Asia Times Online
News and business analysis from Asia



Marjah, the city that never was (Mar 9)
Deemed by the United States military as a logistical hub of the Taliban in Helmand province, Marjah - "a city of 80,000 people" - was chosen to be the scene of a "large and loud victory". But it turns out Marjah isn't even a town, but rather one of the clearest and most dramatic examples of a war of perception as outlined in the US's counter-insurgency doctrine. - Gareth Porter (Mar 9, '10)


THE ROVING EYE : Oscar night in Baghdad (Mar 9)
Hollywood's take on the Iraq War, The Hurt Locker, swept Sunday's Oscars. Who will emerge victorious from Iraq's elections is less clear. Washington favors former premier Iyad Allawi - once an intelligence asset - over the Shi'ite incumbent aligned with Iran, Nuri al-Maliki. But ultimately it seems that as long as Maliki can hasten the Americans' exit, he will emerge triumphant. - Pepe Escobar (Mar 9, '10)


Atrocities may fill Iraqi power vacuum (Mar 9)
Months of deal-making over the appointment of the next Iraqi president, who will wield substantial power, are likely to delay formation of a new parliament. The post- election deadlock may create a power vacuum that some politicians believe extremists, including al-Qaeda, are all too ready to exploit with atrocities. - Ali Kareem and Hemin H Lihony (Mar 9, '10)


SUN WUKONG : Limp arm of the body politic (Mar 9)
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference traditionally opens the annual political gabfest that is now taking place in Beijing. Even as its members remain toothless advisors and as public discontent with them grows, there is every reason for the Communist Party to keep the anachronistic body alive. - Wu Zhong (Mar 9, '10)


'Bless you Mr Obama' on Myanmar (Mar 9)
While the West boycotts Myanmar, Chinese influence is spreading across the country. But strong strategic reasons now exist for the United States to intensify its dialogue with the junta, and for President Barack Obama to change policy on a "boutique" issue that, as a former aide to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi put it, is "starving our people''. - Stanley A Weiss (Mar 9, '10)


COMMENT : Alternative reading of Hamas murder (Mar 9)
The assassination of Palestinian Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in January in Dubai was clearly a well-planned act, yet the calculated action inspired little more than expressions of "outrage" from much of the international community. Was it because the victim was Palestinian and the location of the crime an Arab country? - Ramzy Baroud (Mar 9, '10)


Politicians in bed with India's 'pimp gurus' (Mar 9)
A spate of sex and murder scandals involving India's "god-men" - Hindu ascetics who claim spiritual and mystic powers - has exposed local politicians who patronize the influential holy men to gain the votes of their millions of disciples. - Narendra K (Mar 9, '10)


South Korea back on track (Mar 9)
The South Korean economy, whose recovery from the global financial crisis faltered in January, is back on course, helped by China's strong demand for Korean products. But remaining uncertainties mean the private sector is not yet capable of growing on its own, according to Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun. - Robert M Cutler


US ponders China's Southeast Asian rise (Mar 9)
China's recent growth has entwined its economy more closely with those of neighbors in Southeast Asia, a trend strengthened by a free-trade agreement that came into effect this year. That is encouraging a re-evaluation in the United States of what this means for its own role in the region. - Peter J Brown


The great game - asset-trader style (Mar 9)
The United States financial industry, with a US$10 billion advertising budget, is turning its friendly-faced focus on women, increasingly the family decision-makers. Yet the love and desire to help the American public evident in the commercials is often in short supply within the industry's practitioners. The game is, after all, about making money. Lots of it. - Julian Delasantellis