MIDDLE EAST
The United States , the Palestinians and Israel are playing checkers while Iraq plays chess .
................. Forumoz
Has now changed to poker .
................. Forumoz
Unilateral and lawless use of force .
............... UN
" For 60 years , my country , the United States , pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region here in the Middle East , and we achieved neither , '' Rice said at the American University in Cairo . " Now we are taking a different course . We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people . ''
, New York Times , 21June , 2005 ( From mercurynews.com )
These may well be the most important words said about Middle Eastern politics since the end of the Second World War , we can only hope for peace .
NOTE ( Jul , 2006 ) : This page was mostly written in 2003 , just before the attack on Iraq . Surprise , most of our concerns have come to pass . The only real mistake we made in our appreciation was overestimating Iraqi strength and their will to fight . The middle eastern situation is now much worse , thanks in part to the so called " War on Terror " .
We have , more or less , sat on our hands by not continuing this commentary between 2003 and now . What was said then still applies and we saw little to be gained by apportioning blame . Well , now lets do it !
Firstly , the only people to come out of this mess with some honour and glory are the " common " people of both sides , the ones that are being blown apart at present .
THE GUILTY :
RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS ON BOTH SIDES
It is amazing how many " settlers " talk with American accents , how uncompromising radical Islam is and how moderate Islamists effectively do nothing to reign these hate mongers in . This is all the more incomprehensible because of a common religious heritage .
UNITED KINGDOM
The UK partitioned Palestine after WW I and again was involved after WW II when the state of Israel was created . Surely they could have foreseen what would happen if lines were simply drawn on a map after a takeover by force , without compensation and regard to history , ethnicity etc. .
THE ARAB COUNTRIES
What has happened in the past is just that . They have to live with the fact that Israel will continue to exist . If they want to do something about it , attack with conventional forces and get defeated again . Do not use cowardly attacks by brainwashed young people against defenceless civilians and proxy organisations .
ISRAEL
Of all people , Jews should know what persecution is about . The use of excessive force only makes enemies . Destroying infrastructure does no one any good . Bombing , even " smart " bombing ( an oxymoron ) to break a civilian population does not work , look at The Battle of Britain or Viet Nam for examples of how counter productive bombing civilian targets is . Israel must deal with elected governments , regardless of their philosophy . Compensation must be paid .
USA
At one stage America , under President Clinton at Camp David , came the closest to being an honest broker in the Middle East . How far the US has travelled since then . The US is capable of moderating Israeli actions , yet publicly does nothing . The Israeli war machine is funded , in a large part , by groups in the US . These organisations have disproportionate political power . It is time to start thinking and acting about what is best for the people of the region .
United Nations
The UN appears to have become a talk fest , particularly when dealing with hard issues such as the Middle East . Even the International Criminal Court struggles for support and recognition . With reform , the UN is the one long term chance for the region .
( It also appears that no one is prepared to look at the possible adjustment of borders to reduce flash points and enhance security . )
This is how we see it .
Anwar Ibrahim a possible candidate for UN Secretary-General
Malaysia's former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has admitted that he's considered the possibility of becoming the next Secretary-General of the United Nations after Kofi Annan retires . His name has come up repeatedly in international circles , as a moderate Muslim candidate from Asia . But he says he's not actively seeking the post , because he feels that doing so would compromise his freedom to speak out on important international questions .
......... abc.net.au
Mahathir Mohammed ( the disgraced former Malaysian Prime Minister ) had Anwar Ibrahim thrown into jail for six years , Anwar is rapidly becoming a regional Nelson Mandela . We strongly advise listening to what he has to say , if you would like to see peace in our time .
TRUTH , LIES AND U.S. , UK AND AUS INTEL
Today , 11 March , 2003 , is only a day or two before the UN votes on the use of force against Iraq . Basically , what has been said before here still stands .
We have most recently seen a right wing ( Christian ) neo conservative government doing all that it can to secure a UN mandate to insure the political survival of the Government of it's major ally . One can question the value of a mandate obtained in this way .
Without this mandate , and if military action ensues , it is hard to see a stable situation in world politics for many years to come .
Wars to achieve political aims tend to fail in the long term .
Looking at the military preparations , it is obvious that the force structure is wrong . This would suggest that a civilian was in charge of planning . It is basically a light armoured force , which is designed for rapid manoeuvre in open country . However the two main Iraqi defensive areas have been intensively developed over a period of time by forces with local knowledge . The only forces capable of successfully attacking such positions are heavy armoured forces with integrated infantry and heavy support weaponry , especially heavy artillery and air power . But , in this case , it is most unwise to rely on air power to provide this support , particularly if oil fires obscure visibility . In other words , these will be conventional NATO style attacks . Doctrine for this type of attack is that the attacking force should outnumber the defenders by at least three times ( the current situation suggests that this ratio should be increased ) . The population of Bagdad is 4 million . In other words the proposed force is seriously inadequate , a most dangerous situation , easily leading to high causalities on both sides . These causalities would be both military and civilian .
The present situation is , thanks to the US , successfully putting Iraq under intense pressure to disarm , an achievable aim if the UN strengthens it's resolve against Iraq . Militarily this is is possible with no loss of life and the world will be a safer place for it .
CLICK HERE FOR EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR AUSTRALIAN MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
Today , 23 January , 2003 , Australian troops depart from Sydney for possible deployment against Iraq .
