Windows to Russia

Update: Use this link to get all stock roms and such…

I have had more than several people inquire about where I get all my ROM’s to work on my Huawei phone? So I will list a bunch of information and I want you to remember that I am just showing you some places to go and get stuff…

I could careless and not responsible if you blow up your phone, because you do not know what you are doing…

That said: I do not know what I am doing either, but I have accomplished what I wanted to do on my Huawei and the phone is still in one piece. I assume that you can do it also…

You can find stock ROM’s here: (From 2.3.+ to 4.0.+)

International ROM’s: http://www.huaweidevice.com/worldwide/technicaIndex.do?method=gotoProductSupport&productId=3834&tb=1

Chinese ROM’s (can be changed to english): http://www.huaweidevice.com/cn/technicaIndex.do?method=gotoProductSupport&productId=3884&tb=1

Huawei Germany ROM: http://huaweidevices.de/telefone/honour.html#downloads

I suggest the Chinese ROM’s above as they are by far the most resilient…

Android 4.x MIUI ROM’s:
Original chinese: http://www.miui.com/download.html
Translated english: http://miuiandroid.com/community/
German: http://miui-germany.de/wp/?page_id=274

Silent Huawei camera (ICS):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=29079425&postcount=1028

Adding Google Apps: Download zip from here http://goo-inside.me/gapps and flash it with recovery…

Root:

Stock ICS version B919/B923/B924
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28403132&postcount=799

and newer way…

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22688341&postcount=53

Now let me tell a little bit about what I have done. I am using the stock Chinese ROM B977 I rooted through a program called Unlock Root that installs upon your computer. I do not use Google apps at all and that is why I prefer Chinese ROM’s…

The ROM that I use comes stripped of all Google Apps straight from the Huawei website. I have no desire to use Google Apps and that is that…

I replace virtually all built in apps with different apps and I strip all excess garbage out of the system. I rely upon GPS map systems and not internet tracking! I do not allow any synching with Google in anyway. I just allow GPS to track me and that is only when I want it too…

Now in the links above you will find lots of new ICS versions. They have a new one for Norwegian and for British! These are in English of course, but they are very very heavy and bog a phone down a bunch. The best ROM for a newbie is stock Gingerbread, but ICS can be made just as fast and light on her feet, for the experienced…

You must root to utilize the workings of ICS to its best and Root Uninstall is a great app. I also use System App Mover and it will move apps into and out of the system section, with a few clicks…

Tidbit of information:

You can flash a ROM two ways easily in a Huawei Honor phone…

1. Create folder if not there already called “dload” on SD card
2. Upload UPDATE and UPDATE_CUST.APP file to “dload”
3. Open in settings “storage->update from SD” follow directions and file in dload with flash…

and or

Extract the file on your computer…
– Make a “dload” directory on SD card root directory as above on the phone…
– Copy from the computer to dload the “UPDATE.APP” and “UPDATE_CUST.APP” on the SD card of the phone…
– Open settings/application then turn off/untick “fast boot” and power off you device…
– Long press volume up + volume down + power button on the handset to startup your device in upgrade mode. That means hold both up and down volume down at the same time and the power button…
– It will reboot few times. When done, you will have a new ROM flashed…

I use the storage way until I crash my phone then I have to use the holding buttons down trick. The easiest is not to mess up and use storage update… 🙂

Flashing a ROM will erase all internal memory in the phone. Anything that you have and is precious, you better have a copy of it. I have not had any issues with my SD card and anything on that seems safe???

So as always, use a backup app and back up all your favorite apps to the SD card and reload them after you change the ROM…

I hope that gives you some information that you can use to play with your Huawei Honor phone. I think that my Huawei is one of the best phones ever made and I could not imagine a more forgiving and easy to work with phone, as far as experiment ability goes…

My motto with my phone is, “I push it to the limit and when it quits working, I start over and do not push as hard that particular direction next time…”

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

In a peculiar aside, Putin also mentioned a 2008 demonstration in which jailed Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and husband Pyotr Verzilov had public sex alongside several other couples in a museum to protest former President Dmitry Medvedev’s inauguration.

