US Leverages Iran-Iraq-Syria Nexus

US Leverages Iran-Iraq-Syria Axis Against Islamic State

SUMMARY:   United Nations Assembly - World Leaders gathered, discussed, spoke and did a virtual conquer of their own mindsets of coalition of never ending cause of eradicating Islamic State. However, what US thinks in the aspect of leveraging and balancing out the White House fears of Islamic State expansion is set out below.

*****Secretary of State John Kerry’s remark to the UN Security Council on Sept. 19 that Iran has a role to play in the coalition against the Islamic State (IS), suggested, “While the Obama administration has ruled out an alliance with Syria, Iran could be a bridge to Damascus within an international coalition against IS and in a subsequent political transition in Syria.”

This week, Reuters, citing unnamed senior Iranian and US officials, reported that the United States had informed Iran in advance of airstrikes against IS forces in Syria and assured Tehran that it would not target Syrian government positions.

Another bridge to Syria and Iran has been Iraq, according to Foreign Policy’s The Cable and The Wall Street Journal. Iraqi national security adviser Faleh al-Fayyad traveled to Syria on Sept. 16 to brief Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the “latest steps taken in this regard, as well as discussing upcoming steps and possible measures to ensure the success of these efforts and eliminate terrorist organizations in all their forms.”

Although the deputy chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Gen. Massoud Jazayeri, said that Iran’s nuclear negotiating team at the United Nations has no authority to discuss the campaign against IS, as reported byArash Karami, it is an open secret that US and Iranian officials have been talking about just that on the sidelines of the nuclear talks.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in his remarks at the UN, opened the door to even further collaboration against IS once a nuclear deal is reached, as reported by Barbara Slavin and Laura Rozen.

The United States and Iran cannot formally link arms in Syria, especially given the lack of progress in the nuclear talks. Iran has been an adversary and enemy, not an ally, and still supports and shelters terrorists, according to The Daily Beast. 

Nonetheless, the trend to watch is the tentative emergence of what may be a truly regional counterterrorism coalition, with potential for a transformation in regional security, if managed carefully. 

This column speculated back in January that the “new pulse” of the Geneva II process would be addressing the threat to counterterrorism in the region, with an essential role for Iran.

The Iran-Iraq-Syria axis provides a sectarian complement to the primarily Sunni Arab powers backing US airstrikes.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, after meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal on Sept. 21, spoke of “the first page of a new chapter” in Iran-Saudi relations, with consequences for many of the region’s most vexing conflicts.

Iran is in the fight against IS for its own interests, not to cull favor with the United States. Its efforts have won praise from Massoud Barzani, president of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government, who said at a press conference with Zarif on Aug. 27, “Iran was the first country to provide us with weapons and ammunition" to confront the IS advance toward Erbil. 

While Zarif denied that Iran had provided any ground forces in Iraq, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who runs the aerospace division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said this past week that IRGC forces were directly involved in the defense of Erbil, according to The Associated Press.

Iran was instrumental in the peaceful transfer of the premiership from Nouri al-Maliki to Haider al-Abadi in Iraq, and in managing the presidential transition from former President Hamid Karzai to Ashraf Ghani in Afghanistan. Cooperation in Afghanistan may be more urgent than ever, given the recent surge in Taliban violence in that country. 

There are alternative perspectives on Iran’s role against IS. For someobservers, the prospect of any type of accommodation with Iran is so alarming that they suggest giving a kind of pass to Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, which has aligned with other so-called moderate Islamist rebel forces, because of the perceived greater good of toppling Assad, and to assure Iran does not get an advantage in Syria. 

Just a quick fact: Al-Qaeda, not Assad or Iran, was responsible for the terrorist attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, and until last year, Jabhat al-Nusra worked hand in hand with IS. The break between the two groups, both of which are designated by the United States and the UN as terrorist organizations, is the result of a power struggle, not a change of heart in either its hatred of the United States or its ambitions to impose Sharia in those areas it controls. 

