A Yemeni government tank used against Houthi rebels in the north. Photo: Al Jazeera video

For the past 15 years, Dwight Bashir has worked on international conflict, human rights and religious freedom issues. He is a senior advisor for an independent U.S. commission focusing on international religious freedom. The views expressed here are his own personal views.

A war of words is heating up between Iran and Saudi Arabia over an ongoing armed conflict in northern Yemen between Shi’a Houthi rebels and Yemeni security forces. This week, Iran accused Saudi Arabia of state-sponsored “Wahhabi terrorism” in Yemen, while the most senior Saudi cleric accused Houthi rebels of being backed by Iran to spread Shi’a Islam in “Sunni Islam’s heartland.”

Both Yemen and Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of providing financial and/or military support to the rebels. Iran denies any kind of support for the rebels.

The conflict in Yemen is complex — with numerous interlocking factors, such as underdevelopment, limited resources, tribal tensions, political exclusion and security concerns. Some have posited that the conflict is exacerbated by the fact that Iran and Saudi Arabia are engaging in a proxy war on Yemeni soil.

The truth is that for 30 years both Iran and Saudi Arabia have spent billions of dollars exporting competing religio-political ideologies in the region and globally, while committing egregious human rights violations at home to defend and bolster their respective ideologies.

Ever since Saudi Arabia entered the conflict two weeks ago after Houthi rebels crossed into Saudi territory from northern Yemen and allegedly killed two Saudi border guards, tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have risen almost daily.

UN officials have estimated that, since 2004, as many as 175,000 people have been displaced in northern Yemen. And at least 240 villages in Saudi Arabia have been evacuated in recent weeks.

To better understand the conflict, it is important to understand religious demographics in Yemen. Between 40-45% of the Yemeni population of 23 million are Shi’a Muslims, mostly from the Zaydi school of Shi’a Islam founded more than 1,000 years ago.

Although Yemen’s majority is Sunni, Zaydi Muslims make up a majority of the population in the north where the fighting is taking place. In general, there are few societal tensions between Yemen’s Shi’a and Sunni Muslims.

The Yemeni government claims that Houthi rebels — considered a Zaydi militant group — have sought to develop a political faction modeled on Hezbollah in Lebanon, in order to undermine the government and impose Shi’a Islamic law. This is similar to how the Iranian government’s interpretation of Twelver Shi’a Islam is the law of the land in Iran.

The rebels follow the late Zaydi cleric, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi (hence “Houthi rebels”). Al-Houthi is a former Yemeni parliamentarian who was killed during a 10-week rebellion in 2004 against the Yemeni government in the northern province of Saada, where the fighting started more than five years ago. The rebels claim they are fighting against government repression, although they have never articulated clear objectives, political or otherwise.

Despite both the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels insisting that the conflict is not sectarian in nature, the Iranian government is doing everything it can to portray the conflict as two predominantly Sunni Muslim states, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, cooperating to massacre Shi’a civilians in Yemen. Despite the complexities, these Iranian claims are exaggerated, at best, and downright contrived at worst.

Some Zaydi Muslims in Yemen have been subject to discrimination and harassment for perceived or actual sympathy toward Houthi rebels. According to human rights groups in the region, some Zaydi Muslims not connected to the rebels have been inadvertently targeted by the Yemeni government.

Because Iran and Saudi Arabia have long been promoting competing religio-political ideologies, it is not surprising that both countries would fan the flames of sectarian warfare. Yemen is a fragile state with an active al-Qaeda presence that threatens regional security, and its government is fighting for economic and political stability.

To date, the international community has not played an active role in the conflict. With the spillover into Saudi Arabia, the international community must engage and help broker an end to the current crisis. If not, the conflict could quickly escalate and the region may be facing a new security reality that would likely have wider implications.

- Dwight Bashir

Martin Savidge hosts Filipino peace negotiator and Catholic priest Eliseo Mercado and security analyst Zachary Abuza when Worldfocus Radio explores the forgotten terrorist front in the Philippines.

For more on Worldfocus’ coverage of the Philippines, including original videos, click here.

Since 9/11, the U.S. has stationed 500 to 600 troops in the Philippines to strengthen military forces there. The U.S. counter-insurgency effort in the Philippines has been applauded as a success story for its mix of military action and soft power — including one of the largest USAID packages in the world.

