politics

We live in an increasingly networked world where advances in technology are having profound effects in many diverse areas. Just as the the coverage of war is becoming decentralized, so too is warfare itself and this is very disturbing. Global profile reports on a guerilla leader: “we confront this occupation by a war of small cells. This type of war spreads and scatters. Every cell can work by itself as a base, a leader and a decision-maker, deciding the right time and place to attack. This type of organisation is a complex system which is very difficult to destroy. It can reproduce itself and grow on a daily basis” The Colonel’s Network Warfare

Ananova – Bush wants

I said that I would say when I disagreed with the normally hyper-rational Dawkins. Dawkins writes: “Saddam Hussein has been a catastrophe for Iraq, but he never posed a threat outside his immediate neighbourhood. George Bush is a catastrophe for the world. And a dream for Bin Laden.” Oh cummon – Hussein has been trying to get his hands on nuclear weapons for 30 years since he wooed a very naive Chirac into giving him Uranium. Saddam walked around with a copy of Mein Kampf in his pocket and modelled his regime on Stalin’s with the express notion of extending the Ba’athist rule to a pan-Arab nation. The Bush administration may not have gone about diplomacy very well, to say the least, but it is false to say that Hussein’s ambitions don’t extend beyond Iraq’s boundaries. via Jeff Jarvis

Increasingly I hear about people who are reading British newspapers because: 1. people can read news online and 2. British newspapers are in English. The Internet has ratcheted English up another notch as a lingua franca. In France, the preposterous Academie Francaise (think of the DMV run by philosophy professors) is fighting a losing battle against the rise of English. It creates mandated alternative words for things like ‘le Walkman’ (‘le Baladeur’), which nobody really uses and enforces laws which dictate that websites in France must not be only in English. Preservation of cultural diversity is a noble cause, but global heterogeneity does not stem from enforced regional homogeneity. i.e. instead of artificially propping up a language, how about promoting French culture and ideas? At this time more than ever it is important that France communicates its views to a wider audience – and on the web that means English…

Martin Amis had a character in a novel who was always smoking. In order to avoid having to write when the character lit a cigarette or drew a puff, he stated that the character was always smoking unless he stated otherwise. In order to avoid me writing or anyone having to read a huge tirade explaining my fickle view on the war, assume that I am in pefect agreement with whatever Richard Dawkins says. I’ll inform if otherwise. Dawkins’ post 911 article News about Dawkins The World of Richard Dawkins

The consumate diplomat, Bill Clinton vicariously supports the war by defending Blair. On the one hand too bad someone with his political skills isn’t in the White House. On the other, remember that operation Desert Fox, which had the undeclared aim of taking out Saddam, failed, leaving Clinton to stall over Iraq as the Lewinsky affair distracted both himself and the US. Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Bill Clinton: Trust Tony’s judgment

Tomorrow’s parliamentary vote in the UK will be a test of how much trouble Blair is in. The Independent has a handy guide to how to interpret the number of Blair’s own party voting against the government, my guess is around 125 will: “FEWER THAN 100 a relief for Mr Blair, who could claim the tide had turned his way since last month’s vote. MORE THAN 121 the biggest Commons rebellion by members of a governing party. 132 OR MORE a body blow to Mr Blair, as it would mean he could not command the support of more than half of Labour backbenchers. 173 OR MORE danger signals flashing for Mr Blair as, depending on the number of abstentions, he would have to rely on the votes of Tory MPs to win a Commons majority. Mr Blair could be in jeopardy if the war went badly. 206 OR MORE meltdown…

Regarding Gulf War II: “The only debate in the U.S. media is on the Web, according to Jon Dennis, Guardian Unlimited deputy news editor. ‘Weblogs are doing all the work that the U.S. media did in the past,’ he said.” Poynter Online – E-Media Tidbits

BBC GMR, Phil Wood Show: Wood: What ‘K’ could be described as the Islamic Bible? Contestant: Er… Wood: Its got two syllables… Kor… Contestant: Blimey? Wood: Ha ha ha ha no. The past participle of run… Contestant: (Silence) Wood: OK, try it another way. Today I run, yesterday I… Contestant: Walked? Private Eye Dumb Britain

I may be a dove on the war issue – but largely on grounds of practicality and execution. A war in Iraq should not be fought now if it hinders a war on terrorism by: 1. Alienating the Arab world. 2. Creating insurmountable diplomatic problems with former allies at a time when the US needs support. 3. Defocusing, draining resources and creating long term instability without a clear post war plan and budget. However, the capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was a resounding victory and if the capture of Al Qaeda operatives solicits anti-American sentiment then so what, there is no option. Surgical removal of Al Qaeda terrorists is a good thing. BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | ‘Al-Qaeda brain’ praised as hero

Johnathon Freedland quotes Robert Kagan in the Guardian. “Europeans have grown soft and idealistic (and feminine) while the Yanks remain tough, booted and aware (like real men) of how brutal a place the world can be.” I instinctively like American no-bullshit attitudes, but Bush is hardly tough, he’s a little rich kid. Come on, look at the government of thugs that Sharon is putting together and the Bush administration is too timid to say anything, an insult to moderate Israelis. “Right-wing firebrand Tzahi Hanegbi was named internal security minister. In 1980, Hanegbi received a six-month suspended sentence for leading a chain-wielding attack on Arab students at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, where he was student union chairman. Hanegbi has since expressed regret.” Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Israel Forms Hard-Line Government

Tommy Franks is someone who will surely become a familiar face, despite his reputation for being camera shy. He is the commander favored by the White House to initially rule a post war Iraq. “They call General Franks a ‘soldier’s soldier’, a ‘muddy boots soldier’ – and this is the core of the man. In the official army biography, he is ‘Tommy’, not Thomas or Tom. “ Biography: General Tommy Franks