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February 18th, 2008
Stories
Editorial Transparency in Qatar
· 22:21
A misunderstanding around the safety of bottle water in Qatar (it's fine!) has led to an interesting conversation about the quality of the English language press in Qatar. Comments were passed back and forth between between a commenter on Qatar Living (tallg) and the Managing Editor of a local English newspaper in Qatar.
In a comment tallg noted that
The press here do have a habit of printing anything they hear without checking the facts. The Peninsula had to run an apology the other day for saying that the museum on the corniche was going to open on the 22nd Feb, when in fact it isn't opening til 22nd Nov. They then went on to blame whoever they heard this information from, rather than accepting that they should have clarified the information themselves. Very amature.
It seems that Rachel Morris, the Managing Editor of the Peninsula keeps an eye on the social web in Qatar and responded to the tallg's comment and explained how incorrect facts had come to be printed in her paper:
… Perhaps you may benefit from hearing the full story.
The Qatar News Agency ran an item the day before saying the opening was in February.
Given it came from the OFFICIAL news agency of this nation, it's pretty fair to assume the information is correct. For those who don't know, all official news from the Emiri Diwan down is transmitted to all media here using the QNA (Qatar News Agency).
It turns out QNA had made a mistake in the copy. The information went out on the Arabic wire, was translated into English then re-transmitted.
We picked it up, ran it because it was from QNA. The following day, it was revealed QNA has put the erroneous report out. I have since had a clarification and an apology from the QNA English Editor and ran the clarification so our readers did not think we were misleading them.
In the end was all very maturely dealt with and not as you charge, a case of assigning blame. Having worked in the media in the Gulf and Australia for 17 years, I know mistakes are made. In this case QNA admitted it and we informed our readers.
It always helps to know the full story.
After apologising for calling the actions of the paper “very amature”, tallg explains that he still stands by what he said and that
…My issue was not with the original report being incorrect, and I realise that mistakes will be common in a newspaper which collates most of it's articles from other sources. But I do believe that once a newspaper decides to run with a story it becomes their responsibility. It is good that a correction was printed in this case (and I wish this happened more often), but in my opinion that was all that was needed. To then go on and explain how it was actually someone else who made the mistake in the first place did not read very well to me, and to be honest it sounded like the newspaper was passing the buck.
To write an article about how The Peninsula receives it's news stories would have been informative and interesting, and would have offered a chance to explain why articles sometimes carry mistakes. I think this would have been a better way of informing readers, rather than putting it in a correction column.
I hope you'll understand that my offending comment was borne out of frustration with the lack of quality information in Qatar, a frustration that many people here share…
Ms. Morris replies to tallg in a very honest manner explaining that
We struggle everyday trying to get accurate and informative information to our readers so I appreciate your frustrations.
All your points are valid. The reason I replied is because I do believe journalists have a job to do in terms of educating the public about how we form our news values and stories and sometimes, how mistakes can be made. Despite our view sometimes to the contrary, we journalists are not perfect!!
I am really glad to see a newspaper editor engaging with her audience online - it's a brave step that will help enhance trust amongst an often cynical expatriate audience.
0 comments · »»Pakistan: Voting, Elections and Counting
· 19:02
As people in Pakistan were out voting today, the blogosphere discusses the elections. All Things Pakistan, is following the elections and urges its readers to share their accounts.
We are especially interested in hearing reports from our readers in Pakistan about what they see on the streets, what their own first-hand voting experience has been, and what they are hearing from others on the ground. In many wants such eye-witness reports are far more important than what we will all be seeing on our screens.
Crow's Nest explains why voting is a pointless exercise given that the outcome of the elections will have little to do with a democratic process. Even if the elections are not rigged, the political clout of certain people means that there is little scope for real change.
I will not vote because i know the outcomes of the elections have been pre determined. The electoral process is so deeply biased and flawed that the dictator will win. He has all his odds against me. Me and my idealistic approach has no chance of winning. Afterall he is a soldier at war with his own people and i a mere civilian. I will also not vote because no candidate in my constituency is worth voting for. I will not vote because i want to say no to a repressing rule by a feudal after feudal in my city.
On the other hand, at KO, the author seems keen on voting, but cannot because of the poorly managed electoral lists which seem to have excluded registered voters, with little room to address issues of missing names.
The voting lists turned out to be as bad as I thought it would - in fact they turned out to be even worse, despite my low expectations. The elections website is completely unusable, and missing a lot of names which were there on the old list. For example, it's missing the names of my family and many of my relatives - most of which are registered voters.
Despite our name not being on the list, I still set out to vote - I spent 3 hours going to all the voting stations near my area, and I wasn't registered in any of them. I met quite a few people I know, and over 50% of them weren't on the lists - so we came back vote less.
Shahab at Metroblogging Islamabad seems pretty excited about being able to vote, and states that too many people back off when they should be voting by claiming that all politicians are crooks. Parliament Watch tracks the outcomes of the elections region by region. The Pakistani Spectator is running constant updates on the outcomes of the electoral process.
4 comments · »»Madagascar: Cyclone Ivan Wrecking Havoc.
· 16:33
Tropical Cyclone Ivan has landfalled in the Northeastern region of Madagascar on February, 17th and it is now categorized as a category 4 Hurricane.
(via meteo france)
Even though Madagascar is better prepared for cyclone season, having already taken the blunt of many cyclones (most recently cyclone Fame), the region was still devastated by the shear force of the combination of wind and rain.
Avylavitra reports that because of lines of communications being cut off, 9 people died already on the island of Sainte-Marie [mg] (translated in French here)
“Omaly dia nisy vehivavy niantso maika ny rainy taty Antananarivo nilaza fa nianjeran-javatra ny hotely nisy azy ary dia nirodana ka tototra ao miaraka amin’ny olona valo hafa izy. Ary dia io rainy io kosa nandefa antso vonjy tao amin’ny RNM (Radio National Malagasy). Naverina tao amin’ny Radio io antso io sao mba misy afaka mamonjy azy ireo any an-toerana. Rehefa avy nandefa ny antso tao amin’ny Radio ity raim-pianakaviana dia niverina niantso an-janany tamin’ny telefaonina indray, nefa indrisy fa tsy nisy nandray intsony izay antso rehetra nataony.
Na izahay nihaino ny radio aza dia nangitakitaka sy nientana anaty ihany niandry izay tohin’ity tantara ratsy ity mndra-paharainan’ny andro.
Tapaka daholo ny fifandraisana tany an-teorana taorian’ilay antso nataon’ilay ray mahantra. Eny fa na ny BLU tokony ho nampiasain’ny BNGRC (sampana misahana ny vonjy taitra mandritry ny tranga toy izao) aza dia tsy nandeha. Koa lasa antso tany an-tany efitra ilay filàna vonjy nataony.
Nivoaka tamin’ny gazety rehetra androany maraina fa tapitra maty avokoa ireo olona sivy tototra tao amin’ity hotely tra-doza ity. Indrisy, mampalahelo”
The father called desperately the National Malagsy Radio (RNM) for urgent help in Sainte-Marie. He then tried to reach his daughter again many times by phone in vain as her daughter would not answer anymore. Listening to the news and waiting for updates on this dreadful situation was very stressful and difficult to bear for most of the listeners on the radio. The poor father was unable to reach the authorities because all the communication lines were cut off, even the office dedicated for emergency relief (le Bureau National de la Gestion des Risques et des Catastrophes: BNGRC) was unreachable. That was why the young woman had to call her father who was 400 km away, unable to provide direct help.
