Posted by: gargi in India
Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, “thirld world” unity has again reared its head. Reminiscent of the New World Information & Communication Order (NWICO) movements - against cultural imperialism, and the LDC trade blocs to negotiate at GATT and UNCTAD through the 1970’s
this new unity has seen leaders of different political and economic dogma’s come together to fight against the developed world’s unfair trade practices.
The US has played its usual “I’m losing so i am not playing” completely forgetting that it is more fun to play together.
And when America sulks, the world goes into depression.
Some interesting features of this round (we are group of 21, they are developed nations):
They are net consumers, we are net producers - and now the produce has gone beyond raw materials.
Our countries are developing fast (in education, in consumer base, in technology) and have a large proportion of young people. They are getting to be a rapidly illiterate society that is greying rapidly
We own the means of production, they own the means of distribution and delivery, and the cosumers
Both us and them agree that free trade is a good idea - but with elections galore next year - it simply isn’t possilbe. real politik intervenes in real economic.
We are going to live in interesting times.
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The recent US sponsored resolution on Iran to come clean of its nuclear weapons - is reminiscent of the circus that preceeded the war in Iraq.
The East India Company that ruled India for almost one hundred years, had an interesting policy that was rescinded in 1857 by the British Empire. The Doctrine of the Lapse - was where the Company could swallow up any state under the Doctrine. It led to the 1st war of Independence (The Great Mutiny). The US Policy in the middle east is very similar
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Today is the 30th death anniversary of Chilean Leader Salvador Allende - who was overthrown and murdered by General Pinochet
Salvatore Allende was head of the minority government of Chile. He planned to usher “democratic socialism” in to the country - and redress the balance of wealth amongst the population. Part of his strategy was to nationalise MNC companies - who transferred most of the profits outside the country. Amongst these companies Coca Cola, and ITT (international telephone and telegraph)
It is said (refer Anthony Sampson : The Soverign State) ITT used the good offices of the CIA to plot a right wing coup that would overthrow Allende. The coup was supported by the CIA because they wanted a “dirty commie bastard” out, it as supported by ITT because it kept them in. The coup happened on 11th September 1973.
Salvatore Allende was murdered. His Government overthrown and his policies reversed.
And then the fun began. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary Chileans began disappearing. Some victims of torture - to return after decades. Some shot and burried in unmarked graves. Many hounded out of the country they called home.
There are mothers there still waiting for their sons and daughters to walk home throught the door. wives waiting for husband and children longing to see their parents. Are they alive no one knows.
Let’s also spend some time and think about the victims of this 9-11
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There was a very interesting theory that was in vogue a few years ago. It was a theory that sometimes collective memory is based on false memories - or implanted memories. Examples given were
1) a whole spate of children who wrongly accused their parents of abuse - based on what they had see of real victims of abuse.
2) The Magreb (Arab) Jewish community in Israel (by far the largest ethnic group within Israel - who were free to practise their religion in Arabia - including Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria) - without fear of proesection or persecution - held memories of being persecuted through out their history. They had imbibed these memories from the European Jews who arrived in Israel after the birth of Israel - and who had suffered tremendouly across Europe through out their history and never more so than in the preceeding 15 years.
This theory can be easily attached to a number of events in the modern wold:
a) People in the US who think that Iraq was attacked as they were responsible for 9-11
b) the media projecting a world wide “sense of loss” - it isn’t. It is an American Tragedy - where seeds sown by successive US governments - that took the lives of millions of ordinary civillians across the world and spread terror in the lives - came home to attack ordinary, innocent civillians in the USA.
c) A collective memory … that is even more scary —-
- a collective memory of humiliation for all Muslims - for what was essentially an attack on sovereignity (Afghan and Iraq)
- a collective memory of humiliation that is slowly surfacing in the Third Word - just when they think that they have mastered the games, the rules have changed (look at the UK embargo on Indian services or US proposed legislation on outsourcing - both go against the GATT Uruguay round agreements on free trade in services)
I fear that 9/11 is worse than the 4000 who died that day. It has begun the unleashing of the forces of conflict. Christian v/s Muslim. Western v/s Eastern. Rich v/Poor. Tribe/Tribe. All is cool.
5000 years of civilization is slowly disintegrating - and we slowly getting back to might is right. Today the mantra is be intolerant, who ever you are. Just make sure that you have better ammunition.
My heart goes out to the families of those who died at world trade centre 2 years ago. But my heart also goes out tothe families of those who died in the rest of the world as a direct US response to that action
Awaiting retaliation for that.
End of the day Gandhi was right “an eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind”
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There is a new book written by the French Author Bernard Levy called “Who Killed Daniel Pearl”.
His theory is that the ISI (Pakistani Secret Service) murdered him because he discovered the links between them and “Islamic” terrorists. (the reason why the term Islamic is in quotes is because i don’t believe that anyone who believes in any religon will go out and kill and murder)
He says that the ISI lured him into Pakistan, had him kidnapped and then murdered.
I am not fond of the ISI - it has created its share of misery in the subcontinent.
But, for all their faults they are not stupid. why would they have him murdered in their own back yard. easier to get him bumped off in Mumbai - where he lived and worked.
These kind of conspiracy theories scare the hell out of me. i can almost hear the tom tom drums - rogue state, murders, fundamentalists, threat to international peace and security, international oil pipeline……
almost as though the stage is set for another western intervention in another eastern state.
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