“You know some fans of group sex say it’s better than one-on-one because, like in any team, you don’t need to hit the ball all the time,” Putin said…

Putin talks about Pussy Riot and their long time escapades…

Windows to Russia…

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed his most controversial policies in a whirlwind interview with the RT television news network on Thursday, defending what his critics say is his crackdown on dissent, repeating the Kremlin’s warnings against foreign intervention in Syria, and engaging foreign rivals over contested issues.

In his first full-length interview since his inauguration in May, Putin appeared to fit the carefully-crafted image of a cool and confident leader with an answer for everything as he settles further into his third term as president amid global and domestic criticism.

From denying involvement in the case against members of the punk group Pussy Riot, who were jailed for two years last month over their raucous “punk prayer” in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral last February, to rebuffing criticism from abroad over the Kremlin’s foreign policy, the president commented on nearly every issue that has landed Russia in international headlines in recent months.

‘Clampdown’ Means Order

He justified what critics have said is a clampdown on dissent as a necessary move to maintain order in Russia and praised what he says are democratic reforms he introduced in the wake of mass protests against his rule.

“We should clarify what we’re talking about,” he said. “If we understand [the term ‘clampdown’] as a simple requirement that everyone, including the opposition, complies with Russian law, then this requirement will be consistently enforced.”

Putin also invoked the mass riots that erupted in the U.K. last August, apparently comparing them to the anti-Kremlin opposition movement that emerged after last December’s parliamentary elections.

“A lot of people were injured and lot of property damaged. Is it better to let things deteriorate to that state and then spend a year tracking down people and locking them up?” he said. “I think it’s best not to let things go this far.”

The former KGB officer added that he played no part in the two-year sentences for the Pussy Riot members and denied commenting on the severity of their punishment or the methods of the court, which had been accused of rushing through the case.

Instead, he reaffirmed Pussy Riot critics’ allegations that the group’s performance offended many Russians, and even offered a peculiar criticism of a 2008 demonstration in which jailed Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and husband Pyotr Verzilov had public sex alongside several other couples in a museum to protest former President Dmitry Medvedev’s inauguration.

“Some fans of group sex say it’s better than one-on-one because, like in any team sport, you can slack off,” he said.

Defending Reforms

By way of defense, Putin trumpeted as successful moves which, at best, have raised suspicions about the Kremlin’s intentions and, at worst, have further consolidated criticism of his regime from several fronts.

He pointed to the return earlier this year of gubernatorial elections, which had been canceled in 2004, as well as his role in several bills introduced after his inauguration that he says have opened up the political playing field.

“These specific steps will pave the way for a more democratic Russia, and it’s true both for its people and its state,” he said.

An election law passed earlier this year was aimed at easing the party registration process and was widely seen as the Kremlin’s concession to the street protests. Critics, however, have said the law is designed to effectively splinter the opposition into a multitude of uncompetitive parties.

The president also drew heavy criticism over a recent law which requires NGOs receiving funding from abroad to be registered as “foreign agents,” as well as another critics have alleged is aimed at restricting the Internet.

The State Duma, he added, is considering a new system by which public initiatives would be submitted through the Web and moved to parliament as draft bills if they receive 100,000 votes or more.

We seek to make our society more advanced and more democratic and we intend to be consistent in following this path,” he said.

Foes Abroad

Putin denied any political motivations behind the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a finance lawyer who died in pre-trial detention in 2009 while investigating alleged official tax fraud.

“What I want to emphasize is that there is absolutely no political context to this case,” he said. “It is a tragedy, but it only has to do with crime and legal procedure, not politics – not more than that.”

Putin added that the visa blacklist drafted by U.S. lawmakers and allegedly introduced by the U.K., which denies entry to Russian officials suspected of human rights abuses, is politically motivated.

“There are people who need an enemy, they are looking for an opponent to fight against,” he said. “Do you know how many people die while in prison in those countries which have condemned Russia?

When questioned about Julian Assange, the controversial founder of WikiLeaks currently holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London as he fights extradition to Sweden over sex charges, the president used the opportunity to criticize Britain for harboring a number of high-profile Kremlin critics, such as vehement Putin critic Boris Berezovsky and former Chechen separatist Akhmed Zakayev.

“Britain happens to be harboring certain individuals who have blood on their hands,” Putin said, before accusing London of a “double standard” over Assange.

Syrian Deadlock

On Syria, an issue which has long remained a thorny issue in U.S.-Russian relations, Putin warned that perceived Western support for anti-regime fighters could backfire.

