International Views

2005-11-18T13:39:00.000-05:00

The AUFPA Publications committee has decided to run a blog, much like this one, but geared towards AU students. Its being done through LiveJournal, because that's what's popular among the young people nowadays. The link is:

http://www.livejournal.com/community/aufpa/

I'm the monitor, and my username is princessfuschia. You're all very welcome to check it out, its by no means going to be limited to AU students.

We just had a showing of the documentary Confronting Iraq, a moderate conservative defense of the war. I thought it was great, and I'll hopefully have time to post more on it soon. This weekend is my Model UN conference, where I'm playing the role of the United States.

The above are photos from the event. Look how official I am with my own sticky name tag!

Love, Politics, and Racism in France

2005-11-18T13:34:00.000-05:00

Love, Politics, and Racism in France
By Christa Blackmon

From the beginning of my relationship with an Algerian living in France, I can’t say I’ve been given an easy time about it. I’ve been questioned on whether or not he wants to kill all Americans, if I’m aware he’s going to throw a blanket over my head and beat me if I marry him, and if I’ve talked to him about accepting Jesus yet. Part of me wants to stare at the floor and say that I’m not allowed to ask him questions, and if you’ll excuse me, I need to go study the bomb making manual he gave me for Valentine’s Day. Part of me wants to say that he’s my boyfriend, not a vehicle for the perpetuation of my political agenda or anyone else’s. Yes, I can laugh about it sometimes, but it still hurts like hell.
With the recent riots in France, I know I can expect a lot more questions and comments. I know the next time I go to visit and he and I walk down the street of a mostly white neighborhood, the people will begin to live up to their popular stereotype of uninhibited rudeness and disdain. They’ll see un beur who’s taking advantage of some poor white girl, and I’ll have to be careful not to look at the police when they pass us.
The Muslims in France have a reason to be angry. If Samuel P. Huntington was in France, he’d sit there holding his Clash of Civilizations with a smirk on his face; he saw this coming the whole time. The French have tried, they have commissions set on integration, and more recently, they’ve started throwing money at the problem. None of this reflects any understanding.
The French newspaper Le Monde quotes the Minister of Employment as saying that many of the problems in the urban areas are due to the practice of polygamy. If these youths do not have a suitable paternal figure, they will not be employed. This man should be given a Nobel for so eloquently describing one of the root causes of the riots. Out of the estimated 5 million Muslims in France, Le Monde reports .2-.6% is polygamists. However, I’m disappointed he didn’t comment on how hijab is a workplace hazard, since we all know those women have a hard time seeing where they’re going.
Relationships aren’t meant to be politicized, but it seems everything is political these days. While I don’t enjoy being a source of commentary because of my relationship, it almost feels as though it’s my duty. The world can say what it wants about the North African immigrants in France, I shouldn’t have to care. Well, I do care, because I’m un beur too.

The AU Foreign Policy Association meets every Thursday at 7:30 pm in Ward 5.

Disclaimer: This piece is not meant to reflect the opinions of the AU Foreign Policy Association, but it is the opinions of the individual writer.

Is Castro Sick?

2005-11-16T05:27:00.000-05:00

Today's Herald mentions what has been rumored for almost ten years in the streets of Miami - Fidel Castro may have Parkinson's. There seems to be enough evidence for the CIA to believe it. Quoted in the article is Brian Latell a Georgetown professor and the author of After Fidel an excellent book on the Castro brothers. Incidentally the title is somewhat misleading in the sense that it speaks very little of a post-Castro Cuba. "After Fidel" refers to Raul and his life living in his brother's shadow and the author's pursuit of Fidel.

Chirac as Jimmy Carter

2005-11-15T06:20:00.000-05:00

President Jacques Chirac said yesterday that more than two weeks of violence in the poor suburbs of France is the sign of a "profound malaise" and ordered measures to reach out to the angry rioters.

In defense of former President Carter - trust me this is the first and only time I will defend him - he never actually used the word "malaise."

ComingAnarchy.com and Beer

2005-11-14T22:36:00.000-05:00

Maybe all this football is making silly but everytime I see those Guinness Beer ads I think of Curzon, Chirol and Younghusband. We know that they are in fact BRILLIANT!, but there has to be more to it than that. Maybe it's the whiskers? If anyone has any suggestions for a cominganarchy drinking game please let me know. I'm thinking along the lines of taking a shot each time Robert Kaplan's name is mentioned and two shots for every word invented that includes Kaplan's name. We should also shout out, "BRILLIANT!" after taking our Kaplan shots.

Battered Bush Goes East

2005-11-14T22:10:00.000-05:00

I'm watching Monday Night Football as I write this (my definition of multitasking) and was amused by a Philly fan holding a sign that read "It's not easy being green." Alas it may not be easy being a frog (and no I'm not talking about the French) or being a Philly fan but at least you aren't W. Let's face it W has it rough.

CNN is talking up new polls showing that he has hit a record low in public approval. TNR is piling on referring to the Summit of the Americas as more like a nadir and another piece proclaiming W's Veteran's Day speech as the worst of his presidency. CSM says things are bound to go better during W's Far East trip if for no other reason that Hugo Chavez won't be there. They do note that S. Korea might be difficult. I have a solution - get off the plane announce that all American troops in Korea will be home by Christmas get back on the plane and leave.

Old Habits are Hard to Break

2005-11-14T22:06:00.000-05:00

"Stop the Violence," read one banner draped on the Wall of Peace near the Eiffel Tower. Some of the 200 demonstrators--a small turnout in protest-friendly France--waved white flags.

From an AP dispatch. Hat tip Opinion Journal.

Remembering Drucker

2005-11-14T22:00:00.001-05:00

Opinion Journal remembers Peter Drucker by compiling memorable excerpts from his op-eds for WSJ.

Globalization of Political Crimes

2005-11-14T21:14:00.000-05:00

Alvaro Vargas Llosa applauds the arrest of Alberto Fujimori in Chile. He neglects to mention that Fujimori literally forced Vargas Llosa into exile. He also takes a shot at Toledo's government (again) failing to disclose his infamous about face on the Peruvian Prez that resulted in an odd internal exile that he has yet to fully explain. Let's not nitpick it is an interesting piece on how globalization has produced an unexpected benefit - the long arm of the law. States are more willing to take on deposed leaders for crimes they committed while in power. I too am thrilled to see deposed despots but have long felt a certain ambivalence toward this trend.

Assume that you are a tyrant at the end of the line. The US is hassling you, the UN is on your ass and even the French aren't taking your calls. You realize that this isn't really worth it anymore. It is time to move on and go to a Brazilian beach with the billions you stole. Then you wonder, "Will they do me like they did Augosto?" You are perceived to be a right wing despot so you can't help but fret that Balthasar Garzon is getting his papers in order. He knows that your time is running up and now he is going to hound you until you are either dead or infirm. Maybe it would make more sense just to stick around and see what happens.

I find it odd that states get all tough on former tyrants. While these presidents for life are in power these very same states either sit on their hands or offer them up to lend assistance. Garzon's own party is Fidel Castro's greatest facilitator. How about going after tyrants while they are still doing damage as opposed to waiting until they have already destroyed a country? By the way a CFR study published two years ago raised some concerns about this trend aswell.

Talabanni Speaks on US Troop Pullout, Again

2005-11-13T05:52:00.000-05:00

It appears that Iraqi Prez Talabani has left his White House talking points memo at home again. You may recall that during his US visit in Septmember he veered from W's stance on troops in Iraq and said that they could start coming home this year. He clarified his comments the day after but now he is talking about reaching an agreement by the end of next year to send all the troops home.

TCS on Latin America

2005-11-12T23:57:00.000-05:00

Writing at Tech Central Station Carlos Ball wonders if we are looking at the makings of a socialist hemisphere and finds that the US is a big part of the problem:

Such behavior is truly revolting, but also troubling is the fact that the U.S., with little or no consideration, has been making enemies of its traditional friends in Latin America. Since 9/11, U.S. consulates throughout the hemisphere have been denying visas or making it extremely difficult to get them to Latin Americans that do business in this country, who own vacation homes here or studied or have their children attending American schools and colleges, despite the fact that they have been coming here as tourists or to visit family members for decades. Even though no Latin American took part in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, there seems to be a clear presumption of guilt once they enter the grounds of an American embassy or are inspected by a Homeland Security officer.

Regarding U.S. policies towards Latin America, there is a double standard everywhere you look. It is crystal clear where Lula, Chávez, Kirchner, Vásquez, etc. want to go. Many ideas and policies of Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, and Che Guevara are being rediscovered and openly applied by them, while U.S. foreign economic policy continues to sail down a third way between capitalism and socialism. No wonder such little respect is shown towards Washington. Free trade, yes, but not regarding sugar or shrimp or steel or lumber or whatever deep pocket lobbyists want to keep out today. Private enterprise and the right to work, sure, as long as the interests of American unions are safeguarded by "fair trade", which includes a "level playing field" (unaffordable wages and working conditions) and "no child labor", even if the real alternative for many of those youngsters is begging or prostitution, rather than going to school.

Also at TCS Melana Zyla Vickers figures that Venezuela's biggest export is trouble (or revolution) not oil:

Leftist guerrillas from eight Latin American countries have received training at Venezuelan military bases this year, according to an Ecuadorian intelligence report revealed in a Quito newspaper earlier this month. El Presidente Chavez of course denies the charges. But his recent vows to create a regional, anti-American leftist front, his alliance with Fidel Castro's Cuba, his rising military expenditures and persistent reports that weapons disappear from the Venezuelan military into the hands of regional leftist rebels, make the charges all the more believable.

The Ecuadorian newspaper, El Comercio, wrote that since 2001, a 200-man leftist "liberation army" has been operating in Ecuador and that some of the men received training in Venezuela. In a follow-up story this month, the Miami Herald wrote that the intelligence report says the Venezuelans provided a month-long training course for guerrillas from Peru, Bolivia, Chile Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Venezuela.

On The Newstand: Commentary on the Bush Doctrine, Kaplan and Hanson

2005-11-12T23:02:00.000-05:00

Commentary magazine, the birthplace of neoconservatism, marks its 60th year with a symposium on the Bush Doctrine. I've honestly not had the opportunity to read all of the contributions - there are 36 in all. There is literally not a dull bulb in this batch - you don't even need first names for half of the contributors - Buckley, Kristol, Podhoretz, Pipes, Pipes, Perle, Kagan, Fukuyama, etc. Try not to be surprised but the review of Imperial Grunts is not favorable. Here's another surprise they did like Victor Davis Hanson's new book on the Peloponnesian War (God I hate spelling that word).

Peter Drucker RIP

2005-11-12T21:48:00.000-05:00

Peter Drucker passed away yesterday. Not only was the man a genius he was also mentioned in the movie Barcelona. Tom Peters, Peter Senge and all those management flavors of the month can't hold a candle to the breadth and depth of Drucker and his work. Since I'm supposed to focus on politics here is what Drucker said about our most effective presidents:

The most effective president, he told Forbes magazine 11 months ago, was Harry Truman, because "everybody who worked for him worshiped him because he was absolutely trustworthy." Ronald Reagan took second place: "His great strength was not charisma, as is commonly thought, but his awareness and acceptance of exactly what he could do and what he could not do."

Salman Rushdie at The U

2005-11-12T21:17:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the short notice but I just found out. Salman Rushdie will be speaking about modern terrorism at the Storer Auditorium (College of Business) 6PM Monday, November 14. Now I'm really confused about his not being at the Book Fair. I would see him a dozen times before any other of the "Evening With..." authors (not including Carlos Alberto Montaner since his in Spanish). Mike Wallace may have a book out, but he IS NOT a writer. The others Jon Kozol, Margaret Atwood, Dr. Weil, Marilynne Robinson, Joan Didion and Terry McMillan include a noteworthy literary talent or maybe even two but do not outshine Rushdie's influence.

Your Government at Work

2005-11-11T23:54:00.000-05:00

In effort to help those affected by the hurricane it was recently announced that anyone in the federal disaster area (that's us) could collect food stamps. A friend from work decided that he was going to apply just to see what he would get. Mind you his household income is well over $70,000 a year. He's not rich but he's not hurting either. The storm left him without power but he had a generator so about the only inconvenience he endured was cold showers - he could not figure out how to power up his water heater. Oh yeah his cable is still out but that's what he gets for have Comcast.

