Fear of living here, fear of going back home

I just read this piece in the International Herald Tribune, and the violence back home in Pakistan has never hit home this close.

Thankfully, we dont live in Swat. Lahore is not in the northern areas of Pakistan and is not (as) violent, but I have often thought about hypothetical scenarios where I go back, and God forbid, am whisked away in the dark of night, never to be hard of again - only if my family paid a ransom large enough.

These are nightmare situations expats must think of. If this article is to be trusted, my vacations back home will be far from peaceful.

I still recall my last visit, in January 2008. Lahore was the last bastion of calm and serenity. This all changed when the Lahore High Court bombing took place, killing many police officers. My cousins were in the vicinity. Their law offices' glass windows were shattered. My "vacations" would never be the same.

I half-jokingly mentioned to someone recently how I would have to be careful speaking english in future visits to Pakistan. My American accent would invite unwanted listeners. But what to say of the fear in my heart? Would that invite unwanted paranoia? I leave that to you to decide.

Jerusalem Post article: Hagana weapons cache found in Hod Hasharon synagogue

Does this not remind you of all the allegations made by Israelis that Hamas hides/operates in/within civilian areas? Do I smell hypocrisy? Seems like enemies really do learn from one another - and that some things never change.

NYT op-ed: Why the Muslim World Can’t Hear Obama

This op-ed piece is perhaps the closest any mainstream media outlet will come to echoing my sentiments on America's new president - Barack Obama.

Several months before he even won the election, his rhetoric on Israel (Jerusalem will be the undivided capitol of Israel, he said to an AIPAC audience) and his silence on Gaza (only one President at a time, he said) disappointed me. For someone who has made the english language beautiful again, these statements - and absence of them - makes little sense to me.

I am cautiously optimistic. I will give him the benefit of the doubt, because he was Illinois's "junior senator". He does not have all the requisite foreign policy experience one might need in his position. But he has the resources at hand to help solve these problems. I will give him time. Many more will, as well. But for how long? The world can't wait. Actions speak louder than words.

Jump into the deep end - i'm finally back!

Knowledge is power, and I always hope to empower those who visit my blog in the hope of quenching their thirst for knowledge. I offer my apologies for not updating the blog as regularly as I can/should, since so much has happened that is dear to me, yet I still relegated my duty to empower and let it slip to a lower priority. I am sorry.

But, the good news is that I am back! And with a bang, I hope? My good friend from the UN, Dalai Fazio, a capable, accomplished young graduate of Rutgers and Seton Hall's Whitehead School, has started a great blog on diplomacy and power, titled, quite aptly, "Conversations on Diplomacy and Power Politics". He was awfully kind in asking me to engage in a dialogue for a podcast on the current scenario in India-Pakistan relations, with a focus on relations in the aftermath of the Mumbai attack. Please visit the blog and listen/download, comment, and feel free to spread the word, if you deem it worthy.

Meanwhile, I will update my blog more regularly. Should you come across issues, articles, thoughts that deserve a wider audience, please let me know. Some voices deserve - and need - the greater amplification, and I am happy to provide an alternative platform.

Award-winning Benazir Bhutto photo

I thought this photo was quite amazing. At first glance, one cannot make out who it is, but the jaw structure and facial features are a dead giveaway for those of us familiar with Benazir's photos and her tenure as prime minister. I must confess, she was beautiful.