Fighting Clowns - Spectre of Nuclear War Worries US Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit [In 1980, when the Russians were lured into invading Afghanistan by Pres Jimmy & Zbig, The Firesign Theater released "Fighting Clowns," a hilarious audio parody of the war in Afghanistan. It's eerily apropos right now; only the personnel have changed. And there's one major clown missing: The Dim Sonofabush who, with his VP hiding in the tunnel, is hopelessly incapable of handling the hornets' nest he's now stirred up. His officials are scrambling to deal with the hazards he's unleashed, but Junior seems to be blissfully ignorant of the how dangerous his "Year of War" really is. We don't know if "Fighting Clowns" is still available -- it was fetchable from the late lamented Napster last year -- but if it is, we recommend it for your New Year's Eve party entertainment.] SPECTRE OF NUCLEAR WAR WORRIES U.S. by Chidanand Rajghatta Times of India News Network WASHINGTON, Dec 28--Harried U.S officials are muddling through a Christmas vacation trying to head off what is widely seen here as a spectre of war-- possibly nuclear war -- in the region and the consequent derailing of the American hunt for Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda terrorists. Unmistakable signals from Pakistan that the heightened tensions on its eastern flank will result in it pulling its troops from the Afghan border has had Washington scrambling to defuse the situation. There has been a flurry of phone calls ordering Islamabad to take decisive action against terrorist groups and advising New Delhi to ease the rhetoric. Washington is also considering sending a special envoy to the region, possibly State Department's Director of Policy Planning Richard Haas, for talks. Despite repeated assertions that it is concerned about terrorism everywhere, the American viewpoint that its effort to stamp our Al Qaeda and snare Osama bin Laden comes foremost is evident in pronouncements by senior officials. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld addressed the issue at some length at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday, saying it would be "it would be difficult for us and unfortunate" if Pakistan moved its forces from its western flank because it would result in a poorer monitoring of Al Qaeda infiltration. Pakistan has seven, eight or nine battalions on the Afghan front and so far there is no sign that they are shifting forces, Rumsfeld said. "We have clearly made the interests we have in this subject known to both sides very carefully and with clarity," he added, without any suggestion that Pentagon is bearing down Pakistan to control its domestic terrorist groups to maintain focus on its U.S war aims. That job has been left mainly to the State Department. The State Department on its part believes the job should be done delicately without excessive pressure on military ruler Pervez Musharraf. While advising caution to India, it has undertaken the task of getting Islamabad to meet New Delhi's benchmarks - freezing accounts of terrorist organisations and shutting them down - because Pakistan has indicated that a US diktat in this regard is more palatable to it than India's. As part of this roundabout way of getting things done, US officials have endorsed the proof India has provided to it on Pakistan's complicity in terrorist attacks and passed it on to Islamabad. Where India and U.S begin to differ is on the time frame and the nature of action. U.S officials say Musharraf should be given time, at least weeks, to execute a turnabout in its policy of feeding insurrection in India. The sense here is that the Musharraf regime cannot execute the quick 180 deg turnaround on Kashmir like it did on the Taliban because of the way it has inextricably linked its foreign policy and national fortunes to the Kashmir issue. Washington has also not addressed Pakistan's plea that India should be made to talk about Kashmir as a quid pro quo to its crackdown on extremism. The message from the U.S is you cannot use violence or terrorism achieve ends, even legitimate ends. Privately though, US officials are suggesting that India has to address the Kashmir problem, even if internally. A senior Indian diplomat told this paper that there had been no pressure on India from the U.S in its effort to make Pakistan accountable for its backing of terrorism and Washington had in fact appreciated New Delhi's restraint so far. But the preponderant tone in the US media - picked up from some official briefings -- is beginning to portray India as the bellicose party and not the aggrieved party. There appears to be an inadequate recognition of the fundamental shift of mood in Indian political and policy circles following the attack on the foundations of its democracy. Pakistan has also quickly played to the gallery by conducting groups of journalists to the front and giving its spin on events. The Indo-Pak spat has leapt up center-stage in the U.S media with front-page reports in major newspapers and consistent coverage on television networks. For once, the message emerging from India and being read here is that India is prepared for any nuclear eventuality and will not blink in the face of Pakistani bluster. Television commentators are increasingly beginning to focus on the nuclear scenario. Only some media, including the influential New York Times, has pointed out that India has a policy of no-first use of nuclear weapons. Therefore, only Pakistan can initiate a nuclear war. The dominant feeling in the U.S strategic community is that in the event of a war an economically enfeebled Pakistan won't be able to hold out too long in a conventional conflict and will be forced to consider the nuclear option. "Even in that case they will be flattened. It's a lose-lose situation but India will be hurt too in the process," says Barry McCaffrey, a former US army general. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytas-12.29.01-08:06:10-30487