Second "white supremacist" plot to kill Obama

A neo-nazi plot to assassinate Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has been uncovered by federal agents. Paul Schlesselman and Daniel Cowart appeared in a US court on Monday after being arrested last week in Crockett County, Tennessee. They planned to rob a gun store and then carry out a killing spree at a predominantly African-American high school, shooting 88 black people and decapitating another 14. Their final act of violence would be the attempted assassination of presidential candidate Barack Obama.

The toD Verdict: Although analysts have concluded that the plot was amateurish and the threat to Obama in particular, not very credible, this is already the second assassination scare involving the Democratic presidential candidate. The first occurred on the eve of the Democrats' national convention in Denver in July. Keep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.

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Both scares have involved racist, neo-fascist groups. Obama told reporters Tuesday that "these kinds of hate groups" had been marginalised by the election campaign and were not part of America's future. Obama's campaign has been based largely on the transcendence of outdated racial politics and divisions. Ironic then that the possibility of his campaign's success and an African-American president, has shone a spotlight on the dark neo-nazi subcultures at the margins of US society.

Extreme far-right groups such as The Order enjoyed a heyday in the 1980s but have since declined, lacking leadership and direction. Yet numerous neo-Fascist groups remain active in the US, pursuing an agenda that militantly opposes immigrants, minority ethnic groups, homosexuals and the federal government. According to Mark Potok who directs the Southern Poverty Law Center which monitors hate groups, many white supremacists "feel they are losing their country right before their eyes...What we are seeing at this moment is the beginning of a real backlash." The danger should not be underestimated. A comprehensive FBI report published earlier this year highlighted the threat from domestic, home-grown extremists, including far right groups which often espouse "racist and racial supremacy and embrace antigovernment, antiregulatory" platforms. As the report points out, the greater threat to US domestic security arises, not from jihadist terrorism, but from fascist, right wing groups. The Southern Poverty Law Centre claims that since the 1995 Oklahoma bombing the radical Right has produced some 60 terrorist plots.

UN attacks advancing Congolese rebels

UN peacekeeping forces, including helicopter gunships and armoured units, engaged rebel forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday. Tutsi rebels led by renegade General Laurent Nkunda launched a heavy attack over the weekend, forcing the Congolese army to retreat. UN forces intervened to prevent rebel troops from advancing on Goma, capital of North Kivu province. "We can't allow population centres to be threatened," Alan Doss, head of the UN mission, said. "We had to engage."

The intervention by UN forces is set against a backdrop of rising local anger directed at UN peacekeepers. Hundreds of protesters attacked the local UN compound Monday, frustrated at the inability of the world body to halt the rebel offensive. Two protesters were reportedly shot dead by UN peacekeepers during the attack.

Transatlantic rift over Afghan policy

Is it time for NATO to leave Afghanistan? That is the question causing a transatlantic divide in opinion. A recently leaked French diplomatic cable between the French ambassador to Afghanistan, Francois Fitou, and his British colleague, Sherard Cowper-Coles, described the security situation in Afghanistan as "deteriorating". The two concluded that NATO's presence was exacerbating the insurgency and that the only realistic policy would be to cultivate an "acceptable dictator." The leak follows comments by the departing commander of British forces in Afghanistan, Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, who claimed that defeating the Taliban was "neither feasible nor supportable." Just two days later the French chief of the defense staff, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, concurred with this assessment. The emerging British and French position stands in stark contrast to US assessments. At the recent NATO summit in Budapest, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for an Iraq-style "surge", and called on NATO members to provide more troops for missions in Afghanistan. The Americans have already planned the deployment of 8,000 extra troops for next year.

Militants killed in Kashmir battle

Five militants were shot dead in Indian-administered Kashmir. Indian troops reported that a fire fight took place near the Metwan area in Kishtwar district. The dead militants were identified as members of the pro-Pakistan group Hizbul Mujahideen.

Meanwhile, much of Indian-administered Kashmir has been crippled by a separatist strike to mark the 61st anniversary of the Indian army's arrival in the state. In recent months, Kashmiri separatists have held numerous non-violent protests against Indian rule. According to Muzamil Jameel, a new generation of Kashmiri's are embracing peaceful protest rather than armed struggle. The threat of rising tensions in the region is ever present however. On Sunday police fired on protesters in the city of Baramulla, killing one and injuring at least three others.

China condemns Sudan oil killings

China condemned the killing of five of its citizens in Sudan as a terrorist act on Tuesday. The five were among nine Chinese oil workers seized in Kordofan, near Darfur, more than a week ago. Sudan claims that kidnappers from the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) shot dead the five oil workers on Monday. JEM has denied any involvement, with diplomats suggesting the captors were probably aggrieved local tribesmen aiming for a share of the region's oil revenues. Reports indicate a note was released by the captors demanding a settlement which included a fairer distribution of oil production. This is the third such abduction in a year in this oil-producing region.

China has invested heavily in Sudan as it searches for natural resources to power its surging economy. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu called on the Sudanese government to protect Chinese residents and property.

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