http://www.tasneemkhalil.com blogging for rights, liberty and freedom Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:26:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en When al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri issued a statement in November, commenting on the election of Barak Obama as the new American president, it was an interesting read. Think about an annual report by the CEO of a giant multinational corporation, where success stories are highlighted, market competition is estimated ... http://www.tasneemkhalil.com/2008/12/jihad-moves-to-south-asia/ The summer war in the Caucasus does not have any real winner. However, like all the wars ever fought in the history of mankind, it is the common people who have come out as clear losers. While Dmitry Medvedev and Mikhail Saakashvili play the brutal war game, it is the ... http://www.tasneemkhalil.com/2008/09/dealing-with-the-new-cold-war/ "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin. At a personal level, it remains an irony of fate that exactly one year after I was granted political asylum in Sweden, the Riksdag has passed the draconian surveillance law, on June ... http://www.tasneemkhalil.com/2008/07/surveillance-state/ I love reading Franz Kafka (1883-1924), a master story-teller. Thanks to his classic novels, The Metamorphosis and The Trial, "Kafkaesque" is now a synonym for senseless, disorienting and bizarre storylines with menacing complexity. Take The Trial, where Kafka writes about Josef K, who wakes up one morning, gets arrested, ... http://www.tasneemkhalil.com/2008/06/torture-by-proxy/ Peacemaking is not a peaceful business. When Sweden hosts the international Iraq conference on May 29, this will definitely bug Carl Bildt, the Swedish foreign minister. During a recent press briefing, Bildt was asked whether representation for Iraqi opposition movements would be present at the conference. His answer: "Al-Qaeda will ... http://www.tasneemkhalil.com/2008/05/negotiation-with-terrorists/