News of the Day (December 5)

Whither Communist China's future? The fate of the Chinese Communist Party caught the attention of the Canadian blogosphere today, thanks to Gordon Chang's Commentary piece on the rising and spreading unrest in Communist China (hat-tip: Burkean Canuck, whose apparent belief in accommodation between the CCP and Christianity has started a Comment-space discussion on the Shotgun). Meanwhile, the number of former Communists who have left the party in disgust passed 16 million (Epoch Times).

Update: Um, it looks like I was a little off in interpreting Burkean Canuck (see comments).

Did the U.S. keep non-terrorist Uighurs in Guantanamo Bay at Communist China's behest? That is the claim put forward by Sabin Willett and Susan Baker Manning, attorneys representing seven Uighurs held in the American military prison. The lawyers "contend that the men have been labeled wrongfully as terrorist suspects because they oppose the Communist Chinese government" (Washington Post). The attorneys further claim the seven "have never taken up arms against the United States or its allies" and even "are sympathetic to the United States, which they view as a liberator." The Uighurs were not captured by the U.S. directly, but were handed over by Pakistan - Communist China's longtime ally. The more shocking claim the attorneys make is this one: "that their clients' detention was one of several demands the Chinese government solicited in mid-2002 as the United States was seeking global support for toppling Saddam Hussein." Now, as one would expect, Washington was full of denials on this - and these claims await their possible day in court. However, if they are true, it would be a shocking price paid by the U.S. to a regime that has supported anti-American terrorists, including Saddam Hussein, for years. The Post also reported that the cadres "were allowed to question the Uighurs" while they were in Gitmo, which is an outrage in itself.

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: American manufacturers call for the U.S. to demand Communist China stop devaluing its currency (BBC). Two Australian hospitals "have banned training Chinese surgeons because of concerns that China takes organs from executed prisoners" (AAP via Epoch Times). Jennifer Zheng (Epoch Times) concludes her profile of Yang Jun (fifteenth item).

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Today's winner is Martin Peretz (The New Republic) for his double-barreled column pointed squarely at Middle Eastern Proxy Number Two (Syria). Honorable mentions go to Frank Gaffney (Washington Times - on Iraq), John Podhoretz (New York Post - ditto), Rich Lowry (National Review Online - double ditto), and the editors of the Wall Street Journal (on Iran).

Speaking of Iraq, the "consensus" to send the fledgling democracy into the hands of the Communist-backed mullahs and their Syrian allies may face stronger resistance than previously thought (Washington Times) - but I must stress, emphasis on "may" (Newsweek and United Press Int'l via Washington Times).

As for Middle Eastern Proxy Number One, Khomeinist-in-chief Ali Khameini may be ill (NRO - Corner); the editors of the Washington Times ponder the latest rants and threats from the mullahs' mouthpiece (see eighth item for a link to the Timmerman column they cite); the United States tells several British banks "to stop acting on behalf of UK business customers in Iran" (Independent).

Did Stalinist North Korea offer Russia uranium? According to Tokyo Shimbun (cited by the Washington Times, last item), "Moscow and Pyongyang had been in secret talks since 2002 over a plan for Russia to import the (SNK) uranium and enrich it before selling it on as nuclear fuel to China and Vietnam." Moscow referred to the report as "rumors."

SNK provides agricultural assistance to Zanzibar despite its own food crisis: You can't make this stuff up (One Free Korea and Daily NK).

More on Communist China's Korean colony: OFK comments on more silliness from South Korean doves (see also Daily NK), Stalinist intransigence (see also Daily NK), and the SNK reinsurance scam (second item) - including a chilling angle that managed to elude yours truly (I have no excuse).