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"Global" Archives
This blog attempts to provide intelligent commentary on current events at all levels -- from local to global. However, be prepared for other stuff too.
August 23, 2005
Sharon's ax
Heh. I forgot I had written this little piece a while ago...While I've been following the events in Israel and Sharon's plan for removing Israelis from the Gaza Strip, I haven't found a real good article anywhere explaining why. Granted, I haven't looked real hard, but I've assumed it was a mix of economic reason (too costly to protect the Israeli settlementsin Gaza) with a forced start/continuation of the peace process in the Middle East. This article offers some light on the subject. I can't attest to it's accuracy, but seems to provide me with some information I lacked, and how Sharon has put down his ax and act as part of an agreement with Pres. Bush, and that another part of the plan was for President Abbas (of the Palestinian Authority) to then disarm the radical parties of Hamas, Fatah, and such.Again, I don't know all the details of the deal, and I have some sympathy for the Israelis being forced out of their homes (which will then be destroyed), but I'm in favor of the action. I just hope it works; I hope the Palestinians can now take action on their side to show they are serious about peace.
Posted by Cameron at 09:21 PM
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July 24, 2005
Moving on
While the casualties inflicted July 7 on London commuters were horrible, unjust, and tragic, I'm happy they weren't worse. I've also been impressed with the way the Londoners handled the events. They moved on. John Tierney wrote a nice Op-Ed in the NY Times on this fact and it is reprinted here in the Deccan Herald. I'm not much of a worrier. I don't like over-reacting. I typically don't like the way America has hampered convenience and privacy in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. I realize I'm probably different from most here and I realize the government basically needs to defend itself, but I think the likelihood of another attack is remote enough that the hassle isn't merited. You can't prevent everything, especially a terrorist with no regard for life, even his or her own. Sometimes bad things -- at times really bad things -- happen. You pick up and move on. I hate cliches, but maybe the terrorists won in some ways in the U.S. They've altered aspects of our lives in the name of terror.While I'm at it, I'll mention the latest inconvenience to many in the U.S. due to the latest London attacks: subway searches in New York. This article questions the legality of the searches, and I'd be on their side. The subway is supposed to be a quick means to arrive at a destination -- where the main hassle is finding your MetroCard, swiping it, and running to the train that's about to leave. While I agree these new bag searches are much different from soldiers invading ones' house in the 1770's, I would argue they're an over-reaction and invasion of privacy.But again, kudos to the British for their resolve. They got hit again a few days ago, with fortunately no fatalities. I hope the police can take care of the immediate terrorists and the citizens can go on with their ordinary lives.
Posted by Cameron at 09:53 AM
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June 22, 2005
Wrap-up
So, I've been gone. I came home from my wonderful cruise to a bunch of email, a stolen laptop, and lots of work. I'll be home a whopping 7 full days in June, but I'll try to give a quick wrap-up.Locally in Utah, we've had a nice surprise where a little 11-yr-old scout was found in the rugged Uintah mountains after 4 days of wandering. He's basically unhurt. I think that's great news.In the U.S., I don't think a whole lot has happened except the Democrats voted against installing Bolton as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., and lots of bickering over the terrorist camp in Guantanamo. In Europe, France and The Netherlands, to the dismay of their leaders, voted against the EU Constitution, basically issuing it a death sentence. They followed that up with an EU budget meeting high on arguing and low on progress.In the Middle East, Iran is going through presidential elections, and Lebanon is also going through elections where it appears a large majority of Anti-Syrian candidates have been elected.In the Carribean, I did some wonderful diving and got lots of sun and bug bites.And that's a wrap.
Posted by Cameron at 07:28 PM
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June 08, 2005
Publicity for a price
Many, and probably most, of you have heard about Amnesty International's rediculous comparisons of U.S. detentions of terrorists to the Soviet gulag. It looks like they admit it was at least partly for publicity. All it cost was their credibility (through PoweLine).
Posted by Cameron at 11:38 PM
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June 03, 2005
No more whimpering
Charles Krauthammer says pretty much what I think about the media and left's (over)reaction to America's wartime behavior. Read it here.I think it's important to remember that many of these people murdered innocents and Allied soldiers without hesitation, yet our military gets criticized for mishandling a book, albeit a holy one.
Posted by Cameron at 07:02 PM
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May 19, 2005
The real enemy
I feel like I've been saying this sort of thing for years, but the real enemy in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., is the radical with no respect for life. Americans (and much of the Western world) loves to place blame on every incident, while ignoring the fact that maybe the people who directly inflicted death upon hundreds and thousands of innocents is, in fact, a bad and guilty person.
Posted by Cameron at 11:45 AM
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May 02, 2005
Editing truth
Many of you have likely heard about the shooting incident in Iraq way back on Mar. 4, 2005, where Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena and her convoy were shot at by American troops. In the shooting, one of her bodyguards was tragically hit by a bullet and killed. The irony of the story is that she had been kidnapped by insurgents and the convoy had just paid a ransom, picked her up, and was returning to friendly territory. However, they were in a speeding car, at night and had reportedly given the American guards no warning whatsoever of their arrival. The American reports state that they followed standard procedures such as flashing bright lights at the car and firing off warning shots, in order to get the car to stop. For all they knew, it was a suicide bomber. When the car didn't slow down, the soldiers opened fire on the engine and front of the car in an attempt to disable it. One of the bullets ricocheted into the cabin of the car and fatally struck the body guard.The Americans have claimed sorrow, but maintained innocence, recently clearing those soldiers involved of any wrongdoing. The Italians were furious, stating that they had been insulted by the Americans and that the real story was different. Sgrena is an anti-war, leftist journalist and has stated the car was going no more than 30 mph and also that the Americans fired at them on purpose because they didn't like what she was doing (and also that the Italians had paid a ransom). She has had no proof to her claims, but it turns out the Americans do have proof to their claims. It turns out a satellite happened to film the incident, and that footage is what cleared the Americans. Interestingly, the LA Times took a Reuters story mentioning the satellite information, but simply edited out the satellite-related info. Via Powerline and Patterico. Hmm.
Posted by Cameron at 07:42 PM
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April 26, 2005
A new step for Lebanon
Back on March 15, I mentioned a little about what was happening in Lebanon. The next step has been taken, and is one that is historic, and in my opinion a great sign. The last Syrian troops have left Lebanon after a 29-year occupation. You can read more from CNN here.
Posted by Cameron at 10:46 AM
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April 19, 2005
Benedict XVI
I figured I should post at least once in April to show the world I'm alive, for better or worse. At any rate, this morning in Italy, a new pope was elected by the council of 115 cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. A brief summary of the process: the cardinals all meet together in a series of very secret meetings in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican (basically in Rome). They vote twice a day on who the next pope should be until they reach a 2/3 consensus, at which point that electee is the new pope and he selects a name. There is a contingency plan to select a pope on a simple majority if a 2/3 vote can't be secured after a while. Though they failed to come to a consensus yesterday, this was a fairly rapid choice. At any rate, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has been selected as the 265th pope and has taken the title of Pope Benedict XVI. You can read details and look at some multimedia here.
