open Democracy News Analysis - Comments

Cathy Fitzpatrick on "The responsibility to protect: holding the line "

Cathy Fitzpatrick — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:24:22 +0100

Sorry, a typo there, it should say "It's called UNAMID". AMIS was the AU mission; UNAMID is the hybrid AU-UN mission.

Cathy Fitzpatrick

http://3dblogger.typepad.com/un_tethered

http://3dblogger.typepad.com/ngo_accountability

BigC on "Plan-B"

BigC — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:19:52 +0100

A state bank is a good idea but why should the business it has built up then be sold to private investors? If the state can do it then let it continue doing it. If private investors think they can do it better then let them build up their own business and compete.

Vitaliy on "Ukraine: beyond the orange coalition "

Vitaliy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:16:17 +0100

Note that Kuzio's "Ukraine Analyst" is a bi-monthly report, not bi-weekly. Also the link to the report is broken:
http://www.opendemocracy.net/www.taraskuzio.ne

Instead it should be: http://www.taraskuzio.net/subscriptions.php

owly on "Gordon Thatcher? I don't think so"

owly — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:21:36 +0100

Gordon is doomed. He will be given a good kicking in the up and coming by-election. As to next years Local and EU elections if I were the Labour Party I wouldn't even bother to put up candidates. Roll on a Tory Government who can clear up the mess. Lets hope Labour never hold power again. After all every single Labour Government has f***** up the economy.

Hobbes on "Plan-B"

Hobbes — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:13:53 +0100

Tony--I admire your prescience, but you might want to check the date at the top of your post.

Hobbes on ""Ignorance" in Ohio - take two"

Hobbes — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:04:42 +0100

"Are such demonstrations of emotion admissions of impending defeat? Or inklings of a last ditch Republican tactical coup?"

Neither: they're expressions of frustration and fear, amplified by the experience of being in a crowd of like-minded people. Local power, baffled and agitated by a sense of larger impotence.

I think it's politically important to keep in mind the distinction between "fear of losing" and "admitting defeat." Democratic politics is neither a game nor a war: it is a serious struggle (more is at stake than points scored), but not a scene of conquest and humiliation. It has to be about the recognition and acknowledgment of a common fate, a fate that will be shared by both winners and losers. We can hope that the fate will include a common good, but it will be common in any event.

Triumphalism and self-righteousness are a great danger, especially at a moment of imminent victory. It's more important than ever to try to recognize the legitimacy of those whose desires are being thwarted. That was one of the great failures of Bush II--to govern as if the other side no longer counted. Let's learn the lesson.

ris on "India’s Christians: politics of violence in Orissa"

ris — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:44:37 +0100

As expected one sided view with lots of facts fudged probably got all his information from the western english speaking Indian Media.

I am wondering what has sparked Hindus to attack 2.5% of the population? Surely the author will agree with me that history says the hindus have been very accomodating and tolerant.

The second thing which surprises me is the reaction from the European Union and its senoir leaders and the US? India has seen many riots, far worse! I have never seen such a quick and organized response.

The author refer to the Hindu social worker as " 90 rear old rightwing nationalist Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, but never stops to ask why so many foreign christan missionaries hanging about in orissa??

There is no mention of Flyers and books which refer to hindu gods in a derogatery and abusive way.

Also for 2.5 % of population in India there are 700 churches in just 2 districts in andhra Pradesh.

"Many low-caste Hindus have converted to Christianity willingly to escape the rigid and repressive caste system" says the author:

For the authors information cast is very much prevelent even with christans in India, not only with christans but with muslims as well. Low cast hindus have mainly been turning to budhisim not christanity.
Until recently where missionaries with money have been advocating conversion aggressively.

The root cause of the problem lies with the vote bank politics in India, and un organised Hindusim.

The political parties use the cast to divide hindus into vote bank ..first practiced by Congress , however in recent other regional parties with leaders from lower cast have hijacked this policy and caverd out their neich. Therefore the congress has been marganilized in most of the state and they have had to experiment new combinations to build their vote bank .... to the extent that they have encouraged bangladeshi migrants and given them voter ids and ration cards.

This is now common across all political parties who spend much of their times devicing their vote bank and designing policies to appease them.

Toque on "Remember Remember the 6th of November"

Toque — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:09:19 +0100

Why would you turn off the oil?

If you don't mind me asking.

Toque on "Gordon Thatcher? I don't think so"

Toque — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:08:06 +0100

I suppose misusing anti-terror laws to freeze the assets of a foreign bank is slightly more acceptable than using them to prosecute people who drop litter or let their dog foul the pavement - in that you're not terrorising your own citizens.

I just thank God that the good Gord is watching over us.

He moves in mysterious ways, he giveth and he taketh away. He's just been on the radio demanding that petrol prices come down. And here's me thinking that it was him that put them up.