“Today some want to use militants from Al Qaeda or some other organizations with equally radical views to accomplish their goals in Syria,” he said. “This policy is very short-sighted and is fraught with dire consequences.”

He compared alleged Western funding of radical Islamic militants to help topple Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad’s regime with U.S. support for Afghan rebels after the Soviet Union’s 1979 invasion of its Central Asia neighbor.

In his trademark combative tone, Putin also railed against Western criticism over Russia’s failure to back UN sanctions against Assad and offered little hope Moscow would change its stance in the future.

“How come Russia is the only one who’s expected to revise its stance? Don’t you think our counterparts in negotiations ought to revise theirs as well?” he said. “Because if we look back at the events in the past few years, we’ll see that quite a few of our counterparts’ initiatives have not played out the way they were intended to.”

Cold War Rivalry

In remarks aimed at the United States, however, Putin appeared open to continued talks with Washington over the hotly contested U.S. missile defense shield to be built in Europe – but that President Barack Obama is hampered by a slew of conservatives.

“My feeling is that he is a sincere man and that he sincerely wants to implement positive change. But can he do it – will they let him do it?” Putin said. “There is… the military lobby, and the Department of State, which is quite conservative.”

Washington has repeatedly said the shield is aimed at preventing an attack from the Middle East, but Moscow stands by its suspicion that it could be used against Russia.

Yet Putin also expressed concerns about U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who on the campaign trail has taken a markedly aggressive tone against Russia and Obama’s “reset” policy, should he be elected in November.

“When we talk about the missile defense system, our American partners keep telling us, ‘This is not directed against you,’” he said. “But what happens if Mr. Romney, who believes us to be America’s number one foe, is elected as president of the United States?”

Windows to Russia…

I have always marveled at the abilities that spiders have to weave a web and never a web the same. Webs are unique to that spider and it is special to me also. So when I found a web that a spider had been busy all night with and the morning dew coated it. I just had to try to get a picture…

While walking in the big village, I came across a government building, obviously built during the Soviet era…

So I snapped a picture of Lenin and Marx on the front of the building. The images are mosaic and they are being well cared for…

I always get a strange feeling when I see things like this on buildings n Russia. My past conditioning’s are still underlined inside my system and my curiosity about the Soviet Union comes to the surface when I take pictures of things from the past…

Take it how you want and deny all you want, but this is rural Russia! Just as the picture below is very very rural Russia. WWII is not forgotten in Russia…

Every little village that I come across has some reference to WWII! Most of these monuments are well kept for and the people are proud of their monuments!

Just a little tidbit of Russia in photos today. The real Russia…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

The past week has been interesting. The Russian news is debating should Russia turn to the East and make the East its real home or should Russia keep trying to work with the lying deceiving West….

It has even gotten to the point that Lavrov has had to express that Russia works with both sides and wants a balance between the two…

Well good or bad, here is my thoughts on this…

Balance: Won’t happen! The West does not like competitors and like a jealous friend, life is hell when you try to befriend others… (Apply this thinking to anything from war to the American dollar…)

West: Truth, justice, trust and loyalty have become a lost words in the West…

East: Truth, justice, trust and loyalty still have meaning and bearing…

Russia: Russia is a country that looks at America and wants what that idea is, that America is suspose to be. Russians believe in America better than any American believes in America, anymore. That rose colored glasses approach is ending in Russia though. Hence we have such a mess on whether Russia should follow East or West…

My thoughts to the Kremlin and Washington DC: Russia is at a cusp and America with her undermining, has pushed the Russian mentality from pro American (West) to pro Eastern.  There is just so many times that America can stir the pot, before the veggies turn to mush…

East is the direction that Russia is headed and America has only herself to blame, as Russians love America with a passion and dream that Russia will be like the dreams they have of America…

It is sad that America has turned those dreams into nightmares all over the world…

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

I always smile when I read about an American, whether on a forum, blog, in the news or just plain spouting at the mouth. Says that, “They (world) hates us for our freedoms!”

