Hackers Disrupt Mexican Defense Ministry’s Website

Hackers claimed a cyberattack on the Mexican defense ministry website on Jan. 16, posting a manifesto from the Zapatista rebel group for two hours.
The name of the group “Anonymous Mexico” was visible on the website in front of a black background, with phrases from the manifesto of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN). The group Mexican H Team, which identified itself as part of Anonymous Mexico, said on Twitter that it had hacked and “defaced” the ministry website.
In another Twitter account, the group Anonymous Hispano, which uses the handle @anonophispano, claimed that “the entire content” of the defense ministry server was hacked and that it will be “released soon.”
The EZLN, led by Subcomandante Marcos, emerged in 1994 to defend the rights of indigenous Mexicans in the impoverished south of the country.
“Brothers and sisters, let’s raise our voices for a Mexico free of corruption, free of crime,” the message said. “Let’s show the world that were are one, we are every one. We are anonymous. We are legion. We don’t forgive. We don’t forget. Wait for us!”
The defense ministry issued a statement saying that its website was “momentarily out of service,” but it did not explain why and did not refer to the hacking claim.

Pakistan’s PNS Alamgir Docks in Kuwait

Pakistan’s guided missile frigate PNS Alamgir docks 2nd time in Kuwait for friendly visit during on schedule anti-piracy missions in Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. Pakistan enjoys brotherly relations with Kuwait in all professional fields. PNS Alamgir weighs around 4100 ton having overall length of 138M fitted with modern weapon and equipped with latest sensor systems.

“Pakistan has always been a staunch supporter of integrated approach to combating the roots of piracy. Pakistan Navy is part of CMCP (Coalition Maritime Campaign Plan) and desire to find the right way forward which would lead not only to the eradication of piracy but also the eliminating the causes of germinating this threat.” said the commanding officer Abdul Munib while media briefing.

“Pakistan has been assigned to command Task Force-150, which covers an area of responsibility including the Gulf of Oman, the North Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.”

The PNS Alamgir’s Crew contains 280 on board staff, size is almost the half of football ground having

Afghanistan: Russian General Staff advocates NATO-CSTO cooperation

Following the future withdrawal from Afghanistan of the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the situation is likely to worsen in this part of the world, said in Brussels on Wednesday the head of the Russian General Staff Valeri Gerasimov.

"Everything that happens near the borders of Russia and those of our allies Organization of Collective Security Treaty (CSTO)," said the general told reporters after a meeting of the Council level of Chiefs of Defence Staff.

According M.Guerassimov, all the forces that do not want the region bogged down in chaos must coordinate their efforts to ensure safety.

Founded in 2002, the Organization of Collective Security Treaty, described by some analysts as "Russian NATO" is an organization with politico-military groups to this day Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.

Pratt & Whitney to deliver last F-22 Raptor engine

 Pratt & Whitney will deliver the last of 507 F119 afterburning turbofans to the US Air Force on 17 January. Two such engines, which the company says have an output in the 35,000lbs (154kN) class each, power the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter.

Though the last Raptor was delivered to the USAF in May 2012, the service ordered additional engines to sustain the F-22 fleet into the future, says Bennett Croswell, president of Pratt and Whitney's military engines division. "When they saw the end of the production line coming, the air force ordered an additional 39 spare engines," he says. "So that's what we've been delivering over the last year."

Like the production tooling for the F-22 airframe, much of the F119 production line is being packed up so that it can be stored at the Sierra Army Depot in California. "That'll be the tooling we're not using in support of the engine," Croswell says. "There'll be some of the tools that we'll retain as we deliver spare parts to support sustainment of the engine in the field."

The F119 shut-down plan does not require preserving assembly and manufacturing knowledge to the degree needed for the Raptor airframe because the many of the same techniques and procedures are being used on Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine, Croswell says. The F135, which powers the Lockheed F-35, is a derivative of the F119. "There is so much similarity between the F135 and the F119, so much we learned on the twin-engine F-22/F119 and we passed onto the single-engine F-35," he says.

