May 2007 Archives
« Previous · Home · Next »
Once upon a time . . .
Filed under: Venezuela
{Turn the virtual page to read more about our brave hero Jimmy and his adventures}
del.icio.us | 
digg | 
technorati | 
stumble upon | 
furl | 
redditSecurity Council Votes for Hariri Tribunal
Filed under: Middle East
The 15 state members of the UNSCR voted the UN Resolution 1757 establishing a tribunal to try those accused of the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. The resolution was sponsored by the United States, Britain, France, Belgium, Slovakia and Italy and brought in at the request of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and of 70 Lebanese MPs.
An Nahar reported that people celebrated in the streets this first important victory, and Saad Hariri thanked the people and the international community for supporting this initiative from the get go.
The tribunal is necessary, not just for Hariri, but also for Pierre Gemayel, Gebran Tueni, Kasir, all good men who have publicly stated that they want a Lebanon free of Syrian interference. And we should not forget that before these assassinations there were others who were eliminated by Damascus, like Bashir Gemayel, Rene Mouwad, Kamal Jumblatt and so on. SOLIDA does a wonderful job reminding the Lebanese and the world that tens of thousands of Lebanese individuals have been illegally detained, many murdered by the heinous Syrian Baath regime in the past 30 years. Not surprisingly, Syria denies it. Actually, Syria refuses to admit that it has ever harm Lebanon or the Lebanese. Go figure! After 30 years of military/intelligence occupation that is a very stupid affirmation even for the Syrian Baath and Assad.
Hezbollah also expressed its criticism of the International Tribunal. If it has nothing to hide, why fear the IT? The same goes for Damascus. Actually SANA the state run news agency said that, "Setting up the court under Chapter 7 (of the UN Charter) violates Lebanese sovereignty and could result in further deterioration of the situation in the Lebanese arena." That means that Syria realizes that it is trapped in its own wrongdoings, but not ready to give up without a fight.
Hezbollah ministers resigned some months ago in order to put pressure on Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora; HA orchestrated the summer war with Israel, the violent street strikes and later on the, mostly peaceful sit-ins in front of the government building. They had the FPM support, but it looks like General Aoun in his ambition to become President, choose the wrong camp.
It is good that the efforts of Syria, HA and its allies (Fatah al Islam, SSNP, FPM etc ) failed to accomplish any of their objectives. Now that justice is on the verge of being made, I bet Syria will do its best to create chaos in Lebanon. If the Lebanese made it so far, lets hope they won't let the criminals' escape prosecution.
In brief: UNSCR Resolutions regarding Lebanon (before 1757)
UN 1559 asking the:
-Withdrawing Syrian forces from Lebanon
-Disbanding and disarming the Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias
-Lebanese independence and sovereignty
-Government control over all Lebanese territory (South and Beqaa included)
UN 1680
-Urging Syria to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon
UN 1664
-Asking for the establishment of the international tribunal
UN 1701
-Full cessation of hostilities
-Israel to withdraw from Lebanon in parallel with Lebanese and UNIFIL soldiers deploying throughout the South
-Disarming HA
-Full control of Lebanon by the government of Lebanon
-No paramilitary forces, including Hezbollah, will be located south of the Litani river
And it stresses the urgency of solving the problem of the two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by HA - fact that lead to the war in the 1st place
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditRussia: Postcards from the Neo-Soviet Union
Filed under: Russia
Cue the Theme from Jaws. DA-dum. DA-dum, da-dum . . .
Reporting in the Times of London, Moscow correspondent Mark Franchetti adds more evidence that Russians have rejected the concept of democracy and are willingly returning to the dark days of Soviet dictatorship, underlining the extent to which we were misled by the idiots who said, during the first cold war, that ordinary Russians were decent democrats who would do the right thing given a chance, and that they could "never go back" to dictatorship once the Berlin Wall fell.
