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 0 8518

Articles from The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues

Trade-Abandon Right Of Refugee Return For 1967 Borders? 2007-10-29 08:24:47 A Palestinian academic, Sari Nusselbeh, proposed that Arabs should consider the possibility of a compromise under which the new Palestinian nation would be given the existing borders of 1967, including east Jerusalem, in exchange for abandoning the right of refugees to return to Palestine. “Today, we have to choose between the two and that’s why we must decide which right we want to give priority to.” He argues the highest priority is gaining independence and creation of a Palestinian state. The president of Al-Quds university believes Abbas might be willing to consider such a compromise. It is this type of thinking which can move both sides toward negotiation that produces a compromise which does not satisfy all goals of either group, but it leads to peace and further negotiations. ...

Iraq Leader Defiant-We Will Not Turn Over Kurds! 2007-10-29 08:12:43 Iraq Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani defiantly told the world he would not give in to Turkish or American pressure about surrendering leaders of the Kurdish Workers Party. “I will not hand over any person in any regional state no matter what the cost. However, in truth, I will not allow any PKK official to use the Kurdistan region as a base or to be present here and threaten the security of Turkey.” Barzani said he was ready to defend his nation against any action by an outside power, including the United States. His statement came after talks in Ankara ended in a deadlock where Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said, “some of the proposals put forth by the Iraqi delegation were far from meeting our expectations while some were to provide results in the long run. …However, we expect the Iraqis to take immediate action.” The winds of war grow stronger with each passing rhetorical outburst from the parties involved. The Kurds and Turks are walking ginger ...

Tonyt Blair Unbound-Story Of A Man Who Gave In To Fear 2007-10-29 07:48:26 Anthony Seldon, in his new biography of Tony Blair, Blair Unbound, reveals that Colin Powell and Jack, Straw, the former foreign secretary, attempted to control the two leaders from their failed venture in Iraq. Powell told Seldon: “In the end Blair would always support the president. I found this very surprising. I never really understood why Blair seemed to be in such harmony with bush. I thought, well, the Brits haven’t been attacked on 9/11. How did he reach the point that he sees Saddam as such a threat? Jack and I would get him all pumped up about an issue, and he would be ready to say, ‘look here, George,’ but as soon as he saw the president he would lose all the steam.” Seldon claims two of Blair’s senior advisors, David Manning and Baroness Sally Morgan argued against the war. It appears Britain’s ambassador to the US Sir Christopher Meyer also argued against entering the war. The Seldon book is a sad commentary on the man, Tony Bl ...

Putin Is Now Claiming To Be For Democracy! 2007-10-29 07:36:17 Under the “leadership” of Vladmir Putin, the once growing state of democracy in Russia has increasingly been stifled. The press requires licenses to operate and all opposition television stations are no longer allowed to broadcast. Governors are no longer elected but appointed by President Putin. Now, this man who fears democracy announced he is establishing a new think tank for democracy in Brussels. He says since the European Union once helped Russia to develop democracy, “I think the time has come for Russia, given the growth in our financial capabilities, to make its contribution in the sphere as well.” When asked if Russia would make their venture a joint one with European advocates of democracy, his spokesperson said it would be 100% Russian. The Institute would monitor the rights of ethnic minorities, immigrants, and the media in Europe. One goal would be to protect rights of ethnic Russians in other nations. One can only welcome the establishment of ...

One Small Step For Democracy In China 2007-10-29 07:23:53 It has been practice under Communist China legal procedures for individuals charged with crimes to have difficulty in securing legal assistance, but this will change under new procedures adopted by the government. From now on, lawyers will have the right to meet with their client once interrogation has been completed, and their conversations will no longer be monitored. Lawyers will also have the right to examine any evidence connected to the trial in order to prepare an effective defense. Up to this point, many lawyers have even hesitated to take on cases because of restrictions that have been placed in the way of a defense during a trial. These new procedures do not meet American standards, but they are a stop in the right direction. Hopefully, the Chinese Communist government will in the future expand the process of democracy. ...