If there are US-backed opposition groups that are aligned with Jabhat al-Nusra and advocating a go-easy approach on the terrorist group, then perhaps the United States should reconsider funding those "moderate" groups. This column warned in December 2013 that the emergence of the Islamic Front among the opposition would be a “disaster for Syria’s opposition and future,” and here we are today with some in the Syrian opposition seeking to mainstream an al-Qaeda affiliate.

This should be a huge, neon warning sign about the perils of playing in opposition politics, where anti-Western jihadists, not pro-US democrats, carry the most sway. 

The actions taken by Iran against IS to date contrast with what Turkey has done, or not done, until now against the terrorist group. The release last week of the 46 Turkish citizens held hostage by IS in Iraq may signal a new Turkish approach. Mustafa Akyol reviews polling data that reveals jihadism is a “marginal trend” in Turkish society. 

Semih Idiz writes that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will need to overcome some troubling caveats in Turkey’s policies to date against extremist groups and step up against IS:

“It's also not clear how the ruling Justice and Development Party’s Islamist roots will respond to active participation by Turkey against IS and other such Islamic groups, regardless of how radical they may be. Developments have shown, however, that Turkey is not as influential on its own in the region as it may have once thought, and that it has little choice but to move back to the multilateral track. This means it has no choice but to act with regional and global allies to confront situations that pose a danger to its national security.”

The trend toward a regional counterterrorism strategy is nascent and fragile, but — if managed carefully — has the potential, over time, of a breakthrough in regional politics, especially with a change in Turkish policies. 

Despite the political constraints on Rouhani by hard-liners in Iran, his government is already taking its own initiative to battle extremists in the region and clearly signaling it is ready to do more. As Fareed Zakariawrote this week: "When Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger decided in the 1970s that Iran would be one of their 'regional policemen,' they did so out of recognition of Iran’s geostrategic importance, not simply because they supported the shah."

If Iran, over time, shifts from enemy to ally, beginning with a nuclear agreement and coordination in the fight against terrorism, then many of the region’s most vexing problems, including the role of Hezbollah, can be put in play. This column reported in February: “A discussion with Iran about Syria is a prelude to a broader discussion about Hezbollah, which is at the crux of the US tagging Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism.” That is the conversation that needs to be had during this transition. Given how far the US-Iran dialogue has already come, it is not out of the question to consider the potential of such a trend.

The Arab Nations Update:

The trend toward a possible regional coalition against IS, under US leadership, could be the beginning of the end for the extremist force that, according to the latest US government estimates, number between 20,000 and 31,500. 

While the threat of Islamic extremism will never be completely eradicated, there is a pulse among the peoples of the Arab world for a new politics, transparency and accountability from their leaders. The trend toward conflict resolution and good governance in the Middle East is fragile and not assured, but it can take hold if given a chance. 

Look at Lebanon. More than two decades after a brutal sectarian civil war, the country today is a vibrant mosaic of its peoples and cultures. The leaders and groups that fought each other for decades now coexist, sometimes uneasily, but coexist nonetheless around a consensus on keeping the peace. It is fragile, for sure, but it is there. Lebanon’s universities maintain their reputation as a magnet for the best and brightest in Lebanon and the region. 

Despite these nascent yet hopeful trends, there remains an approach to the region that pins the problems of the Arab world on its alleged “civilizational ills," implying Arabs have a cultural predisposition to tribalism, corruption and religious violence, as if these phenomena do not exist in other cultures and societies. These culturally driven essays make good copy, especially when written by someone from the region who employs an abundance of "history" and metaphor.

A more helpful, and truly analytical, historical approach to what is indeed a crisis in the Arab region would include an assessment of the effect of colonialism and the postcolonial experience on Arab societies; the impact of oil on the international relations of the region; the consequences of rentier economies in the Gulf; the role of outside, non-Arab powers including the United States, Russia, European countries, Israel, Iran and Turkey on the region’s politics; the impact of the creation of Israel and the Palestinian national movement; the influence of the Wahhabist tradition on current jihadist groups; the role of states, institutions and individuals, in and outside the region, which have backed the flow and emergence of these jihadist movements; and the economic and demographic trends that may shape the Arab region in the decades to come.

