was one of its most vocal champions. I even criticized the Israeli government for not coming out more forcefully for democratic reforms in Egypt and for implying that Hosni Mubarak was somehow a friend and ally when in reality he was a tyrant who ruled Egypt with an iron fist for three decades.Throughout all this advocacy I was well aware that democracy was not a panacea for guaranteeing a country’s morality, that Hitler was democratically elected, as was Hamas. But I stood squarely by the speech given by a young Benjamin Netanyahu that I had organized in Oxford twenty years ago where he said that the secret to Middle East peace was Arab democratization. And how do I feel now, when Muhammad Morsi in Egypt turned out to be a President who used his victory at the polls to curb democratic freedoms and press liberties? Or when democracy in Libya led to the murder of our Ambassador, or when the opposition in Syria certainly encompasses many radical Islamists who, if they defeat mass murderer Bashar al Assad, might institute sha’ariya law? Here is my answer. I believe in democracy with all my heart and believe that it can and will, eventually, prevail over a nation’s failures. But democracy can only work if it is accompanied by a constitution with a Bill of Rights guaranteeing minority civil liberties. Democracy alone, without rights enshrined in a constitution, can be a dangerous tool in the hands of fanatics who would use populism to dismantle individual freedoms. Hitler used his electoral victories to have himself voted Fuhrer, dictator for life. Hamas likewise used its electoral victory to dismantle democracy and Morsi was well on his way to doing the same. The people and its leaders can never be counted on to preserve and protect individual rights. That’s something that has to be ingrained within a nation’s constitution, as it is in ours. There must be a powerful judiciary that can overrule legislation and declare it unconstitutional, even if it is passed by a democracy. It is ultimately a constitution guaranteeing universal freedoms that can right an errant course set by a majority that seeks to trample on individual liberties. Even here in the United States we witnessed the passing of the Alien and Sedition Act, under John Adams, that made it a crime to criticize the executive. We likewise witnessed the mass internment of Japanese during the Second World War, not to mention the much more egregious sins of Jim Crow and segregation that foully denied individual liberties. These wrongs were only put right – and in the case of segregation it took nearly a century after the end of slavery – because of a constitution that guaranteed individual liberties and a judiciary that had the power to force the executive to implement those rights. True, the same constitution enshrined slavery, which is why even constitutions need to be modified, as was ours with the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments, which abolished slavery, guaranteed due process and equal protections, and voting rights regardless of race or color. But imagine what our democracy would be like without our Bill of Rights. In many ways its too frightening to contemplate. I’m beginning to wonder whether or not the United States should not be promulgating a universal Bill of Rights that we demand be accepted by nations that seek our help, as in Syria, that must first be adopted by the leadership of revolutionary movements prior to our agreeing to provide military or economic aid. Otherwise, much as I absolutely insist that Syria must be punished for gassing its own people – and it must and immediately – does it really make sense to support one tyranny to replace another? I realize that in many ways this is impractical. Rebel leaders might adopt an American-imposed guarantee of democracy and a bill of rights, that they can later rescind. Also, they may not be the same leaders once the revolution is complete. But it makes a lot more sense that simply getting no guarantees as to future behavior. Likewise, the United States appears far too timid when it comes to imposing its will on countries that it has liberated with significant blood and treasure, as was the case when it did not insist that Iraq sign a peace treaty with Israel just as soon as its new government was established. While it is unethical to insist that countries liberated by the United States abide by a Pax Americana, as if were ancient Rome, there is nothing immoral about insisting that nations that we liberate live by a universal code of morality that demands, among others, rights for minorities, women, gays, freedom of the press, and freedom of worship. Oh, and a demand that a country like Iraq not indulge in Israel-bating and toxic anti-Semitism. The alternative is for the United States to continue to send its young men and women to die in places like Afghanistan only to see corrupt dictators like Hamid Karzai – who viciously attacks our troops as murderers on a regular basis – be the beneficiaries of so much American sacrifice. But one thing is for sure. I continue to believe that constitutional democracy is the only real hope for the earth’s inhabitants and that, difficult as it is to see, all humanity, deep in their hearts (and hopefully not too deep), yearn to be free.Shmuley Boteach
Obama loosens demands on U.N. resolution on Syria
By Christi Parsons and Paul Richter
In a sign of its weak hand in the Syria crisis, the Obama administration has abandoned for now its hope of winning U.N. authorization for the use of force against President Bashar Assad's government if it fails to surrender its chemical weapons.
Facing steadfast Russian resistance, officials said Friday that they would accept a United Nations resolution that imposed weaker penalties such as economic sanctions and allowed for the Security Council to reconsider the use of force if Assad did not live up to his promises.
