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 57 8575

Articles from The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues

Musharraf Opponents Threaten Boycott– Maybe, Maybe Not 2007-12-07 16:10:36 The decision of President Musharraf to impose a state of emergency is the root cause of current uncertainty on the part of opposition parties regarding whether or not they should participate in the January election for a new parliament. Nawaz Sharif, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, initially stated his intent to boycott the election on grounds it was being rigged by Musharraf. Now, that the All Parties Democratic Movement has decided to participate, Sharif has had a change of heart. “I will lead the fight in every corner of the country if the APDM and other parties decide to contest elections.” He told representatives from 14 Muslim nations that Musharraf is not allowing a free election which makes difficult participating in what he considers to be a fraud. However, since some parties will participate he intends to change his mind. Meanwhile, Benazir Butto, head of the Pakistan People’s Party indicated she would be a reluctant participant in what she claims ...

Abbas Says No To Provisional Palestinian State 2007-12-07 15:51:30 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made it clear that during the recent Annapolis conference he turned down flat any discussion of creating a Palestinian state with provisional borders. “There was talk about a state with provisional borders. We reject provisional borders, because there (borders) will be final.” At the conclusion of the Annapolis conference, Abbas and Olmert made a jooint declaration whose second step of the three stage roadmap called for “creating an independent Palestinian state with provisional borders and attributes of sovereignty.” It now appears that Abbas is rejecting what he agreed to at Annapolis. He also said it would be impossible to recognize Israel as a “Jewish state” because 1.5 million Arabs live in that nation. President Abbas made clear to Hamas leaders there would be no talks unless Hamas relinquishes control over Gaza which they seized several months ago. There apparently is considerable confusion regarding what d ...

Indonesia Parliament Passes Bill Protecting Pluralism 2007-12-07 09:14:05 Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation, took a firm step toward guaranteeing freedom to all groups and religions within its borders. Parliament passed a new bill which supports freedom of association and encourages peaceful settlement of disputes. The bill allows any 50 adults to establish a new political party if it can have chapters in at least 60% of the nation’s provinces. A goal of the legislation is encouraging the development of alternative political associations in order to further the cause of pluralism. The bill also insists that 30% of the party must consist of women in a move toward fostering gender equity. It is all too common in the Western world to equate “Muslim” with the extreme version as practiced in nations like Saudi Arabia or now in Iraq. The vast majority of Muslim people live in nations which do not insist on Sharia law, which do not insist on dress codes, and in which women play active roles in all facets of society. For example, ...

Putin’s Kids Never Show Up! 2007-12-07 09:00:43 The administration of Vladmir Putin has copied many Soviet era approaches such as creating youth organizations which appear on cue to echo their love and support of the supreme leader. In this case, it is their father, Vladmir Putin. A new youth movement, Mishki which is geared toward 8-15 year olds and will serve as a complement to Nashi, an older group which is often used by the Putin government to intimidate young people with independent minds. At a recent rally in Red Square, a few thousand Nashi youth shouted, “I love Mishki, I love Russia, I love Putin,” but for some reason there wasn’t a single member of Mishki in sight. Ironically, many of the Nashi youth held teddy bears(hopefully, none with the name of Muhammad) that were to be given to the younger children– if they ever appeared. The use of youth to further totalitarian aims was common in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Putin apparently can’t shake loose from his Soviet training and wants to eng ...

Serbs Ready To Fight If Kosovo Becomes Independent 2007-12-07 08:36:59 Kosovo, a Muslim area which has been part of Serbia until NATO and American forces intervened to prevent ethnic cleansing in the 1990s, is preparing to declare its independence and assume control over its own destiny. The vast majority of people in Kosovo are of Albanian Muslim background while about 100,000 are Serbian Christians. There are reports that thousands of Kosovo Serbians are prepared to flee to Serbia amidst fears they will be attacked once Kosovo is an independent nation. Although there are about 15,000 NATO troops in the nation, it is expected they will withdraw if the declaration of independence is issues this coming week. Serbian leaders warn the West that an independent Kosovo will anger their people and drive them into the arms of extreme nationalists who seek war with the new nation. They also point out Serbia will turn toward Putin’s Russia for support and end close relations with the European Union. A common statement heard on the streets of Serbia is that th ...

