Monday, 1 November 2010
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NEWNATIONS BULLETIN 1ST NOVEMBER 2010
Blame God
Why has the fate of the British mandate in Palestine been so abused? The UN agreed to relieve Britain of this burden in order to create the two states of Israel and Palestine. But after sixty years, only one of those states formally exists and has made frequent land grabs on their neighbour’s territory. The authority for this they say, is not of this world but is ‘Supreme’ - and you can’t get higher than that! Yes, God told them it was theirs - all of it, not just the Israel of today’s international boundaries. So do we blame God or Israel’s politicians, or supine US governments? Straying between politics and theology we consider this question.
The Arab Street
Arab street boys who know only of the story of Israel and Palestine get a distorted view of the west’s attitude to Islam, which record is generally good – we cite the examples of Bosnia Herzegovina and of Kosovo. There US-led NATO troops were placed in harms way to help Moslem communities suffering from mainly Serbian (Christian Orthodox) racist massacres, and finally sorted out the situation in favour of the Moslems. It is however wrong to think that religion, in the sense of differing faiths, was a cause of this strife like the European wars of religion. Chechnya was not about religion but seceding from the Russian Federation, and so they were crushed for that impertinence. In Israel however the citizens, Moslem or Jew are religiously all Abrahamic successors, yet some of the Israelis seek to make a qualification for citizenship out of their particular brand.
Afghan Heroin
We report that Afghanistan is holding opium stocks equivalent to 20 to 30 years of world heroin supply. We want to know why aren’t these stocks being seized and destroyed? One confiscation raid did in fact take place right at the end of October and President Karzai was outraged. Far from gratitude for doing his work for him in the reduction of crime, the inference must be, as many suspect, that his family have got themselves a pension fund of the world’s total heroin stocks.
Security Contractors
The Iraq and Afghan wars have spawned ‘a third force’ of well-equipped, armed men, outside ‘the rule of law’ and better paid than the police or local troops. There generally used to be two sides in an armed conflict, but this third force is a new and lethal innovation in America’s wars – a future pattern perhaps for licensed anarchy!
China’s Frown
China should loosen up. They have achieved so much, but they are unloved. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Russia and anti-missile missiles
Russia’s president is to attend the next Nato meeting where one thing to be discussed will be the proposed screen of missiles to protect ‘us’ against the ‘evil Iranians’ and the ‘wicked North Koreans’, and according to Fox TV their plans separately or together, for world domination. But the anti-missile weapon, if it ever reliably works, would manifestly distort the nuclear balance between Russia and the US. We say that if it is to be deployed, sell it to the Russians as well – it’s an anti-missile weapon, so what threat to anyone, unless the US intends to ‘nuke’ whomever they might not like at some future time. Fox TV could go for that!
What Joy! Dancing in the Streets of Pyongyang
Whoever would have dreamt it? But Pyongyang is not Paris. Think ‘formation dancing’ or mass gymnastics. Spontaneous it was not, but on the 65th birthday party of North Korea’s national communist party; the joyful choice of a crown-prince; and the possibility of another nuclear test, hey, lets party!
President Obama in India
The very place for an ‘elephant in the room’ and this is a monstrous one. More evidence has emerged of the Pakistan ISI’s involvement in the frightful Mumbai massacre. It is surely time to use international sanctions against named individuals, military or otherwise, to bring them to trial at an international court. India has wisely refused to be provoked into retaliation, but Obama’s support should be obtained to pursue individual ‘military intelligence’ terrorists, via international warrants or similar, whilst Pakistan as a state seems slowly to be sinking beneath the waves.
Saudi Arabia’s military sub-contractors
It used to be said that the Kingdom employed Baluchis to make their roads and dig ditches, Bangladeshis to be the ‘blue-collar’ workers, Filippinas to run their homes, Palestinians and Egyptians as their doctors and teachers, Canadians and British to manage the oilwells - and Americans to do their fighting. With the Gulf war long gone, that last one should now be amended. Our updated report tells that there are more planes than pilots in Saudi Arabia, and they are about to buy a lot more! It seems that both their air force and navy would effectively be inoperable without pilots and naval officers from Pakistan.
Turkey is unhappy with its lot
Only 38% of Turks now want to join the EU (in 2004 it was 73%) and who can blame this proud nation, when it has been very pointed that they are not welcome. The tragedy is that the EU is suffering from ‘immigration indigestion.’ Germany, Europe’s leading nation already has some 3 million Turks as guest workers. They have not become assimilated and are not ‘going home.’ EU nations, with few if any exceptions, need more time to digest and where possible assimilate the immigrants they already have.
Georgia - a devastating critique
Georgia’s democratic credentials are enhanced by the event, but Prime Minister Saakashvili’s record is devastated by the leader of the Georgian Labour Party, Natelashvili, grimly assessing his performance.
This issue features updated country reports on:
Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia,, Georgia, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Libya, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Syria, Taiwan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
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