Posted by Cameron at 03:42 PM
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March 15, 2005
Lebanon III
For those of you who have been following the news in Lebanon recently, here's a great picture, via Powerline. Back when the reformist leader Harari was assasinated a month ago, thousands of Lebanese staged a rare, risky and peaceful demonstration in Beirut, calling for the exit of Syrian occupation and the replacement of the Syrian-influenced Lebanese government. A week later, Hezbollah, the Shiite political/social/terrorist group staged a much larger rally, saying they didn't want foreign (read American) involvement in their country, but that Syria was welcome to stay. So a week after that, today, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese came back even stronger calling for Syria to leave. Interestingly, the protesters were a solid mix of Christians, Muslims, and Druse in a showing of unity. If I remember right, one of their cries was "Long live Syria, in Syria!"Oh, and I must give kudos to the Lebanese rulers and police who are letting them demonstrate peacefully.
Posted by Cameron at 03:41 PM
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March 14, 2005
Party's over
Is Osama bin Laden's party of terror over? Here's a little AP piece in the Deseret News that brings up an interesting story. It seems that intra- Al Queda communication has dramatically decreased. I can interpret this either way -- that either the network has disintegrated, or that they are getting better at communicating incognito. I can't help but think they've been hurt, but I wonder how much.
Posted by Cameron at 04:07 PM
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March 09, 2005
Vindication?
President George W. Bush and some of his advisors have walked a lonely road the past few years. If you've been alive and conscious during this time, you are probably aware of the massive polarization that has occurred in the US. You are also probably aware of the thousands of deaths and monetary costs of the wars waged. Was it worth it? Was Bush on the right path when he declared war on terrorism and tyranny?The short answer is that it is too early to tell, but the signs are very positive. Who knows if everything that has happened in the Middle East can be linked to Bush's efforts, but many can. He recently gave a speech on the current status of many of the ongoing current events. And there must be a heck of a blue moon tonight because even a NY Times article is praising his efforts, going so far as to quote praise from critics such as Senator Kennedy. Powerline has a similar commentary with a link to an article in the Washington Post containing even more praise and optimism from critics.Just a very brief roundup includes:
Peaceful demonstrations in Ukraine (not quite in the Middle East mind you, but a sign of global freedom) with an overturning of the elections.
Mostly peaceful demonstrations in Lebanon, with Syria committing to withdraw troops to regions near the Syrian border, and then a complete withdrawal afterwards.
Libya acknowledging it has been pursuing a nuclear arms program and allowing the international community to come in and disarm it.
Overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
Free elections throughout Iraq that beat just about anyone's predictions.
Limited regional elections in Saudi Arabia.
President Mubarak of Egypt allowing other contenders in the presidential race.
Pakistan and India declaring a ceasefire in the Kashmir region.
PMs Sharon and Abbas declaring ceasefires and working together openly to create peace in the Israeli/Palestinian Intifidah.I think a hard look shows that some things are still very messy, with a powerful insurgency in Iraq. But that look also shows you undeniable progress, with many reports that the insurgency has been greatly weakened and is fighting to stay alive. I have supported Bush in this and I continue to do so. I freely admit many things were not executed properly or as smoothly as they could have, but overall, I can't help but feel joy for all the good that has been happening.
Posted by Cameron at 02:45 PM
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February 15, 2005
Conversion
Here's a Times Op-Ed I found interesting about the "conversion" of Ariel Sharon from a cold but effective soldier to the stateman he is today. I myself have been curious of the transformation myself, given that Sharon was basically elected due to his no-mercy-hit-em-hard attitude towards the Palestinians. Now, since Abbas took over from Arafat, everything's been changing. Abbas fired police commanders who allowed rocket attacks from Gaza. Even Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. I think it's a good read.
Posted by Cameron at 03:51 PM
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January 30, 2005
Iraqi elections
I'm very happy to see that the elections in Iraq have apparently gone quite well. There were some attacks, with reports of at least 44 people being killed, but there are also reports of 60-70% turnout. I think around 20% of those killed were terrorists, but I'm saddened by the loss of the innocent lives. Yet I still must admit that I thought things were going to be worse. I find the turnout fantastic and hope to see a leap in progress as people understand how democracy works. Here's some info on it from Fox news.Update:
Here are some election photos via Powerline
Posted by Cameron at 11:38 AM
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January 27, 2005
To hear or not to hear
I liked Tom Friedman's article in the NY TImes on Bush's need to listen to Europe. When I was over in Switzerland, I could sense a lot of animosity towards Bush, not so much against America. I found Friedman's point quite interesting where he says the Europeans secretly envy American optimism and freedom, and that one reason they dislike Bush is that he has displaced those good feelings with fear. I consider myself somewhat libertarian and independent and don't really care much about the yellow or orange alert or anything like that. In fact I am bothered by the Patriot Act and the intrusion upon many civil liberties that have taken place. I don't think all foreigners should be fingerprinted and photographed as they enter the country. I don't think America should live in the shadow of fear, and I personally do not. As Friedman pointed out, if he would just listen, he would undoubtedly hear some "Eurowhining," but I have to agree with them a bit on the loss of freedom. While I understand where the government is coming from, and I know a lot of people agree with the changes, I think many, if not most, are ineffective overreactions.
Posted by Cameron at 03:37 PM
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January 20, 2005
Red Iran
Every American knows the country was highly polarized during the 2004 election campaign. Many citizens still feel polarized. Many Europeans didn't understand that American was split, but they did understand that they didn't like Bush and his policies; they were anti-Bush, rather than anti-America.This column in the NY Times brings up some interesting points. Now that Americans have re-elected Bush, do they (the Europeans) now become anti-America? Friedman refers to Europe as one gigantic "blue" state. He may have a point, but what I found more interesting is that the complimentary "red" state that he came up with is Iran. Despite all the enmity between the two countries that the media portrays, the youth of Iran like Bush and America and dislike their government -- basically they "'[love] anything their government hates,' such as Mr. Bush, 'and [hate] anything their government loves.'"
Posted by Cameron at 01:41 PM
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January 17, 2005
Making friends
I've pretty much accepted that Europe and a good chunk of the rest of the world despises Bush. That doesn't make everything he does wrong, nor right, but it's been a common understanding I think during the past couple years. Here is a link through Powerline to an article in the London Times that actually provides a favorable view on Bush's second term. Maybe Bush is making some friends after all.
Posted by Cameron at 03:38 PM
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November 12, 2004
Credible solutions
With news that Arafat has passed away, everyone is talking about what's next. There were several opinions today in the New York Times, including one from Jimmy Carter that seemed partisan and anti-Bush/Israel. I didn't even make it through the article, thinking that this isn't the time to preach an agenda that sounds so critical of one side.I was therefore pleased to read this following article by King Abdullah II of Jordan. Not only does he have a hot wife, but he has a calming, moderate voice that recognizes the past contributions and needed concessions to go on. Given the heavy insurgent voice present in the Middle East, it's refreshing to hear one who has power but who is also willing to be objective.Update:
I had the wrong "hot wife" listed. Oops. The new link above references Queen Rania, the real wife of King Abdulla II. Thanks to Justin W. for pointing out my mistake.
