Hudna

A spokesman for the Palestinian's ruling party, Hamas, calls for a long period of peaceful, non-violent co-exixtense.

Pause For Peace

Posted by The Webtoad at 01:21 PM | Comments (0)

Fare Thee Well Crocodile Hunter

It seems especially tragic to lose an icon whose love of life is as overwhelming as Steve Irwin’s was.

Death of Steve Irwin

Posted by The Webtoad at 05:38 PM | Comments (0)

Much To Be Done By All

Although I often rail against Western, specifically US, foreign policy blunders and how they shape the current quagmire in the Middle East, the Muslim world has an equal part to play in bringing about an end to violence there. I am always encouraged to see Muslims, especially Muslim Arabs, echoing that sentiment as is done here in this NY Times op-ed piece.

Muslim Myopia

Posted by The Webtoad at 12:33 AM | Comments (0)

Plight Of The Moderate Arab.

So little is heard about the Arab side of the Middle east conflict in Amercan media. Here's something in the New York Times that gives that point of view a go. Not all Arabs are terrorists (an extremely small percentage to be straight) and many want what the US claims to want for them. This Article may give an insight into why America has such a bad image in that area.

Anti-U.S. Feeling Leaves Arab Reformers Isolated

Posted by The Webtoad at 12:50 AM | Comments (0)

Crisis In The Middle East

While at the gym today, I noticed the headline on CNN: Crisis in the Middle East. I tried to recall how many times I had seen that title used prior to this current calamity. One of the reasons that I can’t watch the news anymore stems from a sense that each of these crises is treated independently of all others. Lebanon/Israel is different from Israel/Palestine is different from Syria is different from radical Saudi Wahabism is different from Iran. They are all seen as single unrelated snapshots with no correlation to the region’s history. Furthermore, I couldn’t help noticing a lack of constructive conversation concerning US foreign policy in the region. I don’t mean whether or not we should be in Iraq. I mean a serious look at the history of US involvement in the Middle East since WWII. For instance, the last time that the US opposed Israeli policy was during the Suez Crisis in 1956. That was the Eisenhower administration!

Fellow blogger, Union Jack, has written the issue quite well recently: We Drew the Lines. Kudos to him.

Posted by The Webtoad at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)

What If Everybody Is Wrong?

I can’t watch the news anymore. I read it but I can’t watch it. The scenes coming out of the Middle east and the pundits that speak over them are maddening. I have also come to avoid the local letters to the editor that take up one side or the other on the issue of Lebanon/Israel and the wider struggle in that region. Whether it’s Iraq, Iran, Gaza or Lebanon, it appears to me that which ever side one attempts to choose, an internal moral struggle must ensue. This leads me to believe that everybody is wrong.

Hizbullah and thus their Syrian and Iranian backers are wrong for shelling Israel with rockets and killing civilians of all age ranges. They are also wrong to do this while hiding behind their own civilian population. The Lebanese government is wrong to stand by. Israel is wrong in its overwhelming response towards both the Lebanese to the north and the Palestinians in its territory. America is wrong for not calling for a cease fire and allowing this to continue. Europe is wrong for standing up more to the US.

I can not choose sides in a world where everybody wants everybody else dead. War has become the de facto answer to problems around the world. All continents and countries are somehow embroiled in or complicit in the perpetuation of war. Today, all the world is at war. It is only a matter of time before the major powers refuse to step back from the precipice and slip fully into the fray themselves. A reading of history in the five years leading up to WWI will offer a chill of recognition. Economically prosperous, a time when no country could have afforded to risk all out war. The last thing that people living in 1913 expected was what they got in 1914.

Posted by The Webtoad at 12:16 PM | Comments (1)

Tibet

The Portsmouth Herald deserves kudos for running a story concerning Tibet in its most recent Sunday edition. The issues that face this Himalayan nation are serious and getting worse. It’s most obvious problem is that of the Chinese occupation that threatens to eradicate Tibetan culture. Just this past week, the Chinese government completed the first ever rail line that directly links Tibet’s capital Lhasa to China. This is sure to increase the number of ethnic Chinese that have been coming to Tibet in recent years in what appears to be an attempt by Beijing to change the ethnic profile of Tibet.

