Thursday, December 18, 2008

dirinya merasa sangat prihatin dengan keadaan Indonesia sebagai negara kepulauan terbesar

Sultan HB X: Ubah Paradigma Pembangunan Indonesia
http://hanura-id.blogspot.com/
Jakarta(ANTARA News) - Pembangunan nasional Indonesia yang selama ini mengacu kepada `Land Based Oriented` seharusnya segera diubah ke arah paradigma yang sebenar-benarnya, yakni `Ocean Based Oriented`, agar bangsa ini tidak terus menerus salah kaprah menjalankan roda kehidupan kenegaraan ke depan. Demikian salah satu benang merah kesimpulan yang mencuat pada Diskusi "Visi Maritim Indonesia: Menegaskan Kembali Identitas Kebangsaan Kita", oleh Divisi Kajian Strategis "Tim Pelangi Perubahan", di Kebayoran, Jakarta Selatan, Kamis malam. Diskusi yang dibuka oleh Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X itu juga merekomendasikan tiga hal utama yang patut segera mendapat perhatian serius. Pertama, perlunya perubahan paradigma sebagaimana disebutkan tadi. Kedua, mendesaknya sebuah `blue print National Security and Development Maritime`. Dan ketiga, terbentuknya sebuah `institutional building` berorientasi kelautan dan kemaritiman. "Jika tidak, maka bangsa yang bangga menyebut dirinya sebagai Negara Archipelago (`Archipelagic State`) terbesar di dunia ini akan dikendalikan oleh negara-negara yang hanya punya pantai sempit," tutur Laksda TNI Pur Robert Mangindaan, salah satu pembicara pada diskusi tersebut. Selain Robert Mangindaan (pakar Keamanan Negara Maritim), tampil pula Prof Dr Hasjim Djalal (pakar Hukum Kelautan Internasional), Dr Kusnanto Anggoro (pakar ilmu politik dan pertahanan dari CSIS), Laksma TNI Pur Bonar Simangunsong (anggota Dewan Kelautan Indonesia, Dekin), dan Elya G Muskitta (aktivis muda pemberdayaan nelayan dan wilayah pesisir). Forum diskusi itu juga sepakat menunjukkan tahapan sejarah perkembangan kebangsaan Indonesia dari awal abad ke-20 yang ditandai dengan mulai adanya kesadaran kesatuan nasional (dengan dua episode utama, yakni Hari Kebangkitan Nasional, 20 Mei 1908, dan Hari Sumpah Pemuda, 28 Oktober 19288). Kemudian, memasuki tahapan penguatan kesatuan negara, ditandai dengan Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia pada 17 Agustus 1945. "Lalu, ada kesatuan wilayah melalui Deklarasi Djuanda (1958) yang menjadikan luas wilayah NKRI menjadi 30 kali lipat dibanding keadaannya pada 17 Agustus 1945. Apalagi kemudian pada ratifikasi UNCLOS (1982) bertambah lagi menjadi 60 kali lipat," ungkap Prof Dr Hasyim Djalal. Luas Laut Ketambahan 60 Kali Lipat Namun, Hasyim Djalal sendiri menyorot kritis ketambahan wilayah laut Indonesia sebanyak 60 kali lipat (sejak lahirnya Deklarasi Djuanda, 1958, lalu ratifikasi UNCLOS, 1982), dibanding keadaanya pada saat diproklamasikan (17 Agustus 1945), tetapi ternyata tidak ada ketambahan dalam cara penanganannya. "Sangat disayangkan, tidak ada ketambahan dalam cara penanganan maupun pengelolaannya bagi sebesar-besarnya kemakmuran bangsa. Baik itu dalam pengelolaan di sektor infrastruktur, pemberdayaan SDM, maupun pengamanannya. Kita cuma punya dua kapal selam, tetapi satunya tidak bisa bergerak. Sementara Singapura yang hanya negara pulau, punyak tujuh kapal selam canggih, China 60 buah dan seterusnya," ungkapnya. Satu hal yang pasti, demikian Sri Sulatan Hamengku Buwono X, dirinya merasa sangat prihatin dengan keadaan Indonesia sebagai negara kepulauan terbesar, dengan penguasaan garis pantai terpanjang di dunia ini, tetapi seperti tak berdaya melakukan apa-apa. Ia juga menyadari betul posisi strategis Indonesia dan arti penting sejarah Indonesia sebagai bangsa maritim. Dua hal ini pula (potensi kelautan dan kemaritiman, serta posisi strategis dalam percaturan global), menurut Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, merupakan sesuatu yang seperti dilupakan sehinga kurang mendapat perhatian, sekaligus tidak dijadikan basis pembangunan nasional. "Maritim sebagai `mainstream` bukanlah menomorduakan dua sektor lainnya, yakni darat dan udara. Tetapi, maritim sebagai `mainstream` artinya menjadikan sektor laut sebagai poros utama dan sektor-sektor lainnya sebagai penopang dengan tetap memiliki arti penging yang sama," katanya dalam makalah yang disajikan melalui Divisi Kajian Strategis Tim Pelangi Perubahan. Sementara itu, Kusnanto Anggoro dan Bonar Simangunsong, sama-sama berharap, agar aplikasi suatu `institutional building` berwawasan maritim bisa terwujud mulai 2009 mendatang, pasca Pemilu Presiden (Pilpres), dengan lahirnya kepemimpinan yang semakin perduli pada perubahan mendasar paradigma pembangunan nasional.
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Friday, October 17, 2008