Posted by Cameron at 05:08 PM
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November 04, 2004
New Hope
I just heard word in a press conference with Bush that Arafat has passed away. This is big news.While it's not PC to wish someone would pass on, many agree that Arafat has been a huge obstacle to progress in the Israel/Palestine Intifadah. This opens the door for a whole new round of peace talks and I sincerely hope they can accomplish something. So often, their thirst for revenge ruins the peace, but this gives an opportunity to establish a new leader (perhaps Ahmed Qureia) who is willing to crack down on Hamas and other terrorist groups.Update:
Apparently, Arafat has not passed on. I still hope something can come from this experience.Update 2:
Arafat has now died.
Posted by Cameron at 09:53 AM
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September 28, 2004
Emptiness
I can only imagine the horror that took place in Beslan, Russia a while back; however, I found this article in the NY Times to be a touching insight into the emptiness caused by the tragedy.
Posted by Cameron at 08:24 AM
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September 07, 2004
Blame the bad guys
By now, I'm sure everyone is aware of the horrifying massacre that took place in southern Russia, in the town of Beslan. David Brooks, a columnist for the NY Times, wrote an Op-Ed article clarifying that this wasn't a tragedy -- that it was a planned mass murder operation.I have to agree with him. I've often argued that people constantly look for the easiest, usually the nearest, subject they can lay blame on. In this case it is Putin. In the case of 9/11 and the soldier deaths in Iraq, it is the Bush administration. This is unfair. True, Putin probably could and should have done more to protect his people. True, Bush could have had a better exit plan in Iraq. But people, it is not Putin or Bush causing the deaths. As Brooks mentioned, "it wasn't Russian authorities who stuffed basketball nets with explosives and shot children in the back as they tried to run away."If you get robbed, is it your fault? The fact is that there are evil men and women out there desirous to cause chaos and death. They, the terrorists, are responsible for the deaths. They are the ones that merit the blame and the justice.
Posted by Cameron at 02:44 PM
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August 23, 2004
A Marine's Tale
I thought this Op-Ed piece by a marine on the front line was cool. It's worth the read.
Posted by Cameron at 11:14 AM
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July 21, 2004
Armed in Athens
I'd have to say that if I were a citizen in another sovereign country other than the United States, I wouldn't want American soldiers roaming around my country, especially with guns. The Greeks don't either -- in fact it's in their constitution not to have armed foreign forces in their country. But according to this article in the NY Times, the Americans have negotiated the presence of several hundred troops under NATO's auspice, most likely armed.I can also see the Americans' side of things, what with their athletes being at high risk. The presence of foriegn armed troops is not unprecedented; the Israelis have often ignored other countries' bans, including America's. But as some other countries have done, I would let them contract with Greek security agencies. Of course that brings up the issue of trust, but I think it's workable. Also, given the tendency of some nervous American troops (in Iraq) to be a little trigger happy, the concern about them not understanding the culture is a legitimate one.
Posted by Cameron at 08:38 AM
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July 13, 2004
Israel's side of the fence
I ususally try not to post multiple coumns in a day, but I found this Op-Ed piece by Benjamin Netanyahu worthy of reading. For those who don't remember who he is or was, he is a former Prime Minister of Israel (and is currently the finance minister). It is a pretty bold declaration. While I agree that coming directly from the Israeli government, it can't help being a little biased, I have to agree with many of the points. I think the Palestinians should get a better quality of life, and deserve their own state, but as Netanyahu says, preservation of life comes before quality of life. The Palestinians must show they value life first.
Posted by Cameron at 02:47 PM
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June 08, 2004
Saudis for Osama
I found this article/poll from CNN both astounding and humorous.Out of some 15,000 polled Saudis, nearly half had favorable views of Osama bin Laden. And that was taken after recent bombings in Saudi Arabia!That's the astounding part. What I found humorous was that some 41% favored strong relationships with America, while only 39% had favorable views of the Saudi armed forces.To me, these views seem to be either somewhat contradictive, or just very black and white -- with half liking America and the other half not.I also found it a bit odd that while half agree with bin Laden's sermons, less than a third agree with militant clerics. That has me a bit bewildered. Isn't bin Laden a militant cleric?
Posted by Cameron at 09:03 PM
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May 21, 2004
Pumping $$
Hi. I got back from a Maui work trip yesterday, and I leave Sunday for another week in Ohio, so I thought I'd squeeze in a column.Have you gotten gas recently and felt like you were just pumping a bunch of money into your tank? Around my house, the prices were about $2.03 per gallon the last time I checked. In Hawaii, I saw prices mostly between $2.54 - $2.59. I was sadisdically amused at how fast the money amount ran up while the gallon meter didn't. I'm guessing that most people, like me, have thought it was due to a supply issue and that OPEC was trying to flex its muscles. That may have a little truth (I read they were trying to cut production a bit), but I've read several articles recently that demand is so great, supply just can't keep up. This article in The Economist does a pretty good job of briefing one on the facts. I've also read that the supply problem is largely due to the massive economic boom in oil-thirsty China.So what to do? It doesn't look like prices are going down anytime soon; rather I'm guessing other prices that are linked to the oil business will go up (think airline tickets and other transportation costs). Probably the best solution is to drive less or get a more efficient car. I too want the prices to come down, but since the US has prices much lower than much of the civilized world, I can't really complain too much yet. I guess we just keep dumping our wallet into the gas tank until we don't even notice it anymore.
Posted by Cameron at 04:45 PM
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May 09, 2004
How it happened
A lot of people have been shocked at the abuse of the Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. I've been one of them. It's not so much the specific, horrendous acts that were committed as much as it was the evil irony of using one of Saddam's worst prisons to commit many of the same offences under the banner of "America is a friend of all the Iraqi people." We were supposed to be helping these people create a free democracy.This 6-page article in the NY Times answers some of the questions as to how such a thing could come to pass. It doesn't have all the answers, but is a good informational read nonetheless.
Posted by Cameron at 10:10 AM
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April 05, 2004
Bad news
This was not a good weekend in Iraq. In riots started by the fiery Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, 7 US soldiers, an El Salvadoranian soldier, and lots of Iraqis were killed. What's possibly worse though is what it showed about the power of an (illegal) uprising. Apparently, as soon as the al-Sadr militia advanced on the police checkpoints, the police abandoned their posts. This, I'm sure, is a huge disappointment to the Coalition forces who will be relying on the common police forces come July, after they've turned over command.I wish I had a good solution. I don't. I think the laws need to be enforced, but who's going to do it? The insurgents are too intimidating to the police. And we all know they're willing to use their weapons. They don't respect life. I can see a real disaster coming when the turnover happens on June 30. Not only will I turn 28 that day (probably not as much of a disaster), but the Coalition military and political presence will be greatly diminished. Al-Sadr, and I'm sure others, have countless violent men at their disposal, and seem eager to combat the government. I'd give it a pretty darn slim chance that things will improve when the hated Americans leave. They're just an excuse for the people wishing chaos on the country. As much as I want the Coalition to go through with the transfer plan, I can't help but think it's bad news awaiting. Things just aren't stable. There are too many rebels and not enough enforced law.
