Political India: Engaging America

From The Hindu

Pakistan is planning a military offensive of unknown strength in its restive North Waziristan region, home to numerous militant groups including the fearsome Haqqani network, United States Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen has said.

Admiral Mullen spoke of the planned operation to television networks on Monday. “It is a very important fight and a very important operation,” he said.

He and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met senior Pakistani leaders a few days earlier to “show the strength in terms of our commitment [because] we're going through a difficult patch right now after the bin Laden operation”, said Admiral Mullen.

Barring the general reiteration of commitment to eliminating terrorist havens on its soil, there was no official word from either the Pakistani government or the military about launching an operation in North Waziristan.

However, the armed services were reportedly preparing for a two-pronged action in the tribal agency — using air power to “soften up” targets before ground troops move in. Apparently aid agencies have also been alerted to prepare for an internal displacement situation.

While Admiral Mullen said in Washington that he “did hear from the [Pakistani] military leadership their continued commitment to look ahead and work with us and we think that's important”, all indications were that Islamabad was yet to decide on a full-scale operation that would include action against groups like the Haqqani network.

While the terror outfit has repeatedly targeted U.S. troops in Afghanistan from its hideout in North Waziristan, it has never struck within Pakistan.

Taking on the Haqqani network has been a long-standing demand of the U.S. It was repeated again last week during Secretary of State Ms. Clinton's seven-hour visit to Islamabad, where she acknowledged Pakistan's role in the Afghan reconciliation process but underscored Islamabad's responsibility toward stopping insurgency west of the Durand Line.

Yet, on Monday, Admiral Mullen sought to downplay the impression of tensions arising in those discussions, arguing media reports were “overstated”. “We had a very good, frank, open discussion that touched on a wide range of issues,” he said.

Strategic assets

Apart from the reluctance to give up “strategic assets” — as networks like the Haqqani group are described within the community of security analysts — capacity constraints are also being cited as reason for a selective operation.

The Army is still not in a position to withdraw from areas it wrested from terrorists and is apprehensive of over-stretching itself in case of a full-scale operation.

Admiral Mullen conceded that in the U.S. “one of the things that does not get enough focus is the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has made over the course of the last several years”. They have lost thousands of soldiers in this fight while “10-plus thousand” were wounded, he said.

From The Hindu

Bradley Manning, U.S. military intelligence officer charged with leaking confidential government documents to WikiLeaks, the online whistleblower website, was deployed in Iraq despite warnings from evaluators that he was not mentally stable and a risk to himself and others, an investigation has revealed.

A detailed report and video published by The Guardian newspaper showed that Mr. Manning was not only given a negative report by his commanding officers here, but was also noted by his colleagues as displaying signs buckling under enormous stress. Yet, in October 2009, Mr. Manning was sent to Forward Operating Base Hammer, near Baghdad.

The extensive investigation by The Guardian suggested that even by that point Mr. Manning had faced much bullying within the army and was also possibly distressed owing to his partner, Tyler Watkins, ending their relationship in late 2009. It was clear that he had been under much pressure when one officer said to The Guardian, “He was harassed so much that he once [urinated] in his sweatpants.”

Mr. Manning's demotion and ultimate discharge from the military came after May 7, 2010, when, according to a soldier who had been deployed to FOB Hammer alongside Mr. Manning said Mr. Manning started “blowing up and punching this chick in the face.”

It was shortly after this point, while he was still awaiting discharge for “adjustment disorder,” that he communicated with former hacker-turned-informant, Adrian Lamo. Within 24 hours of revealing to Mr. Lamo that he had possibly copied and transmitted to “WL” a vast tranche of confidential government data when he was at FOB Hammer, Mr. Lamo reported him to U.S. authorities.

Since his arrest in May 2010 evaluators have continued to assess Mr. Manning's mental health, officials confirmed, and earlier reports suggested that he might be considered to be at risk of self-harm.

However the controversial conditions of Mr. Manning's incarceration also threatened to become a major embarrassment to the administration when it became evident that he was being forced to strip down to a smock every night and was being held in solitary confinement.

While he was transferred to a lower-security prison in April 2011, his prior time in the military brig in Quantico, Virginia, saw top officials and civil society groups voicing strong protest to the treatment meted out to him by jail officers there.

In particular, U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley had to resign after he described Mr. Manning's treatment as “ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid.” Further

A group of 250 legal experts including a former professor of President Barack Obama wrote a letter condemning the U.S.' describing the harsh conditions of Mr. Manning's time in jail as “illegal and immoral.”

From The Hindu

The International Monetary Fund’s Executive Directors from the BRICS economies have openly revolted against the prospect of the Fund’s Managing Director role reverting to a European, deepening the woes of an organisation that was recently rocked to its very core by the resignation of former Dominique Strauss-Kahn following sexual assault allegations.

In an unprecedentedly explicit articulation of long-standing resentment over the convention of selecting the MD, “in practice, on the basis of nationality,” IMF Directors from India, China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa said in a public statement that this “undermines the legitimacy of the Fund.”

The BRICS group, including India representative Arvind Virmani, called for the abandonment of the “obsolete unwritten convention,” that required the head of the IMF necessarily to be from Europe. There has been no reaction yet from any other quarter within the IMF.

While the Fund regularly recommends painful reforms packages to crisis-ridden developing nations, the BRICS Directors’ comments are a stinging critique of the IMF’s failure to speed up its own internal restructuring process. Europe’s grip over the MD’s seat dates as far back as 1946 yet it has come under fire especially since 2005 when the G20 group of major economies called for far-reaching reform to improve the Bretton Woods institution’s “governance, strategy and operations.”

Bringing a hard-to-repudiate argument to the fore the Directors said that their common understanding was that the recent financial crisis had actually erupted in developed countries and its provenance “underscored the urgency of reforming international financial institutions so as to reflect the growing role of developing countries in the world economy.”

Pressing their main point on the altered landscape of economic power today, the BRICS Directors noted, “We also believe that adequate representation of emerging market and developing members in the Fund's management is critical to its legitimacy and effectiveness.”

Referring to several international agreements that had already outlined the need for a “transparent, merit-based and competitive process” for choosing an MD, the BRICS Directors said that a more credible and legitimate route would be require the MD to be selected “after broad consultation with the membership.” As it stands, the IMF announced last week that the nomination period would commence on May 23 and will close on June 10.

In a prescient statement that came before Wednesday’s announcement of candidacy for the influential IMF job by French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, the Directors said, "We are concerned with public statements made recently by high-level European officials to the effect that the position of MD should continue to be occupied by a European."

Hitting back at such statements, they argued that such remarks contradicted public announcements made in 2007, “when Mr. Jean-Claude Junker, president of the Euro group, declared that “the next MD will certainly not be a European” and that “in the Euro group and among EU finance ministers, everyone is aware that Strauss-Kahn will probably be the last European to become director of the IMF in the foreseeable future.””

On the other side of the Atlantic U.S. officials including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner have consistently called for an “open process that leads to a prompt succession for the Fund's new MD,” yet Nancy Birdsall, a former top official at the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank said that the question now is “whether and how this commitment [by the G-20, to a merit-based process] will be honoured.”

In a clear signal that the shift in the global locus of power would continue to be a point of contention the BRICS Directors cautioned that in addition to the Fund’s next MD having solid technical background and political acumen, they should be "a person that is committed to continuing the process of change and reform of the institution so as to adapt it to the new realities of the world economy."

From The Hindu

The much-anticipated Economic Outlook of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development will be revealed on Wednesday by Pier Carlo Padoan, Deputy Secretary-General and Chief Economist.

Speaking on background, officials said that the report may highlight some of the continuing downside risks in the global economy including persistent unemployment, low growth rates, inadequate fiscal consolidation and rising global imbalances.

However on the upside, there is a general recognition that the economic recovery was progressing at multiple speeds, with emerging markets growing faster and advanced economies less so, an official said.