Seven years after coming to power, Putin, who served a third of his life in the KGB, has few friends left in Europe and America. West of Moscow he is vilified as an authoritarian despot who has crushed opposition to his rule, turned independent media into a sycophantic tool of the Kremlin and jailed or chased his critics into exile. In Litvinenko's case Putin has effectively been branded a murderer by parts of the western press. In Russia, by contrast, Putin enjoys popularity ratings that must surely be the envy of George W Bush and Tony Blair. Well over 70% of Russians support him, according to the latest polls -- by any standards a record for a leader at the end of his tenure. Under the current leadership this is an authoritarian country run mostly by a clique of former KGB agents. And yes, the control of the media is so draconian and pervasive that even the launch of a national children's TV channel has become a political issue. Nor would many dispute that the country's judiciary is a travesty and that corruption in Russia has become far more endemic than it ever was even during the turbulent years when Boris Yeltsin was in the Kremlin. But like it or not, Putin is genuinely popular. Ask most Russians and they will tell you that they would happily vote for the constitution to be changed so as to allow him to stay on a third term (he is due to step down in 10 months' time), a feeling shared by western investors whose primary concern is high returns and political stability rather than democracy and a free press. Many years ago, when I first came to work in Moscow, a political pundit close to the Kremlin told me that the problem between Russia and the West is that Russians are white. "We look like you. We look like Europeans and so the West expects us to think and act like you. As a result, when we don't you get all upset. Why can't they be like us, you fret. But you don't say that about the Chinese, for instance. You don't expect them to think and act like you. Well, we are white but we are different."
As if to show how right Franchetti was, a spate of developments over the past few days served as proof positive of the Kremlin's malignant intentions. More about them after the jump.
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditAll Hell Breaks Loose In Caracas
Filed under: Venezuela
Source: Associated Press, via Philly Burbs
Source: Associated Press, via Philly Burbs
Students went on strike all over Venezuela today, shutting down every major university in the name of free speech. El Universal reports that it's about eight big ones with all the kids marching onto OAS headquarters to urge the hemisphere's democracy-certifier to grow a spine. Miguel has a live report about what he saw in the streets, as well as photos. It sounds like turmoil and now troops have opened fire with rubber bullets and tear gas to break up the protests.
Source: Reuters, via Yahoo! News
These began last night - they are well chronicled by Jim at GatewayPundit here - and have extended through to today. Megaresistencia, citing Union Radio, reports that numerous students at Simon Bolivar University were injured in tear gas and rubber bullet attacks by Chavista troops here.
Source: Reuters, via Yahoo! News
Source: EFE, via Megaresistencia
It all began because last night, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez shut down RCTV, Venezuela's largest and most popular television network. He did this by decree, for he rules by decree. This time he pulled RCTV's 53-year license. The clever yank-their-license approach gave his move an appearance of legality to outsiders. However, it was motivated by pure political revenge. Were Venezuela a real democracy, no politician would ever do a move so unpopular. Only one unafraid of popular retribution at the ballot box or any other kind of backlash would. Hugo fears nothing now.
Source: Associated Press
That wasn't all he did. Chavez sent in troops to steal -err, temporarily protect - the station's broadcasting assets and presumably hand them over to his chavista television worker collectives, barbaric groups of slum ignoramuses of no professionalism or commitment to news whatsoever. I know. I visited some when I was in Caracas, and I know who they are. Their sole purpose is propaganda and revenge on enemies. They don't actually know anything, they just want to indoctrinate. Lots of them are 'intellectuals' from the '60s who could never make it as real academics.
Source: AP, via BBC Mundo
That lack of professionalism is showing already - AP reported that the Chavista station that has replaced RCTV, known as Teves, has already showed its direction by singing Kim Il-Sung-style songs about how wonderful Hugo Chavez really is. The cult of personality has begun. Can you imagine losing your favorite television shows to be replaced by Marxist indoctrination by Marxist ideologues?
Source: Agencia EFE, via Yahoo! Mexico
So not only is free speech dead in Venezuela, so are all other kinds of expression. And it all follows a long slide downhill on free speech rights, as described here, that is now continuing on to the harassment of CNN, Globovision and other Web sites, showing that Chavistas will stop at nothing to silence all free speech. As coda, blogger Tomas Sancio says it will only last as long as Venezuela's economy does.
Source: AFP, via BBC Mundo
Now troops are firing on 'dangerous' students who don't want their last right to speak out taken away in the emerging Venezuelan dictatorship.
Source: Tal Cual, via Megaresistencia
UPDATE: Radio and TV stations in El Salvador and Costa Rica went dark in solidarity with RCTV.