US campaign bypasses foreign policy

US campaign bypasses foreign policy

By Jonathan Marcus
BBC News diplomatic correspondent

US troop in Iraq
Pundits say the success of the surge has had unexpected political effects

At the outset of this presidential race it looked as though foreign policy would be one of the dominant issues in the campaign.

Adapting the United States to a fast-changing world, extricating its armed forces from Iraq, and restoring the country's standing in the wake of "the global war on terror" would be sufficient foreign policy challenges for any new president.

Add to this the linked crises in Afghanistan and Pakistan; Iran's nuclear programme, and the quest for Middle East peace and you have more than enough to keep any administration occupied.

Foreign policy was also expected to play a significant tactical role in this campaign. It is after all one of the big selling points for Republican contender Senator John McCain.

'Surge' effect

In all of the presidential debates so far, he has sought to contrast his experience in foreign affairs with the relative inexperience of the Democratic hopeful Barack Obama.

Senator Obama, in contrast, has sought to present his opponent's policies as simply a continuation of the Bush Administration in all but name.

But out on the campaign trail, foreign policy appears to have all but disappeared as an issue in this race.

Even Iraq - still one of the thorniest of problems - has fallen from the headlines.

Out in Colorado, veteran pollster and pundit Floyd Ciruli explained to me what was happening.

Senators Barack Obama and John McCain
Whichever president wins, a troop build-up in Afghanistan is likely

His polling shows how foreign policy - even Iraq - has fallen way down the list of voters' priorities.

Of course it is the economic crisis that is largely responsible for this.

But he told me that paradoxically the very success of the surge - the increase in US troop numbers in Iraq - has had an unexpected political effect.

"The more successful the surge," he says, "the less Iraq has been covered in the press."

"So the more successful the strategy that John McCain advocated - which was to change the ground rules and add more troops to Iraq -the more Iraq receded from the agenda, leaving Senator McCain without the credit he was really yearning for and expected."

Of course to say that foreign policy has gone away at a time of global financial meltdown is to impose a totally false division between the worlds of economics and foreign policy.

In today's globalised world they are intimately bound up with each other.

No silver lining

For a view on the significance of this crisis for America's role as a global leader, I turned to Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, and a former senior official in the Bush Administration.

The new President is going to wake up in the White House and very quickly realise just how constrained he is
Richard Haass
President of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York
"Not every cloud has a silver lining," he said, "and essentially there will be nothing particularly positive that flows from this financial crisis."

"Most importantly," he stressed, "it weakens the economic foundation stone, which is at the basis of all the US does in the world. In the future there will be far fewer resources available, be it for the military, for aid, and for anything else."

It is going to be harder, he said, for the next US president to get Americans to support open trade policies, for example a new world trade agreement.

"I think the prospects for that go down", he says.

But above all he stressed that the crisis effects "the ability of the United States to preach to the rest of the world about how to operate a modern global capitalist economy. Our credibility in that area has gone down considerably."

Richard Haass though, as one of the more pragmatic conservative foreign policy analysts is no doom-merchant.

