International Criminal Court (ICC)

A few hours ago the ICC issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudan’s president Bashir. This is good news. It was long overdue, as it is overdue for many other presidents starting from Mugabe. One wonders why such a warrant was not issued for GW for Iraq, for Putin for Thectchnia or Livni for Palestine.

This however does not diminish the value of such a step.

And it is interesting to see the first reactions as of now :

- the African Union, that just elected Gaddafi as its leader wondered why the ICC seem (tot hem !) to apply its rules to Africans only. Apart from the fact that they seem to ignore the recent trials for former Yugoslavia, which, to our understanding, is not in Africa, they miss the point: a criminal is a criminal, wherever he is. The AU’s reaction is simply shameful.
- Russia, Ethiopia and Egypt, well known for their democratic policies, have criticized the indictment.
- the USA, that does not recognize the ICC, started defending it (but would never accept US nationals indicted by that court !)

What is going to be most interesting is that the ICC will send a request for assistance to the UN Security Council. And there, three of the five permanent members, the USA, Russia and China, do not recognize the ICC.

Finally, indeed the AU is right in its complaints : the ICC should have also indicted the Chinese authorities who have been supporting Sudan in spite of the genocide in Darfour and who, through their support, for oil interests, just facilitated the mass killings.

Of course the African “leaders” are concerned: they can be the next target. And rightly so. In a recent article in La Repubblica, it was shown that 40% of the life presidents are Africans. And we know how they made it. Let us hope that this indictment will start a cleaning process of African “leaders”: it is time. And we should all keep note of those African, and non African, leaders such as the Russian President Medvedev, who will support Bashir .They should be the next to be indicted.

These are the first remarks immediately after the news of the indictment. I will probably come back on this later in the week.


Photo : sudanwatch.blogspot.com

Visions

I rarely enjoyed any written political commentary as much as the Maureen Dowd Op-eda in the NYT of 21 January. I read part of it in Italian and managed to locate it in its original version. I cannot do anything else but reproduce part of it. A real piece of excellent literature


“Exit the Boy King
By MAUREEN DOWD,


“WASHINGTON

It was the Instant the Earth Stood Still.

Not since Klaatu landed in a flying saucer on the Ellipse has Washington been so mesmerized by an object
whirring through the sky

But this one was departing, not arriving.

As W. ceased to be president, he flew off over the Capitol and across the Mall en route to Andrews Air Force Base, and then back to Texas.

I’ve seen many presidents come and go, but I’ve never watched a tableau like the one Tuesday, when four million eyes turned heavenward, following the helicopter’s path out of town. Everyone, it seemed, was waving goodbye, with one or two hands, a wave that moved westward down the Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial, and keeping their eyes fixed unwaveringly on that green bird.

They wanted to make absolutely, positively certain that W. was gone. It was like a physical burden being lifted, like a sigh went up of “Thank God. Has Cheney’s wheelchair left the building, too?”
The crowd was exuberant that George Bush was now an ex-president, and 43 himself was jovial “the way he always is,” according to his last press secretary, Dana Perino.

It was like a catharsis in Greek drama, with the antagonist plucked out of the scene into the sky, and the protagonist dropping into the scene to magically fix all the problems. Except Barack Obama’s somber mien and restrained oratory conveyed that he’s no divinity and there will be no easy resolution to this plot.

It was a morning of such enormous emotion and portent — jaw-dropping, Dow-dropping and barrierdropping — that even the cool new president had to feel daunted to see his blocks-long motorcade and two million hope-besotted faces beaming up at him, dreaming that he can save their shirts.” 1

What a vision ! it compensates my disarray when I read that 30,000 people had been waiting to applaude GW landing in Dallas.

1 The New Yotk Times, 21 January 2009, Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

Picture : http://icestationtango.blogspot.com/2009/01/bush-is-leaving-movement-is-staying.html

Symbols: Obama and Benedict XVI

When Reagan, Clinton and GW signed the law forbidding (or re-establishing) the financing for UNFPA and family planning NGOs that do not exclude abortion, they did so on the anniversary date of the Supreme Courts decision to legalize abortion in the USA.

Obama just overturned GW’s decision. But, although he did so on the third day after he took power, he avoided confronting the pro-life movement and avoided signing it on the same anniversary date. No need to add insult to injury.

Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI reinstated the conservative bishops excommunicated by his predecessor for being appointed outside of the rules of the Church. One of the main principles of such bishops is the negation of the decisions of Vatican II.

Pope Benedict XVI did so on the day before the anniversary of the calling of the Vatican II by John XXIII. Just to ensure that people understand that he himself is going back 50 years. We knew this but he added insult to injury and just confirmed that he is driving the Church to self-destruction. Thank you Benedict XVI

Picture : marranci.wordpress.com

Obama 1: let's get real

(this is the first of a series of articles I will devote to Obama’s election)

So Obama is President since two days.

He decided to close Guantanamo.
He decided to stop torture.
He decided to respect the Geneva Convention.
He called the President of the Palestinian authority before calling Olmert
He is concerned about peace in the Middle East.

And everybody is excited.

But why ? What did he do special ? Isn’t it normal what he did ?

He simply decided to respect the American Constitution and the International law.
He simply decided that it was time for America to be a “normal civilized state” as it used to make people believe it was..

So why are all people excited ? Simply because we got so used to crooks, idiots, dishonest politicians such as GW, Berlusconi, Sarkozy and even Blair.

I welcome the initiatives of Obama. But this does not mean that he is special. He is simply normal. And we, over the last years, we had lost the concept of normality.

Good start Obama, but it is not enough. Let us wait and see the next steps


Photo: freedomlibertadiparola.blogspot.com

Apologies

(received via Email from Hungarian friend)

Dear World,

We, the United States of America, your top quality supplier of ideals of democracy, would like to apologize for our 2001-2008 interruption in service. The technical fault that led to this eight-year service outage has been located, and the software responsible was replaced November 4. Early tests of the newly installed program indicate that we are now operating correctly, and we expect it to be fully functional on January 20. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the outage. We look forward to resuming full service and hope to improve in years to come. We thank you for your patience and understanding,


Sincerely,
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

GW: what a great man !

Ms Bush and Berlusconi have the same views about GW: a great man who will be remembered in the future as a great President. So she listed his achievements and among them the kicking out of Saddam Hussein and the liberation of millions of Iraquis and Afghan people. She specifically stated that the fact itself that a journalist was able to throw shoes to GW meant that thanks to the latter there was free speech in Iraq. She seemed to forget that such “free speech expression” may cost up to 15 years of jail to its author.

What the hell are those people who keep repeating that the Iraquis were much better off under Saddam Hussein, that all Religions were protected, that hundred of thousand of kids died due to the embargo imposed by the USA, that at least 100,000 civilians (latest estimates of December 2008) have died for violence since Bush “liberated” Iraq ? Laura does not know: she just reads American child books in American Schools.

And what about the collapse of the dollar ? True that GW who did not have a passport at the time of becoming President, will never find it out since when he traveled, it was all costs included and paid by the US taxpayers. And in Texas, he will need green bucks only.

But, if Berlusconi said so, it must be true: GW was a great President. At least for two people: Berlusconi himself and Laura.


picture: www.daylife.com

The end of the United Nations

Never like now has the current set-up of the UN appeared obsolete and unrealistic. The dream of peace is gone; the five permanent members of the Security Council only do damage control. In spite of the highest than ever number of peace-keeping missions and others the conflict spread all over and the real crisis remain unresolved.

How can one trust a peace-keeping Department headed by a representative of a Permanent Member of the Security Council with the right of veto: France (the results of cows’ trade between France and Kofi Annan for him to be elected)?

How can you trust China blocking any resolution on Darfur or Zimbabwe while helping their dictators? Or supporting North Korea and Burma?

How can you trust the USA who lie in front of the world and invade a country on that basis? Or the USA, with the UK and France nodding gently, attacking Iran for its nuclear policy and keeping silent with Israel that has the bomb? Or pretending that Iran sticks to UN resolutions but letting Israel breaching all the resolutions on occupied territories?

How can you trust Russia that invades Georgia and blocks resolutions on Zimbabwe on the excuse that it is an internal matter?

How can you trust France whose President before being elected promised to be inflexible on human rights ad then goes to Beijing?

How can you trust the UK without a foreign policy since years and years, being a simple follower of the USA?

And why would Russia invading Georgia be worse that the USA who fomented coups d’état all over Latin America up to the infamous Condor plan and invaded Iraq?

