Shutting Down For the Weekend
I hate to do this but I'm pretty sure that I won't be posting Friday or this weekend. I apologize for the inconsistency but obligations at home require my attention. Nothing bad...actually quite good, preparing for our son's baptism. We are also expecting visitors from Guatemala. I'm also frustrated because I wanted to post something from the Proceedings the journal of the US Naval Institute and it won't let me log in! Oh well...again my apologies.
posted by theCardinal @ 10:35 PM
8 Comments:
The magazine 'Proceedings' is described as a "forum for spirited debate on issues affecting today's armed services, it is "must" reading for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard."
It'll be interesting to hear of any opposition in the world to the moves towards multilateralism. The Independent reports today that the Nobel Peace Prize is being awarded to the official who heads the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
NATO seems to be auditioning to fill a key military role in the reformed United Nations.
I think you'll like the piece in Proceedings- assuming I ever get to sign on again. As for the Nobel - it is hard not to laugh. N. Korea and Iran go full throttle on nuke technology and even Hugo Chavez makes some noises and they give these 21st Century Keystone Cops the award? I suppose that it is better than selecting Arafat.
There was a lot agreed at last month's World Summit. Here is a copy of the final document.
Multilateralism and development are affirmed as the way ahead - and "they", who decided the recipient of the Nobel, represent the international community.
Paragraph 155 recognises that the UN's performance in economics needs improving; look out for a big reform of the IMF. This was heralded a couple of weeks ago at a conference (in Washington?) of the Institute for International Economics.
I couldn't use the link to the UN, but I think it might be my connection as for the Nobel...the "they" in question is a bunch of Norwegians and in the past they have succumbed to trendy picks that prove popular but have nothing to do with the promotion of peace. Yasser Arafat celebrated his win by launching the second intifada. Gorbachev marked his win by storming the Balkans. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War called for a policy of unilateral surrrendur 4 short years before E. Europe and the USSR turned their backs on communism. Of course that should not be a surprise since "they" had honored the Quakers in '47. In the speech the Quakers urged the Norwegians not to choose sides between the free world and the communists. Then there is the unintentionally hilarious selection of Rigoberta Menchu. The Prize Committee had to contort and twist itself into a pretzel when it was revealed that her life story, the reason she was awarded the prize, was in fact embellished to the point that it bore little basis in reality.
It is true that the Prize Committee gets it right every now and then, but that is more by accident than by intent.
CORRECTION: I meant Baltics not Balkans. Sorry
I tried the United Nations link too - but was unsuccessful; the long address is
http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/N05/511/30/PDF/N0551130.pdf?OpenElement.
And thanks for the fascinating comments on the Nobel Peace prize. However, no doubt any criticism from the Nobel committee reflects a majority view at that time. Here is a link to the committee.
Thanks for the link. As for the Nobel I just get frustrated because just as soon as I think they've turned a corner (Lech Walesa, Aung San Suu Kyi, Dalai Lama, et al.) they mess it up again.
Interesting article in 'Proceedings' on the Dutch navy.
It says the Royal Dutch Navy is selling some of its warships to Belgium and to Latvia. Elsewhere we see that The Netherlands already spend only 1.7% of GDP on defence - see the NATO figures for 2004.
However such are the priorities of national politics. On the government's attempt to buy Tomahawk cruise missiles, it was reported last year:
"A member of the Dutch Socialist Party [one of the opposition parties], says it’s wrong for the minister to try and buy new weapons at a time of cutbacks:
This government has a policy of cuts in all sectors of the welfare state. We have three million people now not having dental care any more because it’s out of the national health service […] everybody has been facing cuts. At the same time, our defence minister is suggesting that we should buy a new weapon system worth over 100 million euros."
He also thought that the ownership of advanced weapon systems would put The Netherlands under strong pressure to use them in support of US foreign policy - and compromise the nation's independence.
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