Posted by Cameron at 10:33 AM
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March 23, 2004
An open can of worms
Ariel Sharon opened a big can o' worms, or something. He (Israel) killed Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of Hamas. One guy said that while justified, it probably wasn't a wise move. Some Isreali leaders hoped Hamas would be severly crippled, and start to die, but they seem only angrier, and no less dangerous.In fact, as you can read here in the Deseret News, not only are these Palestinians ticked at Israel, they're taking it out on the U.S.I quote:
The Zionists didn't carry out their operation without getting the consent of the terrorist American administration and it (the United States) must take responsibility for this crime That's bad news. With Rumsfeld in command, I can see this blowing up into a full-on war (if they attack us).
Posted by Cameron at 03:12 PM
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February 25, 2004
Double standards
While I'm on the topic of religious hipocrisy and such, I'll move into the Middle East conflict. Nicholas Kristof has written an ariticle in the NY Times pointing out the double standards of each side. Israel and Sharon get pummeled for this a lot. It's not completely undeserved, however he points out that Sharon really isn't in direct violation of UN policy. That doesn't make his actions of occupying Palestinian territories right, but the crime does tend to be exaggerated. Moving on to the Arabs, Kristof points out that they are quite guilty of allowing fellow Arabs to terrorize, while condemning Israel for their actions. I've often wondered about this, and it appears I'm not alone. I'm in no way an authoritative source on Arab policy, but they seem to have extremely strong nationalism (as an Arab nation), and unwilling to look amongst themselves.Nor is the US completely innocent in treating the two sides equally, though I still feel that Israel has taken more steps towards peace than the Palestinians have.
Posted by Cameron at 08:45 PM
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Unfiltered Christianity
I am alive. I've been traveling a lot. I'm home for four days, and then I'm off again; to Japan. But this post is about someone who is not alive in a mortal sense.There's been a lot of talk and hype about the new movie, The Passion of Christ. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to see it or not, but I likely will. However, what I want to bring up is an interesting Op-Ed article in the NY Times talking about how the movie will force Christians to really look at their Christian beliefs.The article brings up the fact that many modern sects conveniently cleanse their religion of any troubling facts or suffering. You have people wearing large crosses around their necks as they exhibit absolutely no Christian traits. I don't mean to imply that Christians must be perfect, I mean, c'mon we're human, but the idea is try to live a Christ-like life. The movie will show people that Christ did suffer. He suffered immensely. He also did an incredible amount of good, and, as Christians generally believe, lived the perfect life.I thought this following paragraph was especially characteristic of today's filtered religions:
"Like Jeremiah, Jesus is a Jewish prophet rejected by the leaders of his own people, and abandoned by his handpicked disciples. Besides taking an awful beating, he is cruelly tempted to despair by a Satan whom millions of church-going Christians no longer believe in, and dies in obedience to a heavenly Father who, by today's standards, would stand convicted of child abuse. In short, this Jesus carries a cross that not many Christians are ready to share. " I think the author does a nice job of subtly pointing out the hipocrisy of many professed "believers." I know I'm guilty. Sure, I try to be good, but I don't think I'm near as exemplary as I should be.
Posted by Cameron at 08:12 PM
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February 08, 2004
A call for multilateralism
I've often agreed with the views of Thomas Friedman, one of the columnists over at the NY Times. In one of his latest articles in the Times, he talks about the Bush team basically intent on fighting the war alone -- both in a domestic and a global sense. Friedman isn't bothered by the fact of going to war. Like me, he feels it was justified, if for different reasons than what Bush claimed. However, what disturbs him is the seeming lack of a "morning after" plan. He mentions that both sides of the Atlantic erred, and that now is the time to just patch things up and help each other. I think I'm a bit guilty at not worrying too much about the plan after the war, perhaps like Bush; however, I also don't think things are as big a disaster as some say. Democracies don't just happen overnight; nor in a year. But as the article states, having support from other countries will give the effort more strength, finance, and credibility.
Posted by Cameron at 10:51 AM
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January 15, 2004
Growing Up
Since you're all so disappointed my last post wasn't political, I've posted one that is a bit more so :). I read this article on global economic policy at the NY Times, and thought it worthy of a post. I liked it, not because a NY Times columnist hounds on the Democratic candidates (though that's what first got my attention), but because it defends free trade, something I'm a big fan of. One of the most important principles of Adam Smith-ian economics is that things tend to work themselves out without intervention when people pursue what is in their greatest good. It's the principle of the invisible hand. There is another good link here on how minimum wages violate this principle. This can be a somewhat cold truth, but a truth nonetheless. Fortunately, people still feel the need to be charitable, but charity generally doesn't fuel prosperity or economic growth. The invisible hand principle lets cost rise or drop until its equal to the marginal utility (benefit) of the additional cost. Often, government will intervene to try to speed things up, or prevent a free market from taking its course. But in numerous cases, from pollution control (yes this is a market -- you can trade pollution rights) to the simple cost of a hamburger, free market trade has successfully found the balance. Sometimes people don't like to face the fact that something is worth more than they're getting it for, so they intervene. This often causes a mess (look at rent controls in NYC). Sometimes it works out. However, many opponents of global trade argue that it makes people work in awful situations. Nicholas Kristof talks about the conditions in those "sweatshops." I would suggest you also view his slideshow at his column. There's no denying that sometimes the conditions are very poor, but he points out that the conditions are often worse without these "sweatshops." Try scrounging through the dump. I put the word “sweatshops” in quotes because ironically, as he says, many look to the factories as places where they don't have to sweat all day. For many, the factory is a dream job.So come back to the US for a second. We're all rich. We wouldn't dream of working all day in a miserable factory for $2 a day. But that's one of the best jobs around in Phnom Penh. The candidates are saying (along with many anti-free trade advocates) that they should be treated better, even going so far as to say there should be a global minimum wage. Kristof tells them they're wrong, and I agree. Another economic principle I love is that everything has a cost; even human life. Having a global minimum wage would raise the cost in those factories. That would raise the cost of the products, but it would also limit the number of people able to work in the factories. Higher wages always means fewer workers because there is always a finite amount of money. So, with fewer working people making money, fewer are able to help build up the local economy. While I’m certainly not a fan of mistreating workers, I would also say that having a low cost work environment is a necessary evil of growing up. Every modern nation has gone through a similar stage. Sure they work a lot for a little, but that little is a lot more than nothing. As they prosper, they will demand more, which will raise costs. As factory owners resist rises in cost, the workers, who become increasingly educated as they make money, will move on to more upscale jobs, allowing others to take their places. When no one is willing to take those bad jobs, they move to an area where people are willing, or in the case of the US, people from other places will come to take those jobs. A balance is created between the price people are willing to pay and the wages the workers receive.
Posted by Cameron at 12:01 PM
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December 15, 2003
It's caught!