So my buddy goes down to get food stamps and the social worker gives him $720 worth of food stamps - no questions asked! The only condition being that he has to use the food stamps within 90 days. The man has gone on a red meat buying binge. He can fire up the bbq every Sunday between now and the Super Bowl (we can do this down here) and still have a cow or two to spare. I'm sure that people really need this aid and they should recieve it but openning up the doors to anyone with a picture id and a social security card makes no sense.

The Summit of the Americas

2005-11-11T23:17:00.000-05:00

I missed this too. Fortunately for me the reliably astute Alvaro Vargas Llosa fills me in a bit. He notes that when W went south he confronted three different faces of Latin America:

One is characterized by the return of populism, a movement that bears little resemblance to Jeffersonian populism. A second is defined by managerial inertia, and the third is best described as involving some progress at the cost of isolation.

The populist road is a familiar one for LA:

This type of Latin America made its presence felt in the streets of Mar del Plata, with violent demonstrations against globalization. Chavez is now expropriating factories and agricultural estates in Venezuela that he deems "unproductive." Kirchner is inflating Argentina's currency: In the last 22 months, the inflation rate has been higher than in the previous eight years. As shown by last week's legislative elections, he has built a grassroots following in the all-important province of Buenos Aires with massive distribution of food and household appliances and monthly cash handouts to millions of people. For his part, Morales, who is tied in first place in Bolivia, is campaigning on the promise to nationalize the second largest oil reserves on the continent.
We know where all this leads: These same policies consolidated Latin America's backwardness in the second half of the 20th century. In the three decades after World War II, agriculture grew at half the rate of industry because of the assault on private property in the countryside for the benefit of bureaucracy. The economic result can be captured with one example: Between the 1970s and the 1990s, Argentina's per-capita income was reduced by one quarter.

The inert leaders include the scandal plagued Lula, the perennially unpopular Toledo and the astoundingly ineffectual Fox. Fox and Toledo may want to move on FTAA but both are lame ducks who lack political wherewithal to get anything done on this front. Lula was always ambivalent and has enough problems with his left wing to stake anything on FTAA.

Finally we get the reformers who have problems of their own:

Chile and Colombia are two examples. Chile has just announced the imminent signature of its umpteenth free-trade agreement (with China), while Colombia is the only country in which there has been a significant increase in the number of new businesses, thanks to the elimination of some red tape and legal barriers. But these two countries have limitations. Colombians are engaged in a war against narco-guerrillas, and Chile has, for historic reasons, difficult relations with its neighbors, which limits its capacity to influence the area.

CSM also weighs in on all this and declares that Chavez is not the answer to LA's woes:

Two potential negatives loom for Chavez. One is his dependence on oil, and his current reckless spending of oil revenues based on the resource's current high prices. If the bubble should burst, he would be hard put to continue expanding social services at home and financing revolution throughout Latin America.

The other problem is the inevitable departure from the scene of his comrade-in-arms, Fidel Castro. Castro is 78 years old, and one or two recent lapses suggest that he is in failing health. The likelihood of Cuba's continuing along the path of communism after Castro seems slim. Communism in Cuba is already discredited with the masses and is held nominally in place by Castro's reign of oppression. Cuba's people are the prisoners of a regime that offers them neither political freedom nor a free market economy.

Neither communism, nor Chavez's woolly "not-communism-at-the-moment" kind of socialism seems likely to be a panacea for the challenges of today's Latin America.

Egyptian Elections

2005-11-11T22:55:00.000-05:00

CSM had two pieces on the Egyptian elections this week. The first one noted that these elections as opposed to those in the past were pretty fair. Since they were fair CSM also notes that the Muslim Brotherhood is on the rise. This makes the Copts feel crappy and the women neglected. In case you have no clue what these elections are about check out CFR. They'll explain the significance of the elections and detail the major players. In the September/October issue of Foreign Affairs F. Gregory Gause III (I should hate him just for having such a snotty name) said that democracy promotion in the MidEast may not be the way to go for the US:

Even if democracy were achieved in the Middle East, what kind of governments would it produce? Would they cooperate with the United States on important policy objectives besides curbing terrorism, such as advancing the Arab-Israeli peace process, maintaining security in the Persian Gulf, and ensuring steady supplies of oil? No one can predict the course a new democracy will take, but based on public opinion surveys and recent elections in the Arab world, the advent of democracy there seems likely to produce new Islamist governments that would be much less willing to cooperate with the United States than are the current authoritarian rulers.

The answers to these questions should give Washington pause. The Bush administration's democracy initiative can be defended as an effort to spread American democratic values at any cost, or as a long-term gamble that even if Islamists do come to power, the realities of governance will moderate them or the public will grow disillusioned with them. The emphasis on electoral democracy will not, however, serve immediate U.S. interests either in the war on terrorism or in other important Middle East policies.

It is thus time to rethink the U.S. emphasis on democracy promotion in the Arab world. Rather than push for quick elections, the United States should instead focus its energy on encouraging the development of secular, nationalist, and liberal political organizations that could compete on an equal footing with Islamist parties. Only by doing so can Washington help ensure that when elections finally do occur, the results are more in line with U.S. interests.

Riots in France

2005-11-08T11:49:00.000-05:00

Richard asked me to post a little bit about what's happening in France and what my fiance thinks about, since he is a North African immigrant there.

I honestly believe this is the beginning of a very slow moving um...movement. Revolution might be too strong of a word. Some big changes are coming soon though.

As far as what Mohammed believes, well that gets kind of thorny. It can be very difficult to get him to say what's going on, so I'll keep you posted on that. It may take some work.

I'm Back!

2005-11-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the prolonged absence. We did have to forgo the comforts normally associated with modern living but we got along just fine. The house was more or less intact although getting to it required some off road driving. After 12 days with no electricity FPL finally showed up and shortly thereafter I enjoyed the longest hottest shower I have ever had in my entire life. Thanks to all who were concerned, I was truly touched by the e-mails and Curzon's post. I'll be back tomorrow morning.

Hiatus for theCardinal

2005-10-25T12:52:00.000-04:00

Ok I may not have died, but that really did suck. Wilma hit us pretty hard and we have no power at home - no one I know does. At work we have electricity but the few of us that showed up have so much work to do that I can't imagine posting for a couple of days. Thanks.

Shutting Down for Sure

2005-10-23T21:20:00.000-04:00

After watching TV all friggin day with no friggin football I now understand that if this hurricane comes, rips my roof off, spawns a thousand tornadoes that all land on my Honda Civic and plucks me up and twists me into pretzel I will be lucky. It is obivious to all the tsk-tsking anchors and weatherpersons that WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!!!! Apparently I can tatoo my body with the American flag run stark naked through the streats of Sadr City screaming all sorts of nasty things about Muhammed and Ali and have a better chance of survival. Well I'm too stressed out so wish me luck and see you all soon.

Osama is Dead Again

2005-10-23T21:13:00.000-04:00

It's been a couple of weeks since anyone said Osama was dead so it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Ungrateful Pri....

2005-10-23T20:54:00.000-04:00

I would apologize for the profanity but I actually did not say anything. I am all for forward projection but I have long supported the withdrawal of our troops from the DMZ and S. Korea. The Koreans can defend themselves and we aren't winning any friends by being there. The latest incident indicating that (some) Koreans are ungrateful jerks is recounted by Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation:

For the last six months, activists have gathered around MacArthur's statue above Inchon harbor for anti-American/anti-alliance hate-fests, including violent attempts to topple the monument. The latest rally was on Sept. 11, a date plainly chosen to sting Americans. Just four days before the 55th anniversary of the Sept. 15, 1950 landing, 4,000 anti-U.S. activists, armed with bamboo poles and metal pipes, led assaults on the statue in Inchon's Freedom Park, calling MacArthur "a war criminal who massacred numerous [Korean] civilians.
Pro-American Koreans have spoken up, too. Indeed, 10,000 of them, including South Korean Marine vets, headed to Inchon on the 15th to guard the statue on the anniversary - at which point the protestors wimped out, pulling a no-show.How quickly the Korean anti-American crowd forgets the facts of "The Forgotten War" . . .

Wilma Ruins My Day

2005-10-23T09:55:00.000-04:00

I probably won't post for the rest of the day. I have to finish putting up my hurricane shutters. Hopefully I'll be up and running soon...assuming I don't lose power.

The Spotlight Shines on "Scooter" Libby

2005-10-22T23:49:00.000-04:00

WaPost does all a great service by running a profile on Plame-gate figure Scooter Libby. Somehow the word neo-con did not creep up, but it really isn't necessary. His connection with Wolfowitz is explored - Wolfowitz was his college professor and gave him his first job in DC. Libby's admiration for Victor Davis Hanson is also discussed but oddly the piece states that they have different perspectives. Hanson, who should know better, has never (to my knowledge) questioned the administration's Iraq policy.

So Much On Syria

2005-10-22T22:54:00.000-04:00

There is no shortage of stories and info on Syria. CFR strikes first noting the precipitous slide of Assad the Younger's regime. They also provide with a helpful guide of the major players of the Syrian government. Not surprisingly 2 of the 3 names in the inner circle are related to him, unfortunately one of those individuals, Assef Shawqat, has been implicated in the assasination of Rafiq Hariri.

NYT took a close look at the UN report on the assasination and provides a blow by blow. It paints a pretty ugly picture of the Syrians and their lap dogs in Lebanon. Current Leb. President Emile Lahoud is among the tainted, he recieved a call from a conspirator nine minutes before they killed Hariri. The WaPost takes a different tack checking out the reaction in the street, on the airwaves (it was read on al Jazeera) as well as in the halls of power. They echo the CFR finding that Little Assad isn't as skillful as his daddy in the diplomacy game. C'mon Hafez wiped out a whole town and the UN didn't even flinch. The WaPost also reports on the Syrian reaction - shock that the truth has come out. They are feeling so pressed that they may allow officials to be questioned abroad. The US confused on being in agreement with anything the UN has done has asked for it to move quickly on Syria.

On the Newstand: The Fatal Attraction of Chavez and Iran

2005-10-22T22:14:00.000-04:00

The Weekly Standard explores the burgeoning relationship between Iran and Venezuela. Other than being oil producing states both states also hate the US. Mentioned is Chavez's initial efforts to develop nuke technology for "peaceful" means, the ties both countries have to terrorist groups and Iran's willingness to help Chavez find other customer's for his crude - that way he won't depend on the US. Of course we should pay more attention to what happens in our backyard but our hands are tied. We are just as dependent on Venezuela and it's crappy crude (it is of poor quality) and an invasion, never a likely prospect, is an insane suggestion considering our circumstances. To prove how insane it is Chavez believes that we're planning an invasion. He really did bone up on that Castro playbook didn't he?

The Answer is Yes...

2005-10-22T21:43:00.000-04:00

CFR has a backgrounder asking if China is a regional threat. Talk about a softball! It's a good Q & A anyway covering the basics and coloring within the lines to give us a more complete picture of the Chinese buildup. Among the nuggets found - China spends two to three times than its announced $30 billion on defense, its military can challenge the US, the lifting of the European arms embargo will only help, and a Red major general expressed a willingness to nuke the US. Nothing revolutionary but its great to find it all in one place. The only failure is in the end where policy prescriptions for the US are suggested. What is offered is nothing but vague diplospeak.

Good Kurds Bad Kurds

2005-10-21T14:02:00.000-04:00

Last night was the film Good Kurds, Bad Kurds. The activist featured is Kani Xulam. In the photos, Kani is the one in the yellow shirt. Here are my notes...

