February 28, 2005
Lebanese Defy Protest Ban
Protesters wave Lebanese flags in central Beirut, Lebanon, Monday Feb. 28, 2005. In a show of mass support for the opposition in Monday’s parliamentary debate, About 10,000 people defied a protest ban and demonstrated calling for Syria to withdraw…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Elections in Former Soviet Union Satellites
Two former Soviet satellites held parliamentary elections over the weekend. Predictably, accusations of fraud have marred both events. Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan chose a new parliament Sunday, with some opposition figures and prominent politicians disqualified from the ballot in a country once…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
“Pioneers of a nation that is free at last”
Earlier this month a report surfaced that the U.S. military was preparing to turn over responsibility to the Iraqi military for keeping the peace in a dangerous part of Baghdad. Evidently, that historic shift took place last week: Iraqi and…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 27, 2005
U.N. Sex Abuse A Worldwide Problem
As the fallout from the U.N. sexual abuse scandal in the Congo continues, the world body now fears the problem effects each of their 16 peacekeeping missions around the globe: Rocked by widespread abuse of women and girls, including gang…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
The Dominos Are Wobbling: Exhibit C
The “regional election fever” spreading through the Arab world may soon hit the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An important council in the country has officially endorsed the concept of democratic elections: Academics and members of the appointed consultative council in…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 26, 2005
The Dominos Are Wobbling: Exhibit B
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced today that he has ordered the immediate implementation of democratic reforms in Egypt. But most importantly, he will now permit more than one candidate to run for President: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday ordered…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 25, 2005
Total Pollutes Democracy
French owned oil company Total (formerly “Total Fina Elf”) is being accused of “democracy polluting” in Myanmar by providing monetary support to the dictatorship ruling that country: Some 40 organisations launched an international campaign here Monday aimed at pressuring the…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 24, 2005
The Rule of Law Is Key to Sustaining the Togo Dictatorship
Many believe the rule of law offers an opportunity for the world to move beyond archaic behaviors such as warfare while promoting a liberal agenda (we use the term “liberal” in its strictest sense). But the law is increasingly being…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (1)
More Proof of Syrian Meddling in Iraq?
The AP is reporting that a U.S.-funded Iraqi state television station aired the confession of a Syrian intelligence officer captured in Iraq: “My name is Anas Ahmed al-Essa. I live in Halab. I am from Syria,” he said by way…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
The Mullahs Crackdown on Bloggers
The BBC reports on the crackdown of bloggers in Iran, whom the Mullahs evidently view as a threat to their theocracy: An Iranian weblogger has been jailed for 14 years on charges of spying and aiding foreign counter-revolutionaries. Arash Sigarchi…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 23, 2005
Scott Ritter: Bush to Bomb Iran This Summer
Left-wing websites are reporting that Scott Ritter, a (1) former U.N. Weapons inspector, (2) one-time arrestee for soliciting an underage girl on the Internet, and (3) recipient of $400,000 (from an associate of Saddam Hussein) used to finance an anti-Iraq…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Positive Political Developments in Iraq and Afghanistan
Two stories over the past twenty-four hours indicate former regime elements in both Iraq and Afghanistan are reconsidering their options, presumably in response to the changing political landscape over the last few months. Iraq: Some insurgents are contacting the U.S….
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
America’s Achilles Heel
Following up our entry below on the new American “minutemen,” there is a specific reason why Americans living along the southern border are forced to donate their time to police the lawless region themselves: the U.S. border patrol is overwhelmed:…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
If You Want Something Done Right, Do it Yourself
Disgruntled with the refusal of the Federal Government to adequately police the southern border with Mexico, private citizens are begining to organize and take matters into their own hand at an unprecedented rate: Intent on securing the vulnerable Arizona border…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 22, 2005
Biased & Misleading Headline of the Day
Over the past 24 hours, Yahoo News has featured quite prominently a news article related to Afghanistan with the following headline: UN: Afghanistan Could Become Terror Haven There are a few problems with headline, two of which we will address….
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
World is Skeptical of Bush’s Liberal Democracy Agenda
The AP recently commissioned a poll (predominately focusing on Europe) which sought to determine opinions on President Bush’s aggressive push for democracy in the Middle East. The strong opposition to such an effort was even surprising to us, because it…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (2)
United Nations May Control Internet
If pressure from developing nations (i.e. non-representative dictatorships) is successful in influencing a U.N. Panel examining the current structure of the Internet, the U.S. based non-profit organization International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will face calls to cede…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 21, 2005
The Dominos Are Wobbling
Coinciding with the anti-Syrian occupation protests in Lebanon today (discussed in the entry directly below), the BBC reports that anti-government protests also took place earlier today in Cairo, Egypt: Hundreds of protesters have staged a demonstration against Egyptian President Hosni…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (1)
The Law of Unintended Consequences
While it still remains unclear who was behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (possible culprits range from Syria to al Qaeda), it is clear the Lebanese have determined that Hariri’s death offers an opportunity to end…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Important Global Warming Theory Flawed Yet the MSM Is Nowhere to be Found
The credibility of a key piece of data used to support the theory of (human induced) global warming took a big hit last week. The data in question is the infamous “hockey stick” graph, (see below) which was used by…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 20, 2005
G.I. Goodwill
With the world’s media relishing the opportunity to report “atrocities” committed by U.S. forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and anywhere else they may set foot, it would be nice for the MSM to report stories such as this with the same…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
U.S. in Secret Talks with Iraqi “Insurgents”
Time magazine is reporting that representatives of the United States have held “back-channel” communications with representatives of the Sunni “insurgency”: U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers are conducting secret talks with Iraq’s Sunni insurgents on ways to end fighting there, Time…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 18, 2005
EU Position on DDT Violates Human Rights
One of the largest Leftist issues in the 1990′s concerned the U.N. sanctions on Iraq, which were initiated by the U.S. and U.K. Proponents of this issue alleged that the sanctions negligently resulted in the deaths of millions of innocent…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 17, 2005
A Brief Moment of Candor at the U.N.
