"If Iraq falls apart, historians may seek to identify years from now what was the decisive moment. The ratification of the constitution in October 2005, a sectarian document that both marginalised and alienated the Sunni Arab community? The flawed January 2005 elections that handed victory to a Shiite-Kurdish alliance, which drafted the constitution and established a government that countered outrages against Shiites with indiscriminate attacks against Sunnis? Establishment of the Interim Governing Council in July 2003, a body that in its composition prized communal identities over national-political platforms? Or, even earlier, in the nature of the ousted regime and its consistent and brutal suppression of political stirrings in the Shiite and Kurdish communities that it saw as threatening its survival? Most likely it is a combination of all four, as this report argues."
Read the entire article.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
Werner Shot
I have been watching a lot of Werner Herzog lately and just happened on this story about some nut job shooting the Wunderkid. Bizzare.
And he saves movie stars in car crashes also!
The Lebanon Model
Before the Bush II invasion of Iraq one of the arguments against the war was the fear of what was to come as a result of the dissolution of the Iraqi state. From this corner and others the Lebanon scenario of the 1970's was proposed as a probable outcome. It seems this outcome has arrived.
The US as "honest broker" and their strategy in Iraq according to Empire Notes.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Worldwide Spread of English Is Becoming Disadvantage for UK, US
Soon 2 billion will speak English on the planet. With globalization this gives an advantage to those who learn English as a second language.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Torture R' Us
Bush's announcement in December that "we do not torture" was treated as no big deal in the US. Around the world, particularly in Latin America, many were shocked by the audacity of the statement and the location of the speech, in Panama site of the infamous School of the Americas. Here's a Naomi Klein article on the bogus speech.
Iranian Holocaust Denier Blames US For Bombing Of Iraqi Shia Shrine
Indirectly he is correct. If the US did not invade then the shrine probably would not have been blown up. But the idea that somehow the US has an interest in a civil war in Iraq and blew the shrine up to this end is absurd. I post this because after the Counterpunch article I have received email from lots of paranoids and cranks who are willing to believe any far flung story without a shred of evidence in their outrage over US misdeeds around the world. Many are also very convinced that US imperialism is motivated by religion, namely Christian fundamentalism and Judaism. The "Zionist entity" usually comes up with this crowd.
The Republican and Democratic parties are allies of Israel. They do it for strategic and domestic political reasons. Israel is seen as an asset by some of the strategic planner elite and a liability by others. The "Israel as an asset" crowd think the Israelis are reliable, do dirty work for the US-weapons and support to Guatemala or other unsavory regimes, intelligence gathering, voting in international organizations, etc... They also get support because Jewish voters live in strategic states, vote in high numbers (overwhelmingly for Democrats), and contribute to candidates at a high rate and have lots of lobby groups that are very well organized at many levels of US society. There is nothing sinister about any of this. It is out in the open and perfectly legitimate. If the Arab and Muslim community in the US would organize a little more, they have around the same population as Jewish-Americans, they would have more pull.
Right wing Christians, some of whom would like to see a theocratic state but most of whom want more Bible everywhere, are a major ally of the Republicans. They like the anti-abortion, anti-Darwin, anti-gay, anti-women (do you see a pattern here) stance of the Republican party domestically. They also tend to be strong nationalists. A small group want the apocalypes to occur in Israel so that they can be with Yahweh quicker but they are a nutty minority. Does this mean that religion is a cause of imperialism. No. Bush and the Republicans (and many Democrats) may talk about god a lot but the churches aren't the beneficiaries of invasions of Iraq, Bechtel, Haliburton and arms manufacturers are, so is the overall position of the US advanced, if they don't lose, if the US is well placed across the planet. The fundis may like the ass kickin but so do many other jingo's who are non-religious.
In a nutshell; the US invades plunders and keeps the war machine moving for strategic, domestic political, and military/industry reasons not religious ones.
Generation Jihad
An amazing story here on the use of technology and the resistance in Iraq. Frontline recently showed bits of these videos and they are extremely powerful and horrifying. Worth the listen.
By the way the use of the word "Jihadi" is widely used in this report. Do you think it is an Islamophobic or racist term?
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Democrats Play Anti-Arab Card In Port Controversy
Leading Arabphobe Charles Schumer is making hay over a plan to sell port operations to a company from Dubai. With health care costs continuing to spiral out of control, a losing war in Iraq, an ever growing deficit and debt, the Constitution violated daily, oil company sweetheart deals, etc... this is all the Democrats can come up with? Pathetic.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Akron/Family
Joyce once wrote to his wife “the two parts of your body which do dirty things are the loveliest to me.” I like this band too.
Friday, February 17, 2006
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