7. november 2003

Possible Saddam peace feeler before war Lebanese businessman Imad al Hage contacted Pentagon adviser Richard Perle with a purported peace offer from Saddam Hussein shortly before the invasion. The offer consisted of holding democratic elections and allowing the US military to inspect suspected WMD sites. Perle contacted the CIA about the feeler, but it was apparently turned down. "There was no interest in pursuing it," Perle said last night from Berlin, where he is visiting. "And I had the impression that they'd already had overtures of this kind." At any rate, Perle said, "I had doubts about whether there was a real offer, because the Iraqis had a lot of ways to get in touch with the U.S." Even if the offer genuinly came from Saddam Hussein, it is unlikely to have been anything the coalition could trust. 7:56:39 AM    comment []  trackback []

Bush sets forth a brave new vision of foreign policy George Bush has set forth his vision for global democratisation in a speech in Washington DC. Essentially, what he puts forth has been an implicit and widely known policy of the US for quite some time, but now he has made it clear this is the new direction US foreign policy will pursue in the future. Bush focuses on the Middle East in particular, and strongly rejects the claim that Islam is an enemy of the west or of democracy. Some sceptics of democracy assert that the traditions of Islam are inhospitable to the representative government. Time after time, observers have questioned whether this country, or that people, or this group, are "ready" for democracy - as if freedom were a prize you win for meeting our own Western standards of progress. [...] It should be clear to all that Islam - the faith of one-fifth of humanity - is consistent with democratic rule. More than half of all the Muslims in the world live in freedom under democratically constituted governments. While criticising regimes in Syria and Iran for being obstacles to democratic reform, Bush was very charitable in praising positive steps (if tiny) in a number of countries, even Saudi Arabia. He also ties democratisation to the war on terror. Perhaps most welcome, Bush explicitly rejects the old policy of pampering to "our dictators" to oppose "their dictators", so common during the cold war. Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe - because in the long run, stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty. As long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place of stagnation, resentment and violence ready for export. Nobody should have any illusions that Bush's words will be embraced worldwide. Neither the population nor the government in the Middle East Arab dictatures trust the US or President Bush. It will be a long-term challenge for US foreign policy to convince people that democracy is not an American export product, but the only viable way forward. 5:08:28 AM    comment []  trackback []

Britain signing away control of its oil to the EU The new EU constitution may imply that the United Kingdom are signing away its control over the country's oil and gas reserves. Britain has more than 90 per cent of the EU's oil reserves, producing 1.9 million barrels a day in a £20 billion industry that supports 265,000 workers. The rest of the EU faces a long-term energy crisis, relying on imports from unstable regions of the world. Draft Article III-157 gives the EU powers to decide energy policy. It prohibits Britain from passing laws in the field of energy unless Brussels chooses to waive its primacy. Voting will be by qualified majority, leaving Britain without a veto. The text says the Union "shall aim to ensure the functioning of the energy market, secure security of energy supply, promote energy efficiency". The European Court will have the final say over what this means. This discovery about the new EU constitution is in reality a total show stopper for any plans of Norway, with its large oil reserves, ever joining the EU, unless this is changed or clarified. I can't imagine Britain accepting any meddling in its handling of the country's vital natural resources. Perhaps this is the most serious example yet of the new mega-constitution really being a move towards a French-German ruled federal EU state. In their dreams! Update: I am a bit surprised that no Norwegian newspapers have picked up this story yet. The debate about joining the EU has been hard, and still splits the voters practically on the middle. I was pro-EU when it was a common market, and I still support the EU as it was set forth in the Rome tract. I am, however, very uneasy about the new direction the union is taking. 3:44:23 AM    comment []  trackback []

Injured soldiers expect to return to Iraq The BBC has an inteview with two of the soldiers who were injured when a US helicopter were shot down in Iraq, and both of them are saying they look forward to returning to complete the job. Sergeant [Christopher] Nelson said he was one of 12 members of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Still, Oklahoma on board the Chinook helicopter. One of his friends "didn't make it", he said. But he told reporters he was itching to return to work in Iraq. Sergeant [Raymond] Littlefield said: "We're going to be in Iraq for a long time. I'm proud to do it. "There are a lot of people over there who need our help." A heavy argument in the debate about troop morale if I ever saw one. 1:51:05 AM    comment []  trackback []

Partial birth abortion law blocked Two US federal judges have in separate motions blocked the new partial birth abortion law, almost immediately after it came into effect. [U.S. District Judge Richard] Casey noted in a three-page order that the plaintiffs would suffer irreparable harm without a court injunction. He said the government made clear at a hearing Wednesday that the medical community is conflicted as to whether the procedures covered by the law are necessary to protect a woman's health and that Congress did not find a consensus. "Given the (government's) position, the court is constrained, at this time, to conclude that it is substantially likely that plaintiffs will succeed on the merits," Casey wrote. Since Congress failed to agree on a provision that allows the rare procedure when the mother's life is in danger, the law can have dangerous legal consequences for health workers. 1:45:36 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.12.2003; 12:11:59.