Wednesday, March 19, 2003

New World Order / Old World Order Erich Marquardt writes: In the next week, the future of international order will be determined. If the Bush administration chooses to invade Iraq after failing to secure United Nations approval, a precedent will be established encouraging states to pursue unilateralist rather than multilateralist policies. The failure of the U.N. to restrain the United States may spark a new wave of nationalism, where states no longer feel secure under the symbolic umbrella of international treaties and agreements. This will weaken global cooperation and increase the possibility for conflicts around the world. The United States, formerly a public proponent of U.N. cooperation and multilateral arrangements, has shifted its national policy toward unilateralist action where the perceived interests of the U.S. are held sacred above all else. Withdrawing from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, rejecting the protocol to the bioweapons treaty, refusing to participate in the International Criminal Court, abandoning the Kyoto protocol and threatening preemptive warfare are all products of U.S. nationalism and unilateralism introduced by the current administration. John Brand writes: If you prick an Iraqi child, does it not bleed? If you tickle an Iraqi, does she not laugh? If you poison an Iraqi, does he not die? If you wrong an Iraqi, shall he not revenge? (After the Bard, "The Merchant of Venice.") Within the heart of every human lurks the potential for gross evil. Latent deeds of murder, rape, and torture are still embedded in the human brain. Expressions of falsehood and deceit color our everyday. We all must admit the presence of the dormancy of our brutal behavior. In the name of Jesus Christ, Inquisitors stretched accused heretics over the rack. In the name of the self-same Prince of Peace, the limbs of those whose sole crime it was to voice an opinion diverging from the official party line were fettered to four horses. These were then whipped to gallop off into different directions, pulling apart the body of the accused. Hordes of other members of our species cheered at this spectacle of blood. It witnessed more to their own brutality than to the guilt of the accused. What Armageddon-like horror will the Mother of All Bombs inflict on innocents as we stand by and loudly cheer ...   (03/19/03) Japan Inc. meets the Digerati John Brockman writes: Izumi Aizu, who runs GLOCOM, Center for Global Communications, had called a week before from Tokyo to ask if I would meet and talk with a delegation he was bringing over from Japan for a whirlwind telecom and Internet "learning tour. "Why don't you invite some of the digerati who are in town to stop by and mingle?" he added. "These guys are keen to meet people who are making things happen." ... A week later, a bus pulled up in front of my office building and more than 30 Japanese businessmen (and one woman) filed out. "The Keidenren," better known in the West as "Japan, Inc.," was coming to visit. They were traveling together to Washington (The White House, the FCC); New York (Time-Warner NBC, IBM, and me); London (British Telecom, OFTEL, Department of Industry); and Bonn (Deutsche Telekom, Congress). And who might be coming to visit? The leader of the delegation was Shigeo Sawada, Chairman, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT). Other members of the group included, among others, Toshio Miki, Representative Director and Executive Vice President, Nippon Steel Corporation; Hitoshi Ito, General Manager, Information Systems, The Tokyo Marine and Fire Insurance Co.; Masanori Watanabe, General Manager, Corporate Department, The Industrial Bank of Japan; Osamu Kinoshita, Senior Vice President and Head of Management Planning Office, The Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank; Yuzo Shinkai, Director, Information Systems and Services Group, Mitsubishi Corporation; Kouya Mita, Vice President, Itochu Corporation; Minoru Yoshikawa; Director, The Tokyo Electric Power Co.; Hisaji Nakazono, Managing Director, The Nomura Securities Co.; Osamu Takenaka, Senior Managing Director, Kokusai Denshin Denwa Co.; and Masato Chiba, Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation. As the obligatory formal introductions and toasts were taking place, my teenage son, Max Brockman, leaned over and asked, in a whisper, the very question I was asking myself: "Dad, why you??" (03/19/03) High Anxiety in Bagdad Washington Post -- After months of displaying business-as-usual calm even as legions of U.S. troops assembled within striking distance of Iraq, Baghdad residents showed signs of panic today at the prospect of an imminent U.S. invasion and the lawlessness that it may spark. People cleared stores of bottled water and canned food, converted sacks of Iraqi currency into dollars and waited in long lines for gasoline. Merchants fearful of looting emptied their stores of electronics and designer clothing, while soldiers intensified work on trenches and removed sensitive files from government buildings. People crammed into cars with their household possessions and drove out of the city. Business was brisk at stores selling guns and ammunition as customers hurried in ahead of an expected invasion. Iraqis said publicly that they were arming themselves against the U.S. military, but many said privately that they were preparing themselves for the anarchy that could ensue from a collapse of the government. ... "This looks good," a stout, middle-aged woman said as she peered into a blue, five-gallon jug being sold by a sidewalk vendor. She bought two, the first supplies her family had purchased in preparing for war. She said the 10 gallons would last no more than a week. ... She and others recalled the months after the 1991 Persian Gulf War, when Baghdad lacked electricity and running water, depriving people of not only lighting and air conditioning but also clean water and sewage treatment. Food production was affected, as was medical care. Outbreaks of cholera and typhoid erupted. "Should I fill my house with these?" she said, holding up the two jugs. "There is only so much we can do. The rest is up to God." (03/19/03) Killer Virus Identified Yahoo! News (Reuters) -- Doctors in Hong Kong have made a major breakthrough in identifying a deadly pneumonia virus which has killed about 10 people and left hundreds ill around the world, which will make it easier to treat, The Standard newspaper reported on Wednesday. The paper quoted scientists as saying that the virus that has afflicted victims in Hong Kong belongs to the paramyxoviridae family. Asked if the discovery meant there was a greater hope for a cure for the highly contagious disease, Professor John Tam at the Prince of Wales Hospital said it affirmed that current treatments given to patients had been the right choice. But he added more tests needed to be done. Doctors have been using a combination of anti-viral drugs and steroids to treat patients here, but not all have responded positively. Scientists around the world have been working around the clock to trace the deadly disease to dozens of different bacteria and viruses, but had found no strong clues on what it was. Many suspected it was something they have not seen before. Most of the infections are in populous Hong Kong, where 123 people are ill and two are reported to have died. Vietnam has reported 57 cases and one death, while Singapore has 23 sick people. Two patients also died in Canada. (03/19/03) 5:18:57 AM

© TrustMark 2003 Timothy Wilken. Last update: 4/1/2003; 5:17:02 AM. This theme is based on the SoundWaves (blue) Manila theme.