Further, as the recovery was becoming more and more self sustained, it was seen to be driven increasingly driven by private sector demand and less by policy stimuli, and this was a positive development.

In comments toThe Hindu that were specific to India, another official said “India recovered very strongly from the crisis,” adding that the moderation in growth seen in the recent accounts data was welcome. He said that the OECD predicted continued moderate growth, around 8.5 per cent.

Officials further said that the Reserve Bank of India's move to tighten monetary policy was “entirely appropriate” given the prospect of inflationary pressures, and additional incremental tightening would also be warranted.

The OECD's next Economic Survey of India will be released on June 12, 2011.

From The Hindu

While Paris’ quaint Chateau de la Muette served as the former home of King Louis XVI and his new bride Marie Antoinette in the 18th century, it was the venue for an entirely different sort of elite on Tuesday — suit-clad ministers, diplomats, and civil society delegates attending the 50th annual Ministerial meetings of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

With the clicking of Blackberry devices and high-heeled shoes resonating through the halls of the elegant venue, there were more than 60 senior government officials in attendance, including United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma. Further 15 Heads of State including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan are coming together in Paris over the next few days.

Briefings with OECD officials made it clear that at the very top of the Ministerial’s agenda would be the vital question of job creation in the current context of the post-crisis economic recovery. Ms. Clinton is also set to outline a “new paradigm for development,” and there will be a strong emphasis on “green growth”, officials here indicated.

Richard Boucher, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD, said during a media interaction that questions of inequality and poverty reduction were becoming more and more important at the OECD. Yet at this time “the focus is on how to create jobs,” he added.

In comments to The Hindu regarding India’s relationship with the OECD Mr. Boucher said, “It can go beyond technical assistance and partnership on specific projects. There is a sense that these countries matter to the world economy, even if they are probably not ready to join the OECD group.”

Pointing out that each of the OECD’s partners had a different contribution to make to the mutual relationship, he noted that India in particular had “done a lot on tax finance... [and] is known for a variety of innovation practices.” India’s experience could, in turn, contribute a lot to the OECD’s understanding of development, he said, emphasising that the relationship was principally about “a bit of convergence” from both sides.

While the OECD, established in 1961 as an outgrowth of the U.S.’ Marshall Plan for reconstruction in post-war Europe, promotes economic growth and development among its 34 advanced-economy members, recent years have witnessed the organisation focus increasingly on emerging economies such as India, China, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa.

Yet this year it is Russia that will dominate some of the headlines on the Paris Ministerial as it moves one step closer to becoming an OECD member by joining the Anti-Bribery Working Group. The Duma has already made progress towards acceding to the Anti-Bribery Convention.

From The Hindu

The former Managing Director of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was on Thursday asked to post $1 million as bail money and $5 million as bond if he wished to leave Brooklyn's infamous Rikers Island prison, where he is being held on charges of assault on a hotel maid.

Even as Judge Michael Obus granted Mr. Strauss-Kahn's second bail bid, a grand jury indicted him on all charges brought against him by the 32-year-old Guinea-born immigrant widow, who alleges a naked Mr. Strauss-Kahn chased her down from his suite bathroom and then attempted to rape her.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn was expected to leave Rikers Island even as his wife, French television presenter Anne Sinclair, was said to be scrambling to secure a rented apartment in Manhattan where he could reside, under armed guard as per Mr. Justice Obus' ruling.

Under the restricted conditions of his bail, Mr. Strauss-Kahn is also required to pay the $200,000-a-month fee for the armed guards, CNN reported. Further Mr. Strauss-Kahn has been ordered to wear an electronic ankle monitor and may leave his apartment only to go to court, a doctor's clinic, a house of worship and or to meet his lawyers, said reports.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn's attorney William Taylor said: “Frankly, I was going to ask the court to release on a cash bail with no conditions, but it seems to me that under the circumstances, in light of the people's strong objection, at this point we have made the decision to accept these most onerous conditions because his need to be released from custody is so extreme and frankly his right to it is so great.”

However, Assistant Manhattan District Attorney John Mcconnell decried the decision. “The defendant in this case has shown a propensity for impulsive criminal conduct. There is no right to bail. There is no right to be released,” he said.

From The Hindu

Intellectual property protection is an area that is important in countries such as India because increasingly there are a growing number of entrepreneurs in India demanding such protection, according to Robert Hormats, United States Under Secretary for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs.

Speaking at a media briefing here, on the eve of the Paris ministerial conference and 50th anniversary celebrations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr. Hormats was highlighting examples of how the OECD’s research highlighted the policy challenges faced in developed countries in the past so that developing countries today may benefit from that guidance.

Responding to a question from The Hindu on whether there was a tension between having countries such as India drive global economic growth and pushing them towards excessive economic deregulation, Mr. Hormats said, “We cannot and should not go around lecturing countries on what they ought to do. “

Arguing that India and other countries had “their own internal dynamics and their own internal pressures,” Mr. Hormats however also made the case that they benefited from access to the global system and so it was important that they played a role in ensuring its success.

Touching upon a key expected outcome at next week’s ministerial event, that Russia will be joining the Anti-Bribery Working Group after progress towards acceding to the Anti-Bribery Convention, Mr. Hormats said “It is quite clear that the anti-bribery convention is a way of making sure that companies act in responsible ways, and it also enables those companies to be treated better internationally because they... themselves have subscribed to these very high practices of dealing with issues such as bribery.”

The ministerial event, slated for May 25-26, will bring together 60 to 70 ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and 15 heads of state, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

Through such ministerial events and ongoing consultations the OECD, established in 1961 as an outgrowth of the Marshall Plan, seeks to promote economic growth and development not only in its stable of 34 advanced-economy countries but also increasingly in emerging economies such as India, China, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa.

In the current context of the post-crisis recovery in the global economy the Paris ministerial is expected to significantly draw attention to job creation and a “new paradigm for development,” also said to be the subject of Secretary Clinton’s speech at the event.

From The Hindu

A top Chinese General visiting Washington this week has said Chinese military capacity does not match up to the sophistication of the United States' military equipment.

Possibly seeking to water down recent calls in the U.S. for more transparency in Chinese military capabilities, Chief of General Staff of the People's Liberation Army General Chen Bingde said American claims of Chinese military capabilities were exaggerated.

No challenge

“I can tell you that China does not have the capability to challenge the U.S.,” said General Chen, adding that China's efforts to enhance its national defence and military capabilities after rapid growth in economic power was “compensatory in nature”.

The General also said “China's efforts to enhance... military capabilities is mainly targeted at separatist forces ... who have attempted to split Taiwan away from China.” He denied China had targeted its missiles at Taiwan, saying “it amounts to only garrison deployment”, according to the American Forces Press Service.

General Chen said he was surprised by the sophistication of U.S. military equipment, the AFPS reported, while his counterpart here, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, said maintaining senior military-to-military relations would help shed light on mutual capabilities. Both officials announced following two days of talks here that they had agreed they would “move their militaries, and respective countries, closer together”.

At a joint briefing with General Chen, Admiral Mullen said: “It has always been my view that we cannot wait until we are in a crisis to understand each other”.

While General Chen echoed Admiral Mullen's call for mutual respect between the countries he added: “We shared a broad consensus on some major issues... Certainly, we also disagree on some other issues.”

The meeting between the two countries' military's top brass comes after discussions, earlier this year, between Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barack Obama and also between U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Chinese leaders in Beijing.

Some of those meetings had, however, revealed frictions; particularly the discussion between Mr. Gates and Chinese Minister of National Defence General Liang Guanglie. After their talks Mr. Liang commented upon the U.S.' arms sales to Taiwan last year, following which Beijing broke off military-to-military contact with Washington. “We are against it, because the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan seriously damaged China's core interests,” he had said.

