From Volume 36, Issue 38 of EIR Online, Published Oct. 2, 2009
Asia News Digest

McChrystal Misleading Obama, on London's Behalf

Sept. 23—In his detailed report on the assessment of the war in Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of the U.S. and NATO troops there, has urged the administration, in effect, to create a new Vietnam—a disastrous policy that is only in the interest of the British Empire. To that end, he went out of his way to conceal two important facts, whose concealment may push President Obama to go along with McChrystal's call for more troops.

One of McChrystal's central deceptions is the contention that, unlike the Soviet invaders in the 1980s, the United States is not perceived by the Afghans as occupiers. He quotes Afghan Defense Minister Wardak saying, "I reject the myth advanced in the media that Afghanistan is a 'graveyard of empires,' and that the U.S. and NATO effort is destined to fail. Afghans have never seen you as occupiers, even though this has been the major focus of the enemy's propaganda campaign. Unlike the Russians, who imposed a government with an alien ideology, you enabled us to write a democratic constitution and choose our own government. Unlike the Russians, who destroyed our country, you came to rebuild."

That's self-consoling tripe; all information available from the ground in Afghanistan indicates that Afghans—Pushtuns, Takjiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras and other minorities—reject the United States presence by a large majority.

Also, McChrystal, in his report, says that the insurgency is orchestrated by the Pushtuns, and remains confined to the Pushtun-majority areas. However, that is no longer true. Kunduz, Mazhar-e-Sharif, and Baghlan provinces, all located in the north of the country, and all Pushtun-minority provinces, are now under control of insurgents, causing disruption to NATO's northern supply route.

Hillary Clinton Announces Shift on Myanmar, as British Scream

Sept. 24 (EIRNS)—Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced today that the U.S. will engage in direct talks with the military government of Myanmar, as Myanmar's Foreign Minister Nyan Win was allowed to visit Washington—the first time in nine years that a Myanmar official was permitted to come to the capital.

Clinton said in New York that the official U.S. review of Myanmar policy would be released in a few days, and that although sanctions against Myanmar would not be lifted immediately, they would be lifted over time, as relations improved, and steps toward democracy were implemented in Myanmar.

In Myanmar, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest, was advised strongly by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), during his visit to Myanmar in August, to drop her support for the destructive and useless sanctions, called Clinton's announcement "a good thing." Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), has issued an appeal to the government to begin talks, breaking from the party's refusal to talk with the government, which they consider illegitimate.

Senator Webb and his counterpart in the House, Rep. Eni Faleomaveaga (they run the Asia subcommittees of the foreign policy committees in the Senate and the House), met with Foreign Minister Nyan Win in Washington over the weekend, as did the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council. Myanmar's Prime Minister, Thein Sein, will also speak at the UN this week.

British assets in the U.S. are going crazy over this diplomatic breakthrough, which is taking place in parallel to the Bill Clinton-led opening in relations with North Korea. These breakthroughs are undermining the empire's use of Myanmar and North Korea as so-called "rogue nations," dragging the U.S. into confrontation with them, and thus also with their supporters in Russia, China, and India. In other words, the true reason for demonizing these countries is to undermine the potential for the Four-Power Agreement proposed by Lyndon LaRouche, as the precondition for stopping the world's collapse into a new dark age. Thus, the George Soros-run human rights mafia on the left, and neo-con fanatics at the Weekly Standard on the right, both run by the City of London, are denouncing Senator Webb and Secretary Clinton for "coddling dictators" and "selling out freedom fighters."

Local Support Saves Tokyo Dam Project For Now

Sept. 24 (EIRNS)—The main party in the new Japanese government, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), promised during its campaign to eliminate "wasteful government expenditure," so that more government resources could go to hard-pressed Japanese families. Having a strong green tinge, the DPJ instead moved swiftly to stop the construction of dams and highways. However, the population has quickly let the DPJ know that it does not necessarily find such projects wasteful.

A case in point is the Yamba Dam outside Tokyo, which is being constructed for both flood control, and to provide a needed water resource for the Tokyo metropolitan area. Construction and Transport Minister Seiji Maehara moved almost immediately upon taking office to shut down this $4 billion project. almost immediately local residents and officials expressed their outrage.

That outrage was expressed so clearly that the minister had to back off, and issued a statement saying, "Unless we obtain the understanding of local residents and metropolitan and local governments that are connected to the construction, we won't start with legal procedures" to shut down the project.

Today, Maehara went to the district affected to "explain." The local population boycotted his visit and officials, who did not have that option, gave him a cold reception.

An even darker cloud of popular disagreement is on the horizon for Prime Minister Hatoyama's goal of a 25% cut in CO2 emissions. While the new government currently enjoys a 72% popularity rating in polls, its anti-industry, anti-jobs emissions policy is supported by only 42% of the population.

This is before an actual policy has been presented. When the greenies have to detail exactly what this deadly reduction will mean in terms of sacrifices by the population and in the economy, a wave of massive rejection will sweep the nation.

Taiwan Refuses Entry to Britain's Uighur Asset Rebiya Kadeer

Sept. 26 (EIRNS)—"For the national security of the country, we forbid Rebiya Kadeer to enter Taiwan," said Chiang Yi-hua, minister of the interior, told the members of Taiwan's legislature, in reference to the British asset running the Uighur insurgency against China.

Chiang was responding to opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers, who asked the government to grant Kadeer an entry visa for December. Chiang told the Legislative Yuan that Kadeer's organization, the World Uyghur Congress, maintains close relations with the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, which is declared a terrorist group by the United States and the United Nations. The group's secretary-general, Chiang told lawmakers, is wanted by Interpol.

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