Catastrophe or opportunity

"The crisis has damaged or weakened the position of the United States in the world," he said.

"But I wouldn't assume that this is permanent.

"We are most likely entering a period of disorder, where essentially we have gone from an American-dominated uni-polar world to a world in which power is distributed to many actors; some of whom are prepared to play a helpful role, and unfortunately some of whom are not."

Gary Hart, 2003
Gary Hart believes the global economy problems help Mr Obama

While in the West, I touched base with one of the Democratic Party's most prominent foreign policy thinkers - former senator and one-time presidential hopeful Gary Hart.

While not underestimating the impact of the problems of the global economy, he nonetheless saw in all of this an opportunity for the man that he backs for the Presidency, Senator Obama.

"I can see a situation", he told me in his office at the University of Colorado, "where catastrophe can be turned into opportunity, where a President Barrack Obama simply says our situation is different now, we are going to play a different role in the world and our role is convenor and creative leader."

A new international regulatory system for banking might be needed, he argued and this, he said, "might be a good place for the new president to start."

Gary Hart thinks that a President Obama could transform American foreign policy.

This assessment stems from his fundamental analysis of the problems facing the contemporary world.

"All of the current global problems," he told me, "be it proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; failing states; climate change; mass South-North migrations; the threat of pandemics and so on, share two common features. One is that no single nation, by itself can solve them and second, they cannot be solved by military means at all."

Then he harked back to a theme of many Democrats, suggesting, as he put it, "that an Obama Administration might recreate the Truman-era of 1945 to 1948 and create a new set of international institutions in collaboration with our allies to address these new realities."

This idea of a new American foreign policy based upon co-operation and collaboration rather than unilateralism is what many people abroad seem to be hoping for from a President Obama.

If opinion polls are to be believed, the overwhelming view in the world beyond America's shores is that Mr Obama is the right man for the job.

Outside America many of the caricatures of Mr McCain as simply "a George W Bush Mark III" seem to be widely accepted.

But behind the slogans, some experts wonder just how different an Obama or a McCain administration might be from each other; at least in foreign policy terms.

Diplomatic tools

"I think no matter who wins", Richard Haass said, "you are going to see a reduction in the American presence in Iraq - they may disagree on the pace and how fast we get to some point - but the era in which Iraq has dominated American foreign policy is over."

US and Iraqi forces in Iraq
Polls show the Iraq war has become less of a priority for voters
He went on: "We are going to see a build-up in Afghanistan, no matter who is the winner, there is a consensus that the situation there is deteriorating rapidly and the United States needs to re-orient its policy.

"And I would think we are going to see a new diplomatic approach towards Iran as it speeds along in its efforts to give itself the option to develop nuclear materials and conceivably nuclear weapons."

Nonetheless Richard Haass accepted that there were some significant differences between the candidates especially in the emphasis they place on diplomacy.

"I think Senator Obama is more comfortable in embracing diplomacy as a central tool or instrument of American foreign policy" he told me.

"Senator McCain approaches diplomacy a little bit more with pre-conditions; as something of a reward and he also seems to see it as something of a sanction, to be removed when he doesn't like a country."

But whoever wins the coming election, Richard Haass believes that diplomacy will win out over other options.

"The new President is going to wake up in the White House," he notes, "and very quickly realise just how constrained he is."

"He is going to have very few military forces that he can do anything with because the bulk of our Army and Marines are so tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Economically he is obviously going to find himself extraordinarily constrained - the US will still be importing two-thirds of the oil it uses and even if the price comes down somewhat, it will still be relatively high by historical standards.

"So the one box of tools the new president is likely to have at his disposal, will be diplomatic tools."

Lewis Hamilton's driving has come under the spotlight at the Chinese Grand Prix following criticism from his rivals.

CHINESE GRAND PRIX, Shanghai International Circuit
Race: Sunday, 19 October from 0800 BST Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sport website and ITV1
Qualifying: Saturday, 18 October from 0700 BST Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Sport website and ITV1

Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton is under fire from a number of angles as he seeks to win the title

Lewis Hamilton's driving has come under the spotlight at the Chinese Grand Prix following criticism from his rivals.

The issue has been thrown into the spotlight after several leading drivers expressed concerns about some of the manoeuvres Hamilton has pulled.

"Lewis is a phenomenal talent but his respected colleagues are saying: 'Mate, it doesn't need to be like that all the time,'" Red Bull's Mark Webber said.