However, in a possible indication that tensions have abated, Admiral Mullen and General Chen this week said they had agreed to naval exchanges including joint counter-piracy and other exercises in the Gulf of Aden.

From The Hindu

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund jailed over allegations of sexual assault on a New York hotel maid, has quit his official role four days after the incident.

The IMF said Mr. Strauss-Kahn had on Wednesday informed its Executive Board of his resignation. The Fund also announced John Lipsky as acting Managing Director.

In his letter of resignation to the Board, Mr. Strauss-Kahn said he wanted to “devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence”. He said it was with “infinite sadness” that he had decided to resign. His thoughts were with his family and colleagues at the Fund with whom he “accomplished such great things over the last three years and more”, he said.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn is being held in isolation at the notorious Rikers Island prison in New York and, according to an AP report, is on suicide watch.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Shapiro, the lawyer of the maid who has alleged Mr. Strauss-Kahn assaulted her, said his client had been unable to resume her duties given the media attention. He also denied it had been consensual sex between Mr. Strauss-Kahn and his client, an argument Mr. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers were said to be considering. “There is no question this was not consensual — she was assaulted and she had to escape from him, which is why when she finally got out of the room, she reported it to security immediately,” said Mr. Shapiro.

The New York Times reported that Mr. Strauss-Kahn would on Thursday seek a renewed bail hearing and would be “willing to be confined to a location in Manhattan, wear an electronic ankle bracelet to monitor his movements and post $1 million bail in cash”.

From The Hindu

In what might be the most-watched terrorism case of the year, a United States federal judge on Wednesday selected 12 jurors — eight women and four men — for the trial of Tahawwur Rana, alleged conspirator in the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks. After reviewing 29 possible choices from a list of 53 individuals, Judge Harry Leinenweber also selected six alternatives for his Chicago court.

Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani descent, is in the dock over allegations that he aided David Headley, the purported mastermind of the deadly attack that killed over 160 people. He was said to have allowed Headley to use his immigration firm as a front for Headley's surveillance activities in Mumbai before the attacks.

Headley, who was arrested in October 2009, entered into a plea bargain agreement with federal authorities last year in a bid to avoid the death penalty. He will be a principal prosecution witness in the Rana case and his testimony is also expected to highlight links between the Lashkar-e-Taiba and an official of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence, Major Iqbal.

This week's jury selection came after days spent vetting potential candidates, following which Judge Leinenweber said to the jurors: “You are not to discuss this case among yourselves until all the evidence is in,” adding that they were not to discuss it with friends and family or do independent research on the Internet.

The composition of the jury was immediately welcomed by Rana's legal team. His attorney Charlie Swift said: “I believe we got a jury of Mr. Rana's peers, people who can understand Mr. Rana's position as an immigrant... as a minority in his community and as a businessman and a family man.”

Judge Leinenweber cautioned that despite heightened sensitivities and fears in regard to foreign terrorism following the 9/11 attacks, “jurors cannot face a situation in which they deliberate in fear that their verdict may subject them or their family to any form of retaliation.”

From The Hindu

Following the arrest of its Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn in New York on Saturday, the International Monetary Fund said “The IMF remains fully functioning and operational.”

The arrest has raised questions about whether the IMF's role in managing the ongoing debt crisis in Europe would continue unimpeded. The Fund issued a muted statement confirming Mr. Strauss-Kahn's arrest noting that all inquiries would be referred to his personal lawyer and to the local authorities.

Meanwhile, Mr. Strauss-Kahn was remanded to the infamous Rikers Island prison in New York City following the denial of bail over charges that he attempted to sexually assault a hotel maid on Saturday.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn, who appeared “haggard and unshaven” before a New York City district judge following a weekend in prison, was refused bail after state prosecutors argued that he would likely flee to France. “He would be living openly and notoriously in France, just like Roman Polanski,” Chief Assistant District Attorney Daniel Alonso told media

The top economist and potential presidential contender in French politics will wake up on Wednesday in an eleven-by-fourteen-foot cell in the same jail compound that housed Mark Chapman, musician John Lennon's killer. Given the high-profile nature, however, Mr. Strauss-Kahn will be held in protective custody in Rikers' West Facility, one of 10 prisons within the complex. Though it is the smallest facility, the West Facility was said to be “typically used to house prisoners with contagious diseases,” and was thought to be appropriate for Mr. Strauss-Kahn as he will not be permitted any contact with other prisoners “in case he is attacked by other inmates,” reports said.

In the bail hearing earlier on Monday, Mr. Strauss-Kahn's defence attorney Ben Brafman argued that the “battle has just begun,” and it was “quite likely he will be exonerated.” His defence team also confirmed that Mr. Strauss-Kahn had agreed to subject himself to forensic testing. Mr. Strauss-Kahn could face anywhere between five to 25 years in prison, said legal experts.

After Mr. Strauss-Kahn was arrested as he attempted to board a flight to Paris from New York's John F Kennedy airport, Judge Melissa Jackson had rejected his offer of $1 million as bail, along with his offer to wear an electronic tag. Mr. Brafman however suggested that his client might appeal the bail denial.

From The Hindu

Even as more States in the United States deploy a veterinary euthanasia drug to execute death row inmates, a Danish company supplying the drug has been drawn closer into a stormy debate surrounding its use.

Since last year end, States such as Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio have turned to pentobarbital, commonly used to put down dogs, as one of the three components of the lethal injection cocktail. Where it has been used, it replaces sodium thiopental, the drug which had been in use to induce unconsciousness.

This switch followed the announcement earlier in 2010 by the sole manufacturer of thiopental, Hospira, that it would be ceasing production due to various raw materials issues. Since then U.S.-based Danish company Lundbeck has been sought out by correctional facilities for pentobarbital.

With the execution of Carry Kerr in Texas and Jeffrey Motts in South Carolina earlier this month, seven people have been executed using Lundbeck's drugs. While Lundbeck does not officially condone the use of its product in lethal injections, it has not taken sufficient steps to halt it, according to anti-death penalty campaigners.

Reprive, a campaign group based in the U.K., said though it had “asked Lundbeck to investigate a number of possible courses of action to prevent their drugs being used in this way... the firm has so far refused to either adopt these or to explain in any detail why they are not feasible.” Yet, the company is likely to find itself increasingly caught up in allegations of aiding “cruel and unusual punishment” towards death row inmates in the U.S., especially as anaesthesia specialists such as David Waisel of Harvard Medical School have warned that “the use of pentobarbital as an agent to induce anaesthesia has no clinical history... [and] puts the inmate at risk for serious undue pain and suffering.”

Meanwhile Lundbeck also came under fire in its home country this week when a major Danish pension fund, Unipension, sold 40 million Danish Kroner (nearly $8 million) worth of shares in the pharmaceutical company over concerns about the use of their drugs in U.S. executions. It was further reported that Denmark's largest pension scheme, ATP, said “there are still things that need clarification” by Lundbeck concerning this issue.

A Reprieve official, Maya Foa, said: “The moral consequences of being complicit in executions should have been enough to make Lundbeck take action; perhaps now that they are being hit in the pocket, they'll realise they simply cannot afford to ignore this issue for one day longer.”

From The Hindu

Strauss-Kahn’s weekend arrest rocked the financial world as the IMF grapples with the European debt crisis, and upended French presidential politics.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn (62), Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, was remanded to the infamous Rikers Island prison in New York City following the denial of bail over charges that he attempted to sexually assault a hotel maid on Saturday.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn, who appeared “haggard and unshaven” before a New York City district judge following a weekend in prison, was refused bail after state prosecutors argued that he would likely flee to France. "He would be living openly and notoriously in France, just like Roman Polanski," Chief Assistant District Attorney Daniel Alonso said to media.