Departure of the first Belgian soldiers to Abidjan

They left around 11:00 Melsbroek military airport aboard the Airbus A330 used by the Belgian army to Abidjan.

A first group of 35 Belgian soldiers involved in the operation Serval led France to Mali to combat armed Islamist groups flew Wednesday morning to Côte d'Ivoire, where they will implement two aircraft C-130 transport "Hercules". They left around 11:00 Melsbroek military airport aboard the Airbus A330 used by the Belgian army to Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire, following the decision of the Council of Ministers restricted to participate in the French operation with two C-130 and two helicopters Agusta A109 for medical evacuation missions.

USAF and LM Deliver Nation's Next Infrared Surveillance Satellite

The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin have delivered the second Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO-2) Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) spacecraft to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., where it will be prepared for a March liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

Featuring a mix of satellites in geosynchronous orbit, hosted payloads in highly elliptical earth (HEO) orbit, and ground hardware and software, the SBIRS program delivers resilient and improved missile warning capabilities for the nation while also providing significant contributions to the military's missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness mission areas.

On January 11, GEO-2 was safely transported from Lockheed Martin’s Sunnyvale, Calif., facility to nearby Moffet Air Field. The 60th Air Mobility Wing of Travis Air Force Base, Calif., then loaded the satellite aboard a C-5 aircraft and successfully shipped the spacecraft to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

"We performed a disciplined integration and test campaign for GEO-2 and are now looking forward to successfully launching this spacecraft to ultimately help protect our nation and allies with unprecedented global, persistent infrared surveillance capabilities,” said Jeff Smith, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) mission area. “As we continue to produce SBIRS assets, we expect to drive even greater efficiency into our operations to reduce costs for the government while still ensuring mission success.”

Prior to launch, engineers will complete post shipment testing, fuel the satellite’s propulsion system and encapsulate the spacecraft inside the launch vehicle’s payload fairing.  The fairing will then be mated on top of the Atlas V launch vehicle for final integrated testing and closeout preparations for launch. Approximately 24 hours before launch, the Atlas V/SBIRS GEO-2 vehicle will roll to the launch pad for lift off.

Improved ALPS battery on way

Advanced Lithium Power Source batteries are to be improved for use with the U.S. Army's Long-Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System.

Improvements under the $1.2 million contract from the Defense Logistics Agency to high-tech battery maker Saft, will include quicker recharging, decrease in battery weight and longer life cycle.

"The ALPS battery will provide greater power capacity, speed and efficiencies in the field which are crucial to mission success for our military personnel," said Thomas Alcide, general manager of Saft's Specialty Battery Group. "Saft is proud that this contract and our partnership with the Defense Logistics Agency will result in manufacturing improvements that will meet additional tactical needs in the future."

The ALPS battery is a compact energy storage unit with integrated charger and Saft it will adapt components of its Lithium Battery Box for the Improved Target Acquisition System Lithium Battery Box developed for the TOW missile system. The ALPS integrated charger version will offer 24 to 28V and consist of a 100 Amp hour energy storage unit compatible with military vehicle batteries and AC generators.

Kaman receives $35M bomb fuse order

The Kaman Corp. of Connecticut has received a $35.5 million purchase order for bomb fuses from an unidentified customer.

The number of Joint Programmable Fuses to be supplied in the commercial order was also not disclosed. Kaman, however, said the fuses would be delivered to the customer this year and next.

"This order is an endorsement of the functionality and reliability of the JPF and we are pleased to expand the relationship with our current customer base," said Kaman Aerospace Group President, Greg Steiner.

Kaman's Joint Programmable Fuse allows the weapon to be programmed for detonation on-wing and in-flight. It's used by the U.S. Air Force and by the militaries of 23 other countries.