But how lasting is this counter-insurgency success? Does it solve the root problems of poverty and lack of schools and infrastructure? And, if the U.S. pulls out, is the Philippines prepared to stop the tide of terrorism?

The U.S. strategy has been to root out terrorists from the lawless jungles of the south, which is home to the country’s Muslim minority and vulnerable to external terrorist groups like al-Qaeda.

The show:

• explains the current insurgency in the poor, predominantly Muslim south of the Philippines
• evaluates how Filipino counter-insurgency tactics measure up to other Southeast Asian counter-insurgency efforts
• examines the mix of U.S. military might, diplomacy and humanitarian aid to combat local and regional instability
• discusses the importance of peace and reconciliation between the numerous Filipino ethnic groups

Martin Savidge hosts the following guests:

Zachary Abuza is a professor at Simmons College, Boston, specializing in Southeast Asian politics and security issues. He visits the region four to five times a year. Zachary is the author of Conspiracy of Silence: The Insurgency in Southern Thailand and its Implications for Southeast Asian Security, Muslims, Politics and Violence in Indonesia and Militant Islam in Southeast Asia, among other publications. He contributes frequently to the Jane’s Intelligence Review, the Counterterrorism Blog and the Jamestown Foundation’s Terrorism Monitor.

Father Eliseo “Jun” Mercado, Jr. is a Catholic priest and peace advocate who has been extensively involved in the peace process in Mindanao, the southern part of the Philippines. He is an expert on the role of Islam in the Philippines and led the independent cease-fire between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front separatist group. Father Mercado has also been extensively involved in peace process in Mindanao. In October 2007, he was selected to be one of the 20 delegates representing all NGO and CSO accredited at the UN to the High Level UN Session on inter-religious dialogue.

Credits:
Host: Martin Savidge
Producers: Lisa Biagiotti and Ben Piven

But we don’t hear much about the toll on average Pakistanis and how they cope with the menace of militant attacks every day.

Daljit Dhaliwal talks about everyday life in Lahore with Saeed Shafqat, adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

For more on Sufism in Morocco, read about the music, mysticism and moderation.

But in the meantime, the Saudi government is cracking down on terror suspects and even has a program to rehabilitate al-Qaeda militants.

Daljit Dhaliwal talks to historian Robert Lacey about the latest developments in Saudi Arabia.

Do you think the Saudi government is doing enough to crack down on Al-Qaeda?

Tell us what you think in the comments section below. Please remember to be respectful and on-point in your comments. Malicious or offensive comments will be deleted and repeat offenders will be banned.

Wednesday marks the eighth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.

The aim was to defeat the Taliban and deny al Qaeda a home base after the September 11 attacks. But today, the Taliban are resurgent, the war has become increasingly deadly for America and its allies, and Osama bin Laden remains a free man. The Afghanistan conflict has gone on longer than anyone imagined it would.

For his part, President Obama says he will not substantially reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan, nor change the mission. But it remains to be seen if he will expand the the American military presence beyond the 68,000 troops already committed as the war becomes increasingly unpopular.

After eight years of war in Afghanistan, are the United States and the world safer from terrorism?

Tell us what you think in the comments section below. Please remember to be respectful and on-point in your comments. Malicious or offensive comments will be deleted and repeat offenders will be banned.

The incident over Lockerbie, Scotland, shortly before Christmas 1988 killed all 259 people on board and another 11 on the ground. Authorities said they freed the man because he is dying of cancer. The U.S. government has condemned the release.

Did the Scottish authorities make the right decision? Please tell us what you think in the comments section below.

In the following video released by the Scottish government, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill explains his decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi and answers questions about how the move will impact relations with the U.S.

Families of the victims decried the release, as seen in this video from the Associated Press:

British blogger Iain Dale condemns the release:

Ministers are appointed to make decisions, and today Kenny MacAskill made the wrong one. [...]

Showing compassion is a laudable character trait. [...] This may sound hard and heartless, but I the only emotions I feel towards al-Megrahi are contempt and anger. His failure to comprehend the magnitude of his crimes and say sorry to those affected by them should have meant that he died in the place he belongs. Prison.