And how could you trust NATO, i.e. the USA, UK and France with the rest following incapable of winning a war in Afghanistan?

Not to talk about all Africa leaders who readily support the worst dictators afraid of becoming themselves in the future a target for their corrupt policies?

The United Nations is now incapable of maintaining peace blocked by the five Permanent Members of the Security Council pursuing their own national interests against the charter of the UN. If ever there had been any doubt until recently, the problems in Georgia have demonstrated that the system is definitely broken and that the Secretary-General, a weak person chose probably because of his weakness.

The United Nations system is also incapable of dealing with economic crisis, in particular the looming food crisis generated to a large extent, but not only, by protectionist policies in the USA and Europe and by the policies imposed for years and years by the World Bank and the IMF. All what it can do is to send rescuers and food supplies: charity instead of self reliance policies.

Clearly there is no United Nations. I saw how it works, directly, through more than 30 years in the system of which 11 in New York : the main countries making their own interests using almost corruptive policies with the little and poor countries who all have one vote at he General Assembly but few diplomats who cannot follow all what happens and in a sense “sell” their votes or leave junior diplomats pursuing their own interests, in particular in the Fifth Committee, the budgetary and administrative one, in the absence of national policies.

The Security Council set-up does not make any sense any

Longer: this is known since years but of course the five permanent members do not agree on any reform too attached to their obsolete privileges. France and the UK have neither reason nor right any longer to have a permanent seat: Europe should have it and the fifth could go to India or Brazil for example: and the veto rule must be suppressed.

But who will take the risk of destroying the UN? Only a strong Secretary General posing the real problems can do it. Although if it continues like that, the UN system may implode thanks to the blinded policies of the USA, Russia and China who will be taken themselves by surprise. The UN is a political animal, but poor blinded politicians kill it.

Time for a change and it ay come only through a major major world crisis: dark times ahead for the world.

Photo www.britannica.com

A G8 what for ?

So, another G8 for nothing, or better to worsen the situation. Before the G8, the target was to reduce by 50% the emission of “global greenhouse gas” of 1990, i.e. by 20 million metric tons. After the G8 the target is to reduce the emissions of 2008, i.e. by 30 million metric tons. And this, courtesy of the USA, Canada and Japan, by 2050 with no intermediate targets.

Did we need to waste taxpayers money in travels, receptions etc, increasing pollution thanks to the planes and security and cars used for the summit, just to go backwards ? And the good old Bush tradition of lying was adopted by the G8: this “result” was advertised as a progress!

Reading the news, the Italian TV for example, one got the impression that India, China, Brazil. Mexico and South Africa were opposed to establishing such a target. Not true. They agreed to a long term objective but also wanted the G8 members, responsible for the current situation, to commit to reduce their emissions by 25 to 40% by 2025. Unreasonable the developing countries or the usual lies by the G8 members ?

Something positive ? yes apparently, the USA finally agreed that the emissions of “global greenhouse gas” is problematic. Better late than never although it is probably too late.

Source : Maurizio Ricci, La Repubblica 10 July 2008

Photo : www.greenexpander.com

Imagine.....

the EU Commission President coming to the USA for a summit and stating that Mexico must become the 51^st state of the United States of America……

You can imagine the reactions of Republican Reps, of Trade Unions (where is the internationalism of the workers’ class gone ?) , of Texans….. Undue interference in internal affairs of the USA, arrogance, provocation.

But does anybody down there in the USA realizes that this is exactly what President Bush did last week stating that Turkey must be part of the EU ? Was he talking in the interest of the EU or of the USA ? Why not Iraq then ? and why not Israel as the 51^st State of the Union ?

President Bush and the majority of the Americans have not yet realized that the USA is no longer a leader: not economical, (the EU countries together have a greater GDP than the USA and the latest crisis of the financial markets due to mismanagement does not give the right to the USA to give lessons to anybody) not in terms of size (the EU has a larger population), not moral (Guantanamo, if anything, made the USA loose any leadership in that area), not military (the USA lost in Vietnam, cannot make it in Iraq nor in Afghanistan).

The USA is clearly a great nation but until it realizes and recognizes that it lost its leadership, its decline will continue and the world will smile at the pretentious statements of its Presidents.

Clean at home first, before giving lessons to the others, Mr. Bush and its Republican clique….