Pakistan's increasingly perilous position has in the last few weeks become desperate as the country verges towards economic collapse. Faced in the coming days with exhausting its foreign exchange reserves the situation in Pakistan is fast deteriorating from a crisis to a disaster in the making.

Question: American officials have in the past often repeated that Musharraf is an asset for the United States of America in preserving their interests and strengthening & consolidating their stronghold in the region and that he was the US’s crucial ally in occupation of Afghanistan etc… then yesterday, 18th August 2008 C.E the same United States abandoned him leaving no option for him but to resign. How did it come to that? Does it suggest a political confrontation with the British where they succeeded in dislodging Musharraf? And finally, who is likely to replace him as President of the republic?

Question: What prompted Georgia to initiate attack on South Ossettia? Did it not anticipate a stong reaction from Russia? Where would this war lead to?

Question: On 6th of August, 2008, a military coup was announced in Mauritania staged by the army led by the chief of the Republican Guard, General Mohammed Abdul Azeez against the President of the Republic Sayyid Mohammed al Sheikh Abdullah and his Prime Minister Yahya Ahmad al Waqif. This coup took place 16 months after the elections facilitated by the army in March 2007, which itself were less than 2 years after the 2005 military coup which dethroned Waleed al Ta’e and the army assumed authority under the leadership of Colonel Ali Mohammed Faal who honoured his commintment to transfer power to an elected government. What is the reality of this latest coup and what prompted it?

The following is a translation from an Arabic Q&A.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Question:

The dollar crisis continues to persist and it its slide down is markedly visible. This has been followed by a surge in crude oil, gold and other minerals & metals prices thereby resulting in steep rise in foodstuff prices. This multi-faceted crisis is unprecedented both in terms of its intensity as well as persistence…

Is this crisis really a result of economic problems, or is it the US policies that are spurring & aggravating it?

I request you to please clarify this, may Allah reward you for it.