The newspapers announced today that all 9 of then were found dead inside the ruins of the hotel.”
Mialisoa gives a thorough summary of the situation as Ivan moves toward the south (Fr):
” La partie Est de Madagascar est fortement touchée: Atsinanana, Analanjirofo, Alaotra Mangoro. Cette dernière avance un bilan provisoire d'un peu moins de 500 sinistrés ce matin, principalement dans le district d'Andasibe à cause de la crue des eaux. Aux dernières nouvelles relayées par la radio nationale grâce à son fameux “Ampitapitao” ( oui, l'émission existe toujours), la route nationale 2 qui joint la capitale à Toamasina est inondée, aucune navette n'est possible […] Le cyclone s'affaiblit mais la pluie persiste. Antananarivo boit la tasse ( comme vache qui pisse, me dit Anselme ) depuis samedi, vers 1h du matin. Aucune éclaircie en vue, la capitale est ses environs passent leur temps entre petite pluie et averses hargneux, coups de vents, coups de froid, boue et flaques. “L'eau monte à vue d'oeil”, me confie un riverain, “pas besoin d'averse, mais rien q'une fine pluie et dès demain, on y est”. Comme quelques uns de ses voisins, il est candidat aux premiers déménagements qui ont commencé depuis samedi soir du côté d'Anosizato.”
Jandre in Madagascar has more satellite images of Ivan and explains that considering that it takes 3 years for Vanilla to mature, the effects of Ivan are disastrous on many levels.
Tomavana has aslo posted an exhaustive summary (mg) about the recent updates from meteorologists on Cyclone Ivan in Madagascar.
We will update this story and the report from the ground as the story unfolds. We also would like to thank the folks at Rising Voices, Nari Jibon and Voces Bolivianas for their words of support to the people caught in the storm and their valuable advices on keeping the lines of communication open within the country and with the outside world.
Zimbabwe: Is Dr. Simba Makoni a puppet?
· 11:16
Is Dr. Simba Makoni, Zimbabwe's former finance minister, a genuine contender for the presidential election in Zimbabwe or simply part of a political ploy to keep President Robert Mugabe in power? Is the electoral process in Zimbabwe ready for a free and fair elections? These are some of the hot issues and questions in the Zimbabwean blogosphere. Zimbabwe presidential, parliamentary and local government elections will take place on March 29 2008.
Kubatana blog argues that the electoral process in Zimbabwe is completely flawed:
Fellow blogger Dewa Mavhinga has discussed Zimbabwe’s unfair electoral environment in his latest postings. Unfair is possibly the wrong word - let’s rather call it completely flawed.
Further evidence of the completely flawed electoral process is illustrated in this recent ZLHR communication which I received today.
The administration of elections in Zimbabwe continues to be a monumental joke and the whole process is buried under a mountain of red tape. After we ran an advert in the local press for persons who have been denied access to registration or inspection of voters roll we have been inundated with distress calls from persons who want to inspect/register but denied the right to do so. For most prospective voters, trying to access the voters roll is an adventure whose success is not guaranteed. Even nominees in the forthcoming elections have been denied access and ZLHR have approached the courts for relief. Such developments in our view testify against the conscience of democracy and rule of law.
The blog outlines steps that need to be taken before the elections:
Firstly, now, before the elections take place, the opposition and independent candidates must declare that the playing field is not level and detail all areas of concern from lack of access to free media, inability to campaign freely, a litany of repressive laws and widespread violence and intimidation. They and civil society must demand that Thabo Mbeki declares his initiative a failure before elections take place and point to the SADC standards and guidelines for the conduct of free and fair elections. Advocacy for regional action must target individual members of the SADC block because there are some culprit governments in SADC that share a passionate dislike for human rights and democracy alongside Zimbabwe and are preventing SADC from taking a more robust stance on Zimbabwe – these are Angola, Namibia and Swaziland. There is some hope in looking to South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania to put pressure on Zimbabwe.
Secondly, SADC should now be dispatching observers to monitor Zimbabwe’s elections and additionally, South Africa should send its own team of observers in order to assist in the post-election period when the legitimacy of the election is called in question. Local groups must also be collecting evidence now of how the election is being rigged and not be sidetracked by the appearance on the horizon of the likes of Simba Makoni. For instance, l am highly suspicious of the figure being peddled in State media that 5.6 million people registered to vote in Zimbabwe, can this figure be independently verified?
It appears that some Zimbabweans are election weary already:
A colleague of mine was talking about how so many seem to be election weary already when the date has only just been announced. He gave the example of a young man that he gave a lift to the other day.
The hitchhiker was a student at NUST, and he wasn’t aware that the election date (29th March) had been set. On hearing the news, the student became tired and defeated. He told my colleague that he had been hoping and praying that the elections would be much later in the year. Instead, he said he now had face the likelihood that his final exams, due for May this year, would be in jeopardy because of the furore that always surrounds elections.
Apparently, elections in Zimbabwe have a negative impact on students:
But why, he asked, if elections are in March does that affect you in May?
The student replied that elections brought massive unrest to the universities. The police became hyper-sensitive to student activities and unfair crackdowns often ensued, proving anger and a state of tension at the universities. He said that previous elections, even when Mugabe ‘wins’, were usually followed by reprisals against those who dared to disobey the regime in the lead-up to the elections. But Mugabe’s men didn’t discriminate and they extended the reprisals to absolutely everyone. He also said that staff, sturggling to earn a living often used election time as a chance to strike for more money.
Mugabe's victory is a foregone conclusion:
“Don’t be stupid, we all know the score! They’ll be stolen the way they always have been; we just need to find a way to get through them so we can continue figuring out how to survive the next day”.
Mugabe Mukaipa writes about Zimbabwe Diaspora Vote Protest:
Calling ALL the Zimbabweans in Diaspora
Join the PROTEST for the right to vote in the elections
Zimbabwe Diaspora Vote Protest
No Diaspora Vote, No Free, Fair or Credible Elections in Zimbabwe
Washington DC February 21 - 22
Contact persons
Canaan Mhlanga 604 461 3072 Zvidzayi Ruzvidzo 614 622 0427 Stanford G. Mukasa 724 467 0001 Handel Mlilo 240 505 0179
Last Rhodesia reports that a large number of political parties are emerging in Zimbabwe since the beginning of the year:
As you might have heard, there is suppose to be an election in March -
An unusually large number of newly-formed fringe political parties have emerged since the beginning of the year, all promising to turn around Zimbabwe’s fortunes once elected to power. We have the United Democratic People’s Constitution (UDPC), Zimbabwe Integrated Party (ZIP), Voice of the People/Vox Populi (VP), the Zimbabwe Development Party (ZDP), Progressive Anarchy Party (PAP), Let’s Party (LP) etc etc.
