This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

New American drone strike stirs outrage in Pakistan


Pakistani madrassa students look at parts of the missile shot by the drone strike on Thursday (AFP)

At least two senior Haqqani network leaders, along with three Talibanleaders, were killed by an American drone strike in Pakistan onThursday. The drone strike targeted a madrassa run by the Haqqaninetwork, which has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks inPakistan and Afghanistan. They are blamed for thousands ofU.S. military deaths in Afghanistan.

The drone strike has stirred outrage in Pakistan. First, it occurredjust a day after the U.S. reportedly promised the Pakistanis thatthere would be no more drone strikes for a while. And second, itoccurred in a densely populated area with a civilian government inPakistan’s northwest, while previous drone strikes have been in thesparely populated tribal area, a strip of land on the border withAfghanistan. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman condemnedthe drone strike, saying that they were a violationof Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former cricket superstar turnedanti-American politician, is planning to hold a largerally on Saturday. According to Khan:

“We will announce at the protest on Saturday that wewill permanently block the supply route until they stop droneattacks. If it’s in our hands, we will block it today. Our powersare that we can tell them that NATO supplies can’t pass throughour province.”

Khan has threatened to block the U.S. supply route through Pakistan toAfghanistan many times before, but this would be the first time hecarries through with the threat, if he does. Pakistan’s politicianspublicly object to the drone strikes, but it’s widely believed thatthey support the drone strikes in private. AFP and Daily Times (Pakistan)

Climate change activists walk out of climate change conference

Over 800 representatives of NGOs (non-governmental organizations)staged a walkout from climate change negotiations being held inWarsaw, Poland. India’s Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan cameforth with the following gobbledygook:

“I fully share the sentiments of the NGOs and call ondeveloped countries to show their determination to implementcommitments and increase their ambition to address the mitigationgap and provide enhanced means of implementation and ensure thatthe negotiations reach a meaningful conclusion in the Conferenceof Parties.

It is a matter of deep concern to my country that there has beenabsolutely no progress in any of the issues of interest todeveloping countries in this Conference of Parties.

Discussions on crucial issues of direct importance to developingcountries like finance, technology and Loss and Damage haveremained deadlocked due to lack of will by developed countryParties.”

The last sentence was pretty clear, and encapsulates the whole pointof the NGO’s protest: They want the U.S. and Europe to pay billions ofdollars to them (the NGOs) and to favored political leaders who,history has shown, will simply pocket the money. I have never heardthese people utter even a single credible sentence that paying moneywill lead to reduced carbon emissions. What they’re conducting is afinancial scam, and they’re furious because no one is listening, eventhe ultra-liberal Barack Obama. The Hindu

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