Wednesday 9 October 2002

At U.N., Council Toils Over Wording of Resolution on Iraq. Compromises might clear the way for the "very different" resolution on Iraqi disarmament that President Bush demanded on Monday. By Julia Preston. [New York Times: International] Good old compromise! While the lives of innocent civilians are in the balance, statesmen and politicians argue about semantics and phraseology and thrash out dirty deals in UN corridors so as to save face and not seem to climb down in the face of ultimatum after ultimatum and threat after threat from the US to use its veto if its wishes aren't met. And then, of course, Dubyoo publicly states that he'll ignore whtever the UN Security Council comes up with anyway if this suits him -- so what's the point?       Methinks the world has gone mad! 4:05:12 PM  Your view

In Bush's Iraq Speech, Unwarlike Phrase Pleases Many Abroad. Many foreigners focused on one line: that the pending Congressional resolution "does not mean that military action is imminent or unavoidable." By Elaine Sciolino. [New York Times: International] One line among many more of bellicose rhetoric, unfortunately. It's being disingenuous, really, to grasp at this one mild reference among all the rest. The bottom line remains that Dubyoo desperately wants his little 'war' (though how the likely scenario could in any way be considered a 'war' is beyond me -- it's nothing more nor less than one-sided aggression). But it's sad in the extreme to think that the consequences of attacking Iraq haven't really been fully thought out, just as the US administration apparently hadn't considered what would happen if Saddam agreed to let UN arms inspectors back in.       Surely even the least experienced chess player knows to consider possible alternative responses from his opponent to whatever move he makes and have his own alternatives ready in reply. But it seems as of the advisers to the supposedly most powerful man on the planet take isolated decisions and blindly stumble from one to the next. This is not very reassuring for the rest of the inhabitants of this planet. 3:59:55 PM  Your view

Israel Defiantly Warns of More Antiterror Raids in Gaza. Shouldering aside U.S. criticism, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today warned of more Israeli raids like the one that left 16 Palestinians dead on Monday. By James Bennet. [New York Times: International] Of course it's blatantly hypocritical of the US to lecture Israel while at the same time it waves its own big stick in Iraq's direction. The two administrations are really tarred with the same brush as far as taking the law into their own hands is concerned. 3:48:45 PM  Your view

U.S. Presses for Total Exemption From War Crimes Court. A U.S. envoy left for Europe on Tuesday to try to persuade governments to ignore a recent E.U. compromise that would exempt only some Americans from prosecution. By Elizabeth Becker. [New York Times: International] No! No! No! I was disappointed when I read about the EU's 'compromise'. Why on earth should Americans be exempt from prosecution? Do Americans have some God-given ability to do no wrong? This hairy old chestnut of being concerned about malicious accusations just doesn't hold water, and no concessions should be made.       But, not satisfied with what the EU have come up with, the US sets out to undermine the authority of the EU itself by trying to get individual governments to ignore the agreed terms of the shady compromise and grant immunity at national level. And the administration which conducts itself in this devious way has the unmitigated gaul to lecture other countries on how they should conduct their affairs! 3:46:07 PM  Your view

		© Copyright 2002 Jim MacCormaic . Last update: 09/11/2002; 03:29:43 am .