The Kyoto Protocol goes into effect next week David Ignatius complains that the Bush Administration is not onboard the "global policy train." It's true that W. would garner some good pub and goodwill from the international community if he signed. It would even bring about some bipartisan agreement, it's just that the bipartisan spirit runs against Kyoto. When President Clinton submitted Kyoto to the Senate it was shot down 92 - 0. The administration should engage the world in trying to hammer out a new agreement, one amendable to our interests and one that has a chance of passing.
Today's bombing in Madrid is the latest in a string of attacks by the Basque separatist group ETA. What was unintentionally hilarious was the reaction of the Spanish PM Zapatero who stated, "I would like to say to the terrorists of ETA and those who support them that there is no place for them in politics or civil society -- bombs lead only to prison." Uh...no. You see Zapatero's Socialist did not have a prayer of assuming power until the tragic events of March 11. Aznar's inability and unwillingness to acknowledge that radical Islamists had coordinated the attack led to the PP's downfall. Zapatero's zeal in accommodating the terrorists by pulling Spanish troops troops from Iraq won him the election but was bound to be have repercussions. There is also the fact that Zapatero has continued to squeeze the ETA leading them to more desperate acts. Lucky for Spain and Zapatero the ETA is a kindler gentler terrorist unit that usually phones in it's planned targets to minimize civilian casualties and usually only goes out of its way to kill politicians.
I'm extending an invitation to any all pure-bred-dyed-in-the-wool multi-lateralists to give me an explanation for this one. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights is scheduled to meet next month. To hammer out its agenda the commission has put together a Working Group composed of Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. That is quite a feat when you consider that both Saudi Arabia and Cuba obtained the worst possible rating from Freedom House, an honor they shared with 6 other states. Zimbabwe fared a tad better garnering the second worst rating sharing that distinction with 9 other nations. So you have a total of 192 countries rated. Of these 143 are rated free or partly free and they are represented by two countries, Bulgaria and Holland. You have another 49 countries rated not-free and those repressive regimes, where violating Human Rights is government policy, get 3 slots. Oh by the way the US has registered it's protest although it neglected to criticize the Saudis. I'm waiting for the EU to issue a protest (stop laughing it could happen). The US should walk out of the UNCHR. Just being there confers legitimacy on this pathetic, disgraceful, hypocritical and ineffectual institution.
I neglected to mention that the LA Times had a profile on Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. Among the revelations he has a high speed internet connection to communicate with his vast network of supporters, he's read about the American and French Revolutions and the elections in East Timor. Sistani is also "knowledgeable about the American, French, German constitutions and the unwritten British constitution." The story also notes that Sistani has explicitly distanced himself from Iran and does not support a theocracy similar to Iran's. The New York Times also has a positive Sistani spin quoting a source as saying that Sistani's top priority in the writing of the constitution was "the preservation of the rights of all citizens, majority or minority, so they are all equal in the eyes of the law."
I probably should have posted this 5 days ago, but better late than never. This month's book is Free World: America, Europe, and the Surprising Future of the West by Timothy Garton Ash. Books and Books has put the book on order and if you mention that you are reading it for our discussion group you'll get a discount.
There's some new stuff out there this Sunday, but the election in Iraq and its repercussions is still getting most of the op-ed ink. The Washington Post has two stories on how the election in Iraq was received by the Arab media and the "Arab street". Amr Hamzawy does an excellent job in distinguishing between the purported voices of the "Arab street", pan-Arab and Islamist intellectuals, and the real street which can be "pragmatic, confident and for the most part tolerant." The elections were also celebrated by Thomas Friedman in a great column in which he recounts voters walking around the corpse of a suicide bomber and spitting on his remains as they lined up to vote. He also declares that this war is not about "Mr. Bush anymore. It's about the aspirations of the Iraqi majority..." An Arab News columnist overcomes his original skepticism to celebrate with an outing to Mickey D's.
Down Europe Way things are looking rosier. That or everyone is just playing nice, I suppose that it is too early to tell. The Washington Post notes that bitterness is ebbing in Europe although there is little mention of the French and a brief discussion of Turkish concern over the Kurds in Iraq getting a taste of sovereignty. A piece in the Financial Times also noted that the US and Europe are beginning to see eye to eye on a number of critical issues in the Mid East. The Daily Telegraph (London) has a write-up on Condi explaining her blend of realpolitik and idealism. It also takes time to (slightly) bash Powell (!) and reveal Ms. Rice to be "clever, charming, articulate, fluent in French and when occasion demands, flirtatious." Sounds to me that she at least charmed a writer for the Telegraph. The final good news is the administration's efforts to boost foreign aid and even trade.
Now to the dark side. The American Empire is broke, but I guess we all knew that. We may have an embargo on Iran but that didn't stop Halliburton from doing business with the charter member of the Axis of Evil. Finally Freedom House released a report that found that hate literature can be found in mosques and Muslim libraries...in America. The literature is published by our friends the Saudi's or clerics from there. Among its recommendations: if you have a non-Muslim maid or cook "hate her for Allah's sake", "hate Christian or Jews", and calls for a "wall of resentment" against non-believers.