For some reason Americans have gotten in their minds that the world, especially the Mid East, hates us because we (America) is so free and wonderful, that well they simply hate us…

So as I read another article about how the world hates America for her freedoms. I realize that it is just propaganda to satiate, simple minds within the borders of America…

Yes the world at times hates us, but it has nothing to do with freedoms and liberty…

It has to do with the fact we stick our nose into the business of other countries and we force other countries to bend to our wishes. We steal resources and we steal other countries freedoms and liberties. We destroy other countries for our own benefit…

All the while we use this smoke screen of war as a cover up to strip the same from our own people. So while we dance with the stars and live out the reality shows. Our freedoms and liberties are being flushed down the great toilet, called the USA government, everyday…

To be honest, as I sit here writing this article in Russia! It is you (me) the Americans who should be. “Hating the rest of the world for their freedoms and liberties…”

Hey a thought came to me…

Maybe that is why we are at war with the world all the time. Maybe we hate the worlds freedoms and liberties…

Just a thought…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

One of my favorite things to do in the village trips is to go to the big market that takes over the the Big Village (Sarai) nearby…

So Sveta and I got up early on Sunday and made a trip into the big village…

It was like Xmas for me. I got socks, jeans and other things. I try to restock clothes items at the village market. It is the best place to buy clothes…

Most of the items at the village market is from Belarus and Russian made factories. I find a good splattering of items made in Turkey also. Very little Chinese made items. Russians in the rural areas are very anti-Chinese made and I think that I found one table of Chinese made things…

Since it is back to school time, they also had huge tables of school supplies and such…

Oh the picture above has a bunch of shoes in it on the left side, those are from Belarus. Belarus seems to have a strong foot hold in Russia selling shoes. They make good shoes and we are happy with the quality…

So after about three hours of Big Village shopping we went back to our tiny little village nested by the river…

Kyle and Sveta
Windows to Russia…

Despite the West’s deliberate inattention to and willful disregard for Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran, there is no denying the fact that the summit has occasioned extreme chagrin in Washington and Israel and that dialog among civilizations in achieving global peace is still a powerful feasibility.

Just a day prior to the inauguration of the NAM summit, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his typical cynicism and slammed the attendance of high-profile representatives from more than 120 countries at the summit, saying it was “a stain on humanity.” The cause of Netanyahu’s desperate anger is, however, quite perceptible.

The 16th NAM Summit which was officially wrapped up in Tehran on Friday concluded a resolution including over 700 clauses. The final resolution which was read out by Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad expressed support for Iran’s nuclear energy program, rejected the US unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic, and called for greater efforts to champion the Palestinian cause and stop racial discrimination across the world.

The NAM summit addressed a number of thorny issues which the West misrepresents such as Iran’s nuclear energy program or underrates such as the Palestinian issue and the unauthorized US drone attacks which have so far claimed the lives of many civilians in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen.

As an opportunity for the attendees to voice their grievances which have already gripped their nations by the neck, Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar expressed her country’s concern over the illegal drone attacks in Pakistan and urged Washington to immediately put an end to their killing machine in Pakistan.

“You see Pakistan’s position is clear today and has been clear in the past. Our position is that this is something which is counter-productive. It is unlawful. It is illegal, and therefore they must cease. This is what the parliament of Pakistan has clearly said,” Rabbani Khar said on Wednesday.

However, central to the summit was a pithy speech delivered by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in which he clearly reiterated the official stance of the Islamic Republic on some key issues including nuclear weapons and clarified that Iran has never sought to produce nuclear weapons, will never tread on such a horrendous path and that the pursuance, use and production of such weapons is an unforgivable sin. His deep analysis of Washington’s paradoxical policy deserves due attention. Pointing to “a bitter irony of our era”, Ayatollah Khamenei reinforced the fact that the US government “possesses the largest and deadliest stockpiles of nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction and the only country guilty of its use, is today eager to carry the banner of opposition to nuclear proliferation” and that the same regime has armed the usurping Zionist regime with nuclear weapons and created a major threat for this sensitive region.”

In fact, Washington and Tel Aviv are playing in the hands of the devil in their efforts to divide nations and colonize their countries by creating ‘global enemies’ and ruthlessly mobilizing others against them.

In this regard, the NAM Summit can play a vital role in diverting the destructive role of the US government and other bullying powers in pushing ahead with their globalist agendas to a constructive role under the aegis of the NAM members. In countering the effects of a summit of such substantial significance, western media blacked out on truth and refrained from reporting the facts which in one way or another showed their hidden agenda. The media blackout in the West concerning the Summit in Tehran is well tantamount to the blackout of truth and faith, a morbid sign which clearly indicates why global efforts in achieving peace and harmony are eventually pushed into the abyss of failure. In order to shatter the stranglehold of media mafia, head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) Ezzatollah Zarghami has suggested the Non-Aligned Movement set up an alternative media bloc. Such an initiative is indeed commendable and is to be considered an efficacious means to counterbalance the media blind bias.