Hamilton said: "I know people have comments and that's fine with me."

Some drivers have been concerned about Hamilton's driving all season, but the issue has come to a head following last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

Hamilton was penalised for an attempt to retain his lead following a slow start at Fuji, which led to him taking Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen off the track.

I know people have comments and that's fine with me. They have the right to their own opinion
Lewis Hamilton

"The first corner in Fuji was pretty wild," said Webber, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.

"Lewis was having a crack, but if someone had been sitting on his right rear when he pulled out then that was a crash," Webber said.

"There was also no way he was going to make the first corner, and while it is not illegal to out-brake yourself, we want to have a bit of a chat about moving around in the braking areas.

"If any guy moves two or three metres left or right then you have contact and you have tethers (on the wheels) going off, so that is what we want a chat about."

"I am not smashing Hamilton but it is about how you move on. Tiger Woods learns. Roger Federer learns. And Lewis is going through that.

"We lost a marshal at Monza [in 2000] when there were guys moving around in the braking areas and it is very hard to change your line if you don't know what is coming. That is the only thing that we need to look at."

Talking to the BBC on Friday, Webber was at pains to stress he had never said Hamilton could end up killing someone, as was reported in some British tabloid newspapers.

"I know I never said the word 'kill'," Webber said. "I said a lot of positive stuff about Lewis.

"It's clear there has been a few manoeuvres in the braking area that some of us have not agreed with, and I used Monza eight years ago as an example of that type of situation where we can have cars flying through the air.

"[I'm] very disappointed those at the headlines. I'm disappointed with the press - they come to you for your expertise and experience and sometimes they slate you."

Kubica, who crashed heavily in Canada last year and had questioned the safety of Hamilton's driving in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in September, clarified his position in China.

"When one driver is overtaking another one and crossing his line just in front of his wheels, it's quite dangerous, especially if someone behind has to lift off," he said.

Lewis Hamilton locks his wheels trying to pass Kimi Raikkonen at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix
Hamilton has been criticised for his behaviour at the start in Japan

"I have been involved in an accident in a similar situation in Canada and I know what it means when a front wheel hits a rear wheel, and it's quite dangerous.

"I just say this: while nothing happens everything is fine but if something happens then I think everyone will realise. That's all."

Hamilton said: "They have the right to their own opinion.

"It's a shame they all think that way but at the end of the day my driving is why I'm here and this is why I'm leading the championship. So I'm not disappointed with that."

Toyota's Jarno Trulli expressed concerns about the way Hamilton held him up while he was trying to lap him during the race.

BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld told BBC Sport after Friday practice in Shanghai: "I think the penalty [Hamilton] got in the last race was unreasonable.

"On the other side, I think he is a pretty hard driver. Sometimes it helps his results and sometimes he gets penalties but he is very aggressive."

606: DEBATE
jimmyv38

However, Webber's team-mate David Coulthard stamped out suggestions that the drivers resented the instant success Hamilton is enjoying in just his second year in the sport.

"Absolutely not," he told BBC Sport. "Whoever made that up, is people trying to imagine what it's like to be a racing driver rather than understanding what that is.

"From what I read in the media there seems to be a growing tide of drivers suggesting that his driving is too aggressive but most of the time I'm not racing against Lewis so can't really comment.

"I admire success and admire people who've dedicated themselves to the sport and if they are in a winning car then c'est la vie."

McLaren driver Hamilton leads his closest rival Felipe Massa of Ferrari by five points and BMW Sauber's Kubica by 12 with two races to go.

His lead at the top of the drivers' standings was cut by two points after he finished 12th and Massa seventh at last week's Japanese Grand Prix.

Hamilton is without a victory since the German Grand Prix seven races ago and has shown signs that he is feeling the pressure.

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has said that Kubica would be the most worthy world champion this year.

Hamilton needs allies - Jordan

"The one who really deserves it now is Kubica," Villeneuve told BBC Sport

"He has not been in as good a car as either Felipe or Lewis yet he has produced a season without mistakes."

Villeneuve also questioned the number of penalties that have been handed out by race stewards this season.

"You have to say the penalties that both [Hamilton and Massa] have been getting has been a little bit surprising.

"Once you start giving penalties away you just have to keep giving more and more and where do you [draw] the line?"

