Jordan celebrates independence–and the King reminds us it’s time for Palestinian independence

May 25 is Jordan’s independence day.

Happy Birthday Jordan!!!!

In a televised statement celebrating Jordan’s independence, King Abdullah II talked about supporting Palestinian independence:

We will not hesitate in performing any role or effort and exploiting our ties with influential powers and international forums to enable our Palestinian brethren to regain their right and set up their independent state….

We will continue to commit ourselves to the choice of just peace based on international legitimacy resolutions and within the Arab consensus.

Good idea.

But how does a nation become independent these days? I really have no clue.

American wrote a Declaration of Independence, then fought a war against England. Would anyone fight a war against Palestine if they just went ahead and declared independence?

So how exactly did Jordan get to be independent?

• From 16th century: Jordan was part of the Ottoman empire, ruled from Damascus.
• After WWII, the League of Nations created the French Mandate of Syria and the British Mandate Palestine.
• 1921-Britain gave Transjordan semi-autonomous control
• On March 22, 1946 Britain signed a treaty granting independence to Jordan
• 1946-British requested United Nations approval to ending the British Mandate in Transjordan
• The Jordanian Parliament proclaimed King Abdullah the first king of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
• The king proclaimed the state to be officially inaugurated and a series of ceremonies was done in the morning of May 25 in the capital of Amman.

So those were the steps back in the last century. Either a war or an agreement with whatever country it’s already a part of, then approval by an international body, then recognition by its own internal government. It looks like it helps if a major world power sponsors the UN resolution.

So I say the Palestinians themselves have to take the next step. They need to plan their party.

First they will have to declare independence. They already have a legislature and an elected leader, although he’s probably still getting his strength back from the surgery, but they can still pass some resolutions. Then they will have to get either George Bush or the Queen of England to sponsor a UN resolutiuon. Then they pass some resolutions and have a ceremony. Then they get official recognition by Jordan, the U.S. and England, in which order, I don’t know. Then I guess they play the birthday song and dance the dubka for about the next week. After that they can get around to manufacturing passports and figuring out who to bribe to get them.

Or something like that.

Someone tell me why this can’t work.

J Street–a new American Jewish lobby for a two state solution

Time is running out for the Bush administration’s Middle East policy.

We remember the Nixon presidency for Watergate, but also for recognizing China.

History will remember George W. Bush for Iraq. It is not too late for Bush to also be remembered for recognizing Palestine as a state.

But the American Jewish community has often been seen as the deal-breaker in any peace negotiations, whether fairly or not, I don’t know. As a result, American politicians only show active support for the Palestinian state when they are lame ducks in the last phases of their terms. That means that realistically, the window of opportunity for Palestinian statehood only opens up once every eight years, when the incumbent president is ineligible to run for reelection.

Now another piece of the Palestinian statehood puzzle is falling into place–an American Jewish interest group called J Street that says it supports a two-state solution.

Palestine the Nation.

Just do it.

Declassified satellite views of Darfur refugee camps

You can now see a high resolution satellite view of Darfur refugee camps that has been declassified. First you  download Google Earth, then you can do a search for refugee camps or for Darfur.

With the joystick-style navigational controls, you can move the satellite view in four directions, as well as closer or farther away, or you can just click on the screen and drag whatever you want to see closer. If you zoom close enough to the Darfur villages you can see white squares that are tents. You can also see recently burned villages.

There are also some interesting links on this thread.

Free Tibet

Years ago the film Seven Years in Tibet (banned in China) brought home the cruelty of the Chinese conquest of Tibet. A Chinese army with modern weapons obliterated the Tibetans, armed only with medieval bows and arrows. Nonetheless, the Tibetan army fought a hopeless and suicidal rear-guard action long enough to cover the escape of the Dalai Lama to India.

Since then little information has escaped from that area, but monks have brought out rumors of massive killing of native animal herds and scorched-earth destruction of native habitats.

As protests and demonstrations over Tibet followed the Olympic torch relay in Paris, one presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton, called on President Bush to skip the opening ceremony for the Olympics.

Complete statement by Hillary Clinton on Olympics:

The violent clashes in Tibet and the failure of the Chinese government to use its full leverage with Sudan to stop the genocide in Darfur are opportunities for Presidential leadership. These events underscore why I believe the Bush administration has been wrong to downplay human rights in its policy towards China. At this time, and in light of recent events, I believe President Bush should not plan on attending the opening ceremonies in Beijing, absent major changes by the Chinese government.

I encourage the Chinese to take advantage of this moment as an opportunity to live up to universal human aspirations of respect for human rights and unity, ideals that the Olympic games have come to represent.

Americans will stand strong in support of freedom of religious and political expression and human rights. Americans will also stand strong and root for the success of American athletes who have worked hard and earned the right to compete in the Olympic Games of 2008.

