March 13, 2007
The surge; Israeli sex crimes; green fanaticism
Is the "surge" working? Both the American and the Iraqi governments have sounded a note of slight optimism recently. Even the news that the US is to send more troops to Iraq could be taken as a good sign - the original announcement of 21,500 extra troops was at the very low end of what "surge" advocates thought was necessary - so dispatching further troops could be a signal that the Bush administration really is committed to making this new strategy work. Robert Kagan, a neo-conservative academic (and brother of one of the intellectual architects of the surge plan) makes the case that the "surge" is already producing progress.
I would love to believe Kagan is right. But the Iraq Body Count project, which monitors the violence in Iraq more closely than any other impartial group, does not agree. Its latest weekly analysis shows no let up in the violence, and is the usual compilation of gut-wrenching stories. The Swoop foreign-policy analysis service asserts that President Bush is being told privately that the new strategy is not working.
Moving from the tragic to the ridiculous: the most emailed story on the BBC website yesterday was this heart-warming tale of sexual deviance from the Israeli embassy in El Salvador. For a professional diplomat deliberately to stuff a rubber ball into his mouth suggests to me a certain disgust with his professional duties. Or maybe it’s both less - and more - complicated than that. This particular ambassador has clearly failed in his efforts to promote a positive image of his country. But at least his pecadillo did not harm anyone else. By contrast, the Israeli president has been indicted for rape and the justice minister has had to resign after sexually-harassing a female soldier. Perhaps they should put some sedatives into the water supply in government ministries.
Finally, I have the feeling that green fanaticism is getting out of hand in Europe. Of course climate change is a grave problem. But is it really necessary for the German government to arrange free showings of "An Inconvenient Truth" in schools across the country? It sounds like brain-washing to me.
Regarding the “Surge” and the current Bush policy, as alternative views about America’s actions in Iraq and the wider Middle East don’t get much airing, I take the liberty of posting this link to a letter by the Syrian Ambassador to the UK, published in today’s Guardian newspaper, without necessarily endorsing everything that it says:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2032362,00.html
Two noteworthy bits are:
Quote
President Bush has now come up with a new initiative. Apparently disregarding the recent Baker-Hamilton report, it divides the Middle East into two categories: the so-called moderate states abiding by American rules, and the extremist “renegade” states. It also seeks to escalate tension with Iran in preparation for a possible all-out confrontation. And it is about increasing the US military presence in Iraq in the short to medium term.
Unquote
and this very valid question (I think I know the answer!):
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And why are al-Qaida terrorists and other death squads attacking innocent civilians exclusively, whereas legitimate resistance forces are restricting their operations to military targets?
Unquote
All the best,
P
Posted by: Pacifist | March 13th, 2007 at 2:05 pm | Report this commentAN URGENT CALL TO STOP THE WAR ON IRAN
http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/1596
Posted by: Pacifist | March 14th, 2007 at 1:49 pm | Report this commentthe question is not what the numbers are now, but what they’ll be once “the surge” withdraws and the moles being whacked return.
of course, if the intent is for “the surge” to never be withdrawn or to even increase … .
Posted by: ekzept | March 15th, 2007 at 8:00 pm | Report this commentGideon - re. your comment “I have the feeling that green fanaticism is getting out of hand in Europe….sounds like brain-washing to me” - it sounds pretty innocuous to me. Kids get bombarded with so much Disney, cartoon and advertising tripe on TV that watching a reputable doco about a serious issue is a small step in the right direction.
I don’t now what it’s like in the UK or Germany these days, but in New Zealand every two or three out of six ads in any give ad break advertise the latest sports car or SUV. That’s the real fanaticism.
Posted by: The strategist | March 16th, 2007 at 8:33 am | Report this commentSURGING OR EBBING?
What are the results so far of the change of tactics in Baghdad? Robert Kagan says first indications are that the surge is bearing fruit. The FT’s Gideon Rachman is not so sure:I would love to believe Kagan is right.
Posted by: Clive Davis | March 16th, 2007 at 5:55 pm | Report this commentI fully agree with the Strategist, and I am amazed by Mr Rachman’s latest remark about green fanaticism after his own earlier articles (along the lines of “I’m wondering if a decade later all current political worries will not seem small to me compared with the climate change dangers.”) Compared to James Lovelock’s books - who used to be branded as an extremist but whose views are fast gaining ground in the mainstream scientific community - Al Gore’s film is one of “too few too late” well-researched documentaries trying to alert us all to the dangers most people are completely oblivious of. Making children, who will have to live in this hotter and poorer world, less careful and a more responsible than their parents is not brain-washing with green fanaticism to me, but rather a rare and welcome sign of trying to change the parasite mentality of our civilisation.
I am wondering, is the recent IPCC warning that we have just 15 years left before the irreversible climate changes start taking place - also green fanaticism? And how many people in the street know about this deadline, and will their children be thankful to them for not brain-washing themselves early enough about it?
Posted by: Eugene | March 18th, 2007 at 10:03 am | Report this comment