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Russia expels two diplomats as Nato begins military exercises in Georgia
Luke Harding, The Guardian
Nato today began a series of controversial military exercises in Georgia following an apparent failed uprising at a Georgian army base yesterday and Moscow's expulsion of two Nato diplomats this morning.

Russia said it was expelling Isabelle Francois, the Canadian head of Nato's Moscow information office, and a worker at her office.

The move was in retaliation for last week's expulsion of two Russian diplomats, who had been accused of spying, from Nato's Brussels HQ, Russia's foreign ministry said.

...Yesterday's exercises involve 15 Nato countries, among them Britain.

The manoeuvres have provoked a furious reaction from Russia, which has described them as "dubious" and a "provocation".

Moscow has also lambasted Mikhail Saakashvili, the pro-western Georgian president.

Yesterday, Saakashvili claimed to have thwarted a Russian-backed mutiny at the Mukhrovani army base near the capital, Tbilisi.

...The exercises take place against the backdrop of a growing military buildup on both sides of Georgia's tense and disputed borders with the breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Russia has beefed up its military presence in both territories, and last week signed an agreement giving its army full control of border security.
(6 May 2009)

The Battle for Control of Pakistan
Susanne Koelbl and Gabor Steingart, Spiegel Online International
The Taliban's advances into the heartland of Pakistan have alarmed the West. How close are the extremists to acquiring nuclear warheads? The Americans have urged the Pakistanis to put aside their differences with India and pursue militant Islamists on their own soil.

...The onslaught of the Taliban is threatening the stability of Pakistan -- a nuclear power that at the same time holds the key to the tragedy in Afghanistan. The conflict on the other side of the border cannot be contained as long as the Taliban militants can gather in the Pakistani frontier region, and use it as a haven to launch attacks.

This explains why Pakistan, at least according to the Americans, is so crucial -- why this country, where the Taliban and al-Qaida work hand-in-hand, will determine not only its neighboring country's future, but also its own, along with the fate of the entire Western world.

US President Barack Obama has made safeguarding the tense region between Kabul and Islamabad the top priority of his foreign policy. The extremely weak civilian government in Islamabad and its lack of resolve is cause for "grave concern," the commander in chief said a few days before Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to Washington, where Obama will receive him together with Afghan President Hamid Karzai for a mini-summit on Wednesday.

...In any case, the Obama administration has asked Congress for a massive increase in military aid to Pakistan. This package would focus on training for Pakistani anti-terror units, cooperation among intelligence agencies, and expanding its own military activities with the help of unmanned drones and intelligence activities on Pakistani soil.

This last aspect is particularly controversial: In a white paper made available to politicians and think tanks, special envoy Holbrooke writes that he hopes US intelligence agencies can use pacified areas to plan ways to step up their efforts to track and kill al-Qaida leaders. According to this plan, the CIA and anti-terror units of the US Army would also rely on cooperation with regional religious leaders, private armies and all types of local security forces.

The new strategy is accompanied by a major reshuffling of funds. Since the attacks on the World Trade Center, over $170 billion has been spent in Afghanistan on the Pentagon's "Operation Enduring Freedom." During the same period, the US invested hardly more than $15 billion in Pakistan.

This shift in policy marks a significant increase in the amount of money flowing to Islamabad. The plan is for project groups to push ahead with the construction of schools, courts and medical clinics, focusing primarily on areas affected by the Taliban. The White House hopes this will gain political support for the military operations.

"This is the war we must win," Obama said over and over during the election campaign -- and he's still repeating it, like a personal mantra.
(4 May 2009)

EUROPE: The Right Rises
Pavol Stracansky, Global Geopolitical News
Human rights activists have warned of a “proliferation” of far-right groups in central and eastern Europe amid an economic crisis fuelling support for extremist movements and political parties.

They say more and more far-right groups are becoming “paramilitary”, carrying out violent attacks on Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, while extreme right-wing political parties see a surge in voter support.

“There has been a rise in right-wing extremism in eastern Europe, especially in Hungary and the Czech Republic where paramilitary-style groups have been formed,” Georgina Siklossy, spokeswoman for the European Network Against Racism told IPS.

“There is a distinct danger that, in times of economic crisis as at present, right-wing extremism and right-wing groups will proliferate.”

Analysts say that ever since the fall of communism across the former Eastern bloc, there has been a steady growth in right-wing extremism.
(X May 2009)