Keep an eye on Miguel's blog, which has updates through the day, and Daniel's blog, too, which will probably have the same shortly.
Feathers has lots of local links of developments and YouTubes, it's worth a click here. And keep an eye out for updates on Venezuela Today, too, which watches everything.
Source: AP, via Yahoo! Mexico
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditIran and the United States Hold First Bilateral Meeting Since 1979
Filed under: Iran
Today, the US Ambassador Ryan Crocker met with the Iranian Ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi at al Maliki's office in Baghdad. The Iraqis were represented at the talks by Mowaffak al-Rubaie, the National Security Adviser. The discussions were about Iraq's fragile to some, non existent to others, security status.
The United States and the Iraqis know that Iran is supporting the Shiias militias (al Hakim and al Sadr) and when it suits its interests even the Sunni terror cells. For their part the Iranians will most likely deny such allegations, and ask for an immediate timetable for the withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq.
Bottom line: the United States wants Iran to stay out of Iraqi affairs, and Iran wants the United States and coalition troops out of Iraq. I bet they'd (Iranians) want the US troops out of the region, but thats not going to happen anytime soon.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said about the meeting, "We are hopeful that Washington's realistic approach to the current issues of Iraq by confessing its failed policy in Iraq and the region and by showing a determination to changing the policy guarantees success of the talks and possible further talks."
Iran's nuclear program was not discussed at this time.
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditRallying Big For Free Speech In Venezuela
Filed under: Venezuela
Source: AP, via Drudge Report
Imagine a world with no free press. For many Venezuelans, it's dawned for the first time that this is no imaginative fear anymore. It's real. Chavista supporters and poor voters have taken to the streets alongside their middle-class brethren to call for free speech as the biggest television station, RCTV is shut down by Chavista decree.
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez put a stop to free speech today by pulling the license of RCTV, the one TV station that has gone out of its way to oppose him, to blast his incompetence, to slam his theft of property, to warn he's running the country into the ground. They made no secret of opposing his power. Today the dictator ever so procedurally refused to renew the 53-year license of Radio Caracas Television, not because there's a public interest in seeing this station disappear, but because his own whim said so. When you are unable to distinguish yourself from the state, it gets easy.
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, however, felt differently. 80% of them opposed the end of their TV station - the soap operas, the political commentaries, the news, the dramas, the reality TV, the dance and song shows, enough to march in the streets. Gone! Yanked!
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
Source: Getty Images
And what it's to be replaced with is repulsive - government programming that's one part mind-numbing Marxist indoctrination done by the post office and another part bullets, razorblades, cuss words and motorcycle thugs. I kid you not. I was there and I already saw it.
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
Source:Reuters via Yahoo! News
RCTV is the most popular station in Venezuela, loved by both Chavistas in the slums and middle class people in neighborhoods like Altamira. In fact, it's the equivalent of ABC or CBS. It's a huge popular station that's done the moon landing, done the coups, done Nixon's visit where he was mobbed, done the Vargas floods, done plane crashes, oil strikes and beauty pageants. It's the universal community of television. Again, now gone black.
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
It's not just Venezuelans who are gonna suffer from this. We all are, because we all consume Venezuelan news. Venezuela's press is among the most vigorous and competitive in the world. All foreign correspondents take their cues from the tone set by the local press, and RCTV is the leader. That in fact is why news coverage is so good on Venezuela. The excellence of the local press keeps news organizations like the NYT and WashPost honest because word gets out easily if they get something wrong. And the willingness of the press to keep covering huge demonstrations reminds the world that not all is well under chavismo. That's the people and the media speaking together against tyranny.
Source:Reuters via Yahoo! News
Source:AFP via Yahoo! News
The destruction of the biggest player among the entire media, with a 40% TV market share, is a warning to other press pipsqueaks that no one is immune from the wrath of chavismo, that all are subject to the whim of chavismo, that all must bow down before the chavista moloch or else face annihilation. If RCTV can't defend itself, then neither can they. A dictatorial monolith has risen. The message sent by the destruction of RCTV is lost on no one.