We do not support any attack upon Iraq unless it is with a United Nations mandate and as a last resort .
We hold this opinion because :
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The link between Iraq and international terrorism has not been established . This action changes the overall aim in midstream which is a grave error in judgement .
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To date , the UN inspectors have not found any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq .
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There would appear not to be any long term plan for Iraq should the present regime go . This is more concerning in view of what has recently happened in Afghanistan ( and East Timor to a lesser degree ) .
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The longer term effects upon the Arab world are potentially grave and are most likely to lead to an increase in terrorist sentiment and support .
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This action will make the task of moderates in Indonesia more difficult . This is particularly disappointing in view of the immense progress made in the joint investigation into the Bali Bombings .
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The cost of this attack should be viewed in the context of the present downturn in the world economy . Only a small percentage of this cost , if spent on direct aid to third world countries and / or other areas such as research , would reduce world tension levels far more than removing the Iraqi regime .
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Should the US , Britain and Australia attack without a UN mandate they will be committing an Act of War and their leaders should be subject to international prosecution .
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Lastly , from an Australian point of view , the size of this initial deployment and the possibility of further deployments will seriously deplete our ability to respond to defence requirements within our region .
Notwithstanding the above we believe that the following actions should also take place :
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Complete compliance with the spirit of all UN resolutions by Iraq .
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The public restraint of radical fundamentalist Arab and Islamist movements by their more moderate ( and main stream ) colleagues .
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The reformation of the UN into an organisation which provides timely leadership in world crisis situations such as now exist in Iraq and North Korea .
If you have access to the US PBS series " THE CIVIL WAR " , we recommend that you look at the first episode and consider it's messages in the context of the situation with Iraq . Now is the time to tell elected representatives what you think . By the way , Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican ( GOP ) President .
Once Australian troops are deployed on active service , we shall have no choice but to support them . This support will not apply to the present Australian Government 's actions in this matter .
Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center . It is also a time when the Bush administration is planning to attack Iraq .
We believe that these issues are not related to the point of justifying an unilateral attack . The evidence is not there at present . It is worth comparing this situation with the Cuban Missile Crisis :
There may be justification for using arms to enforce the UN resolutions concerning Iraq . Clearly Iraq has a lot to answer for , but now is not the time .
Radical Islamists should also be carefully considering their positions .
We have other pages which deal with some aspects of this subject :
AMERICA ON ALERT
LAW and ORDER
This page draws from these pages and combines it with more recent facts and opinion .
Any attempt
to bring lasting peace must involve the environment , a fair deal for the Third
World under Globalisation , a settlement of the Palestinian Question and the
establishment of democratic regimes
( which do not abuse human rights ) within the region .
Without these factors being satisfied there can be no long term peace and freedom from the rise of fundamentalist groups such as those who attacked the World Trade Center .
The US State Department has recently hosted a conference on why the rest of the world does not like Americans . The answer to this question is simple , it is the present administration that is disliked not the American people .
Over the past twenty months the level of world tension has noticeably increased , in part because of US unilateral actions , trade , repudiating treaties , a one sided approach to Palestine , a lack of support for the United Nations and increased Defence spending . There is a perception of a lack of cohesion and long term planning . One commentator likening the situation to that of a wounded elephant in the jungle .
An example is Afghanistan where the new government is being starved of resources . A lot was promised by the World a few months ago , but so far it has not been delivered . If the government fails , it is back to square one . There must be a long term plan in place before deposing governments . Otherwise there is a perception of only being a destroyer .
Other concerning factors in the US decision making process are perceptions of possible conflicts of interests :
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A cover-up of intelligence failures concerning the September 11 attacks .
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The mid term elections .
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US Energy Policy , particularly as it relates to Middle Eastern oil .
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Justification for significantly increased Defence spending .
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Moving public debate away from domestic issues .
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Justification to restrict due process of law , both for US and non US citizens .
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Justification to weaken the United Nations , by being seen to go it alone in attacking Iraq ( which still is to be directly linked to the September 11 attacks ) .
September 11 is a time of great sorrow for the world , it is a time for reflection of the many loses and a time to commit to world peace . It is a time for a sense of balance and perspective . It is a time not to go overboard , particularly in the media , this will prevent closure for many and cause undue distress amongst many less able to care for themselves . ( Mrs. Bush seems more attune to this factor than most of her husband's Administration . )
It is also a time to recommit to effectively dealing with those responsible for these attacks and to reflect upon the futility of War . The more the rhetorical song and dance , the more the common enemy will feed on it's short term success .
Our hopes and prayers are with the American people tomorrow .
LEST WE FORGET
During the Six Day War between Israel and the Arab States , the American intelligence ship USS Liberty was attacked for 75 minutes in international waters by Israeli aircraft and motor torpedo boats . Thirty-four men died and 172 were wounded .
............... The Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded to the ship's Captain . "
............................ USS LIBERTY
BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION DOCUMENTARY
AMERICA ON ALERT
CLASH OF FUNDAMENTALISMS
TERRORIST OR FREEDOM FIGHTER ?
Waging Modern War : Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Future of Combat
By Gen. Wesley Clark
Due Preparations for the Plague: A Novel
"This is the worst president ever. He's the worst president in all of American history." ...... quote from Society of Professional Journalists gathering in Los Angeles re G. W. Bush