Arab civilization is not "sick"; its peoples are in the midst of a struggle for identity and democracy, where the forces of extremism command resources and influence. The people of the Levant love their culture, their cities and their land, and there is much to be proud of. 

There is no reason to believe the Arab peoples of the Levant will not reclaim their place in the world, as happened in Lebanon, with the assistance of an international community and region that is ready to put an end to those fringe groups that prey on the forces of division, not unity.

Edited and Updated By:

                                   KANWAL ABIDI      

            *Political Analyst & South Asia & Middle East Journalist 

Scotland Independence worries US Authorities

5 Reasons Americans Should Be Nervous About Scottish Independence

This week’s referendum on Scottish independence has largely flown under the radar here in the United States. The cable news networks have devoted little attention so far to the issue, as the ISIL threat in the Middle East continues to dominate international coverage. 

There has been no polling conducted on the Scottish question in the U.S., and it is doubtful that many Americans outside of the Washington policy bubble or the financial milieu of New York are particularly exercised by the outcome of a vote taking place more than 3,000 miles away.

They should be concerned. What happens in Scotland will reverberate on this side of the Atlantic, and not for the better. Here are five reasons why Americans should be nervous about the outcome of next week’s vote if Scotland votes for independence.

1. The Special Relationship will be undercut.

The United Kingdom is far and away America’s biggest and most important ally. Anything that weakens Britain, and chips away at the Special Relationship, is a big negative for the United States. This fear has been amply expressed by dozens of members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat, who are backing a resolution in the House of Representatives declaring that a “united, secure, and prosperous United Kingdom” is vital to US interests.

The Special Relationship is too powerful a partnership to be set adrift by a Scottish vote for independence, but there can be no denying it will not be the same without the valuable contribution to the alliance made by Scottish soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, as well as statesmen, scholars and entrepreneurs, who helped make it the global force it has been for the last seven decades.

2. Britain’s nuclear deterrent will have to be moved

The UK’s entire nuclear deterrent is based in Scotland, and all Britain’s nuclear bases and warheads will have to be moved out of the country, a huge headache not only for London, but also for Washington.  Any threat to Britain’s status as a nuclear power is a matter of great concern for the United States. The NATO alliance originally was conceived as a nuclear alliance, one that has been underpinned since its founding by the American, British and (at times) French nuclear deterrents. Anything that undermines Britain’s position as an independent nuclear power and weakens NATO is a matter of significant concern to the United States.

3. The coalition against ISIL will be weakened

Britain is central to Washington’s strategy of building an international coalition to confront and defeat ISIL, in Iraq and Syria. The timing of the Scottish referendum could not be worse for the White House, which is depending upon Downing Street to help rally countries in Europe and the Anglosphere to contribute militarily to the air war against ISIL. A defeat for the No campaign could dramatically weaken David Cameron’s position, making it harder for him to move forward with British military action, especially if there is a leadership challenge within the Conservative Party. The prime minister’s ability to win a vote in the House of Commons and take Britain to war again in the Middle East undoubtedly would be called into question by defeat in the Scottish referendum.

4. U.S. markets will take a hit

If Scotland votes for independence, expect significant turmoil not just in the City, but on Wall Street as well. This has been a year of significant volatility in American stock markets, driven in part by events in Europe. Fears over the economic fallout from Scotland breaking off from the UK will spook U.S. markets, frighten investors and add to an air of uncertainty exacerbated in recent months by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Add to this the prospect of a Scottish economy set adrift from the pound, with potentially huge costs incurred in transitioning to an independent financial system, and you have every reason to fear more market turbulence.

