March 2002

Sweden: the Shrinking of a March 26, 2002 STOCKHOLM: Has Sweden lost its way? Or is it merely stuck at the crossroads? This is the dilemma of a pioneer. Having opted out of the beaten course, the path-breaker must for ever be conscientious about progress in a chosen direction. It calls for sustained vision to remain steadfast in a self-elected mission. Unfortunately, Sweden, once perceived as a moral superpower that outshone the nuclear powers in their battle armour has lost its reference points: the twin routes of unbridled capitalism and Stalinist socialism between which it charted a promising new way. The Third Way, born of the visionary-activism of Olof Palme, one of the tallest social democrats and celebrated ‘Third Worlder’, was a beacon of hope for many in the South, and also sections in the North, who were unwilling to hitch their wagon to the Cold Warriors. But with the...

Who terrorizes whom? March 26, 2002 One of the marks of exceptional hegemonic power is the ability to define words and get issues framed in accord with your own political agenda. This is notorious at this moment in history as regards "terrorism" and "antiterrorism." Since the September 11 attacks, two truths have been indisputable and universally reported. One is that the hijacker bombings of the World Trade Center and Pentagon were atrocities of a monumental and spectacular scale (and media coverage of that day’s events alone may have generated more words and graphic images than any other single event in recent history). A second truth is that the bombings were willful acts of terrorism, accepting the basic and widely agreed-upon definition of terrorism as "the use of force or the threat of force against civilian populations to achieve political objectives." And let us also recognize that "sponsorship of terrorism" means...

A discussion for La Vanguardia, Spain March 26, 2002 Andre Malraux in his Antimemoirs writes of the “East…likened to an old Arab on his donkey sleeping the inviolable sleep of Islam”. Hegel too thought that the Orient was in a long winter sleep. For Marx the situation was worse. Since the Orient was dominated by despotism, there were no classes, so they were stuck in the Asian Mode of Production, a limbo where nothing of significance happened or could happen over the centuries. Osama bin Ladin has certainly shattered those illusions. All of a sudden, the Americans, safe in their cocoon of North American “isolationism”, have been rudely awakened to the dangers of “wars of civilization” almost like Star Wars in science fiction. Muslim “hordes” fired up with religious zealotry are said to be preparing to wage suicidal war on “the West”. At least that is the impression one receives...

By Shastri Ramachandaran, Editor, Times of India Stockholm   March 26, 2002 STOCKHOLM: Has Sweden lost its way? Or is it merely stuck at the crossroads? This is the dilemma of a pioneer. Having opted out of the beaten course, the path-breaker must for ever be conscientious about progress in a chosen direction. It calls for sustained vision to remain steadfast in a self-elected mission. Unfortunately, Sweden, once perceived as a moral superpower that outshone the nuclear powers in their battle armour has lost its reference points: the twin routes of unbridled capitalism and Stalinist socialism between which it charted a promising new way. The Third Way, born of the visionary-activism of Olof Palme, one of the tallest social democrats and celebrated ‘Third Worlder’, was a beacon of hope for many in the South, and also sections in the North, who were unwilling to hitch their wagon to the Cold Warriors....

By Edward S. Herman and David Peterson   March 26, 2002 One of the marks of exceptional hegemonic power is the ability to define words and get issues framed in accord with your own political agenda. This is notorious at this moment in history as regards “terrorism” and “antiterrorism.” Since the September 11 attacks, two truths have been indisputable and universally reported. One is that the hijacker bombings of the World Trade Center and Pentagon were atrocities of a monumental and spectacular scale (and media coverage of that day’s events alone may have generated more words and graphic images than any other single event in recent history). A second truth is that the bombings were willful acts of terrorism, accepting the basic and widely agreed-upon definition of terrorism as “the use of force or the threat of force against civilian populations to achieve political objectives.” And let us also recognize that...

Av Lars-Olof FredrikssonMajor, Ret, M.Sc.Pol., Äänekoski, Finland  26 mars 2002  Jag minns sextiotalets fredsdiskussioner och demonstrationer, alla med udden riktade mot kalla krigets kapprustning och de strategiska vapnens snabba spridning, i synnerhet i Europa. Som ung officer ville jag försvara neutraliteten och det självständiga försvaret då som nu. I de finska diskussionerna fanns det i många partier en stark vilja att stödja Sovjets rätt till rustning i solidaritetens och fredens namn. Känns det bekant? Visst är det samma sorts resonemang som nuförtiden ständigt ekar från väst när President Bush påstår sig ha rätt att utkämpa fullskaligt krig mot terrorismen, talar ut om “ondskans axel” och delar in världen i de som är med USA och de som inte är det. Kalla krigets fred hade sin grund i de två antagonistiska blockens förmåga att bekämpa varandra, även &endash; ifall avskräckningen skulle misslyckas &endash; medelst kärnvapen. Men ingen vågade utmana grundförutsättningen och...