Romany Women Sterilized In Czech Republic! 2007-10-28 20:39:53 On the last Friday of each month, ten Romany women congregate in the offices of Life Together to share stories about the manner in which Czech officials have lied and brutalized them because they are of Romany backgrounds. They insist they were sterilized at a hospital after giving birth and no one told them what was happening. Since 2004, the Sterilized Women’s Association(SSZ) has been engaged in legal action to win them compensation for the procedures. SSZ director Elena Gorolova said ‘the going was slow and we were all feeling really drained,” but on October 12 a Czech court awarded monetary damages to one of the women. Iveta Cervenakova, was 19 and was waiting in the hospital for a C-section. “I spent the whole night waiting for the C-section, but they did not give me the form until right before the operation. At that time I had no idea what sterilization meant.” It took months before a doctor told her she no longer could have children that realizatio ...

US War On Muslim Terrorists Nabs British Cabinet Member! 2007-10-28 20:06:53 American efforts to tighten its borders against entry by terrorists made a notable capture the other day when Britain’s International Development Minister, Shahid Malik, England’s first Muslim government minister, was detained at Dulles International Airport for 40 minutes while he was searched and humiliated. His hand luggage was searched for traces of explosives. Mr. Malik was returning from meetings with US officials. Last November, he was detained and searched at John F, Kennedy Airport as he flew to deliver a speech on tracking extremism and defeating terrorism, an event sponsored by the US Homeland Security Department. His comment was: “the abusive attitude I endured las November I forgot and I forgave, but I really do believe that British ministers and parliamentarians should be afforded the same respect and dignity at U.S.A. airports that we would bestow upon our colleagues in the Senate and Congress. Obviously, there was no malice involved, but it has to be s ...

Petraeus: Good News And Continuing News 2007-10-28 19:39:58 Geneal Petraeus indicated there had been significant progress in reducing the al-Qaida presence in certain areas of Baghdad. Although there has been a reduction in violence, Petraeus indicated, al-Qaida remained a “very dangerous and very lethal enemy.” There were car bombings in Baghdad and ten tribal leaders, who had arrived in Baghdad for meetings regarding their efforts to cooperate with the US and the Iraq government, were kidnapped and most probably will meet with harm from al-Qaida. General Petraeus also noted in several provinces of Iraq although the violence has declined, there is an atmosphere in which a “focus on crime and on extortion has been ongoing.” A major issue connected with the “surge” is how long will American forces remain in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq. A possibility for the reduction in violence may stem from al-Aqida remaining quiet in order to wait out the American departure before resuming their attacks. ...

Afghanistan Quagmire Sinks Deeper 2007-10-28 19:22:57 Six years ago, President Bush proclaimed America’s triumph over the religious fanatics known as the Taliban. In the hurried collapse of the nation, a Taliban key leader Mullah Omar escaped into the mountains along with Osama bin Laden. Six years later, the forces of insurgency not only include the Taliban by various sects and factions and militia leaders. There are myriad players in the anti-western alliance, some motivated by religion, others by hostility to certain leaders, and undoubtedly, some who simply know no other life but fighting. President Karzai comes from the Durrani dynasty which had been important for over two centuries, but many of his opponents are from the Ghizai tribe, a traditional enemy of the Durrani. A question rarely posed by the Bush administration is how did the Taliban, who supposedly were defeated in 2001, snap back so quickly as a formidable force in Afghanistan? America’s ally, Pakistan has been a key player in hiding, equipping, and nurturing ...

Israel-Palestinian Hardliners Harden Stances 2007-10-28 15:19:07 Israel Cabinet minister Aviggdor Lieberman said he would leave the government if Prime Minister Olmert gave Palestinians control of the west bank or allowed them to have east Jerusalem as its capital. He even opposes any type of symbolic statement regarding the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. United Arab League spokesman Admad Tibi, was equally adamant even refusing compromises. “There can be no agreement without the dismantlement of settlements and the removal of settlers…the borders must be the 1967 line, including east Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.’ The road to settlement must include a give and take. Three key issues separate the two sides: status of refugees, west bank settlements, and Jerusalem. There should be no problem accepting east Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestine, all Palestinian refugees can not return to Israel without altering the nature of the Jewish majority in the nation, and the west bank settlem ...

