Blogging the democratic revolution
Just before I got on the plane to Switzerland, I was interviewed the other day on BBC’s Pods and Blogs with Chris Vallance. We talked a bit about Publius, and then about the war between Israel and Hezbollah along the theme of my post, “Restoring the Cedar Revolution.” Take a listen, I’ve uploaded the mp3 here. You’ll have to excuse the lack of grace on my part. This is why I stick to writing. . .
A major characteristic of authoritarian regime????????s whose domestic policies have created instability is the seeking of legitimacy through its foreign policy. In the case of Syria, it has raged against Jews as the enemy, the evil, that is the true source of the people????????s suffering. It has supported terrorist groups like Hezbollah for years, seeking the destruction of Israel ???????? impossible as that may seem ???????? because it believes that such a policy and its ???????benefits??????? can continue indefinitely. This is of course impossinble, but for a long time many people really buy it. The regime has been able to…
A Romanian girl cools off during a heat wave in Bucharest. Romanian children are being targeted to serve as police informants by the secret police. Source: Reuters, via Yahoo! In the last two days the Romanian media published information????????s about the children network of the Securitate (Communist Intelligence). Till now, there have been rumors of it, but now it has been proved. Securitate adopted STASI????????s tactics and recruited children as young as 12!! Those children had to inform Securitate about the discussions of their parents, relatives, and teachers — whether they listen to Free Europe radio, or if they say…
Given the events of the past several weeks, it is easy to conclude that Ukraine????????s fragile democracy is in danger. Indeed it is. But to admit this is not the same as concluding that the Orange Revolution is over. Whether or not the Orange Revolution has ended (or is about to end) depends largely on what the goal of the Orange Revolution really was. For example, if the goal was to install a pro-West government, then, yes, the Orange Revolution is in danger. It is likely, regardless of whether new elections are called, that Viktor Yanukovich will become Prime Minister.…
East Timor’s new Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta has been sworn in a new cabinet in at a ceremony in Dili. The ceremony marks further progress towards a return to order for the country, which was hit by serious street violence and unrest. Factional fighting erupted three months ago, leaving at least 21 people dead and thousands displaced. President Xanana Gusmao said the swearing in “closed a cycle of profound crisis” that had threatened the nation. “We must now make enormous efforts to bring reconciliation among the East Timorese and to heal the wounds that divide them,” he told ministers. But…
Above are two images taken from Neo-Nazi websites operating in Russia. The first urges the viewer to ???????Protect your Motherland! Protect your Loved ones!??????? from the scourge of dark-skinned people. The second asks the view to remember that their ancestors refused to hand over Russia to the Germans, yet they seem to be handing over Russia to the ???????niggers??????? without even putting up a struggle. This article will review recent developments in Russia regarding the outbreak of race violence. It concludes that despite an enormous amount of evidence that Russia has a serious problem with race violence that is getting…
Yes, there is such a thing! Daniel at Venezuela News & Views has links and a great essay of his own describing this actual phenomenon. He explains that how the creepier you are, the more likely you are to think that toting a Kalashnikov is cool. He’s got the yucky photo of the foremost practitioner of this Kalashnikov-toting practice (take a guess who!) and links to photos examining this phenomena in this item here. He’s also got harsh words for Code Pink “Peace Mom” Cindy Sheehan who continues to extol the virtues of Venezuela’s dictator in a remarkably ignorant new…
Moderate democratic socialist President Michelle Bachelet of Chile looks to be slightly edging toward the right, given a recent cabinet shuffle. Three cabinet officials, from education, economy and interior have been replaced. This follows recent street protests from students who were demaning that the government raise funding and bus fares for education. It was the harshest challenge to her government, and curiously enough, led by the far-left. Troy University political scientist Steven Taylor at PoliBlogger points out that on the surface, the studiously balanced cabinet, between men and women, remains. But idea-wise, the shift has moved a little to the…
I think it would be pretty tough to stick to an editorial line here at Publius given the wide array of opinions on the subject among the contributors. Even when we agree, there are points of disagreement on specifics. So what I’ve tried to do is get a response from several of the contributors so that we can have a more wide-ranging debate on both the overall of what’s happening as well as the little details. As of now there are four posts — just scrol down — and there should be more to come as the situation develops.
