From Zmag's website, here're 2 essays written on the the use of military power to build up empires in this age, and the use of 'God' and religious beliefs to justify wars and violence against other.
The first is a look at the military policies of the US with its 'war on terror' in trying to increase its strength in the world and maintain American dominance over foreign regions. The author believes that all this is unjust and will fail, as locals resist.
The second looks at the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians and the influence of religion as one of the root causes.
The writer also goes through a little American history pointing out previous president McKinley (and drawing a comparison to the current president) who used religion to justify their invading and occupying lesser nations like the Phillipines.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
It's been a while since I've updated, and it's because of my exams and worries. Well, for now it's over and I have a few links of interest.
Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches is a site I recently discovered which has some reports and hard accounts of events in Iraq, as well as some graphic photos of carnage and human tragedy. This site is written by a journalist reporting from inside Iraq and working independently- not an employee of any large, mainstream organisation but he has been published in many publications and news services.
This article by Naomi Klein in the Guardian is a strong response to criticism by the american embassy to a previous article she wrote on Iraq. What was so controversial she wrote to warrant such a reaction from the American embassy? The callous, indiscriminate fighting tactics of American forces which result in the killing of many civilians without any remorse or prevention and their attempts to eliminate (both literally and figuratively) respected people of society who can find out the tolls and speak up on these incidents.
Naomi Klein illustrates this point by writing of the ways how clerics, journalists and doctors have all been targeted by American forces through arrests, media bans and physical attacks on mosques, hospitals and civilian targets.
Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches is a site I recently discovered which has some reports and hard accounts of events in Iraq, as well as some graphic photos of carnage and human tragedy. This site is written by a journalist reporting from inside Iraq and working independently- not an employee of any large, mainstream organisation but he has been published in many publications and news services.
This article by Naomi Klein in the Guardian is a strong response to criticism by the american embassy to a previous article she wrote on Iraq. What was so controversial she wrote to warrant such a reaction from the American embassy? The callous, indiscriminate fighting tactics of American forces which result in the killing of many civilians without any remorse or prevention and their attempts to eliminate (both literally and figuratively) respected people of society who can find out the tolls and speak up on these incidents.
Naomi Klein illustrates this point by writing of the ways how clerics, journalists and doctors have all been targeted by American forces through arrests, media bans and physical attacks on mosques, hospitals and civilian targets.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
This indymedia page has some pictures of the Bush protesters in Ottawa during GWBush's visit recently. These people all had the courage to come out on the streets and demonstate for what they believe in, whether anti-Bush, anti-war, or for peace.
Many people and media will look on these protesters as a bunch of freaks, punks, anarchists, delinquents, idealists, dreamers and misfits but people should consider the issues that are at stake. And see that these demonstators/ protesters do have a point. Reason to protest, to demonstrate. They're standing up for a cause, causes that're greater than themselves and that's much more than many of us can attest to in our lives.
You might have a few troublemakers or delinquents but the conception of unruly, violent mobs is a media creation.
I'll make it a priority to go to at least one of these demonstrations later on, whether they're anti-war, anti-American or anti-globalisation, anti-WTO/WorldBank/IMF. I need to.
Many people and media will look on these protesters as a bunch of freaks, punks, anarchists, delinquents, idealists, dreamers and misfits but people should consider the issues that are at stake. And see that these demonstators/ protesters do have a point. Reason to protest, to demonstrate. They're standing up for a cause, causes that're greater than themselves and that's much more than many of us can attest to in our lives.
You might have a few troublemakers or delinquents but the conception of unruly, violent mobs is a media creation.
I'll make it a priority to go to at least one of these demonstrations later on, whether they're anti-war, anti-American or anti-globalisation, anti-WTO/WorldBank/IMF. I need to.
Friday, December 03, 2004
Iraq body count keeps an extensive toll of civilian deaths in Iraq arising directly or indirectly from military action. Its estimate of 14,600-17,000 deaths is far less than the 100,000 claimed in several articles but that is still a large number of people dead. The number keeps growing and growing and certainly both American forces and Iraqi resistance/rebels have contributed to the mounting toll.
Read this letter from an American soldier serving in Iraq and who fought in Fallujah during the recent and ongoing campaign to take control of the city. It's a pretty gritty and brutal account of the terror and bleakness in the fighting there.
And the writer makes some valid points on why the US cannot 'win' the 'war on terror' in Iraq. The stubborn courage of the resistance fighters, the anger and bitterness of the civilians, and the arrogant and reckless ignorance of the American government in their strategy of occupation and using overwhelming force against the resistance.
A new site to check:
This blog is written by a group of US soldiers in Iraq "who are fighting in a war they oppose for a president they didn't elect". It seems really interesting and should have some deep, honest insight on the circumstances down there.
Read this letter from an American soldier serving in Iraq and who fought in Fallujah during the recent and ongoing campaign to take control of the city. It's a pretty gritty and brutal account of the terror and bleakness in the fighting there.
And the writer makes some valid points on why the US cannot 'win' the 'war on terror' in Iraq. The stubborn courage of the resistance fighters, the anger and bitterness of the civilians, and the arrogant and reckless ignorance of the American government in their strategy of occupation and using overwhelming force against the resistance.
A new site to check:
This blog is written by a group of US soldiers in Iraq "who are fighting in a war they oppose for a president they didn't elect". It seems really interesting and should have some deep, honest insight on the circumstances down there.
It looks like another war about to flare up again in Central Africa. Rwandan soldiers have been seen and verified to have entered the Democratic Republic of Congo (formely Zaire) to hunt down and kill Hutu rebels.
The largest African war in recent history broke out in the DRCongo with over 2 million killed in under 5 years. Large-scale fighting stopped last year but regional clashes break out constantly. Sadly this war happened as a result of the massacre in neighboring Rwanda in 1995. That tragic massacre/genocide is so famous especially in Canada where there's a lot of guilt felt by the lack of response and action to prevent it.
From the site link given above, this is a small sideshow which includes a few horrific and tragic images of what happened.
Recently there was the showdown between Ivory Coast and French soldiers, and there's the ongoing tension in Darfur in Sudan, with the mass killings ,rapes and looting done by government-backed militas (the so-called janjaweed) against the locals.
Africa seems to have no end in sight to its great suffering and devastation and 2004 is as worse as any.
This article from CSMonitor on the arrest of former British PM Margaret Thatcher's son for a foiled coup in a small African country earlier this year provides some details on the proliferation of unrest in this continent. An astounding 80 coups occured between 1956 and 2001, and that's only the successful ones, according to research done by a university professor mentioned in the article.
The largest African war in recent history broke out in the DRCongo with over 2 million killed in under 5 years. Large-scale fighting stopped last year but regional clashes break out constantly. Sadly this war happened as a result of the massacre in neighboring Rwanda in 1995. That tragic massacre/genocide is so famous especially in Canada where there's a lot of guilt felt by the lack of response and action to prevent it.
From the site link given above, this is a small sideshow which includes a few horrific and tragic images of what happened.
Recently there was the showdown between Ivory Coast and French soldiers, and there's the ongoing tension in Darfur in Sudan, with the mass killings ,rapes and looting done by government-backed militas (the so-called janjaweed) against the locals.
Africa seems to have no end in sight to its great suffering and devastation and 2004 is as worse as any.
This article from CSMonitor on the arrest of former British PM Margaret Thatcher's son for a foiled coup in a small African country earlier this year provides some details on the proliferation of unrest in this continent. An astounding 80 coups occured between 1956 and 2001, and that's only the successful ones, according to research done by a university professor mentioned in the article.
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