Turkey Disappointed With Iraq Proposals 2007-10-28 08:57:55 The delegation of Iraq officials who have been working with the Turkish government apparently have failed to win over support for their ideas on dealing with Kurdish rebels. A Turkish diplomat, who is familiar with the discussions, said their proposals were “unsatisfactory.” The Turkish parliament last week authorized a cross-border operation against PKK bases. The Turkish government is insisting Iraq turn over to them the Kurdish leaders leading the insurgency and have provided Iraq with a list of the names. According to a Turkish official, “these talks are make-or-break talks. This is the last chance to resolve the issue through talks before resorting to a possible cross-border operation.” The Iraqi delegation claims it arrived with concrete proposals. A member of the Turkish military said troops are being moved from other areas of the country toward the Iraq border. There is a feeling of frustration among Turkish officials, particularly after the main America ...

Brutal Burma Military Blasts Bully America 2007-10-28 08:42:22 Myanmar’s brutal military government upped its attacks upon the United States for interfering in the internal affairs of its nation by claiming the Bush administration was attempting to impose its views on its government. “Recent protests in the country were created by the loudmouthed bully, using the exiled dissidents and traitors together with communists, internal and external anti-government destructionists” in order to cause turmoil within a peaceful nation. The author of the piece in the Myanmar language, Myanma Ahlin daily said the United States was attempting to recreate conditions of 1988 that resulted in the deaths of thousands of protestors. George Bush has been accused of many things in his life, but claiming that he is working in cahoots with communists is certainly a new approach to making critical remarks about one of the most conservative presidents in history. For one of the few times during his administration, the American president is actually stand ... America

Gap Clothes Have A Gap In Preventing Child Abuse 2007-10-28 08:29:04 Investigative reporters for the British newspaper, The Observer, found children working in factories in India under conditions akin to slavery where they made clothes destined for Gap in the United States. The Indian children were being brutalized, forced to work earning wages below minimum levels, physically brutalized, and denied the rights of ordinary workers. It is estimated at least 20% of the economy of India is dependent upon such child labor. According to Professor Sheotaj Singh, “The key thing India has to offer the global economy is some of the world’s cheapest labor…” Gap denies any knowledge of purchasing clothes from factories having such abusive work conditions for children. One can only hope American corporations will refuse dealing with such factories. ...

US Train And Iranian Train Headed For Collision! 2007-10-27 11:27:28 Two trains are headed toward one another on the same track, each driven by an out-of-conrol engineer who is convinced the other train will somehow get out of his way. One is driven by a religious fanatic, Ahmadinejad, who has been confused by praise from the Muslim world, into believing he can actually triumph over the United States in a war. The other is driven by Dick Cheney and his sidekick, George Bush, who do not intend to go down in history as allowing Iran to become a nuclear military power. Renaud Giraud, writing in Le Figaro, raises these metaphors to illustrate the madness now enveloping the United States and Iran. He cites three factors as propelling Bush/Cheney: their fear of Iran’s military capabilities in the future, strong bipartisan support in Congress for tough action against Iran, and Saudi Arabian and Israel lobbies which emphasize the dangers of Iran to Middle East stability. The ironic aspect of the current conflict is that in 2001, Iran publicly condemned t ...

Canada Stuck In Afghanistan, Wondering How To Get Out 2007-10-27 07:54:46 There is growing concern within Canada about the Afghan quagmire which has caused their nation to become stuck in a fight that has no end, and seemingly, no purpose. They are disgusted at the porous Pakistan border which protects Taliban insurgents and allows them refuge from NATO and American attacks. janice Stein, of the University of Toronto says in her new book, “The Unexpected War,” that the Canadian government really did not know very much about Afghanistan, but wanted to help a traumatized America reeling from the 9/11 attacks. She argues the Bush administration wanted cover for its real target- Iraq - and asked Canada to supply troops in order that Americans could be diverted for the invasion of Iraq. The problem of Afghanistan is that once Bush decided on attacking Iraq, his administration lost real interest in Afghanistan which became a secondary operation. Afghanistan was left without sufficient military forces to carry out operations against the Taliban who wer ...