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Seventh Anniversary Of 9/11: Less is Sometimes More in Fight Against Terrorism

admin — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:28:31 +0000

As the world marks the seventh anniversary of 9/11, some European experts say security improvements in the US have been undercut by fairly basic mistakes. Among the remedies is more trust in America’s laws and allies.

Seven years after the attacks on New York and Washington of September 11, 2001, America is more divided than ever before about the effectiveness of the Bush administration’s response to Islamic terrorism.

A few Americans have even dared to question whether fear of al Qaeda has not been grotesquely exaggerated — pointing out the extreme statistical unlikelihood of dying from an act of terrorism outside of Iraq or Afghanistan.

So do terrorism experts from Europe, which is often accused of anti-Americanism, share the view that the Bush administration has been creating, perhaps consciously exploiting needless Angst?

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Voice for the other victims of terrorism

admin — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:33:36 +0000

TO MEASURE the injustice of terrorism think of everything you have done since you were 13 years old and then imagine all that taken away. This was the challenge to the United Nations by an Australian who lost his teenage sister in the 2002 Bali bombing.

Ben Borgia, 28, whose mother Deborah, 45, and sister Abbey, 13, died in the Sari Club blast, listed the benchmarks of his sister’s life unlived: “Your first kiss, love, marriage, books, choices, independence, friendship.”

Mr Borgia, a Sydney actor, told the first symposium on victims of terrorism, held at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, that he had learned to live with the fact that those he loved most were gone, but the sense of loss remained.

“One of my saddest memories is watching my father walking his daughter’s coffin out of the church at her funeral. It should have been her wedding,” he said.

“I constantly look back over our lives and I think that stopped me moving forward … I am still coming to an understanding of the effect this has had on my life.”

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said he convened the symposium because victims of terrorism too often were viewed as numbers and not individuals. The symposium was a chance for international governments to discuss support for victims and their families.

“It’s long overdue that we opened the doors of the UN to victims of terrorism and focused on their needs,” Mr Ban said.

Mr Borgia was among 18 victims who spoke to the UN. The others included the freed French-Colombian hostage, Ingrid Betancourt, and Jordanian Ashraf Al-Khaled, who lost 27family members when his wedding was bombed in 2005.

Earlier, the Assistant Secretary-General, Robert Orr, defended the event against suggestions that it focused too narrowly on Islamic-inspired terrorism.

He said that while the list of victims was not perfect, it corresponded with worldwide statistics on terrorist acts for regional, religious and cultural purposes.

Victims were drawn from the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, but there were none from Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Naomi Kerongo, a victim of the 1998 US embassy bombing in Nairobi which killed 218 people, said she and others had been left unemployed and destitute.

Ms Kerongo expressed relief that emphasis was being placed on the victims of terrorism and not its perpetrators.

“[The] day began with hope and laughter, but ended with death, pain, confusion and despair as Osama bin Laden chose to introduce himself to the world using Kenya and Tanzania at the same time to send his bloodstained postcards from the pit of hell,” Ms Kerongo said, her voice breaking.

Julie Dunsmore, a psychologist at Royal North Shore Hospital who has worked with 500 victims of the Bali bombings, said Australians typically underestimated the effect of terrorism on themselves.

People came to feel a great sense of injustice. “Trying to find a meaning in life again is really difficult and sometimes people deal with it with alcohol, with drugs, and that workaholic thing, but there’s only so much of that you can do before you become unstuck,” Ms Dunsmore said.

Mr Borgia said that speaking to other victims at the UN had emphasised the need to create an Australian support group for people victimised by terrorism.

He said families would struggle with the consequences of the Bali bombings for their lifetimes.

“I don’t know what’s going to come out of this, maybe an international day for victims of terrorism, and an understanding,” Mr Borgia said.

“There must be ongoing government and community support. This will never go away.”

Source:Agencies. We provide the latest news and YOU decide:
(All posts are from independent writers. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by parsnewz.com.)

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Georgia accuses Russia of breaking truce

admin — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:22:40 +0000

Georgia accused Russian soldiers of violating a fragile truce on Wednesday by killing a Georgian policeman, as a major crack appeared in the EU-brokered ceasefire over the remit of EU observers.

The Georgians said it was the first fatal shooting since the August 12 ceasefire that brought an end to the five-day war between Georgia and Russia over Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia.

“This is the first time that Georgian police or military personnel have been shot at since the ceasefire began,” Georgian interior ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili told AFP.