Scottish politician Calum Cashley defends MacAskill and takes offense at criticisms of the justice system:

This was no easy decision to make but the decency and humanity of Kenny MacAskill shone through today when lesser politicians were taking cheap shots in the hope of getting their names in the papers and were talking the Scottish justice system down in the process. Our Justice Secretary raised Scotland today. Judge our society by the way we treat the weakest members of it, by the way we welcome those in need, and by the way we treat those who have wronged us. Judge us by the way we act as a society and, now, know that compassion has a place at the heart of justice in Scotland, that justice here is tempered with mercy. Release on compassionate grounds is not unknown in Scottish justice - it’s part of the standard practice - but when the man who has been found guilty of committing such a terrible crime in our land can find mercy at the hands of our justice system we can think the system worthy of the name.

Steve Holmes, a minister in Scotland, explores varying reactions in the U.S. and U.K.:

The news reports I have heard suggest that the notion that he might be freed is being greeted with simple incredulity in the USA. The breadth of condemnation from across the Atlantic is striking: it is not confined to (families of) victims, or to social conservatives, but seems to be almost universal (Democratic senators have intervened publicly, and Hilary Clinton has been reported to have been involved).

Is Britain – specifically in this case Scotland – just more liberal than the USA? Actually, probably it is, but I don’t think that this is the reason for the divide in this case. Rather, our understandings of what words like ‘guilt’ and ‘justice’ mean are culturally-determined, and somewhat different. To us, dying in prison seems a cruel and unusual punishment, and so essentially unjust; it seems that the default assumption in the USA is that sentences should be served, and so that any relaxation is unjust.

The attacks came less than 24 hours after workers began removing protective blast walls around Baghdad, under government orders.

Worldfocus partner Al Jazeera English reports on the bombings and how they underscore the increased violence that has plagued the country since U.S. forces pulled back from major Iraqi cities in June.

In Somalia, pirates have released a German container ship and its crew. The ship was captured 400 miles off the coast of Somalia and the crew was held for ransom. On Monday, the owners of the ship paid the pirates almost $3 million.

Sarjoh Bah, a senior fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, joins Martin Savidge to discuss the chaos in Somalia, Somali militants abroad and Hillary Clinton’s expected visit with the president of Somalia.

For more, read our Q&A: Somalia’s state of emergency and listen to our online radio show on lawlessness in Somalia.

Off the coast of Somalia.

Here’s a different take on the issue of piracy off the African coast: The people we call pirates think that they are the ones under attack?

It reminds me of the old saying: One person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter. In any case, no one is about to justify piracy on the high seas, but a bit of critical thinking and analyzing root causes never hurt.

The case at hand is a report in The Times of London, in which a 38-year-old man, Farah Ismail Eid, said his life was once based on running humble fishing business. Eid is now held in prison on charges of –unsuccessfully—trying to raid foreign ships.

He sets the story on its head. He told the Times:

“I believe the title of pirates should be given to those who come to our waters illegally,” he said, after shuffling into a room at the British colonial-era Mandheera prison, 40 miles south of Berbera, wearing plastic sandals, a T-shirt and a length of printed material wrapped around his skinny waist.

Eid says that life for Somali fishermen changed when foreign fishing trawlers began operating close to shore and other foreigners began dumping toxic waste close by. He’s well aware that raiding ships on the high seas and demanding ransom is wrong. But he considers it a matter of survival.

As a result, the world’s greatest navies are chasing after fast boats manned by people who feel they are justified. It doesn’t help, of course, that Somalia has been lawless for years and wracked by civil war.

Eid’s solution, also from The Times:

“The international community should come and talk to us; they should compensate us for the problems caused to our waters by illegal fishing and toxic waste,” he said. “Then, until the government is in place in Somalia, we could protect the ships as they cross our waters.”

- Peter Eisner

Photo courtesy of Flickr user guuleed under a Creative Commons license.

Although cities in the north and south have traditionally been at the greatest risk of missile attacks, the government is practicing these drills nationwide.

Watch the report from Worldfocus partner The Media Line.

Blogger “mimi54” describes the drill, writing that some ignored it:

It’s a very loud, urgent, scary wail. When it resounds across the country to remind us of our dead, it does sound like crying. I suppose it’s because we ourselves are weeping then. But in a real emergency, when adrenelin [sic] is pouring through the blood and our hearts are jumping, it sounds like a wavering howl. I wonder how many ignored it today and just got on with whatever they were doing, and how many complied with the Home Front’s orders. 

