Old article, largely relevant today. I'm sure we'll find alot of new prejudices these days. And while these biases slowly creep through the cultures of the Middle East, Europe and America, we'll likely find the common themes of sectarian divisions, sexual discrimination, and racial supremacy. Pretty soon, we'll all absorb the tragic presumption that American's take over everything, Muslims like to blow up people, Arabs treatment of women as princesses is just code for 'bird in a cage', and religion is the supreme guide to logic (as opposed to faith) in this complex world. Ahh what a world we live in.
Bias taxes brain, research finds
Dartmouth scientists look at effects of racism
By Gareth Cook, Globe Staff November 17, 2003
To the litany of arguments against prejudice, scientists are now adding a new one: Racism can make you stupid.
That is the message of an unusual and striking new series of experiments conducted at Dartmouth College, with the help of brain-imaging equipment and a crew of undergraduate volunteers.
According to the findings, the more biased people are, the more their brain power is taxed by contact with someone of another race, as they struggle not to say or do anything offensive. The effect is so strong, the team found, that even a five-minute conversation with a black person left some of the white subjects unable to perform well on a test of cognitive ability.
"Just having a prejudice makes you stupider," said John Gabrieli, a professor of psychology at Stanford University who was not involved in the research. "It is really interesting."
Researchers cannot yet predict how racial bias as measured in the lab will translate into overt racist attitudes or actions. But the new brain-imaging work, reported in today's edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience, represents the most detailed look yet at the way racial biases function in the brain.
The work also paints a dispiriting portrait of the state of the nation's race relations, the lead researcher said, even among the well-educated, well-meaning Dartmouth undergraduates whom the scientists studied.
"I think people are getting caught in this trap where they are trying not to do the wrong thing, rather than trying to act natural," said Jennifer A. Richeson, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth College. "Somehow we have to get past this awkward phase."
Richeson and her colleagues began by recruiting a group of white Dartmouth undergraduates and asked them to perform an "Implicit Association Test," a test that is widely used to measure unconscious racial bias. The subject is given a screen and two buttons. First, the subject is asked to push the button on the left if the word that appears on the screen is a positive word, like beauty, or a common first name for a white person, such as Nancy. Otherwise, they are instructed to push the button on the right.
After a session, the test is changed slightly, and the names given are those more common for a black person, such as Tyrone. The greater the difference between the reaction times in the two sessions, the more the person has trouble associating black names with positive concepts.
Next the team had each of the students speak briefly with a black experimenter and then perform a test of cognitive ability called the Stroop test. They showed that the higher a bias score the student had in the IAT test, the worse they did on the Stroop test after speaking with the black experimenter.
To uncover what was behind this effect, the team used a functional magnetic resonance imager, which is able to peer inside the brain and measure the level of activity in different areas.
Each student was then shown a series of photographs, some of white males and some of black males. The more biased a student was, the more the team saw a certain area of their brain activate, an area associated with "executive control," conscious efforts to direct thinking. This, Richeson said, is a sign the brain is struggling not to think inappropriate thoughts.
Based on the findings, the team suggested that when a biased person interacts with someone of another race, even briefly, it exhausts the part of the brain in charge of executive control, leaving it temporarily unable to perform as well on the Stroop test and, presumably, other tasks.
The report is the first time that researchers have shown a connection between racial bias and the parts of the brain responsible for higher functions, according to several neuroscientists who were not involved in the research.
It is part of a nascent movement to study the neurological basis of social phenomena, in particular racism. One study, by Elizabeth A. Phelps at New York University, found that biased people are more likely to have greater activity in their amygdala, a portion of the brain associated with negative emotions like fear, when shown the picture of a black person they don't know.
Another, conducted by Stanford's Gabrieli and other scientists, showed that the brains of white people process white and black faces differently from the moment they see them.
Gareth Cook can be reached at cook@globe.com.
25 April, 2007
Iraqi government failing
Finally Iraq taking responsibility...
With sectarian violence continually on the rise, this has to be dealt with by the Iraqis on their own. The U.S. can continue to assist and lose more troops but they are just moving targets like the locals amidst the chaos. It's so sad.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi politicians -- frustrated by violence throughout the country and the glacial pace of parliamentary lawmaking -- say the nearly one-year-old government is failing.
