Category Archives: Asia

Lessons on dealing with nuclear rows

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North Korea has agreed to declare and disable all its nuclear facilities by the end of 2007. Who says diplomacy and the right aid package can’t get results?

The DPRK may be part of the “axis of evil” but it’s a fairly quiet part right now. After all the understandable concern when it tested a nuclear bomb one might have expected a more hostile confrontation between the two.

True, there were some hairy moments, but promises of oil and food seem to have won the day — to the point the US is looking at taking Korea off the list of states sponsoring terrorism.

Bryan over at Hot Air, while pointing out that the deal deserves some measure of skepticism, notes that the DPRK is in trouble: famine, flooding and economic woes abound. World Vision said the flooding was so bad this year’s rice harvest was destroyed, along with bridges and powerlines.

It’s possible Korea can no longer afford to maintain its nuclear programme, although dictatorships don’t have a track record of such concerns.

There are lessons here that can be applied to Iran. The deal shows just how successful negotiations can be when needs are clearly identified and dealt with; in 2006 Bush vowed to give diplomacy “every chance” in Korea, and the results are there for all to see.

Korea’s woes do not exist in Iran, so there’s no clear incentive on the Iranian side to ender into proper talks. Ahmadinejad is the other factor. There is unlikely to be a resolution so long as he and his ilk are in power. But that doesn’t mean a proper forum can’t be set up to resolve the issue diplomatically.

Hans Blix has suggested a guarantee that Iran will not be attacked and a normalization of relations with the United States as the cornerstone of an agreement. It won’t be enough in and of itself but would be a start.

At the height of the nuclear row, there was speculation of and backing for a military strike against Korea, much as there is talk of planned offensives against the Iranian military. Such speculation came to nothing and eventually petered out as the diplomatic effort gathered momentum despite the occasional setback. However, I can’t rule out the chance that the threat or fear of attack had a bearing on Korea’s diplomatic amiability.

I also have a slightly more cynical theory: the US administration could not have sold strikes on Korea to the public because it’s just not on their radar. Judging by this video, some Americans’ grasp of geography is tenuous at best:

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hp4iI59BfpQ[/youtube]

(Part of a longer montage here.)

All levity aside, the prospect of a deal in North Korea does raise the possibility of a peaceful solution in Iran. I would put forward the promise of investment in the Islamic republic’s oil and gas fields. Direct US finance would be problematic for the Iranian government, but cash through a third party (perhaps the UN or EU) might work.

Let’s see what happens.

Links of the day

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The forces of time and work are against me, so this will be short and sweet.

If you’re not moved by this you have no heart: Ollie Byrne RIP and the friendship of pets. How the late owner of Shelbourne FC ditched everything one January night to help somebody find their lost cat. (Michael Nugent)

A sure cause of controversy: Diggers laying a pipe under the Al-Aqsa mosque may have found part of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. This will be incredible if it’s true. (Catholicgauze)

Feeling the pinch: China’s key oil producers may suspend petrol imports. The country needs to supply its own people first, which isn’t a bad philosophy. (AFP)

“I will remind the deppity”: John O’Donoghue in full fury on the floor of Dáil Éireann. Damien resurrects our brave Ceann Comhairle’s attempts to keep control of the house, only for him to show what a flustering hothead he really is. (Damien Mulley)

Fight for your rights: Stop being a slave to your email. Go on, strike back! (Lifehacker)

Transport, but not as we know it: Flying cars are going on sale in the next couple of months. Woohoo! (BBC)

Blogs and the wider world: More women blogging than men. About 8% of Americans have their own blog, according to a survey; although because said survey was conducted among people using an online service the results likely do not reflect reality. (Blorge.com)

Creepy crawlies: Got arachnophobia? Here’s your worst nightmare. A vast web crawling with millions of spiders that is spreading across several acres of a Texas park (and the picture with the article is amazing). (International Herald Tribune)

Fighting words: Kung fu monks seek apology for ninja affront. Shaolin monks are a bit miffed at claims by one web user that they were beaten in unarmed combat by a ninja.  (Reuters)

YouTube unblocked

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Thailand has lifted a ban on its citizens accessing the video-sharing website provided it doesn’t allow files that break Thai laws or offend the people.

