TFF PressInfo

For the discerning journalists, editors and citizens Summary • Any U.S. attack on Syria will be a gross violation of international law, including the UN Charter. • al-Assad’s admission of UN inspectors obviously was seen by Washington as an obstacle for its war plans. • An attack will come only as a consequence of deliberately ignored opportunities for professional, impartial mediation and peace-making, the lack of backing of Kofi Annan’s plan of April 2012 in particular. • An attack can under no circumstances be seen in the light of a responsibility to protect since it will cause even more violence and human suffering throughout Syria. • Again, we see how the vast majority of people in conflict zones who do not resort to violence are being abandoned. • Any attack is likely to have grave consequences for the region as a whole. • For these reasons any attack must be...

TFF PressInfo 1-2013 On Tuesday February 26, in Kazakhstan, a new round of negotiations are due between Iran and the Five Permanent UN Security Council members + Germany. We’d like to bring the following expert statement to your attention. Contacts for interviews as well as analytical sources below the statement. Summary The problem is not nuclear weapons, essentially. It’s strategic interests such as control of oil and gas and that requires a change of Iran’s ‘obstinate’ and ‘defiant’ regime.

 The present US/NATO/EU policy is based on escalating threats without an exit strategy. This increases the risk of war, whether intended or not. If that is not the deliberate purpose, an entirely new Western policy vis-a-vis Iran must be developed. The Transnational Foundation in Sweden – an independent think tank with 27 years of experience – provides you with the diagnosis, the prognosis and the proposals for improved relations built on...

The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs withdraws organisational support for TFF, without prior consultation, motivation or documentation but with immediate effect. We intend to survive! September 22, 2000Jan ÖbergTFF’s global constituency and presence on Internet Reflections on the Support Campaign in the year 2000 September 22, 2000TFF SupportersIn their own voiceWhat people around the world wrote to and about TFF September 22, 2000Jan ÖbergAnalys av UD:s beslut om att slopa organisationsbidrag till TFF för år 2000 TFF PressInfo # 98Support Appeal Svensk Stödappell TFF PressInfo # 95Action Request – How You Can Help TFF Now TFF PressInfo # 94The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deprives TFF of Its Annual Organisational Grant – and Allocates Millions without Documentation TFF PressInfo # 94 (in Swedish)UD slopar stöd till TFF – och fördelar miljoner utan redovisning Arbetets ledarsida 26 maj 2000Mot en snävare debatt Arbetet 6 juni 2000Socialdemokratin svek idealen, idag jamsar man med...

(Denna text skrevs före inledningen av bombningarna i Afghanistan) Statsminister Göran Persson sände den 12 september ett kondoleansbrev, omedelbart efter terrorattackerna den 11 september. Sverige deltog också i EU:s uttalande. Det dröjde emellertid ända till den 22 september innan statsministern gjorde följande uttalande: Det är korrekt att FN:s säkerhetsråd erkände den konstitutiva rätten till individuellt och kollektivt självförsvar i enlighet med Stadgan i resolution 1368 den 12 september. Det betraktade också terrorhandlingarna som ett hot mot internationell fred och säkerhet. Resolutionen betonar vidare att de som är ansvariga för att hjälpa, stödja eller ge skydd åt förövarna, organisatörerna eller sponsorerna av dessa handlingar kommer att hållas ansvariga. I detta syfte uttrycker det at det – Rådet – är redo “att vidta alla nådvändiga åtgärder för att svara på terroristattackerna…” Men inte med ett ord ger resolutionen Förenta staterna någon rätt att svara på terrorattackerna genom att inleda ett “krig mot...

On 8th May the Iranian government’s spokesman revealed that the Iranian president had sent a letter [translation here] to President George Bush suggesting new ways of resolving the differences between the two countries. The 18-page long letter does not contain any new suggestions on Iran’s nuclear file, but has criticised some of the United States recent policies in the Middle East. US officials have summarily dismissed it as ‘rambling’ and not addressing the nuclear standoff. They have also indicated that they do not intend to respond to the letter. Ahmadinezhad’s letter is most significant However, the very fact that the hard-line Iranian president who had declared only a short time ago that there was no need to talk to the United States has decided to take this unusual step is of enormous significance, at least as a reflection of Iran’s internal politics. This is the first time in more than...

Of course, we all breathe a bit easier with the news of a ceasefire in Lebanon even if its prospects for stemming the violence altogether are not favorable at this time. And after dithering for 34 days while the bombs dripped and the rockets flew we need to acknowledge that the United Nations, for all of its weaknesses, plays indispensable roles in a wide array of international conflict situations. It is notable in this instance that despite Israel’s discomfort with UN authority, and the reluctance of the United States to accept any UN interference with its foreign policy priorities, as in Iraq, both countries were forced to turn to the UN when Israel’s war against Lebanon ran up against the unexpectedly strong Hezbollah resistance. At the same time this is certainly not a moment to celebrate the UN for fulfilling its intended role as dedicated to war-prevention and the defense...

