Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
US made gas canisters
The tear gas canisters used by the Egyptian authorities against protesters are made in USA.
The US has also given some funding to "democracy promotion" in Egypt but the amounts are much much smaller than those for military aid to the regime. Some of the democracy funds are even given to the government instead of real democratic orgnizations.
The US has also given some funding to "democracy promotion" in Egypt but the amounts are much much smaller than those for military aid to the regime. Some of the democracy funds are even given to the government instead of real democratic orgnizations.
US and Middle East revolts
Stephen Zunes writes that:
Regarding Tunisia, the U.S. government was silent during the first weeks of protests despite savage repression by the government. Less than a week after the uprising began, Congress voted for an addition $12 million in security assistance to Ben Ali’s regime. Tear gas canisters lobbed at pro-democracy demonstrators were inscribed with the words “Made in USA,” a reminder of whose side Washington was on in the struggle against the dictatorship. By early January, the State Department began issuing mild criticism of the Ben Ali regime for firing live ammunition into crowds of demonstrators but was equally willing to blame the pro-democracy activists. While the movement was largely nonviolent, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley chose to characterize it by its most unruly components. He stated that the Obama administration was "concerned about government actions, but we're also concerned about actions by the demonstrators, those who do not have peaceful intentions."
He also has links to a Freedom House study that says that after examining the 67 transitions from authoritarian regimes to varying degrees of democratic governments over the past few decades, concluded that they came overwhelmingly through democratic civil society organizations using nonviolent action and other forms of civil resistance. Such transitions did not result from foreign invasion and came about only rarely through armed revolt or voluntary, elite-driven reforms.
And in another study on civil resistance of more than 300 struggles for self-determination against colonialism, military occupation, and colonial rule over the past century, Maria Stephan and Erica Chenowith noted that nonviolent struggles were more than twice as likely to succeed as armed struggles.
In short nonviolent uprisings work:
Throughout the world, in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries, in recent years there has been a dramatic growth of the use of strategic nonviolent action. In contrast to armed struggles, these nonviolent insurrections are movements of organized popular resistance to government authority. Either consciously or by necessity, they eschew the use of weapons of modern warfare. Unlike conventional political movements, nonviolent campaigns usually employ tactics outside the mainstream political processes of electioneering and lobbying. These tactics may include strikes, boycotts, mass demonstrations, the popular contestation of public space, tax refusal, destruction of symbols of government authority (such as official identification cards), refusal to obey official orders (such as curfew restrictions), and the creation of alternative institutions for political legitimacy and social organization.
Regarding Tunisia, the U.S. government was silent during the first weeks of protests despite savage repression by the government. Less than a week after the uprising began, Congress voted for an addition $12 million in security assistance to Ben Ali’s regime. Tear gas canisters lobbed at pro-democracy demonstrators were inscribed with the words “Made in USA,” a reminder of whose side Washington was on in the struggle against the dictatorship. By early January, the State Department began issuing mild criticism of the Ben Ali regime for firing live ammunition into crowds of demonstrators but was equally willing to blame the pro-democracy activists. While the movement was largely nonviolent, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley chose to characterize it by its most unruly components. He stated that the Obama administration was "concerned about government actions, but we're also concerned about actions by the demonstrators, those who do not have peaceful intentions."
He also has links to a Freedom House study that says that after examining the 67 transitions from authoritarian regimes to varying degrees of democratic governments over the past few decades, concluded that they came overwhelmingly through democratic civil society organizations using nonviolent action and other forms of civil resistance. Such transitions did not result from foreign invasion and came about only rarely through armed revolt or voluntary, elite-driven reforms.
And in another study on civil resistance of more than 300 struggles for self-determination against colonialism, military occupation, and colonial rule over the past century, Maria Stephan and Erica Chenowith noted that nonviolent struggles were more than twice as likely to succeed as armed struggles.
In short nonviolent uprisings work:
Throughout the world, in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries, in recent years there has been a dramatic growth of the use of strategic nonviolent action. In contrast to armed struggles, these nonviolent insurrections are movements of organized popular resistance to government authority. Either consciously or by necessity, they eschew the use of weapons of modern warfare. Unlike conventional political movements, nonviolent campaigns usually employ tactics outside the mainstream political processes of electioneering and lobbying. These tactics may include strikes, boycotts, mass demonstrations, the popular contestation of public space, tax refusal, destruction of symbols of government authority (such as official identification cards), refusal to obey official orders (such as curfew restrictions), and the creation of alternative institutions for political legitimacy and social organization.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Middle East protests
Juan Cole at Tom Dispatch on the recent events in Tunisia and other countries in the Middle East.