Source:Reuters via Yahoo! News
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
That's why the destruction of RCTV matters, even to us. If RCTV goes, they all eventually will go, and Chavez's boldness in this move, against almost all public opinion shows that there's no craziness he will stop at. Venezuelans must be asking themselves what the future holds because it's extremely dour now.
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
It will get uglier. And there will be no media to cover it. The food shortages, the riots, the violence, the rage in the streets, the Chavista corruption - there will be no one to check it. The broad unity of the people and their big television station will be broken, and again, all that will be left is chavismo, the chavista monolith. This is a real beginning of the end for Venezuela.
And we may hear very little about it because the free press is fading fast.
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
Daniel at Venezuela News & Views has live, on-the-ground, minute-by-minute reporting of all he's seeing in Caracas around the final protests at the TV station. It's a must-see here. And thisthoughtful four-point analysis, too.
Miguel at Devil's Excrement has up-too-close photos of the Chavista thuggery at Globovision, here, along with observations here, news of official threats here, and an angry local Venezuelan political cartoon here.
Fausta at Fausta's blog has an excellent updated podcast of all the major Venezuelan bloggers who enlighten and inform about the ongoing events here. She also has a really good reporting on events of her own, and lots of links here.
Jim at GatewayPundit has a good summary of events and links galore in this post here. He's got a followup post showing chavista thuggery at the end of the rally today, very disturbing pictures.
Aleks Boyd, returning to blogging after an interval, says the RCTV shutdown is a blow for freedom of the press as well as illegal here.
Francisco at Caracas Chronicles has a good piece on the retreat of the radical left as Chavez goes off the deep end, forcing many to rethink their positions, or else resort to ever more irrational defenses here. He's got a lot of good stuff, click here and just keep scrolling.
For full coverage, click on Venezuela Today which has all the latest and most complete updates, changing by the hour here.
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
Source:AP via Yahoo! News
Editorial leaders are the official consensus positions of a newspaper's editorial leadership. That's why they have no bylines. As a result of the destruction of RCTV and the terrible implications of freedom of the press, nearly all major newspapers have come out against this move, as have all media watchdogs like 'Reporters San Fronteres' and the rest. Nearly all newspapers, from left to right, have blasted Chavez over this, some seeing him clearly for the first time ever. This represents a major strategic shift in world sentiment. Here are some newspaper editorials, and a couple of signed op-eds and columns from some extremely diverse newspapers, all saying the same thing.
Le Monde, as leftwing as a French newspaper can get, the Pepe Le Peu of French newspapers, fiercedly condemned Chavez's assault on freedom of speech in this major shift in sentiment over RCTV.
Investor's Business Daily, the second-biggest U.S. business newspaper and one that's editorially as far to the right as Le Monde is to the left, blasted the Chavez move as totally illegitimate in Venezuela yet dangerous to American interests too.
ABC Madrid, a great big Spanish newspaper, probably leftwing like they all are, condemned this move as contrary to democracy in this translated editorial.
The Wall Street Journal, the biggest U.S. business newspaper, warned that Chavez's shutdown of RCTV is undoubtedly a bid to preempt scrutiny of all the evil things he's planning now, a reasonable inteference, given what we are seeing.
El Nacional, Venezuela's equivalent of The New York Times, a highgrade, slightly left-leaning newspaper, the second biggest in Venezuela, has a huge frontpage editorial against a blackened television set graphic, powerfully sending a message of trouble ahead as this fatal mistake takes effect and worse follows.
The Washington Post, in a fine readable column written by Jackson Diehl, warned that freedom of the press in Venezuela should concern us all. He explains what RCTV is and what it means for Venezuela's history and speaks of all the innovations it's made.
Miami Herald, printing an essay by Rep. Tom Lantos, who was once a Hungarian democratic revolutionary who escaped communism, decried the horror of going after the press, explaining that the press is at the forefront of all modern revolutions.
Source:Manuel Cifuentes, El Universal
Source:EFE via El Universal
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditSaudi Arabia promotes religious tolerance
Filed under: Middle East
The tolerance of Saudi Arabia towards non Muslims (Christians, Jews and others) is known worldwide, as well as its tolerance and respect of minority (like Shiias), women, homosexuals, etc rights and liberties. That is why when the Saudi police found a Christian man working in Mecca they immediately arrested him. That is actually a good thing because just few years ago Christians faced torture or worse.