With full conviction, one can sadly say that there are sabotaging hands at work to thwart efforts in striving for global peace in the light of a united leadership. What actually should top the NAM summit in future is to formulate an effective approach in resolving global crisis and struggle to attain an international consensus to reduce Washington’s political influence and self-acclaimed dictatorial leadership. It is time the US stopped playing the guru, and thinking and making decisions for other countries. As a first step, the NAM member states should make efforts to liberate the UN Security Council from its servile captivity to the US and its allies.

A new world order is taking shape. In this new world order, imperialism starts to vanish and the idea of mounting military expeditions under the banner of combating terrorism or dictating western democracy soon evaporates. This idea may be a far cry from the reality but it is not an impossibility. It can be turned into a reality thanks to the power issuing from the collective efforts of all nations. This is exactly what the US-led West fears most and what the world needs most: a united nations will to fly in the face of the wrong and second the right.

Dr. Ismail Salami is an Iranian journalist, political analyst and chief editor of Press TV website. His articles have been published on line in numerous publications.

Windows to Russia…

By D.S. Hurrell
Dallas College

Q1: Your book ‘Gwadar on the Global Chessboard’ outlined the economic and strategic potential this port has for Pakistan. For those who have not read your book, could you elaborate on this strategic port?

A1: A vision of the planet’s pivotal geography in fusion with Pakistan is the concept– a geo-economical concept, potentially becoming one of the most important city in the world. “Gwadar is the next Dubai”. Many think-tanks are of the opinion that the imminent control of the Chinese spells the creation of a new Dubai in Pakistan. Or as the American author Robert D Kaplan writes, “At the intersection of Empires, the Port City of Gwadar could become the new silk route nexus”. My aims of writing this book: ‘Gwadar on the Global Chessboard’ are Firstly
•To project Gwadar’s great potential – a major economic alternative, to begging for funds.
•Gwadar Concept is not limited to the Mekran Coast. It is in fact an Economy Changer for all of Pakistan. A Bonanza for Baluchistan.
Secondly
•China the world’s second biggest economy needs to be fully linked to Gwadar.
•Pakistan needs an economic and cultural bonding with multi-regions. This includes China, Central Asian States, Russia, West Asia- Iran, Saudi Arabia – Gulf States, Turkey and Africa.
Thirdly
•Gwadar though vital has been neglected – victim of negative politics and hostile Geopolitics.
•Baluchistan’s problems (Exploited by India and foreign powers) demand attention and resolution.
•The Geo-Political indicators favour Gwadar Development.
The Gwadar Concept
•The Global Chessboard is dynamic and evolving. Global economic balance is shifting. Pakistan should initiate a pro-active Geo-economic policy.
•Optimize Pakistan’s Multiregional Geography for Geo-economics gains. Pakistan’s economic bonding with China, Central Asian States – Russia, West Asia – Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Gulf States and Africa.
•Gwadar Port is concept based. The concept is to synergize Pakistan’s multiregional (Geo-Strategic) location, Open Sea Board for Oil – Gas Pipelines, Energy Centre, Transshipment, Transit, Trade, and Finance Generation.
•Gwadar is the Future of Pakistan.

Q2: Is there a link between unrest in Balochistan, the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline and the Gwadar Port?