Religion and Modernization in Islam March 26, 2002 Andre Malraux in his Antimemoirs writes of the "East…likened to an old Arab on his donkey sleeping the inviolable sleep of Islam". Hegel too thought that the Orient was in a long winter sleep. For Marx the situation was worse. Since the Orient was dominated by despotism, there were no classes, so they were stuck in the Asian Mode of Production, a limbo where nothing of significance happened or could happen over the centuries. Osama bin Ladin has certainly shattered those illusions. All of a sudden, the Americans, safe in their cocoon of North American "isolationism", have been rudely awakened to the dangers of "wars of civilization" almost like Star Wars in science fiction. Muslim "hordes" fired up with religious zealotry are said to be preparing to wage suicidal war on "the West". At least that is the impression one receives from...

Hård retorik ska besegra terrorismen 26 mars 2002 Jag minns sextiotalets fredsdiskussioner och demonstrationer, alla med udden riktade mot kalla krigets kapprustning och de strategiska vapnens snabba spridning, i synnerhet i Europa. Som ung officer ville jag försvara neutraliteten och det självständiga försvaret då som nu. I de finska diskussionerna fanns det i många partier en stark vilja att stödja Sovjets rätt till rustning i solidaritetens och fredens namn. Känns det bekant? Visst är det samma sorts resonemang som nuförtiden ständigt ekar från väst när President Bush påstår sig ha rätt att utkämpa fullskaligt krig mot terrorismen, talar ut om "ondskans axel" och delar in världen i de som är med USA och de som inte är det. Kalla krigets fred hade sin grund i de två antagonistiska blockens förmåga att bekämpa varandra, även &endash; ifall avskräckningen skulle misslyckas &endash; medelst kärnvapen. Men ingen vågade utmana grundförutsättningen och således blev...

A hundred-page guide to the latest ideas on war reporting, based on tough, honest debates with 200 top journalists and analysts who together came up with a practical checklist for the ethical reporting of conflict. The book shows how patterns of reporting violence may exert a cumulative influence on the behaviour of parties to a conflict and, therefore, the course of subsequent events. It suggests that conflict analysis skills could help journalists come to grips with their responsibilities, by clarifying the connections between reporting and reality on the ground. There are detailed sections on Israel & the Palestinians; Macedonia; Africa & the DRC; Iraq, and Indonesia. Including practical examples of stories on each conflict demonstrating how each could be radically enhanced if the checklist points are applied. “First class” – Fergal Keane, Special Correspondent, BBC “A thoughtful blend of academic rigour and journalistic experience… To read it is to learn...

LONDON – George W.Bush, the world now realizes, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. World events, everything from the political composition of the U.S. Supreme Court, from terrorism to the American economy seem to have a preordained way of working in his electoral favour. Again it is happening with Latin America. By rights the chickens should be coming home to roost as Bush girds up for his end of week visit to Mexico, Peru and Central America but, in fact, Argentina apart, the tides, both political and economic, appear to be working in his favour. Just the other day the International Monetary Fund issued a report saying that Latin America was “set for recovery”, likely to benefit from lower financing costs, higher commodities and an expected rebound in the U.S. economy, with a projected growth by the end of the year of 4% (excluding Argentina).  For the last...

Terror and Cultural Diversity March 22, 2002 i The Problem of Cultural Paranoia My topic today is Terrorism and Cultural Diversity. The tragic events of September 11 are still reverberating around the world. I am sure that the question of the role of cultural diversity in providing the breeding ground for "terror" is on many people’s minds. Does "terror" arise from cultural distance? Is it the "foreigners", those people we do not understand, who are the "troublemakers"? To be anxious about strangers in our midst is a natural reaction. In times of fear and panic, the "aliens", the "foreigners" become suspect. We must be very careful to distinguish between realistic threats to security from those paranoid reactions against all foreigners. The very great danger in times of crisis is the focusing of anxiety and anger on outsiders. This leads to "ethnic profiling", or "stereotyping", and then, as a direct result...

The Invention of Peace. Reflections on War and International Order By Michael Howard Yale University Press, 2000 The professor of military history of the universities of Yale and Oxford here in a short book distills the great historical sweep of his earlier volumes. With his usual felicity of expression he explains the origins of war in human society, its ingrained nature through the millennia, and argues that it would be foolish to believe that after the Cold War permanent peace has come upon us.I recomend this book for those who like the long view of history and who like to be convinced that mankind will never change its (violent)spots!