What a cretin.

varices on "The resurgence of the neo-Taliban"

varices — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:57:53 +0100

The “War on Drugs” has been waged for many years, at huge cost in money, lives and suffering, and there is little or no evidence that the drug traffickers are losing. The Government should also be reminded that the drug trade is one of the main sources of revenue for terrorists. The Government no longer uses the phrase “War on Terror”, but there is still a power struggle to be won, and cutting the source of revenue for terrorists is surely an option worth considering. A change of policy from prohibition to legitimisation and humanitarian application would surely be seen as a statesmanlike choice. We should be pressing for this solution.

Not logged in Lawrence Efana on "Afghanistan: the dynamic and the risk "

Not logged in Lawrence Efana — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:26:55 +0100

The front of the problem "richard said" is broad: needs be effectively tackled, but must also be differentiated from the war zone problems in Paul Rogers' discourse.

However wrong the reasons are, why the Taliban and al-Qaida went so far on 9/11-2008, the concern now is 7 years after peace should be allowed to prevail. This is the 'non-simplified' crux of Rogers' paper. In a 21st century world, papers of this kind do the US, its allies and the world at large immeasurable service. Attention is drawn to stalemates, perils, and human as well as material loses resulting from near to unwinable war on the fronts: Afghanistan, Iraq and now also Pakistan - no less added to moral hangovers for the US on war on terror in the case of Iraq in that picture.

On reflection, as an analogy Pearl Habour aftermath was event of its era. So was the mobilisation that saved Europe. The first brought the Japanese to knees but both raised the pride of the US and allies. They were 'winables' of that time. Vietnam for the US tinted that pride, yet its psychology has not meant that she lost her greatness, which is to argue that peaceful settlement in Afghanistan to save Pakistan and the world does not necessarily need to mean the loss of face for the US and allies.

Many are saddened because of philosophical narrowness by which some people and institutions define or measure greatness. General Petraeus has been given an arduous task with implication across the concepts: i) contextualization, ii) inculturation, and iii) indigenization - tied respectively to managing US-war zone challenges. These include tactical integrative steps: training and promoting ranks and files of policies to stem alien cultures in which, with contextualization of war on terror at center assimilating and adapting processes can never be easy. In the long-run, the main mission driven partly by principles that animate, direct and unify cultures - transform], to remake and bring about the new democratic society might fail!

It must be the worries over deepened failures that make the British commanders to hack on the unwinable nature of the war: somewhat advisory on how far to go with the idea of additional troop deployment and extension of the war from Afghanistan to Pakistan. These are happening parallel to silent diplomacy and dialogues. Not altogether bad as strategy, but many are bound to ask why not truly come open on the issues instead of hide and seek diplomacy, rather than clear-cut declaration to stand-up for peace.

I figure military complex policies and strategists make things more difficult for the presidential candidates, especially for the "more-people-minded party": Democrats! Both US and allies need the world and if they learn not to reflect, contemplate and listen, they might be doing themselves disservice thinking of the good service Paul Rogers' article is doing to call for reason and peaceful solution after 7 years of meaningless war/waste of resources and risks of protraction.

Lawrence Efana [Finland]

The Cornish Democrat on "Remember Remember the 6th of November"

The Cornish Democrat — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:26:55 +0100

One can only wish the SNP well and hope their and Scotlands lead inspires the Cornish to set the heather alight in the Duchy.

The Cornish Democrat

Hobbes on ""Ignorance" in Ohio"

Hobbes — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:24:43 +0100

They don't "talk" about "bloodlines." One woman, walking away, is asked why she thinks Obama is a terrorist, and responds "it's in his bloodline;" another says, "his name." These are not deeply-held; they're off-hand, heat-of-the-moment responses to someone who's mocking your candidate's rhetoric. It's like asking someone whose team is losing a World Series game: "so, why do you want to kill the umpire?"

I'm not sure how you know what people say after the cameras are turned off since, by definition, they're not on record saying it.

Numerical data may be useful in gauging the extent of certain memes, but it won't help you understand anything. Like anything else, it needs an interpretive frame and a basic grasp of social context before becoming meaningful. In general, statistics removed from their specific context of production should be regarded with deep suspicion.

RJ Manecksha on "Afghanistan: the dynamic and the risk "

RJ Manecksha — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:48:40 +0100

Vietnam should have taught all nations that an invasion of a foreign country will bring misery not only to the occupied but also to the occupiers with consequent defeat and embarrasment to the latter.

ernie noble on "Loot"

ernie noble — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:05:22 +0100

I was attracted to this piece because I had previously read Jim Gabour's book on the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina and its effects on the lives of the people of New Orleans. I was not disappointed. In his writing he breathes life into terrible stories such as this and even though the events described and the effects on the people involved are horrible, there is still somehow a note of optimism.