Abdullah Ocalan was imprisoned for allegedly waging war against the Turks
Turkey is a strategic ally to the US
The Kurdish insurgency in Turkey is labelled as terrorist
Kurdish Workers Party aka the PKK
The Kurds were hurt by the US in the first Iraq war
US media was not concerned with hidden war in Turkey
Why is there focus on Tibet and not Kurdistan?
Kurds are the largest ethnic group without a homeland
The majority of Kurds are in Turkey, they make up 20% of the population
They are the native americans of Asia minor
Saladdin was a Kurd
Ocalan is the founder of the PKK
Kurds were promised their own country after WWI (if you think about it, who wasn't promised their own country after WWI?)
Kurds represented threat to the survival of the fledgling nation of Turkey
Turkish bases were important for protecting Kurds in Iraq
US at one time paid for Kurdish uprising and then dropped them to cooperate with Saddam
US later asked for another uprising, but stayed on the sidelines, many Kurds were killed
There is a saying that Kurds have no friends but the mountains
Many Kurdish villages were burned, inhabitants were given 24 hours to leave or else they'd be burned too
There are no Kurdish villages left
Turkey has a policy of depopulating them
Many Kurds are forced to join Turkish forces in fighting the PKK
The Clinton administration has conceded that US weapons have been used to kill Kurds
Children 5 to 10 years old can identify which kinds of helicopters are flying overhead
The US condemns human rights abuses in SE Turkey
The journalist hasn't met anyone who isn't for human rights
The EU will not accept Turkey unless it raises its standard for human rights
Turkey found out that Kani (the activist featured in the film) was in the US without the proper papers
He was labelled a rebel leader and a terrorist
He was arrested for applying for a passport with a fictitious name
Kani used a fictitious name for fear of being deported, his relatives have been tortured by Turkey
The most famous Kurd elected to Turkish Parliament is Leyla Zana, she was imprisoned for speaking Kurdish
Ocalan was prepared to sign anything in hopes of bringing democracy
There are female Kurdish guerrillas
Average survival rate of the guerillas is 30 months
Leaders have said when the Palestine question is over, the Kurds are next
Amnesty has condemned both the PKK and Turkey for human rights abuses, Ocalan believes Turkey's abuses cannot be compared to the PKK's
Torture is a serious concern in Turkey
Kani was reccomended for asylum, but it was over ruled even though he had support from over 100 members in congress
Ocalan was arrested in Turkey, even though the US said they had nothing to do the with the apprehension or transportation of Ocalan, they did help in tracking him down
Turkey said that once they had Ocalan, they would talk peace
Ocalan was sentenced to hang
Many guerillas are amputees
"When the wolf is hungry, no one knows what he'll do"
US administration has a "Yes, but..." policy
Ocalan believes his death will bring more change than his life
Turkey can join the EU once it abolishes the death penalty
"If you treat human beings like dogs, you have to expect that the dog will bite" Kani

The organization that Kani runs is called AKIN, the website is www.kurdistan.org

Ok Maybe the UN is Useless

2005-10-21T07:30:00.000-04:00

I've been beating that Hentoff quote to death but blame it on the UN, not me. In a misguided effort to bone up his multilateral credentials W brought the US back into UNESCO, the single most anti-American entity on this planet outside of al Qaeda. To show their appreciation UNESCO members approved a treaty that throws up barriers to "movies, music and other cultural treasures." So much for globalization.

Sorry

2005-10-21T07:28:00.000-04:00

To the three of you that leave comments somewhat consistently I apologize for adding word verification in the comment section. The spam in the comment section was driving me mad and this was the only way to combat it. I hope that this does not discourage you from writing I really enjoy reading what each of you has to say. Thanks.

UN Report: Syrians Killed Former PM Hariri

2005-10-21T07:07:00.000-04:00

Maybe the UN is not entirely useless. The Mehlis Report (PDF file) on the assasination of former Lebanese PM Rafiq Hariri is certain to make things uncomfortable for Syrian despot Bashar Assad. The WaPost quotes the report as stating that the terrorist act that took the life of Hariri and 22 others "could not have been taken without the approval of top-ranked Syrian security officials and could not have been further organized without the collusion of their counterparts in the Lebanese security forces." Among those implicated is Assad's brother-in-law.

Now that we have the report what is next? Mehlis says that the probe must continue and Kofi has extended his mandate until December 15. The report stresses that Lebanon will require international support to bring the assasins to justice, something that Michael Young mentioned yesterday in his op-ed in the Daily Star (Lebanon). The normally astute Young also accuses John Bolton of leaking a deal that would have forced Assad to turn over the conspirators, end Syria's efforts to destabilize both Lebanon and Iraq and cut off Palestinian extremists who won't settle with Israel. Why Bolton would want to "scuttle" a deal that would bring us that much closer to resolving two of our most pressing issues in the MidEast (and perhaps the globe) is beyond my understanding.

Speaking of Bolton Mehlis will be appearing before the Security Council on Tuesday. Condi and Chirac have apparently been speaking about how to go from here in regards to resolutions. There is also another report on Syria expected next week. As CSM reports Syria may already be feeling the heat. An insurgent recently arrested in Iraq may have been expelled from Syrian.

Democracy Watch: China, Hong Kong, Liberia, Syria and Mexico

2005-10-20T05:34:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering the Reds have issued a report that declares the Communist Party to be "the most important and fundamental principle for developing socialist political democracy in China." I would not expect changes there soon. Just in case you are fuzzy on that we finally got to see what big changes Lord Tsang has in mind for Hong Kong. I'm not even going to get into it because it is just tinkering around the edges. Democracy advocates in Hong Kong are ticked off and are planning to protest. If they stick together they could block passage of the reforms. It will be interesting to see if they actually pull this off. Surprisingly the NYT piece, the same one that says that the government is seeking "somewhat greater democracy," gets a quote from Martin Lee while the WaPost opted not to.

In Liberia their version of the Iron Lady is in the runoff against a popular soccer star with little formal education...ain't third world politics grand? Syrian opposition groups, apparently they do in fact exist, took advantage of the potentially damaging UN report of the assasination of Rafik Hariri to issue a call for democracy in the form of a statement that has been labeled the Damascus Declaration. Meanwhile my longshot pick for pres of Mexico recieved an unexpected boost from the OAS. Despite the opportunity to run for President with the support of a political party, Jorge Castaneda has wanted to run as an independent all along. Unfortunately Mexican electoral law only permits party sponsored candidates. The OAS's Commission on Human Rights has sent a letter to Mexico's electoral commission (in Spanish) in support of Castaneda's effort to run and the commission has promised to respond.

The Dirty Arab Secret

2005-10-19T22:40:00.000-04:00

For all their talk about supporting Palestinians the truth is that they want a homeland for them to keep them outside of their own borders. Why do think Jordan was so willing to renounce its claims to the West Bank? Lebanon's eagerness to kick them out, again, is another example.

Man Bites Dog Part Deux

2005-10-19T22:25:00.000-04:00

My leatherneck friend Paul Crespo is wrong (I hope he's not reading, he'll literally kick my ass) Noam Chomsky is not a "deranged Marxoid." Mr. Chomsky is actually a raging capitalist. He is a branding genius who has successfully franchised his name and (ahem) reputation. Chomsky has managed to amass a $2 million fortune which makes him the second wealthiest commie behind our Fidel. Chomsky also plays the market like a pro and is making a killing from the war on terror (or is it against Islamism now?):

Chomsky's marketing efforts shortly after September 11 give new meaning to the term "war profiteer." In the days after the tragedy, he raised his speaking fee from $9,000 to $12,000 because he was suddenly in greater demand. He also cashed in by producing another instant book. Seven Stories Press, a small publisher, pulled together interviews conducted via email that Chomsky gave in the three weeks following the attack on the Twin Towers and rushed the book to press. His controversial views were hot, particularly overseas. By early December 2001, they had sold the foreign rights in nineteen different languages. The book made the bestseller list in the United States, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand. It is safe to assume that he netted hundreds of thousands of dollars from this book alone.

Man Bites Dog Part I

2005-10-19T22:21:00.000-04:00

A Minuteman volunteer on the southern border picks up a couple of illegals and gives them a ride into town. (Hat Tip - [like he needs one] Drudge)

Chomsky is a Genius...Not!

2005-10-19T11:51:00.000-04:00

In a poll that says more about the readership of Foreign Policy than anything else, Noam Chomsky (God help me) has been crowned the world's top public intellectual. There is more than a 50% chance that I will throw up upon receipt of my next issue of FP. If you don't know much about the Pol Pot loving, jihadist in residence at MIT you can check out a profile of Chomsky from the New Criterion. (Hat tip NRO)

Defeating Hamas

2005-10-19T11:29:00.000-04:00

Writing in the WaPost Ephraim Sneh nails Sharon (without mentioning his name) from the right and the left. He says that Hamas will always be a terrorist entity regardless of electoral status and that they must be defeated. Sneh closes by saying that the Gaza pullout "substantially empowered Hamas in the Palestinian street." He then declares that Israel needs to do more to help Abbas. Of course this means more money, which the PA until now has been able to put to good use. Throwing money at the problem without reform is not going to improve anything only buy time and maybe votes.

The US is not even going to bother going down that route. We're pushing Abbas to ban any candidate that does not renounce violence...good luck on that one. Nonetheless it is a good idea and not without precedent. The Germans have a provision in their constitution barring any party that seeks they overthrow of the Federal Republic.

The Uselessness of the UN (cont.)

2005-10-19T10:55:00.000-04:00

The UN is finding that it has a difficult time controlling the sexual appetites of its peacekeepers:

In the months he had been in charge of rooting out sexual abuse by U.N. peacekeepers, Prince Zeid Raad Hussein of Jordan thought the organization was getting a handle on the problem. But on the same day this year that the United Nations' top peacekeeping official and the head of Congo's U.N. mission were visiting the eastern town of Bunia, a soldier raped a girl "practically within earshot" of the two senior officials, he said. "I thought to myself, 'My God, what would it take for that man not to do it?' " Zeid recalled.

Even when they implement rules they are often broken (there's a surprise):

Last year, the U.N. instituted a policy of "zero contact," barring any interaction between civilians and U.N. soldiers in Congo, and newly arriving troops are warned that they could be sent home if they break the rules. U.N. Codes of Conduct are posted in barracks and U.N. offices.
"No one can say they don't know what the standards were," said Anna Shotton, a U.N. peacekeeping official who has been driving the organization's efforts to address the problem and cooperated with the report.
In the last year, U.N. investigators have completed inquiries into 221 complaints in Congo; repatriated 88 soldiers, including six commanders; and fired 10 civilian staffers, Shotton said.

It does not appear that anything is going to change anytime soon:

The U.N. has promulgated new rules after previous scandals, such as one in 2001 in which Bosnian policemen were found to be helping to traffic women to work as prostitutes, or another in 2002 in West Africa, where relief supplies were traded for sex. But they have wrought little permanent change.
This time, a team of U.N. officials and nongovernmental organizations is trying to dismantle both the structures and the attitudes that breed the abuse. Now in Bunia, the barracks are far away, and many of the bars and restaurants where soldiers would meet women are off-limits.
Sarah Martin, the author of the report, said that in her trips to 11 countries, the comments she heard from United Nations troops revealed how entrenched attitudes were, and how difficult they could be to change: It's not rape if the woman is a prostitute. The women pound on our doors and solicit us. The women can use their bodies how they want. Why ruin someone's career just for having sex? Boys will be boys.
"People need to understand why it is important not to take advantage of a population traumatized by conflict," Martin said. Until they do, "the zero-tolerance policy does not make sense to them, and the problems will go on."

Paul Volker and John Bolton spoke before Congress yesterday touting the need for reform in the UN. They both advocated cutting off funding to the UN to force reform but only with the cooperation of other states.

Z 2 Z Letter a Fake?

2005-10-19T10:49:00.000-04:00

As mentioned previously here there is the distinct likelihood that the al-Zawahri to Zarqawi letter may not be authentic. Even Michael Ledeen found it to be too neat.

Rummy and the Reds

2005-10-19T10:03:00.000-04:00

Rummy is visiting the Chinese mainland and all the majors have it covered. All of them mention Rummy's cocern over the culture of secrecy that envelopes the Chinese military. They also quote Rumsfeld's push to open up Chinese society politically. NYT basically calls Rummy a hypocrite for talking out of both sides of his mouth once it comes to China. They wonder how he could criticize China while investing there in his pre-Sec. of Defense days. We have to turn to the WaPost to discover that Rummy said the US welcomed China's emergence as an economic power but felt that it needed to do more. Specifically criticizing military expansion. Sounds to me not that he was being pragmatic not hypocritical. Despite Rummy's call for more openness the Reds have a long way to go, LAT was quick to point out that the press was only allowed to sit in for the first question from the audience. The WashTimes that the trip to China is part of a larger tour that will take Rummy to Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and S. Korea.

Peace in Kashmir?

2005-10-19T09:58:00.000-04:00

Despite appearances don't expect too much to change in Kashmir. Yes it is true India and Pakistan are going to ease up on border restrictions during this time of crisis, but you can count on militants to continue to cause problems. At about the same time India responded positively to Pakistan's request for more open borders to allow for assistance a junior education minister in Kashmir was assasinated. Further evidence that India will only go so far is the fact that New Delhi has balked at measuring seismic activity out of fear that it could reveal underground nuke testing.

