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Post about Global_Agenda
February 20, 2008, 11:02 PM
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Post-Election Pakistan

The Pakistani paper Dawn reports that nearly complete results from February 18 parliamentary elections confirm major gains for the country’s two leading opposition parties, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N). An analysis from CBS News says despite Pakistan’s checkered electoral history, this year’s promise of a free and fair vote “appears to have been more or less kept.”

President Pervez Musharraf, whose party suffered losses, could face new pressure to step down from an opposition coalition, but says he has no plans to leave (WSJ). The Bush administration said it would continue to work with Musharraf, though some observers say the vote could force a change (NPR) in U.S. policy toward Pakistan.

Prospects remain muddled on forming a government. Asif Ali Zardari, the leader of the PPP and widower of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, said he would attempt to form a coalition (Sify) with other opposition groups. Yet Dawn notes the failures of the PPP and PML-N to come together in the past and eyes the prospects for such a deal skeptically.

In a new interview with CFR.org, Frederic Grare, an expert on South Asia, says the elections could lead to continued political uncertainty in Pakistan, but he also expects new government leaders to seek good relations with Washington.

MIDDLE EAST: Palestine Eyes Kosovo

A senior aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says Palestine may unilaterally declare itself independent (BBC), as Kosovo did, if negotiations with Israel fail. The comments followed meetings between Abbas and Isreali Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Arab media criticized Olmert (al-Jazeera) for skirting the issue of the political status of Jerusalem. Israeli press, meanwhile, reported that Abbas took a cool position toward his aide’s Kosovo comparison, saying that such a declaration is not in the cards in thenear future (Haaretz).

Lebanon: Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora warned that failure to install a president could undermine prospects (Daily Star) for an Arab League summit scheduled for next month.

Oil: The price of crude oil closed a trading day above $100 a barrel for the first time. The Wall Street Journal writes that soaring prices have increased political pressure on OPEC to keep production levels at current rates despite pressure from within the cartel to reduce output.

ASIA: North Korea Concerns Linger

The Financial Times reports delegates to the Six Party Talks on North Korean denuclearization are trying to revive the process this week. Pyongyang still has yet to provide the information about its nuclear program it said it would release by the end of 2007.

North Korea-Australia: A new report by the research arm of the Australian parliament outlines the prospects for political change in North Korea and questions what change in Pyongyang might mean politically and economically for other powers in the Asia-Pacific region.

In a recent interview with CFR.org, David C. Kang, a professor at Dartmouth’s business school and an East Asia expert, discusses what a long-term loosening of North Korean trade policy might mean for the regional economy.

East Timor: A report from the Nautilus Institute, a think tank focused on security and sustainability, examines the underlying fragility in East Timor that led to the recent coup attempt and warns of more violence ahead.

SOUTH & CENTRAL ASIA: Economic Integration

A working paper from an Indian research institute examines East Asian economic integration and questions whether South Asia can work to emulate a similar model.

Turkmenistan: RFE/RL reports that a new gasoline rationing scheme could mark a turning point for Turkmenistan’s government, which has traditionally used subsidized gasoline as a political lever.

Sri Lanka: The Sri Lankan military says it has killed at least ten rebels from the Tamil Tiger separatist group in attacks on a Tamil base yesterday (al-Jazeera).

AFRICA: Bush Celebrates AIDS Plan

The Christian Science Monitor reports on President Bush’s five-country tour of Africa, in which Bush has highlighted the successes made through his $15 billion HIV/AIDS relief plan.

A CFR.org Backgrounder surveys U.S. policy toward the five countries Bush is visiting.

Uganda: The Ugandan government signed a pact with the separatist Lord’s Resistance Army, establishing how to legislate war crimes (New Vision) that took place during a twenty-one year insurgency in the north of the country.

Pan-Africa: A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit examines the lingering disconnect between sub-Saharan Africa’s resurgent economies and its still-fragile political systems.

AMERICAS: After Fidel

In a new panel discussion on PostGlobal, several analysts discuss what the departure of Fidel Castro in Cuba is likely to mean for future relations with the United States. Bill Emmott, the former editor of the Economist, argues that the United States faces an uphill battle against Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez in any attempt to win over Cuba as an ally.

A new Daily Analysis questions whether a new economic model might be in the offing for Cuba.