AW159 Wildcat Helicopter For South Korean Navy

The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat is close to securing its first foreign order, with South Korea now officially favouring the type over the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk to serve as its next-generation maritime helicopter.

South Korea's selection was announced on 15 January 2013 and, now, AgustaWestland expects to have closed the deal by around mid-March. The news is a big boost to the AW159 programme: a potential contract valued at 500+ million Euros that will also help keep several hundred AgustaWestland employees in work.

Information released by DAPA - the Republic of Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration - refers to two delivery periods in 2015 and 2016, each involving four Wildcats.

South Korean AW159 Selection

News of the South Korean AW159 selection comes just weeks after the opposite occurred in Denmark, with the MH-60R Seahawk winning over the Wildcat. The Republic of Korea Navy will employ its AW159s in a number of roles. These will include search and rescue, anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare and maritime security.

The Republic of Korea Navy has been active since 1945 and its modern-day naval aviation force consists of some 70 aircraft and helicopters. These include more than 20 Westland Lynx: the forerunner of the AW159 Wildcat.

Karzai: US leaving drones to Afghanistan

As part of a deal worked out with the White House during a recent visit, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said his country would be getting its own drone fleet from the U.S.

Karzai did not say how large a drone fleet he would be getting, but said they would be for surveillance only, according to report Monday in The New York Times. The U.S., he said, “will train Afghans to fly them, use them and maintain them.”

During the interview reported by the Times, Karzai also said he has been promised additional surveillance equipment, as well as an additional 20 helicopters and at least four C-130s. So far U.S. officials have offered no details on any agreements on aircraft numbers and type worked out between Karzai and Obama during the Afghan leaders visit to the White House.

He told the Times that he got nearly everything he asked for from Obama.

Japan Mulls Military Equipment Near Disputed Isles

Japan may station military equipment on islands near an archipelago at the center of a dispute with China, officials said Jan. 16, after a number of airborne near-confrontations.

The defense ministry will ask for money in the next fiscal year to study the idea of putting mobile radars and communication systems on islands near the Japan-controlled Senkakus, which Beijing calls the Diaoyus, a defense spokesman said.

“The study is part of our plan to operate in southwestern islands with flexibility,” the spokesman said.

The comment came after reports said Japan is considering permanently stationing F-15 fighter jets on Shimoji, a small island near the Senkakus.

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera denied that and said Jan. 15: “We are studying various options as to how to build a sound security system in our southwestern waters.”

The maritime dispute, which has simmered for years, heated up last year when the Japanese government nationalized some of the islands, triggering anger and demonstrations in China. Observers said the protests had some backing from communist authorities in Beijing, who use nationalism to bolster their claims to legitimacy.

China's PLA seeks "new type" relations with military

Terming Sino-India ties as one of the most important bilateral relationships for China, the People's Liberation Army has said that it wants to build "new type" of military relations with Indian defence forces to promote peace and stability at the borders and in South Asia.

"China-India military to military relations is an important indicator of the depth of the bilateral cooperation", Deputy Chief of General Staff of PLA Lt. Gen. Qi Jianguo said, during his talks with Defence Secretary Sashi Kant Sharma at the two day Annual Defence Dialogue (ADD) meeting which concluded here Tuesday.

"China and India relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships for China. China sincerely hopes to become a strategic partner of India based on equality, mutual trust, mutual learning and cooperation", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei quoted Gen Qi as saying.

European exports of arms

To improve the transparency around the arms trade, European countries have committed to publish their export figures and the name of the recipient countries. France appears to be the first European exporter and the first recipient of the weapons produced by its EU partners. The Group for Research and Information on Peace and Security (GRIP) issued in December 2012, a short summary about the main highlights of the year 2011.

