The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues Analyzes issues of liberal concern and gives readers a digest of what is reported in over forty newspapers throughout the world to engage them in critical thinking issues. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 58 8751

Articles from The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues

Aid Afghan Farmers-Rethink Anti-Opium Fight 2008-02-06 09:48:14 The World Bank and the Department of International Development of Great Britain, urged providing assistance to Afghanistan farmers is an important weapon in defeating insurgent elements. Afghanistan allegedly accounts for about 90% of the world’s illicit opium trade. Williwam Byrd, an adviser to the World Bank, commented: “Eradication of poppy fields looks superficially attractive,” but it is not a sustainable solution either economically or politically. Poor Afghan farmers need poppies to survive. Unless they have alternative sources of revenue, security against militants, and good government, they must continue relying on their only source of money. Opium production accounts for about 30% of Afghan’s illicit economy. President Bush can announced wars against drugs and pledge to wipe out the Taliban, but for the ordinary farmer in Afghanistan the poppy field he has is the poppy field that produces money for his survival. A few months ago, some British sources ...

US General Denies Iran Involvement In Iraq 2008-02-06 09:15:24 The American commander in Iraq’s central province of Diyala told the French magazine, Le Point, that he never witnessed any hostile act from the Iranian side of the region over the past 10 months. Le Point, quoted Colonel Ronald Ward as saying during his ten-month stay in the Iraq province he never witnssed preparation by any US military forces for carrying out border operations. Meanwhile, Brigadier General Scott Pettinger said what he saw in that province was completely contradictory to what was being claimed by Washington in making allegationss of Iranian activity in the region. He said no Iranian agent had ever been arrested in Diyala nor had he ever come across evidence of the transfer of weapons or money from Iran to insurgent forces in the area. The information in this story emanates from the Tehran Times and we have not been able to access to the original source of Le Point. If the Tehran Times report is an accurate recital of what the French magazine reported, it again ...

Mysterious Fires Frighten Turks In Germany 2008-02-06 09:00:45 Fires on Sunday and Monday that engulfed buildings inhabited mainly by Turks in Germany have left at least nine dead. Since survivors believe the fires were set by anti-immigrant Germans, the Turkish government has sent a team of investigators to uncover evidence as to the origin of the fires. Following the fires in Ludwigshaven on Sunday afternoon that claimed the lives of nine and injured 60 others, another building, mainly inhabiterd by Turks, went up in flames in the western German cvity of Herne. Survivors of the fire in Ludwigshaven report the presence of a strange man who when asked why he was in the building replied, “I am a German.” Many were trapped in the building when the wooden staircase collapsed forcing people to jump from windows. Turkey’s ambassador to Germany expressed hope it was an accident but worried it might be an example of the anti-Turkish feeling prevalent among certain groups within Germany. At present, there is no conclusive evidence the ...

Clinton Does Well With Jewish Vote In Primaries 2008-02-06 08:06:32 The Democratic primary vote reveals a strong turnout on the part of American Jews whose voting, overall, appears to have given Hillary Clinton an advantage over Barack Obama. According to exit polls, Clinton won big among Jews in New York and New Jersey garnering 65% in her home state and 635 in the neighboring New Jersey. Clinton was obtaining a majority of Jews in California with about 48% to 44% for Obama. Massachusetts revealed a surprising Obama victory for the Jewish vote where he obtained 52% despite losing the state and he did exceptionally well in Connecticut with 61% of the Jewish vote. Jewish turnout was disprportionarely high. Jews made up 16% of the Democratic electorate in New York, 10% in Connecticut, 9% in New Jersey, 6% in Massachuetts, and 5% in California. This high percent of Jews voting for Hillary Clinton may well have been a major factor in her strong showing in New York and New Jersey. It probably aided Obama in Connecticut. There may have been a tendency among ...

Shades Of Stalin-Into The Psychiatric Ward! 2008-02-06 07:53:07 During the dictatorial regime of Joseph Stalin a favorite tactic was to send opponents for a stay in the nearest psychiatric ward since, by definition, anyone who opposed the Communist party must be mentally ill. President Putin apparently hasn’t forgotten his training in the KGB because Roman Nikoiachik, a lawyer and member of the Other Russia opposition party, has been locked up in a psychatric hospital in the Tver region. A woman who answered the phone at Litvinov Psychiatric hospital No.1 in the Tve region town of Busharevo said he was in an isolation ward. Nikolichik was questioned about his supposed involvement in a murder and when police ended the process, a convenient doctor became avaialble who delcared the activist obviously mentally ill. Prosecutors claimed they never talked to the man and had no knowledge of how he got into the hosptial. So far, it has not been possible to talk with his wife about the situation, but the imprisonment is not a good sign regarding the me ...

