Synopsis: On the 8th anniversary of the US-led NATO invasion of Afghanistan, a resurgent Taliban combined with a fraudulent election and a wimpy and demoralized NATO have made for a disastrous situation for all. In this dire hour for the entire Afghan campaign, the Plaid Avenger predicts that the US administration will have to change its tactics?namely by starting negotiations with the Taliban to bring it into a coalition government while focusing on al-Qaeda as the real target of the war. In addition, what we are now seeing is two different Taliban teams in the field: the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistan Taliban?the latter team being the real one to watch as it picks apart Pakistan and causes way more calamity for the region and the world.
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Keywords: US, NATO, Taliban, Afghanistan, Pakistan, al-Qaeda, President Obama, General McCrystal
Synopsis: The Avenger has his plaid panties in a bunch about a serious global shift that started during the big G-20 in Pittsburgh last week: a move to more representative economic and political power on the world stage. Listen as the plaid one explains the background of the G-20 evolution, and the impacts of the most recent G-20 party….specifically for the BRIC countries….as they redistribute voting power in global institutions like the IMF and World Bank. Gee golly, its G-20 genius!
Synopsis: September is turning into a seriously sloppy surprise for Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. After German forces in NATO were to blame for a bloody civilian bombing accident, Merkel and her country have been berated and badgered by fellow NATO allies….but that’s just the tip of the weinerschnitzel for Merkel. This misplaced mortar may be responsible for her losing a re-election bid, as her political opponents try to rally a overwhelmingly anti-war German public to vote to end Germany’s participation in the NATO Afghan campaign. The Avenger describes this situation, and why this election has repercussions for the US, for NATO, for Afghanistan, and the world.
Synopsis: The Plaid Avenger travels deep into central Asia to report on on the on-going ethnic violence plaguing the Xinjiang Autonomous Province in northwestern China. He explains how and why this Han/Uyghur friction has accelerated in the last few decades, how ti is manifesting itself today in these bizarre needle attacks reported widely in the news, and the greater repercussions they hold for the central Chinese leadership as they ponder what to do about their Wang.
Synopsis: While most of the world sits idly by, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan is quickly going to hell in a hand-basket. Despite US President Barack Obama sending an additional 17,000 US troops to stabilize the country (mostly in an effort to have the recent elections go smoothly), the US and its NATO allies are losing ground to the Taliban…badly. This plaidcast covers some of the reasons for the Taliban resurgence, why this effort is not solely a US one, and most importantly why the entire world has a vested interest in the US not losing this fight.
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Keywords: Afghanistan, Taliban, al-Qaeda, US, NATO, Hamid Karzai, Pakistan, India, Russia, China
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