The cumulative sum of arms exports by countries of the European Union reached 38 billion euros in 2011 (against 31 in 2010 and 40 in 2009). Descending France was the largest exporter by value (with nearly 10 billion revenue in exports) followed by the United Kingdom (EUR 7 billion) followed by Germany (5 billion euros). Weapons are exported to nearly 40% within the European Union, more than 20% to the Middle East, 10% in North America and 9% to South Asia. France is the first buyer of European equipment with 4 billion of expenditure (11.3% of exports of the Member States), followed

Germany wants more influence in decisions Airbus

Germany wants its voice to be heard more in the definition of future projects of Airbus, said Wednesday the Minister of Economy Philipp Rössler, speaking more than a month after Berlin came first both directly in the capital of EADS, parent of Airbus.

"The government has set a target of the German aircraft industry to take a leading role in future Airbus programs," he said.

Early December, EADS announced a major reorganization of its shareholders, allowing Germany to enter the capital of the group and states to reduce their participation cumulative, even if they intend to retain influence. (See)

Cyber ​​defense in the security policy of Switzerland

The speaker of the day, after working in construction, risk management and environmental protection, joined the Military Staff (MS) of the Army as a scientific advisor and operations officer.

He has led in part to the crisis management of the Millennium, and then was asked to rethink the architecture and the doctrine of Conduct Army. He has contributed to numerous projects related to systems of command and control information operations.

He commanded the battalion of mountain 7 and the staff of the Mountain Infantry Brigade 10 and finally EM was Chief of Staff of the Army conduct.

Saft on track to sell its small nickel batteries located Nersac

Specialist batteries received a firm offer of resumption of its activity SNB (small nickel batteries) from the French investment company Fin'Active.

Saft has received a firm offer end of 2012 to resume its activity SNB (small nickel battery, small nickel batteries) located in Nersac Charente. This offer comes from the French investment company Fin'Active.

"Saft has granted exclusivity to Fin'Active and starts the process of consultation with employee representative bodies," commented the industry.

At the end of this process, Fin'Active resume the manufacturing activity of these batteries for emergency lighting and professional electronics market, with all the some 340 employees.

The price offered for this acquisition lead Saft to incur a loss on disposal of approximately 10 million euros.

Nexter join robot development business

Robots are playing critical roles on the battlefield and are growing in diversity, and manufacturing capability.

The United States HAS so far led the way in robotic technology and systems for detection and ordnance disposal, convoy vehicles and ground reconnaissance and surveillance for small infantry units.

Purpose others are getting in the game and now Nexter Systems, the French defense group, HAS Formed a Wholly Owned filiale dedicated to robotic technology.

Nexter Robotics was created to Produce and economic development of new robotic solutions for the needs of the French military and allies, Especially in the area of ​​small-scale robots able of performing reconnaissance missions and route clearance activities to counter improvised explosive devices.

Nexter Said aussi icts products will be suitable for use by Civilian security organisms.

"Both in France and abroad, working with customers and through Directly icts network of partners, Nexter Robotics is icts Primarily Focusing on design activities, development, industrialization, production, commercialization and technical support for Both land-based and air / land hybrid robotic systems , together with all the associated components and mission modules, "the company said.

Nexter Systems Introduced a counter-IED robotic system last year Called the LG Nerva. Few details are available on the system, Which is the lead-off item in icts robotic products, it will be purpose Said Demonstrated at the IDEX 2013 defense exhibition in the United Arab Emirates later this year.

Meanwhile, the United States is a major advancement in Tackling robot technology, Which so far Generally features remote pilot or operator control of the robotic system.

U.S. Calls Fight Key To Battling Al Qaeda

LISBON—Obama administration officials applauded French airstrikes in Mali on Monday, describing them as a critical part of a larger Western campaign against al Qaeda and its offshoots.
"We're concerned that anytime al Qaeda establishes a base of operations, while they may not have any immediate plans for attacks the United States and in Europe, ultimately that remains their objective," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, referring to the expansion in Mali by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM. "It is for that reason we have to take steps now to ensure AQIM does not get that kind of traction."
The U.S. has begun sharing intelligence information with the French, senior defense officials said, and is considering a request from Paris for additional intelligence and logistical support for its warplanes in Mali. American officials have begun preparing U.S. surveillance drones for possible deployment.
Mr. Panetta wouldn't describe the potential assistance in detail, saying no final decisions had been made.
The French began targeting AQIM and its allies over the weekend after a plea from Malian officials for help in stemming a military advance.
The U.S. State Department lauded the French action. "We share the French goal of denying terrorists a safe haven," said spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.
American officials have pushed as their preferred solution a regional military force to take the lead in action against insurgents.