A2: There is a clear Geopolitical link between unrest in Balochistan, the Iran Pakistan gas pipeline and the Gwadar Port.
Firstly, the Balochistan unrest is Pakistan’s internal problem. This issue must be solved as per Pakistani (including Baloch) aspirations but without foreign meddling. Secondly, reportedly, USA is chiseling a West Asian Strategy. This includes war against Iran and destabilizing Pakistani Balochistan and Irani Seastan. In my article ‘Balochistan and Geopolitics’ published in Pravda ru (Moscow) and Nation (Pakistan), I had highlighted some of these aspects. The Americans want to sever Pakistan Iran (including gas pipeline), block China from reaching Indian Ocean at Gwadar. With Pakistan’s new friendship with Russia, even curtail Moscow’s influence at Gwadar in future. Recent American writings betray their Geo strategic designs. One article is quoted below:
‘To counter what China is doing in Pakistan, the United States should play hardball by supporting the movement for an independent Baluchistan along the Arabian Sea and working with Baluch insurgents to oust the Chinese from their budding naval base at Gwadar. Beijing wants its inroads into Gilgit and Baltistan to be the first step on its way to an Arabian Sea outlet at Gwadar.’
Selig S. Harrison “Chinese Cozy Up to the Pakistanis”
The Indians have been trying to destabilize Balochistan for ages. If India was not so hostile, it would have remained in the Iran – Pakistan – India (IPI) gas pipeline project, despite American pressure. A quote below is self-evident; Stable Pakistan Not in India’s Interest

“Baluchistan will achieve independence. For New Delhi this opens a window of opportunity to ensure that Gwadar Port does not fall into the hands of the Chinese. In this there is synergy between the political objective of the Americans and the Indians. Our goodwill existing in Baluchistan requires intelligent leveraging. ……………………….. Today the collapse of Pakistan as a state is almost certain ……………………….. looking ahead, New Delhi should formulate an appropriate strategy for ‘Post Pakistan Scenario’ to secure India’s interest in Central Asia.”
Bharat Verma ,Editor, Indian “Defence Review“

The fact is that there is no need for confrontation. Pakistan seeks peace and prosperity of which Gwadar is one manifestation. If the Chinese and Americans can do business in Dubai, USA and China, then why not at Gwadar? A global consortium can be proposed by Pakistan, addressing US concerns and Chinese requirements. As my book ‘Gwadar on the Global Chessboard’ highlights that Gwadar is not a zero sum game. Gwadar can connect South Africa to China, Russia through the shortest routes and can bring peace and prosperity to dozens of nations. All can benefit from this gift of nature.

Q3: We have seen Property prices in Kabul drop as a result of the expectations that chaos will follow the withdrawal of American forced from Afghanistan in 2014. How do you think the withdrawal will affect Pakistan?

A3: The fall of property prices in Kabul may be an indicator of future events. In fact Afghanistan needs peace like the rest of the world. Consider the fact that the last three decades have seen only war. First the Soviets then the Muhahideen, later Taliban and now Americans/NATO. The Americans are withdrawing but plan to leave behind between 10,000 and 30,000 troops. (Mostly Special Operation Forces). The war will continue, at some level. The Afghanistan War will not end till all foreign military forces withdraw and the majority Pakhtoons (including Taliban) are part of the solution. This implies a negotiated settlement, which leads to durable peace. This is possible but only if Pakistan is the peace maker and sponsor. The US withdrawal from Afghanistan and peace prospects are ideal for Pakistan. A tiny fraction of the elite has prospered from the Afghan War. The rest of Pakistan has suffered enormously from the war next door. Over 40,000 causalities estimated 80 billion dollars in losses suffered, National fiber weakened and Pakistan destabilized. US Drone strikes act as a catalyst for extremism and radicalism. Therefore, in essence US military withdrawal followed by peace should be very welcome in Pakistan and the region.
A new leaf should be turned. US Geo strategy should be replaced by Geo-economics. Landlocked Afghanistan should be linked to Pakistan’s – Gwadar. The Americans are welcome as investors – businessman (they are even welcome in Vietnam where they fought a long war). Pakistan and America were friends before the US War in Afghanistan. They should remain friends after America leaves Afghanistan.

Q4: A lot of mention is made of Pakistan’s weaknesses, the enormous strains pulling the country apart. My impression of Karachi when I visited in 2011 was that of a city under siege, perhaps a symbol of the country as a whole. Can you tell us about Pakistan’s strengths?