Saddam is caught. The NY Times has a good write-up here. You probably know that by now, but because I'm still waiting to get television at my house, I got the news a little late. My brother left a message on my cell phone while I was at church. I mentioned it to some others, and they already all knew. I need to get t.v.Anyway, the guy's a monster, one who now appears to be subdued. Because of what I think of him, I've chosen to use "It" instead of "He" in the title. Seeing his picture almost made me feel sorry for the guy, but then I wised up. The guy is one of the worst criminals since Hitler. He deserves to pay. He is not a good person. The problem is there's no way to undo the damage and pain he has caused.I hope he isn't just given a nice cushy home arrest somewhere, treated as a diplomatic prisoner. I was trying to think of a way to have him help pay, and the only thing I can think of is for him to record a tape (so there's no surprises), and broadcast it around Iraq, telling the insurgents to stop their attacks, and to let the Coalition restore civilty so they can let the Iraq's govern themselves. After that, he needs to do some suffering, though I wish to remain blissfully ignorant about that. Anyway, this is a good day for Iraq, and a good day for America. Heck, it might even stall France's criticism for a day or two. But, congrats to the informers and the soldiers who did the brave job they did.
Posted by Cameron at 09:52 AM
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December 10, 2003
Democracy hipocracy?
I just realized that the reason I haven't posted more is because I'm no longer getting my daily NYTimes emails. I don't know why, but I suspect they're being spam-filtered somewhere. So today I'm looking at the The Deseret News and found this article about Bush, China and Taiwan.I'm a little miffed by Bush's actions. To gain support from the Chinese Premier, Bush basically condemned Taiwan's independence attempts. I think that's hypocritical. Didn't the U.S. break away from an obsessive mother country to be independent? Didn't Bush just give a big speech about actively encouraging Democracy throughout the world? Aren't we fighting a war to establish a Democracy in the Middle East? I've been to Taiwan more than once, and have read newspapers there and talked to people about these issues. From my understanding, Chiang Kai Chek and some others broke away years ago (1949) from China and the Communist Mao Ze Dung. They've been considered a renegade province by China and their official name is "Republic of China" as opposed to China's official name "People's Republic of China." However, the Taiwanese consider themselves basically soveriegn and want to go by the name Taiwan, which is what everyone knows them as. But this would require recognition from China, who won't allow it, instead focusing quite a few missles at the little island to dissuade them from voting for independence. There's even talk that because of treaties at the end of WWII, the U.S. actually owns Taiwan, and some are calling for Taiwan to be a state in the U.S.Yet Bush is telling them to crawl back in their box, not worry about independence, and let China and its Communism take over. While politically popular with China, I still don't think this is the right approach.
Posted by Cameron at 04:40 PM
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December 03, 2003
Endless war
Some of you may have heard about the recently released Geneva Accord, put together by Israelis and Palestinians, independent of the current governments. The document is largely symbolic, but was issued to show there are ways to stop the endless war between the two peoples, and to show that willing people can work together on this. A bit to my dismay, this accord has been rejected by both the Israeli and Palestinian governments, with a rare, but strong criticism of Colin Powell's support of the document by an Israeli official. You can read about it here in the NY Times.I've gotta support Powell's comment here when he says "Why should we not listen to others who have ideas..." It seems like neither side is in favor of any compromises in their current states in order to bring peace. It made me think of the lack of progress so far accomplised in this conflict, and wonder if there ever will be peace, or if this will be an endless war, leading to the end. What do you guys think?
Posted by Cameron at 08:27 AM
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November 25, 2003
Well, whaddya know?
I supported the war in Iraq. I thought Bush's reasons for the war were weak, namely the terrorist link, but there were plenty of other reasons to remove Saddam. However, it appears, according to this article in the NY Times, that there perhaps was a link. This is still not proven, but it is surprising and significant. What even got me more was the fact that it was reported by a liberal (which today means the opposite of whatever Bush says) columnist, talking about the new links being reported in liberal magazines.
Posted by Cameron at 08:36 AM
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November 03, 2003
It's freezing over
I can't help but wonder if Hell is freezing over. I mean, given all the Democrats' condemning of Bush's economic policies, only to have the best quarterly progress in nearly 20 years, and now this, from the NY Times. Apparently, even a usually left-wing columnist, William Safire, is supporting Bush in Iraq, calling on the dovish left-wingers to realize the importance of staying the fight in Iraq. While I'm surprised, I do applaud the call. As Mr. Safire mentioned, "We will help Iraqis win the final war against Baathist terror. Failure is not an option. "
Posted by Cameron at 01:32 PM
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October 30, 2003
Amen
I think this article from the NY Times represents my views well on the status of the effort in Iraq. A lot of the world, and half of Americans think Iraq is just a miserable mess. That it is another hopeless Vietnam. I continue to say that it certainly isn't perfect, and there's lots of problems, but it's not as bad as everyone says.
Posted by Cameron at 09:03 AM
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October 07, 2003
Armageddon ver 0.002
I'm sure by now, most of you have heard about Israel bombing a suspected terrorist camp (Islasmic Jihad) in Syria, in retaliation to a suicide bomber (a pretty 29-year-old law student) that killed 19. It's their first strike in Syria in 30 years. In my mind that's a pretty serious level of escalation. Pres. Bush says that Israel "must not feel constrained" to defend itself, refusing to condemn the strike on Syria. While Syria does not have the military might to strike back, this makes me nervous, and I can't say I completely agree with Bush. Yes, they need to defend themselves, but attacking a sovereign nation without warning (Iraq had lots and lots of warnings) is taking it a bit too far, in my opinion. Thankfully, the Arab nations met and diplomatically talked about the situation, but I'm fairly sure there will be more to it.While this isn't Armageddon, I can see a long development process possibly leading up to "The End." Israel is provoked, and strikes hard. That's fine for a while, but then they strike out in new ways (such as striking sovereign nations), and I can see support for them fading, until they do something so extreme, that everyone is against them, including the US. This is a very gradual process, but it seems to be happening. And while I still think it's up to the Palestinians at this point (and if necessary, their neighboring Arab states) to stop the suicide bombings, Israel needs to tread carefully.
