Mumbai on the map

The DAILY TELEGRAPH was the most forthright in locking horns with India8217;s DyPM: Post September 11, it said, it is easy for a politician to 8216;8216;court favour8217;8217; with his constituents by 8216;8216;evoking the spectre of Islamic radicalism8217;8217;. Instead of accusing Pakistan, 8216;8216;Mr Advani might, instead, reflect on the siege mentality that aggressive Hindu nationalism of his party has instilled in Muslim Indians8217;8217;. It pointed to his own role in Ayodhya 1992, to Gujarat 2002, to approaching assembly elections and the collapse of a crucial partnership in UP, to explain why the Muslim threat remains an attractive 8216;8216;whipping boy8217;8217;.

The NYT pointed out that the explosions came hours after the release of the ASI report on Ayodhya. The GUARDIAN was less elliptical: 8216;8216;Bombay is a day8217;s drive away from Gujarat8217;8217; it said.

Nobody is waiting for the results of police investigations. Not the politician in India, as the clock ticks louder for the next round of polls. Nor the international media, which must pronounce a verdict before the terrorist compels it to move on to some other hitherto obscure dot on the world map. And briefly circle it in red.

Bluewashed?

In Iraq this week, the US crossed a milestone: The number of troops who have died there since May 1, when Bush declared an end to major combat operations, rose to 138 8212; the same number as perished during the six weeks of fighting that marked the fall of Baghdad and its immediate aftermath.

Not surprising, then, that this was also the week when the US media reported that the Bush administration has signalled for the first time that it may be willing to allow a multinational force in Iraq to operate under UN sponsorship as long as it is commanded by an American. It will be, according to US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage, 8216;8216;a multinational force under UN leadership8217;8217; in which 8216;8216;the American would be the UN commander8217;8217;.

Several American papers pointed to the advantages of the new flexibility. It would lower US profile and make it less of a target, garner support from other nations, plus open a lot more pocketbooks, a retired army general told the WASHINGTON POST. It would help countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, and India to win domestic support for an Iraq deployment.

In the GUARDIAN, columnist George Monbiot listed the reasons why the UN mustn8217;t. The UN must not let itself be used as a 8216;8216;dustbin for failed American adventures8217;8217;, he said. The UN taking charge, in whatever form, will not lead us all to a fairer, kinder world. Because the jihadis in Iraq will make little distinction between khaki helmets and blue ones: 8216;8216;Troops sent by India, the great liberal hope, are unlikely to be received with any greater kindness than western forces. The Indian government is reviled for its refusal to punish the Hindus who massacred Muslims in Gujarat8217;8217;.

For Monbiot, UN-led troops will only provide the US government with the escape route from Iraq that Bush needs to win his reelection. It will also enhance his capacity to take his 8216;8216;perpetual war8217;8217; elsewhere. Also, 8216;8216;Until the UN 8230;. has itself been democratised, it is hard to see how it can claim the moral authority to oversee a transition to democracy anywhere else8217;8217;.

In Monbiot8217;s words, 8216;8216;Beware the bluewash8217;8217;.

Can8217;t do at Cancun

As the WTO talks draw closer, mounting fears in developing countries, including India, of being shortchanged next month at Cancun by agreements that don8217;t go far enough. The lack of agreement within rich countries and between the developed and developing nations is most pronounced in the area of agriculture.

Even as governments mince and dither, influential sections of the US and British media have stoutly laid their cards on the table. The NEW YORK TIMES8217;s editorial page has been focusing on the 8216;8216;damaging impact8217;8217; that US, European and Japanese agricultural subsidies and trade barriers have on farmers in developing nations. Across the Atlantic, the GUARDIAN announced the setting up of a new website 8216;8216;aimed at kicking into oblivion site all agricultural subsidies http://kickaas.typepad.com8217;8217;.

Also in the GUARDIAN earlier this month, Joseph Stiglitz sounded gloomy. The professor at Columbia University and Nobel prize winner fears that the interests of the developed countries will dominate 8212; again. And that what was intended to remedy the imbalances of the previous trade rounds will not only fail to do so, but may introduce 8216;8216;new imbalances8217;8217;. These, he predicted, will provide support for the anti-globalisation protesters everywhere.

Don8217;t say cheese

This week the ECONOMIST profiled 8216;8216;America the Distrustful8217;8217;. It described how foreign students are facing delays,rejections, from the US government. Visa rejection rates for foreigners who wish to study in the US have climbed since 9/11, while applications have fallen.

Meanwhile, Canada has asked for a new kind of photo from Canadians applying for passports. These are now required to show 8216;8216;neutral expressions8217;8217;. Reportedly, they cannot be smiling, frowning, glaring or grimacing. The aim of the new rule is to improve airport security by making it easier to recognise passport holders around the world.