This is one of my all-time favorite magazine covers. A hot babe hoisted up in the middle of Lebanon’s Cedar Revolution, flashing only peace signs (and unfortunately little else). The girl at the top of this blog’s banner does the same. Democracy stirs in the Middle East, along with something else. Now that’s inspiration. The revolution expelled Syria for the most part from Lebanon, allowing it to hold free and fair elections in which an anti-Syria coalition was formed. However, given the regime’s longterm entrenchment, it’s elements are still very much active and large parts of the country are still…
Hezbollah has just announced that is ready for all out war with Israel, according to CNN. The declaration was made after Sheik Hassan Nasrallah’s home was bombed and Hezbollah’s headquarters were destroyed by Israel. Mr. Nasrallah is the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon. As I have followed the rapid escalation of events in Israel, I have been impressed potential for prolonged violence and general instability. At the moment, I really question whether Israel’s response is warranted. True, Hezbollah has kidnapped several Israeli soldiers. According to Hezbollah, the hostages were taken so as to facilitate a release of Hezbollah militants being…
Stefania got it right. Israel did nothing other than protect itself. Remember that Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said two years ago, that when the Party of God will be ready, it will attack the cities inside Israel (and so they did, for the first time ever!) and kidnap its soldiers, to show the Arab and Muslim world that Israel is a weak country that can be easily defeated with guerilla attacks. Although one is Sunni (Hamas) and the other Shiia (Hezbollah), these two militias have the same sponsors, Syria and Iran. What happened with Gilad Shalit did not just fall out…
Cuban communist dictator Fidel Castro is probably on his last legs. Rumors of the tyrant’s demise are circling like vultures over dead carrion. According to Val Prieto at Babalu blog, citing some items in The Miami Herald, the communist press on the island prison is giving considerable prominence all of a sudden to Castro’s no-good little brother, Raul, whom he’s designated as his dynastic successor. We are likely to know for sure on July 26, which is Castro’s favorite holiday, that of his putsch. But there’s more than that. Val has suddenly started getting actual hate mail from Castro’s brutal…
It seems that half world has not yet realized that a new war has been declared by the arab and Islamic nations against Israel. This war is aimed to the total destruction of the Jewish state. Let’s not forget that this time these nations’ regimes have the atomic bomb and that they might launch it sooner than we expect. Israel is at war, a war he has never sought. But now, Mr. Olmert, you’re facing a choice that could have important consequences: either you act or Israel faces another Holocaust, this time with Islamic nations assaulting it with chemical weapons.…
On July 13, 1994, a group of over 70 Cubans attempted to flee Castro’s Gulag on board of a tugboat named “13 de Marzo”. They was unable to leave the waters belonging to Cuba because the regime’s state security thugs were ordered, by the thug-in-chief Fidel Castro, to sink the boat. 41 people died, among which were pregnant women and children as young as 2 years old. The crime has remained unpunished and of course it will still remain unpunished with Castro still in power. Amnesty International has a must-read summary of the facts here The Weekly Standard has an…
Democratic revolution is spreading across the world, in the greatest news and megatrend story of possibly the century. But for those of us who are already in democratic regimes, we sometimes wonder if there is much more we can do except watch and applaud. There is partisan political activism, of course, but that isn’t for everyone. And we can’t get involved in partisan politics, except maybe to cheer at the sidelines. So how does the free world participate in advancing democracy and beating back tyrants? Well, just look. Today, the West struck a couple of significant blows against tyranny —…
I am writing this piece in response to the many allegations circulating in the Web regarding the Zidane-Materazzi case. One version has already been told, so I want the readers to read the other,too. There is an ongoing inquiry opened by the FIFA to find out what has really happened betwen the two players. In my opinion, everyone of us should refrain from expressing summary claims without having any proof. So far, the proof we have is that Zidane has committed a vile act of violence by head-butting a rival player. False claims have circulated according to which Materazzi would…
Supporters of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in another protest. Source: The Scotsman Defeated Mexican presidential candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is not going down without a fight. He refuses to accept the results of the July 2 election. It was a hard fought presidential race and he lost by a narrow margin, which has got to be tough, and now he is charging wholesale fraud in a desperate effort to turn the result his way. Knowing his peje character, it’s probably not surprising that he would react this way. A peje is a barracuda-like fish that swims around in AMLO’s…
They’re probably not true. Val at Babalu blog has the best — and some very funny – stuff here. Just click and keep scrolling.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Afghanistan yesterday. He met with President Karzai and discussed issues relating to Afghanistan????????s collaborative efforts with the international community to suppress the Taliban resurgence and the country’s efforts to curb the cultivation of opium poppy. Also, he met with US military commanders and NATO officials to discuss plans for the military handover of Afghanistan to NATO. Rumsfeld expressed his support for Karzai and praised his leadership. He lauded Karzai and his team????????s achievements on various fronts including the offensive against Taliban and the subsequent peace prevalent in Afghanistan. This visit shattered speculations in some…
According to the Jerusalem Post, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert has declared the latest attack by terrorist group Hezbollah an act of war. Israel has confirmed that two IDF soldiers were kidnapped, and they are currently searching for them in Lebanon. You can buy the IDF some pizza and soda, although it would seem to me far more useful if one could buy the IDF some bullets. You can also make a donation for a variety of uses to the IDF through LIBI.
As millions around the world I was glued to the TV watching the World Cup final when Zin????dine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi. My instant reaction was “what could Materazzi possibly have said to prompt such a reaction?” I didn’t judge Zidane, contrary to the statements of commentators who just couldn’t help themselves in condemning in impressively quick fashion the French virtuoso, to me it was evident that he was taunted by the Italian. The positive thing about this incident is that it took place before the eyes of the world, in a tournament whose motto was “A Time to Make…
On Monday, Russian forces killed Shamil Basayev, the Chechen terrorist responsible for the Beslan attack, in counterinsurgent operations in Ingushetia. Ingush Deputy Prime Minister Bashir Aushev confirmed his death. “Fragments of the bodies of two militants were found on the scene of the explosion. Basayev’s body has been identified through some of the fragments, including his head,” Aushev told Interfax. Putin said that Basayev “deserved retribution” for Beslan and for taking hostages in Budyonnovsk in 1995. Chechen President Alu Alkhanov called the killing a moment where Chechnya could finally turn “one of the blackest pages in ÄitsÅ history” and that…
While the Bush administration has lost its ability to assert itself internationally, the void in cohesive diplomatic power combined with fluctuating energy markets has created the opportunity for problematic relationships to develop outside of the Western spheres. China, a country high on energy demand and human rights abuse, and Russia, supplier of ever more tainted and corrupt oil, have become trading partners. With the United States and Great Britain’s involvement in Iraq, NATO’s deployment in Afghanistan, and the short-term reliance on Russian gas in continental Europe, China and Russia have built a viable economic partnership as both continually support undemocratic…