Furthermore, Tibet’s exiled spiritual and political leader, the Dalai Lama, is aging. This month, he turned 71 and is showing signs of slowing down. With his passing, Tibet could be without an international figurehead for many years. To make matters worse, the person charged with recognizing the next incarnation of the Dalai Lama, the Panchan Lama, is under house arrest somewhere in China and the Chinese government won’t even admit to having him in custody. In his place, Beijing has appointed their choice as Panchan Lama in the hopes of controlling the process of choosing Tibet’s next leader. That would spell the end of Tibet as an independent entity.

This issue is not a new one. The Chinese invaded Tibet in 1950. Thanks to the Herculean efforts of the Dalai Lama, the entire world outside of China knows of the crisis facing the Tibetan people. From his base in Dharamsala India, he has tirelessly traveled the globe spreading the grim facts. Despite all this knowledge, the countries of the world have failed to act (as they so often do). The Tibetan people are in grave danger of extinction within the next few generations. Without the Dalai Lama and thanks to the influx of ethnic Chinese, this danger may very well become reality.

Posted by The Webtoad at 03:49 PM | Comments (1)

Disproportionate Response

In the latest edition of the Economist, an article appears on the worsening situation between Israel and the Palestinians. As usual, the magazine does a good job of placing responsibility equally on both sides. In this article however, the author brings in the concept of disproportionate response. It is this idea that has so bothered me with regards to the conflict.

In short, the idea of disproportionate response states that one side is over reacting to what the other side has done. In this case, the Israelis are responding to the Palestinians disproportionately. For example, the Palestinians are holding an Israeli soldier. For this, the Israelis have responded by killing at least 25 Palestinians and taking into custody 8 members of the Palestinian ruling party, Hamas. Furthermore, Israel already has in custody a few thousand Palestinian political prisoners, 800 of whom are being held with out being charged.

The taking of the Israeli soldier is wrong and he should be returned safely. Also, Israel must tone down its responses. There is only one way through the quagmire in which both sides find themselves; together. These two people will never find peace alone and they will never find peace through escalating violence.

Posted by The Webtoad at 12:50 AM | Comments (1)

Life a la Hemingway

I would bet that this seemed like a good idea at the time.

The Running of the Bulls

Posted by The Webtoad at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)

Ramsgate to Victoria

This is the first of a few entries that were written on my recent trip to London and Southeast England. I had hoped to be able to post a few blogs while there but decided to write my observations and post them upon my return.

Monday May 29, 2006. Southeast England.

Our train rambles all but silently westward across Southeast England. The blue sky overhead spreads south where it melts into white clouds over the channel. By the look of the horizon, one could imagine rain over the Pas de Calais. North of us, dark skys threaten us for the third time today. God alone knows what weather awaits us in London.

The names of the stops that dot our trek from Ramsgate to Victoria Station seem too English to be true: Chesterfield and Swaylecliff (one name), Birchinton-on-Sea, Bromley, while the fields and hills that spread out beside us are as green as any I have ever laid my eyes upon. It is difficult to label the intermittent towns along the way as beautiful or pretty. They are refreshing in a way that they are exactly what one would expect of Britain. The closer the train gets to London, the less appealing the scenery becomes. This is epitomized by our pass through Brixton which cannot but bring Clash lyrics to mind and force one to sympathize with Britain’s working class. On our trip out this morning, I felt myself as a time traveler moving through south and east London in the late seventies or early eighties. It was as though I had slipped back to an era of failed socialist policies, a time when people had little hope for the future. I don’t know what group of people lives here now. I only wish them better luck than the angry white youth of thirty years ago, a group that found its voice in England’s most famous punk bands.

This is my second trip to London and my first trip outside of the capital. I was surprised (disappointed) to see a trailer park along our route. I had hoped that was a purely American phenomenon. More pleasantly though, sheep dot the countryside. Each group of which is marked by certain colors and/or numbers. At least have of those visible are new born. One can not help but wonder at the fate of these animals: sweater or dinner.

Posted by The Webtoad at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)

Another UN Rebuke

Time and time again, the United Nations releases a report on the state of human rights in the United States. These reports usually go under reported and cause little reaction from the American public. This is just one more example of how America fails to live up to the image that it wishes to portray to the rest of the world.