Posted by Cameron at 09:30 AM
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October 03, 2003
The World in a Minute
Every night, for the past few nights, I've gone home and gotten into conversations with my older brother (who I live with), about politics. He is more liberal than I am, but we agree on some things and disagree on others.I would say there are two main issues going on in the world that we talk about -- the Bush Administration's job in the reconstruction of Iraq, and the Israel/Palistine issue. There. Has it been a minute yet?Well, anyway, while we both credit some fault to Bush, he's much more critical, basically falling in line with a lot of the current Anti-Bush rhetoric, though he wasn't against the war in the first place. As for the Middle East, he's very critical of Israel, and has even raised the possibility of a conspiracy theory dealing with strong Israeli ties to the current Administration.I thought the latter was absolutely ridiculous, and the former to be to extreme. On the Middle East thing, I agree that the "Road Map" is dead, that there are problems on both sides, and that there is no easy solution. However, I would fault the Palestinians more than the Israelis. Here are my reasons: For one thing, the Israelis do retaliatory attacks on Palistinians. Except for the chasing of top terror officials of Hamas (which the US, and any other state would go after), they only attack (albeit very harshly) when they are attacked. That means the Palistinians need to stop their terror attacks first, and Israel can stop theirs. As for the Road Map, the Palistinians didn't do a darn thing except agree to stop bombing Israeli civilians, and even that promise they broke. Israel didn't do a whole lot, but they did something at least. They dismantled a few (out of many) outlying settlements, enraging some Jews, and they pulled their troops out of some areas, opening up roads and reducing checkpoints. Many Palistinians criticized this as not meaning much, but again, I say it was a lot more than what the other side did. Remember Bob? Baby steps. I realize Abbas (the now ex-PM), didn't have a lot of power, but the people could have done something. They didn't.While Bush and his administration have made many mistakes, I think he gets more criticism than deserved. I think many people are looking at the problems with their perfect hindsight. The problems are also overstated by the media. That said, I think much of the $87 billion that is going to Iraq could be better spent, and I think L. Paul Bremer was foolish to just disband the Iraqi army in May, leaving lots of men bored, with guns, and no pay (this was from Time). I don't understand why they can't mobilize tons of Iraqi's for a decent wage, and have them guard the power and oil infrastructures of the country. Let the Iraqi's have some investment in their own country for heaven's sake. I also think they need to do a little PR and let the Iraqi's know that the American's really do want to get the heck out of there, but can't do so until the Iraqi people help them stabilize the country. Obviously, I haven't been over there, so I rely on several media sources to try to get a more balanced view of things, but I think it's obvious things aren't going as planned.
Posted by Cameron at 11:16 AM
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September 19, 2003
Patching the hole
I got a few words into an editorial on Germany helping in Iraq today, thinking it was just some random guy's opinion that Germany was going to eventually side with the U.S. However, when I got to the 2nd sentence, it sounded kind of authoritative. I looked at the author, and lo-and-behold, it was written by Gerhard Schroder, the chancellor of Germany.That's one cool thing about reading the NY Times -- some pretty notable people will write editorials in it sometimes. I've seen writings from Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, and others. For some reason, I feel closer to them when I read something of theirs in the newspaper. It's almost like they're at my level and not some mythical creature in Washington.That said, I think it's also rather significant and encouraging that Chancellor Schroder is now saying that he's putting aside the differences over Iraq II, and is willing to supply (much needed, IMO) troops. That will help a lot to patch the trans-atlantic rift that has been created. Now we just need France to humble itself a little. Admittedly, they may have some reason to gloat, but I agree that it's time for them to put that behind them and help with the reconstruction.
Posted by Cameron at 09:21 AM
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June 18, 2003
Liberal Neighbors to the North
In this article from the NY Times today, I was troubled to hear of some actions that Canada is taking, including legalization of small amounts of marijuana and same-sex marriages. The latter is what really troubles me. I'm conservative, religious, and as such, believe in the Bible, which condemns homosexuality. Currently, homosexuals don't affect me much, and though I don't agree with their practices, I have no reason or right to bother them or really even worry about them. However, I believe the family to be a sacred thing, as defined by The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Once gay and lesbian unions are accepted, I'm sure they soon will start to raise children (some already do). I think it is very important for a child to have both a mother and a father, not two individuals who are somewhere in between. I don't think children should be raised in that environment, nor that they can be raised normally.
Posted by Cameron at 09:04 AM
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June 11, 2003
Will it ever stop?
About a week or so ago, I found myself somewhat emotionally attached to the whole mess over in the Middle East with the Jews and the Palestinians. I really feel like it's imperative that peace is established, and I find myself caring about it. I'm not really sure why.During Bush's visit, there were great signs things would happen to push everyone to peace. Everyone involved in the summits in Jordan and Egypt were optimistic and willing to work towards peace. In attempts to move towards peace, both leaders (Ariel Sharon of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine) alienated some members of their constituency, but compromises must be made in my opinion.Unfortunately, there are still some stupid people involved that have power. One of those is Yasser Arafat. He's old, prideful, and unwilling to make any concessions for peace. He's still the president of the PLO, but he reluctantly (at intense international pressure) allowed a prime minister to be established: Abbas, who commenly goes by the name Abu Mazen. Mazen seems to truly want peace, but he's in a constant power struggle with Arafat and the Islamic militants like Hamas and Al Aqsa. He's been trying to negotiate with Hamas to create a ceasefire with Isreal, but they have been mostly unresponsive. Unfortunately, Mazen also lacks the strength and support needed to force them to stop.On the other hand is Israel who typically only strikes in retaliation to terrorist strikes, but when they strike, it is with a lot of force, often causing innocent casualties. They are also illegally creating outposts and settlements that were banned in the Oslo Accord in 1993. However, while Israel isn't off the hook, I'm more willing to take their side since they aren't using terrorist tactics like suicide bombing, and I see Palestinian militants being the aggresor.So, thanks to Bush's efforts, along with the Roadmap planned by the U.S., the E.U., the U.N., and Russia, peace was looking possible. Now however, things have been compromised by the actions of more stupid people in Hamas. They just blew up a bus, killing 16 people. That comes after a shootout a couple days ago where several people died. Israel responded with a helicopter attack, apparently killing the leader of the Hamas militant wing. Unfortunately, Hamas has many followers and as you can see from the following quote by Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantissi, things do not appear to be near the end:
At Hamas, we will not drop our weapons, even if all leaders are assassinated. We will not drop our weapons. This is the only option for the Palestinian people." I find myself personally annoyed by hijacking of the peace plan by Hamas. Bush, Sharon, and Mazen have all condemned the attacks, but it's important to note that Bush has also rebuked Sharon for some not-very-nice moves he's done. I think it's important for Israel to tone down their retaliations and give peace more of a chance. Yes, it creates some big risks, and they might have some tragedies, but it also may be enough to trigger some peaceful action on the other side. That other side, the Palestinians, must also do whatever is necessary to stop the murders and terrorist attacks while Israel lets down its guard.
Posted by Cameron at 11:59 AM
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June 04, 2003
The real reason
Thomas Friedman has an Op-Ed article in the NY Times today about what he states are the real reasons for Gulf War II. I'd have to agree with him. He mentions four reasons that were involved:
- The real reason
- The right reason
- The moral reason
- The stated reason
I'm not at all surprised about all the attention that is buzzing around about the lack of finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. While I trusted Bush, I knew if he didn't find any, he'd have a lot to answer for. It's still quite possible things will be found. They've already found 2 trailers that were supposedly mobile bioweapons labs, but to appease the critics, they'll need more. There's a CIA investigation going on currently about the pre-war evidence and while I'll be quite disappointed if it turns out to be false evidence, I'll still agree with Friedman that there were just/moral reasons for the war.
