Wednesday, August 23, 2006

AQ Khan Has Prostate Cancer

(Islamabad, Pakistan) The founder of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, was diagnosed with prostate cancer during a routine medical examination earlier this month. He is at his home awaiting followup evaluation of his condition.

Born in 1935, Khan is quite infamous for being the person who provided Libya, Iran, and North Korea with nuclear weapons technology through a clandestine international network. President Pervez Musharraf pardoned Khan in 2004.

To a large degree, we can hold Khan responsible for the current belligerence we see from Iran and North Korea. I think Khan should be in prison for proliferating nuclear weapons.Hopes are rising that by the time results are finally announced on May 16, India's gargantuan six-week election process will have set the stage for a new era in its ties with China. Despite being touted as this century's most crucial bilateral relationship, the India-China dynamic has underwhelmed so far.

Most of the potential for transformation lies in the realm of trade and investment, with companies on each side eyeing the large market on the other side of the Himalayas.

Indian imports from China have grown faster than Indian exports to China, resulting in a embarrassing trade imbalance which New Delhi finds difficult to control. Chinese manufacturers also have gained significant a market share in India's power and telecom sectors.

At the same time, Chinese investment in India remains far lower