Obama Won't Hold Debt Talks With GOP

President Obama warned congressional Republicans on Monday that raising the federal debt ceiling is non-negotiable and that he will not engage in another partisan debate over whether the country should meet its financial obligations.
Obama used the final news conference of his first term to tell a divided Congress to raise the borrowing limit in the coming weeks or risk turning the United States into what he called “a deadbeat nation.”
Invoking his recent reelection victory as proof that the American people support his broader approach to taxes and spending, he said that, in return for doing so, House Republicans would receive nothing.
“The financial well-being of the American people is not leverage to be used,” the president said from the East Room of the White House. “The full faith and credit of the United States of America is not a bargaining chip.”
Less than a week before Obama takes the oath of office for a second term, his position sets him on a collision course with a determined House Republican majority, whose members insist that the debt-ceiling debate offers them leeway to force deep spending cuts.
House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has said that Congress must cut spending as much as any increase in the debt limit. He also has insisted that Americans will not tolerate Congress raising the borrowing limit without changes in entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Social Society, that would slow the growth of government spending.
But Boehner has promised rank-and-file Republicans that he will not participate in high-level talks with Obama, which many House members think have been fruitless over the past two years. His position, like the one Obama articulated Monday, leaves the White House and Congress at odds over how to proceed with only weeks left before the nation will bump up against the $16.4 trillion borrowing limit.
Congress must raise the debt ceiling by mid-February or risk a government default, which could have a devastating effect on the nation’s credit rating and global markets. Obama and other Democrats say no conditions should be attached to paying government bills, but Republicans disagree.
“The American people do not support raising the debt ceiling without reducing government spending at the same time,” Boehner (Ohio) said in response to Obama’s remarks. “The consequences of failing to increase the debt ceiling are real, but so, too, are the consequences of allowing our spending problem to go unresolved.”

U.S. Delegation Seeks To Calm Spats Between Japan, South Korea

WASHINGTON -- The United States sent its top Asian diplomacy and security officials to South Korea and Japan to calm tensions between two U.S. allies whose squabbling has frustrated efforts to deal with a troublesome North Korea and an increasingly assertive China.
The high-powered delegation from the White House, Pentagon and State Department departed on Monday and will be visiting the region shortly after the election of a new nationalist-leaning Japanese government in December and before Seoul inaugurates a new president in February.
Washington hopes South Korea and Japan can put a lid on spats over history and territory stemming from Japan's 1910-45 occupation of Korea. U.S. officials also seek to reassure Tokyo as it confronts almost daily challenges from China over which has sovereignty of disputed islets in a separate, more dangerous, territorial row with Beijing.
The long-simmering disputes erupted anew last year, plunging Tokyo's ties with Seoul and Beijing to troubling lows and casting a cloud over the President Barack Obama's signature policy for East Asia - rebalancing security forces in the region - in part to cope with a surging China.
"We want to see the new Japanese government, the new South Korean government, all of the countries in Northeast Asia working together and solving any outstanding issues, whether they are territorial, whether they're historic, through dialogue," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said last week.
Troubles between Asia's second and fourth biggest economies are frustrating to Washington at a time when a defiant North Korea has tested a long-range rocket and may be poised to conduct its third nuclear test.
In one of the final acts before Obama brings in a new national security team for his second term, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of Defense Mark Lippert and Daniel Russel, the National Security Council senior director for Asian affairs, will meet with officials in Seoul and Tokyo.
U.S. officials regularly meet counterparts from the two countries, which have been American allies since the 1950s and together host most of the 80,000 U.S. troops in Asia. But the antagonistic nationalism that flared up in Asian capitals last year makes this trip anything but routine.
The Japan-South Korea dispute intensified in August when President Lee Myung-bak became the first South Korean leader to set foot on islands claimed by both countries but controlled by Seoul. They are known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan.