At the clinic, I saw signs with arrows pointing to the safe areas. Banks, supermarkets – big, organized places – and certainly schools, complied. However many individuals that I talked to today took a cynical view of the drill. My friend in the second-hand store told me that it’s just the government’s way of covering its back: “They don’t help in emergencies. They’re just doing this so they can say ‘We gave instructions and did our bit.’ ” (I don’t agree; the government does protect the population as far as possible in war.) “Anyway,” he added, “I’m not going to close shop and go to the shelter just for a drill. Who wants to look like a fool on the street?”

Watch a video of the drill as experienced by YouTube user bspier1, showing many people who were unconcerned:

A blogger at “From the hills of Jerusalem” echoes the sentiment, writing that after so many real attacks, it is hard to take simulations seriously: 

This wasn’t a crisis, of course, it was just a drill. But it was a drill that reminded us that we’ve been through many drills - real ones. The residents of Sderot, and towns along the southern borders, as well as those in the north, have already had many and constant real life exercises to practice. I have had my own runs for shelter when in some of those towns. Sometimes a safe room was available, sometimes we stood under a doorway…like in an earthquake. You do your best.

Today, no one moved. We just continued on with whatever we were doing. [...]It’s not that we are really nonchalant or lackadaisical….it’s just…well, alright already, we know the big one is coming…nuke, earthquake, bolts from heaven…. It’s Israel - our minds are already stretched as far as they can go in the survival mode. 

A blogger at “A Soldier’s Mother” explains why she warned her daughter of the drill in advance:

For some reason, perhaps to add to a feeling of urgency, the school decided not to explain to my 9-year-old daughter in advance that this would be an exercise. During the war, a siren was accidentally sounded in our city and the children were quickly moved to bomb shelters, fearing it was a real attack. There was no warning (as we have now) and therefore no chance to prepare the kids. All that mattered was a frantic but orderly move to bomb shelters in case our city, so far from Gaza, would somehow also be hit by missiles.

There was no time to find out if it was a mistake, human error. Later, they would confirm at attack on Beersheva and a mistake made. But at that moment, it was as real as if we too lived within seconds of Gaza.

I didn’t want my daughter to go through that again and so I told her, secretly, that when she heard the siren, she should listen to the teachers, but not be afraid. Every child has the right to live without fear, including that sudden panic that comes with hearing a siren and knowing you have to run quickly to seek shelter.

User “Traxus” comments on the “World Affairs Board,” addressing concerns that Israel may be preparing for war with Iran: 

Posturing and preparing… the lines are so blurred. This is definitely a posturing move though, at least in part. They are being quite vocal in preparing for war, I’m sure this is a message more aimed at the US and Europe rather than Iran.

Would Israel put so much effort into this if they had no intention of attacking Iran? Hard to say. This is also a PR move for Israeli citizens. Gets them used to the idea of being at war with Iran, makes the idea a lot more comfortable especially if these drills have a positive result.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Nahariense under a Creative Commons license.

One of the expected big winners is Hezbollah, which commands a huge and growing influence in Lebanon.

Some call it a state within a state; a movement that is all too willing to fill any gaps it perceives left open by the government. Hezbollah, with its close ties to Iran, has become very influential — and though the U.S. government considers them terrorists, they are heroes to their many followers.

Worldfocus special correspondent Kristen Gillespie reports on Hezbollah.

Read more and view pictures from Kristen Gillespie’s reporting experience in Beirut: Scenes of Hezbollah in south Beirut

The prisons, known as “black sites,” were said to be in a variety of countries, including Afghanistan, Thailand, Poland and Romania, among others. Only a few detainees have been kept in them in recent years. Most were sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which will also be closed.

Joanne Mariner, the director of the terrorism and counter-terrorism program of Human Rights Watch, joins Daljit Dhaliwal to discuss how U.S. counter-terrorism efforts will change under President Obama and how terror suspects will be handled in the future.

But security threats have put a damper on the sport in recent months, starting with the terrorist attack on Mumbai, which led some to doubt the safety of holding cricket matches in India. Recently, organizers of the Indian Premier League — a massive tournament scheduled to begin on April 10 — announced that the competition would be moved from India to South Africa due to security concerns.

Tensions mounted further when terrorists ambushed a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan in early March. Six police officers and a driver died.

Martin Sieff is a defense industry editor for United Press International. He writes at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to explore the fate of the sport and argue that cricket is much more than a game.

The Game Of Civilization

Cricket is popular across South Asia and Africa.