"This year he's got it in his hands with two races to go so we'll see how it pans out.

"He's been thrown in very young and been told for many years that he's the best in the world.

"At some point you end up believing that and I guess that happens to most drivers at some point in their careers."

Lewis Hamilton got his Chinese Grand Prix weekend off to a perfect start with the fastest time in practice

CHINESE GRAND PRIX, Shanghai International Circuit
Race: Sunday, 19 October from 0800 BST Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sport website and ITV1
Qualifying: Saturday, 18 October from 0700 BST Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Sport website and ITV1

Lewis Hamilton runs wide during practice in Shanghai
Despite a couple of off-track moments, Hamilton dominated practice

Lewis Hamilton got his Chinese Grand Prix weekend off to a perfect start with the fastest time in practice.

The McLaren driver clocked one minute 35.630 seconds in the first session to beat Ferrari's Felipe Massa, his main rival for the title, by 0.390 secs.

Hamilton was fastest again in the slower second session, with the Brazilian in sixth place.

The third driver in title contention, BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica, was fifth and 12th in the two sessions.

Fernando Alonso - the winner of the last two races, who has made it clear he would rather Kubica or Massa won the title than his former team-mate Hamilton - was second fastest in the afternoon, 0.274 secs adrift in his Renault.

Hamilton leads Massa in the drivers' standings by five points heading into this penultimate race, with Kubica a further seven adrift.

The 23-year-old can win the title on Sunday in one of several scenarios: if he wins, with Massa lower than fourth; if he is second, with Massa lower than sixth; or if he is third, with Massa out of the points, as long as Kubica does not win.

For now, Hamilton is focusing on the task ahead in Shanghai, where he is determined to atone for his dismal 12th-place finish in Japan.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa
Today doesn't represent anything - there are possibilities to be strong in qualifying and the race
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa
"I'm not going into this race saying it has to be done now," said Hamilton, who is attempting to become the youngest world champion in Formula One history.

"I just want to redeem myself from last week. I feel confident for qualifying but not too confident.

"We have a strong car as always and this was one of the best Fridays I've had - I'm very happy."

Massa was well adrift of his McLaren rival in both sessions but believes his practice pace is not a true reflection of his ability to challenge Hamilton over the course of the weekend.

"Today doesn't represent anything," said Massa. "There are possibilities to be strong in qualifying and the race.

"I hope we can be competitive; that's what we're working for and for sure it would be nice to start in the front or the front row.

"We did a good job on fine-tuning [in practice] and I'm confident."

Kubica, who retains slim hopes of a first world title, admitted he needs to find further improvement if he is to challenge in China.

"We tried all kinds of different things, but I'm not happy with the balance of the car, and the overall level of grip is poor," Kubica said.

"There is still a lot of work to be done."

Hamilton needs allies - Jordan

Hamilton insists he has put behind him the first-corner error that led to him scoring no points at the Japanese Grand Prix last Sunday.

But his driving has come in for criticism from some of his fellow racers, who believe he sometimes moves around dangerously while braking.

Hamilton, however, showed no signs of being distracted by his critics as he blitzed both practice sessions at the Shanghai circuit comfortably clear of his rivals.

The Englishman set his hot lap late in the morning session but jumped straight to the top of the timesheets in his first flying lap of the afternoon, setting a benchmark of 1:35.750 which could not be bettered.

606: DEBATE
TA19
Hamilton had dominated in China last season only for his race to unravel, and along with it his grip on the world title, when he spun into the gravel and was forced to retire from the race.

He looked on from the McLaren garage as Renault's Nelson Piquet made the same mistake in the same spot in morning practice, sliding off the pit lane entry and ploughing across the gravel.

There were plenty of wobbles during practice and Hamilton's otherwise faultless display was slightly spoiled when he ran off the track halfway through the opening session before coming off again at the tricky Turn Two in the afternoon.

Kimi Raikkonen, celebrating his birthday, spun his Ferrari in the same place, while Toro Rosso's Sebastian Bourdais ended the second session marooned in the gravel trap.

The afternoon session saw most of the field experiment with different fuel loads and Renault's strategy elevated Alonso up to second with his team-mate Piquet third.

However, Alonso, surprise winner of the last two Grands Prix, is not ruling out another solid performance in Shanghai.