Ministry May Base F-15s Near Miyakojima To Counter Chinese Intrusions Faster

The Defense Ministry is thinking of stationing F-15 fighter jets at a remote airport halfway from Naha to Taiwan to speed up its response to airspace incursions by China near the disputed Senkaku Islands, government sources said Monday.
The planes would be stationed on Shimojijima Island, which is much closer to the Japan-administered Senkakus, which China claims as the Diaoyu, than to Okinawa's prefectural capital Naha, where the Air Self-Defense Force's F-15s are based.
But since Shimojijima Airport is not equipped for military use, the ministry would have to make several modifications before shifting the fighters over from Okinawa Island, the sources said. The island is right next to better known Miyakojima Island.
In mid-December, when a Chinese government plane entered Japanese airspace over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, the ASDF scrambled eight F-15 jets from the base in Naha. By the time they got near the disputed islands, however, the plane in question had left.
On Jan. 5, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Defense Ministry officials to strengthen Japan's border security measures.
Naha Air Base is about 420 km away from the Senkakus, which means it takes around 15 to 20 minutes for an F-15 to get there after an emergency takeoff.
Shimojijima Airport, which is administered by the Okinawa Prefectural Government, is about 190 km southeast of the Senkakus and has a 3,000-meter-long runway.

Iran's Navy Will Be Deployed To The Mediterranean

Iran Navy To Deploy 24th Fleet To Mediterranean Sea -- Press TV (Iran)

Iran Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says the Islamic Republic’s 24th fleet of warships will be deployed to the Mediterranean Sea.


“The Navy’s 24th fleet of warships will patrol the north of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, Bab-el-Mandeb, the Red Sea, Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea for three months and will even sail as far as southeastern Asian countries,” Sayyari said on Wednesday.

The Iranian commander added that the Navy’s 23rd fleet of warships would return to the country next week.

    Referring to the Navy’s recent drill, dubbed Velayat 91, Sayyari said the maneuver displayed Iran’s naval capability and its ability to counter any threat against the interests of the Islamic Republic.


Iran Navy launched the six-day naval maneuvers on Friday in order to display the country’s capabilities to defend its maritime borders and maintain lasting peace in the region.

The exercises covered a vast area including the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman, north of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.

Turkey's PM: Military Operations Against Kurdish Rebels Will Continue Until They Lay Down Their Arms

Turkey To Pursue Kurd Rebels Till They Lay Down Arms: PM -- Reuters

 (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday military operations against Kurdish rebels would continue until they laid down their arms, as Turkish media reported warplanes had bombed militants in northern Iraq for a third day.

The prospect of an end to three decades of war between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has gained momentum in recent weeks after the government acknowledged it was talking to the insurgents' jailed leader.


Erdogan, under pressure to bring an end to the violence, has said his government's renewed peace efforts are sincere but has also maintained Ankara's hardline rhetoric over a conflict that has burned for 30 years.

"We want a solution with all our hearts, but to achieve this we will never compromise our dignity," Erdogan told members of his ruling AK Party at their headquarters in Ankara.

"Until the terror organization lays down its arms, until they end their attacks, our security forces will continue their operations," he said, describing the nascent peace talks as a "test of sincerity".

The 'Amazons' Of Kurdistan

The Amazons of Kurdistan: Female Guerrillas Go To War For The PKK
Of all the arenas where women’s equality might be an issue, the battlefield is not one that takes high priority.