The top economist and potential presidential contender in French politics, who was said to have subjected a maid in his $3,000-a-night suite to a prolonged sexual attack, will wake up on Thursday in an eleven-by-fourteen-foot jail cell in the same jail compound that housed Mark Chapman, musician John Lennon’s killer.

Given the high-profile nature of his case, however, Mr. Strauss-Kahn will be held in protective custody in Rikers’ West Facility, one of ten prisons within the complex. Although it is the smallest facility, the West Facility was said to be "typically used to house prisoners with contagious diseases", and was thought to be appropriate for Mr. Strauss-Kahn as he will not be permitted any contact with other prisoners "in case he is attacked by other inmates", reports said.

While Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s arrest has raised questions about whether the IMF’s role in managing the ongoing debt crisis in Europe would continue unimpeded, the Fund only issued a muted statement confirming Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s arrest. Noting that all inquiries would be referred to his personal lawyer and to the local authorities, a press officer said, "The IMF remains fully functioning and operational."

In the bail hearing earlier on Monday, Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s defence attorney, Ben Brafman, argued that the "battle has just begun", and it was "quite likely he will be exonerated". His defence team also confirmed that Mr. Strauss-Kahn had agreed to subject himself to forensic testing.

Following his arrest, authorities charged Mr. Strauss-Kahn with attempted rape, forcible touching, sex abuse, unlawful imprisonment and a criminal sex act. For the most serious charge, Mr. Strauss-Kahn could face anywhere between five to 25 years in prison, legal experts said.

After Mr. Strauss-Kahn was arrested on Sunday as he attempted to board a flight to Paris from New York’s John F Kennedy airport, Judge Melissa Jackson had rejected his offer of $1 million as bail, along with his offer to wear an electronic tag. Mr. Brafman however suggested that his client might appeal the bail denial.

From The Hindu

In a possible indication that the United States is seeking to tamp down its involvement in West Asian politics, the White House has refused to officially recognise the Libyan Transitional National Council rebel formation, even as President Barack Obama accepted the resignation of his top West Asia envoy, George Mitchell.

Despite a high-profile meeting at the White House with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, TNC President Mahmoud Gibril came away disappointed when he was informed there would as yet be no official recognition of his group as the alternative to Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi. While the White House spun the meeting as a positive development and said the U.S. viewed the TNC as a “legitimate and credible interlocutor of the Libyan people”, a State Department spokesman said the question of recognition was “one of many... policy issues... that are still under review”. He added it was up to the Libyan people, and not the international community, to decide who was to lead Libya.

Mr. Gibril had earlier said in an interview with CNN that his main message to the White House would be to clear up “misperceptions” about extreme elements in the opposition and to ask for formal recognition.

Even as these tensions became evident, the White House announced, following two years of failed efforts to get Israeli and Palestinian leaders to the negotiating table, that Mr. Mitchell would be resigning.

“Over the past two and a half years, George Mitchell has worked as a tireless advocate for peace as the U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East. His deep commitment to resolving conflict and advancing democracy has contributed immeasurably to the goal of two states living side by side in peace and security,” said Mr. Obama.

While Mr. Mitchell said he had resigned based on his commitment to leave his role after two years' service under the Obama administration, foreign policy specialist Josh Rogin suggested that “Mitchell's departure is the clearest signal that no new peace initiative from the administration is forthcoming.”

From The Hindu

Economists are concerned that the U.S. debt ceiling now stands at $14.29 trillion, could be breached yet again later this month

The use of the U.S.' constitutionally-mandated debt ceiling as a political bargaining chip could risk further worsening the country's deficit or even lead to another meltdown in the U.S. economy, the head of the U.S. central bank, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned this week.

Speaking before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Mr. Bernanke said, “Using the debt limit as a bargaining chip is quite risky.” His comments came in the wake of a series tussles over the U.S.' debt limit between Democrats, who control the Senate and the White House, and Republicans, who control the House of Representatives.

While the U.S. came perilously close to a federal government shutdown in April, owing to a stalemate over negotiations on increasing that limit, an eleventh-hour bipartisan deal was reached, averting the crisis.

However, economists are concerned that the U.S. debt ceiling currently stands at $14.29 trillion, and could be breached yet again later this month. In this context Republicans led by House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have said they would not agree to raising the debt limit unless Democrats conceded to major spending cuts to major mandatory expenditure programmes. Yet at his Senate testimony Mr. Bernanke cautioned, “It is a risky approach not to raise the debt limit in a reasonable time... At minimum the cost will be an increase in interest rates that will actually worsen our deficit”. He also indicated that more severe consequences could follow, arguing, “The worst outcome would be one in which the financial system was again destabilised... which of course would have extremely dire consequences for the U.S. economy.

Yet even as Mr. Bernanke addressed the Senate Committee, Mr. McConnell reiterated the Republican position, saying, “The things I'm talking about have already been studied to death. We don't need any more hearings... we know what the options are. The only question remaining is what will we pick up and agree to on a bipartisan basis”.

While President Barack Obama and his Democratic colleagues have agreed to numerous cuts in discretionary expenditure, they have thus far been reluctant to make sweeping cuts in three of the largest components of public expenditure – Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Along with job creation and the economic recovery, curtailing the explosive growth of debt is likely to be one of the highest policy priorities as the November 2012 presidential elections approach.

From The Hindu

Did not want to leave anything to chance

United States Navy SEALs were authorised by President Barack Obama to engage in a fierce fire-fight with the Pakistani military during their clandestine operation against al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden on May 1, it has emerged.

As per an initial plan, the elite commando unit would have relied on backup from two combat-ready helicopters positioned on the Afghan side of the Durand line. However as it would take them 90 minutes or more to reach the primary strike team in Abbottabad, Mr. Obama stepped in and changed that plan at the last minute, insisting that the backup choppers and troops fly deep into Pakistani territory as well.

The President's decision to expand the size of the commando unit flying to Pakistan suggests that he was “willing to risk a military confrontation with a close ally in order to capture or kill the leader of al- Qaeda,” reports here said.

Even as U.S.-Pakistan relations sank to a new low in the aftermath of the raid, officials speaking on condition of anonymity said two further teams of specialists were on standby: “One to bury bin Laden if he was killed, and a second composed of lawyers, interrogators and translators in case he was captured alive.”

While sources said these teams were likely to have been stationed on the U.S. aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Sea, they conceded that a running battle in Abbottabad between almost 80 U.S. commandos and the Pakistani law enforcement authorities would have “set off an even larger breach with the Pakistanis than has taken place”.

Speaking to the New York Times, one senior administration official said, “Their instructions were to avoid any confrontation if at all possible. But if they had to return fire to get out, they were authorised to do it.”

An official also explained that while the Americans may have been able to talk their way out of a potential confrontation with the Pakistani military or even local police, “given our difficult relationship with Pakistan right now, the President did not want to leave anything to chance.” It was this concern for the safety of the SEALs that prompted Mr. Obama to insist on “extra forces if they were necessary,” officials were reported as saying.

The NYT also quoted officials saying in planning for the possible capture of Osama it was decided they would take him aboard a Navy ship to “preclude battles over jurisdiction”.

The aim of that exercise would be to rapidly conduct a preliminary interrogation for information that might help prevent an imminent terror attack or pinpoint other al-Qaeda operatives.

The aftermath of Osama's killing has witnessed a spike in tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan, yet both sides have sought to limit the hostilities in some regards. Unconfirmed reports this week suggested that American investigators would soon be allowed to interview Osama's three widows, currently in Pakistani custody.

Simultaneously, the Obama administration put out a slew of statements affirming Pakistan's vital role as an ally in the U.S. continuing fight against terrorism.

However, even the publicly expressed resentment over the raid appeared to take on a theatrical air when some reports revealed that the former U.S. President, George W. Bush, and the former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, had struck a secret deal in late 2001 whereby a unilateral, clandestine U.S. strike against Osama on Pakistani soil would be permitted by Pakistani authorities.