The latest on the scene is - I Have No Party (IHNP), which, as we have just learnt, is run by a stray cat called Simba Mukoni…
There might not even be an election in March. Well, not until terms have been well hammered out…
Just in case there is an election, Bob has been handing out loads of presents to the top boys in the police and army.
Zimbabwe’s police chief Augustine Chihuri this week told senior officers to back President Robert Mugabe reminding them the veteran leader had given them farms, resources and other perks, authoritative sources told ZimOnline. According to our sources one officer, Nonkosi Ncube, who is in charge of police in Mashonaland East province, turned down a white truck she had been allocated insisting she preferred the truck black. She was assured she would receive a car with the “right colour” next week when middle-ranking police commanders would receive their vehicles.
Is Dr. Simba Makoni Genuine?
The recent announcement by the former Finance Minister, Dr. Simba Makoni, to challenge Robert Mugabe as a private candidate has received mixed feelings in the Zimbabwean blogosphere. Kubatana blog writes:
The only people who don’t seem vaguely fazed by Simba Makoni’s election bid are the beauticians in Cleopatra’s Beauty Parlour next to my office. They seem to have fallen asleep face first in their towels. Yesterday, a friend of mine called Anna, told me that its a good thing that Simba is posing some sort of challenge to Mugabe because, in her words, “Mugabe is an old man and doesn’t listen to the people”. There’s truth in that.
Dr. Makoni's victory will be a miracle:
It appears to me that there is much excitement around Zimbabwe’s forthcoming elections, and even naive hope that Simba Makoni may somehow, by some miracle, defeat Mugabe at the polls. People seem to have forgotten that democracy and good governance are not part of Zanu PF’s political DNA. President Mugabe was not elected by his party to be Presidential candidate – in fact l believe that if the matter had been taken to the vote then Mugabe would not have been the candidate – but through hook and crook Mugabe emerged as Zanu’s sole Presidential candidate. The same thing is likely to happen with presidential elections, that Mugabe will somehow claim victory, regardless of the credentials or stature of candidates running against him. The electoral field does not allow for any other outcome. Already, pseudo-war veterans are threatening to deal viciously with Makoni.
Is Dr. Makoni a last minute spoiler?:
In our office Dennis suggested that Simba’s entry into the race is a ploy by Mugabe to steal votes from disillusioned MDC supporters.
Yes, it’s quite likely that Makoni will attract a large number of Zimbabweans who would have voted for Tsvangirai. If Makoni does attract this support it means that Zanu PF’s chunk of the vote, one way or another, gets bigger. So how independent is Simba? How genuine is his bid? Is he a late minute spoiler, or Mugabe’s running puppet?
Zebra-Mbizi is not sure how significant his candidacy will be:
Having said all this we are rather amused to see now that Zanu PF has split. A faction headed by Simba Makoni, a former finance minister has seized the initiative and had entered the presidential race. We are as yet not sure of the significance of this entry all we do know is that Morgan Tsvangirai the leader of the Movement Democratic Change may well lose support. A breakaway faction of the MDC, the Mutumbara faction (Senator Arthur Mutumbara) has already declared its suppoort for Simba Makoni. Makoni appears to have a radical programme, to reconstruct the nation but he has surrounded himself with some of the dregs of the old regime: General Mujuru, Jabulani Moyo just to name two of his supporters; these men are not known for their democratic credentials and were principal supporters of the old regime.
It is strange, writes The Bearded Man, that Mugabe has been so silent on Makoni's candidacy:
Once again I question Mugabe's silence on the Makoni participation in the Presidential ballot. Whilst ZANU PF has expelled Makoni, Mugabe himself stays mum on the matter. He has informed the watching world that he is ‘raring to go' and only seems intent on beating the MDC (with votes - as opposed to physically beating them), and has stated that he will not recognise any result unless it is a ZANU PF win.
Does Makoni count as ZANU PF?
Why is Mugabe reluctant to comes out fighting in his normal belligerent style?
Yes, Makoni may beat Mugabe - but that would only be for the top job. The ruling party may win the lion's share of seats, leaving Makoni effectively marooned on a ZANU PF desert island.
What then?
I remain a little concerned that Mugabe keeps quiet. The main worry I have is that the ruling party is selling the population a dummy. What if the Makoni candidature is really orchestrated by the ruling party? Offering a wolf in sheep's clothing. An alternative to Mugabe, knowing full well that the offered alternative is really much of the same?
Why else would Mugabe chose to keep quiet? He is renowned for his withering speeches and his handing out accusations as if they were confetti…
Zvenyika E Mugari at TalkMedia, a blog of media scholars and academics at Midlands State University, defends Dr. Makoni:
Like it or not Makoni is now man of the moment. Let people not waste their precious time speculating about the appropriateness of the timing or wheter this or that force is behind the man. Zimbabwe deeply needs a respite from the binary nature of the political talk that had come to characterise Zimbabwean politics, the Mugabe good Tsvangirai bad kind of talk. The Makoni factor simply makes such talk irrelevant. His bold step challenges us to step forward, set aside our petty differences and rededicate ourselves to the service of our beloved country. What can be more patriotic?
Zimbabaloola asks, “Is he a competitor or part of of the devious plan by ZANU PF?”:
Everyone is talking about Simba Makoni. It’s a measure of how sclerotic Zimbabwean politics has become that this 57 year is considered a youthful challenger. But then our president is 84, and most of his closest colleagues are in their late 70’s and early 80’s, so by current standards Simba is indeed the Young Lion.
The big question is this: is he a serious competitor to the existing order, or is this all part of a devious plan by ZANU PF to further muddy the waters of the election that is now less than 50 days away?
The optimists argue that Simba has powerful backing, probably from Solomon and Joice Mujuru - she is Vice President, he is former head of the armed forces, and both are known to have run out of patience with Mugabe. It looks like Simba may also be backed by Vitalis Zvinavashe, Solomon’s successor as head of the armed forces, and that there is a cadre of what might be called “ZANU PF Lite” lining up behind him.
This is the word on the street, and around the dinner tables of smart Harare. Problem is that, as of today, the only people who have actually DECLARED their support for him are a retired Major in the army who is known to have links to General Zvinavashe; and Dr Ibbo Mandaza, an academic, author, and one time newspaper owner.
Of course it is a dangerous game, standing up against President Mugabe. Zimbabwe’s recent history is littered with the remains of those who have turned against the old man, and subsequently had fatal accidents, or found their businesses dismantled, relatives arrested, passports revoked…. This is, after all, a dictatorship, despite the regular round of elections.
But the electorate are angry. And hungry. And fed up. And very ready for change.
According to Zimbabaloola, Mugabe might win without even the need for rigging:
But now, with two MDC candidates competing against each other, and Simba Makoni rounding up the undecideds, Mugabe only has to win a million votes - 15 percent of the electorate - to walk back into State House on April Fool’s Day; and he probably doesn’t even need to cheat.
OK, maybe I’m being cynical. Maybe in the next few days and weeks there will be a groundswell of support for Simba. Maybe Mutambara and Tsvangarai will decide to put aside their personal ambition for the good of the country. Maybe ZANU PF’s grassroots party structures will swing behind Simba, leaving a few scared, angry old men to stand beside Mugabe as his election victory vanishes.
