This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Pakistan’s attempts at peace with Taliban seem doomed to failure
- Bird flu and MERS virus show new potential for spreading
Pakistan’s attempts at peace with Taliban seem doomed to failure
Nawaz Sharif, the new PM of Pakistan, made a campaign promise that hewould negotiate with the Pakistan Taliban (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan- TTP), so that TTP would stop terrorist bombing strikes on Pakistanitargets (and presumably leaving them free to focus on terrorist attacks onNato and Afghan government sites in Afghanistan). At the time, Iindicated that Sharif’s campaign promise was a dream.
Since taking office, Sharif has been attempting to fulfill hispromise, but he’s had one problem after another.
First, the Punjabi branch of the TTP said that they weren’t interestedin peace talks, so they went their separate way. ThenLashkar-e-Janghvi (LeJ), which has set as its goal as the exterminationof all Shia Muslims in Pakistan and has been methodically setting offbombs in order to achieve that goal, also said that they weren’tinterested in peace talks; LeJ went its separate way.
That left the TTP with a couple of its branches missing. Then, on May29, a TTP leader was killed by a U.S. drone strike in the tribalregion of Pakistan. The TTP decided to “completely cancel” its offerto talk, and said, “We will teach a lesson to Pakistan and UnitedStates for depriving us of our leader.”
According to an Indian analysis, Pakistan continues to offer broadstate support to “a wide range of jihadist formations” operatingagainst Afghanistan and India. The analysis adds that Pakistan’swithin the country.”
From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, India and Pakistanare headed for a major war between Sunni Muslims versus Hindus andShia Muslims, refighting the bloody genocidal war between Muslims andHindus that followed Partition, the 1947 partitioning of the Indiansubcontinent into India and Pakistan. Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP)
Bird flu and MERS virus show new potential for spreading
There are two different deadly flu viruses floating around, eachshowing greater potential than before to start a worldwide pandemic.
The new H7N9 bird flu is showing “unique traits” in China that make itmore likely to spread. In particular, it is able to infect both thenose and the lungs, making it easy to spread, and making it likely tocause death from pneumonia. This indicates that a mutation hasoccurred, making the new bird flu virus easier to spread. Since theH7N9 outbreak began last spring, 135 people have been infected andthere have been 44 deaths.
The second virus potentially capable of producing a deadly pandemic isthe extremely lethal Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus(MERS-CoV). Researchers have thought that virus is contained in SaudiArabia, where it has infected 114 people and killed 54.
However, it now turns out that the MERS virus may already have spreadmuch farther. Dromedary camels, water buffaloes, and cows in Cairo,Egypt and also in the Nile Delta region turned out to have bloodantibodies from the MERS-CoV virus. The animals had been importedfrom Sudan, indicating that the virus may already have spread there,causing more infections and deaths that have gone unreported.
There is already grave concern that the Hajj, which will bringmillions of Muslims from around the world to Saudi Arabia in Octoberfor their once in a lifetime pilgrimage, will result in the spread ofMERS-CoV to countries around the world.
Potential flu pandemics in recent years have been contained because ofstrenuous efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO), and that infact may happen again. However, the world is overdue for a majordeadly flu pandemic, and either H7N9 or MERS-CoV are possiblecandidates. BBC and Recombinomics
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif,Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, LeJ,H7N9 bird flu, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan,Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, MERS-CoV