For more information's on Saudi courtesy towards its citizens, residents and visitors, please check this link and this one
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditIs it only me or is this a (zillion time) deja vu?
Filed under: Middle East
The moronic Syrian Baath tries to cover its illegitimacy, corruption and abuse of its own people by pointing to: what do you think? the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. And while we are at it, do you remember who else blames the darn Zionists each time they fail to deliver? Take a look at the three best buddies ever and you'll have the answer.
I guess accountability is just not part of most of Arab/Muslim state and clan leaders vocabulary.
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditWho Can Enjoy Tinker to Evers to Chance . . .
Filed under: Europe ~ Iran ~ Middle East ~ Russia
. . . when you have to deal with Russia to Syria to Iran, and they don't have a baseball they have this:
What is it? According to Jane's Defense Weekly, it's a Russian Tor-m1 missile system launching vehicle during exercises at an undisclosed location in Russia. Reuters says:
Syria has agreed to supply Iran with at least 10 out of 50 air defense systems that Damascus is in the process of buying from Russia. Iran would take delivery of them in late 2008. To reward Syria for its middleman role, Tehran would part-finance Syria's Pantsyrs as well as paying for its own. Syria struck a $730 million deal with Russia earlier this year for some 50 Pantsyr-S1E self-propelled short-range gun and missile air defense systems. Its source said Moscow had not been officially notified of the reported Syrian arrangement with Tehran, which flowed from a November 2005 strategic accord between the two countries on military and technological cooperation.
These systems will be used, of course, to shoot down Western aircraft if/when they seek to take out Iran's nuclear weapons capacity. In other words, they'll assist Iran in developing nuclear weapons, and increase the cost in Western lives of addressing that threat. Looks like this "cold war" thing could get pretty damn hot pretty damn fast if the Kremlin continues down its crazed current course. How is it possible that the nation providing weapons to one of NATO's most hardened and dangerous foes is a quasi-member of the G-8? How long will it take us to come to our senses on Russia?
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditProtest-Against-Russia Babes
Filed under: Europe
That's the glam shot of Viktoria Azovskaja, the Estonian contestant for the title of 2007 Miss Universe. The contest is now underway in Mexico City with the finals to be broadcast on Monday. As Publius Pundit readers well know, Russia is attacking Estonia for daring to move a war memorial involving Russia to a new location within its own country (even though Russia has recently done exactly the same thing to a Ukrainian memorial in Russia). Russia is inserting the Nashi youth cult to provoke criminality on the streets, boycotting Estonian goods and waging a massive cyber war of terrorism against Estonian servers. Wouldn't it just be too sinfully delicious if Miss Estonia were to win the competition this year?
Click the jump to see the swimsuit photos of the girls from Estonia and some of the other nations waging cold war with Russia.
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditCan dignity be truly found in killing and revenge ?
Filed under: Egypt
"Palestinian to interviewer: 'By my life, I don't know if the shell that fell on us was from Israel, from Fatah or from Hamas!", Source: Akhbar Al-Yawm, Egypt, May 20, 2007
Not long ago, in an editorial Fadhil Rashad explained that the mentality of Al-Jahiliya (pre-Islamic culture) of killing and revenge continues to dominate the Arab Muslim mind. This type of mentality has horrific consequences for all parties involved. Can't they say enough is enough?!
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditHow Many Words is This One Worth?
Filed under: Belarus ~ Iran
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called President Alexander Lukashenko a close friend Monday, and Lukashenko returned the compliment by saying Belarus was "ready for cooperation in all directions." Ahmadinejad met with Lukashenko at the start of a two-day trip to Belarus that was to include the signing of a car deal, a tour of the national library and a visit with members of the Iranian Diaspora. Ahmadinejad, who was greeted by an honor guard at Lukashenko's administrative headquarters, said stronger ties between Iran and Belarus would be good for global security. "We have a huge potential [for cooperation] in the long term," Ahmadinejad said in televised comments, speaking through an interpreter. "The strengthening of relations between Belarus and Iran fosters support for regional and global security." Ahmadinejad said he considered Lukashenko one of his best friends, the Belarussian leader's press service said.