Dr. Makoni's life might be in danger, writes Zebra-Mbizi:
We do feel however, that to put oneself in opposition to Mugabe and Zanu PF does take a certain amount of courage. The regime despises opposition and Simba Makoni’s life may well be in danger as indeed is anyone who opposes Mugabe.
The Role of Citizen Media
As it happened in Kenya recently, citizen media in Zimbabwe is set to play a key role in reporting and monitoring the electoral process. Kubatana will run an SMS Election Information Service during the elections:
Kubatana will be running an SMS Election Information Service during Zimbabwe’s March 2008 election in an effort to keep citizens both informed and inspired. I’ve just been told that both The Herald and The Sunday Mail newspapers have rejected Kubatana’s classified advertisement publicising this service to Zimbabweans. This is just one example of how Zimbabweans access to information is being curtailed.
If this makes you feel agitated and outraged than please email the editors of these two Mugabe mouth pieces and criticise their behaviour. You can reach The Herald at theherald@zimpapers.co.zw and The Sunday Mail at sundaymail@zimpapers.co.zw and to make sure that we record their abuse of power please send a copy to Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) on: press [at] zlhr [dot] org [dot] zw
The organisation also has a special index page of aggregated information on Zimbabwe Elections 2008:
Another organisation, Zimbabwe Civic Action Support Group (Sokwanele), has set up a Zimbabwe Election Watch.
11 comments · »»Mexico: Attempted Bombing Expected to Change Things
· 06:24
In a tourist district of Roma in Mexico City, a homemade bomb detonated before it reached its intended target, which was believed to be police headquarters, as notes Phillippe Saez of Defecito [es]. As a result, the suspected bomber was killed in the process, but left some unanswered questions regarding a motive and who was responsible. Some are concluding that it was the work of organized drug cartels, as a way to repay the police for the escalation of law enforcement that had recently targeted these groups. According to the Gabriel Infante of Esquisy [es], more arrests and drug seizures had been made, and resulted in a loss of over 60 million dollars to the cartel.
Even though the intended mass damage or casualities did not take place, some bloggers like Victor Hernandez of Sendero del Peje [es] thinks that the bombing had, “the OBVIOUS intention of creating a psychosis of panic, so that Marcelo Ebrard (the city's mayor) will militarize Mexico City.” Other bloggers are predicting changes in government and how society approaches daily life. Sobreexpuesto [es] writes that Mexico City residents must be extra cautious:
Hay varios mensajes sociales, que nuestra sociedad se está contagiando de la violencia, que pudo ser respuesta del crimen organizado a las autoridades, que debemos estár alerta y que si no somos
precavidos, perderemos nuestra ciudad por completo.
There are various social messages, that our society is becoming more prone to violence, that it could have been a response from organized crime to the authorities, that we must be alert and if we do not take precautions, then we might lose our city altogether.
Emiliano Balerini of Humanos Los Derechos [es] worries about the consequences of the failed attempt:
Por eso es que el bombazo que hace unos días estalló en las calles de Chapultepec y Monterrey toma una importancia vital en estos momentos de absoluta confusión política. Seguramente los diputados y sanadores de esta país lo usarán como excusa para avalar la reforma de justicia y así con ello permitir, entre otras cosas, cateos a nuestras casas sin órdenes judiciales y la detención hasta por 40 días ilegalmente para averiguar los antecedentes que la gente tenga.
That is why the bomb that went off in the streets of Chapultepec and Monterrey becomes of vital importance in these moments of absolute political confusion. Surely, the deputies and senators of this country will use this as an excuse to guarantee the judicial reform, and with that, permit, among other things, house searches without warrants and the detention of up to 40 days to investigate the background of people.
However, one blogger is not concerned considering the amateurish attempt by the bomber(s). Tome Chango Su Banana [es] writes:
Ahora resulta que el terrorismo y los bombazos llegaron a mexico, personificados en el infame chapubomber, que explotó en avenida chapultepec intentando demoler las oficinas de la ssp, parece que le falló la sincronia con el amigo que tenía el detonador. A quien quieren engaÑar? Toda la escena fue grotesca y completamente actuada, lo mas divertido fue la chambonez del personaje que no atinó a salvarse de su propio bombazo. La verdad si estos son los terroristas en méxico, estamos bastante a salvo.
Now it appears that terrorism and bombs have arrived to Mexico, personified by the infamous Chapubomber, who was blown up on Chapultepec Avenue in his attempt to destroy the SSP (police headquarters) offices. It appears the synchronization failed with his friend who had the detonator. Who do they want to fool? The entire scene was grotesque and staged. The fun part was that the idiot did not even save himself from the bombing. If these are the types of terrorists that we have in Mexico, then we are safe.
But that sentiment is not shared by the majority of Mexico City residents. The blogger at La Vida es Sueño [es] was a little shook up by the news, and concludes:
Y de esta forma perdí lo poca noción de seguridad que me quedaba para caminar por las calles de esta Cuidad de México, en la cual he vivido durante 25 años
With this, I lost the remaining notion of security that I had left to walk through the streets of Mexico City, where I have lived for 25 years.
1 comment · »»Kosovo & Serbia: Independence Blogging
· 01:50
Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia on Sunday, Feb. 17, has caused both celebrations and protests - as well as plenty of media coverage and an avalanche of blog posts.
Below is a selection of some Anglophone bloggers' views (Elia Varela Serra's earlier Global Voices roundup on Kosovo is here).
Prishtine: Independence and Kanun is celebrating and taking “tons of pics” (but hasn't posted any of her own yet):
Less than 2 hours away from the eventual announcement. I wish I could feed you a live video feed but I am not that tech savy … It's a regional party and apparently, everyone is invited. […] No politics talk today. I just want to be happy for a people who seem happy. […]
***
[…] and the party is on…. please, be careful with the “happy shooting”. […]
Living in Shkoder and Stepping Stones report on the celebrations taking place in Albania.
Ed Alexander of Balkan Baby writes:
[…] Today is a celebration, a country is born. Kosova has played its part with the utmost of humility and today is a reward and recompense for the trials which preceded it. There will be countless problems which the new Republic of Kosova will encounter but there is no doubt that with the same determination that has brought them independence anything can be overcome. There will be time for analyses in coming days, but for now, as is always the case with events that truly define our history, it is best to watch them unfold. […]
Viktor Marković of Belgrade 2.0 reports on and posts video footage of the rioting in Serbia's capital:
Except for the broken windows, destroyed public property in front of the [U.S. embassy] and several mildly bruised antiriot policemen, due to the stones and flares throwing, nothing big happened. Group of mostly younger people, probably football hoolingans, tried to enter the embassy at one point, but all they managed to do is to break all the windows and a gate.
[…]
Slovenian embassy is, as I understand from the news, heavily damaged.
Viktor is also posting updates on Twitter; here's one of the latest mini-reports:
McDonallds restaurant destroyed, some reports say hooligan groups heading towards mosque […]
Here are some of Viktor's earlier reflections on Kosovo's independence:
[…] Our prime minister says that European Union, together with the US will “kidnap” a part of Serbia. But the reality is, Kosovo is not going anywhere, Albanians are not really going to take the part of the land and carry it over to a whole different place, as the word “kidnap” suggests. The border will stay where it was, with probably the same crossing fluency. Monasteries will stay where they are, hopefully. The name will change, instead of “Kosovo province” it will become something completely different – are you ready? wait for it… (drumroll) – “Kosovo”.
