Thursday, April 15, 2004
Breaking News: Mr. Bill on Shroud of Turin
I guess the lines are supposed to be helpful, but it looks kind of funny.
I guess the lines are supposed to be helpful, but it looks kind of funny.
George Bush’s blind spot
Why is it so damn hard to understand that you aren't going to satisfy the Palestinians by giving them the functional equivalent of a South African Bantustan? Check out the map contained in this page to see what Ariel Sharon’s “courageous” pullback means in terms of the total number of settlements. Sharon will dismantle FOUR settlement in the West Bank out of HUNDREDS. What definition of "courageous" would allow something so pusillanimous to be qualified as such? It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Sharon’s Likud party is falling in line with the plan (now that Bush has all but given his stamp of approval to it), given that they get to keep practically every settlement in the West Bank. Of course, just to show how crazy certain elements in Likud are, Sharon was unsure of winning a vote on this policy within his party until Bush approved of the deal.
Note the distribution of settlements in the West Bank. How on EARTH does Israel hope to defend them? They will likely require a means to move military hardware to and from the settlements, leading to roads that are defended against Palestinians, resulting in a “nation” where it will STILL take hours for Palestinians to move from one town to the other.
I expect Sharon to move very fast on this, given that there is no guarantee Bush will be president within a year. Facts on the ground seem to be Sharon’s approach to dealing with the Palestinians.
Sharon needs to ask himself, though, whether his “courageous” offer is truly going to be enough to end the Intifada. If it doesn’t, then he will have accomplished absolutely nothing, and will likely end up reoccupying the Palestinian lands he has pulled back from.. If that is the case, expect that a future American administration serious about resolving the situation in Israel WILL force Sharon (or a future Israeli leader) to do what they should have done long ago – give Palestinians something with a passing resemblance to a modern nation state.
Why is it so damn hard to understand that you aren't going to satisfy the Palestinians by giving them the functional equivalent of a South African Bantustan? Check out the map contained in this page to see what Ariel Sharon’s “courageous” pullback means in terms of the total number of settlements. Sharon will dismantle FOUR settlement in the West Bank out of HUNDREDS. What definition of "courageous" would allow something so pusillanimous to be qualified as such? It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Sharon’s Likud party is falling in line with the plan (now that Bush has all but given his stamp of approval to it), given that they get to keep practically every settlement in the West Bank. Of course, just to show how crazy certain elements in Likud are, Sharon was unsure of winning a vote on this policy within his party until Bush approved of the deal.
Note the distribution of settlements in the West Bank. How on EARTH does Israel hope to defend them? They will likely require a means to move military hardware to and from the settlements, leading to roads that are defended against Palestinians, resulting in a “nation” where it will STILL take hours for Palestinians to move from one town to the other.
I expect Sharon to move very fast on this, given that there is no guarantee Bush will be president within a year. Facts on the ground seem to be Sharon’s approach to dealing with the Palestinians.
Sharon needs to ask himself, though, whether his “courageous” offer is truly going to be enough to end the Intifada. If it doesn’t, then he will have accomplished absolutely nothing, and will likely end up reoccupying the Palestinian lands he has pulled back from.. If that is the case, expect that a future American administration serious about resolving the situation in Israel WILL force Sharon (or a future Israeli leader) to do what they should have done long ago – give Palestinians something with a passing resemblance to a modern nation state.
Random Musings
Near the end of May, I will have been in Europe for four years. That's a long time. During that period, I've gotten to know one or two Europeans, and have come to the conclusion that they know astoundingly little about the American way of life. Since their entire exposure comes to them through our media (most of which is entertainment), they end up with a very skewed idea of what America and Americans are like.
Of course, the only way for Europeans to really understand what makes Americans tick is to have regular interaction with more Americans. That's why I wish Europe and America would establish an open labor market akin to what Europe is doing within the European Union.
It's not that crazy, and wouldn't even be a jobs threat. The two economic areas are roughly equal in size, and I expect that the draw of jobs in America and Europe would be about equal. In other words, a labor exchange would balance itself out, and as many jobs "lost" to Europeans would be "gained" by Americans getting jobs in Europe. Economically-speaking, it would lead to greater efficiencies, as companies in both areas would have a larger pool from which to draw.
