Dragon dramatics baffle India

Updated 13 May 2013
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Dragon dramatics baffle India

A RISKY enterprise is justified so long as it turns out to be successful in the end. For the astute strategic experts of the Chinese foreign and military establishment, it is indeed “all is well that ends well.” Having successfully camouflaged a flurry of clandestine events, going on in its backyard, by way of offensive military posturing, Beijing can undoubtedly have the last laugh.
While the Indian administration and the overzealous media remain diverted due to the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) tactical ploy of pushing in a platoon strength team deep inside India controlled territory in a high altitude zone of disputed Kashmir, the contours of a future West Asia initiative was being drawn out quietly in Beijing.
Israeli Military Intelligence Chief, Major General Aviv Kochavi’s secret visit to the Chinese capital sometime during the fag end of April ensured that his country could safely carry out targeted air raids and rocket attacks on Syria’s military facilities and Iranian missiles bound for Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
It is not difficult to predict that initiating unrestrained assault on Syria is an improbable proposition without the tacit approval of either the Chinese or Russian leadership, or both. Moreover, Israel is keen on engaging China’s new leadership on the possibility of Iran crossing the nuclear threshold anytime soon especially when the People’s Republic happens to be Tehran’s top oil customer.
Most importantly, Beijing has facilitated an informal engagement between the Israeli and Palestinian leadership, that too on its own soil, in order to shore up its diplomatic influence in the Middle East. Was the Indian strategic establishment aware of all these developments taking place in the neighborhood or not is a big question. All this while, the Indian media was abuzz with various theories about the timing of the Chinese incursion as politicians of all hue did not hesitate to score brownie points over the issue without even realizing its ramifications.
In a nutshell, India appeared to be a nation busy magnifying minor issues and politicizing it unnecessarily to extract mileage even as its neighbor China goes the whole hog to discreetly offer necessary assistance in resolving critical international disputes. It is intriguing that India behaved so amateurishly despite the fact that the weekly diplomatic pouch from Beijing did contain the ambassador and the external intelligence’s station chief’s professional assessment of the emerging scenario. So, was the Indian security establishment trying to accentuate the situation arising from the PLA encampment for prickling Beijing prior to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s simultaneous state visit to the dragon land?
In fact the strategists in India differ substantially about the real intent of this latest Chinese aggression. Some analysts believe that Beijing intended to signal a warning to India against expressing any support for Japan over the Senkaku (Diaoyu) islands dispute in the East China Sea prior to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Tokyo trip. On the other hand a section of military experts feel that this has something to do with India’s decision to operationalize the forward airstrip in the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) area along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The DBO overlooks the all-weather highway linking Xinjiang with Tibet, some 150 km from the LAC. But then it would be rather naive to imagine that the Chinese security establishment would consciously put a spanner in Premier Le Keqiang’s impending visit to India or wake up late in the day to counter the use of a strategically located airfield — that reopened way back in 2008 — for reconnaissance. Instead, in trying to ascertain the real motive of China, one must also give due importance to the fact that the PLA detachment sat through the medium magnitude earthquake that struck the region and whose tremors were felt as far away as New Delhi.
Now that the fortnight long tense face-off between the border troops of Chinese and Indian armed forces has ended without any major escalation, the Indian government needs to wake up to a new reality as early as possible. Significantly, Beijing is showing visible sign of moving away from a time tested diplomatic policy based on Deng Xiaoping’s “Tao Guang Yang Hui” principle, that emphasizes on a low key approach on global issues.
Political opponents of the present Manmohan Singh government may accuse the leadership to be weak and bereft of Machiavellian instinct. But is there any guarantee that displaying narcissist type cunningness will help India regain the territories that she lost to China over the years? Inciting patriotic fervor among the electorate to extract political mileage in pre-election season is one thing, but retrieving even an inch of those territories is no child’s game.
Even former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and his adviser, the late Brajesh Mishra, with his vast experience of quarrelling with foreign interlocutors over commas and full stops, have failed to dislodge the Chinese establishment from their maximalist position on territorial issues. As the Xi Jinping administration renews its effort to mediate in Israel-Palestinian crisis, there is every possibility of the Americans giving a subtle behind the scene push to this process given US Secretary of State John Kerry’s determination to revive the stalled peace talks. Beijing’s growing clout in conflict resolution will surely affect adversely India’s chances of settling the vexed dispute over the 4057 km long “yet to be defined” Sino-Indian border on her own term. Instead of adopting the silly tit-for-tat diplomacy, New Delhi should therefore try to convince the Chinese leadership that the unresolved boundary issue and the resultant acrimony will suck the two nations further down into dark abyss.


