"News that's not known, or not known enough."
Helen & Harry Highwater's cranky weblog of news and opinion.
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"News that's not known, or not known enough." Helen & Harry Highwater's cranky weblog of news and opinion. |
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Nationalism today; and Bush lectures the Arab world
Related to (1), in writing about Lebanon and Hezbollah recently, the term “nationalists” came up related to “the opposition” alliance to which Hezbollah belongs. This alliance advocates an “independent” Lebanon, one that does not allow itself to be over-influenced by other countries such as the US, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia, or even Syria. Hezbollah also considers itself a
Thus, we are seeing the growth of “nationalism” as in (1) around the world in all of those countries badly affected by neo-liberalism. This article indicates that Asian countries “are now building up huge currency reserves so they never again have to come begging to the IMF [International Monetary Fund] (and so suffer dictates from Washington) in times of crisis. Moreover, the whole of Latin America is in revolt.” They have declared “independence from Washington,” and they now “pursue policies that actually benefit the poor.” In my view, what the corporate elites disillusioned with Bush really want is a “multilateral system” that is really US unilateralism “cleverly packaged to grant other nations just enough slack to prevent them from fighting it [said of the neo-cons in the article].“ To me, what Bush and the neo-cons did was remove the clever packaging which revealed the basic unilateralism at play that other nations DID begin fighting against. The author of the article concludes by assuming that after Bush, the world will end up without Bush’s US unilateralism and probably without the ability to return to the cleverly packaged “multilateral corporatism” of the Clinton era I guess the author has never heard of the “multi-polar world” concept, nor does he notice that those more “nationalistic/independent” countries have been turning to building better relations with their neighbors as they build pipelines of various sorts A response article put up at the “TvNewsLIES” site had this title “Sinking to New Depths: The Mad Hatter Lectures the Arab World!” I have to admit that I definitely agree with what Reggie, the author, had to say: It “seems almost ridiculous when you think of about it ... George W. Bush, the man who has done more to violate political freedom, oppose women’s rights, suppress freedom of information and the press, and who prides himself on being a ‘war president” is lecturing others to reform the ills of their governments. It is beyond insanity. Having George Bush lecture anyone about peace and freedom is much like Charles Manson giving a talk on positive group dynamics.” He lays out more of the crimes Bush & his team have committed and concludes saying, “at TvNewsLIES, ... we have written over and over about the deterioration of our freedom and the horrors of the wars that the Bush cartel has waged in our name. Frankly, right now, I’m tired of doing the same thing over and over. Perhaps I’ll just have a good laugh.” Actually, what I feel is more like disgust, and I’m NOT laughing. I really wonder what those Middle Eastern policymakers and business leaders attending that international conference (and those hosting it as he targeted their country) thought. I assume most of them knew very well what a load of insulting, patronizing, and hypocritical bullsh*t was being dumped on them. They also would have KNOWN that their real political and socio-economic achievements are always ignored and that in the countries with US installed (and armed) puppet (or mostly puppet) leaders, it is that fact that makes political reform extremely hard.
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