"We need to work hard because we can improve the car a little bit in terms of set up," the double world champion said.

"The two top teams are very quick so we need to get in the middle of them and have a better qualifier to start from the front."


First practice times from Chinese Grand Prix:

1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes one minute 35.630
2. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 1:36.020
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:36.052
4. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 1:36.103
5. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:36.507
6. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:36.661
7. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:37.040
8. Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:37.070
9. Nelson Piquet (Brz) Renault 1:37.180
10. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:37.278
11. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 1:37.491
12. Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1:37.619
13. Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams-Toyota 1:37.630
14. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault 1:37.638
15. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 1:37.638
16. Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:37.664
17. Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 1:37.827
18. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:38.219
19. Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Ferrari 1:38.285
20. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India-Ferrari 1:38.479

Second practice times:

1. Hamilton one minute 35.750
2. Alonso 1:36.024
3. Piquet 1:36.094
4. Trulli Toyota 1:36.159
5. Webber 1:36.375
6. Massa 1:36.480
7. Bourdais 1:36.529
8. Raikkonen 1:36.542
9. Heidfeld 1:36.553
10. Rosberg 1:36.556
11. Glock 1:36.615
12. Kubica 1:36.775
13. Kovalainen 1:36.797
14. Coulthard 1:36.808
15. Vettel 1:36.925
16. Nakajima 1:36.975
17. Fisichella 1:37.473
18. Sutil 1:37.617
19. Button 1:37.800
20. Barrichello 1:37.904

Diabetes aspirin use questioned

Diabetes aspirin use questioned

Aspirin
Aspirin makes it harder for blood clots to form

Aspirin should not routinely be used to prevent heart attacks in people with diabetes, Scottish research suggests.

The British Medical Journal reported that in 1,300 adults with no symptoms of heart disease the drug, which can cause stomach bleeds, had no benefit.

The findings contradict many guidelines which advocate people with diabetes use aspirin to counter the underlying high risk of heart attack and stroke.

But there are key high-risk groups who still need the drug, experts said.

Patients with concerns are advised to consult their GP before changing medication.

In people who have already had a heart attack or stroke, or have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, aspirin has been shown to reduce the risk of future "events" by around 25%.

Patients shouldn't panic or stop taking aspirin
Professor Steve Field, Royal College of GPs

However, in recent years doctors have begun to focus on people who have not yet developed so-called cardiovascular disease, but are at high-risk of having it in the future - such as people with diabetes.

There are around two million people over 40 with diabetes in the UK.

Around 80% of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease including strokes and heart attacks.

A daily dose of aspirin is recommended by several UK guidelines as a "preventive" treatment in these groups.

No benefit

But in the latest study in adults over 40 years with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and no symptoms of cardiovascular disease, there was no difference over seven years in heart attacks or strokes between those given aspirin and those given a dummy pill.

ASPIRIN USE
It can reduce the risk of people who have had strokes or heart attacks being ill again
But this study shows no benefit for people with diabetes who have no signs of heart disease
There is a known risk that taking the drug can cause stomach bleeds
People should talk to their GP before they stop taking the drug

Study leader Professor Jill Belch, from the University of Dundee, said aspirin was one of the most common causes of hospital admission for gastrointestinal bleeding.

"We have got a bit ahead of ourselves with aspirin.

"We need to think again about using it for primary prevention."

However she stressed the drug was beneficial in people who had already had a heart attack or stroke.

Professor Peter Sever, an expert in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics at Imperial College London, said the study was "extremely important".

"It confirms many concerns we have that aspirin is very widely used in the general population without an evidence base to support its overall benefits.

"Thousands of people buy aspirin over the counter - I'm forever saying to patients you shouldn't be taking this.

"I have had a couple of patients admitted to hospital with major gastrointestinal bleeding when there was no evidence it was doing any good."

The number of people diagnosed with diabetes and as having a high risk of cardiovascular disease is set to increase, with government plans in England to introduce a national screening programme for the over-40s next year.

Professor Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said it would be worth revisiting the guidelines.

"But patients shouldn't panic or stop taking aspirin," he said.

Judy O'Sullivan, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study adds weight to the evidence that aspirin should not be prescribed to prevent disease of the heart and circulation to people with diabetes, and other high risk groups, who do not already have symptoms of the disease."

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