U.N. Panel Says U.S. Should Shut Prison in Cuba

Posted by The Webtoad at 12:06 PM | Comments (1)

Dirty Pretty Things

Dirty Pretty Things is a film about immigration. However it is not what we have been viewing on the tele as of late. Immigration is an international issue that will dominate ours and and many other national discussions for years to come. As long as we choose to erect arbitrary boundaries and restrict the movement of people, we will burden ourselves with the problems of people moving from poorer to richer countries.

Posted by The Webtoad at 12:55 AM | Comments (0)

I Shall Never Suffer As They Did

The black South Africans

and

the Palestinians

and

the Republicans of Northern Ireland

and

....

the East Timorese

and

the Russian People

and

The Kurds

and

the Chinese democrats

and

the Cubans

and

the Iraqi Shi'as

and

the Armenians

and

and the Rwandans

and

all Africans in general

and

most of all

...

the Jews.

Posted by The Webtoad at 02:52 AM | Comments (0)

The Failure of French Liberalism

Americans for decades have found much to despise with the French. I haven’t gone in for that much. After all, they gave Jazz musicians a home when America turned its back on its native art form. That being said, it must be pointed out that the French have failed to live up to their liberal standards by not embracing the CPE.

The CPE is a law aimed at freeing up some of the restrictions on French businesses by allowing employers to sack any employee under the age of 26 for no reason. After the recent protests throughout French cities, the government there has decided to repeal the law. As it is right now, French workers are some of the most protected on the planet. Once a worker gets a job it can be assumed that he/she can stay for as long as they want. This creates a wariness to hire on the part of French employers and a sense of entitlement and security on the part of the employee that is counter productive. Why would any French worker improve oneself when they know they can’t be fired? Productivity would not be a great concern for this entrenched work force. France currently struggles along with a nationwide unemployment rate of 10%. That number doubles when one looks at the twenty-somethings. If France wishes to compete in the global economy (and France has some very successful multi-nationals) it must loosen up some of its labor laws. Its workers will ultimately be the losers if they can’t see the importance of allowing greater competition for jobs. Every individual should have the right to work. However, that worker must be willing to work and respond to the changing environment of the work place.

New York Times Article

Posted by The Webtoad at 01:06 AM | Comments (0)

Be Afraid. Be Very VERY Afraid

I was one of those people who believed that even though the Bush administration had made the very serious (and perhaps criminal) mistake of invading Iraq, these people could not conceivably make that same mistake with Iran. Well, I feel a bit naive right now. The following article is in the most recent New Yorker Magazine and is written by Seymour Hersh who broke the story about the Abu Ghraib prison abuses. In this article, Hersh tells the reader of how the administration is in the operational planning stage for an invasion of Iran. Most importantly, that planning includes the use of “tactical” nuclear weapons. This article has to be read to be believed. This is not crackpot journalism. The administration has recently made comparisons between the President of Iran and Hitler. I am beginning to wonder if that reference would more aptly be made between the Fuhrer and a President much closer to home.

The Iran Plans

Posted by The Webtoad at 12:49 AM | Comments (0)

New Parties in an Old Conflict

So much can be said about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that any attempt to write about it is daunting. However, the elections that occurred on both sides of the issue in the last few months offer a new way to speak about a topic that is near 60 years old. Many will disagree on what these elections mean but one thing is certain; the political landscape has been reshuffled offering a possible step forward.

In January, the Palestinian voters elected a new government that will be ruled by Hamas, a group formally dead set against any forays into politics. Regardless of what one thinks of this organization, they are the Palestinian government. On the other side of the conflict, the Israelis have elected a brand new party to lead their government. Kadima (Forward), was founded by the now comatose Ariel Sharon as a way to push forward his plans for unilateral withdrawals from occupied territory. Now led by former Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Kadima has won a less than resounding victory which will force it to put together a coalition government. Who it is that Kadima chooses as its partner will make all the difference in the coming months as these two ruling parties get down to the business of governing.

Don’t be mistaken, the issues of the conflict are the same as they have been all these years; security, right of return, Jerusalem. The difference lies in the path that the combatants are now taking. The possibility of peace hangs by a string but its there, barely alive. 2006 may be the most important year in this conflict since Ehud Barak and Yasar Arafat failed to get a deal at Camp David.