Superman vs Superwoman On Super Tuesday 2008-02-06 07:42:09 The ballots are just about all in, the talk is just about done for a day, and uncertainty is the main result of the Democratic primaries. The two candidates went head to head in state after state and when the dust has settled we know something but not everything. There is little doubt Obama is still in the race and there is not doubt Clinton and Obama will enter the Democratic convention a bit unclear as to who will stand on the platform raising a hand in victory. Obama won more primaries and Clinton garnered more delegate votes. Early analysis is the candidates split the white male vote and Obama appears to have obtained nearly 40% of the female vote. A review of results indicates Clinton did well on the coasts, dug into Obama’s strength in southern states while he did much better throughout the midwest. The vote definitely indicates Obama can win white votes as much as Clinton is still very popular among many African American voters. The absence of John Edwards reveals that Oba ...

South African Schools Viewed As Dangerous 2008-02-05 10:19:30 A report by the South African Institute of Race Relations reported that only 23% of South African students believe their schools are safe places in which to learn. South African schools ranked about 25% lower than the world average of 47% who believe schools are free from violence. Norway, Denmark and Sweden have at 70% the highest rate of students who regard their school as a safe place in which to learn. Thomas Blaser of the Institute commented: “The findings of the sstudy suggested that media reports of school violence were not merely isolated incidents but part of a growing pattern of violence and disorder.” Of the 535,000 students who took the year-end matriculation exam, over 200,000 failed. It is estimated about 535,000 students were ejected from South African schools last year and will join the ranks of the unemployed. It is not easy overcoming decades of neglect for poor children in South Africa, but at some point, the nation must undertake the difficult road to e ...

And Democratic Primary Results From Omsk Are….. 2008-02-05 09:26:34 As Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama whiz back and forth across the nation in search of votes for Super Tuesday, another battle for the nomination is raging in the wilds of Irkutsk, Murmansk, and Omsk. “Democrats Abroad,” an offiicial branch of the Democratic Party, will be voting for a slate of delegates to this year’s convention. Andrew Hardisty, of the Russian branch of the organization, Democrats Abroad Russia, is busy helping get organized for the vote. Russian Democrats can vote via the Internet or by fax, mail, or actually going to a polling station. There is a separate Republicans Abroad, but it is not recognized and will not be casting ballots for delegates. Who knows? Will the 22 delegates elected by Democrats Abroad be the decisive vote at the convention? What if the vote cast from Omsk determined the Democratic candidate for the 2008 nomination for president? ...

Headscarfonomics In Turkey 2008-02-05 08:52:37 The headscarf controversy raging in Turkey has some unexpected economic factors which threaten the livelihood of merchants. The numerous headscarf and wig producers are following closely the debate regarding government proposals to lift the ban on females not being allowed to have a headscarf in a university setting. The ban created a huge demand for wigs from the hundreds of thousands of women who preferred to cover their hair by wearing wigs in an effort to get around the law. Wig tradesmen based in Istanbul think they will be hit hard after the planned constitutional change. There are always economic winners and losers in the free market societies of the world. A ban on headscarfs led to an explosion in manufacture of wigs so devout Muslim women could have a way of dealing with the ban while still covering their heads. Now, the ban will be lifted and the new explosion is in manufacture of headscarfs. Free enterprise never loses in the battle of the marketplace. ...

Prince Andrew Blasts Bush Administration 2008-02-05 08:42:43 In a rare Buckingham Palace interview, Prince Andew spoke to reporters from the International Herald Tribune about the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq. He described the United States as the Number 1 ally of Great Britain, but conceded their relations were going through a strained time. He noted, there are “occasions when people in the U.K. would wish that those in responsible positions in the U.S. might listen and learn from our experiences.” He pointed out Great Britain’s long history had given it some insights into what or does not work in dealing with nations. “If you are looking at colonialsm, if you are looking at operations on an international scale if you are looking at understanding each other’s culture, understanding how to operate a military insurgency campaign–we have been through them all. We’ve won some, lost some, drawn some. The fact is there is quite a lot of experiences over here which is valid and should be liste ...