Islamic coalition launches training program in Comoros

Updated 1 min 43 sec ago
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Islamic coalition launches training program in Comoros

  • Organized by the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, the initiative is part of the organization’s broader intellectual strategy
  • Comoros Defense Minister Youssoufa Mohamed Ali reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the coalition in combating extremism and eradicating terrorism

RIYADH: A new training program, “Building the Capacity of Imams and Preachers,” has been launched in Moroni, Comoros, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

Organized by the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, the initiative is part of the organization’s broader intellectual strategy.

Comoros Defense Minister Youssoufa Mohamed Ali reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the coalition in combating extremism and eradicating terrorism.

He highlighted the coalition’s key role, particularly its focus on intellectual engagement, and said the program’s launch was a significant step forward.

Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Moghedi, the coalition’s secretary-general from Saudi Arabia, said the initiative was part of a wider effort involving 15 strategic programs across four areas — intellectual development, media, counter-terrorism financing and military operations.

Recently, the coalition held specialized training on combating terrorist financing in Bamako, Mali. The program aimed to strengthen national capacity to counter terrorist financing and money laundering.


MWL chief, UK speaker hold talks on social unity, countering hate speech

MWL Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa meets with UK House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle in London.
Updated 3 min 16 sec ago
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MWL chief, UK speaker hold talks on social unity, countering hate speech

  • Two officials highlighted importance of combating hate speech, discrimination and exclusion — especially when stemming from influential legal or institutional sources

LONDON: Secretary-General of the Muslim World League and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa met UK House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle in London.

They discussed the foundations of social cohesion in religiously and ethnically diverse societies, highlighting mutual respect and the need for legislation that protects national unity, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The two officials highlighted the importance of combating hate speech, discrimination and exclusion — especially when stemming from influential legal or institutional sources.

Al-Issa said that the vast majority of Muslims in Britain show strong religious and national awareness. He added that discordant voices are isolated cases that reflect individual views, not the values of Islam.

Separately, the UK parliament hosted Al-Issa for a side meeting at its London headquarters, organized by several members of parliament and attended by the speaker.

Talks focused on enhancing integration and harmony in British society, fighting extremism and hatred, and showcasing the league’s efforts to build bridges between civilizations and promote mutual understanding.


Merz says NATO spending boost to counter Russia — not please Trump

Updated 9 min 33 sec ago
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Merz says NATO spending boost to counter Russia — not please Trump

  • Merz has been racing to build up Germany’s long-neglected armed forces, with the aim of turning them into the ‘strongest conventional army’ in Europe

BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz insisted a pledge by NATO allies to boost defense spending at a “historic” summit starting on Tuesday would not just aim to please US President Donald Trump.
“We are not doing this, as some claim, to do the United States and its president a favor,” he told the German parliament before setting off for the gathering in The Hague.
“We are doing this based on our own observations and convictions. Russia, above all, is actively and aggressively threatening security and freedom” across Europe, he added.
“We have to fear that Russia will continue its war beyond Ukraine.”
The summit has been viewed as heavily focused on keeping Trump happy after he made comments that sparked concern about Washington’s commitment to NATO and insisted that other member states spend at least five percent of their GDP on defense.
NATO’s 32 countries have thrashed out a compromise deal to dedicate 3.5 percent to core military spending by 2035, and 1.5 percent to broader security-related areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure.
On Monday, Europe’s biggest economy revealed plans to reach the 3.5 percent level for core spending six years early — in 2029 — with the vast extra outlays necessary made possible after Germany eased its rules on taking on debt.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday that he would head to the NATO summit with the message that “external security and defense capability are once again an absolute priority in (German) government policy.”
“We are bringing about a historic turnaround in defense spending.”
On the summit, he said there were “good signs” about “the broad consensus on how to proceed... I see no reason to assume that we will be given the cold shoulder.”
Since taking office in May, Merz has been racing to build up Germany’s long-neglected armed forces, with the aim of turning them into the “strongest conventional army” in Europe — a radical shift in a country with strong pacifist traditions due to its dark wartime past.
A drive has been launched to boost military personnel, which aims to attract 11,000 fresh recruits this year alone — and Pistorius has suggested conscription, which was halted in Germany in 2011, could be reintroduced if too few people sign up voluntarily.
Germany is also building up a permanent military brigade in Lithuania — the country’s first such overseas deployment since World War II — to bolster NATO’s eastern flank against Russia.