Iraqi lawmakers told CNN the government's impotence and inability to bring peace to the chaotic environment is basically structural, and not the product of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish legislator, was quoted in the USA Today newspaper as describing al-Maliki as weak, but in an interview with CNN, he said, "It's not Maliki, it's the whole government."
That government, he said, is failing on many fronts, such as providing security, fostering reconciliation and offering public services. (Watch patrol in 'no man's land' help dying woman )
He believes Iraq, not the U.S. government, should set deadlines for goals, and the government must "deliver" them or resign.
Hasan al-Shimmari, a Shiite member of the United Iraqi Alliance's Fadhila party, said the government is weak because the political process and the government's structure are "based on partisan allocation of ministries."
"The Maliki government should be strengthened by correcting the political process and allocating ministries democratically," he said.
Hasan al-Sneid, a UIA parliament member who is close to al-Maliki, blamed political forces and parliament for problems, but he praised al-Maliki's efforts to foster reconciliation among Sunnis and Shiites.
Another legislator pointed to Baghdad's two-month-old security plan as evidence of the government's inefficiency.
The plan is "not working," according to Maysoon al-Damalouji, a secular Sunni lawmaker.
She said many people believed that services would be restored to neighborhoods "cleansed" by U.S. and Iraqi troops. However, once troops leave a cleansed region, militias move back in and take revenge on people who have cooperated with the troops.
Al-Damalouji believes that the essential problem is the division of parties by sectarian affiliation.
Suicide bombers kill 9 U.S. soldiers
Nine U.S. paratroopers were killed Monday when a pair of suicide bombers attacked a small U.S. patrol base in Diyala province, the U.S. military said. (Watch how Diyala province is becoming a major battleground )
It was the deadliest attack on U.S. ground forces in Iraq since December 2005.
U.S. military officials said initial reports indicate insurgents used two 30-ton dump trucks full of explosives to attack what they call a combat outpost. The massive blast resulted in the northern and western walls of the compound collapsing. Remains of several troops were recovered from the rubble.
An additional 20 U.S. soldiers were wounded in the attack.
The direct assault is a departure from the usual tactics of the insurgents, who in the past have been more inclined to use hit-and-run sniper attacks, or launch mortars from a distance.
The Islamic State of Iraq, the insurgent umbrella group that includes al Qaeda in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack in a posting on an Islamist Web site.
The same insurgent group claimed responsibility for the suicide attack at Iraq's parliament complex two weeks ago.
The insurgents said that the U.S. confirmation of the Diyala attack "is a rare confession by the Americans about an operation against their soldiers" and that "God guided the soldiers of ISI to a new method of explosion."
The Diyala region is emerging as a major battleground in the Iraq war, along with Baghdad and Anbar province, with insurgents shifting their operations into the area.
The Diyala attack has jolted the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where all the dead and wounded soldiers are based, according to the U.S. military.
A Fort Bragg spokesman, Maj. Tom Earnhardt, said the Diyala attack is "the worst incident we've had in the whole global war on terrorism."
Other developments
At least 15 people were killed and 25 were wounded Tuesday in a suicide truck bombing north of Ramadi, police in the Anbar provincial capital said. The bomber struck a police patrol, killing at least four officers. Women and children were among those wounded, police said.
President Bush said Tuesday he will veto a war spending bill that sets a deadline for U.S. troop withdrawals to begin. The House of Representatives and Senate agreed Monday on a bill that requires a pullout of troops to begin by October 1. (Full story)
Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad on Monday to protest a concrete wall surrounding Adhamiya, a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad. The U.S. and Iraqi militaries said the wall is a temporary structure to prevent insurgent attacks. But many Baghdad residents fear walls will exacerbate the sectarian divide fueling the insurgency in the Iraqi capital. (Watch why the wall is controversial )
CNN's Yousif Bassil, Arwa Damon, Jomana Karadsheh, Octavia Nasr, Jomana Karadsheh and Brian Todd contributed to this report.
With sectarian violence continually on the rise, this has to be dealt with by the Iraqis on their own. The U.S. can continue to assist and lose more troops but they are just moving targets like the locals amidst the chaos. It's so sad.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi politicians -- frustrated by violence throughout the country and the glacial pace of parliamentary lawmaking -- say the nearly one-year-old government is failing.