An unnamed spokesman for the Russian forces in South Ossetia quoted by Interfax denied the incident and said he would not believe it until the Georgians showed him the body.

Georgia’s interior ministry told AFP the officer died in hospital from wounds to the head and throat after being fired on near Karaleti, a key Russian position on the road from the Georgian city of Gori to South Ossetia.

The Georgian foreign ministry reacted furiously, accusing the Russians of gross ceasefire violations.

Russia’s “armed forces not only do not comply with the political commitments undertaken by their president… but go as far as to completely disregard them thus causing the death of innocent people,” the ministry said.

Georgia’s August 7 offensive to regain control of South Ossetia from Moscow-backed separatists prompted a massive retaliatory thrust by Russia into Georgian territory from which thousands of Russian troops have yet to withdraw.

Russia argues that it repelled Georgian troops to protect thousands of people whom it had granted Russian citizenship since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The West accuses it of seeking to redraw the map by effectively annexing part of its ex-Soviet neighbour.

Hundreds of people on both sides are estimated to have been killed in the conflict. Tens of thousands fled their homes.

In Moscow on Wednesday, Russia ruled out allowing EU observers into South Ossetia and a second Georgian breakaway region called Abkhazia.

The move directly contradicted claims by Nicolas Sarkozy and threw into doubt a new peace plan the French president had brokered just two days previously with Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.

“Additional international observers will be deployed precisely around South Ossetia and Abkhazia and not inside these republics,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists in Moscow.

Medvedev committed on Monday to withdraw within a month all Russian troops from Georgia apart from the breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and to allow the deployment of 200 EU observers.

Sarkozy, speaking at the head of an EU delegation early Tuesday alongside Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi, said: “The spirit of the text is that they (the EU observers) will have a mandate to enter (Abkhazia and South Ossetia), to observe, to report.”

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, also part of the EU delegation, said Wednesday that the location of the observers had not been discussed during talks, but that access to the territories was clearly in the “spirit” of the agreements.

Russia has tightened control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia since the ceasefire, recognising them as independent states, establishing diplomatic relations and vowing to keep 7,600 troops there long-term.

The opening of ties on Tuesday drew a furious response in the Georgian capital Tbilisi where Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria described it as “yet another step in the annexation of Georgia’s sovereign territories.”

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Beware of the Cheney Doctrine

admin — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:28:41 +0000

When US Vice-President Dick Cheney met and spoke with leaders in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and then Italy-one month after fighting erupted between Georgia and Russia over the break away region of South Ossetia-it reminded me of earlier presidents and how their actions and words established foreign policies known as doctrines. These doctrines would affect U.S. citizens and people around the world for generations to come.

For example, in 1823 President James Monroe, in the Monroe Doctrine, told Russia and Europe the American continents were not to be considered for future colonization. In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and stated chronic wrong doing would require intervention by some civilized nation-the U.S., and it may reluctantly have to exercise its international police powers.

Following World War II, President Harry Truman sought to prevent the spread of Communist and Socialist movements around the world with the Truman Doctrine. U.S. military interventions soon occurred in Greece, Turkey, Korea, Vietnam, and many other parts of the world. The South East Asia Treaty Organization was established to manage Asia, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization monitored Europe.

The Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II Doctrines continued the march of global capitalism by securing vital resources, such as oil, through pre-emptive strikes and wars. Americanization was also spread by providing allies with gratuitous military and economic aid packages. The dualistic doctrine of Us/Corporate Capitalism/Good, versus Them/Communism and Islam/Evil, encouraged many in the U.S. to embrace militarism and a justifiable nuclear strike, which was seriously considered several conflicts.

And now, there is the Cheney Doctrine. But beware of the Cheney Doctrine for these reasons:

Proximity: By traveling to and offering militarily aid to Georgia, Azerbaijan, and the Ukraine, Cheney is expanding the reach of U.S. imperialism into Russia’s backyard. With the expansion of NATO across Asia and a missile system being deployed in Eurasia, the Cheney Doctrine is sending a clear signal to Russia: containment means conquest.

Past: Cheney, a Cold War warrior from the Nixon and Reagan Administrations, is trapped in archaic ideologies. Although Russian peacekeepers were first fired upon, the Cheney Doctrine claims “Russian aggression must not go unanswered” and accuses Russia of “tyranny, economic blackmail, and intimidation.” The Cheney Doctrine calls Russia’s actions an “affront to civilized standards, brutal, and antagonistic.” These are not the words of an intelligent politician living the 21st century, but the words of a Nixonian-blaming the defeat in Vietnam on Soviet aid, and a Reaganite-Russia is an Evil Empire.