Posted by Cameron at 08:25 AM
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May 23, 2003
Reconstruction Woes
There's an article today in the NY Times about rising critism by senators over the Bush Administration's lack of planning and communication in the reconstruction of Iraq. Now, usually, I ignore this, since many of the Democrats will bicker and complain over anything. Tom Daschle, in my mind, just says whatever the opposite is of what Bush has said.However, I think I'm going to join the criticism this time. There was one quote I particularly thought was descriptive:
"...squandering a well executed military campaign with a half-baked plan for reconstruction." The Administration has already dumped the first group in charge of the reconstruction and they're on to the second string. They need to stop looting and restore basic services and then can move on to democracy. Frankly, and note that I've never been over there and don't know what it's really like, I'm surprised it's taken so long to accomplish these two prerequisite goals.
Posted by Cameron at 09:24 AM
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April 30, 2003
Moving out
In a move I didn't expect (since I know everything the government has in mind ;), the Pentagon is pulling out all of the troops in Saudi Arabia. This was reported here in the NY TImes. No clear reason is given, though tensions inside Saudi Arabia both from the government and muslims who want the "infidels" out, probably had something to do with it. During the recent war, there were as many as 10,000 troops and reportedly they plan to keep only 400-500 there for training purposes.
Posted by Cameron at 08:50 AM
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April 29, 2003
Ceasefire with terrorists?
In what I see as an interesting move, U.S. officials signed a ceasefire with the People's Mujahadeen, a group on America's known-terrorists list. You can look at it here in the NY Times. The U.S. is letting them keep their arms, as long as they point them away from American troops and they don't destroy government buildings. They say one reason why they settled for a ceasefire was to not have to stretch Coalition forces thinner than they already are to fight the group. Plus, leaving them with weapons helps to balance the power between them and a more serious terrorist group, the Badr Brigade.
Posted by Cameron at 08:08 AM
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April 14, 2003
A time for order
There's an article here in the NYTimes about the widespread looting that has been going on down in Iraq. Rumsfield has made the comment that the chaos is part of the process of freedom. I don't know if I'd go that far, but one fortunate fact is that the Iraqi's have largely kept the looting confined to anti-Saddam sentiment -- targeting government and Saddam-loyalist buildings. However, something I view as extremely unfortunate is that in their targeting of government buildings, they have destroyed the National Museum of Iraq as well as the Nation Library. With the museum, went some 170,000 artifacts, and with the library went pieces of Iraq's past over some 7000 years -- the Iraqi area being possibly the oldest documented civilization on the Earth. That, in my opinion is tragic, and I can understand the high emotions against the government, but destroying irreplaceable things that had nothing to do with Saddam's tyranny is tragic and irresponsible. My hope is that the looting and chaos will come to a quick stop now (it's starting to), and a healthy government can settle in.
Posted by Cameron at 09:21 AM
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April 09, 2003
Happy Iraqis
I've read several articles like this one on how the Iraqi citizens in Baghdad are celebrating and graciously thanking the coalition troops. Granted, this is precisely what the Bush administration wants us to see, but nevertheless, I think it's pretty cool. They showed pictures of Saddam statues being toppled and insulted. There was also widespread looting, which kinda stinks for store owners. But overall, it looks like these people are pretty happy the Americans and Britain came to fight. They did quote one man who wasn't as happy:
"This is the destruction of Islam...After all, Iraq is our country. And what about all the women and children who died in the bombing?" In my opinion, this isn't much of an argument, seeing as the war has nothing whatsoever to do with Islam (in fact Iraq is the most secular of Arab countries), and the innocents whose lives were lost contribute to a much greater cause, possibly saving the lives of thousands more. Plus, there were many who felt the opposite, such as the man who gave this quote:
"I'm 49, but I never lived a single day... Only now will I start living. That Saddam Hussein is a murderer and a criminal."
Posted by Cameron at 04:37 PM
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March 31, 2003
A new Europe?
I was reading an article yesterday in Time magazine about how Blair (a liberal) and Bush (definitely not) are able to get along so well together. I agree that Blair adds some welcome refinement in diplomacy and foreign policy that often isn't visible in the Bush administration. However, what I found more interesting was a comment at the end of the article suggesting the possibility of a rearranging of European power:
The European anti-Saddam coalition — Britain, Spain, Italy and the Eastern bloc — could emerge as the dominant force in the European Union in the next decade, edging out the Franco-German axis, with Blair at its head. While I think it's impossible to assume this would happen, I think it's an interesting prospect, especially if weapons of mass destruction (WMD's) are found in Iraq. The Eastern Bloc, which has steadfastly supported the U.S. against threats of future EU membership by France, could stand to benefit immensely. However, if no WMD's are found, then I think Blair could be in serious trouble and France will have fun thumbing their noses at war-mongering cowboys of the West.
Posted by Cameron at 08:32 AM
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March 25, 2003
Endless love
In reading an article in the Economist (note that you need a paid subscription to this), I found a link to a RealAudio clip about the chummy relationship between Bush and Blair that was listed which I find most humorous. The link is here and I must say I highly recommend watching it.
Posted by Cameron at 08:42 AM
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March 20, 2003
Boom!
So last night (or this morning if you're in Iraq), we attacked Iraq, about 90 minutes or so after Saddam's ultimatum had expired. Apparently, it was earlier than Bush had planned, but they received some intelligence that Saddam and other top leaders were meeting in a bunker, so they took the opportunity to hit it. The outcome appears unsuccessful, but it surely isn't for lack of firepower. They sent around 36 cruise missiles (from subs and destroyers in the Gulf), followed by 2 "bunker-buster" 1-ton bombs from a couple of F-117A's. Together, those make one heck of a boom. They say this isn't close to the air attack that is to come, so it may be interesting to see what happens. We've also managed, unsurprisingly, to have France, Russia, and Germany, along with some others really mad at us.
Posted by Cameron at 08:08 AM
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March 18, 2003
Imminent war
There's been a flurry of activity on the Iraq issue recently and I'll try to sum it up here, as well as drop an opinion or two. Sunday afternoon, from the Azores Islands, Bush, alongside the leaders of Britain, Spain, and Portugal, announced that the time for diplomacy would end the following day (Monday). Monday, Bush then announced that Saddam and his sons had 48 hours to leave Iraq or face an invasion. He set the national terror alert code to orange (the second highest), and told all non-essential diplomats and foriegn workers to leave Iraq immediately. Basically, there's a high likelihood we could be at war tomorrow.I support the President in his push for war. I do think it is Saddam's responsibility to face up to his crimes, that he has been given plenty of time for diplomacy, that trying to wait for the UN (i.e. France) to come aboard is not going to happen and is only delaying the inevitable, and that diplomacy had its chance and failed. However, I think some of Bush's words were a little too exaggerated. For instance, he likened Saddam to Hitler (I consider Saddam bad, but not that bad), and, according to the NY Times, he "portrayed the Iraqi threat as one so large and so imminent that it challenges America's survival." I just don't agree with that and even consider it a bit of an insult to America's strength. I'll also add that I think Bush's whole approach towards regime change in Iraq could have been treated more tactfully from the beginning with possibly minimizing the now-large rift between us and Europe. Flaws aside though, I agree with Bush here.