Posted by The Webtoad at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)

More On China

Enough can not be said concerning the impact of economic growth on the Chinese worker. The latest edition of BusinessWeek has an article reporting a labor shortage in China. That bears repeating: a labor shortage in China! Wages are on the increase and workers have the flexibility to leave one job for another with increased pay and benefits. This is causing the Chinese government to ease travel and relocation restrictions within the country to accomodate companies' need for more workers. If anyone doubts the importance of open economic relations with China, please read this article.

Posted by The Webtoad at 02:30 AM | Comments (0)

Warning: Sino Phobia Ahead

In the February 18 edition of The Economist, a story appears about the state of China bashing in this country. I thought it would be a good subject to reiterate in this blog. In short, the article tells of how both sides of the American political aisle have their reasons to beat up on China in the upcoming mid-term election. On the right, people are concerned about China’s militarism. On the left, labor and human rights are two issues that get people worked up. Both sides seem to think that the best solution is tariffs and sanctions depending upon the perceived grievance. However, any change in how America deals with China right now could be damaging not only to America’s economy but to the world’s as well.

Politically, China is not a very nice country. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not go in for civil rights; human rights; freedom of speech, just to name a few. Freedom is even a taboo word over there. The internet censors that the Chinese government has employed by the tens of thousands are supposed to be watching for that word (as well as many others) on any internet site that sneaks through the Chinese cyber nets. Doing business in China is also a tricky deal. As Microsoft, Google and Yahoo have found out, if you want to play in China, you have to play by China’s rules. That’s the way it is here in America or in the EU. That is not the best scenario but it is the current condition.

China is the largest market in the world and the Chinese government knows that. It also knows that America fuels the world economy. We spend more money on “things” than any other country (or group of countries) in the world. No self respecting global economic power can survive without access to American consumers. China does not want to cut America off from its goods and Americans do not want to be cut off from low cost Chinese goods. Raising tariffs on Chinese goods or placing trade sanctions on Chinese trade would have far reaching effects that most people can not even comprehend. How then do we deal with the justifiable complaints of both the right and the left in American politics? The way we have been for many decades.

China is where it is today because America chose an open policy with that country as opposed to the policy that we followed concerning Cuba. Both are communist countries but they are at this time in completely different situations. Cuba wallows in poverty as China grows by 10% a year. Castro tightens his grip annually while China continues to face growing scrutiny from the outside world. Granted one can not compare the populations of the two countries but it is very easy to argue that Cuba would be a vastly different place if we followed the same policy with it as was followed with China.

The short answer here is that America has gained more and more access to Chinese markets through a very slow and painful process. That process continues. Just by having Google in China, one can rest assured that more internet content will reach millions of Chinese people. China will be free one day but not by America choosing a path of inflicting tariffs and sanctions. Watch out for Sino phobia this summer and fall as politicians attempt to convince voters that their reason to fear China is a better reason than their opponent’s reason. The truly thoughtful politician will explain the benefits of the freest possible trade with China. My fear is that politician may not show up this year.

Posted by The Webtoad at 02:27 AM | Comments (2)

Give Hamas A Chance

(Originally written just after the Palestinian elections with some more recent modifications).

It is no secret that the western powers, America, Israel, and the EU, are critical of the outcome of recent Palestinian elections. In fact, Israel is so disappointed with the new government of the Palestinian Authority (PA) that it is withholding $55 million a month in revenues that it collects on behalf of the PA (The New York Times). Washington, Tel Aviv and its European allies no longer feel it is necessary to mask their ambiguous calls for democracy in the Middle East. The reaction of the governments of the so-called developed world is in accord with what many have known for years; democracy is good for the Middle East as long as the West agrees with the outcomes. The leaders of the developed world have borrowed from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s play book in which a government deliberately takes sides in elections it feels will directly effect that government’s interests. Unfortunately for the above mentioned leaders, they failed to notice how poorly this has worked out for Putin as evidenced by the Ukraine’s Orange Revolution.

Let us start with a little background for those unfamiliar with recent Palestinian developments. At the end of January, Palestinians went to the polls to elect members to the legislative body of the Palestinian Authority; the organization that oversees Palestinian affairs in the West Bank and Gaza. Since its inception, the PA has been dominated by the Fatah party, the political extension of Yasar Arafat’s PLO. Since Arafat’s death and the election of President Mahmoud Abbas (also of the Fatah party) last year, this faction of Palestinian politics has seen its popularity wane as Palestinians became increasingly frustrated with Fatah’s endemic corruption and self serving government officials. At the time that Abbas called for elections, however, there seemed no viable alternative to the ruling party; enter Hamas.