Ayman Nour Pays a Price

2005-10-19T09:34:00.000-04:00

NYT checks up on the second place finisher of the Egyptian presidential election Ayman Nour and finds out that he's having a tough time. It's not easy losing an election but it can really bad if you dare to run against an autocrat in a rigged contest. Despite controlling all the instruments of power Hosni and his NDP have made life for Nour difficult. Nour is being besieged personally, legally and politically. So much for reform.

W & Chertoff Freak Out Illegal Aliens

2005-10-19T08:25:00.000-04:00

I watched the local Telemundo newscast last night to catch John Morales talk about Wilma - how terrible is it the only rational weatherman on TV is of latin descent. I can say this because I too am of latin descent and can assure you reasoned discourse usually takes a backseat to impassioned histrionics. Speaking of histrionics that is precisely what greeted me as soon as Morales finished his segment. The local newscasters were doing their best to freak out their audience by quoting W saying that he wanted to kick out every single illegal immigrant. "This means Cubans too." the anchor breathlessly added. As well it should I say. The Cuban Adjustment Act is a Cold War relic, just as broken down as any of those old cars cruising down el Malecon. The Cubans now come for the same reason as everyone else, money. There is no reason to continue with this immigration apartheid. If a Cuban actually seeks political asylum he should treated like anyone else seeking refuge. I sincerely doubt that the US would turn its back on someone like Raul Rivero if the CAA were rescinded.

By the way I was surprised that despite the big play at home about kicking out illegals the Mexican press was surprisingly subdued. Actually the Mexican press was stressing the other part of W's comments and the reason behind his appearance yesterday - a push for a foreign worker program.

On the Newstand: The Last Steve Vincent Report from Iraq

2005-10-18T22:56:00.000-04:00

Steve Vincent was one of the more audacious war reporters in Iraq and ultimately he paid with his life. Reading his last dispatch from Iraq in this month's Mother Jones you can see why. All around him in Basra there is violence, blood and the thirst for vengeance.

Be...

2005-10-18T22:31:00.000-04:00

The AU FPA is going to be showing a film this Thursday called Good Kurds, Bad Kurds. The activist that's featured in it is going to be there too. I already met him, and wow, he's pretty intense. I'll take pictures and post notes from the film.

Also, all the clubs on campus are getting "Be..." slogan materials, and I think we're going to choose Be Hegemonic for our club. Isn't that cute and yet twisted all at the same time?

I'm taking part in a model UN coference, and the keynote speaker will be Karen Hughes, and John Bolton is as of yet unconfirmed. Here's photos of me seeing Reza Aslan (who is totally cool!) and a tiny photo of our King Lear scene performance.

Mugabe on the Stump

2005-10-18T06:43:00.000-04:00

Speaking at the invitation of the UN's FAO Robert Mugabe compared W and Blair to Hitler and Mussolini. You figure with that mustache of his that he would be a Hitler fan, but apparently he meant to slur the Prez and the British PM. As best as I could tell food was not discussed.

Iraq Round Up: Saddam Goes on Trial and More on Elections

2005-10-18T06:12:00.000-04:00

Saddam goes on trial tomorrow and WaPost notes PM Ibrahim al-Jaafari hopes that it will be a speedy trial. WashTimes also quotes the Iraqi PM who mentioned that there would be no tears for the deposed despot. Both Washington based papers mention that the PM lost several family members to Saddam henchmen. NYT gives a different perspective mentioning that the special tribunal will have a narrow focus but will still probably sentence Saddam to death. NYT also gives voice to critics who feel that the model to follow is the Milosevic trial currently underway in The Hague. You would think that the lesson from the three year circus in The Hague would be to avoid a repeat performance, which is exactly what WaPost says is the lesson the Iraqis have drawn. On the election front NYT reports that lopsided support for the constitution in Shiite and Kurd areas is drawing interest from election officials. Finally the WaPost has a follow up on air raids conducted on Ramadi. Locals insist that more civilians than insurgents were killed, the military begs to differ. It seems somewhat absurd for the military to deny that civilians were killed in this action or any other insurgent action. You hate to see children killed but the insurgents and the population are the ones that brought that tragedy on themselves. As long as places like Ramadi overwhelmingly support these terrorists they should expect to suffer the consequences.

The Conservative Crack-Up That Isn't?

2005-10-17T23:28:00.000-04:00

In another sign of the coarsening and dumbing down of conservatism the WSJ opinion page wheels out the pill-popping Rush Limbaugh to argue that there is healthy conservative debate not a crack up. Is Limbaugh really the best that Paul Gigot could find? Meanwhile TNR breaks out the ugly secret of the conservative movement...they really don't like W.

China Syndrome II

2005-10-17T23:13:00.000-04:00

Alvaro Vargas Llosa notes that China is not Latin America's friend, enemy nor the answer to its underdeveloped markets. Rumsfeld is in Beijing and he will be pushing to more observation by invitation of war games. On the book pages CSM introduces us to a scathing new book on Chairman Mao. TechCentralStation.com meanwhile says that the biggest economic threat is not the burgeoning Chinese economy but rather the slow growth of W. Europe.

More Iraq

2005-10-17T22:54:00.000-04:00

Predictably Ivan Eland is playing Chicken Little over the Iraqi constitution, but surprisingly he makes some pretty valid points...I know I was surprised too. Among his complaints - that the US has confused democracy or majoritarianism for liberty. Eland feels that approval for the constitution will lead to an uptick in insurgent action. The New York Review of Books has graciously printed excerpts of Human Rights Watch report on torture in Iraq. Christopher Hitchens give his readers Iraqi Tribal Factions 101. Hitchens provides a good breakdown of the differences between the three major groups and where they came from.

Putin's Problem

2005-10-17T14:26:00.000-04:00

WaPost has an op-ed on the Chechen challenge that Putin faces. As most may recall this was already an issue before he rose to power. As a matter of fact a suspicious terrorist act attributed to Chechens helped get him elected originally. His efforts to clampdown and obliterate the Chechens has forced the terrorists to act in Russia proper. It does not appear that the Chechen separtists are going to back down anytime soon.

The Uselessness of the UN Part II

2005-10-17T14:06:00.000-04:00

The EUnuchs managed to stand up to Robert Mugabe, but the eUNuchs don't have the stomach for it. Despite a farm razing program that has starved his own people the UN's FAO invited Mugabe to Rome to speak about food issues. Needless to say this is inexplicable and shameful. Equally embarassing, to theCardinal at least, Mr. Mugabe is described in this article as a Catholic. How is it that he has not been excommunicated?

"The Uselessness of the UN"

2005-10-17T08:57:00.000-04:00

Civil libertarian Nat Hentoff is whipped up into a frenzy over an op-ed penned by a Sudannese Ambassador assuring the world that all was well and good in Darfur. Hentoff rips Sudan for continued human rights violations and does a number on the UN to at the end:

But Sudan's chief of mission in Washington, Khidir Haroun Ahmed, heralding Sudan's "optimistic future," charges that "some observers fail or refuse to see things as they are." Things as terrifying as they are in Darfur have once more exposed the uselessness of the United Nations in ongoing genocide and the absence of a new coalition of willing democratic nations, including the United States, to support the African Union more substantively because the AU cannot stop the killing without such help.

My only quibble with the otherwise fine piece is that I don't think that the AU has asked for assistance yet.

Saber Rattling from Venezuela

2005-10-17T08:43:00.000-04:00

The Herald reports that Chavez has sent troops to Aves Island an isolated outpost claimed by several countries. WashTimes also mentions his nuclear ambitions.

Food Crisis in N. Korea

2005-10-17T08:38:00.000-04:00

CSM explores the challenges N. Korea faces in cutting off food aid. Even with the reported good harvest there will not be enough food to go around. Even worse the harvest may be a one time thing. On top of that are distribution problems and an emphasis on getting food to 1.1 million troops. No one should be surprised if there is another famine in a year or two.

"We Have Achieved Currency Flexibility in Our Time"

2005-10-17T08:14:00.000-04:00

John Snow believes that the Red Chinese will do their part to allow the market to drive the yuan's value. CSM meanwhile says that the cheap yuan is here to stay for the forseeable future.

Iraq Round Up

2005-10-17T08:09:00.000-04:00

Everyone seems to agree that the constitution will pass. NYT mentions that the referendum will probably fail in two provinces, but three are required for the constitution not to go into effect. Turnout appeared high although not as high as it was in January in Shiite and Kurd areas. This did not stop from CSM declaring that voters streamed to the polls and the WaPost putting turnout at 60%. Another sobering piece in the WaPost reported that Shiite participation in some areas was far lower than expected and that many seemed to vote out of devotion to their clerical leaders. The WashTimes touted the higher turnout in Sunni areas as a rejection of insurgent violence, although others suspected it was due to the lesson learned that not participating hurts them more than helps. NYT, among others, also noted that there was remarkably little violence, but they aren't sure what it means. In a an "Analysis" piece the WaPost quotes Condi:

What the referendum "will certainly help to do is to broaden the base of the political process, those who are casting their lot with the political process, which means those who are either sitting on the fence or are supportive somehow of the violence will diminish," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in London. "Ultimately, insurgencies have to be defeated politically. You defeat them by sapping them of their political support and increasingly Iraqis are throwing their support behind the political process, not behind the violence."

Uh...no. Shiites voted in hopes of defeating the constitution. Why should they feel any better about the process after getting their tail kicked? I would love for Condi to be right, but it does not make any sense. The "Analysis" goes on to reflect that the US has a tough road ahead in Iraq.

Iraq Roundup - The Vote and US/Syria Tensions

2005-10-15T10:20:00.000-04:00

Today Iraqis are voting on their constitution. WaPost notes that in the Sunni city of Ramadi three major polling places were shut down due to clashes between insurgents and US forces. Isn't in interesting that insurgents target Shiites almost all of the time but go all out on fellow Sunnis when they try to vote? In other Sunni areas the turnout was reported as "surprisingly brisk." The NYT report has a more man-on-the-street feel and touches on the security measures put in place for the elections. CFR tries to explain why Sunnis don't support the constitution, but conveniently fails to mention how the vote will turn out. Also at CFR James Lindsay explains why the vote is crucial for W...gosh I never would have figured that out on my own. A WSJ notes that this vote is crucial also, but for the people of Iraq. It also looks ahead to scheduled December elections. Also on WSJ Gen Petraeus says that the Iraqis are in the fight. Finally NYT talks about continued tensions between US forces and Syrians.

A Sign of the Apocalypse

2005-10-14T18:35:00.000-04:00

I'm little rusty on my Book of Revelations but Human Events and TNR agreeing on something has to be a sign that the world is in fact coming to an end. Both listened (and read) W's speech at the National Endowment for Democracy and both agree that W FINALLY got it right. TNR said:

But Bush's words to the National Endowment for Democracy proved to be major indeed--not to mention most welcome. In his speech, Bush all but admitted that the war on terrorism, a phrase he himself practically coined, is actually a misnomer. The United States is engaged in a struggle not against terrorism per se, Bush said, but against something more specific--an evil ideology that inspires terrorism. And, for the first time, Bush gave this evil a name.
"Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant Jihadism; still others, Islamofascism," Bush explained, before, for his own purposes, settling on the term Islamic radicalism--whose characteristics and goals he proceeded to elucidate. "Islamic radicalism," he said, "is more like a loose network with many branches than an army under a single command. Yet these operatives, fighting on scattered battlefields, share a similar ideology and vision for our world." That vision, Bush explained, includes "end[ing]American and Western influence in the broader Middle East"; "us[ing] the vacuum created by an American retreat to gain control of a country, a base from which to launch attacks and conduct their war against non-radical Muslim governments"; and ultimately "establish[ing] a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia." Under the banner of that empire, Bush said, Islamic radicals "would be able to advance their stated agenda: to develop weapons of mass destruction, to destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to assault the American people, and to blackmail our government into isolation."

Writing for Human Events, the firebrand conservative weekly, Robert Spencer was equally thrilled:

Last Thursday, President Bush went farther than he ever had before in naming the enemy. of the United States actually named the enemy. While on most occasions previously he had generally limited himself to calling them “terrorists” and “evildoers” — names so general that they can apply to multitudes besides those who are actually warring against the United States today — this time he pointed out that the terrorists’ attacks “serve a clear and focused ideology, a set of beliefs and goals that are evil, but not insane. Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant Jihadism; still others, Islamo-fascism.”