The west has had few options for interference with China’s brutality in Tibet no matter how much sympathy exists for the Tibetans. Until now. Yes, this is the time to put pressure on China.

Free Tibet.

Did Syria’s President al-Assad really eat with Israelis?

I’m still chuckling over a humorous piece in The Onion about the Mideast peace talks in Anapolis earlier this month, titled “Syria Attends Mideast Peace Talks For Free Continental Breakfast”. Perhaps The Onion’s reporters, their reputations preceding them, weren’t permitted in the same press room with the mainstream press? Whatever happened, they did manage to get a couple shots of Syria president Bashar al-Assad.

But what is on the table in front of al-Assad in that formal conference portrait?

And why doesn’t al-Assad’s big plate of Danish rolls have a shadow? The table is highly polished, and everything else on the table, no matter how small, has a reflection.

Can you say “photoshop”?

Naughty, naughty Onion.

The Onion continued with their tongue-in-cheek explanation:

In Tehran, meanwhile, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was not invited to the talks, was highly critical of the summit, claiming that the European-style breakfast was indicative of a pro-Israel bias.

“It is quite obvious that the Annapolis summit will offer little real substance to those in attendance,” Ahmadinejad said. “The little single-serving boxes of cereal are not even sizable enough to constitute a real meal.”

Nevertheless, many within the State Department said they were encouraged to witness a number of delegates working together to clean up a cup of spilled coffee. At one point, the Israeli prime minister even offered to give up extra napkins to Syria’s president in order to stop the liquid from flowing over the side of the counter.

Funny stuff, but it made me stop and wonder–did all those people really eat together? The way I understand the Arab food symbolism, Arabs can have tea with anyone. This is an expected part of a meeting. An airing of opinions, as well as the hoped-for consensus, always takes place in the presence of those ubiquitous little tea glasses.

But food is a different matter. Eating with someone is a statement of acceptance, at least out in the boonies among the country people. I wonder how the diplomats interpret it. And if the Syrian entourage really did eat with the Israelis.

Veteran’s Day Email: The real cost of war–when will they ever learn?

Sent to me in memory of Del Ray Jacobs, PFC USMC, who died in Viet Nam over 35 years ago. I taught with his sister in the Middle East. Our Iraqi refugee students (back in 1999) particularly enjoyed listening to “Where have all the flowers gone”. When will they ever learn, indeed.

I’ll pass this one on without comment, for Veteran’s Day 2007:

 

As I reflect on this photograph, I seeonce again that not all the brave leave the ‘home of the brave’ toenter battle; some are required now to be the ‘brave of the home’

It is said a picture is worth a thousand words but it leaves me speechless and tearsin my eyes.

Would YouSend This Please



Would You Send This Please

We have a long list of good friends whose husbands are deploying

to Iraqnext month. One of the wives sent me this. We feel compelled

to send it on. Your prayers are deeply appreciated. These guys and gals

deserve our love, our hugs and most powerfully, our prayers.

Prayer Request:

I understand that life in Iraqis very difficult to bear right now. Our troops need our prayers for strength,endurance and safety.

Send this on after a short prayer; please don’t break it:

‘Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protectus. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us inour time of need. Amen.’

When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troopsaround the world.

There’s nothing attached; just send this to all in your address book. Do notlet it stop with you, please — of all the gifts you could give! a US Soldier,Sailor, Airman, or Marine deployed in harm’s way, prayer is the very best!!!

 

Camo Underwear-Just Say No

Today I was in the local dollar store and took a little stroll around to see all their merchandise.  In the underwear department was a set of camouflage underpants. Across the back of one pair was printed the words “major cutie”.  Now, who in their right mind would want that written on their rear end?

Walking around a little more, I spotted camo hoodies, camo pants, camo sweatshirts,  and little camo jammies for children. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the purpose of camouflage to keep someone from being seen in a war area?  In fact,  camouflage is a military necessity, an accessory of war and killing, along with guns and stuff.

When did killing become a fashion statement?

Academic Freedom–the shirt

I’m not one of those people who arrives at a meeting with a Chomsky quotation up my sleeve. But I was impressed with the strong turnout for academic freedom at University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel Friday–an event where Noam Chomsky was scheduled to speak along with Israel Lobby co-author John Mearsheimer and others.

So here are two Chomsky Freedom T-shirts with academic freedom themes. One says,

If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.

The other says,

For those who stubbornly seek freedom, there can be no more urgent task than to come to understand the mechanisms and practices of indoctrination. These are easy to perceive in the totalitarian societies, much less so in the system of ‘brainwashing under freedom’ to which we are subjected and which all too often we serve as willing or unwitting instruments.

Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week is coming up. Might be just the thing.

Tees are sweatshop-free and ethically produced, either in the U.S by union labor or by American Apparel whose fair labor practices have been well documented. Chomsky Freedom Tees are available in organic, fitted, hoodie, raglan, tank top and dog.

