CounterCurrents: Dispel The Spectre Of War: It Is Doable, Kashmir And ‘Pivoting’ Toward A Nuclear Holocaust

Dear Friend,

The spectre of a nuclear war hangs over South Asia. The politicians are playing a dangerous game. If peace loving, sensible people don't step up this could lead to a catastrophe South Asia and the world can't afford. 

Major General S.G. Vombatkere who has years of experience in military administration and also on the battle field writes that avoiding a war is doable, if only "right-thinking citizens in India and Pakistan speak up and prevail upon their respective governments to de-escalate tensions and begin talks, rein in the war-mongering sections of the media and the public, and initiate appropriate diplomatic measure". 

South Asia has become a quagmire, with a lot of geopolitical realignments. USA with its pivot to Asia considers India as an ally with its recently inked  Strategic Partnership with India. On the other hand India's traditional ally Russia is building bridges with Pakistan, and they even conducted a military exercise together recently. China, another nuclear power with whom India fought a losing war, considers Pakistan as a strategic partner. Gwadar port in Baloch province of Pakistan is going to be a lifeline for China if tensions rise in the South China sea. In comes Indian PM Narendra Modi and pulls his weight behind Balochistan freedom struggle! Will Pakistan be amused? Will China be amused? Where will all this lead with all four nuclear powers of the world involved? 

Junaid S. Ahmad of JUST international, Malaysia quotes Noam Chomsky  and warns that it has been a miracle that nuclear weapons have not been used again since the US deployed them in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. That miracle may no longer be sustained if imperial hegemony and its geopolitical theatrics continue to value domination over the survival of the human race. He appropriately titles his article "Kashmir And ‘Pivoting’ Toward A Nuclear Holocaust". Yes, Kashmir is central to all this imbroglio. Indian government has successfully taken the eyes of the world off the suffering of Kashmiris, with its cross border Strategic Strikes. Now its all jingoism and war hysteria. Kashmir is forgotten. 

It's day 98 since normalcy left Kashmir. Clashes and shoot outs are taking place in different parts of Kashmir. Imran Khan a psychologist from Kashmir writes "peace building should be the priority of all stake holders rather than war rhetoric, emotional provoking and threatening speeches.  Neither integral part nor jugular vein, Kashmir is a humanitarian issue which needs to be resolved in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir."

Linh Dinh who taught in a university in Germany last year and wrote from there for CC sends in this mail,

Hi Binu,

I send you an update from Germany. It's very depressing.

Linh

Yes, it is. Please go through Linh Dinh's update from Germany. It's a reflection of the churnings in Europe in the face of the large influx of refugees. With more wars, famine, climate change in the offing, it's a microcosom of a future world. Where are we heading?

Well, everything is not lost. There are courageous people who stand up to injustice. We've two such stories today. One from Australia and another from US-Mexico border. 

While Australia slept, John Salisbury, a true gentleman activist from Melbourne, rose daily to the moral occasion of walking the tough 300 kilometres from the Sydney Opera House to Canberra, the seat of the Australian parliament. There, on 11 October, he presented to Maria Vamakinou MP, head of Parliamentary Friends of Palestine, petitions to ask the Australian government to recognise Palestine. Thanks to Dr Vacy Vlazna for bringing this story of true grit and courage. 

Many US military veterans are sperated from their family and deported to Mexico. On the morning of Oct. 8, a group of US veterans who were deported to Mexico congregated in Plaza Ochoa, Nogales, Sonora. They were joined by members of Dreamer Moms International, which advocates for women deported while their children stayed in the U.S., by the Mesoamerica Migrants’ Movement, and by other solidarity activists from both sides of the border. They marched across the border joined the fellow activists from Mexico. It was unique moment of solidarity for justice. 

We've heard about water wars. What about food? We fight for water but die of hunger! With multiple crises converging, food security is vital for the vast majority of human beings on earth. Sad thing is that food is being commoditised and increasingly controlled by market and transnational corporations. Was that the case for most of human history? The answer is a big NO! How did we come to where we are? What's the way out? Jose Luis Vivero Pol who is an anti-hunger activist and agricultural engineer points out that food is in greater part is a commons.  Traditional agricultural knowledge accumulated after thousands of years of practices, agricultural knowledge produced by national research institutions, cooking recipes and national gastronomy, ocean fish stocks, wild fruits and animals, genetic resources for food and agriculture, food safety considerations and maintaining food price stability and attaining global food security are all part of the Commons. Jose Luis Vivero Pol argues that a Commons based strategy with government regulation and market support may ensure food security. He ends the article " I do not expect to see this change during my lifetime, but I hope my descendants may."

And also more stories from around the world. 