Of course both have their complaints - TNR thinks W needs to go further than a name change to the "war", he also needs to change the way he fights it:

Whatever our ideological advantages in the fight against Islamic extremism, there are actions that will further our aims and actions that will push these aims further away. In a war of ideas, strategic and tactical wisdom is more, not less, important than in a conventional conflict, because errors that give us a reputation for malevolence are more difficult to reverse than battlefield losses. Alas, while the president may have spoken about the enemy we face with greater sophistication than he has evinced in the past, it's not clear that his views on the appropriate uses of U.S. power have evolved at all. For that, apparently, we will have to wait for another speech.

Spencer thinks that we should change the way we fight it too, although I don't think it is in the same vein as TNR:

If Bush’s new forthrightness enables officials to pursue jihadists in America more openly than they have up to now, it is all to the good. But in practically the same breath Bush assured his audience that “whatever it’s called, this ideology is very different from the religion of Islam. This form of radicalism exploits Islam to serve a violent, political vision: the establishment, by terrorism and subversion and insurgency, of a totalitarian empire that denies all political and religious freedom. These extremists distort the idea of jihad into a call for terrorist murder against Christians and Jews and Hindus -- and also against Muslims from other traditions, who they regard as heretics.”
It is good to see the President speaking openly about the totalitarian supremacist ideology of the jihadists. But in fact they hope to establish not only, as Bush put it, a “radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia,” but one that spans the entire globe. And while it is true that jihad in traditional Islam does not call for terrorist murder of Christians, Jews, and Hindus, it does call for their conversion to Islam or subjugation as inferiors under the rule of Islamic law. The third alternative is war, as delineated by the Muslim Prophet Muhammad himself (Sahih Muslim 4294).
These and other elements of traditional Islam have become for jihadists a mandate for mayhem. Bush has not confronted the deep roots that the jihad ideology has within both Islamic tradition and the contemporary Islamic world. This could lead and has led to policy misjudgments.

In the Tanks: Problems With al-Zawahiri's Letter to al-Zarqawi

2005-10-14T18:25:00.000-04:00

Jamestown Foundation gives a sneak peak to it's next Terrorism Focus and says that the (in)famous intercepted letter seems a little too convenient:

This letter presents a number of problems. To date there has been no clarification as to how the letter was intercepted, and despite high official confidence of its authenticity, verified by "multiple sources over an extended period of time," there is little in the way of independent corroboration offered. Further questions are raised by the content. While the message of global jihad's aims is consistent with other documents outlining al-Qaeda strategy, it is remarkable that a letter between the two al-Qaeda leaders should spell this out in such an explanatory way, as if these basic details, shared as common knowledge among mujahideen, were the subject of some doubt. Indeed, the text is conspicuous for the way in which it seems to counter, almost point for point, the objections raised by Western critics of the coalition campaign in Iraq, in that:
al-Qaeda's aims are not confined to "resistance" of a foreign invader;
the war would not end with American withdrawal but extend to neighboring states and to Israel; the "foreignness" of the mujahideen in Iraq may be a de-legitimizing factor;
al-Qaeda has actually resigned itself to defeat in Afghanistan;
the organization is experiencing difficulty in communications; and
funding has become a problem for the organization.
Aside from the oddness in appending a call for financial help after criticizing one with whom relations have never been close, there is simply the problem of the form of the letter. The opening greeting, the customary blessing "Peace and blessings upon the Messenger of God," is followed by the phrase "and on his Family," a formula which is more often encountered among Shi'a salutations—the Shi'a emphasizing respect to the house of the Prophet in the way that Sunnis generally do not, and Salafists never. The letter is certainly dismissed by al-Zarqawi himself. In a posting on October 13 on the al-Hesba forum, he rejected it as "without foundation, except in the imagination of the leaders of the Black House and its servants," and argued that it simply indicated "the clear bankruptcy which the infidel camp has been reduced to." Consequently al-Zarqawi urges the mujahideen "to ignore this cheap propaganda" (www.alhesbah.org). Indeed, in view of the surprising lack of jihadi forum comment on a high-level communication that should be of immense significance and controversy, and pending further confirmation of origin, it would be wise to treat the letter with skepticism.

On the Newstand: Syrian Suicides

2005-10-14T17:54:00.000-04:00

The Economist also reminds us this week of the unfortunate demise of disgraced Syrian PM Mahmoud al-Zubi who manged to shoot himself repeatedly while under house arrest. Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan must have known that the gig was up because in his last public interview he closed by declaring, "I think this may be the last statement I give.”

On the Newstand: China Syndrome I

2005-10-14T16:49:00.000-04:00

The Economist goes ga-ga over China this week, China gets three of the four articles in the Asia section. The first bit of info is on China's Five Year "Program" - they're not doing "Plans" anymore. The Economist likes what it hears:

The five-year programme for 2006 to 2010, endorsed on October 11th by the Communist Party's Central Committee, by no means abandons the pursuit of high growth. But, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the four-day annual meeting, it is “essential” for China to “speed up the transformation of the economic growth pattern”. Details of the programme are still secret (it will not be formally promulgated until the annual session of parliament next March). But officials say the transformation includes ensuring that growth is more evenly shared across the country, is less investment-driven and less polluting.

Nonetheless there is obviously a difficult road ahead:

What can China's leaders do? Among the very few specifics suggested by the communiqué is a goal of reducing energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20% over the next five years, but that is easier said than done. More vaguely, it calls for “big improvements” in education and public health. The social security system, currently in tatters, should be put on a “relatively firm basis”. How any of this will be financed is left unsaid. In a research report, Stephen Green of Standard Chartered, a British bank, says it is highly unlikely that China will intentionally pursue new policies, such as higher income-tax rates, that could undermine growth and job creation.

But Mr Green suggests that growth could suffer as an unintentional consequence of pursuing equality. In the past couple of years, privatisation as slowed down as a result of an outcry over asset-stripping by managers of state-owned enterprises. The new document, unlike its equivalent that was issued by the party five years ago, makes no mention of any need to boost the private sector. Nor does it suggest, as the party did last time, that “orderly participation in politics” by citizens should be expanded.

A second piece reports on troubles in Taishi, a prosperous village, where thugs rule. A strong recall movement to toss out the village chief got a bit too popular so local officials had to respond:

Repeated protests by the villagers eventually prompted the authorities to arrange an election in September to create a recall committee that was supposed to meet this month to arrange a referendum. But thugs, apparently supported by village officials, began putting pressure on villagers and committee members. The committee resigned and support for the recall dried up.

On October 8th, a journalist from the Guardian, a British newspaper, accompanied by Lu Banglie, an activist who had been trying to promote the villagers' cause, was stopped from entering by a group of 30 to 50 goons, some wearing camouflage. They dragged Mr Lu from the car and beat him unconscious. The journalist was punched, but then allowed to leave. A bruised but apparently not grievously harmed Mr Lu was driven by officials back to his home province. A number of other Chinese lawyers and activists, as well as foreign journalists, who have tried to enter the village have been arrested or intimidated.

The Economist goes on to insist that there is little that the central government can do to stem the tide of gangsterism. Finally we get a story about the Reds in space and how it is freaking out the Japanese:

The speed with which China has developed manned space flight has surprised and alarmed Japanese policymakers. Shame was added to the mix when just a month after China's first manned flight, in October 2003, a Japanese rocket carrying two spy satellites had to be blown up, ignominiously, ten minutes after the launch when a booster failed to disengage. Further satellite launches were restarted only last spring.

For years Japan's space programme has dwindled, a consequence of budget cuts and of Japan's constitutional inability to develop anything that might have military applications. Japan now spends just $1.8 billion a year on its space programme, a fall of one-third from the peak: still more than China says it spends, but a fraction of NASA's annual budget.
China's progress in space has strengthened the hand of Japan's space lobby. In March, the Japanese space agency, JAXA, under a new head, Keiji Tachikawa (who previously ran NTT DoCoMo, the country's mobile-phone giant), laid out its new vision for the next 20 years. JAXA wants a manned space programme, with a space station on the moon. Some Japanese policymakers argue that space is an area where much needed co-operation could actually take place between Japan and China. But there is precious little sign of that yet.

A Syrian Suicide by Silencer and My Ode to the Church Lady

2005-10-13T10:32:00.000-04:00

The Syrian Interior Minister reportedly shot himself with a silencer equipped gun. In the words of the Church Lady,"Isn't that conveeeeeeeeeeeenient." How polite! You want to kill yourself but you don't want to disturb the neighbors. Trust me if my neighbor was going to shoot himself I'd prefer that he'd do it with a cannon, the noise may be a bit much but the smell of a dead body is much worse.

In the Tanks: al Qaeda and WMDs

2005-10-12T18:28:00.000-04:00

The Jamestown Foundation's Terrorism Monitor explores al Qaeda's WMD efforts before the US incursion in Afghanistan. al Qaeda was desperate for WMD, hoping that it would deter the US.

W - The First Arab President

2005-10-12T18:21:00.000-04:00

Before ultimately pooh-poohing W's efforts Joseph Strabe, writing for TNR Online, allows W to rake in some credit for his efforts in the MidEast:

Shortly before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, I had dinner in Washington with a visitor from Cairo: Muslim playwright Ali Salem, one of the few prominent Egyptians who has consistently spoken out in favor of a warm peace with Israel. Let me tell you something you never heard before about George W. Bush, he said, as I remember it. He's the first Arab president of the United States.
A lot of thought had apparently gone into this observation--for Salem promptly launched into an extensive explication of the president's latest speeches, recalling key lines with a playwright's memory for rhetoric, all to prove how brilliantly Bushisms translated into Arabic and how resonant the president's ideas were with Middle Eastern audiences. Whereas most American elites favor nuance, Salem explained, Bush communicates to mass audiences in the starkest terms--just like Arab leaders. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? I asked. It is a great thing, Salem replied, because Bush will flip the Manichaean terminology on its head in the Middle East, turning the tables on dictators and militants. Like several other progressive intellectuals in the Arab world at the time, Salem believed that Bush's muscular policies would prove a boon to the beleaguered forces of Arab liberalism.

Nearly three years later, the course of events in Iraq must come as a bitter disappointment to the Ali Salems of the Middle East. But if we judge by Salem's criteria, Bush is still America's first Arab president--now more than ever. His latest speech on Islamic radicalism, delivered last week at the National Endowment for Democracy, went further than speeches past in defining the Islamist threat: Extremists, he said, "believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region, and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia." He slammed Syria and Iran for aiding and abetting militants, while employing "terrorist propaganda to blame their own failures on the West and America, and on the Jews." And he faulted "elements of the Arab news media that incite hatred and anti-Semitism, that feed conspiracy theories and speak of a so-called American war on Islam-- with seldom a word about American action to protect Muslims in Afghanistan, and Bosnia, Somalia, Kosovo, Kuwait, and Iraq." You could argue that Bush overreached in his attempt to cast Islamist ideologues, Arab politicians, and Middle Eastern pundits as an aligned force. But there is no denying the boldness and clarity of his counter-narrative, which casts America as the Muslim world's liberator rather than its oppressor.

In the Tanks: Turkey at a Crossroads

2005-10-12T18:06:00.000-04:00

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy Policy Focus #48 delves into the Turkish question and how to re-establish Turkey's western orientation. The advice for the US boils down to confront the PKK and do something about Cyprus. The report notes that Ankara's shift towards Iran and Syria was driven by mutual concerns about Kurd populations. It is noted that our usually most fervent allies in Turkey are the nationalists who also happen to be the ones most concerned about the Kurds.

Who Comes After Hu?

2005-10-12T17:53:00.000-04:00

The fourth generation has been in power for just over a year but acclaimed Sinologist Arthur Waldron is already speculating on how the fifth generation leader is going to be selected. Perhaps reacting to continued signs of unrest in rural China and tensions brought on by inequality Waldron's pretty sure that this time "the people" will play a role:

Today only the people can anoint a leader and government that will enjoy real power in China, and that can happen only through an open political process. Beijing's power has been slipping since the provinces received new autonomy after the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. Now the "governance without politics" that has existed since strongman Deng Xiaoping died in 1997 is approaching its limits.

The end may come from above, conceivably by a well-planned transition but more likely when a would-be leader tries to break an elite deadlock by turning to the people. Or it may come from below, as increasing dissatisfaction with poverty, corruption and violence leads to change at the top or to regions taking over self-government.