5. An independent Scotland will be an insignificant ally to the U.S.

As part of the United Kingdom, Scotland is a valuable ally to the United States, home to Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent and submarine bases, as well as several British military regiments. It also is home to important NATO early-warning air defenses, increasingly vital in the face of Russian aggression. As an independent entity, with a projected defense budget of just $2.5 billion, significantly less than the $4.1 billion budget of London’s Metropolitan Police (hat tip: Luke Coffey), and just 15,000 members of the armed forces, Scotland’s role as a U.S. partner would be practically non-existent. Edinburgh would struggle to gain entry to NATO, with countries such as Spain and Italy likely to veto Scottish membership for fear of encouraging nationalist movements within their own borders.

Edited By:

Kanwal Abidi -  *Online News Editor 063 News
                           *Political Analyst & Journalist

Follow me on Twitter @KANWALanalyst 

CIA Spies on US Senate

Inquiry by C.I.A. Affirms It Spied on Senate Panel

WASHINGTON — An internal investigation by the C.I.A. has found that its officers penetrated a computer network used by the Senate Intelligence Committee in preparing its damning report on the C.I.A.’s detention and interrogation program.

The report by the agency’s inspector general also found that C.I.A. officers read the emails of the Senate investigators and sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department based on false information, according to a summary of findings made public on Thursday. One official with knowledge of the report’s conclusions said the investigation also discovered that the officers created a false online identity to gain access on more than one occasion to computers used by the committee staff.

The inspector general’s account of how the C.I.A. secretly monitored a congressional committee charged with supervising its activities touched off angry criticism from members of the Senate and amounted to vindication for Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the committee’s Democratic chairwoman, who excoriated the C.I.A. in March when the agency’s monitoring of committee investigators became public.

A statement issued Thursday morning by a C.I.A. spokesman said that John O. Brennan, the agency’s director, had apologized to Ms. Feinstein and the committee’s ranking Republican, Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, and would set up an internal accountability board to review the issue. The statement said that the board, which will be led by a former Democratic senator, Evan Bayh of Indiana, could recommend “potential disciplinary measures” and “steps to address systemic issues.”

But anger among lawmakers grew throughout the day. Leaving a nearly three-hour briefing about the report in a Senate conference room, members of both parties called for the C.I.A. officers to be held accountable, and some said they had lost confidence in Mr. Brennan’s leadership. “This is a serious situation and there are serious violations,” said Mr. Chambliss, generally a staunch ally of the intelligence community. He called for the C.I.A. employees to be “dealt with very harshly.”

Senator Mark Udall, Democrat of Colorado and another member of the Intelligence Committee, demanded Mr. Brennan’s resignation. “The C.I.A. unconstitutionally spied on Congress by hacking into the Senate Intelligence Committee computers,” he said in a written statement. “This grave misconduct not only is illegal but it violates the U.S. Constitution’s requirement of separation of powers.………“These offenses, along with other errors in judgment by some at the C.I.A., demonstrate a tremendous failure of leadership, and there must be consequences,” he added.

Information Shared By: MARK MAZZETTI *American Journalist

Edited By: Kanwal Abidi *Political Analyst & Pakistani Journalist

              JULY 31, 2014

Libya Update

509 stranded Pakistanis evacuated from Libya by

special PIA flight – more flights to be sent

As per Prime Minister’s instructions, 509 stranded Pakistanis in Libya were successfully brought back to Pakistan, yesterday, through a special PIA flight. Earlier, over 2000 Pakistanis have been evacuated by land routes through the neighbouring countries. At a time when the security situation in Libya has deteriorated sharply and many essential services have become dysfunctional, conducting this massive operation has been a formidable task, only made possible by exceptional cooperation among the Embassy in Tripoli, PIA, Aviation Division, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A Crisis Management Cell set up in the Foreign Office is coordinating this gigantic relief and evacuation operation, necessitated by the resumed in-fighting in Libya which has an expatriate Pakistani community of around 18000.

A number of additional flights are being organized to evacuate thousands of stranded Pakistanis in Libya. Over 1200 Pakistanis, mostly destitute, are currently housed at the relief camps setup by the Pakistan Embassy in Libya and the number is increasing by the day. 

