Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Isis is not Taliban; Brazil endure second Maracanazo; Marijuana turns legal in Washington

1 Isis is not Taliban (Zahid Hussain in Dawn) The dramatic rise of the Islamic State organisation formerly known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its proclamation of a so-called caliphate portend a new and more brutal face of global jihadism. The organisation may not espouse Al Qaeda’s global militant agenda; nevertheless, it is terribly wrong to compare the group with the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban.
ISIS is a phenomenon in itself with an ambition of extending its rule over the entire Muslim world. 

Representing a more radical version of Sunni Islam it seems to have already marginalised Al Qaeda at least in the Arabian peninsula. Despite their fierce rivalry in the battle for Syria, ISIS and Al Qaeda are not ideologically very distinct from each other. The cadres of both militant networks are inspired by the same jihadist worldview. In fact, the group is an offshoot of Al Qaeda.

But both groups are unlike the Taliban whose support base is largely tribal and parochial. The ISIS fighters mostly come from urban educated backgrounds. The network has also drawn a sizeable number of young Muslim jihadists from the Western countries into its ranks. Some 3,000 foreigners form a large chunk of the group’s fighting force reflecting its global jihadist appeal.

ISIS is truly committed to global jihad in contrast with the Afghan Taliban’s narrow local agenda. In a rare public appearance last week, ISIS leader Abu Bakar al Baghdadi (who has now declared himself ‘Caliph Ibrahim’) called for global jihad ordering the Muslims to ‘obey’ him. “I am the wali (leader) who presides over you,” declared Baghdadi. With its genesis deeply rooted in the sectarian conflict in Syria and Iraq, the organisation is essentially fighting an anti-Shia war.

The sectarian agenda of ISIS has already triggered the process of fragmentation of Iraq, which was unthinkable a few years ago. So the dream of uniting the Muslim world under a ‘caliphate’ is nothing more than a wild fantasy. What is most worrisome, however, is the creation of a new generation of global jihadists. There is genuine concern that thousands among the foreign militants fighting in Iraq and Syria may trigger a new wave of terrorism when they return to their home countries.

2 Brazil endure second Maracanazo (Dominic Fifield in The Guardian) The tears were already flowing in the stands even as Sami Khedira wheeled away to celebrate the Germans’ fourth goal in seven minutes. Júlio César, helpless amid the chaos, screamed at the ragged ranks of team-mates as they sank to their knees around the penalty area. Luiz Felipe Scolari propped himself on the edge of the dugout, his shoulders hunched and all conviction drained. This was an utter humiliation, a rout that defied belief. The present day Seleção have endured their own Maracanazo.

That term had been coined after the nation’s defeat by Uruguay in the 1950 final in Rio de Janeiro, an implausible 2-1 defeat that sent shockwaves through the game, though this seemed as ludicrous a script. The team had arrived at the stadium in a coach bearing the slogan “Brace yourselves: the sixth is coming”, and Scolari had suggested after their progress to this stage, maybe mischievously, that they had one hand on the trophy. That tenuous grip was ripped away by ruthless opponents.

Brazil, five times world champions and without a competitive defeat at home since 1975, had left at the interval numbed by the brutality of it all. The home support hinted at a chorus of boos but even they appeared bereft of energy to summon disgust. That may come in the days ahead.

As the chastening experience went on, so the locals’ mood grew uglier. Fred’s rare touches were booed, as was the Germans’ sixth which was constructed and converted so simply by Philipp Lahm and André Schürrle as to suggest no lessons were being learned. The seventh actually prompted ironic applause. This was a team craving an escape. The Maracanazo was a dark day in Brazil’s history. This Mineiraoazo will be just as painful.


3 Marijuana turns legal in Washington (San Francisco Chronicle) Washington on Tuesday became the second state to allow people to buy marijuana legally in the US without a doctor's note as eager customers who lined up outside stores made their purchases and savored the moment.

People began buying marijuana at 8 am at stores that started selling the drug as soon as it was allowed under state regulations. Several dozen people waited outside before the doors opened at a shop about 80,000 north of Seattle. Washington and Colorado stunned much of the world by voting in November 2012 to legalize marijuana for adults over 21, and to create state-licensed systems for growing, selling and taxing the pot. Sales began in Colorado on Jan. 1.

It's been a bumpy ride in Washington state, with product shortages expected as growers and sellers scramble to prepare. Pot prices were expected to be higher than what people pay at the state's unregulated medical marijuana dispensaries. That was largely due to the short supply of legally produced pot in the state. Although more than 2,600 people applied to become licensed growers, fewer than 100 have been approved - and only about a dozen were ready to harvest by early this month.

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