The shift, described by administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, appeared to be an acknowledgment of the likelihood that Security Council members Russia and China would veto the use of force, and of the overall lack of international support for military strikes to punish Assad for his alleged use of chemical weapons.
But President Obama's effort to retain the option to launch military action in response to the Aug. 21 attack, which the U.S. says killed more than 1,400 people, may have received a boost in comments from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Ban said an upcoming report by U.N. experts would show strong evidence of the use of chemical weapons. A U.N.-based diplomat said the report would build a circumstantial case that the Syrian military was responsible.
Whether the international community retains the option to use force has become the focus of diplomacy. Syria and its allies in Russia surprisingly announced this week that Assad's government would give up its chemical weapons and sign an international treaty that prohibits them.
France announced it was crafting a U.N. resolution that would authorize the use of force if Assad reneged on the pledge, which the Russians immediately rejected. On Thursday, Assad said he wouldn't hand over his chemical weapons unless the U.S. stopped arming rebels seeking to overthrow his government.
Negotiations are likely to drag on now for some time. Administration officials say they expect a conclusion in weeks, not months.
The report by the U.N. experts may be released as early as Monday.
Appearing at a U.N. meeting he thought was private, Ban said into an open microphone that he believed the inspectors would deliver "an overwhelming, overwhelming report that chemical weapons [were] used, even though I cannot publicly say [so] at this time, before I receive the report."
Because of the faulty intelligence the George W. Bush administration relied on in justifying the invasion of Iraq in 2003, U.S. officials have faced tough questions from other governments, in Congress and from the U.S. public about its accusations that Assad used chemical weapons.
But if the evidence of Syrian responsibility is strong, and if Syria fails to live up to its promises, Obama could gain more international backing for his arguments that force is needed.
The U.N. investigation, conducted by a team headed by Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom, was not designed to assign blame for the attack. But a diplomat based at the United Nations said the evidence the inspectors gathered would make a circumstantial case strong enough to convince many that the Syrian military was responsible.
The evidence includes ammunition and the results of tests on soil, blood and urine. The investigators conducted dozens of interviews with medical personnel, relief workers and victims.
U.S. officials have argued that the physical evidence shows for example, that the attacks were conducted with weaponry used by the Syrian military and that it was fired from areas held by Syrian troops.
The findings "make it hard to believe that others did it," said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report has not yet been released. Even so, the diplomat acknowledged that Russia and Syria may still seize on some points to insist the case is not definitive.
Also Friday, Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met for a second day in Geneva to work out a process for eliminating Syria's chemical weapons stockpile. They said they also discussed how to move back into long-stalled negotiations on how to end Syria's civil war.
The two officials met with the U.N. special envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi. Their comments were the first suggestions that the discussion over chemical weapons could be broadened to encompass an effort to end the war.
They said they would resume the discussions Sept. 28 in New York, after the opening of the new U.N. General Assembly session, and hoped to finally be able to set a date for negotiations.
Kerry said Obama remained "deeply committed" to a negotiated solution to the war, and wants to explore whether the Syrian government and rebels can broker formation of a new government. But Kerry added that progress depended on whether the U.S. and Russian negotiating team in Geneva, where the sides are deeply divided on many aspects of the issue, can make progress.
Whether the broader discussions can get underway "will obviously depend on the capacity to have success here," Kerry said.
Lavrov signaled Russian support for a broader approach, saying his country had supported the efforts of Kofi Annan, who was the first U.N. special envoy who tried to wind down the war.
Even so, diplomats and analysts said enormous obstacles remained.
It may now be more difficult to persuade rebel leaders to take part because they are likely to interpret Obama's decision to hold off on military strikes as a lack of support for them. And Assad, who has apparently averted a U.S. attack, may feel he has the upper hand, and may be more resistant to joining negotiations that the United States hopes will sweep him out of office.
Frederic C. Hof, who was the U.S. envoy to Syria earlier in the Obama administration, predicted it would be impossible to draw in rebel leaders to negotiate in Geneva while the Syrians continue to conduct an intense war against them.
"The foundation for that kind of negotiations doesn't exist at all," said Hof, now with the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center.
