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By The Mound of Sound, on May 12, 2013, at 12:09 pm Another look at the century old and ongoing, lethal aftermath of the way Britain and France carved up the Middle East following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire post WWI. It’s a topic addressed here in several posts, the most recent just yesterday.
We’re now witnessing the walls, built by the Brits and the French in carving up the region to suit their convenience, beginning to crumble. Will the west now step in to shore up their malignant handiwork even as it collapses under the weight of irreconcilable ethnic and religious tensions? From The Independent:
…for (Read more…)
By The Arbourist, on March 29, 2013, at 8:15 am Wouldn’t it be nice if this is what Obama actually said? Quotes taken from the Counterpunch article by Uri Avnery
“No nation, great or small, can prosper for long without peace. War is the curse of mankind. It coarsens our spirit, consumes our resources, spreads death and destruction. In our time, with the development of ever more deadly means of mass destruction, war threatens our very existence.
Yet there seems to be among you a curious aversion to peace. Peacemakers are denounced as traitors or enemies. Even I have been termed a “Destroyer of Israel” because of my efforts
. . . → Read More: Dead Wild Roses: The Speech We Didn’t Hear from Obama in Israel.
By Jay Cables, on March 26, 2013, at 4:46 pm This month marks the tenth anniversary of the Iraq invasion. The occasion is upon us with barely a whisper from Washington. Hardly surprising… the legacy of the U.S. invasion has been an Iraq in ongoing crisis. The truth of what is really going down doesn’t get anything close to adequate coverage in American mainstream media.
A staunch opponent of the Iraq war, author and global justice activist Arundhati Roy, spoke recently with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now. Roy addresses the “psychosis” of war and questions the accuracy of “democracy versus radical Islam” rhetoric:
Roy:
So, unfortunately, we are
. . . → Read More: drive-by planet: Arundhati Roy: Iraq and the ‘psychosis’ of U.S. foreign policy
By Obert Madondo, on March 16, 2013, at 4:10 pm By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Rachel Corrie, a US peace activist, was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip as she tried to block the demolition of a Palestinian home. Her parents, Craig and Cindy, speak on the 10th anniversary of the killing of their daughter. WATCH: This [...]
By Song of the Watermelon, on March 15, 2013, at 3:56 pm On the same day that the world erupted in joyous, teary-eyed celebration following the selection of a new pope, a slightly less climactic breakthrough was reached thousands of kilometres away as four Israeli political parties, nearly two months after elections, quietly decided to form a coalition government. Right away, the deal seemed like it might fall apart over a last-minute dispute regarding deputy prime ministerial appointments, but two days later, all differences have been ironed out and the coalition agreement signed.
The chances were never exactly high that Israel would bend far enough to conclude a successful peace agreement (Read more…)
By The Arbourist, on February 11, 2013, at 8:23 am Noam Chomsky is considered a rogue commentator in the United States. His critiques of power illustrates the gross realpolitik that runs the US government and its foreign policy. Traditionally, we tend to think of ourselves as the “good guys”. In reality though, we seldom have that role. A look at the recent history of the Middle East confirms this hypothesis, excerpt from Alter.net.
Q: Does the United States still have the same level of control over the energy resources of the Middle East as it once had?
NC: The major energy-producing countries are still
. . . → Read More: Dead Wild Roses: Western Backed Dictatorships – Our Energy Bread and Butter
By Obert Madondo, on February 3, 2013, at 6:42 am Video available on YouTube The Canadian Progressive recommends: Human Rights Watch: Challenges for Rights After Arab Spring Canada’s Human Rights Reputation is Fast Becoming a Myth Cornel West Is Upset Obama Was Sworn In On Martin Luther King’s Bible U.S. pressuring Bradley Manning to implicate Julian Assange (VIDEO) The Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur On Obama’s READ MORE
By Guest Blog, on February 3, 2013, at 6:21 am The willingness of new governments to respect rights will determine whether those uprisings give birth to genuine democracy or simply spawn authoritarianism in new forms.