Israel Defense Minister Promises Solutions To Terror 2008-02-05 08:17:43 A day after a suicide bomber detonated a belt loaded with explosives which killed an elderly Israel woman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised the Israel Defense Force would uncover a solution to deal with such outbreaks. He assured the Israel population the IDF would find a way to halt terror attacks as well as end the Kassam rockets which come from Gaza. A member of the Israel parliament urged Barak to have improved security fences built around Gaza. A security fence can contain people within a geographic area for a certain period of time, but eventually some get out and there are more suicide attacks. Israel consistently has relied on its military to handle terrorism, a policy that results in limited success. At some point, those who use terror tactics must be engaged in the halls of diplomacy which is the ultimate geographic area offering hope for a permanent end to terrorism. After a half century of one military operation after another, why does Barak believe one more shot at mil ...

Journalists Continue Dying In Wars 2008-02-05 08:03:50 At least 65 journalists died in 2007 according to information gathered by the Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ). There was only one other year in which the number of journalsits killed due to war exceeded that total–in 1994 when wars in Algeria, Rwanda and Bosnia resulted in numerous deaths. Iraq led in the number of deaths with 32 victims due to militant and Iraqi army and US actions. All but one of the 32 were Iraqi journalists, most of whom worked for international organizations. According to CPJ, “Iraq has become a killing field with more than 170 media support workers killed since the March, 2003 invasion.” Many of the Iraq journalists were murdered by militants who resented their reporting accurate information about what was going on. ...

Civilian Deaths Continue In Iraq 2008-02-05 06:36:58 The deaths of nine civilians, including a child, further haunted efforts by American troops to win over the support of Iraqis. Witnesses and Iraqi police said helicopters strafed a house due to confusion between US forces and their allies over the source of what some troops thought were enemy militants. As American troops battle in urban areas, they increasingly encounter the problem of getting innocent civilians caught in the cross fire. A similar problem arose during fighting in Vietnam. The use of planes and helicopters only makes matters worse because they are flying at high speeds and dropping bombs which invariably will hit civilians in a densely populated area. American soldiers thought a mortar attack came from the headquarters of friendly Awakening Council forces and then ordered in an air attack. The US military said “only” a child and eight other civilians were killed and three children wounded. The problem is undoubtedly al-Qaeda will use such incidents to play ...

New NATO Claim: Afghanistan Heading For Peace 2008-02-05 01:33:26 According to a new view from NATO, the Taliban insurgency is not spreading and 70% of the violence last year occurred in only 10% of the country. US Air Force Lt. Col. Claudia Foss, a spokeswoman for NATO’s International Security assistancce Force, said three-fourths of Afghanistan suffered just one violent incident per week. Her comments came after recent studies which indicate just the opposite. Last week, an independent study by retired Marine Corps Gen. james Jones and former US Ambassador Thomas Pickering warned that Afghanistan risks becoming a failed state becaue of deteriorating international support and the growing Taliban insurgency. Perhaps, the NATO spokesperson knows something the rest of the world doesn’t know about the Taliban. The situation in Afghanistan is critical. Germany has rejected America’s plea for more troops fighting in the south, Canada is threatening to end its Afghan mission unless other nations dispatch more troops, and the US is going t ...

New Breed Of Taliban Leaders In Pakistan 2008-02-05 01:20:11 A new generation of Taliban fighters has taken over in Pakistan’s tribal regions near the Afghan border. Their leader, Baitullah Mehsud, is believed to be the master mind behind the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. If a subordinate disobeys him, Mehsud, gives him some money, sends him home with needle and thread and tells him to sew his own shroud within 24 hours– before time elapses, the man is dead. No known photos of the phantom leader are available and he shuns visitors. An ally of al-Qaeda, he has transformed the remote valleys of South Wazirstan into safe havens for terrorists. Toward the end of last year, a council of high-ranking Taliban leaders appointed Mehsud the leader of the newly formed “Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan.” The new leader is not a person who is versed in religion, war is his speciality. His aliance is creating anger among the more conservative tribal chieftains who are more concerned over their own feudal areas and are much more religious mi ...