9th September 08

Asia Times Online

Hindu gods spike Chinese dragon
By M K Bhadrakumar

India's National Security Advisor M K Narayanan made an astounding claim in a television interview on Saturday that "divine intervention" might have secured for the country a "waiver" from the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG). The "waiver" allows India to have global nuclear commerce without formally signing either the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) nor the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and paves the way for the US Congress to ratify a potentially lucrative civilian nuclear deal with India. The NSG "adjusted its guidelines" for India on Saturday. Narayanan was reacting to the news. He then went on to launch a tirade against China

China still on-side with Russia
By Yu Bin

Sino-Russian relations have been under intense scrutiny lately because of the Georgian-Russian conflict over the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia. For many in the West, China's cautious "neutrality" is a departure from, if not a betrayal of, its strategic partnership with Russia. Such a view, among others, misreads the state of the Sino-Russian relationship without an adequate understanding of its depth, breadth and complexity

China's Paralympic possibilities
By Kent Ewing

HONG KONG - On the heels of a grandly successful Summer Olympic Games, China now begins its second Olympic quest. The Paralympics kicked off with another dazzling opening ceremony on Saturday night and advocates for China's 83 million disabled people (more than 6% of the population) hope the 11-day event will translate into more enlightened attitudes toward the handicapped among ordinary Chinese.

This time around the success of the Games should not be judged by their ceremonial majesty, their state-of-the-art infrastructure or by the number of gold medals the Chinese team accumulates. The Paralympics can be deemed a success if the spectacle of 4,000-plus mentally and physically disabled athletes performing in a challenging array of sports manages to change widespread, deeply ingrained prejudices against the handicapped in Chinese society.

Kaixin - I fully concur. However the ‘west’ cannot rest on its laurels. There is still a way to go. As a person with a disability I know too well that there is still a level of prejudice in the west. It is understandable in any society. A well person cannot relate to an unwell person. It is fundamental to human nature. Any advances made go against a profound and elemental lack of empathy. I applaud the advances made in any society and understand that any further progress will come through quiet persistence. The paralympics are a chance to show the world that while the body may have a disability the mind is still strong and with the right attitude great things can be achieved. Graeme