:
CUT CABLES: Sabotage or . . .

"sharks with laser beams on their heads" ? -

I do believe there are credible grounds to suspect sabotage in the recent disruption cluster of undersea cables. But, initially, it was suggested by many theorists that Iran was the target of the hypothetical attack. I, however, have come to believe differently.

I now suspect that if this was an action of deliberate sabotage, it was actually Pakistan which was the real target. This may very well have been an attempt to sabotage and/or derail the recent Pakistani election process.

And we don't have to look very far
to round up the usual suspects:

Who blew up an internet cafe in Peshawar and threatened to do so to three or four others so that the owners were persuaded to remove their computer equipment and place it in storage for safekeeping? Who encircled the people of the Swat Valley and attempted to cut them off from the rest of the world? This does seem to fit the pattern which has been associated with Al Qaeda there.

Can I prove it? No. But it seems to fit their
pattern with a pragmatic proofing pro tem.

The question which naturally flows from this premise is: how did they accomplish it? That's why I previously suggested we send a dolphin down with camera equipment to take a closer look. I don't know how they could have gone about it. Maybe it was just as simple as sending down a deepsea-equipped diver to perform the tasks.

However it was done, we may never know unless they decide to publicly take credit, which is possible in due course. Until we know for sure, that situation remains suspicious, as far as I'm concerned.

"Cut-Cable Conspiracy Theories Get New Life"

:: By Ben Worthen at wsj blogs ::

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