Articles by Chandra Muzaffar
We found 41 results.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Towards a Just World?
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 May 2019
1 May 2019 – As globalization’s third wave, One Belt One Road-OBOR is opposed to hegemony. The Chinese leadership sees relationships among OBOR states as a partnership. This was put to the test in the East Coast Rail Link issue which saw Malaysia objecting to various terms of the agreement forged between a Chinese company and the previous Malaysian government that were clearly detrimental to the nation’s interests.
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Sri Lanka and New Zealand: The Real Link
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Apr 2019
24 Apr 2019 – There are voices — among them from the Sri Lankan government — that are saying that the carnage in Sri Lanka was revenge by a local extremist Muslim group, the National Thowheeth Jama’ath for the massacre of Muslim worshippers at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand by a White supremacist on the 15th of March 2019.
→ read full articleA Morally Right Decision
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Jan 2019
23 Jan 2019 – The decision of the Malaysian government not to allow Israelis to enter the country to participate in the World Para Swimming Championships is both politically correct and morally right. That Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel provides the political rationale for our stand. It is within the context of the BDS movement that we should view our own boycott of Israeli swimmers.
→ read full articleThe Uighur Question: A Civil Society Solution
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Jan 2019
4 Jan 2019 – It is in Beijing’s interest to resolve the Uighur issue in such a manner that the identity and dignity of the Uighurs and other minorities in Xinjiang are protected and enhanced. If injustices against Uighurs real or perceived are allowed to fester much longer, it may erode China’s standing among Muslim majority countries. This is especially so since the Hui, Muslims among the majority Han people, it is alleged, are also now being targeted by the authorities.
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Syria: Trump Pulling Out
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Dec 2018
24 Dec 2018 – Suppressing the independence and sovereignty of the Syrian nation — and not combating terrorism – was the real reason behind the active intervention and involvement of numerous actors from within and without the region in the 7-year Syrian conflict. Simply put, the aim was to oust Bashar, the protector of Syrian sovereignty, to achieve regime change in pursuit of the US-Israeli agenda of perpetuating their hegemony. Trump realised even before he became President that he would not be able to achieve this. Hence, his troop withdrawal.
→ read full articleThe Significance of Human Duties and Responsibilities
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Dec 2018
As we observe the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UNGA on the 10th of December 1948, it is imperative that we remind ourselves of the vital importance of Human Duties and Responsibilities in the life of a society. There is a profound link between rights, on the one hand, and duties and responsibilities, on the other. It is a link that is acknowledged in almost every religious philosophy.
→ read full articleASEAN: Trade Wars and ZOPFAN
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Nov 2018
20 Nov 2018 – The current trade war was triggered by Donald Trump raising tariffs on Chinese goods and the Chinese government retaliating. If it is prolonged and escalates, it may generate consequences that will go beyond trade. There may be serious implications for global politics and security. ZOPFAN-Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality’s simple goal is “to keep Southeast Asia free from any form or manner of interference by outside powers.”
→ read full articleA New Imperial Power?
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Oct 2018
23 Oct 2018 – Is China a new imperial power threatening some of the developing economies in Asia and Africa? This is a perception that is being promoted through the media by certain China watchers in universities and think tanks mainly in the West, various politicians and by a segment of the global NGO community.
→ read full articleIsrael’s Criminal Behaviour
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Aug 2018
1 Aug 2018 – The violent assault upon a number of unarmed passengers on board Al Awda, a ship bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza has exposed yet again the hideous face of Israeli occupation. 20 out of the 22 passengers were initially detained in the Givon prison in Israel.
→ read full articleIsrael: An American-Russian Protectorate?
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Jul 2018
Some sections of the Zionist-linked media in particular are suggesting that as a result of the Helsinki Summit, Israel has now become “a joint American-Russian protectorate”. The media conference that Trump and Putin addressed, according to these sources, underscored this. There is absolutely no truth to this claim.
→ read full articleThe Assault on Agnivesh
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Jul 2018
18 Jul 2018 – It is a shame that intolerance and aggressive bigotry of this sort is gathering momentum in parts of India. It has been facilitated according to certain sources by the increasing legitimization of a narrow notion of religious identity which in a sense is a travesty of the universalism and inclusiveness of the Hindu faith.
→ read full articleThe Trust Deficit and the BN Defeat in Malaysia
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 May 2018
9th May will be remembered as the day when the multi-ethnic population of a country ousted the world’s longest ruling coalition through the ballot-box in a peaceful atmosphere without a drop of blood. This is unique in emerging democracies in the Global South. It makes one proud to be a Malaysian.
→ read full articleStriking Syria: The Real Reasons
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Apr 2018
16 Apr 2018 – Is it because the so-called evidence was obtained from dubious sources — such as the terrorist group, Jaish al- Islam which was fighting the Assad government and in control of parts of Douma on the 7th of April? Were the White Helmets, a fake civil defence outfit established by British intelligence and funded by both Britain and the US yet another supplier of ‘evidence’? Or as it has happened on numerous occasions in the past, was the ‘evidence’ generated by Mossad, Israel’s intelligence network, in pursuit of its own nefarious agenda?