According to AP, Information and Communication Technology Minister Sitthichai Phokai-udom:

told The Nation [a major newspaper] that YouTube had finished creating a program that would block sensitive video clips from being accessed through Thai Internet service providers.

Thailand takes offences regarding the king seriously — just think of the Swiss man who was jailed for 10 years after he defaced posters with the king’s picture (he was subsquently pardoned and deported). The ban on YouTube came in after a clip was posted showing digitally-altered images of King Bhumibol Adulyadej next to a photo of feet. This is a grave insult in Thailand, as the people believe feet are the lowest and dirtiest part of the body.

I wasn’t able to find the clip in question, but there are many others about the king: some complimentary, some hostile. Watch at your own risk.

The ban raised legitimate questions about freedom of speech. Google, which owns YouTube, has decided not to remove the offensive clips, just ensure they can’t be seen in Thailand, to preserve this right. Freedom of expression is limited in Thailand, particularly since the military began shutting down political websites in the aftermath of the coup. (Ethics is a seperate concern — Thai media regularly shows pictures of people who have committed suicide, complete with smiling police officers next to the body.)

I think it’s fair enough for YouTube to respect Thai laws, though inevitably somebody will come up with a way to circumvent the filters. But where does it end?

We must always remember that Google is a company in search of growth and new markets.

The most blatant example of its working with the authorities is China, where it has modified the search engine to exclude the likes of Tiananmen Square and the Falun Gong movement. China is such a vast and growing market that not making a few compromises would curtail Google’s standing there, thus having a negative impact on its business potential in the country. That’s not to say we have to like what it did. I also have concerns about how much personal data it’s keeping on all of us.

Was Thailand right to have Google develop this filter? Was Google right to give in? Does Thai law need a major overhaul? Have your say in the comments box.

Links of the day

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One for us word nerds: Instructor creates cuneiform and hieroglyphic translator. Sadly I can’t see my name in Egyptian. Site still rocks though. (Marketwire.com/Virtualsecrets.com)

Bloggers are screwed: This journal may disappear at any time. LiveJournal tells its members that posting links must be treated in the same way as posting the material itself must be treated. (Liz Marcs)

Ah, capitalism: US weapons, given to Iraqis, move to Turkey. Guns given to Iraq’s security forces by the US military have been recovered after use in violent crimes in Turkey. (International Herald Tribune)

Highwire: Russian village’s tightrope walking prowess. Nearly every man, woman and child in the remote mountain village of Tsovkra-1 can walk the tightrope. (Reuters)

Naughty boy? Olbermann re-enacts Senator Craig bathroom scene. Using the police report, Keith Olbermann recreates the incident which saw the US senator arrested after allegedly seeking some same-stall action with a policeman. (Crooks and Liars)

Protecting the nation’s interests: China passes new anti-monopoly law. Twill make it harder for foreign firms to buy Chinese companies. (AFP)

International relations: Should we be worried about Russia and China ganging up on the West? No, according to Ian Bremmer. That’s a relief. (Slate)

Links of the day

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Things that caught my eye when I should have been doing something more productive:

The mother of all battles: It’s a dance off! Princess Stomper produces this amazing video of characters from Morrowind, Oblivion and Guild Wars shaking their collective booties in a bid to resolve once and for all which is the greatest RPG of all time. Or at least have a lot of fun. (Bethblog.com)

Cool dude: A lone dreamer in the Aboriginal art boom. A lovely profile piece of Michael Nelson Tjakamarra, one of Australia’s best-known painters but a man who cares not for the trappings of fame and fortune. (International Herald Tribune)

