Digressing from topic (with my apologies) – the Almighty US is supposed to uphold international United Nation’s principles like national sovereignty and non interference of small and independent member countries and their right to self defence. What we have seen in recent years is that the US led coalition basically bullied & overthrew with overwhelming strength Afghanistan Iraq under excuse of War on Terror and Weapons of Mass Destruction (“WMD”) that never existed; recently, Libya and maybe next Syria. Though Saddam & Gadhafi were dictators, it wasn’t a case of the problem being resolved by people of Iraq or Libya. It was by CIA and American led military interventionism. War on Terror and WMD were excuses for control of the region’s economic resources – oil or its pipelines- besides for pushing out their weapons inventory, and contracts for post war reconstruction benefiting cronies like Harliburton. In part it’s because it is perceived that the GREAT AMERICAN EMPIRE IS ON THE DECLINE COMPARED TO THE RISE OF CHINA as evinced by its tottering financial system. (The U.S. debt is over $14.5 trillion, not to mention recent sub prime crisis, collapse of great American corporates like brokerage houses like Lehman, banks like Bear Sterns, fund managers like Washington Mutual, even CitiCorp needed bail out). When an empire is on decline its dangerous like a wounded tiger is, so declared much respected British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet MinisterTony Benn, and he is right.

However, now they are grappling with alternative media & blogs (not so easily controlled) but the same method is used – harass by stick then offer carrot for reward to speak for the Regime or prevailing norms upheld by the Regime. It’s easier if they were employed by Universities controlled by Govt; they can’t do so easily with (say) AB Sulaiman, not so employed. Even then there’s no need to mention names but we know who have been converted even amongst bloggers (not employed in academia). Amongst those employed they try silencing by “pep talk” by University’s vice chancellor. (We don’t hear much from law lecturer Dr. Azmi Sharom, for quite a while). What that has not been contemplated is taking action against one who refuses to bow and take carrot like what Aziz Bari appears doing. The powers-that-be may yet miscalculate this episode as they did Bersih. If Aziz Bari’s stand proves a flashpoint to gavanise protests from the university students – if it spreads from International Islamic University beyond to other campuses – when it then metamorphoses to becomes an issue of Power versus kaum intelekkaum intelektual yang berjiwa rakyat (intellectuals who have the spirit of the people), then they will have a lot on their hands to manage a possible re-activation of “Reformasi”. Remember how students protests accelerated regime change in Suharto’s time, and in other places in Bangkok and Manila.