But the biggest question remains as it has been for the last eight years – non-Albanians’ safety and the right to live and move freely in Kosovo. In the future, this issue will be the responsibility of Albanians only, since our prime minister and our politicians have done very little to show that they care about the people as much as they care about the territory, monasteries and the name. […]
Jasmina Tešanović, guest-blogging at Boing Boing, writes:
[…] Last week in Geneva, I talked to a young Albanian blogger. He told me: this time “independence” will be declared for real, because it is not our independent decision but that of the world community. Nobody asks us anything anymore. They just give us orders and set rules.
Most young Serbian people have never visited Kosovo. There is nor reason to go to Kosovo if you are not trapped in Kosovo already. It is a hard place. Since the fall of national Yugoslav radio and television, Serbian has fallen out of use there. The Serbs never bothered to learn Albanian.
[…]
The last sentence in my 1999 diary was: I hope they don't build a wall. Today I must say the same: I hope the Serbian population in Kosovo survives, and I hope they don t build a wall: them, us, their armies, our armies, foreign armies.
[…]
May it be a beginning of new era; may our children never have another war with their neighbors just because they speak a different language and have a different sign on their graves. The Balkans have always been a multiethnic territory. No matter who wins the battle, nobody will be able to win a war.
Alan Jakšić of Balkan Anarchist is worried about the fate of Kosovo Serbs, too:
[…] Personally, I'm mostly worried about the Kosovo Serbs, my fellow ethnics in the province who live as a beleaguered minority. I hope that they will stay in the province and maintain links with the perhaps soon-to-be reduced Serbia, and not leave in great number from their homes and villages. However, I have seen on the news that the UN is already prepared to offer aid to these could-be future refugees in the north of the province.
One idea I heard the Serbian president Boris Tadić mention is a possible Kosovo Serb parliament to represent all the Serbs in the province. I think this could be a good idea, as such an institution could make the province's Serbs feel represented by a major institution whose members they would be able to elect. And as such, it could provide Serbs with the reassurance they need to stay in Kosovo. […]
Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes:
[…] Some people will undoubtedly be celebrating the event, but it will take serious and committed work to assure that the new situation means something more than jobs for a new crowd of politicians. I am neither thrilled nor outraged, but rather think that what matters most is how the problems that have been left from the past and the new ones that are going to be generated are going to be addressed. Kosovo and Serbia are both now states, and each one has the opportunity now to show that it has the capacity to behave like a responsible one. […]
Dejan of Anegdote is being serious in a non-serious kind of way. He has re-posted a photoshopped image of PM Vojislav Koštunica as a contestant in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? quiz show (uploaded from a Serbian-language forum with a mystifyingly telling name of Parapsihopatologija - “Parapsychopathology”) - and has translated the question and four answer choices:
Kosovo is…
A. Serbia [Koštunica's pick]
B. independent [correct answer]
C. less than independent
D. more than autonomous
Hugh Griffiths, on his B92 blog, explains why the current rioting in Belgrade may signify the “imminent departure” of PM Koštunica:
[…] For the first part, shouting offensive remarks about Albanians while crying “Kosovo is Serbia” in one breath, and support for mass murderer Ratko Mladic in the next is a general blow to the “international law” themed PR that's been doing the DSS rounds. Burning cars, attacking police, smashing traffic signs and punching journalists while waving the Serbian flag does no favours to what some refer to as the “branding” process and others call “national pride”.
[…] what really signals Vojo's imminent departure, bar some more wailing, is what the ne'er do-well flag wavers were chanting.
“Save Serbia and kill yourself, Kostunica”
[…]
Why this should worry the current leader of the party of international law, is that despite pandering to the views of ignorant extremists, Kostunica has lost their support. And by betraying the DS over not endorsing Tadic for president, Kostunica has finally irrevocably alienated the more decent with whom he was in coalition with. […]
Having made his premiership about hanging onto both Kosovo and [Montenegro], and failing to do either; making enemies out of all these king-makers means that he will be removed in the not too distant. Unlike Djindjic, this will be a democratic process, but history will be none too kind.
In an earlier post, Hugh Griffiths writes about two rallies that took place in Belgrade last week, prior to Kosovo's declaration of independence:
[…] The latest two demonstrations in Belgrade continue to present a vision of two very different Serbias. The first, on the February 11 would not look out of place in any European capital: a civic procession with peaceful purpose, smiling faces but a serious message, cheerful whistles and drums, good humour and witty posters. A pretty girl kissing a policeman. Good street theatre in a capital city moving forward.
This was a youth demonstration in support of Serbia's integration into Europe, an event backed by more than 70% of Serbia's population and a majority of those who bothered to vote in the presidential elections, despite the Kosovo red herring.
Then there was a second protest on 16 February. Around 1000 people demonstrating for the Kosovo red herring. A small, yet violently vocal group of misfits. […]
In the comments section to this post, one Serbian reader (badreligion) responds:
neither of two is mine
Both rallies represent extremes, and I find it hard to identify with either.
I just wonder why do all the foreigners see us Serbs so black and white? It seems one has to shout his head off or blow his bollocks through the wistle to be heard… There are some quiet and disgusted people here as well, you know. Those are people who are pro EU and against independent Kosovo.
Lucy Moore, on her B92 blog, criticizes John Bolton, former U.S. representative to the U.N, for a remark he made at “The Implications of Kosovo’s Independence for U.S. Foreign Policy” event in Washington, D.C., last Friday:
Calling Kosovo’s pending independence a “fundamentally European solution,” he noted that independence for Kosovo came out of not one but two instances in which the authority of the U.N.’s Security Council was largely dismissed — first in NATO’s 1999 air strike and now in the current failure by the international community to back a change in Kosovo’s status with a U.N. resolution.
And in a moment of bold directness, Bolton told any European citizen sitting in the audience to take this message back to Europe:
“It should be a long time before any of you criticize action without Security Council authorization.”
Wonderful. South Eastern Europe is again on the cusp of destabilization. What democratic headway Serbia had made has been kicked into reverse. Europe must now find a way to incorporate an economic wasteland into its already strained folds. And all Mr. Bolton — once America’s voice at the UN — has to say is America may have F*ck up but we're not alone. […]
Douglas Muir of A Fistful of Euros comments on Kosovo's prospects of being recognized internationally:
[…] As for international recognition: somewhere between 20 and 30 countries are poised to recognize Kosovo pretty quickly, with a larger number inclined to recognize but planning to wait a bit. There’ll probably be a UN Security Council meeting next week, which will lead to much discussion but nothing concrete.
So, unless Serbia does something stupid — which is certainly possible — in the short run, not much will change. In the longer run, well, I’ve used the phrase “Balkan Taiwan” before. It’s not very close; really, Kosovo is unique. But I expect a long war of diplomatic attrition rather than a crisis. Again, we’ll see soon enough.