→ read full articleThe Geopolitics of Targeting Russia
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Mar 2018
The aim is clear. It is to compel Moscow to submit to the hegemonic power of the Washington elite. Anyone who has a rudimentary understanding of Russian history knows that this will not happen. Russia will continue to resist. And Russian resistance may well hold the key to a different future for humankind.
→ read full articleWest Asia in Flux: Connecting the Dots
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Feb 2018
18 Feb 2018 – A series of events linked to West Asia in the last nine months has brought to the surface the under-currents and cross-currents in the region’s perennial struggle between occupation and hegemony, on the one hand, and resistance and liberation, on the other. It is crucial to understand how these events are related to one another, to connect the dots, as it were, in our attempt to make sense of what is unfolding in the world’s most strategic – and most dangerous — region.
→ read full articleThe Incarceration of Tariq Ramadan — A Travesty of Justice
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Feb 2018
16 Feb 2018 – The unjust incarceration of Dr Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University, demeans and disgraces the French legal system.
→ read full articleThe Jerusalem Vote and the US-Israel Link
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Jan 2018
1 Jan 2018 – the US-Israel link has not been able to achieve its goal of enhancing the “security” of Israel. The defeat of this diabolical link in the UN on 21 Dec merely underlines this fact. It should embolden all of us to accelerate our struggle for a just world.
→ read full articleWhy the Istanbul Declaration Must Succeed
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Dec 2017
18 Dec 2017 – The Istanbul Declaration adopted at an Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference in Istanbul on the 13th of December 2017 invites “the whole world to recognise East Jerusalem as the occupied capital of the State of Palestine.” It further pledges to ‘mobilize support in the name of entire humanity to strengthen the State of Palestine and its institutions in every field.”
→ read full articleRawda and Combatting Terrorism
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Dec 2017
27 Nov 2017 – Terrorist attacks have a long history in Egypt. They have become worse since the overthrow of Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Dr. Mohammed Morsi, in 2013. Daesh or groups affiliated to it have been targeting local tribes and Christian churches.
→ read full articleYemen: End Blockade, Avert Famine
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Nov 2017
13 Nov 2017 – The government of Saudi Arabia had imposed a total blockade of all Yemen’s seaports, airports and land crossings on the 6th of November 2017. The only institution that is in some position to bring everyone to the negotiating table is the UN; specifically Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who has been deeply concerned about the tragedy from the time he assumed office on the 1st of January 2017.
→ read full articleThe Assertion of Identity
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Nov 2017
While the media gives a lot of coverage to an event or action connected with the phenomenon — a referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan or a vote in the Catalonian parliament — the reasons that explain the assertion of identity are seldom analysed in depth. The unique characteristics of the assertion of identity in a specific instance and why it is different from another similar episode elsewhere are hardly discussed in the popular media.
→ read full articleRohingyas — Jihadists?
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Sep 2017
The way Aung San Suu Kyi and her government colleagues have framed the clashes ignores the brutal massacres committed by the military over a long period of time. The oppression and persecution of the Rohingyas by the State and other forces has been thoroughly documented by the United Nations Human Rights Council and other independent human rights groups.
→ read full articleThe Bilateral Relationship That Matters
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Jul 2017
Which is the most important bilateral relationship in the international arena today? Many analysts would argue that it is the relationship between the United States of America and China that has the greatest significance for the world.
→ read full articleTrump, Israel and Saudi Arabia — Targeting Iran
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Jun 2017
29 May 2017 – In the wake of President Donald Trump’s visit to West Asia, is there even a faint glimmer of hope for peace in the most conflict-ridden region of the world? Or, has his visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel from the 20th to the 23rd of May 2017 only strained the region’s undercurrents of friction and tension? Some reflections on areas of conflict in West Asia may throw a bit of light.
→ read full articleFasting for Palestinian Justice and Dignity
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 May 2017
27 May 2017 – Today is the first day of Ramadan. Muslims in many parts of the world begin their month-long fast today. Most of them are not aware that 1500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are on a hunger strike that began almost six weeks ago.
→ read full articleKorea: Leading to War?
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 May 2017
Given the gravity of the situation, ASEAN could perhaps have been a little more proactive. It should have rejected any military solution and argued for a negotiated diplomatic settlement of the conflict. For negotiations to begin there will have to be some preliminary gestures from both sides. North Korea should suspend all nuclear and missile tests while the US and South Korea should halt their joint military exercises.
→ read full articleThe G[e]assing Game in Syria: Regime Change and Beyond
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Apr 2017
Given conflicting accounts, an independent international inquiry should be conducted to determine what really happened on 4 April. The members of the panel should comprise credible experts who are not citizens of any of the five permanent member states of the UN Security Council. The UN Secretary-General should appoint the panel.