Of course, the biggest advantage would be the mutual understanding that would be built between the two areas. That SHOULD matter to Americans. I don't know about you, but I want future military adventures (and they will happen) to have shared responsibilities. America is big and powerful, but a medium-sized country such as Iraq weighs heavily on the budget. I can't say that Europe will suddenly go along with America's desires simply because they know us better, but at least the "aliens across the Atlantic" confusion would be taken off the table.
Of course, every time I say anything about merged labor markets, a schizophrenic voice inside of me notes that I'm someone who likes living and working in foreign countries, and would benefit greatly from such an arrangement. Okay, so I'm biased, but as I noted before...
...it doesn't mean I'm not right.
Near the end of May, I will have been in Europe for four years. That's a long time. During that period, I've gotten to know one or two Europeans, and have come to the conclusion that they know astoundingly little about the American way of life. Since their entire exposure comes to them through our media (most of which is entertainment), they end up with a very skewed idea of what America and Americans are like.
Of course, the only way for Europeans to really understand what makes Americans tick is to have regular interaction with more Americans. That's why I wish Europe and America would establish an open labor market akin to what Europe is doing within the European Union.
It's not that crazy, and wouldn't even be a jobs threat. The two economic areas are roughly equal in size, and I expect that the draw of jobs in America and Europe would be about equal. In other words, a labor exchange would balance itself out, and as many jobs "lost" to Europeans would be "gained" by Americans getting jobs in Europe. Economically-speaking, it would lead to greater efficiencies, as companies in both areas would have a larger pool from which to draw.
Of course, the biggest advantage would be the mutual understanding that would be built between the two areas. That SHOULD matter to Americans. I don't know about you, but I want future military adventures (and they will happen) to have shared responsibilities. America is big and powerful, but a medium-sized country such as Iraq weighs heavily on the budget. I can't say that Europe will suddenly go along with America's desires simply because they know us better, but at least the "aliens across the Atlantic" confusion would be taken off the table.
Of course, every time I say anything about merged labor markets, a schizophrenic voice inside of me notes that I'm someone who likes living and working in foreign countries, and would benefit greatly from such an arrangement. Okay, so I'm biased, but as I noted before...
...it doesn't mean I'm not right.
Monday, April 12, 2004
Warlords...
...they always have the best interests of their fellow citizens at heart, which is why they are called WARLORDS.
WARLORD Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is making common cause with the deposed Taliban, calling for Afghanis to rise up against foreign occupiers in some kind of perverse competition with Iraq. Yes, I'm sure lots of Afghanis look back on the rule of the Taliban with longing.
Afghanistan already rules itself, and even has a constitution put together by representatives from all parts of Afghanistan. To be sure, pieces of the country are still a bit fractious, in no small part due to the efforts of WARLORDS like Hekmatyar. If I remember correctly, it was fighting among WARLORDS after the departure of the Soviet army that lead to the chaos within which the Taliban managed to prosper. WARLORDS care about one thing - their own power - and I expect that Hekmatyar misses the power he seems to think is his due.
Frankly, Hekmatyar might manage to get the western press to report his call, but I doubt he will find many fellow Afghanis rushing to his banner.
...they always have the best interests of their fellow citizens at heart, which is why they are called WARLORDS.
WARLORD Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is making common cause with the deposed Taliban, calling for Afghanis to rise up against foreign occupiers in some kind of perverse competition with Iraq. Yes, I'm sure lots of Afghanis look back on the rule of the Taliban with longing.
Afghanistan already rules itself, and even has a constitution put together by representatives from all parts of Afghanistan. To be sure, pieces of the country are still a bit fractious, in no small part due to the efforts of WARLORDS like Hekmatyar. If I remember correctly, it was fighting among WARLORDS after the departure of the Soviet army that lead to the chaos within which the Taliban managed to prosper. WARLORDS care about one thing - their own power - and I expect that Hekmatyar misses the power he seems to think is his due.
Frankly, Hekmatyar might manage to get the western press to report his call, but I doubt he will find many fellow Afghanis rushing to his banner.