Iraqi lawmakers told CNN the government's impotence and inability to bring peace to the chaotic environment is basically structural, and not the product of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish legislator, was quoted in the USA Today newspaper as describing al-Maliki as weak, but in an interview with CNN, he said, "It's not Maliki, it's the whole government."
That government, he said, is failing on many fronts, such as providing security, fostering reconciliation and offering public services. (Watch patrol in 'no man's land' help dying woman )
He believes Iraq, not the U.S. government, should set deadlines for goals, and the government must "deliver" them or resign.
Hasan al-Shimmari, a Shiite member of the United Iraqi Alliance's Fadhila party, said the government is weak because the political process and the government's structure are "based on partisan allocation of ministries."
"The Maliki government should be strengthened by correcting the political process and allocating ministries democratically," he said.
Hasan al-Sneid, a UIA parliament member who is close to al-Maliki, blamed political forces and parliament for problems, but he praised al-Maliki's efforts to foster reconciliation among Sunnis and Shiites.
Another legislator pointed to Baghdad's two-month-old security plan as evidence of the government's inefficiency.
The plan is "not working," according to Maysoon al-Damalouji, a secular Sunni lawmaker.
She said many people believed that services would be restored to neighborhoods "cleansed" by U.S. and Iraqi troops. However, once troops leave a cleansed region, militias move back in and take revenge on people who have cooperated with the troops.
Al-Damalouji believes that the essential problem is the division of parties by sectarian affiliation.
Suicide bombers kill 9 U.S. soldiers
Nine U.S. paratroopers were killed Monday when a pair of suicide bombers attacked a small U.S. patrol base in Diyala province, the U.S. military said. (Watch how Diyala province is becoming a major battleground )
It was the deadliest attack on U.S. ground forces in Iraq since December 2005.
U.S. military officials said initial reports indicate insurgents used two 30-ton dump trucks full of explosives to attack what they call a combat outpost. The massive blast resulted in the northern and western walls of the compound collapsing. Remains of several troops were recovered from the rubble.
An additional 20 U.S. soldiers were wounded in the attack.
The direct assault is a departure from the usual tactics of the insurgents, who in the past have been more inclined to use hit-and-run sniper attacks, or launch mortars from a distance.
The Islamic State of Iraq, the insurgent umbrella group that includes al Qaeda in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack in a posting on an Islamist Web site.
The same insurgent group claimed responsibility for the suicide attack at Iraq's parliament complex two weeks ago.
The insurgents said that the U.S. confirmation of the Diyala attack "is a rare confession by the Americans about an operation against their soldiers" and that "God guided the soldiers of ISI to a new method of explosion."
The Diyala region is emerging as a major battleground in the Iraq war, along with Baghdad and Anbar province, with insurgents shifting their operations into the area.
The Diyala attack has jolted the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where all the dead and wounded soldiers are based, according to the U.S. military.
A Fort Bragg spokesman, Maj. Tom Earnhardt, said the Diyala attack is "the worst incident we've had in the whole global war on terrorism."
Other developments
At least 15 people were killed and 25 were wounded Tuesday in a suicide truck bombing north of Ramadi, police in the Anbar provincial capital said. The bomber struck a police patrol, killing at least four officers. Women and children were among those wounded, police said.
President Bush said Tuesday he will veto a war spending bill that sets a deadline for U.S. troop withdrawals to begin. The House of Representatives and Senate agreed Monday on a bill that requires a pullout of troops to begin by October 1. (Full story)
Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad on Monday to protest a concrete wall surrounding Adhamiya, a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad. The U.S. and Iraqi militaries said the wall is a temporary structure to prevent insurgent attacks. But many Baghdad residents fear walls will exacerbate the sectarian divide fueling the insurgency in the Iraqi capital. (Watch why the wall is controversial )
CNN's Yousif Bassil, Arwa Damon, Jomana Karadsheh, Octavia Nasr, Jomana Karadsheh and Brian Todd contributed to this report.
21 April, 2007
A killing causes you to take the blame
A Palestinian bystander was killed today by an Israeli aircraft that fired at a car carrying Islamic Jihad members.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/14AD86E7-A96F-436E-A1F7-B3BABDBD5623.htm
But read closely. This happened because Palestinian groups , Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committees and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades fired rockets in to Southern Israel. It didnt cause any injuries but the Israeli retaliation did.