Paranoid, much? Ethiopia accuses Norway of ‘destabilising’ region. That modern imperial power, Norway, is under fire for “repeated and widespread interference in destabilising the Horn of Africa”. All goofing aside, there are serious issues regarding the conflict with Eritrea. (AFP)

May the force be with them: NASA shuttle to launch Luke’s lightsaber. The original prop is going along with shuttle Discovery on its trip to the ISS in December. (CollectSpace.com)

I have got to get me one of these: Practical fuel cells for electronics. Hydrogen fuel cells could run laptops for 50 hours at a go. (Technology Review)

These people can’t catch a break: Poor roads cost Cameroon cocoa farmers dear. A rubbish infrastructure means farmers get their beans to traders three weeks late — after the price had dropped. (Reuters)

The cows are screwed: The end of the world’s grasslands as we know them?  Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may prompt the large-scale conversion of grasslands to a landscape of woody shrubs, one study claims. (Treehugger.com)

Cheap plug: Policeman suspended for hugging bailed star. The story of the day as far as I was concerned while working the desk yesterday! Nine coppers are in trouble for welcoming Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt on his release from prison. (Irish Examiner)

All-round solutions: Blackwater flies… Blackwater Security, which provides “security solutions” to the US military in Iraq, is creating its own airforce. Feckin’ hell. (Scholars and Rogues)

I can empathise: The internet — why it’s better than real life. Glad to see I’m not the only one, though I have yet to embrace the likes of MySpace or Linkedin. (Sunday Business Post)

Big numbers: Iraqi pilgrims sent home amid violence. One million people have been ordered out of Karbala after 26 people die in two days of shootings. (AP/CBS)

Mothers’ boys: Even gangsters need their mamas. Nicaragua tackles gang violence by relying on guerrilla street cred and mothers’ love. Would this work in Limerick I wonder (sorry, cheap shot)? (Time.com)

Musharraf grows desperate

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Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan, may be willing to step down as a general ahead of the next presidential election — but only if all political parties re-elect him for the next five years and keep his powers intact.

He was due to leave the army in 2004 but reneged on that promise. The idea of him leaving his military post was first raised when he met exiled opposition leader Benazir Bhutto a few weeks back. He needs all the support he can get — even if Bhutto has been involved in corruption and Interpol is seeking her arrest on such charges — to shore up his position; although the economy has performed strongly during his rule, the country is in the midst of political turmoil.

In March, Musharraf tried to remove the chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudry, alleging the latter had abused his office for personal gain. Lawyers held protests at the suspension, but these attracted wider support and in turn led to opposition groups holding rallies against the president. Dozens of people died in clashes between demonstrators and police. Chaudry was reinstated by the Supreme Court in July with all charges against him dismissed.

The storming of the Red Mosque in Islamabad has also damaged Musharraf’s domestic standing. Although the military has said no women or children were killed during the operation, it has fuelled tension between the government and radical Muslim groups (for a Q&A on the incident, go here).

After seizing power in the bloodless coup of 1999, Musharraf vowed to stamp out corruption. He has failed to do so. Pakistan is considered one of the most corrupt nations.

All of this is feeding into dissatisfaction with and opposition to Musharraf — with more than 54% feeling the military should have no role in politics and 65% wanting him to quit as president. That he is turning to politicians of dubious virtue in his bid to secure a “grand national reconciliation” is indicative of how desperate his situation has become.  He seems unwilling to give in to defeat, which admittedly is probably a good characteristic in a soldier.

Musharraf’s departure from the scene would be a significant setback for the US. It has been a notable ally against terrorism, although not a terribly effective one, in Asia, particularly because it shares a border with Afghanistan. Hawks in the US administration would also point to its border with Iran as reason enough to keep Pakistan on side.

As noted above, he has gone back on promises to step down as a general. There’s no reason he won’t do it again once he has secured power for another five years.