Party rule from Beijing is increasingly an elaborately staged play. Its intricacies will doubtless continue to engage the attention of China-watchers. But they should not forget the people, crowding ever more noisily outside the theater. One way or another, we will hear from them -- and we must be ready.

Syria Finds a Scapegoat

2005-10-12T17:45:00.000-04:00

The interior minister of Syria, Ghazi Kanaan, has conveniently committed suicide. Any guesses on who all the Syrians will point to as the mastermind behind the assasination of former Lebanese PM and Syrian critic Rafiq Hariri? Of course Kanaan was involved, he probably even set the whole thing up but it is unlikely that he acted alone.

The French Amb. Going to Jail...Hopefully His Own

2005-10-12T17:31:00.000-04:00

WashTimes giddily informs us that the former French Ambassador the UN is getting his for his involvement in the food for oil scandal. Here's to my hope that he gets jailed at the Palais de Justice in Paris which has been described by the EU commissioner of human rights as the worst he has ever seen. James Taranto of WSJ recommends that we offer to put up the French Amb. where he might be more comfortable.

The Latest Draft of the Draft

2005-10-12T05:59:00.000-04:00

I kind of get tired of all the comparisons of what Iraq is going through these days to the travails and experiences of our Founding Fathers. Pardon my western chauvinism but even the most scurrilous slave owner seems enlightened compared to most Sunni leaders. Yet for the first time perhaps a comparison can be drawn. Kurd, Sunni and Shia leaders have agreed to get together next year to consider amendments to the constitution. This seems to me similar to the agreement to approve a Bill of Rights to our own constitution in order to secure passage. Granted I do not expect Freedom of Religion or anything forbidding cruel and unusual punishment being enshrined, but that is besides the point.

On the Newstand: Defining the American Purpose

2005-10-11T09:15:00.000-04:00

Granted I've never actually seen Proceedings, which is put out by the US Naval Institute, on a newstand, but it's a magazine so it qualifies. In the September issue conservative apostate Philip Gold reached for the "Kennan Prize," the fictional award bestowed on whoever can shape and define American foreign policy for the forseable future. Gold believes that the previous two centuries, from the American Revolution to the collapse of the USSR, was defined by "Wars of Ideology" and that now we have entered an era that can best be described as the "War of Ways." What are the War of Ways you ask?

Ideology still matters. So does religion. So does the rest of the human capacity for furor, vice, and folly. But the mix is different now, more subtle and more complex. I suggest that we have entered an era that might be called, at least provisionally, the Wars of the Ways. Across the planet and its increasingly irrelevant national boundaries, three sets of human beings are involved.
Those nations, peoples, regions, groups, and movements who partake of the 21st century, its freedoms and diversities and possibilities: those whose ways are those of prosperity, tolerance, and humane aspiration.
Those who want out of the 21st century: jihpadi, political exremits, violent racial and ethnic separatists, terrorists of other ilk (animal rights, ecological, etc.), male supremacists, leftover Marxist and traditional tyrants, and the gurus and gauleiters of philosophies and movements yet to be espoused—those whose ways would bring upon us new Dark Ages of hate, intolerance, oppression, and worse.
Those who can't get into the 21st century: the three billion of us who live on under two a day, amid conditions of overpopulation, disease, and starvation, havoc, degradation, despair; most of the women of this planet; youth with no sense of opportunity and place—in sum, all those who may choose to live by the motto, "When you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose."
The Wars of the Ways will pit those who partake, or desire to partake, of the 21st century, against those who want out, who will deliberately and cynically ally with those who can't get in, who will deliberately and cynically accept their help.

So what should be our mission?

It should be the American purpose to serve as a guardian of the 21st century, protecting those who cherish and partake of its ways, opposing those who would destroy them, and doing everything in our power to aid those who want in. This will require a national commitment, a stern and reasoned national commitment, at least as steadfast as the Cold War consensus. But it will also require new ways of thinking. John Maynard Keynes once remarked that, in the end, even the most practical businessman is the slave of some defunct economist. For too long we have been the slaves of too many (living and dead) social scientists, pundits, and prognosticators, military and civilian. It's time to zero-base our thinking and, in accordance with the motto of a certain ersatz Australian steak house chain, adopt as our interim guide: "No Rules. Just Right."
First to go: the entire "world's only superpower" cant. Not only does it encourage hubris, it positively mandates irrelevance. Next on the list: the notion that balance of power must be essentially bipolar or, if you prefer, manic-depressive. We've entered an era, similar in some ways to Europe from Westphalia to Napoleon although far more complex, of fluid and shifting arrangements. We have a few friends. Beyond that, we have relationships of various degrees of permanence. Beyond that: hook-ups. Best we remember which is which. Also time to deep-six the whole "If you're not with us, you're against us" mentality. It sounds tough. But it's also worth remembering that the rest of the planet has concerns of its own, and sometimes even your friends wouldn't mind seeing you taken down a peg or two. In any case, a nation that grows ever more deeply indebted to the world, while willfully destroying its own economic capabilities, should not expect its "superpower" or any other status to last forever.
Finally, we need to rid ourselves, once and for all, of the belief that the planet's highest aspiration is, or should be, to be like us—along with the notion that we can force people to be free...

This is how Gold proposes that we get this done:

First, let regions take care of their own problems, including war and national break-ups, whenever possible. As for the United Nations: We should listen respectfully to any delegation whose members pay their parking tickets.
Second, help the Islamic and African worlds create the civil societies without which constitutions are mere machinery to be taken over and civil rights weapons in the hands of those who would destroy them. Civil society requires, above all else, citizens. To the Greeks, a citizen was a man who was empowered to participate in the public world by virtue of education, material sufficiency, and arms. We must reaffirm this "enabling civic triad"—adequate education, remunerative work, and the bearing of arms for all citizens, male and female.
Third, adopt humane and rational policies on everything from environmental protection to the strict regulation of child labor and the abolition of all forms of human trafficking. An old Rudy Vallee song holds that, "You're Going to Do It Someday So Why Not Do It Now?" Let's do it now.
Finally, remember the Politiques. These were the men who ended the French Wars of Religion by deciding that, whatever their beliefs, they weren't going to kill each other over them anymore. Today, the more Politiques, the better. Especially among the young.

Here is the military angle:

It is not necessary, for this readership, to review the current condition of America's armed forces, save perhaps to note that we may well be approaching a situation described as "Defenseless on a Trillion Dollars a Year." At best, we're imploding: the Army, Marines, and National Guard because of Iraq, the Navy and Air Force because of the obscene cost of new ships and planes. To reverse this situation, it's vital to rediscover one great truth. America's military must be structured and used primarily for those things that only the military can do, most specifically, win wars decisively.
This means that our great comparative advantages, aerospace and naval power, must be maintained and enhanced, and that most of our land forces should remain oriented toward such eventualities. Counter-insurgency and operations other than war are best handled by the Marines, enhanced special operations forces, and (please pardon the non-PC allusion) modern variants of "colonial infantry" within the Army.

He closes with a few words of advice on Iraq:

I suggest here that it does not matter how long we stay, or how many insurgents we kill, or how many constitutions and elections we honcho. I suggest also that the time is coming when we should say to the people of Iraq:
"We liberated you from a hideous tyrant. We gave you years to think about what you wanted. We poured in billions of dollars to protect you, to help you rebuild. We sacrificed thousands of our finest young men and women, now dead, maimed, and hurting in body and spirit. We proclaimed you a lesson to the world. But now it is you who must teach that lesson. We've other work to attend to. Let's see what you do with your freedom. Your success may well inspire others. Your failure will teach lessons, too."

In the Tanks - Lies About el Che

2005-10-10T23:42:00.000-04:00

Here it is the first time that I literally post an entire piece on the site. I hate Che and those moronic intellectual gnats who pay $25 at some chic boutique to wear a t-shirt printed by some child laborer overseas who got paid a nickel for 90 hours of work last week. So I'm letting Alvaro Vargas Llosa speak since I'm not entirely rational once it comes to Che...by the way there will be no debating this issue. If you are going to argue that AVLl is wrong and Che did some good then drop dead you scum sucking Commie slime my only regreat is that el Che's death was not agonizing enough...he should have been tortured a week for every life he took.

Ten Shots at Che Guevara
Che Guevara fans are preparing to commemorate one more anniversary of the revolutionary’s death, which took place thirty-eight years ago at the Yuro ravine in Bolivia. It’s an appropriate time to address ten myths that keep Guevara’s cult alive The last time I visited the Museum of Modern Art in New York, an American student wearing a Che Guevara T-Shirt and a beret caught my eye (the fact that Nicole Kidman happened to walk in at that very moment may have had something to do with my noticing him). I asked him politely what exactly he admired so much about that man. Here are the ten reasons he mentioned—and my response.
1.HE WAS AGAINST CAPITALISM. In fact, Guevara was for state capitalism. He opposed the wage labor system of “appropriating surplus value” (in Marxist jargon) only when it came to private corporations. But he turned the “appropriation of the workers’ surplus value” into a state system. One example of this is the forced labor camps he supported, starting with Guanahacabibes in 1961.
2. HE MADE CUBA INDEPENDENT. In fact, he engineered the colonization of Cuba by a foreign power. He was instrumental in turning Cuba into a temporary beachhead of Soviet nuclear power (he sealed the deal in Yalta). As the person responsible for the “industrialization” of Cuba he failed to end the country’s dependency on sugar.
3. HE STOOD FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE. In fact, he helped ruin the economy by diverting resources to industries that ended up in failure and reduced the sugar harvest, Cuba’s mainstay, by half in two years. Rationing started under his stewardship of the island’s economy.
4. HE STOOD UP TO MOSCOW. In fact, he obeyed Moscow until Moscow decided to ask for something in return for its massive transfers of money to Havana. In 1965 he criticized the Kremlin because it had adopted what he termed the “law of value”. He then turned to China on the eve of the Cultural Revolution, one of the horror stories of the twentieth century. He simply switched allegiances within the totalitarian camp.
5. HE CONNECTED WITH THE PEASANTS. In fact, he died precisely because he never connected with them. “The peasant masses don’t help us at all,” he wrote in his Bolivian diary before he was captured—an apt way to describe his journey through the Bolivian countryside trying to stir up a revolution that could not even enlist the help of Bolivian Communists (who were realistic enough to note that peasants did not want revolution in 1967; they had already had one in 1952).
6. HE WAS A GUERRILLA GENIUS. With the exception of Cuba, every guerrilla effort he helped set up failed pitifully. After the triumph of the Cuban revolution, Guevara set up revolutionary armies in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Haiti, all of which were crushed. He later persuaded Jorge Ricardo Masetti to lead a fatal incursion into that country from Bolivia. Guevara’s role in the Congo in 1965 was both tragic and comical. He allied himself with Pierre Mulele and Laurent Kabila, two butchers, but got entangled in so many disagreements with the latter—and relations between Cuban and Congolese fighters were so strained—that he had to flee. Finally, his incursion in Bolivia ended up in his death, which his followers are commemorating this Sunday.
7. HE RESPECTED HUMAN DIGNITY. In fact, he had a habit of taking other people’s property. He told his followers to rob banks (“the struggling masses agree to rob banks because none of them has a penny in them”) and as soon as the Batista regime collapsed he occupied a mansion and made it his own—a case of expeditious revolutionary eminent domain.
8. HIS ADVENTURES WERE A CELEBRATION OF LIFE. Instead, they were an orgy of death. He executed many innocent people in Santa Clara, in central Cuba, where his column was based in the last stage of the armed struggle. After the triumph of the revolution, he was in charge of “La Cabaña” prison for half a year. He ordered the execution of hundreds of prisoners—former Batista men, journalists, businessmen, and others. A few witnesses, including Javier Arzuaga, who was the chaplain of “La Cabaña”, and José Vilasuso, who was a member of the body in charge of the summary judicial process, recently gave me their painful testimonies.
9. HE WAS A VISIONARY. His vision of Latin America was actually quite blurred. Take, for instance, his view that the guerrillas had to take to the countryside because that is where the struggling masses lived. In fact, since the 1960s, most peasants have peacefully deserted the countryside in part because of the failure of land reform, which has hindered the development of a property-based agriculture and economies of scale with absurd regulations forbidding all sorts of private arrangements.
10. HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE UNITED STATES. He predicted Cuba would surpass the GDP per capita of the U.S. by 1980. Today, Cuba’s economy can barely survive thanks to Venezuela’s oil subsidy (about 100,000 barrels a day), a form of international alms that does not speak too well of the regime’s dignity.