Then to further slice the wound and deepen the pit of resentment, this appears to be yet another act of retaliation to avenge the deaths of Palestinian fighters who were killed earlier on Saturday by an Israeli undercover unit.
This is just classic press bias. We all know both sides are just involved in a bitter cycle of revenge killings but Israel happens to be the frontline lucky contestant who takes the blame on this article's headline. This was taken from Aljazeera news. The sad thing is, if this were BBC or CNN, it would be laced with hints of its own biases.
Generally I'm growing less and less sympathetic for the Arab world because the more it shouts for justice the louder it fires its guns and sends ambiguous messages on what they want. I feel bad for the moderates who are constantly struggling for common ground and diplomacy while they keep their culture intact but the extremists who bear sectarian divides and prejudice are just disgusting.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/14AD86E7-A96F-436E-A1F7-B3BABDBD5623.htm
But read closely. This happened because Palestinian groups , Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committees and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades fired rockets in to Southern Israel. It didnt cause any injuries but the Israeli retaliation did.
Then to further slice the wound and deepen the pit of resentment, this appears to be yet another act of retaliation to avenge the deaths of Palestinian fighters who were killed earlier on Saturday by an Israeli undercover unit.
This is just classic press bias. We all know both sides are just involved in a bitter cycle of revenge killings but Israel happens to be the frontline lucky contestant who takes the blame on this article's headline. This was taken from Aljazeera news. The sad thing is, if this were BBC or CNN, it would be laced with hints of its own biases.
Generally I'm growing less and less sympathetic for the Arab world because the more it shouts for justice the louder it fires its guns and sends ambiguous messages on what they want. I feel bad for the moderates who are constantly struggling for common ground and diplomacy while they keep their culture intact but the extremists who bear sectarian divides and prejudice are just disgusting.
EU to criminalise Racism
So does this mean that we can throw Ahmadinejad in the slammer for all the anti zionist remarks he's made especially when he said the holocaust never happened? Wouldnt that be easy.
EU to criminalise racism and xenophobia
Thu Apr 19, 12:16 PM ET
The European Union has agreed to make inciting racism and xenophobia a crime across the 27 member states, EU diplomats said Thursday.
The agreement allows for between one and three year prison terms for public incitement to violence or hatred directed against people according to their race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin.
Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AFP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Agence France Presse.
15 April, 2007
More deaths in Baghdad
This article headline reads "At least 45 die in Baghdad sectarian bombings ".
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18116217/
How about adding the word "more" after 45? And does anyone notice how many times reports like this note which sects were targeted?
The U.S. is just caught in the midst of a lost cause in Iraq. Sad.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18116217/
How about adding the word "more" after 45? And does anyone notice how many times reports like this note which sects were targeted?
The U.S. is just caught in the midst of a lost cause in Iraq. Sad.
13 April, 2007
Ironic quote on War
Picked this up from the web.
War does not determine who is right, war determines who is left.
War does not determine who is right, war determines who is left.
U huh We did it--Al Qaida
Al-Qaida-linked group claims Iraq blast
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070413/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=AgFuIE82uiTxwQ7LKtaNxQVvaA8F
An inside job? This took place in the Green zone. Lots of possibilities.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070413/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=AgFuIE82uiTxwQ7LKtaNxQVvaA8F
An inside job? This took place in the Green zone. Lots of possibilities.
Happy Anniversary Lebanon
Thirty two years marks a glaring reminder that the Lebanese are still as blind about the nature of their conflicts as ever.
They'll blame the Americans for their involvement, which is not insignificant, but come on. They can only blame themselves for their infidelity towards their own country by not recognizing that their own government is receiving aid from other countries (like Iran and Syria) who have their own agendas.
America is no saint country but it wasnt the one who started sectarian conflicts in Lebanon.