Chinese pianist to mentor young Saudi musicians

Updated 21 min 33 sec ago
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Chinese pianist to mentor young Saudi musicians

  • Set to take place at the Saudi Music Hub in Riyadh, the month-long program begins on June 29 and will host more than 30 students
  • Program represents a major step in transforming music education in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: The Music Commission has launched the Kingdom’s first summer piano program, in collaboration with renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Set to take place at the Saudi Music Hub in Riyadh, the month-long program begins on June 29 and will host more than 30 students from across Saudi Arabia.

It aims to enhance participants’ technical and artistic skills through a comprehensive curriculum, including individual lessons, group classes, hands-on training, and live interactive sessions — all led by distinguished academics and music professionals.

Paul Pacifico, CEO of the commission, said: “This initiative marks a bold new chapter in the evolution of music education in the Kingdom. By partnering with world-class international educators we are not only nurturing the next generation of Saudi talent but also expanding the horizons of our cultural ambitions.”

The program represents a major step in transforming music education in Saudi Arabia, aligning with the commission’s vision to enrich artistic learning and build a strong national talent ecosystem, the SPA added.


Shadowy extremist group claims Damascus church attack

Updated 30 min 39 sec ago
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Shadowy extremist group claims Damascus church attack

  • Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna said a group operative “blew up the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa neighborhood of Damascus“
  • It came after unspecified “provocation“

BEIRUT: A little-known Sunni Muslim extremist group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a Damascus church over the weekend that authorities have blamed on the Daesh group.

Sunday’s attack killed 25 and wounded dozens of others, striking terror into the Syrian Arab Republic’s Christian community and other minorities.

A statement from Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna said a group operative “blew up the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa neighborhood of Damascus,” saying it came after unspecified “provocation.”

The Islamist authorities who took power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar Assad in December had quickly blamed the attack on Daesh and announced several arrests on Monday in a security operation against Daesh-affiliated cells.

But the Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna statement on messaging app Telegram, where it counts several hundred followers, said the government’s version of events was “untrue, fabricated.”

The group, which was formed after Assad’s ouster, vowed that “what is coming will not give you respite” warning that “our soldiers... are fully prepared.”

In March, a dispute took place in front of the Saint Elias church, as residents expressed opposition to Islamic chants being played on loudspeakers from a car.

Sunday’s attack was the first suicide bombing in a church in Syria since the country’s civil war erupted in 2011, according to a Syrian monitor.

It followed sectarian violence in recent months including massacres of members of the Alawite sect to which Assad belongs and clashes with Druze fighters, with security one of the new authorities’ greatest challenges.

The bloodshed has raised concerns about the government’s ability to control radical fighters, after Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) led the offensive that ousted Assad.

HTS was once affiliated with Al-Qaeda before breaking ties in 2016.

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, a Syria-based analyst and researcher, said Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna could be “a pro-Daesh splinter originating primarily from defectors from HTS... and other factions but currently operating independently of IS.”

He also said it could be “just a Daesh front group.”

Citing a Saraya source, Tamimi said a disillusioned former HTS functionary heads the group, whose leadership includes a former member of Hurras Al-Din, the Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate which announced in January it was dissolving, upon the orders of the new government.

The monitor said Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna had previously threatened to target Alawites and had carried out an attack in Hama province earlier this year.

The group is accused of involvement in the sectarian massacres in March that the monitor alleged to have killed more than 1,700 people, mostly Alawite civilians.