The Los Angeles Times reports on reaction to the news of Castro’s resignation in Miami, the U.S. city with the highest population of Cuban immigrants.

Mexico: TIME reports on recent explosions in Mexico City and questions whether the country’s drug lords might be escalating to new tactics.

CAMPAIGN 2008: Obama, McCain Roll On

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) each easily won their respective party primaries (Bloomberg) in Wisconsin on Tuesday. McCain also won the Washington State Republican primary.

Obama won 58 percent of the vote to Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-NY) 41 percent in Wisconsin. Obama also captured the Democratic caucus in his home state of Hawaii by a wide margin Tuesday, picking up another 20 delegates. But the overall delegate count remains very close between Obama and Clinton, who are gearing up for major March 4 contests in Ohio and Texas.

According to exit polls, 45 percent of Wisconsin Democrats named the economy as the most important issue facing the country, while health care and the war in Iraq were each listed by 26 percent (CNN). Surveys said 41 percent of Wisconsin Republicans picked the economy as the most important issue, while 24 percent named Iraq, 18 percent listed terrorism, and 15 percent chose illegal immigration, exit polls show.

Exit polls showed 72 percent of Wisconsin Democrats said U.S. trade with other countries causes jobs to leave the United States. Of those expressing such views, 57 percent picked Obama, while 41 percent chose Clinton.

EUROPE: Examining Medvedev

Newsweek International reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s handpicked successor Dmitri Medvedev “could turn out to be a welcome surprise” despite his reputation as a staunch Putin loyalist.

Climate Policy: A new report from an independent Dutch research institute examines ways in which intergovernmental organizations can be more flexible (PDF) when drafting emissions-trading schemes and renewable energy proposals.

Germany: The new head of Germany’s Catholic Church stirred controversy with recent remarks that priestly celibacy is not “theologically necessary” (Deutsche-Welle).