A4: Pakistan’s strength is the most pertinent question, but often neglected. Thank you for asking it.
•Firstly Pakistan’s Geography
Its location is super. The location is globally pivotal. If North of it Is the famed Mackinder’s Heartland, itself a part of Spykman’s Rimland. It is located on the Cross Road of Empires. It joins Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia and Indian Ocean. Geo economically it is a ‘Bridge State’ between multi regions, Geo strategically, it is the ‘Interposing State’. West of it is oil rich Gulf, North West energy rich Caspian Sea/Caucasus. River waters, glaciers in the north, Arabian Sea – Indian Ocean in the South.
For a medium sized state, it has all kind of terrain, deserts plains, coast, hilly, snow mountain regions and all four weathers. Its natural treasures abound (though mostly untapped or utilized so far). Reko Dik Gold Reserve in Baluchistan estimated over $ 1 trillion. Thar Coal Reserves in Sindh have energy estimated equal to Saudi Arabia – Iran oil energy output combined. A lot else to follow. Only Kashmir and its river waters occupied by India is the problem.
•The second is demography
By 2015 Pakistan’s population will be 200 million of which 65 % or 130 million will be youth. This energetic – nationalist youth bulge is Pakistan’s future and strength. Pakistan’s national character includes ‘faith in Islam’, ‘love for Pakistan’, ‘courage and spirit of freedom’.
•Thirdly, Military and Nuclear Strength
Pakistan’s Military is strong, professional and motivated to defend Pakistan. Its nuclear strength is robust and sophisticated. This is to ensure deterrence as Pakistan believes in peaceful resolutions of all disputes. Pakistan cannot be conquered by anyone.

Q5: What advice would you give the young future leaders of Pakistan?

A5: My advice to young future leaders of Pakistan is as under:
•Firstly, unite all Pakistanis on one nationalist platform and achieve consensus for national interests.
•Secondly, a reformist agenda to rid Pakistan of major ills. Build Gwadar and revive a national economic cycle.
•Thirdly, a pro people welfare system for ensuring decent basic living to the nation.
•Fourthly, stressing on all forms of education for human resource development of the youth bulge.
•Last yet not least, ensuring national sovereignty and security at all costs.
Pakistan Zindabad!

Brigadier Nadir Mir author of ‘Gwadar on the Global Chessboard’ is a veteran of the Pakistan Army.
His blog is Pakistan and Geopolitics (wwwpakistangeopolitics.blogspot.com/) and his next book Geopolitik Pakistan (A Global and Futuristic Outlook) is being published
Nuclear Discourse (A Nuclear Discussion at Two Tiers – South Asia and Global) is being revised and updated.

Reprinted by request of Nadir Mir…

“Only 17 percent of the all-volunteer force serves for more than 20 years, and they are endowed with a lifetime benefit. The current US military retirement system does not compensate for those in high risk situations or extenuating circumstances (e.g., combat duty, hardship tour, and separation from family).. The current military retirement system is unfair.  For example, 83 percent of those serving in the US military will receive no retirement benefit.  US military personnel serving 5, 10, or 15 years will depart from service with no benefit or pension.  This cohort includes the majority of troops who have engaged and will engage in combat.  Retiree healthcare (TRICARE) is significantly more generous than civilian programs. For those serving more than 20 years, the retirement contribution is 10 times greater than the private sector: average private sector pension contributions range from 4-12% per year; military retirement benefit equates to 75% of annual pay per year for those who retire; and immediate payout after 20 years has no comparison in the private sector. In light of the budget challenges DOD is currently facing, the military retirement system appears increasingly unaffordable.” Defense Business Board

How times have changed since General George C. Marshall (1880-1959) walked the Earth. Chances are he would be appalled by the current-day US military leadership that has allowed (and taken advantage of) a national security/militaristic thinking to penetrate deep into the American political and social arenas. Marshall, no doubt, would be taken aback by the revolving door between the Pentagon and the private sector, and the hyper-privatization of the US national security machinery.

Particular pain for Marshall would come from watching many Flag Officers (generals, admirals) reaching the 20 year mark in their professional military careers and then jumping ship to private sector employment with defense contractors and defense associations. With them goes a lifelong and comparatively hefty federal pension and benefit package. Combine that with their newly minted private sector salaries and, well, the rich get richer. Indeed, some defense associations in the DC Metro Region are paying their presidents—former Flag Officers with 20 or more years of government employment–nearly $1 million dollars (US) in compensation and benefits. One can only imagine what private sector defense contractors or corporation boards are paying its retired Flag Officers with 20 plus years of government employment.

Occupy Wall Street may have its 99 percent ruled by 1 percent of wealthy Americans but its mirror image is reflected in the US military pension system. There, it is the 83 percent that are ruled by the 17 percent of 20-or-Bust personnel whom, upon retirement, have pensions/healthcare packages that are untouchable, even sacrosanct.