The Guardian, quoting both serving and retired Pakistani and U.S. officials, reported that as part of this deal after the U.S. strike, “Pakistan would vociferously protest the incursion,” and while there would be a “hue and cry,” in Pakistan over the raid the Pakistani military establishment would not actually attempt to stop U.S. forces from conducting it.

From The Hindu

Even as United States President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke on Monday about the next round of the bilateral Strategic Dialogue, Indian organisations in the U.S. and Indian-Americans have been pushing for even stronger commercial ties between the two countries.

Earlier this year the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) unveiled an insightful and wide-ranging survey showing evidence that India-based companies with U.S. operations saved, through their acquisition of U.S. firms, 2585 jobs from being eliminated during the global economic downturn.

On that occasion the Indian Ambassador to the U.S., Meera Shankar, noted that these companies, which span a diverse range of sectors and had operations across 40 U.S. states, had not only generated and sustained thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the U.S., but had also “contributed to the global competitiveness of U.S. companies.”

The survey’s results showed progress made since Mr. Obama’s November 2010 visit to India, which saw the inking of trade and commercial deals exceeding $14.9 billion in value with $9.5 billion in U.S. exports leading to the creation of an estimated 53,670 U.S. jobs.

Last week there was yet another connection made between India and one U.S. state in particular – Texas. With a view to giving a fillip to trade ties between India and the “Lone Star” state, several members of the Texas Congressional delegation had a dinner meeting with Ms. Shankar.

Ashok Mago a businessman and a prominent Indian-American who was involved in some of the discussions leading to the Indo-U.S. nuclear agreement, was one of the prime organisers of the event, which to him was a step towards promoting even more trade between Texas and India.

Pointing out that Texas was a leading U.S. state for exports and agriculture and also had a large number of Fortune Five Hundred companies, Mr. Mago said in comments to The Hindu, “Business and political leaders in India should look into the opportunities Texas has to offer.”

Describing the event he added, “The Indian Ambassador was delighted to have the opportunity to exchange ideas with nine Congressmen – Pete Sessions, Mike Conaway, Sylvester Reyes, Sheila Jackson Lee, Ted Poe, Pete Olson, Bill Flores, Blake Farenthold and Francisco Canseco.”

Ms. Shankar was said to have not only hosted these nine Congressmen but also met individually with Congressmen Mac Thornberry, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ralph Hall, Joe Barton and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison at their offices.

From The Hindu

Top officials of the United States and China kicked off the bilateral Strategic and Economic Dialogue here on Monday, a series of annual broad-agenda policy discussions focusing on everything from trade and economic issues to human rights.

The third joint meeting of the U.S.-China S&ED is hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Treasury Tim Geithner.

On the U.S. side, other senior officials attending include Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell and Senior Coordinator and Executive Secretary for China and the S&ED at the Department of Treasury David Loevinger. The Chinese co-Chairs of the event include Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo.

At a background briefing, Mr. Campbell said in many respects it was the U.S.' “most important venue... for managing this very complex relationship between the U.S. and China”.

Earlier this year Chinese President Hu Jintao had visited Washington, an occasion on which U.S. President Barack Obama pressed him further regarding concerns over human rights violations, a sensitive subject for Chinese authorities.

In his briefing Mr. Campbell reiterated the human rights focus, “I do want to underscore it is our intention to raise issues of concern directly, honestly, and opening with our Chinese interlocutors, including issues of concern associated with human rights.”

He suggested to attending media that “regional problems” would also be a major focus of the talks, including comparing notes on “where we stand with respect to North Korea, and we will be very clear on what our expectations are for moving forward.”

He added that the joint approach to Iran would also be considered.

From The Hindu

The White House today confirmed that United States President Barack Obama had spoken to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, touching upon the “the successful American action against Osama Bin Laden.” It was their first call since the killing of Osama on Sunday, May 1.

The two leaders also took the opportunity to go over key bilateral issues, including reviewing progress in implementing the many crosscutting initiatives launched during Mr. Obama’s historic visit to India last November.

While the second round of the Strategic Dialogue that was initially slated for the spring of 2011 stands postponed due to elections in Indian states, the President and Prime Minister were said to have talked spoken about the wide-ranging, minister-level talks.

In a statement the White House said, the two leaders re-affirmed their commitment to building a global, strategic partnership, including defence cooperation, and looked forward to the upcoming meetings of the Strategic Dialogue, the Homeland Security Dialogue, the Joint Space Working Group, and the High-Technology Cooperation Group.”

The Homeland Security Dialogue assumes particular significance for in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008. In 2010 Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram had visited the U.S. and interacted with different divisions of the U.S. homeland security apparatus, focusing on issues such as megacity policing.

The Joint Space Working Group and the High-Technology Cooperation Group are also key components of the bilateral relationship and last year played an important role in seeing through policy reforms in areas such as the U.S. Entities List for export control restrictions.

Following numerous rounds of consultations through these and other groups Mr. Obama’s visit last year saw the removal of institutions such as the Indian Space Research Organisation from the restricted list.

From The Hindu

Even as the United States-Pakistan relationship has fallen to a dangerous low following the killing of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, U.S. President Barack Obama said in unprecedentedly candid remarks that he thought that “there had to be some sort of support network for bin Laden inside of Pakistan”.

Skirting the question of which specific agencies or individuals might have knowingly harboured the suspected terrorist for many years, he said, “We don't know whether there might have been some people inside of government, people outside of government, and that's something that we have to investigate, and more importantly, the Pakistani government has to investigate.”

In a relatively rare break from the general tenor of official comments, Mr. Obama also spoke of the geo-political sensitivities involved in an operation that entailed covert action in nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Noting that there would have been “significant consequences,” had bin Laden not been identified by the CIA at the compound, Mr. Obama said, “Obviously, we're going into the sovereign territory of another country and landing helicopters and conducting a military operation. If it turns out that it's a wealthy... prince from Dubai who's in this compound, and... we've sent Special Forces in — we've got problems.”

Discussing the links between Pakistan and terrorism in the interview, Mr. Obama was however careful to avoid implying that the ISI or any military establishment organisation was responsible for harbouring bin Laden.

White House National Security Advisor Tom Donilon also drew the focus of debate to counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan, when he said in another interview over the weekend, “We have had difficulty with Pakistan, as I said, but we've also had to work very closely with Pakistan in our counter-terror efforts.”

While Mr. Donilon noted that more terrorists and extremists had been captured or killed in Pakistan than in any place in the world, Mr. Obama hinted that the flip side of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship was that a degree of mutual resentment may persist.

He said, “[Continuing counterterrorism cooperation] doesn't mean that there aren't going to be times where we're going be frustrated with Pakistanis. And frankly, there are going be times where they're frustrated with us.”

He added that there were not only individual terrorists in Pakistan but “also a climate inside of Pakistan that sometimes is deeply anti-American. And it makes it more difficult for us to be able to operate there effectively.”

From The Hindu


‘This continues to be a tough fight'

Even as there was a growing clamour of voices questioning the legality of the United States entering Pakistan's territory without notice and killing an unarmed Osama Bin Laden last Sunday, U.S. President Barack Obama struck a defiant note on terror group al-Qaeda on Friday, saying “We have cut off their head and we will ultimately defeat them.”

Speaking to soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, scarcely five days after Navy SEALS stormed bin Laden's walled compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, the President said that the U.S. was making progress in its “central goal in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and that is disrupting and dismantling... al-Qaeda.”

After a visit a day earlier to New York City, where Mr. Obama spoke with the families of victims of the 9/11 terror attacks, he said at the military base, “I came here for a simple reason — to say thank you on behalf of America.” Adding that this was “an historic week in the life of our nation,” he said the terrorist leader who struck our nation on 9/11 “will never threaten America again”.

Mr. Obama also confirmed that he had met Admiral William McRaven, a former SEAL, and commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, and also the members of the SEAL team involved in the operation.