By Guest Blog, on February 1, 2013, at 7:29 am by UNICEF Canada | Jan 16, 2013: TORONTO – UNICEF is urging Canadians to support its emergency appeal for Syrian children as extreme weather conditions including heavy rain, snow and freezing temperatures has greatly worsened the situation for millions of Syrian children and their families. “The region has recorded the coldest temperatures in ten years READ MORE
By Guest Blog, on January 25, 2013, at 12:26 am by Guest Blogger | Jan 25, 2013: Halifax – A local peace activist is denouncing the deployment of the HMCS Toronto on Monday. The Canadian frigate left the Halifax port for a 6-month deployment to the Persian Gulf. “There should be no Canadian warships in the Middle East,” says Tamara Lorincz, a member of the Halifax Peace READ MORE
By Obert Madondo, on January 23, 2013, at 11:43 pm Photo credit: asriran.com A new billboard in downtown Tehran has U.S. President Barack Obama side by side with Shmer, a seventh-century villain in Shia Islam. Obama is sort of leaning on the scary-looking Shmer, who is handing the viewer a scroll or something. Phot credit: asriran.com Iran is certainly sending the White House another reminder that Obama faces even READ MORE
By Song of the Watermelon, on January 23, 2013, at 2:45 am Yair Lapid
Well, that wasn’t quite as bad as I thought.
Sadly, Benjamin Netanyahu will almost certainly remain prime minister of Israel after his Likud party and its electoral partner Yisrael Beiteinu won a plurality of seats in Knesset elections today. But their share has gone down sharply since the last election. Even Habayit Hayehudi, an extreme right ultra-nationalist party that was widely expected to come in third or perhaps even second, suffered an upset with a fifth-place finish.
The Knesset now appears to be split clean in half between the right wing on one side and the centre, left,
. . . → Read More: Song of the Watermelon: Israel’s Election Results and the Prospects for Peace
By Song of the Watermelon, on January 15, 2013, at 2:16 am Haneen Zoabi
Due perhaps to my Jewish identity and my family’s history, Israel tends to be the country whose politics I follow most closely apart from Canada’s and the United States’. Nevertheless, there is a giant gulf separating numbers one and two from number three. My understanding of Israeli parties, personalities, and issues is far from perfect, and when I observe the campaign leading up to the January 22 elections to Israel’s Knesset, I do so as an outsider.
There is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something that I feel very passionately about, as I strongly believe in Palestinian national aspirations, equal
. . . → Read More: Song of the Watermelon: Fanatics, Zealots, Warmongers, and Peaceniks: Israel’s Crowded Electoral Landscape
By The Arbourist, on December 19, 2012, at 8:35 am Democracy, human rights, humanitarian intervention all fall at the wayside when it comes to the West supporting “stability” in the Middle East. We wonder why the residents are so pissed off at us and cheer when bad things happen to the West. I’m guessing it has a little something to do with the fact that while promoting “human rights and democracy” worldwide we simultaneously support vicious authoritarian regimes that cater to our interests while grinding their populace to dust.
Go figure.
Noam Chomsky summarizes the process quite nicely on article excerpted from Alter.net. Here are
. . . → Read More: Dead Wild Roses: “Stability” – You’d be surpirsed what it trumps.
By Zeshaun Saleem, on December 17, 2012, at 5:38 pm Nearly three weeks has passed, marking an unprecedented day in the battle against global injustice. This particular victory, slight yet all the same substantial; a stepping stone for the Indigenous populations who habitat a region so focal and divine to the Abrahamic faiths, in their strive for self-determination and justice, not to mention the simple humane necessities- efficient sanitation and opportunity. This region is known as “Filistine,” or in plain English, “Palestine.”