And Marshall would surely grimace at the current crop of US civilian leaders—and American citizens—and chastise them for assisting in turning his respected “priesthood”, as he called it, into so many ornamented Popes and Bishops who assert near-divinity and truly believe that “freedom” only exists because they “serve” or command. The United States of America lives in this purgatory as its civilian leaders have forsaken their constitutional responsibility to actually think and challenge military assumptions and projections (this includes scores of civilian military “experts” in think tanks and academia) while designing national security strategy which, of course, drives national military strategy. And they have put other countries’ interests far ahead of the American homeland which is in dire need of repair. The logic of “fight them over there before they get here” is irrelevant in the globalized world. Haven’t Americans been told the battlefield is everywhere?

The Popes and Bishops of the Pentagon-Vatican hide/classify cost overruns, casualty rates (increasing on the African Continent), gang activity, poor soldier/sailor/airman care, and the near poverty that many enlisted personnel and families around the US live in. The Pentagon-Vatican proclaims that budgets must always be increased and never reduced, or even pegged to the GDP of the USA. More cathedrals and chapels around the globe must be built (military bases large and small) they say. The Pentagon-Vatican portrays challenges to its budgetary or military acumen as thorns in a collective crown placed upon their heads by the civilian novices/brothers in the executive and legislative branch.

Indeed the national security machinery subtly promotes the “serving” soldier/commander as a sort of suffering Christ-on-the-Cross figure. This is dangerous stuff.

What is the soldier/commander suffering for?

A Detroit urban dweller watching as his/her city crumbles to the ground? The 20 plus year civilian retiree who has no military clout to save their pensions and health insurance? The returning soldier with PTSD who gets a 1-800 telephone number with a distant voice telling him/her to calm down? That small percentage of active military personnel (and their families) who actually engage in combat or direct combat support and receive little notice except when they need to be rolled out to stop budget sequestration (because civilians can’t get it together)?

The only command that actually takes care of its personnel and families is the US Special Operations Command. But they are a rarity.

So as the US economy continues to stagnate (trucking, rail, ports, dry-bulk indicators all down or with marginal improvement) and US infrastructure crumbles, the thought is to increase not to cut the national security budget (military, intelligence, homeland, etc.). A trillion dollars (US) will just not do, say the Popes and Bishops. We need to chase AQ, druggies, gangs, anarchists, vandals and that’s expensive says the chorus of Novices and Brothers who design national security strategy and control the treasury.

And all the propaganda and myth gets pumped into the American publics’ collective mind through the media, most of which is owned by approximately 10 corporations, and the many speeches/testimony given around the US by the Popes, Bishops, Novices and Brothers and the collective intellectual Remora that they carry with them.

Charles Brower encapsulated best the qualities of George C. Marshall that are so very absent in these times.

“He did not attempt to advance his cause through leaks to favored journalists. He did not attempt end runs of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the president’s congressional critics. And he did not publish in the New York Times or Washington Post op-ed pieces articulating alternative solutions to the administration’s policies. Instead he privately provided his commander-in-chief independent and candid advice, not partisan advocacy of alternative policies, and he loyally supported and actively assisted their execution once the president had decided.

He believed that military men had a duty to explain the needs of their services and the requirements of their forces to carry out assignments directed by the commander-in-chief. A responsible officer had the right to question a policy he considered wrong or mistaken and to discuss thoroughly a proposal. But there was no right to challenge publicly the wishes of the commander-in-chief. Refusal to accept that rule on the part of an officer meant the destruction of his own power to command. To Marshall, such resistance of the armed forces to the president weakened the fabric of a democratic society.

[The American Armed Forces] have a great asset,” Marshall observed, “and that is that our people, our countrymen, do not distrust us and do not fear us. They don’t harbor any ideas that we intend to alter the government of our country or the nature of this government in any way. This is a sacred trust….We are completely devoted, we are a member of a priesthood really, the sole purpose of which is to defend the republic. We concentrate our time and attention on that subject. That doesn’t mean that we don’t understand other things, but it simply means that we devote our time and attention exclusively to this. I don’t want to do anything…to damage the high regard in which professional soldiers in the Army are held by our people…”

John Stanton is a Virginia based writer specializing in national security matters. Reach him at cioran123@yahoo.com