TNR's Today in Despotism

2005-10-10T23:32:00.000-04:00

T.A. Frank take on those naughty tyrants has a familiar cast this week. Not only are the players familiar but so is the banality that Hannah Arendt so aptly described. The tyrannical military lunatics formerly known as SLORC that are still running the nation formerly known as Burma are hyping the use of spare parts and poetry feting the regime. In Belarus Lukashenko is demanding more from his athletes. N. Korea makes fun of Japan and Libya marks the 44th anniversary of Muammar Qaddafi's expulsion from school.

Schroeder & Gore

2005-10-10T23:25:00.000-04:00

Yes I've been giving Schroeder a hard time for leaving his country in limbo, but it took him less time to realize he lost than Al Gore. Congrats to Merkel. It'll be interesting to see if the latest incarnation of the Grand Coalition will make the necessary reforms.

The Miami Book Fair: Insult to Injury

2005-10-10T09:06:00.000-04:00

My hiatus technically remains in effect until tomorrow morning but the list of confirmed authors for the Miami Book Fair is out. For those keeping track we did get to pick one author right, Carlos Alberto Montaner will be making his obligatory appearance. On the depressing side not only is Robert Kaplan not coming, but David Rieff will be there. What I would most like to see at the Fair would be a death match between Don Bohning (The Castro Obsession: U.S. Covert Operations Against Cuba, 1959-1965) and Humberto Fontova (Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant). For the record I have not read Bohning's book but I can tell you that Fontova's is pretty bad. There will be some other writers worth seeing but as far as I can tell few that will be discussing topics of interest to our group.

Palestinian Conflict still rages after Pull Out

2005-10-08T15:22:00.000-04:00

Hey, this a rough draft of the article I'll be submitting to the school Newspaper on behalf of AU Foreign Policy Association. Feedback and suggestions are very very welcome.

Blood in the Sand: Palestinian Future Still Unsure After Gaza Pull Out

By Christa Blackmon,
AU Foreign Policy Association

There’s an old movie that has a scene depicting the Arab army sitting in a town hall in Damascus. They had gotten there ahead of the British, who they knew would replace the Turks as their lords, but with much more ambiguous titles. This was their chance to win independence. It should have been a victory, but it looked like men on the brink of civil war. Chaos was unfolding. In trying to understand the issue of Palestine, I feel like the Englishman in that scene, tired and frustrated.

Lawrence of Arabia is one of my favorite movies, and I often look to it for inspiration. Like a twelve-year-old girl with her first boyfriend, I’ll take whatever chance I can get to mention it. It is partly the story of a man who loved peace, and desperately wanted to give it to a group of people. I think some of us in the West, and Israel as well; have become intoxicated with this idea. We want to see a sovereign and democratic Palestine, and know that we have a hand in helping it.

Many may question our motives, but at the end of the day, those motives mean nothing if the aim is achieved. Through all of my efforts to wrap my brain around this place, this people, this war of passions, I can’t help but feel just as hopeless as they do. Perhaps the illusion of the "us versus them" mentality is beginning to fade as Israel’s absence in the Gaza strip is realized.

The most telling event may have been when Hamas, launched rockets across the border into southern Israel on September 24th. The Washington Post reports Hamas’ claim that the rockets were launched in response to an Israeli attack, however, what is more likely is that the perceived attack was an accidental explosion of home made Palestinian weapons. I always look for the metaphorical in things, and this one was staring me right in the face. Human nature is a tricky thing. It prompts us to believe that the real problems are never within us but are outside of us. When our own explosions go off, we continue to attack the outside.

The Gaza pullout was a step forward that required sacrifices on both sides. I believe that if sacrifices continue, a kind of peace may be achieved. The blood that’s been spilt in those sands can never return to the body, but perhaps if we give the dead to the sand as well, it will dry and cease to haunt the living.

The AU Foreign Policy Association meets every Thursday at 7:30 pm in Ward 5.
Disclaimer: This piece is not meant to reflect the opinions of the AU Foreign Policy Association, but it is the opinions of the individual writer.

Shutting Down For the Weekend

2005-10-06T22:35:00.000-04:00

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.

Iraq Round Up - Interrogations and Iraqi Troops

2005-10-06T07:08:00.000-04:00

In a 90-9 vote the Senate voted for limits to interrogation. Sen. McCain's led the charge in this effort. W. meanwhile is talking up the Iraqi Security Forces.

IV Follow Up: Iran in Iraq, Schroeder Stepping Down & Korean Food Supply

2005-10-06T07:02:00.000-04:00

The involvement of Iran in Iraq has moved from rumor to sourced comments. A Brit official has accused Iran of providing explosive technology to insurgents. As I asked last time, what are we going to do about it? Somehow the WashTimes was able to hide its glee but Schroeder and Angie will meet today and Schroeder is expected to step aside. N. Korea insists that it had a bumper crop this year and that is why they don't need the UN's help to feed its people. Journalists were taken on a Potemkin tour recently to see all this surplus foodstuffs.

.Turkey and the EU

2005-10-06T06:43:00.000-04:00

NYT climbs on its high horse and tears into Austria for complicating things for Turkey. While reading the editorial I broke out laughing twice. The first time was bashing Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel for trying to play politics since the the "overwheliming majority of the Austrian public doesn't want Turkey in the EU. When was the last time NYT ripped a EUnuch head of state for playing politics for not supporting US efforts in Iraq despite public opinion? The second time I lost it was when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government was referred to as "reformist". Turkey could do a whole lot worse than Erdogan but his idea of reform is nudging Turkey away from secularism and towards Islamism.

Predictably on the WashTimes continues to be the only paper honest about the issues surrounding Turkey's efforts to join the EU:

Turkey, with 5 percent of its land mass and 10 percent of its people on the European side of the Bosporus and 95 percent of the country and 90 percent of its population in Asia Minor, wants to become a full-fledged member of the European Union. This would give EU a common border with Syria, Iraq, Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, a notion that has already given Europeans an acute attack of Turkophobia.

EU membership negotiations, scheduled to start this week, are to last 10 years. By then, Turkey's population will have increased from 71 million to 82 million, making a Muslim country the largest in the 25-nation European Union. That's why it isn't going happen. But the European players, eyes blazing with insincerity, have to convince the spectators that if the negotiations succeed, and Turkey agrees to all European demands, preconditions, codicils and 80,000 pages of EU law, membership, strongly endorsed by the U.S., will follow.

A thorny issue not discussed by WashTimes but brought up by WaPost is the Kurdish problem. The good news on this front is that the Kurds seem to be tiring of fighting and Erdogan answer to the impasse is "more democracy". Kurds are forming a new party, Democratic Society Movement. The trouble here is that instead of replacing PKK it seems to (me to) be modelling itself after Sinn Fein/IRA and Euskal Herritarrok/ETA as a political arm to a terrorist organization.

Iraq: Old Rules Are the New Rules

2005-10-05T14:02:00.000-04:00

Succumbing to pressure from the US and the UN the Kurds and Shiites went back to the discarded rules for the referendum.

American Interest Has to Pick Up the Pace

2005-10-05T07:07:00.000-04:00

AI contd, the blog for the the American Interest, just realized that that The American Prospect wrote a story about them. I linked to the same story last week. If you are going to blog pick up the pace a little bit. I don't expect AI contd to be into every little thing, but they should at least know when someone writes about them. If I sound bitter it's because I am...I still haven't recieved my first issue.

Election/Democracy Watch: Liberia and Azerbaijan

2005-10-05T06:55:00.000-04:00

Liberia has its own "Iron Lady", Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. If she wins the elections scheduled for later this month she will be Africa's first female president. In Azerbaijan a group of young opposition candidates are tilting at windmills and aiming for President Ilham Aliyev.

Civilian Use My A...

2005-10-05T06:48:00.000-04:00

According to the National Council of Resistance of Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has placed control of the Islamic Republic's nuke program in the hands of his cronies from the Revoulutionary Guard.

A "Rolling Coup d'Etat"

2005-10-05T06:29:00.000-04:00

That is how President Bolanos of Nicaragua describes what former President Aleman and Castro Mini-Me Version 1.0 Daniel Ortega are doing to him. NYT follows up on the yesterday's op-ed in the WaPost with a report on Robert Zoellick's mission to Nicaragua. By the way how rotten is a country when 92 of 100 legislators are willing to ignore public opinion and support the corrupt bargain that is el pacto? Anyway all of Nicaragua is aflutter with Zoellick's tough talk and his blasting of the "criminal and corrupt" Aleman.

Iraq Round Up

2005-10-05T06:05:00.000-04:00

The UN is unhappy with the rule change for the referendum on the draft constitution. As mentioned yesterday the new rule makes it so constitution will fail only if two-thirds of registered voters - rather than two-thirds of those actually casting ballots - reject it in at least three of the 18 provinces. Most believe that this makes passage a foregone conclusion. Ironically Reuters is reporting that there appears to be widespread support for the measure, even in Sunni areas. So the rule change may undermine the legitimacy of the constitution even though it may pass under the old standard. By the way the holy month of Ramadan has begun and a slice-of-life piece the WaPost notes that in Iraq things aren't as festive they once were. The US has finally gotten over its skittishness of launching attacks during the holy month and has started an offensive in western Iraq. Seriously how ridiculous was our sensitivity over fighting during this period? Can you think of a better time to fight than when your opponent is supposed to be fasting? Back at home new reports of abuse toward Iraqis have been reported to John McCain.

Really Cool People

2005-10-04T18:43:00.000-04:00

So a short paper on nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan...I've got a tenative bibliography that includes interview from CSIS, Salman Rushdie's latest novel, Huntington...and that's it. Are there any really major authors on the subject I should be aware of? Any other really cool people to take a look at?

Four More for the Wish List

2005-10-04T08:32:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of more writers that I would like to see come down for the Miami Book Fair International:

Victor Davis Hanson, A War Like No Other : How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War - Because any realist worth his salt can't read enough about the Peloponnesian War and Thucydides.
George Weigel, The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God and God's Choice : Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church - Granted I don't usually agree with him but being theCardinal I of course have a vested interest in issues involving the Church.
Stephen M. Walt, Taming American Power: The Global Response to U.S. Primacy - I'm always eager to see or hear from other realists, even if I don't agree with them.
Francis Fukuyama, State-Building: Governance and World Order in the 21st Century - Another guy I don't always agree with but he is always original and thought provoking. This book is actually over a year old, but shouldn't there be a paperback coming out soon?

By the way you can already get your tickets to the Book Fair...yes they will be charging this year but it will actually make it better. The Fair was getting so crowded that it felt like Calle Ocho but with fewer tattoos. At $5.00 the Fair is still a bargain for bibliophiles but should keep the loafers out.

Cheney: Why Sept. 11 Happened

2005-10-04T08:24:00.000-04:00

I believe that Cheney is more right than wrong on this:

"The terrorists came to believe that they could strike America without paying any price. And so they continued to wage those attacks, making the world less safe and eventually striking the United States on 9/11," Cheney said.
The vice president highlighted seven occasions when he said he felt the United States did not hit back strongly enough. The first -- the 1983 bombing of a Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 Americans -- resulted in U.S. troops being withdrawn from the city by the Reagan administration. Many of those killed came from Camp Lejeune, members of the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. Cheney said the American response was also inadequate after the killing of U.S. soldiers in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993; the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York the same year; the car bombing at the Saudi National Guard Training Center in Riyadh in 1995; the killings at Khobar Towers, which housed U.S. military personnel in Saudi Arabia, in 1996; the destruction of two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998; and the suicide bombing of the USS Cole in 2000.
"Time and time again, for the remainder of the 20th century, the terrorists hit America and America did not hit back hard enough," he said, rallying the crowd. "As President Bush has said, the only way the terrorists can win is if we lose our nerve and abandon our mission."

My only problem of course is with what we mean by "mission." Does it mean sticking around in a Iraq until they have a fully functioning democracy?

Problems With the PA

2005-10-04T08:21:00.000-04:00

After a wild prostest by security protests the PA legislature dissolved Abbas' Cabinet.