--The Moscow Times, Tuesday May 22nd
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditIslamic Police in Iran torturing youths in public
Filed under: Iran
Please, see by yourself the state terrorism practised by the Islamic Republic regime against the Iranian people. See these youths being literally tortured in public by the Bassijis/Hezbollah ’security forces’.
These youths are accused of being anti-regime activists, non-observing the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code or looking at the security forces 'in a certain manner'. This is the State Terrorism practed by the Terrorist regime founded by Khomeini with the complicity of the European and American Left, mainly Giscard Estaing and Jimmy Carter, America's worst former president. Photos courtesy of SMCCDI.
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditLebanon under attack
Filed under: Middle East
Fatah al-Islam terrorists paid and used as proxy by Bashar al Assad to create havoc in Lebanon triggered a bloody street battle today in Tripoli (second city as importance after Beirut) The good news is that the national Lebanese army is now in control of the situation.
I strongly believe that the UN investigation in Hariri's assassinations (and let us not forget the chain of assassinations and attempts of assassinations that followed) is close to publicly affirm, not only suggest as it did so far, the extent of Syrian involvement in these crimes. Truth is nearing the surface and this is the reason of the recent violent clashes.
The Palestinians brought destruction in the '70s to Lebanon and if let, they will do it once again. I truly hope that Siniora's government will act bold and promptly against the terrorists, be they Palestinian or Lebanese (hint: Hezbollah) who threaten the already fragile stability of the country.
Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said Sunday evening after the cabinet meeting at the Grand Serail that only the Lebanese army and security forces should carry weapons. He added, "We are determined to confront conspiracy."
The Lebanese must understand that without full sovereignty, they cannot enjoy freedom, liberty, rights or security. If Lebanon continues to be used by Iran and Syria in order to settle scores with the United States, Israel and the world soon it will collapse into a state of total chaos and lawlessness just as Gaza is today. And that is exactly what Tehran and Damascus would want.
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditPresident Bush Continues to Disappoint on Russia
Filed under: Russia
If one hoped that U.S. President George W. Bush would have reconsidered his initially appalling stance on the anti-democratic Putin regime (Bush infamously "looked into the eyes" of Putin and found him trustworthy), one was sorely disappointed in recent days as the Bush administration has taken a much-deserved bashing in the media over its betrayal of the struggle for democracy in Russia.
First, the Boston Globe issued a stinging editorial lambasting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent trip to Moscow for failing to attempt any serious confrontation over democracy issues and focusing obsessively on fence mending. Although Rice did conduct a few low-profile meetings with democracy advocates and made an appearance on maverick radio station Echo of Moscow, always a thorn in the Kremlin's side, Rice said nothing of real significance on the program, much less did she confront Putin over Russia's outrageous conduct towards Estonia or take up the invitation of the Wall Street Journal to confront the Kremlin publicly over its harassment of leading human rights attorney Katerina Moskalenko, who represents Garry Kasparov and, as we have previously reported, is facing politically motivated disbarrment proceedings. Her limp posture couldn't have more starkly contrasted with the in-your-face attitude of German Chancellor Angel Merkel, who challenged Putin directly, in his presence, over the supression of the "Other Russia" movement. Scenting blood in the water, the Daily Kos jumped on the bandwagon.
{Read about the other jackboot dropping after the jump}
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditKasparov, Others Preemptively Arrested Before EU-Russia Summit
Filed under: Russia
Der Spiegel, in an event horrifyingly reminiscent of Soviet times, reports that more than a dozen opposition politicians were preemptively arrested on Thursday and Friday so they could not participate in "Other Russia" protests in Samara during the EU-Russia summit:
Leading members of Other Russia were arrested at the Samara train station. Denis Bilunov, an advisor to Putin opponent Garry Kasparov, had only just arrived in the city when he was taken away, accused of carrying counterfeit money. He was only released again later on Thursday night. "They wanted to stop me from doing my work," he says. Bilunov was supposed to be preparing a meeting between Kasparov and Samara's mayor on Friday morning. Kasparov himself was detained on Friday morning at 8.30 a.m. as he was checking in for his flight. "The Moscow-Samara flight must have been have pretty empty this morning," says Julia Galamina, a spokesperson for the opposition group. In all the Moscow police prevented 13 people from traveling to Samara on Friday morning. Those arrested include Eduard Limonov, the head of the banned National Bolshevik Party. Another member of the same party was sentenced to six months in prison this week, for injuring his probation officer, according to the authorities. In 2004 he had taken part in the occupation of Russian government buildings and had been given a suspended sentence.