He said, “Today... I had the privilege of meeting the extraordinary Special Ops folks who honoured [Mr. Obama's promise to “never forget” those lost in the 9/11 attacks]. It was a chance for me to say – on behalf of all Americans and people around the world — “Job well done.”

Mr. Obama also touched upon the Af-Pak region, noting that the U.S. was “making progress in Afghanistan... taking insurgents and their leaders off the battlefield and helping Afghans reclaim their communities.”

Further, across Afghanistan the Taliban's momentum had been broken and they had been pushed out of their strongholds. “We are building the capacity of Afghans, partnering with communities and police and security forces, which are growing stronger.” Mr. Obama said that this “This continues to be a very tough fight,” and in the coming months U.S. forces would start transferring responsibility for security to Afghan authorities reducing U.S. troop numbers.

Arguing that the planned long-term partnership with the Afghan people would help ensure that “al-Qaeda can never again threaten America from that country, Mr. Obama reiterated, “The bottom line is this: Our strategy is working, and there's no greater evidence of that than justice finally being delivered to Osama bin Laden.”

From The Hindu

With his domestic political standing boosted by last weekend's killing of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, United States President Barack Obama has now trained his guns on the U.S.' economic competitors and upped the ante on India and China in particular.

Speaking to factory workers at a clean-energy auto manufacturer called Allison Transmission, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Mr. Obama said that the U.S. was in a competition all around the world with other countries, and those countries knew that clean energy technology was going to help spur job creation and economic growth for years to come.

Arguing that that was the reason why the U.S. had to “make sure that we win that competition,” he added, “I do not want the new breakthrough technologies and the new manufacturing taking place in China and India. I want all those new jobs right here in Indiana, right here in the U.S, with American workers, American know-how [and] American ingenuity.”

While the early part of 2010 saw many of the President's statements refer to emerging markets such as India as a source of competition in global commerce and jobs, his November 2010 visit to India marked a lull in that trend. Contrarily towards the end of last year Mr. Obama spoke of numerous deals signed with Indian companies that would help create American jobs, including the example of one such link between Schenectady, New York, and Samalkot, Andhra Pradesh.

Yet it would appear that Mr. Obama is once again focussed on the domestic economic recovery and job creation policy agenda, which is also significantly centred on cutting the size of the U.S. budget deficit and its dependence on imports of oil.

Underscoring the need to “get gas prices under control” through a reduction in the U.S. dependence on oil, Mr. Obama also said that his administration aimed to boost the production of fuel-efficient cars and trucks across the country.

To that end they had “reached an historic agreement with every major auto company,” Mr. Obama announced, for these companies to ramp up the fuel economy of their cars and trucks.

“That will not only save 1.8 billion barrels of oil, it's going to save you, the average driver, about $3,000 at the pump as cars increasingly get better gas mileage,” Mr. Obama explained.

As part of this agreement the White House has also proposed a $7,500 tax rebate for electric vehicles, aimed at encouraging people to use these new technologies. This rebate would be paid for by “putting an end to the unwarranted subsidies that we are giving oil companies right now through the tax code,” the President added, noting that the top five oil companies through the last five years of the recession had profits ranged between $75 billion and $125 billion.

Emphasising that the jobs of the future were to be found in areas such as clean energy, Mr. Obama reiterated his intention to jump start manufacturing in the U.S. economy. “America's economy is always going to rely on outstanding manufacturing, where we make stuff – where we're not just buying stuff overseas, but we're making stuff here, and we're selling it to somebody else,” he said.

From The Hindu

Presenting a mixed picture of the U.S. economy the April jobs figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) suggested that 2.44 lakh new jobs were added and yet the overall unemployment rate climbed to 9 per cent from 8.8 per cent a month earlier.

While the results suggest an improvement from March's addition of 2.21 lakh jobs they also indicated possible sources of stagnation within state and local government employment. Across the U.S. states have come under increasing pressure from burgeoning budget deficits.

The BLS monthly survey reported, “Employment in both state government and local government continued to trend down, with April losses concentrated in the non-educational components”.

However, the private sector showed a stronger, positive trend with employment in retail trade rising by 57,000. Professional and business services were reported to continue their expansionary trend in April, with an increase of 51,000. Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to increase in April, the BLS said, adding 46,000 jobs in April and 1.51 lakh jobs over the past three months.

Commenting on the results, the Chairman of the White House' Council of Economic Advisers, Austan Goolsbee, sought to strike a positive note saying, “Today's employment report shows that private sector payrolls increased by 2.68 lakh in April, the strongest monthly growth in five years.” He added that the economy had created 2.1 million private sector jobs over 14 consecutive months, including more than 8 lakh jobs since the beginning of 2011.

Identifying Japanese earthquake and political turmoil in the Middle East as factors affecting crude oil prices, now above $4 a gallon in the U.S., Mr. Goolsbee said, “Despite headwinds from high energy prices and disruptions from the disaster in Japan, the last three months of private job gains have been the strongest in five years.”

While arguing that the “solid” pace of employment growth in recent months was “encouraging,” he conceded that faster growth was needed to replace the jobs lost in the downturn.

Mr. Goolsbee further spoke of the domestic debate on deficit reduction, a subject that President Barack Obama addressed in a recent speech, saying, “We will continue to work with Congress to find ways to reduce spending, so that we can live within our means without neglecting the investments in education, infrastructure, and clean energy that will strengthen our economy”.

Yet, he cautioned, while the overall trajectory of the economy had improved dramatically over the past two years, “There will surely be bumps in the road ahead.”

From The Hindu

United States President Barack Obama put out yet another strong message that Osama Bin Laden's killing in Pakistan last Sunday was “justice done” to the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks when he travelled to the site of the attacks in New York City to lay a wreath at a memorial and spoke with the victims' families.

Three days after the nearly decade-long search for America's most wanted terrorist drew to an end, Mr. Obama laid a wreath of red, white and blue flowers at Ground Zero in Manhattan, and also spent time talking with fire-fighters, police officers and other first-responder teams that lost numerous colleagues in 2001.

Pursuing justice
Speaking at the “Pride of Midtown” Firehouse he reiterated a message that he, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had alluded to in the past few days — that the U.S. would pursue justice no matter how long it took. “What happened on Sunday, because of the courage of our military and the outstanding work of our intelligence, sent a message around the world, but also sent a message here back home that when we say we will never forget, we mean what we say,” he said.

After observing a few minutes' silence at around 1p.m. on a sunny afternoon in New York, the President said the Ground Zero site was symbolic of the “extraordinary sacrifice” that was made on that “terrible day almost ten years ago”.

He conceded, however that the actions of Sunday did not “bring back your friends that were lost”. Speaking to police officers at New York's First Precinct he also hinted that Osama's death would not be the end of terror threats, saying “there are still going to be threats out there and you are still going to be called on to take courageous actions and to remain vigilant.”

Meanwhile reports said that Mr. Obama would be meeting with members of the SEAL team that raided the Abbottabad compound where Osama was killed. On an upcoming visit to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on Friday, an administration official was quoted as saying that the President would meet with Admiral William McRaven, a former SEAL and commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, which oversaw the successful raid.

While he was said to have already met with Admiral McRaven at the White House on Wednesday “to thank him personally in the Oval Office”, in Fort Campbell Mr. Obama “will have the opportunity to privately thank some of the special operators involved in the operation tomorrow at Fort Campbell”, an unnamed official was quoted as saying to the Washington Post.

From The Hindu

While last Sunday's covert operation resulting in the death of Osama bin Laden was initially portrayed as a capture-or-kill mission that faced significant resistance from the slain al-Qaeda chief and his guards, a slew of revisions in the official account of the event have raised suspicions that the United States forces might have killed numerous persons in the compound, including Osama, without sufficient provocation.