Tensions have in fact not only produced a divided government but a divided people. What makes me sick are those who are living in the U.S. and bash the American government while they continue to complain and collect paychecks without making a difference. (I apologize to any Lebanese who read this but you know who these people are and if you dont share this view, then please respect that this is a mere observation. There are other hypocrites out there who dont want change. ) Looming in the background too are archaic Arab traditions that continue to demean women in society and extremists who misinterpret the Koran. People who misshape perceptions of the West and consider America as a temporary haven until they can return to their land carrying their wealth and breeding yet more prejudice over a country that had nothing to do with their centuries old battle over sectarian issues.
Lebanon marks civil war anniversary
By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 32 minutes ago
Lebanon marks the anniversary of its civil war this week, a conflict that began three decades ago under circumstances that, to some, are starkly reminiscent of the political divisions and sectarian violence seen today.
On April 13, 1975, an ambush by Christian gunmen of a busload of Palestinians sparked a civil war that lasted 15 years, killed 150,000 people and caused $25 billion in damage.
Marking this year's anniversary, the rusted bullet-scarred bus was displayed at a former crossing point on the line that separated Beirut's Christian and Muslim sectors during the war.
Ibrahim Eid, a Lebanese civil society coordinator, said the bus was "a symbol of this day" and should "raise awareness after what we've seen in the last year."
Sectarian tensions have been out in the open, and there is incessant talk in the media and by rival politicians of various groups rearming. The situation seemed especially perilous in January when nine people were killed in sectarian violence between government and opposition supporters.
The current instability started in 2005 when former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed by a massive truck bomb in Beirut. Since then, a series of bombs have targeted politicians, journalists and commercial centers.
Tensions have produced a divided government. The opposition, led by the Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah, has camped outside Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's office since Dec. 1 in an effort to force him to step down, and six members of the opposition have resigned from the Cabinet.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, has refused to convene parliament, and both he and President Emile Lahoud no longer recognize the Cabinet as legitimate.
The investigation into Hariri's assassination is yet another issue pulling the government apart. The U.N. Security Council has authorized the creation of a tribunal to try the suspects, but the opposition has refused to endorse it. In response, the government has asked the U.N. Security Council to impose the court, a request New York has said it is studying.
Analysts warn the current political crisis could leave the country with two rival governments who battle each other, as was the case in the last two years of the civil war.
Both the government and opposition are sticking to their positions, drawing strength from ties to foreign powers. The government is banking on support from the U.S. and its allies, while the opposition is backed by Syria and Iran, key opponents of Washington's policy in the Middle East.
However, none of the major political parties advocate going back to a time when kidnappings, car bombs, mortars and assassination were regularly used to subdue the other side. Nor do foreign armies that have intervened in the past — those of Syria, Israel and the U.S. — seem eager to get sucked into another Lebanon quagmire.
While Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned at a rally last week that political solutions were at a dead end, he said he would not resort to violence.
"We don't want civil war ... No one wants to burn down his country over political differences," said the leader of the heavily armed guerrilla force that fought Israel in last summer's war and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S.
On the Christian side, a deputy leader of the Phalange Party, which led the Christian militias during the civil war, discounts a rekindling of the conflict despite the rising tensions.
"No one wants to start a civil war. No one has an interest," said Joseph Abu Khalil in an interview on LBC television Thursday.
In this spirit, the Lebanese group Joy of Giving has asked citizens to assemble in downtown Beirut on Friday to remember the civil war's outbreak in "a day of prayers, forgiveness, unity and a return to dialogue."
However, many analysts predict the violence and instability that has plagued the country for the past two years will continue, even if it falls short of all-out war.
Columnist Zayan warned in the leading An-Nahar daily Thursday that Lebanon faces an uncertain future, where "talk about divisions and the possibilities of civil war has become part of the discussions in the cafes, the morning gatherings and on buses."
Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
They'll blame the Americans for their involvement, which is not insignificant, but come on. They can only blame themselves for their infidelity towards their own country by not recognizing that their own government is receiving aid from other countries (like Iran and Syria) who have their own agendas.
America is no saint country but it wasnt the one who started sectarian conflicts in Lebanon.
Tensions have in fact not only produced a divided government but a divided people. What makes me sick are those who are living in the U.S. and bash the American government while they continue to complain and collect paychecks without making a difference. (I apologize to any Lebanese who read this but you know who these people are and if you dont share this view, then please respect that this is a mere observation. There are other hypocrites out there who dont want change. ) Looming in the background too are archaic Arab traditions that continue to demean women in society and extremists who misinterpret the Koran. People who misshape perceptions of the West and consider America as a temporary haven until they can return to their land carrying their wealth and breeding yet more prejudice over a country that had nothing to do with their centuries old battle over sectarian issues.