NYT wikileaks
Some propaganda against Wikileaks and Assange by the NYT in the form of a little video.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Coca leaf
Bolivians want to amend international drug laws (the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs) to allow them to chew coca leaves, but only the US opposes them. As of now, the Convention calls on countries to eradicate the practice.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
US isolates Karzai
Excellent article at Asia Times saying the US is moving to isolate Karzai because he is too nationalist and tries to organize good regional links and to reconcile with the Taliban. The US wishes to establish a long-term military presence more and more though.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Colombia trains anti-drug Mexico
Colombia is training Mexican police and military to fight drugs. The training takes place mostly in Mexico but also in Colombia. The US is paying for it. Some American and Canadian officials are also there.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tunisia example
Tunisia has set a demonstration effect into process, as reported by the NYT:
it is "the power of the Tunisian example", as 6 North Africans have now set themselves on fire to protest in various countries.
it is "the power of the Tunisian example", as 6 North Africans have now set themselves on fire to protest in various countries.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Afghan opinion
Paper on the perceptions of Afghans of US and NATO troops in Kandahar. Locals don't trust the troops. Excerpts:
In informal discussions with villagers and residents
of Kandahar city and surrounding districts it was evident that locals don’t really understand
the purpose of this so called ‘surge’. Most believe it will end like previous operations in the
south, in failure, bringing only more grief and sorrow to their homes and villages. Indeed,
many Kandaharis have come to believe that coalition military operations result only in the
death, injury, arrest and dishonouring of innocent Afghan civilians who have nothing to do
with the Taliban.
This said, nor do Kandaharis want the coalition to leave. They see a role for coalition military
forces in the province, albeit one that focuses less on active military operations and more on
stabilisation and peace-building ones.
If there is, however, one overriding reason why locals have little confidence in US-led
operations in Kandahar it is the continued failure of American and coalition forces to
understand local context and dynamics and the impact of their stalled operations on the local
population.
In informal discussions with villagers and residents
of Kandahar city and surrounding districts it was evident that locals don’t really understand
the purpose of this so called ‘surge’. Most believe it will end like previous operations in the
south, in failure, bringing only more grief and sorrow to their homes and villages. Indeed,
many Kandaharis have come to believe that coalition military operations result only in the
death, injury, arrest and dishonouring of innocent Afghan civilians who have nothing to do
with the Taliban.
This said, nor do Kandaharis want the coalition to leave. They see a role for coalition military
forces in the province, albeit one that focuses less on active military operations and more on
stabilisation and peace-building ones.
If there is, however, one overriding reason why locals have little confidence in US-led
operations in Kandahar it is the continued failure of American and coalition forces to
understand local context and dynamics and the impact of their stalled operations on the local
population.
Afghanistan media
A report from the US Institute of Peace on the media in Afghanistan and its problems. They suggest many media programs that would be better, some of which are things like reality tv shows. The report is, of course, not critical.
Taliban ideology
A paper on the Taliban's evolving ideology, which is less fundamentalist than the 1990s' Taliban.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Mexico drug war death data
The Mexican authorities have released extensive data on drug war deaths which can be downloaded here.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Conservatives and Afghanistan
The number of conservatives who think the US should get out of Afghanistan or reduce troop levels there is quite high: 66% according to this poll.
NYT freedom of speech wikileaks
New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller told readers in an online exchange that the newspaper has suggested to its media partners and to WikiLeaks what information it believes should be withheld.
"We agree wholeheartedly that transparency is not an absolute good," Keller wrote. "Freedom of the press includes freedom not to publish, and that is a freedom we exercise with some regularity."
The article also explains how wikileaks cables are released and redacted by the media organizations.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
US empire of bases
Excellent article by Nick Turse who tries to count the overseas US military installations, which can reach over 1,000 depending on what is counted and what is not.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
First Gulf War wikileaks
Wikileaks has released a cable from Glaspie describing her meeting with Saddam on July 25 1990.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Gaza Youth's Manisfesto for Change
A group of University students from Gaza has a manifesto denouncing Hamas, Israel, the US, etc.
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