With the administration adopting an increasingly defensive tone since the earth-shaking events of May 1, earlier suggestions of Osama and his associates being killed “in a fire fight” were cast in doubt when officials admitted on Wednesday that that the only gunfire that U.S. Navy Seals faced during their raid came early on in the 40 minutes operation.

This early firing, the New York Times reported, quoting unnamed officials, occurred when Osama's courier, Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, “opened fire from behind the door of the guesthouse” in the compound. In response the Seals not only shot and killed Kuwaiti but also a woman in the guesthouse.

After this point, “the Americans were never fired upon again,” the paper reported. This seriously conflicts with an earlier statement by White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, that U.S. forces “were engaged in a fire fight throughout the operation.” As indeed did another report, by MSNBC News, which reported that four of the five people killed during the operation were unarmed at the time and did not fire a shot.


The Obama administration has also contradicted its initial suggestion that Osama was killed in a “fire fight” after offering “resistance” – words used even by President Barack Obama when initially announcing Osama's death on Sunday night.

In its report the New York Times said that when the commandos reached the top floor of the house in the compound, they entered a room and saw Osama bin Laden with an AK-47 rifle and a Makarov pistol “in arm's reach,” and they “shot and killed him, as well as wounding a woman with him.”

White House Counter-terrorism Advisor John Brennan earlier offered a slightly more ambiguous account of Osama's “resistance,” saying, “Whether or not he got off any rounds, I quite frankly do not know… The President put a premium on making sure that our personnel were protected.”

On Tuesday Mr. Carney confirmed that Osama had been unarmed when he said, “Bin Laden's wife, rushed the U.S. assaulter and was shot in the leg but not killed. Bin Laden was then shot and killed. He was not armed.”

Other preliminary details released, such as the suggestion that Osama had used his wife as a “human shield” were also subsequently retracted, with some sources suggesting that these conflicting versions emerged due to the gradual release of information on the attack via debriefings with the assault team.

Even as the revisions in the official account of the incident hinted that the U.S. forces may have killed Osama with less-than-sufficient provocation, President Obama also announced that the “gory” post-death photographs of Osama would not be released by the White House for fear of becoming a new locus of propaganda by extremists.

From The Hindu

Hillary Clinton, United States Secretary of State, has refused to rule out an Abbottabad-like covert-operations strike against Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi.

At a news conference in Rome, Italy, where the Secretary is attending a meeting of the Libya Contact Group, she was asked whether it was imaginable that an operation such as the one conducted in Pakistan could take place in Tripoli, given that the National Transition Council rebel formation considered Qadhafi a legitimate target.

In response Ms. Clinton did not categorically rule out a military strike similar to the attack that led to the killing of al Qaeda leader and alleged terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden last Sunday in Pakistan.

Instead she said, “We are implementing United Nations security resolution with respect to protecting civilians. We have made it abundantly clear that the best way to protect civilians is for Qadhafi to cease his ruthless, brutal attacks on civilians from the West to the East, to withdraw from the cities that he is sieging and attacking, and to leave power.”

From The Hindu

Leon Panetta, Director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), has said that although the U.S. considered including other countries in the plan to launch an assault on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad the CIA ruled out participating with Pakistan at the outset because “it was decided that any effort to work with the Pakistanis could jeopardise the mission.”

Mr. Panetta said in a media interview that if the U.S. agency had shared such critical intelligence with Pakistan, “they might [have alerted] the targets.” Running a high-altitude bombing raid from B-2 bombers or launching a “direct shot” with cruise missiles were considered as an alternative, he said.

Those options were, however, ruled out due to the possibility of “too much collateral,” Mr. Panetta said to Time magazine. He pointed out, though, that the direct-shot option “[had still been] on the table [till] as late as last Thursday as the CIA and the White House grappled with how much risk to take in the mission.”

He said that he had worried about the potential consequences of involving Pakistan in the covert operation, saying: “What if you go down and you are in a fire-fight and the Pakistanis show up and start firing?”

Even as United States officials pick apart the treasure trove of intelligence information collected at the Abbottabad compound where al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed on Sunday night, there are some unanswered questions about the biggest piece of evidence on site — Osama's “mansion.”

Comments by Pakistani intelligence officials and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on the one hand, juxtaposed with comments by John Brennan, White House Security and Counter-terrorism Adviser, beg the significant question: In whose name was the compound registered, and if Pakistani officials knew it belonged to a suspicious “foreigner” then why was that not investigated immediately?

According to statements made by an unnamed official of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence to a reporter from the BBC, the compound in Abbottabad “had been raided in 2003” but was “was not on our radar” since then.

Further, a statement released by the Pakistani Foreign Office said that Abbottabad and the surrounding areas were “under sharp focus of intelligence agencies since 2003” and the intelligence flow indicating some foreigners in the surroundings of Abbottabad continued till mid-April 2011.

While the Pakistan FO indicated that as far as the target compound was concerned, the ISI was sharing information with the U.S.' Central Intelligence Agency since 2009 and Mr. Zardari said Pakistan's “early assistance in identifying an al-Qaeda courier ultimately led to” Osama's capture, Mr. Brennan's comment on the compound would appear to challenge these assertions.

When asked, at a press briefing here on Monday, about who owned the land, Mr. Brennan said: “Whether it be the land or the compound, but it was two of the individuals who were killed — the al-Qaeda facilitators, as they are called — the individual who was identified as the gatekeeper courier, the residence was, at least in my understanding, in his name.”

While there is a lack of clarity on whether one of the couriers, said to be named Sheikh Abu Ahmed, owned the land or the building on the site, if Mr. Brennan were right, an explanation would be required as to how the very same courier could register such a large property with 18-foot walls literally on the doorstep of a major military facility and under the nose of the ISI.

Indeed there have already been calls for an explanation in this regard with one regional expert, Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation, saying, “There needs to be an accounting from Pakistan on how the world's most wanted terrorist could hide in plain sight at a large and conspicuous compound in a Pakistani city that is home to one of Pakistan's most prestigious military training facilities.”

Mr. Brennan also hinted at a similar question saying, “People have been referring to this as hiding in plain sight... We are looking right now at how he was able to hold out there for so long, and whether or not there was any type of support system within Pakistan that allowed him to stay there.”

From The Hindu

Despite the killing of Osama Bin Laden, al Qaeda leader and alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks, there is unlikely to be any major shift in the United States’ strategic approach in Afghanistan and Pakistan, experts here said.

Speaking to The Hindu, Richard Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for national security studies, at the influential Council on Foreign Relations, said “The symbolic significance of Bin Laden's death will lead uninformed people to think that the war against terrorists is over, and that the U.S. can withdraw from Afghanistan.”

However in reality, the issue in Afghanistan did not change much, Mr. Betts said, as both al Qaeda and the Taliban still existed, and the reasons for and against American persistence in the war in that region are about the same as they were before Bin Laden was killed.

Similarly Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, a think tank based in Washington, said that while the killing of Osama is a major step forward in the fight against global terrorism, “it does not represent the end of that fight.”

Speaking to The Hindu Ms. Curtis, formerly with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department’s South Asia Bureau, said “We have won a battle, not the long war.”

Arguing that it was essential that the U.S. remained committed to the mission in Afghanistan, Ms. Curtis and other specialists in the region argued against any notion of large-scale troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.

She said that a precipitous withdrawal would allow Afghanistan to go back to Taliban rule and to serve as an international terrorist safe haven. “We need to build on the major gain we just achieved by taking Osama... off the battlefield, not squander it by announcing we are withdrawing from Afghanistan,” Ms. Curtis added.

From The Hindu

The goodwill accruing to United States President Barack Obama for his administration's achievement in tracking down and killing al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden will certainly yield tangible benefits for him in domestic politics but may not make a decisive difference to his prospects in the presidential elections of November 2012, experts here concurred.