Bush Tries Talking Instead Of Threatening! 2007-12-07 08:21:34 President Bush is attempting a shift in his approach to diplomacy. He sent a cordial letter to the head of North Korea and engaged in an extensive phone conversation with Chinese President Hu Jintao. The Chinese president expressed the hope to Bush that in the future there could be more extensive dialogue between the leaders in order to avoid creating bitter relations. For example, he wanted to work with Bush on developing an approach to the Taiwan issue that might resolve this long standing issue which has separated the two nations. Bush gave assurances the United States would not support the idea of an independent Taiwan nation. He also agreed that multi-nation cooperation had resolved the North Korean nuclear issue without exacerbating the situation. In a surprising move, President Bush told the Chinese leader of his willingess to solve the Iranian issue through diplomatic channels and through dialogue between all concerned parties. The exchange between an American president who c ...

Annapolis Success– We Can Debate Process, Not Substance! 2007-12-07 01:25:23 Ghassan Khatib, writing in the Cairo Daily News points out that even those who had limited expectations about the Annapolis conference were disappointed by its failure. The two sides failed to make any political progress toward agreement, to agree on even what they would discuss at future meetings, or what even are the end goals of the process. The only thing everyone agreed upon is the necessity of having a process in place. This had led, according to Khatib, to cover up the lack “of substantial political progress by exaggerating the process itself.” He makes a contrast between Annapolis which accomplished absolutely nothing but is considered a success by the Bush people while Clinton’s 200 Camp David negotiations actually made some limited progress and it is viewed as a failure. Khatib regards the conference as “useful to Israel” since Olmert can come across as being a recognized leader, and it allowed America to dominate negotiation in the Middl East. ...

Hungarian Jewish Groups Demand Passage Of Hate Law 2007-12-07 01:11:08 Leaders of Hungarian Jewish Synagogue’s Organization (MAZSIHISZ) expressed their strong disapproval at failure of President Laszlo Solyon to sign legislation that would make incitement of hatred as grounds for criminal action. They declined the president’s invitation to participate at an annual meeting of religious leaders. MAZSIHISZ responded to his invitation by saying, “We attend the annual meeting with great pleasure, but unfortunately, due to the current situation we cannot accept the president’s invitation.” There have been several attempts over the past few years to make hate speech a crime, but Hungary’s presidents and Supreme Court has expressed concern over wording of the proposed legislation. The law that he refused to sign allowed lawsuits to be filed against hate speakers not only by individuals who were mentioned in the speech, but also members of ethnic and religious groups. There is little doubt Hungarian Jews have valid reasons to be ...

CIA Destroyed Videos Depicting Torture Of Detainees 2007-12-07 01:07:17 The CIA destroyed video evidence of its coercive interrogation of al-Qaeda operatives who were held under the secret rendition program in order to shield its agents from future legal action. Two tapes documenting the water boarding technique that was used against Abu Aubaydah and another detainee were destroyed. The CIS’s director, Michael Hayden, told agency employees in a statement issues yesterday, “the tapes posed a serious security risk. Were they ever to leak, they would permit identification of your CIA colleagues who had served in the program, exposing them and their families to retaliation from al-Qaeda and its sympathizers.” The Hayden statement raises many questions and issues. For example, did information that was used in the trail against Zacarias Moussaoui, came from torture? It appears that the then Republican led Congress hid this information, even from Democratic members of the House and Senate Intelligence committees. The water boarding was used aft ...

German Chancellor Blasts French Mediterranean Ideas 2007-12-07 01:05:52 German Chancellor Angela Merket came out strongly against the vision of French President Nicolas Sarkozy for creation of a Mediterranean Union. She considered his idea “very dangerous” to the future of the European Union since it would create another union, only this time it would be led by France, not Europe. In a sarcastic aside, she wondered if Germany should establish an Eastern European Union with nations like the Ukraine. Merkel was concerned that creating separate blocs split the essential core concept of a European Union in which all members shared equally in expanding the boundaries of concern for other nations. “One thing has to be clear,” she said, “Northern Europeans also share responsibility for the Mediterranean, just as the future of the borders with Russia and the Ukraine is an issue that concerns those living on the Mediterranean.” On Wednesday, Sarkozy speaking in Algeria said he wanted France and Algeria to form the axis of a futur ... French