General Petraeus didn't deserve the 'war criminal' heckling from students
General David Petraeus didn't have the best start to the school year. Since the City University of New York (CUNY) announced Petraeus would teach a seminar in the honors college, there's been criticism and uproar, some of which led to his salary being dropped to $1. But it went to another level on Tuesday as students followed him down the street chanting slogans such as "There's blood all over you, I can smell it". As a graduate and now an employee of the CUNY system, I am no stranger to political activism and the presence of diverse and divergent opinions on our many campuses throughout the city of New York. At one point the university was led by a Civil War general, and the community takes great pride in alumnus General Colin Powell. While expecting some political push back resisting the invitation of General Petreaus to teach at CUNY, I never anticipated that a system acclimated to diversity, tolerance, and constructive dialogue would be identified with misguided attacks on an individual who has committed his life to the service of his fellow citizen and country. I arrived at the central offices of the Macaulay Honors College for a meeting on Tuesday morning and found a collection of protestors outside the main building. I didn't know that General Petreaus' seminar was scheduled that day, but I soon figured it out. The chanting was both inappropriate and inaccurate, but perhaps it is too much to expect accuracy and appropriateness from an angry gathering of about 20. Rising over the placards calling the general a mass murderer and bearer of death and destruction were chants opposing the reintroduction of ROTC, the Reserve Officers' Training Corps that can be found on many US college campuses, at CUNY. "R-O-T-C; Down with the bourgeoisie!" What followed, now playing on Youtube, was verbal abuse from people who represent a minority view. What they exhibited was not "dissent" in any sense equal to a great university. This was "free speech" at its ugliest – a display of barbarism and ignorance. General Petreaus' record speaks for itself. His COIN manual (pdf) reduced civilian casualties and expedited the withdrawal of American and coalition troops for Iraq. In doing so, he met the military objectives set by our civilian government. The anger and harassment he experienced this week was reminiscent of a Vietnam-era America when returning veterans were subjected to public humiliation and attack. Today, we recognize and honor their sacrifice and commitment, as we should honor all of our armed personnel, especially those who work to bring our troops home alive and well, not to mention those who work to save civilian lives in zones of combat. David Petreaus deserves our praise and gratitude. Perhaps all the more so in the week we remember 11 September 2001 in New York City. CUNY has a broad mission to educate "the children of the whole people" and has kept true to the mission. ROTC has historically been a gateway of opportunity, and a key component in the fabric of service, excellence, and success. Some joined the ROTC to get "an extra pair of pants," but most wanted to give back to a country that had given them an opportunity to learn and succeed. CUNY and its students did not and do not have a culture of privilege and entitlement, rather a culture of service prevails to this day. I am proud that my university invited a contemporary leader into our classrooms. David Petreaus brings with him real life experiences that will serve our students well in their quest for knowledge and first hand accounts of contemporary history.By Lev Sviridov
Obama to visit Asia next month to discuss economy, security
President Barack Obama will discuss economic and security issues with Asian leaders during a trip to Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines October 6 - 12, the White House said on Friday.
The trip comes as countries in the region try to work through friction over disputed territories in the oil and gas-rich South China Sea. Obama's foreign policy has focused on Asia, and his officials have been closely monitoring the maritime dispute.
Obama will discuss economic and security issues with President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines, which has filed an arbitration cases before the U.N. International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea.
The White House said Obama will start his trip in Indonesia to meet with leaders of countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which could be finalized by the end of the year.
Obama will attend an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economic meeting in Indonesia, the country where he spent part of his childhood, and will meet with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Maritime security will be on the agenda for Obama's meetings in Brunei with the U.S.-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit. Leaders will also discuss energy, investment, and trade issues, the White House said.
In Malaysia. Obama will meet with Prime Minister Najib Razak and will give a keynote speech to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, a program the Obama administration started in 2009 to create jobs by helping young entrepreneurs share their ideas.