In comments to The Hindu, William Galston, an expert on domestic politics and a former policy adviser to President Bill Clinton, said Mr. Obama's standing with the public as a strong leader had been in “pretty steady decline,” and there was reason to expect that Osama's killing would help “re-strengthen” the President in this regard.

Yet, Mr. Galston said, even if Mr. Obama's overall standing benefited from a short-term boost in popularity, it was “not likely to last long,” if the history of other presidencies had any lessons to offer about initial public enthusiasm subsiding as the President's term in office progressed.

While experts concurred that the administration's actions to capitalise on this achievement could make a significant difference in the near term, they also said that “seizing the moment would imply that Mr. Obama needs to take some risks,” similar to the risks he took in deciding to go after Osama. This may include acceding to demands that are unpopular within his party, according to sources.

Some scholars of U.S. domestic politics did emphasise that Osama's death would help vindicate the President's governance style, and give “credence to patient tenacious approach.”

Speaking to The Hindu, Pietro Nivola, Senior Fellow of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, said, “Democrats have had difficulty establishing their credentials as being strong on national security and [Osama's death] helps establish their bona fide in that realm.”

He further said that in terms of the Republican Party's options, it would become “harder for them to critique [Mr. Obama] as vacillating ... so the GOP will be better off sticking to domestic economic issues and tone down their complaints about the administration's foreign policy.”

Similar to Mr. Galston, Mr. Nivola agreed that while Osama's death would likely give the President a “temporary boost and strengthen his hand in the forthcoming negotiations,” over the deficit and tax cuts, the “staying power” of such achievements was not clear. For example the impact of the former President, George W. Bush's resounding success in winning the Gulf war similarly did not last long, Mr. Nivola suggested.

It would certainly give the President good cover on national security issues going into the 2012 elections and have “enduring value” in that regard, but it was too early to tell whether it will decisively alter electoral prospects that year.

From The Hindu

U.S. President emphasises that America is not at war with Islam

On a day when the United States basked in the glory of its accomplishment in its decade-long war on terror, U.S. President Barack Obama sought to temper the triumphalism over the killing of Osama bin Laden by placing victims of the 9/11 attacks in the spotlight, and also by emphasising that America was not at war with Islam.

Shortly after he announced Osama's killing in a residential compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, large crowds of revellers gathered outside the White House here and near Ground Zero in New York City, waving the American flag and chanting “USA, USA!” and “Yes, we can!”

While many of those speaking to the media expressed joy, a sense of justice delivered or closure, hearing the news of Osama's death, Mr. Obama sought to temper the emotional outpourings, cautioning, “We must also reaffirm that the U.S. is not – and never will be – at war with Islam.”

He said that he had made it clear, just as Mr. Bush did shortly after 9/11, that “bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims.” Indeed, the al-Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, Mr. Obama said.

Yet the President firmly underscored the significance of bin Laden's killing for the families of those killed on September 11, 2001. He said: “It was nearly ten years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory – hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.”

Mr. Obama also said that while Americans understood the costs of war they would be relentless in defence of their citizens and “our friends and allies.”

“On nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al-Qaeda's terror: Justice has been done,” he said.

There was unequivocal and bipartisan praise for the Obama administration's perseverance in tracking down and killing bin Laden. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — also associated with pursuing bin Laden for terror attacks on U.S. soil — hailed his killing as justice delivered.

In a statement Mr. Clinton said, “I congratulate the President, the National Security team and the members of our armed forces on bringing Osama bin Laden to justice.” Mr. Bush, who was in office during the 9/11 attacks, said: “This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001.”

He added a strong message to those who would attack the U.S., saying: “The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a similar statement saying that the death of bin Laden sent a message to the Taliban in Afghanistan that “you cannot wait us out. You cannot defeat us. But you can make the choice to abandon the al-Qaeda” and participate in a peaceful political process. She added that some doubted bin Laden would ever be caught, but “this is America... We persevere, and we get the job done.”

John Boehner, U.S. House Speaker and Republican of Ohio, said: “This is...a victory in our continued fight against the al-Qaeda and radical extremism around the world. We continue to face a complex and evolving terrorist threat, and it is important that we remain vigilant in our efforts.”

Former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney had direct words of praise for Mr. Obama when he said: “I also want to congratulate President Obama and the members of his National Security team. At this moment when bin Laden has been brought to justice, we especially remember the sacrifice of the young Americans who've paid the ultimate price in the defence of the nation, as well as the nearly 3000 Americans who lost their lives on 9/11.”

While the economic recovery and job creation are likely to continue to be key issues for the presidential elections in November 2012, many observers noted that the killing of bin Laden marked a major achievement for the Obama administration's continued war on terror and would likely improve Mr. Obama's odds of re-election significantly.

From The Hindu

The death of Osama Bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks, could help with efforts to split the Taliban from al-Qaeda, according to Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, a think tank based in Washington.

In comments to The Hindu, Ms. Curtis, formerly with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department's South Asia Bureau, said: “It could diminish the importance of al-Qaeda for the Taliban and thus make it easier for the Taliban to renounce its ties to the organisation.”

She added that at the very least, bin Laden's death may cause “soul-searching among the Taliban leadership” as they weighed the utility of remaining allied to an organisation that has lost its founding leader.

While on the upside this historic development would create goodwill in the U.S. toward Pakistan and “likely help to shore up a relationship that had become deeply troubled in the last several months,” Ms. Curtis said Pakistanis needed to accept the fact that the world's most wanted terrorist was captured in a major city near the nation's capital and not in the unruly tribal border areas and out of reach of the Pakistani state authorities.

“This will be somewhat embarrassing for Pakistanis who had often rejected the idea of Osama bin Laden being in Pakistan as a western conspiracy,” according to Ms. Curtis.

Yet Ms. Curtis, a specialist in terrorism in the South Asia region, said that Ayman al-Zawahiri almost certainly would take over as al-Qaeda's new chief, and the world could expect a statement from him soon urging al-Qaeda followers and its affiliates to remain committed to the cause.

From an operational standpoint, however, Ms. Curtis opined that al-Qaeda would still likely be able to continue to plot and carry out attacks as al-Zawahiri is the operational brains behind al-Qaeda, “and he will likely continue with attack planning.” There may yet be questions regarding his legitimacy to lead the movement which could cause some disarray in the ranks, she added.

From The Hindu

Even as spontaneous celebrations erupted across the United States following President Barack Obama’s announcement of Osama Bin Laden’s killing, the U.S. President sought to emphasise that his country would never be at war with Islam, and also that Pakistan’s counterterrorism cooperation had been important in the operation.

As the President made a formal statement providing some background to the assault by U.S. forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan, leading to the killing of the alleged 9/11 attacks mastermind in a fire-fight, large crowds of revellers gathered outside the White House here and near Ground Zero in New York City. Comprising mostly younger, college-aged individuals at first, the crowds waved the American flag and chanted “USA, USA!” and “Yes we can!”

While many of those speaking to media expressed joy, a sense of justice delivered or closure, hearing the news of Bin Laden’s death, Mr. Obama sought to temper the emotional outpourings, cautioning, We must also reaffirm that the U.S. is not – and never will be – at war with Islam.”

He said that he had made clear, just as Mr. Bush did shortly after 9/11, “Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims.” Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, Mr. Obama said.

Praise for Pakistan

The President also praised Pakistan as its “counterterrorism cooperation... helped lead us to Bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding.” However there was some confusion with regard to the level of involvement of Pakistani intelligence in the operation against Bin Laden.

While Pakistani officials were quoted in media as saying that they did have prior knowledge of the assault in Abbottabad, U.S. officials appeared to deny this, with one senior administration official saying, “We had shared this information with no other country, and... a very, very small group of individuals within the U.S. government was aware of this. That is for operational security purposes.”

However Mr. Obama said that he had called Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday night, and Pakistani officials “agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations.”