Warfare is a man’s game by and large. Women are slowly making headway in national armies around the globe -- they make up about 20 percent of the U.S. armed forces, for instance. But even those serving in the world’s most powerful military are still officially barred from most combat roles.

If there is anything resembling a modern counterpart to the Amazons of Greek mythology, it exists not in the West, but in Turkey -- territory where the Amazon legend may in fact have its origins.

There, an insurgent group called the Kurdistan Workers’ Party -- which goes by its Kurdish acronym PKK -- has led the charge in bringing women to the front lines. The PKK fights for Kurdish autonomy; it is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, the European Union and allies.

The PKK has been involved in guerilla warfare with Turkish troops for decades, though several of its leaders are now based in the Qandil Mountains of Iraq. Lives lost on both sides total an estimated 40,000, and the clashes continue.

Although it is supported by many Kurds around the world, the PKK cannot claim to represent all Kurdish people, many of whom are moderate and seek integration into the various countries where they now reside.

India Stands Up to Pakistan

As cease-fires go, the one between India and Pakistan on the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides the disputed territory of Kashmir, isn't exactly the most rigidly observed. In 2012 it was breached on average about every three days, and over the course of the year eight Indian soldiers died in sporadic fighting that went largely unnoticed.

A recent flare-up between the two countries, however, has ended Indian indifference. Since Jan. 6, five soldiers have died in fighting—two Indians and three Pakistanis. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, about as dovish a leader as India has known, declared that "it cannot be business as usual" between the neighbors. The previous day, army chief Gen. Bikram Singh announced that he had ordered commanders at the border "to be both aggressive and offensive in the face of provocation." Both men were reacting to a chorus of outrage accompanying reports that one of two Indian soldiers killed in a raid Jan. 8 was decapitated, and his head carried back to Pakistan as a trophy.

As anger in India continues to rise, Pakistani singers have canceled concerts in Delhi and Mumbai, Pakistani field hockey players scheduled to participate in a private league have returned home, and a question mark looms over the participation of the Pakistani women's cricket team in a tournament in India later this month. Delhi has postponed implementing a program to ease visa restrictions on elderly citizens.

On the face of it, India's decision to suspend outreach to Pakistan, a centerpiece of Mr. Singh's foreign policy, seems inexplicable. Why crash a promising peace process—including the prospect of trade normalization—on the rocks of a relatively minor incident? Especially when Pakistan's civilian government, rocked by a popular cleric's call Monday for the government to dissolve parliament and all provincial assemblies, appears ready to tamp it down.

How Turkey Can Make Peace With the Kurds

 THE assassination of three Kurdish activists in Paris last week has raised fears that the true target was peace talks between Turkey and the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or the P.K.K. But the so-called peace process was already in shambles before the killings, which have not been solved.

Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, claims that he wants a deal to end nearly 30 years of war between the state and the P.K.K. rebels. But he has yet to take the decisive action needed for a credible peace process. Until he understands that the Kurdish problem in Turkey is about politics and identity, and not just about getting the guerrillas to withdraw from Turkey and give up their weapons, there will be no hope for peace.

The head of Turkish intelligence, Hakan Fidan, has recently been holding talks with the imprisoned P.K.K. leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Turkey’s intelligence services have had discussions with Mr. Ocalan since he was captured in February 1999, but to no avail.

The problem is that Mr. Ocalan may not be the right partner to negotiate with. He is held in extreme isolation on an island prison, with all communication vetted by his jailers. He received a television in his cell for the first time just a few days ago. Visits must be approved, and rarely are. This means that Mr. Ocalan has limited knowledge of developments in the Kurdish region of Turkey. And while he remains the head of the P.K.K., he has no practical control over the rebels’ day-to-day operations.

Even if he were in control, the highly authoritarian Mr. Ocalan is not necessarily the man to ensure democracy for Turkey’s Kurds. During the nearly two decades he was based in Syria, Mr. Ocalan consolidated power by killing or isolating challengers.