Discussing Hamas is a difficult endeavor in the least. First, the dark side of Hamas. Put simply, they are a terrorist group. Although they have recently observed a cease fire towards Israel, Hamas has waged a campaign of violence against Israeli military and civilian population. Hamas has perfected the use of the suicide bomber. It accepts money from both Iran and Syria, two nations bitterly opposed to the existence of Israel. Hamas itself, in its charter, calls for the crushing of the state of Israel. For most westerners, any discussion of Hamas must end here. This side of Hamas is repulsive but it is not their only side. If it were, Hamas would not have won an outright majority in the elections. Hamas’ other side is one of helping those Palestinians in need. Fatah may have ruled the politics of Palestine but Hamas has ruled the humanitarian efforts of the occupied territories. While Arafat et al were enriching themselves through the institutions they set up within the PA, Hamas was handing out food and clothing and finding shelter for the displaced in the aftermath of Israeli military operations in such places as Nablus and the Jenin refugee camp. Hamas has much to account for but they would not be the first “terrorist” organization to try its hand in the political arena or to moderate its stand with regard to its opponents. One needs look no further than Fatah and the PLO itself to study the transition of a terrorist group into a ruling party. Sinn Fein and the African National Congress are two other groups that quickly spring to mind.

So currently the situation in the occupied territories stands like this; the Palestinians have gone to the polls and democratically elected a party that Israel, the European Union and the United States all consider to be a terrorist organization. This creates a problem given that most western countries have laws in effect that bar its officials from dealing with any member of a group that the country lists as terrorist. So, any member of the American government who speaks to a newly elected member of the Palestinian Parliament who was elected on the Hamas ticket would be committing a crime punishable under American law. The same goes for the EU and Israel. That is a problem by itself. Factor in the amount of money that these countries contribute to the PA and the problem gets bigger. The PA receives money primarily from two sources; money collected as taxes by the Israeli government then transferred to the PA and through aid provided by the US and the EU all of whom have mentioned that they may withhold that money if Hamas form a government as it is scheduled to do this Saturday.

Without the money described above, Hamas will be unable to effectively run the government that it was elected to oversee. As mentioned earlier, Hamas will probably receive some money from other sources including Syria, Iran and other Muslim countries but it will fall short of the approximately $60 million that the PA requires each month to stay above water. Well over 100,000 Palestinians count on their salaries from the PA to support themselves and their families. With unemployment in the Palestinian territories conservatively running at 25%, this would be an unbearable burden on what is already a struggling economy.

Beyond the issue of money, Israel has a few other cards to play. It controls all border points between itself and the West Bank and Gaza (the PA is charged with governing two non-contiguous geographic areas). With this, Israel is able to control the movement of Palestinians from their homes in the occupied territories to their jobs in Israel. It also means that Israel controls the flow of all goods and services into the Palestinian territories including water and electricity. In short, Israel controls Palestine.

Given all of the above, it appears as though the West, including and especially Israel, is able to call the shots with regards to the occupied territories. Up to and including the recent election, Palestinians have done much of what the West has asked. The Second Intifada is a thing of the past, many of the militant groups have adhered to a cease fire and the Palestinian people have voiced their opinion concerning who they want as their leaders in the way that the West asked them to: democratic elections. Now it is time for the West to take a step in the direction of the Palestinians. Give Hamas a chance.

Just as the PLO, Sinn Fein, the African National Congress and many other formerly “terrorist” organizations have laid down their guns for a voice in the political process, so too is it possible for Hamas to do the same. It is by no means guaranteed. Hamas has proven itself to be a violent group capable of the murder of non-combatants (a term that Hamas does not recognize in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict). The West has further demands of Hamas before they acknowledge Hamas as a legitimate political party. These requirements include renouncing violence and recognizing Israel’s right to exist. It can not be said that these points are outrageous but the Palestinian people have made some great strides recently and before they are asked to walk any further, they are deserving of being shown that the West too is willing to take a few steps in their direction.

Posted by The Webtoad at 03:19 AM | Comments (0)