The Taliban may be gaining strength in Afghanistan, but the national cricket team still departed last week to play in the Cricket World Cup. Islamist terrorists in Pakistan tried to massacre the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team on March 3. The team all survived, although several were injured, but five policemen died protecting them.

Cricket has become a target of terrorists across South and Central Asia, and not just Islamist ones either. In 1992, a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber blew himself up in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, outside a hotel where the visiting New Zealand cricket team was staying. India and Pakistan, which together account for almost one fifth of the world’s population, have been bitter enemies for more than 60 years, and now both are armed with nuclear weapons and the ballistic missiles to carry them. But their 1.2 billion people agree on one thing: Their passion for cricket.

Cricket in India is a $2 billion a year business, “Time” magazine reported last week. The Indian Premier League had its first season last year, and it was a huge success. The new season will start on April 10.The best players in the world from countries as diverse as New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and the West Indies will all be playing. The crowds may well be even bigger than last year.

A cricket game.

For cricket is one of the most profound, successful, benign, and popular legacies of the British Empire that ruled up to a quarter of the globe until only half a century or so ago. Wherever the British went, they took cricket with them, and everywhere they left it has flourished.

Americans are passionate about basketball and the National Football League. Europeans and the countries of South America feel that way about soccer. But all across Africa and South Asia, as well as the old dominions of the British Empire like South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, cricket is the game of summer and boyhood, the annual rite of innocence and joy, the magic key into the Garden of Eden.

It’s much more than that. If a Nobel Peace prize could be awarded to a game, cricket should win the first one.

To read more, see the original post.

The views expressed by contributing bloggers do not reflect the views of Worldfocus or its partners.

Photos courtesy of Flickr user daarkfire under a Creative Commons license.

At least eight police and three civilians were killed in what was the second major terrorist attack in Lahore this month, following an assault on Sri Lankan cricket players on March 3. 

The siege ended  when commandos stormed the building. The attack increases the pressure on the beleagured Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari, whose government is facing violent militants on several fronts. 

Amit Pandya, an expert on security in the region at The Stimson Center, joins Martin Savidge to discuss the message of the attack, the Pakistani government/military response and the connection between Taliban and al-Qaeda groups in Afghanistan and Islamist groups in Pakistan.

The “All About Pakistan” blog reposts a firtshand account from a witness living near the police academy in Lahore: 

As I arrived back from my usual morning walk around 7am, a massive round of firing was heard at my place. I asked my partner Shahnaz, if she noticed that, she said maybe, a routine matter and such incident of firing is taking place almost daily. Then another round of firing started, I told her this is very unusual. It went on for some time.

I live near Jallo Park, and not for from GT Road that leads to Wahgha border. Manawan Police Training Center is on this GT Road and just opposite to our place, around a kilometer away.

I turned to the television, there was not any mention of this firing, but the firing was still going on. Around 7.30am, some private television stations started telling that firing and some blast is heard at Manawan Police Training center and no more details. [...]

Now at 10am, nearly after three hours of the firing, It is now clear from all the reports that terrorist have struck at this center killing at least 20 police trainees and injuring over 100. The firing is still on. I can hear that even at my home, a kilometer away from the scene.

Blogger “Raza Rumi” writes that Lahore is fearful of the future:

Who said that Pakistan was a hub of terrorism - we are now the greatest victim of terror and militancy. The residents of Lahore are scared and the vibrant city seems to be enveloped in a mist of uncertainty and fear. [...]The attack is significant as it happened at a Police training centre. The strategy is clear: to decapacitate the security appratus and to dismantle the civilian security system.

The army has faced similar resistance in the tribal belt and the recent wiping of civilian administration. In Lahore, the army moved and so did the rangers to assist in the finalisation of the operation.

What will happen next? Everyone is apprehensive that this is not the end of the story. There are forces - groups, interests and individuals - who are hellbent on destroying Pakistan. And we the powerless spectators can only watch the great and not-so-great game playing out in front of us…except that one day we could be victims of this fire as well.

It is time that Pakistani state draws up its resolve to fight terror on our soil and not cave in to barbarians - as has been the case before. The US and NATO will have to leave us alone. They cannot let Pakistan fritter away - what good is an ally when you crack its foundations.

Blogger “Faisal” writes that Pakistan must find the culprits and punish them: 

Another day dawns in Pakistan with a new attack on our country and people. [...] What is imperative at this moment is for the nation to find out just who it is that is attacking us in this manner again and again. The similarities to the last attack with backpacks and the proximity to India’s border cannot be ruled out. We need to capture more than one of these militants and then expose the true face of this terror before the world.