Lebanon marks civil war anniversary
By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 32 minutes ago
Lebanon marks the anniversary of its civil war this week, a conflict that began three decades ago under circumstances that, to some, are starkly reminiscent of the political divisions and sectarian violence seen today.
On April 13, 1975, an ambush by Christian gunmen of a busload of Palestinians sparked a civil war that lasted 15 years, killed 150,000 people and caused $25 billion in damage.
Marking this year's anniversary, the rusted bullet-scarred bus was displayed at a former crossing point on the line that separated Beirut's Christian and Muslim sectors during the war.
Ibrahim Eid, a Lebanese civil society coordinator, said the bus was "a symbol of this day" and should "raise awareness after what we've seen in the last year."
Sectarian tensions have been out in the open, and there is incessant talk in the media and by rival politicians of various groups rearming. The situation seemed especially perilous in January when nine people were killed in sectarian violence between government and opposition supporters.
The current instability started in 2005 when former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed by a massive truck bomb in Beirut. Since then, a series of bombs have targeted politicians, journalists and commercial centers.
Tensions have produced a divided government. The opposition, led by the Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah, has camped outside Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's office since Dec. 1 in an effort to force him to step down, and six members of the opposition have resigned from the Cabinet.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, has refused to convene parliament, and both he and President Emile Lahoud no longer recognize the Cabinet as legitimate.
The investigation into Hariri's assassination is yet another issue pulling the government apart. The U.N. Security Council has authorized the creation of a tribunal to try the suspects, but the opposition has refused to endorse it. In response, the government has asked the U.N. Security Council to impose the court, a request New York has said it is studying.
Analysts warn the current political crisis could leave the country with two rival governments who battle each other, as was the case in the last two years of the civil war.
Both the government and opposition are sticking to their positions, drawing strength from ties to foreign powers. The government is banking on support from the U.S. and its allies, while the opposition is backed by Syria and Iran, key opponents of Washington's policy in the Middle East.
However, none of the major political parties advocate going back to a time when kidnappings, car bombs, mortars and assassination were regularly used to subdue the other side. Nor do foreign armies that have intervened in the past — those of Syria, Israel and the U.S. — seem eager to get sucked into another Lebanon quagmire.
While Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned at a rally last week that political solutions were at a dead end, he said he would not resort to violence.
"We don't want civil war ... No one wants to burn down his country over political differences," said the leader of the heavily armed guerrilla force that fought Israel in last summer's war and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S.
On the Christian side, a deputy leader of the Phalange Party, which led the Christian militias during the civil war, discounts a rekindling of the conflict despite the rising tensions.
"No one wants to start a civil war. No one has an interest," said Joseph Abu Khalil in an interview on LBC television Thursday.
In this spirit, the Lebanese group Joy of Giving has asked citizens to assemble in downtown Beirut on Friday to remember the civil war's outbreak in "a day of prayers, forgiveness, unity and a return to dialogue."
However, many analysts predict the violence and instability that has plagued the country for the past two years will continue, even if it falls short of all-out war.
Columnist Zayan warned in the leading An-Nahar daily Thursday that Lebanon faces an uncertain future, where "talk about divisions and the possibilities of civil war has become part of the discussions in the cafes, the morning gatherings and on buses."
Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
12 April, 2007
Iraq's Sectarian Divide
No one wants to see the sectarian divide that erodes Iraq's road for peace. Take a look at the map posted on CNN.http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/iraq.transition/
(click on the link on this page called Baghdad's sectarian divide) Doesnt this give you dejavu on similar divisions in Lebanon during last summer's war between Israel?
