Articles of Note
I have not updated in a very long time, many apologies. I have been trying to keep up with events, and I find myself increasingly frustrated with the UN. Personally, I find no other event in the world nearly as important as resolving this conflict, though I know that in the broad scope of things there are several other issues also needing resolution. After that brief apology for the UN, I will not begin my little diatribe: what is taking so long!!! Waiting for a resolution that both sides love will only result in further deaths, and I think we all know that there are very few things in the world that the U.S. and France can agree on, so why don't we just vote and end the violence! Once again, people are left to die while the politicians bicker. That is really what this all comes down to in my view. I thought the UN was supposed to be the organization prepared to step into situations like this; instead, we are left with a bureaucratic mess that can debate the horrors taking place in places such as Lebanon or the Sudan or a dozen other places, but can't do anything real. This is horribly frustrating. The idealist in me wants to believe that the UN does some good. I am now starting to believe that it is a lost cause in and of itself.
On to other things. I was sent this interesting article from The Economist regarding the Suez Crisis. It is worth reading as it describes how this crisis changed international relations, specifically the US-British relationship. Over the past few years I have found myself wondering why the Brits always fall in behind the United States and disregard Europe, and according to this piece, the key is in the roles the United States and the European powers played during the Suez Crisis. I won't write more on this topic because The Economist does a far better job than I could.
The New York Times published a very clear analysis of Hezbollah and its organizational structure. I think it is clear now that Hezbollah is very well organized, but this article leads me to believe that without some kind of external intervention (ahem, UN) this conflict could continue for a long time. Hezbollah has established a command structure that allows individual units to operate independently of central command. I believe our perception of organizations like Hezbollah looks something like a bunch of crazies hiding in a cave in the hills, plotting outlandish schemes to strike at the West for inexplicable reasons. I think it is more sobering (and more frightening) to realize that these organizations have training methodologies and systems of command comparable to conventional militaries. I think it is likely that Hezbollah receives advise from Syria and Iran, though I have read in numerous sources that we still are unsure as to how much influence Iran and Syria have over Hezbollah. The two countries may fund Hezbollah, but my feeling is that this is controlled by Lebanese leaders who set the tactics for the group.
I mentioned earlier the special relationship between Britain and the United States. This relationship is so special, that when a plane full of weapons en route from the US to Israel needs a place to refuel, it stops in the UK. Now, I don't think this has made much of a blip on the US media, but this has caused an uproar in the UK. Today, an MP (Member of Parliament) resigned his position in the defense council in protest over this issue. We are not talking about one or two planes, we are talking about a few planes a week stopping at an airport near Glasgow and then continuing to Israel. Where do you think those weapons then go?! No one is innocent in this crisis, no one should claim that this is just a problem that is "over there" far away from us. We are funding this conflict, we are actively supporting the continued violence. Though I am outraged, I am also frustrated at my lack of a clear understanding of what to do. I was raised to believe that every voice counts, your opinion matters, and that the beauty of democracy is that the government is supposed to listen to its citizens. How can we make our voices heard in a time like this, when it seems that even a small criticism of the government is labeled unpatriotic?
But I digress...
On to other things. I was sent this interesting article from The Economist regarding the Suez Crisis. It is worth reading as it describes how this crisis changed international relations, specifically the US-British relationship. Over the past few years I have found myself wondering why the Brits always fall in behind the United States and disregard Europe, and according to this piece, the key is in the roles the United States and the European powers played during the Suez Crisis. I won't write more on this topic because The Economist does a far better job than I could.
The New York Times published a very clear analysis of Hezbollah and its organizational structure. I think it is clear now that Hezbollah is very well organized, but this article leads me to believe that without some kind of external intervention (ahem, UN) this conflict could continue for a long time. Hezbollah has established a command structure that allows individual units to operate independently of central command. I believe our perception of organizations like Hezbollah looks something like a bunch of crazies hiding in a cave in the hills, plotting outlandish schemes to strike at the West for inexplicable reasons. I think it is more sobering (and more frightening) to realize that these organizations have training methodologies and systems of command comparable to conventional militaries. I think it is likely that Hezbollah receives advise from Syria and Iran, though I have read in numerous sources that we still are unsure as to how much influence Iran and Syria have over Hezbollah. The two countries may fund Hezbollah, but my feeling is that this is controlled by Lebanese leaders who set the tactics for the group.
I mentioned earlier the special relationship between Britain and the United States. This relationship is so special, that when a plane full of weapons en route from the US to Israel needs a place to refuel, it stops in the UK. Now, I don't think this has made much of a blip on the US media, but this has caused an uproar in the UK. Today, an MP (Member of Parliament) resigned his position in the defense council in protest over this issue. We are not talking about one or two planes, we are talking about a few planes a week stopping at an airport near Glasgow and then continuing to Israel. Where do you think those weapons then go?! No one is innocent in this crisis, no one should claim that this is just a problem that is "over there" far away from us. We are funding this conflict, we are actively supporting the continued violence. Though I am outraged, I am also frustrated at my lack of a clear understanding of what to do. I was raised to believe that every voice counts, your opinion matters, and that the beauty of democracy is that the government is supposed to listen to its citizens. How can we make our voices heard in a time like this, when it seems that even a small criticism of the government is labeled unpatriotic?
But I digress...
posted by Courtney at 12:40 PM
1 Comments:
Good entry, Courtney. I had not heard about the MP resigning. I wish our politicians had as much integrity. I agree completely--I am also infuriated, saddened and sickened daily by the lack of empathy I see. People talk about this conflict in D.C. like it's "interesting," or even "cool." I'm guessing that those people have never been on the wrong side of U.S. made-Israeli directed bombs before. It changes a person. Hang tight.
Beth
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