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Information by : Foreign Office, Islamabad

Editor: Kanwal Abidi (Political Analyst & Journalist)

QATAR Annus Horribilis

  *Summary & Editor’s Note by: KANWAL ABIDI 

Annus Horribilis is a Latin word meaning “horrible year” – and the column is written in the context that it has been an unsuccessful year for Qatar.

With the growing #FIFA fever gripping all over the world, Qatar Government rallied up for FIFA 2022. Oblivious of the fact what is going in the games currently, the column reveals latest rumors of allegations on Qatar officials for bribing to secure FIFA 2022 and also revolves around the buzz about Qatar stance in GCC – Gulf Cooperation Council. 
The recent Bergdahl & 5 Taliban Prisoner Swap in May 2014, has highlighted prominent role of QATAR govt, along with US administration - in being a part of diplomatic forward block. Yet Qatar falls in the back seat of Syrian National Coalition.  ***** Read further the whole story

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QATAR Annus Horribilis:

What a difference a year makes in the Middle East. One year ago this week, Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, handed over power to his son Sheikh Tamim, joining a short but seemingly growing list of monarchs who have abdicated in favor of their relatives. At the time of his abdication, Hamad left behind an empire of soft power and influence that spanned the entire region. Twelve months on, things could not be more different.

Only 72 hours after Tamim's ascension to the throne, the Muslim Brotherhood — arguably Qatar’s biggest ally that the Gulf state has propped up with billions of dollars and favorable media coverage through Al Jazeera Arabic — was swept from power in Egypt. The movement, which only a few days before held the presidency, the premiership, cabinet posts and parliament, was chased underground, jailed and exiled. President Mohammed Morsi did not even have time to send a cable of congratulations to the young emir. Elsewhere, Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda movement, another close ally of Qatar, agreed to give up power and appoint a caretaker cabinet only a few weeks after the Brotherhood was ousted in Egypt. In Libya, where Qatar committed money, media and military power, former Gen. Khalifa Hifter has pledged to “purge” his country of Muslim Brotherhood members. The Qatari-backed and Muslim Brotherhood-dominated Syrian National Coalition no longer plays a significant role, with the opposition now headed by the Saudi-backed Ahmed al-Jarba, leading one political pundit to comment on Qatar’s influence that "Politically, it is in the back seat — or maybe not even in the car."

Qatar’s Muslim Brotherhood allies suffered a major blow when Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam’s two holiest shrines, joined Egypt and declared the group a “terrorist” organization. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz sent a cable to congratulate Egypt’s new strongman President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi less than an hour after he was declared president, saying, “Causing any harm to Egypt is tantamount to harming Islam, Arabs and Saudi Arabia" and advising Sisi to “beware bad friends.” In another clear reference to Qatar, the king said, “Any of us should be aware that if he is able to provide assistance [to Egypt], but lagged behind rather than coming up with this duty, he will have no place among us tomorrow.”

Qatar is increasingly suffering a major image problem over its hosting of the World Cup. Accusations ranged from bribing FIFA officials to vote for Qatar as the host of the World Cup 2022 to repeat accusations of “slave labor” conditions in the country. In the past few weeks, the United States downgraded Qatar in its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, and all but one sponsor — the UAE's Emirates airline — called upon FIFA to open an investigation into the allegations known as “Qatargate.”

In March, in an unprecedented step, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Doha after Qatar failed to honor a joint security agreement in November 2013 that included commitments from Doha to cease support for the Muslim Brotherhood and its hosting of Gulf opposition figures. Over the past few months, Kuwait’s veteran diplomat-turned-emir has volunteered to mediate between the Gulf Tripartite (Saudi, Bahrain and the UAE) and Qatar. A task that has yet to bear any fruits will be to find a face-saving measure for Qatar’s emir that is acceptable to the Gulf Tripartite. According to one diplomatic source, unless Qatar satisfies the group's conditions, the latter may opt to boycott the upcoming Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Doha in December, therefore denying the necessary quorum for a Gulf summit to convene.