Mark MacKinnon writes about the precedent-setting element of Kosovo's independence and the “Pandora's Box” effect it may lead to in Eastern Europe - and, as a reader points out in a comment, elsewhere in the world:
[…] My point here is not to argue for or against independence for Kosovo. But I do find myself wondering how the United States and the European Union find it reasonable to argue that the Kosovars deserve the right to determine their own fate, Serbia be damned, but other peoples of Eastern Europe in similar situations do not.
If Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence is going to get the support of the international community, let's make the right of national self-determination the new global standard. Let's set about determining the real will of the Abkhaz and the South Ossetians and back open and fair (not Russian-sponsored) referendums on whether they want to remain in Georgia. Then let's help them enforce the results.
Hell, while we're at it, let's do the same for the Transdniestr, the Respublika Srpska , Chechnya and the Crimea. If we're going to open this Pandora's Box in Eastern Europe, let's open it all the way. […]
While MacKinnon mentions Russia's foreign ministry's allusion to Abkhazia and South Ossetia in its last week's statement on Kosovo's independence, James of Robert Amsterdam's blog reports on Vladimir Putin's remarks on Kosovo and Spain's Basque and Catalan regions:
67 comments · »»When Russia speaks out against recognizing Kosovo's independence, there are quite a few feathers to ruffle among other EU members that have separatist issues of their own. It appears that President Vladimir Putin struck a chord in making the Spanish comparison. […]
China: Spielberg, the Olympics, and oil
· 00:37
Chinese bloggers shocked world media and those calling for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics this week with blog posts revealing a wide variety of Chinese opinions both independent from and more nuanced than that of the Chinese government on its relationship with Sudanese counterparts. Further surprise came when those posts were translated into English:
But the country's citizens feel no shame, and they will not engage in self-examination; rather, this affair will launch a patriotic movement to condemn Spielberg while proudly claiming that the Beijing Olympics will go on just the same with or without him. They'll even complain about the foreign ministry's few words on the subject—they're only increasing his visibility! Why should our grand nation of China care one whit for the comings and goings of a lowly artist? Scram, spiel-bork.
A small addition to the excellent round-ups linked to above is a researched post from the highly-read independent blogger He Caitou on February 16, ‘Spielberg, the Olympics, and oil‘, in which he takes it upon himself to explain the basics of the situation to his readers, something the Chinese government, Chinese media, Steven Spielberg and the Save Darfur Coalition have apparently all been unable to do:
斯大叔突然宣布不再掺和2008年北京奥运，外交部还专门做了回应，真是莫名其妙的事情。斯大叔给出的理由是什么“达尔富尔”，听都没听说过的名词，更是不明所以的事情。世界著名导演在世界人口最多的国家举办的奥运会上突然临阵脱逃，为的是一个非洲的什么地方，这事可闹得真够“全球化”的。
达尔富尔是怎么一回事？和中国有什么关系？和2008奥运又有什么关系？媒体上语焉不详，不谈这个问题。可能觉得不好谈，不方便谈，但是我觉得谈谈也无妨。反正周末无事，权且当作评书来听好了。
话说非洲，非洲这个地方很热。它的北部大家伙都知道，乃是一片黄沙，唤作撒哈拉沙漠。我国台湾女作家三毛曾经在那里工作、学习和生活过。南部还不错，比如南非，电视新闻里就从来没出现过骆驼。很多人坚持收看《动物世界》的观众也注意到，非洲还有草原和森林，动物们在赵忠祥老师浑厚的嗓音中追逐、嬉戏以及交配。中国人说起“非洲人”三个字，自然联想起面如黑檀木、头发打卷的黑人兄弟来。这种认识不错，但不能说是全对。
So what's up with Darfur? What does it have to do with China? Or with the 2008 Olympics? The media haven't been clear on the what and why, they don't talk about this issue. They might think it wise not to, or inconvenient, but I think I at least might as well. Anyway, I've got nothing better to do this weekend, so I'll try and tell the story so you better listen up.
Back to Africa, we all know where Africa is. And everyone knows that the north part is one long stretch of yellow sand. The Chinese Taiwan writer San Mao once worked, studied and lived there. The south part isn't bad either, like South Africa, which as we've learned from TV news, has no camels. A lot of people insist that those who have watched Animal World will have noticed that Africa also has veldt, forest and animals who frolic and copulate as Teacher Zhao Zhongxiang chases them with his booming voice. When Chinese people say the word “African”, they naturally think of their black brothers with faces like ebony and curly hair. Knowing that much is a good start, but it's not all there is.
看过《阿拉伯的劳伦斯》的影迷应该记得，非洲也有白皮肤的人。在非洲北部，那里是阿拉伯人的天下，骑骆驼骑马，住帐篷，是游牧民族。在南部，那里是黑人的土地，他们种地为生，是耕地的农民。苏丹是位于非洲的一个国家，达尔富尔是苏丹的一个地方。北部是阿拉伯游牧民，南部是非洲黑人农民。大家本来井水不犯河水，你玩你的沙子，我弄我的泥巴。
但是，从上世纪80年代开始，全球气候变暖。这种相安无事的情况随着气候的变更而发生了改变。气候变暖的结果是达尔富尔变得更加干旱，游牧的阿拉伯人立即受到了影响。他们的牧群需要水草，在骆驼和羊的眼中，农田里长满了饲料。于是，非洲黑人和阿拉伯人的友善关系被破坏了。阿拉伯人不可能改变游牧的生活习惯，而身为农民的非洲黑人绝对不允许任何人染指自己的田地。1987年，渴得冒了烟的阿拉伯人发表声明：阿拉伯人在人种上更优秀。然后集结成部队，开始抢夺黑人的土地。冲突全面爆发，两年之后才签署和平协议，代价是3000条人命和数百个村庄被毁。【1】
But then, starting in the 1980s, global warming began. With the weather, the peaceful co-existence situation also began to change. The result of global warming was increased drought in Darfur, and the nomad arabs were the first to feel the impact. Their herds need pasture, and what the camels and sheep saw, was farmland covered in feed. This is what destroyed the friendly relationship between the African blacks and the arabs. Arabs were not able to change their nomadic lifestyles, and the historically farming African blacks were absolutely not going to let anyone take away from their farmland. In 1987, the parched thirsty arabs issued a declaration, that arabs were racially superior. Then they built up an army, and began pillaging land from the blacks. Conflict fully erupted, and only two years later was a peace agreement signed, the price of which had been 3,000 lives and hundreds of destroyed villages. [1]
国内的人们彼此大打出手，苏丹政府又是怎么做的呢？苏丹政府倾向于阿拉伯兄弟，没事还发点武器弹药什么的，支持他们搞一搞。国际社会对这种苏丹内乱的判断是：种族冲突，是黑人和阿拉伯人两种不同种族之间的对立。但是，有学者指出，达尔富尔的冲突更多的是没有土地的牧民和有土地的农民之间的冲突，而不是什么种族冲突。一个明显的例证是2003年的苏丹的叛乱中，双方都以种族为口号，召集各自的兄弟。但是，那些拥有自己土地的阿拉伯人并没有参与到政府一边。所以，说苏丹是种族冲突是要打问号的。
在上世纪90年代，无论是说种族冲突也好，还是争夺土地资源的牧民农民战争也好，反正双方搞来搞去，搞了接近20年时间。2005年，平地一声雷，苏丹达尔富尔南部发现了石油！而且储量还不小，估计全面开采以后每天能产出20万桶原油。在这之前的二十年时间，根本没有中国什么事，但是打从这以后，苏丹、达尔富尔这两个词就和中国挂在了一起。
从1949年以后，中国和非洲就建立的良好的关系。现在怎么想我不知道，但是当时真是没把非洲兄弟当外人看。你们帮我们进联合国，我们就帮你们搞建设。中国在非洲有大量的合作项目，和非洲大部分国家的关系都很不错。那时候根本没想什么利益不利益的事情，工程队去援建，那是真的下苦力，做好事。医疗队过去做卫生服务，那真是活人无数。苏丹是中国的非洲兄弟之一，等打出了石油，老一辈无产阶级革命家心怀非洲兄弟的情谊现在就算结出了现实的果实：
Throughout the 1990s, whether you say it was an ethnic conflict or a battle over land resources between herders and farmers, both sides just kept on going at each other, and have been going for nearly twenty years now. Thunder boomed across the land in 2005 when oil was discovered in Darfur's southern region. And large reserves; after extraction got underway, 200,000 barrels a day by some estimates. The 20 years prior to this had absolutely nothing to do with China, but from that point on, the words Sudan and Darfur got stuck right next to China.
