The Nation

The Best Wall of Defence

Since policy makers in Washington D.C. decided to provide financial support to Pakistan to aid in its battle with extremists, the country’s urban middle-class has grown increasingly wary of the partnership. Mosharraff Zaidi writes that the American Congress ignored poll data which pointed to the mounting discontent among Pakistanis over the aid. America will continue to dish out $1.5 billion per year over the next five years towards fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Middle-class Pakistan’s frustration isn’t unfounded, Zaidi writes, “Every time a Pakistani government bends over backward to please Washington, it suffers domestically. Why they bend over so readily is no secret: elite Pakistan (military, feudal and capitalist) loves a good sugar daddy, and Uncle Sam is among the best.” Zaidi writes that American lawmakers may be ignoring the Pakistani prerogative because they simply can’t understand how people opposing violent extremists can also frown upon American support in combating the violence.

Antiwar.com

On the Eve of WWIII?

Gordon Prather writes that we may be on the eve of World War III because the Tehran Research Reactor that produces radioactive isotopes for use in medicine will need refuelling with Uranium U-235 soon. But because of the sanctions already imposed on Iran by the United States and the UN, procuring the material is highly unlikely. But that doesn’t put an end to the danger, writes Prather. If Iran decides to ship its uranium, enriched to about 4 per cent, to Russia, where it would be further enriched to about 20 per cent, it would call for Russia to sub-contract the production of the highly-enriched uranium (HEU) to a French entity. The French, however, have demanded that all the Iranian HEU be shipped to them from Russia at one time, not in batches. “It seems they believe that if the Iranians are allowed to send their LEU to Russia and their HEU, thence, to France in batches, the Israelis will feel that they will have no alternative but to attack and destroy the IAEA-safeguarded facilities at Natanz, Arak and elsewhere,” Prather writes.

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