The events of the past few months are turning 2014 into an “annus horribilus” for Qatar. However, it is too early to dismiss it from the game of nations. Qatar is still the host of the forward headquarters of the US Central Command, it is endowed with immense natural wealth and although Al Jazeera Arabic has turned into an Islamist shadow of its former self, its English-language networks are slowly gaining global prominence. On a visit to France, Tamim told his hosts on June 23, “We have always been playing the role of a mediator between countries with differences.” Yet, the biggest test for the young emir will be whether he can work out his own differences with the Gulf Tripartite and not find himself alone at the table in December.

Edited By:              *KANWAL ABIDI

                             Political Analyst & Journalist

Information

Shared By:            *Sultan S Qassemi

                             Qatar Political Correspondent

Reality of Boko Haram

BOKO HARAM Attack on Nigerian Girls:

Twitter lobbies to bring back the girls:

Americans have increasingly been pulled into the frightening story of more than 220 schoolgirls in Nigeria who were kidnapped by terrorist group Boko Haram. People around the world have watched and prayed and helped spread awareness of the girls’ plight by using the social media hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. 

** Boko Haram’s leader has offered to trade the girls for the freedom of captured terrorists.

Instead of the girls sitting for their exams - they were kidnapped? Why? Who is responsible?

What is Boko Haram? Has it been active for long?

Boko Haram is a Nigerian-based terrorist organization that has received funding and training from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, al-Qaeda’s North Africa franchise. It attacked the United Nations headquarters in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, in 2011. Boko Haram has effectively turned the northern part of Nigeria into a conflict zone, forcing more than a quarter-million Nigerians to flee their homes.

The terrorist group conducts nearly daily indiscriminate attacks against both Muslims and Christians, including car bombs, assassinations, shootings, raids and abductions. More than 8,000 people have died in the past four years as a result of the conflict driven by Boko Haram and Ansaru’s (a Boko Haram breakaway organization) violent activities.

Why is it abducting schoolgirls?

The abduction of the girls from Chibok follows Boko Haram’s desire to ban women’s education and its goal to create a Sharia law state. Since 2013, Boko Haram has claimed it would abduct infidel women and turn them into slaves to sell at the market.

Point of thought by the editor: In Pakistan, the Taliban Peace Talks is a reflection of the struggle to enforce sharia law but it was a fallacy on the part of government to think that peace talks shall be carried out smoothly and it was a camouflage to launch strikes in Miran Shah and Waziristan areas. Were F 16 a part of plot on sharia vs constitution saga?

What is the U.S. doing to help?

Recently, the Obama administration announced it was sending a limited number of military personnel (about 30), intelligence and negotiators to assist the Nigerian government in locating and securing the girls. The U.S. is flying surveillance missions across the region to look for the girls, but given the vast and heavily forested terrain, aerial surveillance is unlikely to produce meaningful intelligence. Given the regional ramifications of Boko Haram and the likelihood of the girls being outside Nigeria, U.S. personnel in the immediate term will likely have a limited impact on securing the girls, other than to allow President Obama to say he “did something.”

Hillary Clinton’s State Department refused to give Boko Haram the legal designation of official terrorist organization, which it did not receive from the U.S. government until 2013. What does that mean?

For nearly three years, the U.S. State Department was unwilling to acknowledge the threat and legally define Boko Haram as a terrorist organization, despite its overt and calculated efforts to terrorize Nigeria and its neighbors, including international targets like the U.N. headquarters. Failure to do this denied U.S. authorities one of the key tools required to counter the group’s activities.

Many social welfare organizations and prominent activists have been warning of the group’s threat and calling for its official designation by the State Department since 2009. A timely designation would have given agencies such as the FBI, CIA and the Justice Department the resources to focus on disrupting and countering the terrorist group’s financial support network. If the requests for this designation from Congress and experts had been answered sooner by the State Department, these young girls might have completed their high school exit exams instead of being kidnapped by terrorists.