Not only did Putin order the arrests, but after they were made he had the gall to declare they were unnecessary, saying of the protesters: "They don't bother me in any way, there is no reason for us to be afraid of marginal groups, especially such small groups." If you're not afraid of them, Mr. Putin, why arrest them? This is classic, through-the-looking-glass, Soviet-era gibberish. As our comment in the Democracy News column aptly states: It looks like this jackass is going to have to learn the hard way.
At last, even the weak-kneed Europeans seem to be getting the message. In a second report, the German paper points out that Vladimir Putin's policies have so alienated Europe that it's time to talk about a divorce. German Chancellor Angel Merkel declared in Samara, right in front of Putin: "I'm saying very openly I wish that those who this afternoon want to protest and express their opinion will be able to do so. I'm somewhat concerned that people had difficulties getting here."
Meanwhile, NATO is intervening to protect tiny Estonia from escalating cyber attacks launched by Russia in retaliation for Estonia's daring to relocate a war memorial in their own country without Russian permission. Does Russia really think it can regain "great power" prestige with pathetic moves like these? Does it really think it can fight the whole world and win?
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | redditThe Saudi plan is just another deceiving tool
Filed under: Palestine
Israel has always been open and willing to conclude peace agreements with Arab and Muslim countries, as long as its existence and security is not put in danger. In the Arab world, many believe that the road to Washington runs via Jerusalem. Even if this is not the case (anymore), this belief served everyone's interest; Jordan and Egypt gained better relations to the US as well as considerable financial aid, and Israel attained (cold) peace with two Arab nations and more recently (1996) a trade partnership with Qatar. Since the coalition is pretty much trapped in Iraq's quagmire, the situation in the region changed dramatically. Iran and the Shiias are on the wave and they have found themselves powerful satellites, namely Hezbollah, Syria and Hamas. For the time being it does not matter that Hamas is Sunni and Iran Shiia, as long as they are fighting a common enemy.
There was Madrid, Oslo and Camp David, Beirut summit, the famous Road Map and now the Saudi plan, which is actually the resuscitated plan of King Abdullah, presented earlier at the Beirut summit.
The Media Line reported that, "Members of the Arab League, meeting in Riyadh, have unanimously approved the 2002 Saudi peace initiative. One abstention came from Ismail Haniyye, the Hamas leader who serves as prime minister in the Palestinian government. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas voted in favor. In his remarks to the assemblage, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal threatened that, 'If Israel refuses (to accept the plan) that means it doesn't want peace. Then (the conflict) goes back into the hands of the lords of war.' But European Union foreign affairs envoy Javier Solana urged the league not to see the plan as a take it or leave it proposition, but rather to "get the negotiations started. In any negotiations there are changes in positions, because negotiations are like that." After the plan was initially unveiled in 2002, the issue of a Palestinian "right of return" was added. Recently, Israeli leaders have called on the Arab world to drop that provision, seen as a deal-breaker by the Israelis, so that progress can be made in negotiations based upon the plan. The Arab leaders (as expected) rejected the idea."
Some of the obstacles are as follows:
-decades old hatred (both sides) and the urge to gain through revenge the lost dignity of the Islamic Ummah (that is one sided), status of Jerusalem and that of refugees - which are two of the points Hamas always said that are not negotiable, normalization of relations with Syria (by returning the Golan heights, the Arab brevetted invention called 'peace for land' -- going back to 1967 borders while there is in place the Hudna, a period of calm till Arab Muslims and Iran grow strong enough to eradicate Israel.
I did not even mention the Israeli security concerns because they become completely irrelevant when its partners won't settle for anything less than its destruction.
At the Riyadh summit, the Saudis made efforts to stabilize the relationship between Hamas and Fatah, not for the sake of the Palestinians, as some idealists would hope, but rather to minimize the Iranian role in the Palestinian affairs and the region. Saudi Arabia is a family owned business whose sole priority is retention of power for a family only three generations away from herding camels in the desert. They cannot allow Shiias (it is common knowledge by now that the Wahhabi abuses the Shiia minority) to take over their land and consequently over the wealth.