“Personally, I hope to God we never get another oil-for-food program or anything approaching that kind of responsibility, which was tantamount to trying to oversee the entire import-export regime of a country of 24 million people, which was a tall…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
MUST READ
Be sure to read… that while some have called for President Bush to place pressure on Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak to implement rapid democratic reforms, the skewed political environment that has been created by Mubarak’s long years of anti-liberal manipulations would…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Unrest in Togo
Having suffered for decades under the oppressive military dictatorship of the recently deceased “President” Gnassingbe Eyadema, the Togolese are understandably upset after Eyadema’s son was chosen by the military to replace his father as the new “President” of Togo. As…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Thwarted Attacks in France
The AP is reporting that French authorities have broken up an Islamist terrorist cell that sought to destroy French landmarks in addition to Russian and Israeli targets: Suspected Islamic militants arrested in France were planning attacks against the Eiffel Tower,…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 16, 2005
Iraqis Continue to Fight Back
It is not clear whether the man at the center of this story was actually a suicide bomber, but it is clear that the Shiites were not willing to wait for actual confirmation of his intentions: A CROWD of Shiite…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (1)
An Alliance is Formed
In what is a likely response to continued pressure from the United States, Syria and Iran have agreed to build a “common front” on facing potential threats: Iran and Syria, both locked in rows with the United States, said on…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
The EU’s Global Tax
French Jacque Chirac has long called for global taxes to provide aid for a wide array of humanitarian causes ranging from AIDS to third-world development (example here and here). Now the BBC is reporting that EU bureaucrats have decided to…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Oil for Food Disaray
A former employee of Cotecna, the Swiss based company charged with monitoring the Oil for Food program (and the former employer of Kojo Annan), has revealed to U.S. Senate investigators a picture of incompetence and dereliction of duty on the…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 15, 2005
Was Hariri Murdered for Seeking Peace With Israel?
The other day we mentioned that despite the many reasons to be optimistic about the prospects of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, the interest of their neighbors in promoting strife is too great a factor to overlook. Now comes…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
German Economy is Anchor on Broader EU Recovery
Fresh economic data released today showed that Germany is continuing their new role as the chief source of economic stagnation in the EU. Bloomberg news service provides a good roundup of the overall economic situation in the EU, which aside…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Pressuring North Korea
In an effort to keep the flow of money to North Korea’s nuclear program to a minimum, the Bush administration is reportedly implementing new tactics targeting traditional sources of income for North Korea such as counterfeiting and drug trafficking: In…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Iran’s Hidden World
CBS News offers an insightful look into the reclusive world of Iranian youths who are, to say the least, dissatisfied with the theocracy ruling in Tehran: “Do you think President Bush will invade our country?” the young Iranian student asked…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 14, 2005
End Israel’s Occupation (But Not Ours)
Iranian backed Hezbollah and Syria troops have been called upon by U.N. Resolution 1559 to abandon their joint occupation of Lebanon. However, Hezbollah, which naturally opposes Israel and especially Israel’s occupation of disputed Palestinian territories, is trying to convince the…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
North Korean Executions
A South Korean based human rights group is reporting that the North Korean government has executed 70 refugees who were returned by China after attempting to flee the dictatorship: North Korea has executed about 70 refugees who were captured in…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
U.N. Arrests in the Congo
Coming on the heels of an ABC News “20/20″ program that revealed the U.N. Mission in the Congo “harbors a pedophile network,” the BBC reports that six U.N. soldiers have been arrested in relation to the sex scandal: Six Moroccan…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 11, 2005
Hezbollah: the Forgotten Factor
Even before Hamas fired mortars at two Jewish settlements on Thursday, our faith in the cease-fire announced by Sharon and Abbas was not that that strong. The reason is that too many groups and governments in the region have too…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (1)
Sharing the Burden
In one of the worst combat zones in Baghdad, the fledgling Iraqi security forces have begun replacing American troops. If this move is successful, it will likely serve as a model for the rest of the country: Starting five days…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 10, 2005
Investigating Themselves
When the five-member “Working Group on Situations” meets to decide the agenda for next month’s U.N. Human Rights Commission, they will have three new members who have plenty of experience in the field, although not in the capacity a respectable…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Arming Venezuela
Continuing a trend of arming enemies of the United States and her allies, Russia is set to supply Venezuela with a large quantity of AK-47 rifles, in addition to “attack helicopters” and MIG fighter jets. The U.S. believes the arms…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (4)
New U.N. Peacekeeper Policy in the Congo
The United Nations will reportedly implement new measures to stop rampant sexual abuse by U.N. peacekeepers in the Congo, which at last report were still taking place. What are these measures? Curfews and bans on sexual relations with locals: UN…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 09, 2005
Pressuring North Korea
In response to a recent revelation that North Korea’s nuclear program has evolved from production to proliferation, President Bush has once again asked China to pressure North Korea to discontinue their nuclear program: Driven by new evidence that North Korea…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Kojo the Renaissance Man
As Volcker commission investigators pursue new leads that will broaden the probe involving Kojo Annan beyond his Cotecna ties, Judi McLeod of Canada Free Press examines the role of Kojo and an Oil for Food Scandal colleague in the construction…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 08, 2005
Faux News
Over the weekend, French news wire service AFP ran a story claiming that Shiite leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani had “staked out a radical demand” that Islam be the sole source of legislation for Iraq’s new Constitution. Presumably motivated by…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 07, 2005
Is Antarctica Melting or Not?