Syrian Rebels Say Saudi Arabia Is Stepping Up Weapons Deliveries
Saudi Arabia, quietly cooperating with American and British intelligence and other Arab governments, has modestly increased deliveries of weapons to rebels fighting in southern Syria, the rebels say. But the shipments have not been large enough to assuage rebel frustration that they are being abandoned, as the United States shifts its focus to a possible Russian-initiated deal to quarantine the Syrian government’s chemical weapons, or to ease anxieties among the Persian Gulf leaders who have been the rebels’ primary backers. Publicly, the Saudis expressed patience, with pro-monarchy newspapers saying that the negotiations over Syrian chemical weapons would probably founder and that American military strikes would follow sooner or later. But behind the scenes, analysts say, leaders in Saudi Arabia and allies like Qatar chafed as rebel leaders fumed that their larger need — a way to shift the balance in the two-year-old civil war and end the army’s bombardment of towns and neighborhoods — was being ignored. The greatest fear of gulf leaders, said Hassan Hassan, who analyzes the gulf role in the Syria conflict at The National, a newspaper based in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, is that talks over Syria’s chemical weapons will shift the American focus to “talking with the Iranians and the regime and Russia rather than with the gulf.” The gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have positioned themselves as crucial players in Syria, working closely with the United States. “Now all of a sudden the limelight has been taken away from them,” Mr. Hassan said. “They are afraid the situation can take another course.” Since the chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburbs last month that American officials blame on the Syrian government, rebels and analysts say the Saudis have stepped up deliveries of light weapons and antitank guided missiles. The aim was initially to bolster the rebels’ ability to take advantage of any American strikes by storming damaged or undefended bases, analysts and rebels say — though the Saudis refrained from sending the antiaircraft missiles that the rebels covet most. The Syrian government has denied responsibility for the chemical attack. Rebels in southern Syria who nominally answer to the loose-knit, Western-backed Free Syrian Army said Thursday that they had received new infusions of arms from Saudi Arabia, delivered through Jordan, and that the weapons had helped them gain ground near the border. At the same time, Gen. Salim Idris, the nominal commander of the Free Syrian Army, declared on Thursday his “absolute rejection” of the chemical weapons deal offered by the Syrian and Russian governments. He said rebel fighters felt they were being “left alone,” without “direct military support” from the United States. The developments point to the delicate balance that the United States is trying to maintain. On the one hand, it is exploring a proposed deal that could create common ground with President Bashar al-Assad’s main supporters, Russia and Iran, and might eventually lead to a political settlement of the Syrian civil war. On the other hand, it is keeping up military pressure on Mr. Assad and trying to avoid alienating Saudi Arabia and other gulf allies that the United States has relied on to work with the rebels. “My sense,” Mr. Hassan said, “is that the Americans are reassuring them behind the scenes.” The situation points to the many competing interests the United States is trying to balance in the Syria crisis. The Americans’ stated goal in Syria is a political settlement, but that outcome is all but impossible to achieve without talking to Syria’s allies. And the close association among Saudi Arabia, Qatar and rebel groups has been a source of mistrust for government supporters inside Syria and others outside the country who fear the Islamic militants who have risen to prominence on the battlefield on the strength of financing from private donors in the gulf. While Saudi Arabia has a strong interest in capitalizing on the Syrian crisis to weaken Iran and sever its alliance with Syria, the Saudis also fear the growing power of the many jihadists among the Syrian rebels. So far, analysts and rebels say, it has heeded American requests not to deliver antiaircraft missiles that could fall into the hands of Islamic militants who might use the missiles against other governments, not just Mr. Assad’s. For months, Saudi Arabia has been quietly funneling arms, including antitank missiles, to Free Syrian Army groups through Jordan, working covertly with American and British intelligence and Arab governments that do not want their support publicly known, according to rebel groups operating in southern Syria. Ahmed Abu Rishan, a spokesman for a special forces group that belongs to General Idris’s general command in southern Syria, said Thursday that those deliveries had increased in recent days. The weapons helped rebel groups take over a tank battalion and destroy four tanks in the village of Sheikh Saad near the southern border, he said, providing a video of the attack that appeared to demonstrate the use of antitank guided missiles. But Mr. Rishan said the groups desperately need antiaircraft weapons to bring down Mr. Assad’s government. “We feel frustrated because Bashar al-Assad is a liar,” he said. “We do not just want to destroy the chemicals, but also want to stop the bloodshed in Syria.” General Idris told NPR’s “Morning Edition” on Thursday, “We can’t understand why the Russians and the Iranians are supporting the regime so clearly, and our friends are delaying and hesitating.” He said he told fighters: “Let us wait. We respect the decision of the president, and we know how decisions are taken in the democratic countries. Let us wait, and we hope our friends, at the end of the day, will be with us and will help us.”By ANNE BARNARD
Russia, US and UN: Geneva peace talks only way to stop Syria violence
Obama says Syria deal must be 'verifiable and enforceable'
In an Oval Office photo-op with Kuwait's emir, President Barack Obama says any plan to destroy Syria's chemical weapon must be ''verifiable and enforceable.''
Americans want diplomacy on Syria, are unmoved by Obama speech: Reuters/Ipsos poll
Afghanistan: Football win: Seizing the moon by the teeth
http://www.afghanistantimes.af/
Pakistan: Holding of local bodies’ election on non party basis challenged in LHC
Pakistan: Christians flee their village after pastor accused of blasphemy
Ahmadiyya TimesPastor pleads innocence, but dozens flee for fear of repercussions Dozens of Christian families have fled from their homes in a village near Lahore after a pastor was accused of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad.
Gunmen Attack NATO Oil Tankers In Pakistan
http://www.rferl.org/
Malala, Khodorkovsky, Snowden Among Nominees For Sakharov Prize
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