Archive for July, 2010
07 25th, 2010
This is worth a thought from the small Kyrgystan news agency 24kg by Boris Dzhunusov:-
Democracy is often called a system, at which governments hold elections and, in case of its defeat, give power to winners. In our country, elections used to be held always with one result – the winner was exceptionally the power itself. Therefore, we should not exclude that in the nearest future the winner in the elections in Kyrgyzstan will be a ruling party. Democracies can be stable only at a definite level of economic development. When the country is populated by poor citizens, it should be understood that a voting bulletin is not a saving remedy. In theory, democracy deserves admiration, but its hasty introduction outside western world often entails bigger poverty, bloodshed and death.
07 24th, 2010
North Korea has just carried out a missile test and the US President Jim West has to decide how to respond:-
‘All right,’ West said thoughtfully. ‘So who are North Korea’s friends? Because Hitler had plenty.’
‘China and Russia – if you don’t count the rogue states,’ said Secretary of State Newman. ‘They’ll back us, but it may have a cost. On the surface, neither will sacrifice their relationship with us in order to save North Korea. But go a bit beneath that, and they will try to exact unacceptable concessions.’
Click here: The Third World War — A Future History Click here: The Third World War — A Future History
07 24th, 2010
North Korea warns of nuclear ’sacred war’, saying it will use its “nuclear deterrent” in response to joint US-South Korean military exercises this weekend.
In a hot war confrontation how many allies might North Korea really have?
07 22nd, 2010
The US and South Korea’s plans to hold joint military exercises pose a major danger to the region, Pyongyang says. Some 20 ships and submarines and 100 aircraft are to take place in four days of manoeuvres in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) from Sunday.
Sanctions and war games — what next?
07 16th, 2010
In August 1990, the United States linked a UN vote on Iraq sanctions to aid packages to poorer countries who were temporary members of the Security Council – such as Ethiopia, Zaire and Yemen. Yemen voted against the resolution and three days later found that the US had cancelled its entire aid programme to the country. The Yemeni ambassador to the UN was told: “That will be the most expensive ‘no’ vote you ever cast.”
But expensive to whom? Twent years on, Yemen is seen as one of the biggest sanctuaries for Al Qaeda terrorism.
A brilliant review by Andrew Cockburn in the London Review of Books on Joy Gordon’s Invisible War: The United States and Iraq Sanctions