Posted by Cameron at 08:58 AM
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March 11, 2003
A time for war
In the recent past, I have considered myself pro-war, but wanted to try to get as much international support as possible, which basically meant waiting a bit more for inspections. Well, I'm done waiting.Pres. Jacques Chirac of France just dropped a very dumb and revealing statement that, "whatever the circumstances, France will vote 'no'." Before, France said they would support force if sufficient inspections didn't work, but now they've basically revealed the fact that they really feel otherwise and have been lying about their intentions. Plus this comes after more faults on Iraq's side, including finding more unauthorized weapons, and having two Iraqi fighter jets force a couple UN authorized U2 spy planes to abort their missions.An interesting hypothetical rationale behind France's behavior was presented to me a couple days ago, and its veracity seems more and more possible. This is that France has something to hide in Iraq, and if America goes in, they're going to find it. This could be the same situation for Russia, who is known to have economic ties to Iraq. Basically, France's stalling techniques should be ignored and the U.S. should go ahead with what they need to do.
Posted by Cameron at 01:22 PM
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February 25, 2003
War for peace?
I read an interesting editorial today in the New York Times written by Jose Ramos-Horta, East Timor's minister of foreign affairs and cooperation. He also happened to share the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996. I think these credentials provide some merit behind his comments. He argues that before liberation of his country in 1999, he and most of East Timor suffered countless tragedies at the hands of Indonesia. He expresses disappointment and frustration at the United States in that many of Indonesia's weapons were provided by the US. However, he says they, and the other accomplices, redeemed themselves by providing a global peacekeeping force and freeing the nation.On a personal note, I often feel that the US is never appreciated for all they provide to the world, and so I was somewhat placated in this article where Bush's tactics are given credit and appreciation. For instance, in regards to the war in Iraq, Mr. Ramos-Horta says:
Critics of the United States give no credit to the Bush administration's aggressive strategy, even though it is the real reason that Iraq has allowed weapons inspectors to return and why Baghdad is cooperating a bit more, if it indeed is at all. He argues that wanting peace is noble, but there are times where force is necessary. He maintains a desire for patience on Bush's part, letting the inspectors complete their job. However, he reminds us that Saddam is not an innocent being. Iraqi citizens are being tortured, killed, and depraved as Saddam remains in power. Barring a full disclosure of weapons of mass destruction by Saddam, or a voluntary exile, force will then be necessary. I also liked the last paragraph of the article which is as follows:
History has shown that the use of force is often the necessary price of liberation. A respected Kosovar intellectual once told me how he felt when the world finally interceded in his country: "I am a pacifist. But I was happy, I felt liberated, when I saw NATO bombs falling."
Posted by Cameron at 10:13 AM
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February 19, 2003
The truth
It's a busy blog today. I just read an editorial in the NY Times by Thomas Friedman that I agree with. He talks about how Bush should stop making the case that the war is about Al Queda, but rather other significant factors that are easily visible and which are permissible reasons to replace Saddam.
Posted by Cameron at 09:32 AM
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French Arrogance
I was reading an article here in the NY Times that somewhat surprised me. On Jan 30, I wrote about how eight nations had signed a petition in the Wall Street Journal pledging support for America in the fight against Hussein. That letter was soon followed by another 10 countries. Most of these countries were from the old Communist Bloc, and at least partially, feel indebted to the U.S. for it's role in liberating them from Communism. Many of these nations are also candidates trying to be included in the European Union (EU), an organization in which France feels it has a high political status.What President Jacques Chirac of France has done now is scold those countries who have pledged support for America, saying such audacious things as "[those countries were] badly brought up" and that they had missed "an opportunity to keep quiet." The French defense minister also said "it was better to keep silent when you don't know what's going on." If France said these things against a country I lived in, I know I'd be pretty darn upset. And upset is what these countries are now. In the words of Alexandr Vondra, the deputy foreign minister of the Czech Republic, "We thought we were preparing for war with Saddam Hussein and not Jacques Chirac." Part of what's ironic is that many are accusing the U.S. of being arrogant in thinking they have the right to preemptively strike anywhere in the world. However, here we have a crystal-clear example of France being arrogant, treating the smaller countries as baby children, and trying to impose the idea that France knows what is best. It shall be very interesting to see how this plays out and what happens to France. My opinion is that France started to play the bluff, and is now trying to save face by maintaining that bluff.
Posted by Cameron at 08:53 AM
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February 11, 2003
NATO, to be or not to be
These are politically stressful times in the world right now. I doubt that statement will surprise many. However, it pretty much appears that the more the U.S. emphasizes its intentions to disarm Iraq (which basically means a war), the more certain Europeans shun war. The latest rung in the ladder to global disunity is mentioned here in the NY Times. Note that to read this, you need to have a subscription, which is free and which I highly recommend. Basically, Turkey is scared that Iraq may attack them for their support of the U.S. They're also nervous that there will be huge masses of Kurdish refugees run into Turkey from northern Iraq (this happened in the last Gulf war), or that there could be a Kurdish uprising as they try to create an independent state upon the fall of Iraq. Turkey is also the only NATO country with a predominantly muslim population, and there could be a lot of internal public unrest over their support for the U.S. Turkey has tried activate a clause in the NATO treaty that would obligate allies to help the country defend itself, but France, Germany, and Belgium have denied an American request to send defence equipment to Turkey. Some in NATO are calling this a crisis and the future of NATO is in question as it's supposedly allied members squabble and reject each other's proposals. Recently France and Germany have teamed up to fight Britain and the U.S. which have teamed up. There's a quote in the article that I thought summed up the debate from an American point-of-view: Robert Kagan, the author of several books on current affairs, put it succinctly in the opening lines of a new book: "Americans are from Mars and Europeans are from Venus." Europeans, he says, feel they have evolved into a postmodern, literally postwar world. Americans, Mr. Kagan argues, understand that sometimes there is no alternative to force.However, on the bright side, no one really wants NATO to disintegrate. There have been similar conflicts in the past (such as Vietnam), and both NATO and the UN (whose relevance has been questioned) have pulled through.
Posted by Cameron at 11:23 AM
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February 07, 2003
We got 'em
Yesterday, Colin Powell spoke to the UN Security Council in order to get those countries involved (primarily the veto holders) to approve the U.S. going to war in Iraq. While there was still no "smoking gun" found, Powell produced quite a bit of incriminating evidence. Presented to the council were numerous recordings of intercepted radio & telephone transmissions between Iraqi soldiers in the process of moving contraband, perhaps mobile weapons labs, or weapons themselves. Powell also provided some minor evidence of Iraqi involvement in Al Qaeda. Unfortunately, many of the opposing countries such as Germany and France, remained unconvinced of the need to go to war. China and Russia also don't want a war. All four of the countries agreed to one last fall, but are all wimping out now. In my opinion, it is through apparently spineless actions such as these that terrorists and dictators remain in command.
Posted by Cameron at 01:26 AM
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January 30, 2003
We've got support
I read a nice article over at the Deseret News that 8 European nations have signed a note pledging support for the war in Iraq. I find that refreshing. I especially like the following quote "It's gratifying to have Europeans standing up for a principle," since a lot of Europeans are known as "Eurowimps" by Americans.
Posted by Cameron at 03:30 PM
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