For the diligent Palestinian schoolgirl, who knows all too well the sounds of bombs and sirens, may not know so well what the UN General Assemblies 138
. . . → Read More: Canadian Dimension Feed: Awaiting ‘Generation C’
By Obert Madondo, on December 9, 2012, at 6:35 am A recent report on the Syrian conflict by Human Rights Watch accused the Free Syria Army rebels of using children as young as 14 as child fighters. Now another rebel group, the Syria Justice and Freedom, recent posted a propaganda video YouTube featuring AK-47-totting children. If you think using a 14-year old as a fighter is disgusting, imagine indoctrinating a five year old. READ MORE
By Song of the Watermelon, on December 6, 2012, at 7:41 pm For many years, I have felt that, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the death of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were an exaggeration. Yes, Israel has been unyielding in its expansion of settlements in the West Bank in clear violation of international law, effectively dividing the already-slight territory into several isolated segments and making the creation of a viable Palestinian state nearly impossible. But Israel has withdrawn settlers from occupied territory before, in the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. Unlikely as it may now appear, it could always happen again.
The above represents the
. . . → Read More: Song of the Watermelon: Two-State Twilight
By AppalledBC, on December 5, 2012, at 1:01 pm “…Israel’s announcement on the settlements was widely criticized by Canada’s European allies, and even the United States, which voted with Canada and Israel against the motion to grant non-voting observer state status to the Palestinians, urged Israel to “reconsider” its decision on the settlements on Monday. Baird did not comment when asked Tuesday morning about the move. Roth also said Fantino would review Canada’s funding to the Palestinians for humanitarian and security projects. “We intend to, by and large, see these projects through. The relevant minister will, as a matter of course, as they do on all matters, review (Read more…)
By Obert Madondo, on December 4, 2012, at 1:53 pm Israel’s Haaretz newspaper is one of my favorite global publications. That’s because, on both domestic and global issues, it’s editorial policy is centre-left and refreshingly progressive. Haaretz is the place to go for an Israeli voice that’s against the apartheid-style occupation of Palestinian land and inhuman treatment of Arab citizens. Consider this title for an [...] . . . → Read More: Canadian Progressive: “Israel is demolishing hope”
By Guest Blog, on December 3, 2012, at 11:52 pm by Independent Jewish Voices | December 3, 2012 A Canadian Jewish human rights group is condemning the Harper government’s opposition to giving Palestine non-member observer state status at the United Nations. In a vote taken this week by the General Assembly, 138 countries voted to grant Palestine this status. “Once again the Harper government has embarrassed [...] . . . → Read More: Canadian Progressive: Jewish human rights group condemns Harper government’s UN vote on Palestine
By Obert Madondo, on December 2, 2012, at 8:12 pm High-impact anti-Israeli apartheid online activism by peace makers around the world forced Stevie Wonder to cancel his planned performance for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The American singer, songwriter, and activist had been scheduled to perfo… . . . → Read More: Canadian Progressive: No Stevie Wonder for the Israel Defense Forces
By Greg Fingas, on December 1, 2012, at 9:06 am Assorted content for your weekend reading.- Chrystia Freeland discusses the developing view that inequality can serve to stifle growth and development, while more equitable tax systems and social supports can encourage them:Set aside any moral or polit… . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
By BlastFurnace, on November 30, 2012, at 10:58 pm Yesterday, the UN General Assembly voted to grant Palestine the same status as the Vatican — “non member observer state.” I have the feeling that if we in Canada had a Liberal or ND government, this country would have voted to abstain as more than 40 countries did. That’s the position we took in 1988 when the UNGA elected to temporarily adjourn from NYC to Geneva to hear a speech by Yasser
By Bill Longstaff, on November 30, 2012, at 3:16 pm Yesterday marked a shameful moment in the history of this country’s foreign policy. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked the UN General Assembly to recognize Palestine as an observer state … and Canada voted no.
Our vote puts the lie to our claim that we believe in a two-state solution, or at least that we believe in a just two-state solution. If we do, how can we possibly object to the
By Rob Maguire, on November 28, 2012, at 2:01 am Muscial icon Stevie Wonder will perform for a fundraiser to support the Israeli military, who recently ended their week-long bombing campaign of Gaza that killed 160 Palestinians and injured one thousand more, mostly civilians. According to Israeli news website Ynetnews, Wonder will appear at an annual gala hosted by the Friends of the Israel Defense [...] . . . → Read More: Art Threat: Stevie Wonder to perform at Israeli military fundraiser
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