Author Archives: Mahir Ali
1 day ago
Possible key to a different Iran
THERE is something slightly surreal about the victory of the only cleric among Iran’s six presidential candidates being greeted as a moderate triumph and a…
THERE is something slightly surreal about the victory of the only cleric among Iran’s six presidential candidates being greeted as a moderate triumph and a…
12th June, 2013
Big Brother is listening
CYBER-hacking was among the more contentious items on the agenda of last week’s “informal” summit between presidents Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
CYBER-hacking was among the more contentious items on the agenda of last week’s “informal” summit between presidents Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
5th June, 2013
Turning point for Turkey?
IT was very much in “Crisis? What crisis?” mode that Turkey’s prime minister embarked this week on a scheduled trip to North Africa
IT was very much in “Crisis? What crisis?” mode that Turkey’s prime minister embarked this week on a scheduled trip to North Africa
29th May, 2013
On top of the world again
SIXTY years after the world’s highest peak was first scaled, intrepid adventurers have literally been queuing up lately to reach the summit of Sagarmatha, better known internationally as Mount Everest.
SIXTY years after the world’s highest peak was first scaled, intrepid adventurers have literally been queuing up lately to reach the summit of Sagarmatha, better known internationally as Mount Everest.
22nd May, 2013
Turning point
ON the eve of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s visit to India this week, his aides revealed that he would be requesting assistance “with military needs and shortages” during his sojourn in New Delhi.
ON the eve of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s visit to India this week, his aides revealed that he would be requesting assistance “with military needs and shortages” during his sojourn in New Delhi.
15th May, 2013
Third chance for Nawaz Sharif
HERE comes part two of Pervez Musharraf’s nightmare. In his heyday as Pakistan’s military ruler, he had vowed that his two civilian predecessors, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, would never again sully the corridors of power.
HERE comes part two of Pervez Musharraf’s nightmare. In his heyday as Pakistan’s military ruler, he had vowed that his two civilian predecessors, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, would never again sully the corridors of power.
8th May, 2013
More suffering for Syria
A COUPLE of months ago, Barack Obama declared that evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government would be a “game changer”.
A COUPLE of months ago, Barack Obama declared that evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government would be a “game changer”.
1st May, 2013
The darker side
EXACTLY one day before the Rana Plaza on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital crumbled last Wednesday, press reports in Britain noted that Primark, a leading retailer of cut-price attire, had recorded a 24pc increase in sales in the six months to March, its revenue jumping to £2 billion and operating profits leaping by 56pc to £238 million.
EXACTLY one day before the Rana Plaza on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital crumbled last Wednesday, press reports in Britain noted that Primark, a leading retailer of cut-price attire, had recorded a 24pc increase in sales in the six months to March, its revenue jumping to £2 billion and operating profits leaping by 56pc to £238 million.
24th April, 2013
Unanswered questions
A DAY or so after last week’s Boston marathon bombings, a local luminary solemnly declared that there could be no possible justification or explanation for the outrage.
A DAY or so after last week’s Boston marathon bombings, a local luminary solemnly declared that there could be no possible justification or explanation for the outrage.
17th April, 2013
Let slip the dogmas of war
WRITING in Le Monde Diplomatique a year or so ago, a few months after Kim Jong-il’s demise, Bruce Cumings recalled an encounter with a Soviet diplomat in Pyongyang in 1981, shortly after the Dear Leader had officially been designated the successor to his father, Kim Il-sung.
WRITING in Le Monde Diplomatique a year or so ago, a few months after Kim Jong-il’s demise, Bruce Cumings recalled an encounter with a Soviet diplomat in Pyongyang in 1981, shortly after the Dear Leader had officially been designated the successor to his father, Kim Il-sung.
10th April, 2013
A transformational leader, unfortunately
LOOKING back, it now seems strange that during her first couple of years as prime minister, Margaret Thatcher was widely viewed as something of an aberration.
