Saturday, March 29, 2003

Watch Out, NRA The rules of engagment in Iraq changed tonight. Now, any person carrying a gun is to be "taken out." And, any home found that has guns or weaponry in it, allows soldiers to takes its residents as prisoners of war. Given the Patriot II Act, one might wonder what could happen here... Be careful. comment []  permalink  6:48:32 PM

Getting Out - and Back Into - Basra The Brits look at the taking of Basra of primary importance, seeing it as a test for how things might go in an attack on Baghdad. Given that the city didn't greet the 'coalition' forces with open arms; the subsequent lack of electricity, food, and water; and the death of 22 and injury of 68 by recent bombing; and the footage of Al-Jazeera tapes showing devastation, it's clear that the message of liberation hasn't quite been believed. In the first Gulf War, there was an uprising in Basra, but because the occupying forces left, Saddam's repressive regime killed more than 250,000, so it's understandable that some have doubts as to how to react today, although a CNN television report says there are signs of the banned Shi'ite flags around the city. While the taking of the city has not yet happened, the Brits are now in control of the bridge that leads to sources of food and water. Women and children are allowed to cross, but men and young men of "fighting age" are not let back in if they leave for fear that they may be part of the groups fighting the 'coalition' forces. If Basra is eventually taken, there's a good suggestion for what should be done afterward: "Because the allies need a swift political as well as military success, Basra ought to be declared a free city immediately upon liberation. It should not be run exclusively by allied military officers, but by a provisional committee of public safety composed of free Iraqis from all the democratic opposition factions." comment []  permalink  3:41:58 PM

How Much More? How many more will die? How much more death and destruction can we watch? President Bush says we must expect "further sacrifice." We've already sacrificed 36 Americans, as well as an estimated 283 - 391 Iraqi civilians and soldiers. What are we doing to the lives of our military men and women, some of whom now write, "I have tried to stay motivated and upbeat, but every day over here kills another part of my optimism. I remember in high school I thought I was miserable. Now I almost laugh about that stuff. " What are we doing to their families who witness the war videos played 24 hours a day? What are we doing to ourselves, watching it all? Robert Butterworth, a Los Angeles psychologist, says we're "going to have to come to terms that we're in a real war here, and we haven't had that since Vietnam." The barrage of almost immediate reports from the battlefield means that those of us back here are also stressed: ''In a sense, we're in the battlefield because we're experiencing a lot more than we ever did.'' Will we become numb? Will the anguish turn to action? There is only so much sacrifice one can withstand - especially when one is still not really sure why we are doing this in the first place. comment []  permalink  1:08:04 PM

Gender Considerations in War "Some women, following the courage of their convictions are making their way to the frontlines of war, [while] many of their sisters worldwide, affirming that women by their very nature are the purveyors of life, are painstakingly attempting to construct frontiers of peace." And although women now comprise about 15% of those in active duty, there still exists a split in how genders view war in general and "has seldom been more glaring than it is right now." Certainly there are men who oppose the war, but even then, how each gender reacts to it varies. How much of that reaction is the nature/nurture issue and how much is an effect of sometimes feeling part of an oppressed group? comment []  permalink  10:18:32 AM

International Relationships Where we stand in some of the world: Philippines The Communist Party of the Philippines warns U.S. troops not to enter any of the territories held by the New Peoples Army. "Any US combat forces that enter the territories of the revolutionary movement or deploy in adjacent areas will be targets of attack by the NPA, warns Communist Party of the Philippines spokesman Gregorio Rosal. Saudi Arabia Saudi officials have complained that U.S. missiles are landing in Saudi Arabia. The US has suspended some routes used for missile firings until it can "fix the problem." India India's External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha says U.S. "advice to India about resuming dialogue with Pakistan in the aftermath of the killings of Hindus in Kashmir this week was just as gratuitous and misplaced as we asking them to open a dialogue with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein." South Korea Students under the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils reportedly demonstrated in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul recently, concerned about the danger of war from the Korean Peninsula." Their statement said, "It is as clear as noonday that the next target of the U.S. invasion is the Korean Peninsula." North Korea As an explanation of why North Korea has refused nuclear inspections, an editorial in Rodong Sinmun says that if it had done so, it "would have already met the same miserable fate as Iraq's." Pyongyang also said it needed to stop honoring its commitments to the 1953 Korean War armistice "because of 'persistent war moves' by the United States in and around the Korean Peninsula." Iran Iranian Government spokesman Abdollah Ramazanzadeh dismissed Rumsfeld's statement that Iranians who interfere will be considered combatants. "The Badr Brigade's decisions have nothing to do with Iran; they are independent, like any other Iraqi opposition group," he said. He also accused Rumsfeld of creating propaganda that had "no logic" behind it. Good News from Ukraine Deputy Leonid Kravchuk, leader of the Social Democratic Party in Ukraine says since there is nothing to do to stop the war, he "will vote the way [his] conscience dictates in order to protect at least one individual there in the Persian Gulf, instead of gesticulating and shouting condemnation." comment []  permalink  9:38:55 AM

War Strategy and 'Arab Streets' The Asia Times reports that "Saddam's strategy... is to sacrifice open spaces, but to hold urban areas and conduct guerrilla-style harassment operations in coalition rearguard areas. All this is to gain time... Saddam's calculation is simple: Baghdad under lengthy siege could not only lead to ever-growing mobilizations of the 'Arab street' in neighboring countries, but also prompt condemnation in the UN by the France-Germany-Russia axis with demands for a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement." And it is the 'Arab street' that we need to pay attention to. "Arab societies are torn between the dictatorial regime of Iraq which they reject and an American superpower they don't trust." Yet with the pause in the push on Baghdad, Saddam is gaining time and "is banking on rallying world public opinion." Already there are indications that anger and hostility is rising to dangerous levels. In Cairo, 15,000 demonstrated against the war, raising concerns that the war "may inadvertently contribute to a revival in radical Muslim politics." And in Iraq itself, a taxi, driven by a man in civilian clothes, approached a checkpoint in Najaf. and as the soldiers approached it exploded." Even those who want Saddam ousted are angry with 'coalition' forces. Mohsen Hakim, senior member of the Supreme Assembly of Islamic Revolution in Iraq says, "We, as representatives of the Iraqi nation, do not need the US permission or coordination for dismissing the oppressor regime of Baghdad. This is a right that has been officially recognized at the international level." As more time passes, more time can be spent harnessing this anger and rage. Then where will we be? comment []  permalink  8:45:34 AM

© Copyright 2003 Jennifer Hicks. Last update: 3/31/03; 7:06:15 AM.

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