OPINION ROUNDUP: Castro Bids Farewell

The departure of Fidel Castro receives almost universal acknowledgement from Wednesday’s editorial writers. The Daily Telegraph writes that whether Cuba’s revolution can survive now will depend to a large extent on the ability of Raul Castro to fill the breach. The Guardian describes Castro as a leader who painted his revolution in vivid colours and who survived the varied animosity of 10 US presidents. The Independent in London calls him a dictator who had outlived his times. For the really dramatic changes, it says, the long-suffering Cubans will probably have to wait a little longer. The New York Timeswrites that in a closed, repressive society, the post-Fidel era is clearly at hand, and the Bush administration has done almost nothing to prepare for it. The Times of London believes that the world should be under no illusion that Castro has wrecked his country,while the Wall Street Journal says the end of Fidel isn’t a sufficient condition for Cuban freedom, but it is a necessary one. The Washington Post looks at what the United States should do now and says that any strategy must be aimed at giving Cubans the leverage to demand transformation, in spite of what Mr. Castro and his heirs might intend. The Washington Times, in a comment over the gradual handover of power to Raul Castro over five years, says the ease of Raul’s rule has dashed hopes for speedy liberalization.
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Anonymous:Swiss Scientology Report
February 20, 2008, 1:53 AM
Filed under: Anonymous, Report, Swiss, scientology | Tags: , , ,
From: “Basler Zeitung”September 1, 1998picture b1(from left to right)Federal Police Chief Urs von Daeniken,KSK President Andreas Huber and sectspecialist Jean-François Mayeryesterday at the presentation of theScientology reportFoto Ruben Sprich/ReutersScientology: totalitarian, but not a target of state securityby Daniel GernyThe massacre at Waco[not to forgive” Alex Emerick Jones with his Infowars in his prisonplanet_England to Rense And David Icke] or the mass suicides of the SolarTemplers are examples of sect episodes which have madeheadlines[A Germany connection link between Solar Templers and Scientology]. In 1996, an ad hoc work group wascommissioned in which Scientology was categorized asparticularly dangerous. The report has now been presented- and downplays the dangers for the state.Berne. In Basel, the Scientologists, as it appears on someSaturday afternoons, are omnipresent: the sect aggressivelyrecruits new members on Barfuesser Place and elsewhere withthe help of so-called “personality tests.” Several passers-by areannoyed by acquisition methods of this sort so that they want toproceed against Scientology with the help of the legislature: thereis currently a proposed law on the floor in the canton of BaselCity which would prohibit importunate recruitment methods – sofar, this type of proposal is one of a kind in Switzerland.Are the Scientologists a danger for state and society? Should thepolitical police take the sect into their purview? A federal workgroup under the direction of Urs von Daeniken, Chief of theFederal Police researched this issue, and came to the followingconclusion: “That there are no tangible references at hand whichshow that Scientology is trying to intrude into the Swiss statestructure speaks for the postponement of preventive policesurveillance.” Nevertheless numerous members are underenormous pressure to attain new services, devices and books,and the organization exhibits a totalitarian structure, but “theauthorities and consumer protection agencies will devote theirattention to these aspects; they do not fall with the in the the legalpurview of the state security organ.”The approximately 130 page report contains large sections ofpreviously known observations about the existence and structureof the sect as well as about the founder, Ron Hubbard, but fewprecise numbers or statements about the spread of Scientology inSwitzerland. That has to do with the fact that the report is basedon publicly available sources and the work group had no specialinvestigative police authority. The number of active Scientologists,it said, was placed by most sources, at “under 4,000″ because itwas not possible “to come up with an exact figure.” In any case,the organization does not find itself in an upswing at the moment.In Basel, the growth appears “not to correspond with theexpectations of Scientology.” Also, the presence of Scientologyhas not changed measurably in the course of the past few years.More recent literature from Scientology also exists in Switzerlandwhich proves the intention to take over control of society. Anexcerpt from a Scientology document states, “Switzerland is thefirst cleared country on this planet. Switzerland is the country inwhich Scientology and LRH technology can bloom and thrive inall areas of life.” The work group, under the direction of Urs vonDaeniken judged these kind of documents to contain little threat.The report stated, “In Scientology, the ideal of a [here and now]cleared nation appears to belong more to a repertoire of themesto promote enthusiasm.The fact that Scientology operates using intelligence servicemethods was the source of most concern. Even though publicproof was missing in this area, observations by various peoplewho were questioned led to the conclusion that Scientology wasconducting operations “of a continuing nature to informthemselves of their environment.” In that manner, the organizationproceeds as an intelligence service.Nevertheless, the activities never reached “the point of an actualstrategy for the takeover of power,” but were more of a means forself-defense by the use of ideologically colored precepts. In anycase, that is still not acceptable, but is not enough to have the sectput under surveillance by the political police. It can be presumedfrom various statements at the press conference yesterday that the‘fiche’ affair was also cause for a certain amount of reservation inthis area [an affair which symbolizes to the Swiss people the errorof putting citizens under surveillance].The work group and the Consulting State Security Commission(KSK) still recommended that the situation be re-evaluated aftera certain period of time based on publicly accessible information,especially the observations of other European nations.Besides that, an observation center should be commissioned at aninstitute of higher learning to gather information about thedevelopment of sects in Switzerland.Daniel Gerny————————————————————-“Interesting Development”Basel. vks. The report “Scientology in Switzerland” describedthe efforts of the Canton of Basel City in regard to sects as an“interesting development.” In