Since 1949, China and Africa had established positive relations. What the deal is now, I don't know. But at the time, the African brothers were definitely not treated as outsiders. You help get us into the United Nations, and we'll help you with infrastructure. China had large numbers of cooperative projects in Africa, and relations with most African countries were pretty good. There was no thought of benefits or advantages to this at the time; The engineering teams who went to aid in construction, now that was menial work, trying to do good. Medical teams went to provide health services, and saved countless lives. Sudan was one of China's African brothers, and now that oil has been discovered, the sense of brotherhood towards Africa that the old generation of proletarian revolutionaries carry is finally being realized.
中国是苏丹最大的贸易伙伴，苏丹出口中国的最重要物资就是石油。2007年，中国在苏丹的石油投资达到了150亿美金。始于1997年的中国苏丹石油合作，在十年的时间内已形成原油勘探开发、输油管线、炼油、石化等上下游一体的石油工业体系，苏丹石油合作项目是中石油公司在海外最大的合作项目，涉及苏丹一、二、三、四、六、七等区块项目及喀土穆炼油厂项目和聚丙稀厂项目。【2】
现在有点意思了吧？美国有沙特阿拉伯、伊拉克、科威特、尼日利亚等等石油大国做朋友（伊拉克本来不想做，萨达姆被吊死，现在做了。伊朗也不想，估计也挺不长），掌控了全球的石油生产和生意。但是，中国人冷不丁地在苏丹搞到了石油，一天20万桶，相当于尼日利亚的20%。卧榻之旁，中国人打起了小鼾，那还了得？【3】
正好，前面提到了2003年达尔富尔叛乱。这是怎么一回事呢？达尔富尔的黑人兄弟在2003年组织起来，成立了“苏丹人民解放军”等反政府武装力量，谋求自制。而阿拉伯人组织了军事组织金戈威德，和苏解对挑。造成了1万人死亡，100万人沦为难民。和1987年一样，苏丹政府支持阿拉伯人的金戈威德，提供武器弹药。小布什敏锐地抓住了这一点，宣称苏丹政府必须达尔富尔的危机负全部责任。并且，美国和它的盟友纷纷发话：喂，中国，说你呢！你的小兄弟搞出来那么大的事，你不去说一声？看中国不搭理，埋头运石油，于是大家一起喊：街坊邻居们都来看啊，小黑人被杀，完全是因为中国暗中支持苏丹政府啊！
就这样，中国和苏丹、达尔富尔的关系在最近几年剪不断，理还乱，倍受指责。
Quite something, eh? America is friends with several big oil countries: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Nigeria (Iraq actually wasn't much into oil, but then Saddam was hung, and now it is. Iran doesn't either. Like that'll last long.), which control the world's oil production business. But, China has suddenly struck oil in Sudan, 200,000 barrels a day, 20% of what Nigeria produces, in its own backyard, and this is somehow outrageous? [3]
By chance, there's the 2003 Darfur uprising mentioned above. How did that happen? Darfur's black brothers organized themselves in 2003, and formed the “Sudanese Liberation Army”, among other armed anti-government forces, striving for self-governance. Then the arabs organized the Janjawid militia and challenged the SLA. Resulting in 10,000 deaths and a million refugees. As with in 1987, the Sudanese government supported the arab Janjawid, supplying weapons and ammunition. Little George Bush shrewdly grasped onto this, declaring the Sudanese government wholly responsible for the Darfur Crisis. What's more, America and its allies one-by-one spoke out: ‘Hey, China, yeah you! Your little brother's gone and made such a mess, why aren't you saying anything?' Seeing China unresponsive, and continuing to ship oil, everybody started screaming at once: ‘everyone come look! The little black people are being killed, and it's all because China secretly supports the Sudanese government!'
And that's how, over the past few years, the connection between China, Sudan and Darfur couldn't be cut, with inconsistent reasoning and widespread criticism.
问题在于，站在中国的角度上看，谴责苏丹政府？那么中国还要不要石油的？中国已经转变为完全依赖石油进口的国家，每年烧掉的汽油柴油从哪里来？大庆，还是克拉玛依？当然，达尔富尔的黑人被攻击，被屠杀是个问题。那么，中国道路上汽车的油箱和车主的钱包也是个问题。本着人道主义的精神，应该谴责苏丹政府。但是，谴责完了以后，我们烧什么呢？说谴责苏丹政府，声援达尔富尔人民，估计人人都举手。但是，说为了达尔富尔人民，我们宁愿不要汽油，或者宁愿忍受高价燃料，忍受物价全面上涨，还会人人举手么？牵涉到切身利益，那么看待问题时的想法可能会完全不一样了。我们可以做到“宁可经济滞后三年，不让苏丹再死一人”么？
我不清楚对于这个问题的答案是什么。网上的聪明人多，有车的也不少，我想听听大家的意见。
I'm not sure what the answer to this question is. There's lots of smart people out there on the internet, and a lot of them own cars, so I'd like to hear what everybody thinks.