Canberra Not A Gay Place For Gay Haters! 2007-12-06 16:17:00 Newly elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that Canberra some time next year will be the scene of the first gay union in Australia. The ACT Civil Partnership Bill which allows for formal ceremonies in which same-sex couples make a legal pledge to each other before an official is likely to be passed by the Assembly early next year. A spokesperson for the Gay lobby said, “It certainly is a landmark not only for the ACT but for the entire nation.” He assumed other states in Australia would shortly feel comfortable in allowing such same sex unions. However, some conservative groups expressed anger at the Rudd decision to support gay rights. The Reverend Fred Nile said this action cements Canberra’s reputation as a “place of vice” and called for a national tourist boycott under the slogan, “Nobody Have A Holiday In Canberra.” Reverend Nile commented, “I think it’s shocking, we should be proud of our capital. It should be a plac ...

Kuwait Cracking Down On Terrorism– Or Is It? 2007-12-06 15:53:01 The Kuwait Ministry of Awqat and Islamic Affairs is launching a campaign to halt the spread of terrorism in its nation. From now on, it will “monitor” all speeches given in mosques by Imams and preachers which lean toward fostering feelings of anger and violence. Anyone who uses a mosque in order to preach about politics will be punished “suitably.” The Ministry of Education intends to educate youth about the dangers of extremism. “Most extremist organizations,” said a spokesperson, “target students, incite them and send them to Iraq and Afghanistan or to any other part of the world to wage Jihad.” The Awqat Ministry is determined that everything possible be done to ensure this culture not take root in Kuwait. The assumption of Kuwait authorities is that some type of “education program” will deter young people from moving away from violence toward acceptance of the world in which they live. The root causes of Muslim youth dec ...

Chad Fighting — A Fall Out From Darfur Tragedy 2007-12-06 12:12:45 Observers found charred bodies and burn-out trucks lying on the blackened grass of a a valley in eastern chad as sad reminders of the war now raging in the nation. Chad’s army claims it has finally pushed rebels fighting against the regime of President Idriss Deby Itno’s government across the border into the Sudan where they have bases. General Itnok, Chad’s commandeer in chief of the armed forces, pointed to ruined buildings as proof that his troops were victorious in the fighting. Warfare resumed after the collapse on October 25th of a peace accord and now there are three rebel factions fighting against the government. A UN force of about 3,700 soldiers is shortly expected to arrive in order to maintain order and protect humanitarian groups who are trying to feed those caught in this tragic event. The war in Chad is partially a result of the tragedy in Darfur. The government of the Sudan has unleashed murderous thugs to harass and kill people in the Sudan which, in ...

Confusion Reigns In Lebanon Amidst Contradictory Reports 2007-12-06 11:59:35 The constitutional crisis which has stalemated the entire Lebanese government is either on its way to a resolution or it isn’t, depending on who is speaking. The basic issue is who shall become president of the nation and the two camps are Hizbullah which tends to support Syria and the current government which is led by fiercely anti-Syrian forces. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is attempting to mediate the situation and as been conferring with leaders in order to achieve a compromise solution. UN chief Bon ki-moon is also involved in negotiations. It appears that both sides are willing to accept General Michel Sulemein, current chief of the armed forces, as the compromise leader. He apparently has excellent relations with Hizbullah as well as with the anti-Syrian forces. However, the constitution bars a public servant– that fits Sulemein– from running for the presidency. This will necessitate a change in the constitution. Meanwhile, Hizbullah leader Sayyed ...

Israel Gaza Attack Would Ruin Peace Claims Palestinians 2007-12-06 09:48:27 Palestinian authorities told the Jersualem Post that any massive attacks by israeli forces on Gaza would seriously damage any efforts to attain peace. They warned such actions would compel the Palestinian Authority to call off scheduled talks with Israel as a follow up to the Annapolis Conference. Meanwhile, Kadoura Fares, a top Fatah operative in the West Bank, confirmed his faction would fight alongside Hamas forces to resist Israel troops. “Fath will fight alongside all the palestinian groups against the Israel army when it invades the Gaza Strip. In such a case, Hamas won’t be left alone in the confrontation with Israel.” Palestinian authorities have informed the United States they would not be able to sit at a negotiating table if Israel troops are fighting in Gaza. The path to peace is strewn with potholes and detours as was encountered by those who resolved the Irish conflict or for white Europeans who negotiated with Nelson Mandela. As one Palestinian official ...