After 911, George Bush looked to Afghanistan in anger and targeted the Taliban, who had offered refuge to Osama Bin Laden and Al Quaeda.
After half-destroying the country and uprooting the Taliban, the US failed to find Bin Laden. They seemed destined to admit failure in the region, just as Russia had done decades earlier.
After half-destroying the country and uprooting the Taliban, the US failed to find Bin Laden. They seemed destined to admit failure in the region, just as Russia had done decades earlier.
But just when the attention seemed to shift towards Iran and Iraq, the Taliban re-awakened. Their resurgence is being spurred by the rise of pro-Taliban Muslim radicalism in Pakistan.
But now things have taken a turn for the worse. Forty people including six parliamentarians were killed in the deadliest car-bomb ever to have hit this vulnerable country. The Taliban have sent a very strong message: after years in the wilderness, events in the middle east now favour a comeback, an aggravating factor in a volatile middle-east melting pot.
Gold spiked on the news, by $25, whilst the oil price tested the $100 per barrel level for the first time ever. The world is on the brink of a major situation and the so called, "Axis of Evil' is now emerging as an East-West axis of Islamic radicalism.
The convergence of anti-western Islamic forces has been driven by common resentment of the US. The situation is drawing major powers closer to a middle-east meltdown and a tussle for the rich oil-prize it represents and its implications for the world economy. Unfortunately, some of those powers perceive some gain in exploring their strategic options, at the expense of the US.
Russia is manipulating its Iranian alliance and Turkey, by preparing to attack the Kurds of Iraq, is unwittingly opening the door for Europe to enter the fray. The sleeping giant of China is also waiting in the wings, but events seem destined to draw them in via the disputed Kashmir region, along the narrow Hindu-Kush corridor of Afghanistan, directly into the eye of the storm.
But now things have taken a turn for the worse. Forty people including six parliamentarians were killed in the deadliest car-bomb ever to have hit this vulnerable country. The Taliban have sent a very strong message: after years in the wilderness, events in the middle east now favour a comeback, an aggravating factor in a volatile middle-east melting pot.
Gold spiked on the news, by $25, whilst the oil price tested the $100 per barrel level for the first time ever. The world is on the brink of a major situation and the so called, "Axis of Evil' is now emerging as an East-West axis of Islamic radicalism.
The convergence of anti-western Islamic forces has been driven by common resentment of the US. The situation is drawing major powers closer to a middle-east meltdown and a tussle for the rich oil-prize it represents and its implications for the world economy. Unfortunately, some of those powers perceive some gain in exploring their strategic options, at the expense of the US.
Russia is manipulating its Iranian alliance and Turkey, by preparing to attack the Kurds of Iraq, is unwittingly opening the door for Europe to enter the fray. The sleeping giant of China is also waiting in the wings, but events seem destined to draw them in via the disputed Kashmir region, along the narrow Hindu-Kush corridor of Afghanistan, directly into the eye of the storm.
These are heady days indeed and a world crisis is at hand.
(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com
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