At this point, I think no matter what the U.S., Britain or any stereotypically branded Western country does (thank you radical Islam), there is no recognizable period of stability for a majority of countries in the Middle East these days that signify that they do want democracy. There will always be this terribly frustrating mix of cultural dichotomies, religious beliefs and archaic traditions that plague countries like Iraq, Lebanon and Iran to name a few. So why should the U.S. stay in Iraq? As an American I feel proud knowing that I live in a democracy and that despite all the prejudices that are still evident in this country, a majority DO have an awareness that things are far better here than they are in the Middle East. I think it is downright unfair to convince Americans to believe that they're fighting for Iraqi people's rights to a fair democracy when these people are still closely tied to nations who continue to undermine their desire to achieve freedom. It's like treating a victim who still cherishes the victim mentality and uses it for their own benefit. One minute they're friends to the U.S. and the next the U.S. becomes this evil force that invaded their country for political gain. Everyone is scum while they remain the victims.
09 April, 2007
Sanctions now
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6538957.stm
Why wait until the end of May? They can continue to increase nuclear fuel production but the U.N. member countries need to apply sanctions now. Who ever said it was easy dealing with people who are out of touch with reality? This isnt about the West anymore, this is about insane political deviants who are blowing things out of proportion and shifting attention towards themselves because of past grievances and more importantly because of extremist sectarian issues that have nothing to do with the welfare of its people anymore. If Iran really wanted peace defying other possible resolutions and suppressing its society is not the way to prove it.
Why wait until the end of May? They can continue to increase nuclear fuel production but the U.N. member countries need to apply sanctions now. Who ever said it was easy dealing with people who are out of touch with reality? This isnt about the West anymore, this is about insane political deviants who are blowing things out of proportion and shifting attention towards themselves because of past grievances and more importantly because of extremist sectarian issues that have nothing to do with the welfare of its people anymore. If Iran really wanted peace defying other possible resolutions and suppressing its society is not the way to prove it.
04 April, 2007
Pelosi in Syria
Bush kind of has this one right but I'm still waiting to see what happens altruistically because I'm still in the mindset that things will still work themselves out in the end. (we can only hope)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6522743.stm
What is Pelosi doing? Either she's in Syria as a decoy or that she wants to keep her enemies close that she gets killed in the process.
There's a TON of politics and deception going on in Syria. Assad definitely is keeping close guard for Lebanon not to move towards a more democratic government for economic and political purposes . There's also it's ties with Iran and it's questioned involvement with Hezbollah supposedly arming it with weapons to support it's cause against the West.
So here comes Nancy with an agenda that somehow diffuses the utterly Republican views of the West yet I cant help feeling concerned that she could possibly help further deteriorate relationships between the U.S. and Syria.
I'm crossing my fingers that this doesnt happen.
Does anyone remember David Bonior's similar efforts in Baghdad back in 2002?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6522743.stm
What is Pelosi doing? Either she's in Syria as a decoy or that she wants to keep her enemies close that she gets killed in the process.
There's a TON of politics and deception going on in Syria. Assad definitely is keeping close guard for Lebanon not to move towards a more democratic government for economic and political purposes . There's also it's ties with Iran and it's questioned involvement with Hezbollah supposedly arming it with weapons to support it's cause against the West.
So here comes Nancy with an agenda that somehow diffuses the utterly Republican views of the West yet I cant help feeling concerned that she could possibly help further deteriorate relationships between the U.S. and Syria.
I'm crossing my fingers that this doesnt happen.
Does anyone remember David Bonior's similar efforts in Baghdad back in 2002?
A gift from Iran
So thank you Ahmadinejad for releasing the British soldiers as a 'gift'. It's so great to be powerful and condescending because the common folk dont really have the time or patience to stand it; they just walk away shaking their heads in despair.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6525905.stm
Regardless of whether they were in fact inside Iranian waters or not, it's such a great gesture for this gracious president to gift the Brits back their people intact instead of in shreds. As for the soldiers' state of mind, well time will tell when they get back and get their heads reexamined for any traces of intimidation and brainwashing.
Please.
One wonders whether this is just another propaganda effort. All this took place shortly after the U.N. approved further sanctions on Iran for defying orders to halt intense efforts on nuclear proliferation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6525905.stm
Regardless of whether they were in fact inside Iranian waters or not, it's such a great gesture for this gracious president to gift the Brits back their people intact instead of in shreds. As for the soldiers' state of mind, well time will tell when they get back and get their heads reexamined for any traces of intimidation and brainwashing.
Please.
One wonders whether this is just another propaganda effort. All this took place shortly after the U.N. approved further sanctions on Iran for defying orders to halt intense efforts on nuclear proliferation.
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