Democracy/Election Watch: Germany, Haiti, Mexico & Nicaragua

2005-10-04T07:45:00.000-04:00

In Germany Schroeder may be seeing the light hinting at giving up his bid to remain Chancellor. The November 20 date set for elections in Haiti now seems unlikely as more candidates are declared ineligible. In Mexico the ruling PAN (in Spanish) is closer to finding its nominee for President after Felipe Calderon won the second of three rounds of voting. Calderon (en espanol) also won the first round over the favorite Santiago Creel who was rumored to be Pres. Fox's choice. All this is probably an excercise in futility because it would take a miracle for Calderon to repeat this miraculous comeback when facing AMLO. Being quixotic I'm pulling for Jorge Castaneda (not in English). Meanwhile in an op-ed the WaPost is justly concerned over what is going on in Nicaragua:

Many people outside Latin America probably assume Daniel Ortega's political career ended 15 years ago when his ruinous attempt to install a Marxist dictatorship in Nicaragua ended with an election he decisively lost. The slightly better informed might suppose that his two subsequent electoral defeats, the allegations of corruption and child molestation that haunt him, or his single-digit rating in opinion polls have made him a marginal figure in Nicaraguan politics. Sadly, the truth is otherwise: Thanks to the weakness of the country's new democratic institutions, Mr. Ortega is close to regaining power and to broadening the Latin alliance of undemocratic states now composed by Cuba and Venezuela.
Mr. Ortega's comeback has been accomplished through a brazenly corrupt alliance with a former right-wing president, Arnoldo Aleman, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2003 for looting the national treasury. Mr. Ortega's Sandinista Party supported the prosecution, then abruptly switched sides and formed a pact with Mr. Aleman against President Enrique Bolanos, a member of Mr. Aleman's Liberal Party who bravely chose to tackle government corruption. The left-right alliance has used its majority in the National Assembly to rewrite the constitution and stack the Supreme Court. In the past week it has begun stripping the members of Mr. Bolanos's cabinet of immunity so that they can be prosecuted before Sandinista judges on bogus charges. If this power play succeeds, Mr. Bolanos will be next. Meanwhile, Mr. Aleman, who stole tens of millions from one of Latin America's poorest countries, was freed from house arrest last week.

The WaPost is also underwhelmed with the administration thus far:

Compared with Mr. Chavez's aggressive intervention, attempts by the Bush administration and other outsiders to save Nicaraguan democracy so far look feckless. The new secretary general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, tried to broker a political compromise but pronounced himself frustrated when Mr. Ortega ignored his appeals to stop undermining Mr. Bolanos's government. The Bush administration managed to win congressional passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement this summer, but Mr. Ortega has blocked its ratification by Nicaragua.
Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick is due to visit Managua this week in what officials say will be an attempt to bolster Mr. Bolanos and persuade Mr. Aleman's right-wing supporters to abandon their self-destructive alliance with the Sandinistas. As happens so often in Latin America during the Bush administration, high-level intervention arrives late. It does have one thing going for it: Eighty percent of Nicaraguans say they oppose the Ortega-Aleman pact. Nicaragua's rescue will depend on people power, inside or outside the polls.

Katrina Efforts Hindered by Iraq

2005-10-04T07:25:00.000-04:00

W and Company need to face up to the fact that the Katrina disaster was made worse by Iraq. Granted I think that the reason that the military was so desperately needed was because N.O. and Louisiana officials proved to be incompetent and ineffective but that does not excuse the federal government for its slow response. The Independent (UK) got a look at a DoD report on Katrina:

The confidential report, which has been seen by The Independent, details how funds for flood control were diverted to other projects, desperately needed National Guards were stuck in Iraq and how military personnel had to "sneak off post" to help with relief efforts because their commander had refused permission.

Why the Iraqi Constitution Will Pass

2005-10-04T06:47:00.000-04:00

WashPost reports that U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad is still working on getting changes to the Iraqi Constitution. If it passes it will probably have more to do with the fact that Shiites and Kurds have changed the rules for passage. Under the new rules, the constitution will fail only if two-thirds of all registered voters - rather than two-thirds of all those actually casting ballots - reject it in at least three of the 18 provinces.

EUnuchs Talk to Uzbeks

2005-10-04T06:36:00.000-04:00

For those of you that were not aware there was a massacre in Uzbekistan not too long ago. The government claimed that 187 Islamists were killed but the opposition estimates that there were about 400 killed and that they were peaceful protestors. The EUnuchs are talking tough and have issued an arms embargo. This will hold until the Uzbeks have something of value to offer. The Reds killed a whole lot more at Tiananmen and the EUnuchs can't wait to sell them weapons.

The EUnuchs and Turkey Begin Talking

2005-10-04T06:04:00.000-04:00

Good news for the EUnuchs! Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey had warned that the EUnuchs could end up being a "Christian club" if they did not start talks on Turk membership. Thank goodness that the talks are now on track. There are a couple of things wrong with the PM's analysis. First is the obvious, if you tally up church attendance in Europe (excluding Poland) it would be difficult to qualify anything in Europe as Christian. Second the region formerly known as Christendom seemed to do just fine after expelling the Moors from al-Andalus and standing up to the Ottomans in Vienna. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that intellectually, socially, politically and economically the Arab Islamic countries suffered a steep decline starting in the 15th century. If not for oil we would not even care about what went on in that part of the world. Anyway I digress, but if you want to read more about the "Christian club", the EU and the Turks pick up The Cube and the Cathederal. You can find a review here. It is a sparkling essay but it's point of view should come as no surprise since it is penned by a Catholic theologian.

Obviously I've gone off on a tangent here so back to business...The trouble over the start of the Turkey talks was a roadblock thrown up by Austria. According to the WashTimes though, the US also had to sweet talk Turkey to agree to come to terms for the talks.

Book of the Month: China, Inc.

2005-10-03T23:11:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow night's discussion will presumably center around China, Inc. : How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America by Ted C. Fishman. We all know that we'll go off topic at some point but that is what makes our discussions so much fun. I scoured the net for reviews and found some stuff.

The much maligned TNR site has one the better (and shortest) reviews. Noting the massive volume of facts and interviews used by the author but also the paucity of political analysis and discussion of controversial topics:

Fishman has compiled an impressive array of facts, figures, and anecdotes about China's business boom. And to his credit, he includes worthwhile interviews with everyone from shop sellers in a Shanghai knick-knack market to Patrick Lo, chief executive of networking equipment giant Netgear Inc. But while Fishman's range of reporting is impressive, his book could have benefited from an overriding argument--or rather, any strong arguments at all. Occasionally Fishman lets an opinion seep in, but only in the most cursory of terms. For instance, in his discussion of the Three Gorges Dam, the government's massive effort to block off a Lake Superior-sized reservoir along the Yangtze River, he laments briefly that the project will destroy much of the gorges and several cities, while displacing over a million people--quite a point for a mere aside.
By avoiding more controversial waters, Fishman reduces heated political debates to endless on-the-other-hand dialogues that would put Tevye to shame. In his chapter on piracy, Fishman says that China's vast counterfeit market constrains business innovators because they know any good idea will be ripped off. But he stops short of outright condemnation of piracy, explaining that the underground economy also provides an influx of much-needed cash to China. Then, moments later, he concedes that China's piracy robs the world of wealth. In his chapter on the valuation of the yuan, Fishman hedges again, noting both that the yuan's peg to the dollar falsely inflates China's competitive advantage and that if the yuan were unpegged, it would create instability. In other words, there are pros and cons to the current valuation of Chinese currency. You don't say.

The China Economic Review feels that China, Inc. is "written with tabloid principles in mind" but says that's "not a bad thing." CER notes that the message of the book that China is "big and growing fast" is beaten to death and not necessarily news to it's own readers. CER also feels that the analytical side of China, Inc. falls short failing to ask what happens next?

The Press Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York has a surprisingly benign review that does not criticize the Reds. Asia Times also has a perfunctory review that summarizes the book well but offers very little analysis.

Finally the Asian Review of Books has an intriguing review that launches broadsides at Fishman's thesis:

I feel Fishman stops his analysis one step too soon: he argues that China's underlying strength is its almost unlimited workforce, a workforce willing to work for subsistence wages. There are a few problems with this position: first, it may not be true indefinitely. There is already wage pressure and labour shortages in some industries and regions. Just this week, The Economist reports "Can China -- population 1.3 million - really be running out of people? In many of the most important parts of its booming economy, the answer, increasingly, is yes. Though China has a vast pool of unskilled labour, firms in the south now complain that they cannot recruits enough cheap factory and manual workers. The market is even tigher for skilled labour."Fishman also argues that China is competitive because it can swap out "million dollar machines" for low-cost human labour, i.e. turn back the clock on the last 150 years of industrial development. This is surely temporary, and cannot apply to everything: semiconductors cannot be made by hand, regardless of how cheap the labour is. This is not Fishman's only economically curious argument, for he also argues that China is inherently prone to over-investment and over-capacity, which is wants relentless depresses the "China price". However, this is an indication that China allocates its resources inefficiently, and in the long run, inefficient economies are not competitive.

Defending Karen Hughes

2005-10-03T22:56:00.000-04:00

Here is something I did not expect - a piece in TNR defending Karen Hughes. TA Frank who also handles the outstanding regular feature "Today in Despotism" gives a hat tip to Hughes for bringing up the driving issue in Saudi Arabia. He also rips the left for criticizing her:

Isolationist conservatives generally take the position that it's not the proper role of American politicians to comment on another society's treatment of women. But liberals don't have that excuse. Instead, their dilemma is by now an old story: For the contemporary left, when any value--in this case, equal rights for women--comes up against the value of not judging other cultures, non-judgment tends to win. The left prizes tolerance so highly that it often refuses to condemn intolerance. (Europe, with a large population of immigrants who oppose the values of the society in which they live, has grappled with this problem for years.)

Alvaro Vargas Llosa on Lula's Troubles

2005-10-03T22:42:00.000-04:00

Alvaro Vargas Llosa explains Lula's problems, why they happened and what it all means:

Lula's capacity to reinvent the left always hinged on something more than keeping interest rates high to stem inflation, maintaining a strong currency, riding on the high prices of certain commodities, and giving cash to poor families. He could either opt for simply managing the perpetual crisis or he could try to overhaul a labyrinthine political system that benefited certain pockets of industrial and agricultural production but keeps millions of people out of the realm of opportunity. He chose the former path.
While technocrats talk about a three percent rate of economic growth for Brazil this year and an export boom that has translated into a trade ÂsurplusÂ of $40 billion, LulaÂs voters are indignant at the corruption scandal. But the real point is that corruption has developed naturally in an environment of limited opportunities due to asphyxiating government interference. And the absence of adequate limits on the power of the political bureaucracy is in turn an incentive for corruption at the top level. The corruption of LulaÂs government, therefore, should be seen more as a symptom than a cause. Ranting about corruption without removing the causes will only generate further frustration. Brazilians impeached President Collor de Mello in the 1990s but failed to change a system that ensured a party like LulaÂs would fall into the same trap years later.
Brazil has often been a bellwether of Latin American political currents. It exemplified French-style authoritarian positivism in the early 20th century, centrally planned industrialization in the 1960s and 1970s, and democracy in the 1980s. (It was not, however, one of the leading nations in the so-called free market reform wave of the 1990s). LulaÂs demise is now strengthening the more radical left, which has been quick to blame what is happening on the PresidentÂs ÂbetrayalÂ of his Marxist origins. The rest of the Latin American left is watching.

A Bad Idea for Iraq

2005-10-03T22:33:00.000-04:00

A WSJ op-ed said that proportional representation is the wrong thing to do in Iraq. Germany is used as an example of what can go wrong. Granted Germany is a mess right now but it was the model of consistency during the Cold War. A better posterchild would have been Italy. Here is what is wrong with PR (proportional representation not Puerto Rico):

Germany's system of almost pure PR has consistently produced coalition governments and now, for the first time, a situation in which no party constellation can produce a government with a coherent program for much-needed reforms. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's reform of Britain's sclerotic economy wouldn't have been possible with PR and cooperative federalism; nor could one imagine Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi accomplishing anything similar in Japan.
The more subtle but ultimately more insidious problem is that PR--unless balanced by plebiscitary institutions such as a directly elected, powerful executive--tends to be constitutionally unstable. Instead of institutional checks and balances, PR constitutions resemble temporary peace pacts among contending interests, classes or warlords. The structure is only as stable as the underlying constellation of forces; or it is stabilized by nonpolitical means.