For several decades now the world has been living with the illusion that the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) established a functioning treaty regime that has spared the world from nuclear danger. It is an illusion partly because three nuclear weapons aspirants (Israel, India, Pakistan) have kept clear of the treaty, and suffered no adverse consequences when they developed nuclear arsenals. On the contrary, President Bush’s proposed nuclear deal with India must be understood as a major diplomatic reward in spite of India’s crossing the nuclear weapons threshold. And Israel has been allowed to develop a formidable nuclear weapons arsenal while the West kept completely silent. But this is not the only concern. The NPT has generated a new set of pretexts for launching aggressive war. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was mainly vindicated, in public at least, because of Baghdad’s stockpile of weapons of mass destruction and its covert nuclear...

Denna PressInfo finns på engelska och danska “Jag gick inte med i armén för att tjäna mitt land utan för att fly från ett förbaskat tråkigt liv i min hemtrakt, Orange County, och för att komma från mitt gäng och knarket.” Robert Acosta hade precis fyllt 18 när han gick in i USAs militär. Han var 19 när han blev förflyttad från Hanau i Tyskland till Irak, där tre månader senare en handgranat, som någon hade kastat emot hans pansrade manskapsvagn (Humwee), exploderade. “Det finns ingen möjlighet i världen att vara beredd på en situation där plötsligt din hand ligger framför dig på marken och små, blodiga bitar av dig själv klibbar på väggarna”, säger han. Medan han berättar vrider vänsterhanden hela tiden på kroken som numera ersätter hans högerhand. Det är alltid svårt för honom att tala om detta. Robert Acosta, Photo by Nina Berman © 2005 Den New York-baserade fotografen Nina...

Denne artikel på dansk og på svensk “I didn’t join the army to serve my country, but to escape from the awful boredom in Orange County, to get away from my gang, and from the drugs.” Robert Acosta had just reached the age of 18 when he signed up with the US military. He was 19 when he was deployed to Iraq from his base in Hanau in Germany, and three months later a hand grenade someone had thrown at his Humvee exploded. “There’s no way on earth to get you prepared for the situation where all of a sudden you see your own hand lying on the ground in front of you and everywhere across the walls there are little, bloody pieces of you,” he says. While he speaks, again and again with his left hand he turns and twists the hook that now substitutes for his right – it is disturbing...

Mother Jones – The Damage Done Digital Journalist – Purple Hearts thumbs – Nina Berman’s photos Nina Berman’s book, Purple Hearts Information Clearing House – Purple Hearts. A Documentary by Roel van Broekhoven A photo series that the New York-based Nina Berman made of wounded Iraq veterans led to the making of this documentary. She also wrote the book ‘Purple Hearts, Back from Iraq’, in which soldiers tell their stories. Documentary filmmaker Roel van Broekhoven crossed the United States to visit the people portrayed in Berman’s photos.  In detail, they recount what happened on the day they got injured; how they arrived back home, blind or legless; how they have to try to forget the war now, in small towns around Alabama and Pittsburgh, or in Washington and L.A. Officially recognised as “heroes,” a Purple Heart on the uniform in the closet, most of these soldiers long to go back...

Denne artikel på engelsk og på svensk “Jeg meldte mig ikke til hæren for at tjene mit land, men for at flygte fra den forfærdelige tristhed i min hjemegn, Orange County, for at komme væk fra kammeraterne og fra stofferne.” Robert Acosta var lige blevet 18 da han meldte sig til USA’s militærtjeneste. Han var 19 da han blev flyttet fra sin tyske base i Hanau til Irak, hvor tre måneder senere en håndgranat, som nogen havde kastet på hans pansrede mandskabsvogn, eksploderede. “Der er ingen chance i verden for at være forberedt på en situation, hvor du pludselig ser din egen hånd ligge på gulvet foran dig og små blodige stumper af dig selv spredt på væggene”, siger han. Mens han taler bliver hans venstre håndled ved med at vride og vende på den krog, som nu erstatter hans højre hånd. Det er stadig, hver eneste gang, lige svært for ham at...

Mother Jones – The Damage Done Digital Journalist – Purple Hearts thumbs – Nina Berman’s photos Nina Berman’s book, Purple Hearts Information Clearing House – Purple Hearts. A Documentary by Roel van Broekhoven En fotoserie av New York baserade Nina Berman om sårade Irak-veteraner har lett till skapandet av denna dokumentär. Hon har också skrivit boken “Purpurhjärtan – Hem från Irak”, där soldater berättar sina historier. Dokumentärfilmaren Roel van Broekhoven reste runt i USA för att träffa de personer, som porträtterades av Bermans foton. I småstäder runt Alabama och Pittsburgh, eller i Washington och Los Angeles berättar de detaljerat om vad som hände den dagen när de sårades, hur de kom tillbaka hem – blinda eller utan ben – hur de nu måste försöka att glömma kriget. Officiellt är de “hjältar” med ett Purpurhjärtan på uniformen som de har hängande i garderoben. De flesta längtar efter att komma tillbaka till...