Persia: The Cheney Doctrine wants to control Persia-modern day Iran. During the Ossetia Conflict, Russia discovered two U.S./Israeli airfields in Southern Georgia and Israeli drones. The drones were being used for reconnaissance flights over Iran and Russia. The military airfields were being prepared for an Israeli pre-emptive strike against Iran, since this would reduce the distance Israeli fighter bombers would have to fly.

Punishment: U.S. threats against Iran, punitive sanctions, and the elimination of its nuclear enrichment programme are a ruse for a much deeper malady. In 1953, a U.S. sponsored coup ousted Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, who had nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. When the 1979 Islamic Revolution freed Iran from U.S. imperialism, Cheney was vehement and accused the Carter Administration of being weak. The Cheney Doctrine would like nothing more than to chastise and monopolize Iran.

Proliferation: The Cheney Doctrine is dangerous because of its nuclear, biological, chemical, and weapons proliferation. There is now evidence that Georgian forces used the deadly and highly condemned U.S. cluster bombs in Ossetia. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was right in accusing the U.S. of helping Georgia to build its war machine. Eurasia and the Middle East may have more to fear from the wounded Eagle than the Bear.

Profit: As an oil business man, Cheney has blurred the distinct lines between the Executive government and Corporate-Military institutions. It is public record that four years after serving as secretary of war during Gulf War I and after establishing close ties with oil-rich nations, Cheney became chief executive of the Dallas based oil field service Halliburton Company. Under Cheney, Halliburton gave over $1 million to political parties each year and lobbied Washington politicians with hundreds of thousands of dollars.

As vice-president, Cheney forfeited $3.5 million in Halliburton stocks. This was a small price since his income was over $36 million in 2000. Cheney will also receive a $20 million retirement package from Halliburton at the end of his term. The infamous and secret meetings with U.S. oil cartels, which established environmental regulations and foreign policy in the Middle East, put profit before people. The Cheney Doctrine gave no-bid government contracts to Halliburton in Iraq and now wants to shore up the oil pipeline in Azerbaijan and Georgia. The $1 billion aid package for Georgia is more about exploiting the Caucuses natural resources than expanding the Caucuses natural rights.

Principles: The Cheney Doctrine has destroyed human rights and just laws. Cheney was a major architect of the Abu Graib and Guantanamo Bay torture camps. He ordered “secret renditions” and has illegally kept suspects at “black sites” without a lawyer or any contact with humanitarian organizations. The Cheney Doctrine suspended habeas corpus, something only Congress has the power to do. Cheney refuses to testify before a Senate committee concerning the torture memos, believing he is above the rule of law.

And this brings me to the last reason why the Cheney Doctrine is so dangerous: Executive Power! In case you have not noticed, Cheney is the vice-president. He is not supposed to have the authority of a president, such as making treaties with foreign countries and serving as another Commander-In-Chief. (Even Vice-President Harry S. Truman did not know about the Manhattan Project until after President Franklin Roosevelt’s death.)

Yet, the Cheney Doctrine has sharply increased the powers of the vice-presidency. Years ago while watching President Nixon’s forced resignation, to escape impeachment, Cheney learned to resent the Constitutional principle of checks and balances. Cheney vowed to someday expand the Executive Powers of the presidency and the vice-presidency. The Cheney Doctrine has created two Chief Executors instead of having only one.

The vice-presidency, according to the Cheney Doctrine, is absolute and is neither answerable to the Legislature or Judicial Branches. This, I believe, will be the most dangerous and tragic legacy of the Cheney Doctrine. It is enough for Congress and the citizenry to contend with an imperial presidency, let alone an imperial vice-presidency. Now, there are two Executors and two Executive Branches! The Cheney Doctrine has reduced the powers of Congress, overruled the people, and trampled on the Constitution

As the November Election looms, thanks to the Cheney Doctrine the voter must keep in mind that the vice-president is not only a heart beat away from the president but IS another heart beat of a second president. It remains to be seen how the Republican and Democratic vice-presidential candidates-Sarah Palin or Joe Biden, will respond to the Cheney Doctrine and the usurpation of powers during the last eight years.
Dallas Darling - darling@wn.com

(Dallas Darling is the author of The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. While a pastor and social-activist living in the U.S, he served the poor in rural communities and inner cities. Dallas also traveled and worked extensively throughout Latin America participating in peace with justice movements. Dallas teaches U.S. and World History and is a regular contributor to www.worldnews.com)