In a perfect world, the media would never actively promote an issue and would simply report the facts in an honest manner. In a semi-perfect world, they would at least champion both sides of an issue equally. But of course,…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 06, 2005
Changing Relationship
The New York Times reports that the elections last weekend in Iraq have had an unexpected effect upon the relationship between Iraq and the United States: The Iraqi focus on its own democracy, and the new view of the United…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (1)
February 05, 2005
Demanding Justice
“It shows that some so-called dignitaries had not an iota of shame in their bones, no conscience and no morals. They profited as parasites on the misery of an impoverished nation…The money that has been stolen from the oil-for-food program…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 04, 2005
EU Double Standard on Symbols of Despotism
After the uproar over Prince Harry’s ill-advised costume last month, the EU sought to ban the Nazi Swastika symbol throughout the Union. As Chrenkoff quickly pointed out though, the ban would not include the symbol of Communism, the infamous Hammer…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
MUST READ
Be sure to read… about the other front for Homeland Security that receives but a fraction of the attention it deserves. Victor Davis Hanson wondering if anyone listens to Leftist elites anymore. The Moderate Voice analyzing the implications of the…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Iraqi’s Fight Back
Australia’s ABC News reports that an Iraqi village threatened by “insurgents” for voting last Sunday fought back…and won: The residents of a small Iraqi village have killed five insurgents who had attacked them for voting in last weekend’s national elections….
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 03, 2005
The Czech Republic Saves Cuban Dissent
Both Spain and the Czech Republic emerged from the shadows of totalitarianism within the past thirty years. The former left behind the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco while the latter broke free from the Iron Curtain. So one would naturally…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (2)
Iraqi Policeman Martyred on Election Day
USA Today details a remarkable account of a heroic act committed by an Iraqi policeman on the day of the Iraq elections. Here is an excerpt of their piece: Policemen guarding a polling station in Baghdad’s Mansour neighborhood Sunday recognized…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
MUST READ
Be sure to read… Brain Fertilizer discussing how celebrity pseudo-politicians need to realize people will not listen to them so long as they have no credibility. the Transatlantic Intelligencer re-examining the death of Palestinian child Mohammed Al-Dura in light of…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Russian Aid for Iran
Despite lingering concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and meddling in Iraq, the Tehran Times is reporting that Russia and Iran are close to signing a deal that would facilitate the launching of Iran’s nuclear capabilities: Iran said on Tuesday it…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 02, 2005
Targeting Arab Oil
In December we wrote an essay focusing on the relative vulnerability of the Arab oil industry after hearing Osama bin Laden’s audiotape emphasizing the targeting of oil installations in Arab Gulf States in addition to reading a report by the…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
MUST READ
Be sure to read… the Belmont Club critiquing the Newsweek report which examined the origins of the Bathist-led Iraq insurgency. about possible future “water wars” in the Middle East and Africa. why Iraq is going to be just fine. the…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
New German Unemployment High
In a development that helps explain why the German government is forcing a women to become a prostitute in order to receive her welfare benefits (also click here), new figures released today reveal Germany has hit a post-World War II…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
February 01, 2005
The Unraveling Continues
Benon Sevan, the official previously in charge of the now defunct U.N. Oil for Food program, has from the beginning been at the center of attention surrounding the corrupt program. Information in the Financial Times today indicates that new evidence…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
Spinning the Iraqi Elections
The polls had barely closed in Iraq on Sunday and already some were trying to spin the outcome of the Iraq elections to fit their agenda. The (far) left was attempting to draw new parallels between Vietnam and modern Iraq,…
Posted by GPR on 2005 02: Read more… | Comments (0)