→ read full articleApartheid Israel
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Mar 2017
In its conclusion, the Falk-Tilley report establishes, “on the basis of scholarly inquiry and overwhelming evidence that Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid.” It then proposes that an international tribunal examine the report and make an assessment that will be truly authoritative. If such an authoritative assessment concurs with the finding of the report, the UN and its agencies, regional outfits and national governments should act.
→ read full articleMalaysia and the Question of North Korea
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Mar 2017
10 Mar 2017 – The Malaysian government has done the right thing in keeping the channels of communication with the North Korean Government open. It wants an amicable resolution of the friction arising from the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, the elder brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un. The North Korean government has also adopted a positive stance.
→ read full articleParis: A Dastardly Act of Terror
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Jan 2015
Was some group sending a warning to the elite that it should not have supported Palestine’s recent failed bid to obtain an independent sovereign state? Was that group the master-mind behind 7th January? Questions of this sort strengthen the case for an independent investigation preferably by the UN.
→ read full articleProsecute the Torturers!
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Dec 2014
The US elite did the right thing by revealing the dark side of its torture programme. But we must remember that the US commands enormous global power, especially global military power. With massive power come huge responsibilities. It is in the realm of the responsibilities that it has failed miserably. And its torture program is just one of the many examples of its failure to act responsibly
→ read full articleMH 17: Why Is Malaysia Not Part of the Probe?
Chandra Muzaffar - TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Nov 2014
Why is Malaysia not in the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the MH 17 crash of July 17 2014? Our participation in the investigation will at least help to check any attempt to conceal or camouflage the real story behind one of the most heinous crimes in recent times.
→ read full articleThe Truth about the IS
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Sep 2014
Many of those who have condemned the Islamic State (IS) do not want to know how this terrorist outfit came into being in the first instance. It is a direct consequence of the Anglo-American invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003.
→ read full articleThe Gaza Massacre: The Underlying Motives
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Jul 2014
Massacre has become a habit. Every two or three years, Israel launches a massive military assault upon largely unarmed Palestinians in Gaza. Every time, Israel claims the moral high ground for its brutal, barbaric action. It blames Hamas, an important component of the Palestinian liberation movement, for the present cycle of violence.
→ read full articleThe Malaysian Link to Terror in Syria
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Jul 2014
We are told that they see themselves as “jihadis” who are fighting for an Islamic cause. A lot of Malaysian Muslims may also harbor some of the misconceptions and prejudices which impelled some of these jihadis to take the road to Damascus.
→ read full articleThe Syria Deal: Dangers and Opportunities
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Sep 2013
Commentators tell us that there is a palpable sense of relief in Damascus and in other parts of Syria in the wake of the Russia-US deal over Syria’s chemical weapons. The citizens of Damascus — the world’s oldest, continuously inhabited city — know that they will not be bombed for the time being.
→ read full articleThe Trans Pacific Partnership: Be Cautious
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Jul 2013
The US already has 320,000 troops in the Pacific region. That is the military arm of Pacific Power. The TPP is designed to secure the economic dimension of Pacific Power.
→ read full articleMalaysia Supported UN General Assembly Resolution on Syria
Chandra Muzaffar - CounterCurrents,
3 Jun 2013
The UN resolution also revealed its bias by recognizing the Syrian National Coalition “as the effective interlocutor needed for a political transition.” That the SNC is just one of many groups in a highly fragmented opposition and commands very little support within Syria itself is conveniently glossed over. Imposing the SNC upon the Syrian people in this manner is a clumsy attempt to effect a regime change of sorts.
→ read full articleGood Terrorist, Bad Terrorist
Chandra Muzaffar, Countercurrents – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Feb 2013
There is terrorism that is condoned and terrorism that is condemned by Western powers and other states. If violence serves their interests, it is acceptable. If it doesn’t, the militants are targeted. In other words, there are ‘good terrorists’ and ‘bad terrorists’.
→ read full articleThe China Japan Dispute Over Diaoyu Islands: Historical Analysis
Chandra Muzaffar – Global Research,
1 Oct 2012
It is not a coincidence that the Japanese Right has become more vocal— especially vis-a-vis China— at a time when the United States is seeking to re-assert its presence and its power in the Asia-Pacific region. Even on the Diaoyu dispute, the US government, while professing to remain neutral, has through the Pentagon made it clear that the Japan-US Security Treaty would come into force in the event of a military conflict between Japan and China.
→ read full articleWorsening Trends in Global Arms Transfers
Chandra Muzaffar – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Apr 2012
Translating it into reality we realise is a monumental challenge which goes beyond the cessation of the production and consumption of conventional weapons. But let the citizens of the world at least demand that those who rule in their name put disarmament on the global agenda as an urgent item that requires immediate attention.
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