Why did the U.S. wait so long to designate Boko Haram as terrorists?

Despite the serious implications of instability and violence in Nigeria and the region, the State Department repeatedly deferred to the Nigerian government’s request that the group not be designated so as not to discourage investment in what is now the largest economy in Africa, rather than allowing U.S. national interests – and common sense – to take precedence.

Point of thought bu the Editor: Since ages common man all around the world has been made to shut up because we have no right to speak or stand up. Organizations as Boko Haram tap in the weakness of the overall society and economic downturn to hire people in to their organization, and then they all fight in the name of jihad or are used for covert operations by various agencies. US interest in Nigeria's economy prevented them for long designating Boko Haram as terrorists. Why? Is investment a greater value indicator than human life? 
*Why can't powerful agencies like FBI, CIA stop this menace of abduction or pick leads of such adverse happenings through their intelligence network? 

What is America’s relationship with Nigeria?

Nigeria is the United States’ largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa. It remains a top producer of oil sold in the United States and is one of the largest contributors of U.N. peacekeepers worldwide. Given the ongoing crisis in Eastern Europe with Russia, a secure and stable oil supply from Nigeria will be a critical component of European energy security.

What should the U.S. do next?

The Obama administration would be naïve to think that once the #BringBackOurGirls story leaves the media limelight, so will the threat of Boko Haram. French President Francois Hollande has offered to hold a regional security summit with Nigeria and surrounding nations to discuss partnership and coordination opportunities going forward. Nigeria has accepted the invitation. The U.S. should support France’s efforts and accept an invitation to the summit.

Before the girls were kidnapped, the U.S. was already training and professionalizing a small number of Nigerian forces, in particular helping to stand up Nigeria’s own “Army Special Operations Command.” These types of training and partnership opportunities that help professionalize the Nigerian security forces should be expanded.

Outside of military and security support, the U.S. should also look at opportunities to help the Nigerian government advance economic freedom, focusing on more inclusive growth and dynamic job creation in northern Nigeria. This would help create greater economic opportunities and build trust with the Nigerian government, undermining Boko Haram’s ability to recruit and act with impunity in the north.

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"Beginning of the end of terror": 

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls by Boko Haram will mark a key turning point in the battle against “terror in Nigeria”.

“I believe that the kidnap of these girls will be the beginning of the end of terror in Nigeria,” Jonathan told delegates at the World Economic Forum, thanking Britain, China, France and the United States for their offers of help to rescue the hostages. 

The four world powers have pledged varying levels of expert help to track down the girls whose April 14 mass abduction from Chibok in north-eastern Borno state has sparked global outrage.

Jonathan’s comments echoed those of US President Barack Obama , who stated that the Chibok kidnappings “may be the event that helps to mobilize the entire international community to finally do something against this horrendous organisation that’s perpetrated such a terrible crime”. 

Jonathan had hoped that the World Economic Forum would highlight Nigeria’s economic progress and its recent emergence as Africa’s top economy, but the headlines have remained focused on Boko Haram. 
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Written and Compiled by:

KANWAL ABIDI 

*Political Analyst & Journalist

*Tweets @KANWALanalyst

Chameleon Circus on 5/11

Political Pandora Around The Chowk on 5/11

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We as citizens of Pakistan - are forced to witness the grand show of the “chameleon circus” on 5/11 and on the other side, we are left wishing for a magical genie to save us from our endless miseries. Saga of melodrama does not demand political wisdom here, but the “rule of law” that there is “no law!”

With serious threats to our national security and uncontrolled chaos being ratchet up at every corner – the least, we can demand is a peaceful Sunday to gather our senses to face the gruesome week ahead. But, here on Sunday 5/11, the political “Pandora box” is open to take on the show – where we can just wait and see the chameleons’ putting on a mask to conceal their true faces.