LOOKING back, it now seems strange that during her first couple of years as prime minister, Margaret Thatcher was widely viewed as something of an aberration.
3rd April, 2013
King’s legacy extends beyond rights
“LIKE anybody, I would like to live a long life,” the preacher proclaimed towards the end of a sermon in a Memphis church 45 years ago today. “But I’m not concerned about that now.
“LIKE anybody, I would like to live a long life,” the preacher proclaimed towards the end of a sermon in a Memphis church 45 years ago today. “But I’m not concerned about that now.
27th March, 2013
More wasted eloquence
BARACK Obama, his rival in last year’s American presidential election claimed, was “throwing Israel under the bus”.
BARACK Obama, his rival in last year’s American presidential election claimed, was “throwing Israel under the bus”.
20th March, 2013
A cultural phenomenon like no other
A RECENT graphic encountered on the internet offers an unusual take on the customary depiction of the ascent of man: instead of one figure depicting Homo sapiens, there are four silhouettes striding into the distance, immediately recognisable to many as the quartet navigating a zebra crossing in St John’s Wood, London, on an iconic album cover from 1969.
A RECENT graphic encountered on the internet offers an unusual take on the customary depiction of the ascent of man: instead of one figure depicting Homo sapiens, there are four silhouettes striding into the distance, immediately recognisable to many as the quartet navigating a zebra crossing in St John’s Wood, London, on an iconic album cover from 1969.
13th March, 2013
Chavez now belongs to posterity
VENEZUELA’S next presidential election has been scheduled for April 14, the 11th anniversary of Hugo Chavez’s triumphant return to office three days after a reactionary, US-supported coup had led to his brief detention.
VENEZUELA’S next presidential election has been scheduled for April 14, the 11th anniversary of Hugo Chavez’s triumphant return to office three days after a reactionary, US-supported coup had led to his brief detention.
6th March, 2013
Shocked, awed and largely unrepentant
TEN years after “Shock and Awe”, it is hardly surprising that among the dwindling ranks of those who are still willing to defend the decision to invade Iraq, the overwhelming tendency is to frame the question in terms of whether Saddam Hussein’s removal from power was a positive outcome.
TEN years after “Shock and Awe”, it is hardly surprising that among the dwindling ranks of those who are still willing to defend the decision to invade Iraq, the overwhelming tendency is to frame the question in terms of whether Saddam Hussein’s removal from power was a positive outcome.
27th February, 2013
Don’t do as the Romans do
THE Vatican, as of tomorrow, will temporarily be popeless. As for the rest of Italy, initial results and projections from this week’s elections point to consequences that could be designated as hopeless.
THE Vatican, as of tomorrow, will temporarily be popeless. As for the rest of Italy, initial results and projections from this week’s elections point to consequences that could be designated as hopeless.
20th February, 2013
A partial reckoning
ABDUL Quader Mollah certainly did himself no favours when, earlier this month, he flashed a smile and a V-sign as he emerged from a hearing of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka that had just
ABDUL Quader Mollah certainly did himself no favours when, earlier this month, he flashed a smile and a V-sign as he emerged from a hearing of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka that had just
13th February, 2013
Australia on a sticky wicket
HAND-WRINGING and breast-beating are not officially recognised as sports, but in recent days Australian officials could easily have claimed the crown in either field.
HAND-WRINGING and breast-beating are not officially recognised as sports, but in recent days Australian officials could easily have claimed the crown in either field.
6th February, 2013
No laughing matter
A RECENT cartoon by Gerald Scarfe in Britain’s the Sunday Times reportedly depicted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “as a green, wraith-like creature drinking greedily from an oversized cup labelled ‘children’s blood’”.
A RECENT cartoon by Gerald Scarfe in Britain’s the Sunday Times reportedly depicted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “as a green, wraith-like creature drinking greedily from an oversized cup labelled ‘children’s blood’”.