We must take any and all measures neccesary to defend our country from this menace or remain resigned to our fate of becoming another Iraq soon. this includes holding people responsible inside our government for these lapses of security and lack of strategy. The fables of the war to come are seemingly void as the enemy is now at our doorstep.

Another blogger at “Pak Tea House” argues that it does not matter who was behind the attacks — Pakistan should focus on beefing up security: 

The question of ‘whodunnit” will come up again.  I say this: does it matter?  If you can’t secure your assets and protect your citizens does it matter what the motivation or allegiance of the terrorist is?   It is the state’s responsibility to protect the life of every one of its citizens.  This - the first responsibility of any state- has been forfeited by those in the corridors of power.  

[...]We must put our house in order!  We must reclaim our land and to do so we must make a clear break from our cold-war past!  That is the most important thing.

John Nagl, president of the Center for a New American Security, speaks with Martin Savidge about the Obama’s plan and the reports of an agreement between Taliban militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan to focus on fighting American combat troops.

Aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake.

Aftermath of the attacks on Mumbai.

In May, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake killed an estimated 87,000 people in China. In the aftermath of the quake, victims complained that corrupt officials weren’t properly dispensing aid and relief supplies. Last month, villagers attacked police, claiming they had been cheated out of relief.

Following the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in November, there was also public outcry in India that led the government to admit to lapses in security.

A blogger at “2point6billion” compares the two countries’ attitudes toward transparency and their different approaches in the aftermath of these tragedies.

Dealing With Tragedy – China & India’s Differing Perspectives

Within just six months of each other, both China and India experienced tragedies that impacted each of the respective nations nationally and internationally. While China lost over 60,000 people in the Sichuan earthquake, India was confronted with a vicious terrorist attack in its financial capital that left close to 200 dead and over 500 wounded. Yet the ways in which the two countries have responded could not be more markedly different.

The Sichuan quake, a natural disaster, lead directly to accusations of corruption and shoddy building work across the region. The immediate response from the Government in terms of pragmatism was to send in the troops – many of whom remain there today assisting with reconstruction work and stabilizing the living conditions of the living and wounded.

International aid too began to pour in. However, in terms of dissatisfaction with the quality of buildings, locals were prevented from raising issues with the media. Additionally, aid could only be sent through official, Chinese sanctioned channels.

Today, the country has loans from the World Bank to assist with reconstruction work, but those most affected – people living there – are as effectively cut off as ever. Tourism and traveling journalists are discouraged on the grounds that it is dangerous. In more damning news, courts in China were instructed not to hear any lawsuits brought by victims of the disaster, and that the government itself would handle compensation. Any accusations of shoddy construction or corruption would therefore be kept out of the picture. The people would rely solely on the government for support, with it remaining their voice and sole provider.

Compared with Mumbai, the very nature of the event was entirely different. Terrorists landed, and machine gunned locals and visitors in hotels and bars, in a siege that lasted nearly three days. Yet the political and social aftermath was very different.

Within days, Indian government ministers had been forced to resign on charges of incompetence and the lack of any security to repel what was essentially an invading, aggressive military unit. The public, shocked and outraged, found their voice through the media. Government was held accountable by the people, and they had to respond. They did, troops were sent in and an entire reshuffle of coastal defenses and security put into place. Money was made available for victims, rebuilding and national security.

Today, Mumbai has made great strides in recovering, affected hotels and bars have re-opened. It’s an act of defiance that anyone would find it hard to imagine under similar circumstances in China. Hotels and bars where victims perish in China are shunned; superstitions still die hard in this emerging giant.

To read more, see the original post.

The views expressed by contributing bloggers do not reflect the views of Worldfocus or its partners.

Photos courtesy of Flickr users Remko Tanis and USELESSNANO under a Creative Commons license.

Pakistan also acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Inida, were in fact launched from Pakistan.

Lisa Curtis, a senior research fellow in the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation, speaks with Martin Savidge about possible Pakistani involvement.

Karin von Hippel of the Center for Strategic and International Studies discusses potential strategies for regional stability with Martin Savidge.

Eric Rosand, a senior fellow at the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation, joins Martin Savidge to discuss how Obama’s approach to counterterrorism will differ from that of the previous administration, other major terror threats and Saudi Arabia’s security alert.