I may not agree with what President George Bush and his administration has been doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. For the simple reason that this is going to hurt the USA in the long run.
But what he is doing in the Indian subcontinent is unbelievable. Perhaps that’s why Bush has a large following in India.
India and Pakistan are like small kids hell bent on bickering. I welcome when President Bush tells them to behave themselves. And they are obeying him!!!
Here’s the Reuters story: ” ‘A proposed India-Pakistan pact to jointly fight terrorism deserves a fair trial,’ Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, but would be threatened if Islamabad does not do more to curb militant groups.
“Under the plan agreed last week at a meeting between Singh and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on the sidelines of a summit of Non-Aligned Movement nations in Cuba, the two countries will set up a joint agency to tackle terrorism.
” ‘I do think it is a new beginning. I hope it works, but if does not work, then also we have to deal with the consequences,’ Singh told reporters on board his aircraft before he returned to New Delhi late on Monday.
” ‘It is quite obvious to Pakistan that things cannot be business as usual if terrorism is not under control — or if the government of Pakistan is seen not to be willing to work with us to control terrorism,’ Singh said in comments posted on his official Web site on Monday.
“The nuclear-armed nations also agreed to resume formal peace talks frozen after the Mumbai rail bombings in July which killed 186 people. New Delhi suspected the blasts were the handiwork of Pakistani-based militants and their Indian supporters, but has not yet provided evidence publicly.
” ‘There is an explicit commitment on the part of Pakistan to say they will work with us to do all that is in their control to control this scourge,’ Singh said.
“Islamabad rejects Indian allegations that it allows its territory to be used for organizing militant attacks in India.
“Singh defended the anti-terror deal coming after years of allegations of Pakistani aid for ‘cross-border terrorism’.
” ‘I cannot say that we have bought forever security for our country,’ he said. ‘All I can say is we have made an advance. Let us give it a trial’. “
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.