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Related posts:

Chomsky Ditches Rockefeller Chapel, Politics is Still Local

Noam Chomsky and Israel Lobby Co-author Mearsheimer to Speak at Rockefeller Chapel in October 2007

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Chomsky Ditches Rockefeller Chapel, Politics is Still Local

On my way to Rockefeller Chapel for the symposium on the Israel Lobby, two things were uppermost in my mind. One was whether the Israel Lobby was the only force preventing the formation of the Palestinian state. The other was why I couldn’t get my hair to lie straight. I needn’t have worried about either one.

As it turned out, the afternoon’s festivities were not about Palestine at all, but rather about a subject closer to home: the denial of tenure for two DePaul professors. And the U of C fashion statement for the semester seems to be tousled hair, drab dark colors, and flimsy twisted scarves, wound around the neck once with both ends hanging in the front.

Featured speaker Noam Chomsky didn’t make it on account of his wife’s illness, but sent a video. Summaries of the speakers’ comments “In Defense of Academic Freedom” are available elsewhere on the net, as are discussions of the Norman Finkelstein/Mehrene Larudee tenure issues.

But how does the Israel Lobby work? Some answers came out during the question and answer session. In the U.S. congress, the Middle East is a “small issue” but a bridge is a “big issue”. The Israel Lobby does not provide direct money or direct pressure. Even if a legislator has no problem getting reelected they still can’t afford to offend the Israel Lobby. They would sacrifice their career, since they would be able to get no bills through, to get the bridges and local projects that get them reelected. The Israel Lobby is not a conspiracy, it is just a policy group like the NRA. It is part of the legitimate political process. The way it is not legitimate is when it tries to stifle academic discussion.

The way that the Israel Lobby influences academic decisions like tenure was not made really clear. Apparently this is also not an overt process, the schools simply “know” what they are expected to do. Academians are told through the grapevine they could have problems if their names become linked to people like Finkelstein. Possibly they anticipate a smear campaign. Even sitting on the same stage with someone like Israel Lobby co-author John Mearsheimer could have repercussions for their careers, they are told.

Suddenly the importance of someone with Chomsky’s reputation lending his name to this issue became clear, as did the clearing of the stage after the question and answer session, to allow all new speakers to come out–including the two DePaul professors–for a separate session. Ah, academia.

Yes, the world needs people like Chomsky, Finkelstein, Juan Cole. Not because their assertions are necessarily true, or even because they believe what they say themselves. The way I understand it, it’s a huge case of “the game’s afoot.” It’s a way to arrive at truth. One group takes one side of an argument and argues it vehemently. The other group takes the other side. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis. Academic reputations are made on the twist of a phrase or an insult that no one else can understand. Meanwhile , youths burning embassies in Turkey or the Middle East take the whole dialog seriously, believing they have discovered the truth in the academics’ statements. They have only discovered a process meant for arriving at the truth.

Who knows how closely the academic discussion actually mirrors real life events. Does it matter? After all, tenure for professors–like bridges–is a “big issue”. The Middle East is a “small issue.” I wonder how I could explain that one to my Palestinian friends. Still, not having those voices would mean quite the lopsided public discourse.
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Related posts:

Academic Freedom-the shirt 

Noam Chomsky and Israel Lobby Co-author Mearsheimer to Speak at Rockefeller Chapel in October 2007 

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Chomsky, Israel Lobby co-author Mearsheimer to speak at Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel in October 2007

UPDATE: link to speaker schedule HERE

This one is hard enough to find online. John Mearsheimer, co-author of The Israel Lobby, will be speaking in October in Chicago along with Noam Chomsky and others:

12 October 2007 - 2:00pm - 7:00 pm
Rockefeller Chapel, University of Chicago

I first caught this on NPR on a local Chicago show called Worldview. As I turned on the radio, I was caught up short by the assertion that the only thing preventing the formation of a Palestinian state is the U.S. Israel lobby. Two authors were on the show discussing their book and it got very interesting. The authors say the Israeli lobby, like the NRA, does not represent the actual views of the members that support them, but only the most extreme views. They also characterize the lobby as not being religious in nature–they say the group is political–as many Jews oppose the work of the lobby and many Christians support it.

The book, Stephen M. Walt and John J. Mearsheimer’s The Israel Lobby and U.S. Policy not surprisingly made the New York Times unhappy.

But what does anyone really know about the Israel Lobby, besides what is whispered–sometimes not so quietly–on the Arab Street.

Philosophers say they like Noam Chomsky, not because they agree with him, but because they have to engage in a lot of original thought to figure what is wrong with what he is saying. These authors seem to be having the same kind of effect on the public debate over the Middle East.

Maybe it’s time to get that kind of sunlight onto the Israel lobby.

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Related posts:

Academic Freedom-the shirt 

Chomsky Ditches Rockefeller Chapel, Politics is Still Local 

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