July, the Basel administration wasable to make a new proposal: at a media conference, whicharoused a great deal of interest, Justice Minister Hans MartinTschudi presented proposed legislation meant to close the dooron the controversial recruitment methods of Scientology andsimilar organizations. The proposed resolution would entail achange to the criminal code (see BaZ of July 10).It is proposed that punishment be an option for “anyone whoharasses passers-by on public land by importunate methods ofrecruitment.” The police would have the authority “to generallydirect recruiters away from individual locations if their contactwith passers-by presents an obtrusive annoyance, or if there aresigns that the recruitment is illicit, in particular if deceptive orotherwise vile methods are being used.” As easy as the wordingof the proposed legislation is to read, there is no mention of theword “Scientology.” The legislation is, nevertheless, aimedprimarily at this organization. The new Basel law against sectrecruitment, which is scheduled to go before the Septembersession of the Greater Assembly (Sept. 9 and 16), goes back to1996 and a proposal by the Social Democrat, Susanne Haller.The motion was signed by no less than 70 members of all partiesin Parliament, which is an indication that the proposal may be wellreceived in the Greater Assembly.——————————————————————-picture b2Hugo StammSect Specialist Hugo Stamm:“The Influence is enormous”The BaZ [this newspaper] spoke with Hugo Stamm, sectexpert and editor at the “Tages-Anzeiger.” He says it isright that the federal police are not being used onScientology.BaZ: Mr. Stamm, what do you think of the Scientology report?Hugo Stamm: On the positive side: the federal government hasmade a decision as to how to deal with sects, and Scientologyexhibits a totalitarian tendency and uses intelligence agencymethods. These signals have previously been absent. However,the report, in all, has too moderate of an effect and does not dojustice to the actual menace.How dangerous do you think Scientology is?The real danger is actually not very high. This is not because theauthorities are undertaking anything, but because the media pointsout and explains where Scientology tries to gain influence.However, the potential for danger is gigantic: Scientology deridesdemocracy, draws their adherents into dependency, and wants tospread their totalitarian system upon the world. Scientology isstriving for total power, and if that would not have beenrecognized in a timely manner, their area of influence would todaybe gigantic. The authorities failed to get this point across.What needs to be done now?I am not for setting the federal police on Scientology. Existing,legal alternatives must be used to restrict the radius of operationfor Scientology. Health law would offer a way of dealing withScientology when they distribute vitamin B preparations for the“purification rundown” or when they endanger the mental orbodily health of their members in other ways. Besides that, theoperating and sales methods of Scientology have to be examinedfor violations of the UWG.What do you think of the law which is being worked up in Basel?It is urgently necessary and right. Scientology must be preventedfrom taking in pedestrians with questionable tricks or salesspeeches. The long road this law has taken also shows howdifficult it is for the authorities to do this.And how are things going for Scientology world wide?Scientology is stagnating in regards to number of members. Whatis decisive, however, is the huge financial power which standsbehind the organization. Because of that, their influence isenormous.Does this group show the most threat?The deciding factor for me is what happens with the members.That is where Scientology has the most absolute and dangeroussystem. Nevertheless, members of other groups can alsoexperience serious dependency or a change of personaljudgment. For this reason, focusing only upon Scientology is, inmy eyes, a delicate matter.
Three Scientologists sentenced for fraud and usury(c 24 heures, switzerland, 1998)Quittant son psy pour rentrer dans l’Eglise, un quadragénaire avait versé20.000 francs. A-t-on profité de son état ?”How much does that cost?” was a question often used by Marianne FABAREZ yesterday to the 3 scientologists judged before the Tribunal Correctionnel of Lausanne, under fraud and usury indictment. Just aside, the little papers used by the Court’s president, a small computing machine was necsessary. 12 hours “religious” counselling? 4500$. The “Up and Downs” course? 45 $. E-meter to figure out the emotional charges of a person? 3500 $. The pack to become a “church minister” after some years training? some 15000 $. Without speaking of the Hubbard encyclopedia, 3000 $. Everything must be paid here. For some, the way to happiness is something like a calvary.Psychologically weakA scientologist since 1985, Isis was one of the witnesses heard yesterday. She spent some 75000 $ during that period. She does not regret it at all. Veronique invested according to her financial possibilities. Should it be to be done again, she would not hesitate: “… the welfare it gave me can’t be valued”.Have those 3 scientologist profited of the psychologicla weakness of a man to get 15000 $ from him? That’s what the Court should have to answer.When he came into the scientology church in Lausanne on Feb 18th, 1992, Pierre was according to him, “having weaknesses of mind”. He was fantasizing onto being the servant of some black and beaten prostitute, thought that scienos had telepathy powers and that they would connect with that prostitute to get her out of her life. Pierre, who was under a psychiatric treatment since 1985, had just stopped it as one of the accused scientologists influenced him to do so.The scientologists say that nobody could have supposed Pierre’s mental state. He would, they say, have wished to become a “minister”; asked many questions, came often on courses. He paid for those with a 15000 $ loan. “I did not realize, he says, the value of this.Finally, scientologists said he was a “heavy psychotic case”, and on april 92 end, they made him sign a document in which he was accepting not to come back in the church, and to receive his “donation” back.Surprising enough for the Court, Pierre said he was not agreeing to get this money back, as he “wished to come back in the church, then”. A week later, he was found erring and lost, into Kloten airport. He was sent back to psychiatrists.A year after the criminal complaint , scientologists refunded him: Pierre stopped his complaint then. But the Justice machine kept on its trail.24Heures du 01.12.98Michelle Lebrun—-
ORIGINAL_SOURCE
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