Happy New Year and Nava Sankranthi!

Wish you all a Happy New Year and Nava Sankranti 2009!

Editorial "Say 'No' to War!" in the 31 December 2008 issue of LAW ANIMATED WORLD

SAY ‘NO’ TO WAR!

More than a month after India’s nine-eleven (Bombay’s 26/11), it is almost clear that this terrorist mayhem has been engineered and planned in Pakistan, under the guidance of the Pakistan Army, especially the notorious Inter Services Intelligence. Their main objective seems to be something like hittng two birds with one blow – to wriggle out of their commitments to the US and NATO about fighting Taliban terrorism in their northwest frontier and tribal areas and at the same time stoke up the Kashmir cauldron once more by creating a warlike situation with India. The reports that top Taliban leaders declared to fight a jihad against India in support of the Pakistan Army in case of any such war breaking out is a sufficient indicator of the close nexus between Islamic terrorists and the Pakistan military. But whether the masses of Pakistan who have just recently come out of the iron grip of the military and are trying to breathe democracy and liberty once again will blindly support their nefarious designs, swept away by fundamentalism and jingoism, is a big question. On our side also there is no dearth of chauvinists crying for blood and obliteration of Pakistan by fighting a final war. However, all sane elements shun such warmongering and are certain that war cannot be an option, particularly at this point, since it would be nothing but falling into the trap set by the Pakistan Army and the Islamic terrorists. Apart from the certainty of immense human tragedies and genocidal excesses happening, the very thought of a communal madcap with a nuclear stone in hand across the border should deter us in this regard. Wisdom lies in keeping low for the present, strengthen our intelligence and security, forge solid alliances with world powers – not only US but also Russia and China, try our best for peaceful resolution of disputes and, failing that, at an apt moment in future, take stern retaliatory action to wipe out or disable not only the terrorist camps but also the military nucelar installations in Pakistan §§§

Editorial OBAMIASMA in the 15 December 2008 issue of LAW ANIMATED WORLD

OBAMIASMA

Barack Hussein Obama, half-black, half-white, half-African, some Asian, purportedly born in Hawai, so American – whether natural born or naturalized or native citizen, whether irregularly practiced Islam in his childhood or not but baptized by the Black ‘Trinity United Church of Christ’ and recognized the ‘power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change’, certainly deserves all the praise and our hearty congratulations to this great Afro-American who believes and inspires that ‘Change Can Happen’. Like Castro we do not call into question his ‘great intelligence, his debating skills or his work ethic’ but certainly suspect the course of his claims about a ‘seamless transition’ as does Bill Van Auken in World Socialist Website and also question his ‘pragmatism’ which Christopher Hayes of The Nation decries saying: “…privileging pragmatism over ideology … misses the point… Indeed, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, "pragmatists" of all stripes … lined up to offer tips and strategies on how best to implement a practical and effective torture regime; but ideologues said no torture, no exceptions. Same goes for the Iraq War, which many "pragmatic" lawmakers – Hillary Clinton, Arlen Specter – voted for and which ideologues across the political spectrum, from Ron Paul to Bernie Sanders, opposed. Of course, by any reckoning, the war didn't work. That is, it failed to be a practical, non-ideological improvement to the nation's security. Principle is often pragmatism's guardian. Particularly at times of crisis, when a polity succumbs to collective madness or delusion, it is only the obstinate ideologues who refuse to go along. Expediency may be a virtue in virtuous times, but it's a vice in vicious ones.” We could not have put it better, and hope the US President-elect comes out of this miasma and with ‘audacity of hope’ works for a novel, benign, humane change not only in the American internal affairs but also external policies, contributing for peace, prosperity and sustainable development of all countries, big or small §§§