Good news by Hamza Shahbaz that on 5/11 there will be no load shedding. Isn’t it amazing when these leaders adjust the watts according to their “power threshold?” Is this a real blessing to the citizens to have no load shedding that day or a “Catch 22” situation to trick people to keep people in doors?

Former President Asif Ali Zaradari rescued his party in the “name of democracy” by stating - that they do not favor any protests on roads - which challenge the “pious military bells”. Now I can see how Zardari steered his full 5 years democratic term. I will indeed, praise his political wisdom for adopting the stance of a Pious Chameleon for playing on the back foot ranch, by saying “though we oppose the rigging, but we still accept government mandate - in the name of democracy!”

One of the loudspeaker players is Diesel Chameleon – who is fast moving his locomotive to wave hand to the government that hold my hand or else your carriages will be thrown off the track. Maulana’s one smile, one frown face is just good for a public speaking rally, with no real meaning inside his own mosque!

On the other hand, the Red Chameleon will be hitting off “The Chowk” by announcing a train march from 20^th June 2014 and by shaking the sleeping youth on the note - “do not count the blessings of load shedding bestowed by Model Chameleon Brothers - but drive a locomotive faster than Diesel!”

The two great chameleons, Canadian Captain and White Captain - are surely to move only paid workers on roads – as they have played poorly with the emotions of disheartened youth.

Orchestrated rallies are not won on the roads through emotions, but - political wisdom, which sadly no chameleon has demonstrated so far. And if there was any true leader – then “no containers” can stop the inner revolution.

The hearts are dis-orchestrated already, due to the melodrama staged by Taher ul Qadri’s container, where he perked inside warmly, leaving his public to the nature’s mercy. Whether containers are hidden out in some Margalla Hills, through video link, Master of No Politics – Taher ul Qadri, shall hopelessly flash the “white paper” to the public - whose manifesto is written by some invisible hand.

On the other hand, the “White Chameleon” - has left no hope in the minds of wise! Bringing the 13 pointer “charter of demand” to The Chowk – Imran Khan is either on a false hope or a paid voyage to pull the roller coaster in the red zone. After derailing of his own KPK trusted political colleagues – he has proved himself to be on the highest rank of chameleons’. His recent boycott of a private news channel has stamped him as Master of Drama Politics!

Taher ul Qadri and Imran Khan, both want to play the ring master role of chameleon circus at the chowk or off the chowk – but, fact remains that public in general is disoriented from either.

The famous quote of Ch Nisar, the official "Interior Chameleon" - that “Islamabad is safe” should be rephrased as “Islamabad is cave” for all these ring masters who want to change their political stance driven by ulterior motives rather than common man welfare.

Interesting notion behind this circus commotion – is Article 6 has been embedded, which shall take away the General Chameleon from Karachi to overseas, leaving the Khwaja Chameleons awestruck in this circus.

Whereas, the enchanted bells will leave us deaf in the name of unending peace talks – the Suo Motto Chameleon (ex CJ SC) will be secretly laughing on the magnetic inks and the buzz on the "gone with the wind elections". He would be stepping on a frontal launch pad - by passing his cap to Junior Chameleon (Arslan Iftikhar) who is coming soon to a theatre near you!

5/11 will pass and another day will start! No protests can solve the dilemmas of common man who is awaiting justice. 9/11 laid an edifice for Caucasians’ to enter Afghanistan – so let us pray that 5/11 does not challenge the democracy - as no one wants “boots on the ground”.

We all have come to the conclusion - that no pious military bells can catch the main Article 6 traitor, but the Suo-Motto hero  – whose shrewd thumb has made everyone zero - shall continue to haunt the "Benches Chameleons" without "bars".

Let us pray that our Sunday 5/11 remains dedicated to the script of “holy chameleon circus” and nothing like 9/11 is seen or whispered as another Tahrir Square.

...................................................................(please give ur feedback, thank U)

Written By:

KANWAL ABIDI     

- Karachi                

* Political & Speech Analyst / Journalist*

Tweets @KANWALanalyst