It is always good to remember that Hamas is actually acting as the Muslim Brotherhood branch in the territories. The fact that it carries a different name does not alter its ideology and core principles. Far from being a democratic leader, although that is what he claims to be, President Mubarak at least recognized the Muslim Brotherhood cancerous ideology that spread from Egypt to Gaza long before 1948 and much more virulently afterwards. Briefly put the MB is as perilous as the Nazi ideology was because they want to establish the perfect, global Islamic Caliphate. Obviously they not only promote violence and terror against the others (non Muslims) but their clerics release fatwas saying that the Jihhadists (translating, criminals) are emissaries of God, which is actually conform with the teachings on Quran, Hadith and Sunnah. From this perspective the writings of Sayyed Qutb, Michel Aflaq and al Banna are intellectually challenging and revealing from an ideological point of view. As Shahada says, which is the initial declaring of faith, "There is no sovereign legislator other than Allah and Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) is His slave and final Messenger." The Caliphate being established after God's rule rises above all principles, theories etc we can come up as simple human beings. MB (as Hizb ut Tahrir) summarizes the Islamic foreign policy as following: 1) dawah (primary invitation to the true belief and the only God) followed by intellectual debate/discussions with the elites of the Jews and Christians, namely the People of the Book. The others are considered apostates from the get go and they do not deserve to be engaged at an intellectual level since they cannot appreciate the greatness of God in the first place. 2) There will be a period of toleration when the non Muslims - male only - will be required to pay the jizya, the protection tax and 3) preparation for an offensive Jihad. As in the past, the Catholic church/Crusaders helped people understand, by any necessary means, how unsafe and foolish of them is to reject the gospel preached I can say today that what goes around comes around, even if centuries later.
At the surface the conflict may involve the desire of acquiring more wealth, of becoming regional and global players, etc but the essence of this struggle is the search and recognition of our moral identities as human beings. I would have thought that in a Godless world (or close to be so), religion is the last thing we can be greatly influenced by, but in the light of the past years this assessment proves to be, if not a fallacy, then at least a loophole vision of the current events.
I do not doubt for a minute that the Palestinians have freely chosen Hamas, knowing well that Hamas represents the forces of Islamic terrorism. They also overwhelmingly backed Fatah and Arafat when he aligned himself with the Soviets back in the cold war. This is exactly why the Palestinian people have lived in misery and will continue to do so. Given a choice, they always chose the forces of hatred and fanaticism. Therefore, it is pointless to proceed with any peace plans, much less the idiotic plans set up by the Saudis of all extremists! The phony negotiations with the unrepresentative and endlessly dishonest Abbas are delaying what is the only practical path to eventual peace -- the complete destruction of Hamas just as Nazism had to be completely annihilated to allow peace to come to Europe. The leftists are still deluding themselves that peace and stability can be achieved with terrorist entities.
But how do you deal with an extremist, terrorist movement when those who are part of it have a creed so strong, so irrational and yet so very convincing to themselves that they see death in the struggle against oppression as a victory not a defeat. In fact they yearn not for victory of this world but the next. Prophet Muhammad says that the best action in Islam is fighting oppression, better than any prayer, fasting, charity or kindness is to deliver mankind from the oppression of man made and man imposed rules to the rule of the Just, and who is more Just that the one who Created Man? How exactly can one fight this ideology with reason and diplomacy? No more need to be said.
Writing about the "eagerness" of the Arab Muslims to live peacefully side by side with Israel, Charles Krauthammer said, "The world will soon be awash with 40th anniversary retrospectives on the war -- and on the peace of the ages that awaits if Israel would only return to June 4, 1967. But Israelis are cautious. They remember the terror of that unbearable May when, with Israel possessing no occupied territories whatsoever, the entire Arab world was furiously preparing Israel's imminent extinction. And the world did nothing." Hamas simply does not negotiate, it dictates. Do we let the terrorists take over while we stick our heads in sand?! I hope not.
del.icio.us | digg | technorati | stumble upon | furl | reddit