If you don't mind, and if you think the content of this news letter is critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our news letter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org




Dispel The Spectre Of War: It Is Doable
by S G Vombatkere  

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/dispel-the-spectre-of-war-it-is-doable/

Today, the Indian sub-continent is teetering on the edge of war. It is therefore the crying need of the hour for all right-thinking citizens in India and Pakistan to speak up and prevail upon their respective governments to de-escalate tensions and begin talks, rein in the war-mongering sections of the media and the public, and initiate appropriate diplomatic measures without, at the same time, lowering the military guard. This is eminently doable if military efficiency and prowess is not subordinated to domestic or international political expediency





Kashmir And ‘Pivoting’ Toward A Nuclear Holocaust
by Junaid S Ahmad 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/kashmir-and-pivoting-toward-a-nuclear-holocaust/

As Noam Chomsky points out, it has been a miracle that nuclear weapons have not been used again since the US deployed them in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. That miracle may no longer be sustained if imperial hegemony and its geopolitical theatrics continue to value domination over the survival of the human race





Emotionalism Of Kashmir Conflict
by Imran Khan 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/emotionalism-of-kashmir-conflict/

eace building should be the priority of all stake holders rather than war rhetoric, emotional provoking and threatening speeches.  Neither integral part nor jugular vein, Kashmir is a humanitarian issue which needs to be resolved in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir





An Update From Germany
by Linh Dinh 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/an-update-from-germany/

An update from Germany. It's very depressing






Crowdsourcing The Food Commons Transition: De-Commodifying Food One Movement At A Time
by Jose Luis Vivero Pol 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/crowdsourcing-the-food-commons-transition-de-commodifying-food-one-movement-at-a-time/

Finding the adequate equilibrium between this tri-centric institutional setup to govern food production, distribution and consumption will be one of the major challenges the humankind will have to address in the XXI century, as long as the population grows and Earth’s carrying capacity seems to be surpassed by human’s greed for resources, as Ghandi once mentioned. A fairer and more sustainable food system is possible, but we need to reconsider the food narrative to be applicable to transit towards that goal. I do not expect to see this change during my lifetime, but I hope my descendants may





Policies Of Exclusion Challenged Across The Board And Across The Border
by Buddy Bell

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/policies-of-exclusion-challenged-across-the-board-and-across-the-border/

On the morning of Oct. 8, a group of US veterans who were deported to Mexico, in some cases after having fought in U.S. wars, congregated in Plaza Ochoa, Nogales, Sonora. They were joined by members of Dreamer Moms International, which advocates for women deported while their children stayed in the U.S., by the Mesoamerica Migrants’ Movement, and by other solidarity activists from both sides of the border.





John Salisbury Shaking Australia For Palestine
by Dr Vacy Vlazna 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/john-salisbury-shaking-australia-for-palestine/

While Australia slept, John Salisbury, a true gentleman activist from Melbourne, rose daily to the moral occasion of walking the tough 300 kilometres from the Sydney Opera House to Canberra, the seat of the Australian parliament. There, on 11 October, he presented to Maria Vamakinou MP, head of Parliamentary Friends of Palestine, petitions to ask the Australian government to recognise Palestine. 






Lawsuit Filed Against Building Of A Mosque In Bucharest, Romania
by Abdus Sattar Ghazali 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/lawsuit-filed-against-building-of-a-mosque-in-bucharest-romania/

Amid anti-Islam and anti-Muslim euphoria, fomented by opportunist right-wing politicians, a lawsuit has been filed in Bucharest against building a mosque in the Romanian capital.






Hillary Clinton Wants To Do This Again — Now To Syria
by Eric Zuesse 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/hillary-clinton-wants-to-do-this-again-now-to-syria/

When the neo-cons in the UK parliament and the serial warmonger Hillary Clinton call for a “no-fly zone” they actually mean the opposite. They mean that NATO should be given untrammelled access to the [Syrian] airspace to carry out mass bombings – but that nobody else [including the Syrian government] should.





Uniform Civil Code: Trust Deficit And Marginality
by Faiz Ashraf 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/uniform-civil-code-trust-deficit-and-marginality/

Uniform civil code is a very important step towards gender empowerment of but it should be implemented along with several other measures to achieve what it promises in words and spirit.





Why Mainstream Media Continue To Boycott Buddhist/Dalits Events And Gatherings
by Ravikiran Shinde 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/why-mainstream-media-continue-to-boycott-buddhistdalits-events-and-gatherings/

Every year millions of Buddhist and Dalits converge in Nagpur from All over India to celebrate the anniversary of Dr Ambedkar's Conversion to Budhism. Millions of Dalits gather here to pay their homage and yet there is never a media coverage. If anything, this event is reported in the news form of traffic congestion and pollution or inconvenience to the residents living in the vicinity





Character Assassination Of Radhika Vemula

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/10/14/character-assassination-of-radhika-vemula/

We the members of Ambedkarite Women Against Atrocities’, India (AWAA) condemn the wording of the report by retired judge K. Roopanwal, which indicates an attempt of defamation and character assassination of Radhika Vemula