回过头来，再说说斯大叔的事情。斯大叔是犹太人，拍了著了名的《辛德勒的名单》。现在，斯大叔来中国协助搞奥运会，于是有人问他：那你不是变相支持苏丹政府么？为什么纳粹杀你们犹太人你拍电影，而苏丹政府在灭小黑人，你却要帮助苏丹政府的朋友呢？莫非你们犹太人才是人，黑人就不是人了？斯大叔不能回答，只好宣布退出。其实，斯大叔并不是第一面对这类问题的美国名人。巴菲特去年被迫卖掉中石油的股票，也是基于相同的原因。毕竟，人家还要在美国混，必须得顾及这一层关系。不过，现在走掉一个股神，一个名导，都是社会贤达，还不至于说像冷战时候一样西方国家联手拒绝参加苏联举办的奥运会，说起来中国还算幸运。
最后，对于心理有了阴影的各位车主，我想对大家多说两句。美国是自由民主的象征，这句话需要一个定语：在国内。而在国与国之间的关系上，可能并没有可贵的自由和甜美的民主，到今天为止，人类世界在国际关系上还是比谁的腿粗。美国人直言不讳地承认：最大限度地维护美国的利益。那么，除非美国的利益就是世界各国的利益，否则这中间总要冲突，总要有人死于自由民主的美国。今天，美国关怀达尔富尔，那么卢旺达大屠杀的时候美国人呢？再看索马里，美国军队死掉了几个人，于是就撤离了，把那里交付给上帝。而伊拉克呢？美国人在伊拉克死亡的军人是索马里的多少倍？为什么美国人不撤离呢？上帝真是不公平，没有赐予卢旺达、索马里、朝鲜人民以石油，否则他们也能得到美国军队的帮助，不至于被遗忘，任其自生自灭。
Finally, for those car owners with guilty consciences, I just want to say two things. America is the symbol of freedom and democracy, but this clause needs a modifier: domestically. But when it comes to relations with other countries, there just doesn't seem to be that same dear freedom and sweet democracy. To this day, there isn't anything that has more bearing on international relations than ‘the real world', and Americans admit it straight up: ‘to protect American interests to the greatest extent.' So then, aside from American interests, there's still every country in the world's interests, or else there would always be conflicts, and people dying for this free and democratic America. America today is caring over Darfur. Well, what about the America during the Rwanda massacre? Or Somalia, where after a few American soldiers died, it evacuated, and turned the place over to God. And Iraq? How many times more American soldiers have died in Iraq than in Somalia? So why haven't the Americans evacuated? God sure isn't fair, failing to bless the people of Rwanda, Somalia and Korea with oil, or else they've have gotten help from the American army, and not just have been forgotten about, left to fend for themselves.
现在，美国说我们支持苏丹政府不对。那么，屠杀库尔德人的萨达姆政府是谁支持的？鱼肉印度尼西亚的苏哈托政府是谁支持的？韩国的5.18事件中，韩国大学生和市民要求民主自由，又是被谁支持的军政府残酷扑灭？顺便说一句，伊拉克和印度尼西亚也都产石油。世界的真相是：
1、美国国内人民的确享受民有、民治、民享的生活，这是真的。
2、这种生活的代价是全力维护美国的利益，包括让愚蠢的沙特王室继续统治这个富裕的国家，让苏哈托、诺列加、萨达姆这样的暴君存在，为美国效力充当前驱。这也是真的。
3、当没有美国利益存在的时候，美国以外的任何地方死掉一百万人，可以当作根本不存在。这还是真的。我们生活在一个和5000年前一样残酷的世界上。在这个世界上国与国的关系视乎核弹头和经济总量的多少来确定彼此的位次。美国让美国公民过上美好生活值得诸国效仿，但是，这种国内原则并不能扩充到国际关系上去。如果你的确觉得对达尔富尔黑人心存愧疚，这种情怀值得赞扬，更加值得赞扬的是你放弃了自己的汽车，改骑自行车。如果你承认自己是自私的，需要廉价汽油甚于几万里以外的一群人的生命，那么也大可不必觉得惭愧。因为，世界就是这么无情，没有必要让自己去面对这种艰难的局面。相比之下，斯皮尔伯格只是做了一个最容易的选择。
1. The American people enjoy a life of ‘of the people, by the people, for the people,' this is true.
2. The price of this kind of life is all efforts necessary to maintain American interests, including letting the silly House of Saud rule over that prosperous nation, and keeping despots like Suharto, Noriega and Saddam who serve America in place, this is also true.
3. When American interests no longer exist, any million people who die somewhere that isn't America, might as well have never existed. This is still true.
We live in a world that's just as cruel now as it was 5,000 years ago. In this world it seems numbers of nuclear warheads and supply and demand determine rank between nations. How America lets Americans live such wonderful lives is an example set for all countries to follow, but, this kind of domestic policy isn't allowed to extend to international relations. If you honestly feel so guilty about the blacks of Darfur, that's commendable, but what's even more commendable is if you were to give up your own cars, and started riding bicycles. If you admit that you're selfish, and that cheap gas depends on the lives of a group of people tens of thousands of miles away, well then there's no need at all to feel ashamed. Because, that's just how pitiless the world is, and there's no obligation to put yourself in such a difficult situation. Spielberg, in contrast, only made one of the easiest choices there is.
资料来源：
【1】《达尔富尔问题的真正根源》
【2】《富尔达尔危机是怎么回事?》
【3】《达尔富尔：我的名字叫石油》
[1] “The root causes of the Darfur problem”
[2] “How did the Darfur Crisis come to be?”
[3] “Darfur: My name is oil”
Links for Roundups
Eastern & Central Europe
Foreign Notes reports on a new political project of president Yushchenko's chief of staff Victor Baloha, and on how Mykola Rudkovsky's alleged crime - “misappropriation of state funds and flying abroad on private visits” - is actually pretty common in Ukraine's governing circles.
East Asia , Eastern & Central Europe
Dr. Filomena reports: “A few days ago, Slovenia’s Minister of Education and Sport Milan Zver apparently recommended , in an interview for the Associated Press, that Olympic athletes avoid talking about human rights while they are in Beijing. By today, his words have been quoted in over 300 sources online.”
Eastern & Central Europe
Rather belatedly, a link to the post by The Czech Daily Word, announcing that the Czech president Vaclav Klaus won the election: “Klaus got 141 votes, which is exactly the threshold he needed.”
Americas , Eastern & Central Europe
A discussion of whether or not Poland is “in danger from exploding US spy satellite” - over at the beatroot.
Middle East & North Africa
From Saudi Arabia, Lalla Mona posts two pictures of signs: one from 1931 America which says “Public Swimming Pool: Whites Only” and the second from modern day Saudi Arabia which says “Following the directives of The Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, offering coffee to women in banned.”
Middle East & North Africa
Mohammad alQaq, from Jordan, draws our attention to Injaz Al Arab - which aims to empower one million Arab students annually by 2018.
Middle East & North Africa
Bahraini Mohammed Al Maskati rants about stupid blogs in this post.
Middle East & North Africa
Saleem Ayoub Quna writes about Jordan's traffic woes.
South Asia
Deane's Dimension from Sri Lanka on why rooting for Obama is all fine, but why one really needs to look at his foreign and economic policy.
South Asia
Out Against Abuse - dedicated to discussing issues of domestic violence affecting the South Asian community urges readers to share their stories.
Americas
“One of the clichés about the so-called third world is that nothing can get done without some money–personal money–changing hands. One of the fortunate things about living in The Bahamas–so far–is that that kind of corruption is not a pervasive feature of our society”: Nicolette Bethel blogs about bribery and corruption.
Americas
“You turn old Port of Spain into a slum, you block off the city from the sea (you leave the sea in such a mess that no one would want to be exposed to it anyway), and you build enormous faceless towers, and you call it development”: Jeremy Taylor rails against bad architecture in Trinidad's capital city.
Middle East & North Africa
“So, someone sets up a blog about things white people like one month ago, and already it is getting more hits than our blog, which is basically about what Arabs like. It just lists anti-white stereotypes such as their supposed affinity for natural medicine (which the Arabs invented), recycling, and coed sports,” writes Will from Kabobfest.