President Obama’s Libya Speech

The president’s speech did not clarify his views with a clear understandable policy. Commentators could not understand his plans for Libya nor his plan for other nations that are in turmoil.

While I believe it is a wonderful idea to help oppressed people around the world gain their freedom, President Obama’s speech left too many unanswered questions.

The leading question is: What is the criteria for involving the United States in the internal activities of another nation?

Second is the question of how does the United States define victory?

Even as this comment is being posted there are demonstrations and killing of civilians in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Congo, and the Ivory Coast. Why isn’t the United States acting to protect those demonstrating civilians? The president did not answer with the needed clarity.

Look at these words from his speech. I believe these words were not only a message to the American people. They were words to both friends and enemies. I underlined a critical point below that seems to imply we will aid Libyan rebels.

the United States of America anchor of global security and advocate for human freedom. …our interests and values are at stake

tyrant – Moammar Gaddafi. Americans who were killed by Libyan agents.

Faced with this opposition, Gaddafi began attacking his people. I said that he needed to step down from power.

Gaddafi chose … military campaign against the Libyan people.

brutal repression and a looming humanitarian crisis

Gaddafi declared that he would show “no mercy” to his own people. … In the past, we had seen him hang civilians in the streets, and kill over a thousand people in a single day.

It was not in our national interest to let that happen.

Gaddafi has not yet stepped down from power, and until he does, Libya will remain dangerous. Moreover, even after Gaddafi does leave power, forty years of tyranny has left Libya fractured and without strong civil institutions.

To brush aside America’s responsibility as a leader and – more profoundly – our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are. … And as President, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.

I, along with many other world leaders, have embraced that goal, and will actively pursue it through nonmilitary means.

We will deny the regime arms, cut off its supply of cash, assist the opposition, and work with other nations to hasten the day when Gaddafi leaves power.

Progress will be uneven, and change will come differently in different countries. There are places, like Egypt, where this change will inspire us and raise our hopes. And there will be places, like Iran, where change is fiercely suppressed. The dark forces of civil conflict and sectarian war will have to be averted, and difficult political and economic concerns addressed.

The United States will not be able to dictate the pace and scope of this change. Only the people of the region can do that.

America Lacks a Policy to Address Dictators

Kings and other leaders of Arab nations are seeing uprisings. The people in those countries want to be rid of corruption and obtain a piece of the growing world-wide prosperity. President Obama wants Mumar Gadhafi of Libya “to go” but the real issue is the leaders of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Yemen. Those leaders are firing on their civilian populations. How does the President square his “no fly zone” and “Gadhafi must go” words with the shootings in other Arab nations?

The problem is there is no policy on dealing with dictators and tyrants where ever they are. Regardless of their assumed titles these potentates believe they have the right to rule and it appears they are prepared to kill their own citizens to sustain their power.

Even talk show hosts friendly to the president cannot explain America’s policy regarding dictators. I fear the United States is headed towards some very difficult times.

March 23, 2011

Two well written columns on the Libyan/Middle Eastern adventures of the United States.

Robert Scheer on the West’s Attack on Libya
“Be Consistent—Invade Saudi Arabia“

William Pfaff on Libya and the West
“The Libyan Question: Now What?“

The American Empire Strikes Back

What is the reason?

It is obvious to me that President Barack Obama learned American history very well. I suspect he was particularly impressed with the idea of “Manifest Destiny”. Recall that the words were used in the July/August 1845 issue of the United States Magazine and Democratic Review in an article titled “Annexation.” The contention was that God intended the United States to occupy all of America from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It was a justification for the Mexican War and the insistence that the northern boundary of the United States be at 54-40. I remember learning that there were those who said “54-40 or fight”. In 1844, James K. Polk was elected president using that slogan.

Unfortunately Michael Medved, conservative radio talk show host, in one of his special holiday programs was espousing this same belief that God meant for America to be the world power that it has become. I wrote about America’s Manifest Destiny and Rick Santorum’s belief that the United States is the hand of God.

I have always said that America only goes to war for one of two reasons. They are economics and politics. There is no economic justification for participating in a war in Libya so it must be politics. The belief in an American mission to promote and defend democracy throughout the world, as expounded by Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson, continues to have an influence on American political ideology.

No report I have seen at this time explains the justification for interfering in Libya. Politically, if the Libyan attack ends quickly and the world is better off then Obama will have one more feather in his cap for an easy re-election. If this adventure fails the Republicans will have one more arrow to shoot. Worse yet, America’s reputation in the world will be seriously tarnished.

What is in the United States National Interest?

What will the Domino effect be of a democratized Arab world?

United States Senators (John McCain, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman) talk about democracy for Arab nations as if it is a good thing. No one is talking about the possible impact of unfriendly Arab nations and the possible loss of oil resources for the United States and Europe. No one is talking about the impact of unfriendly Arab nations upon Israel.

The question of U.S. national interest was posed repeatedly by Bob Schieffer on his March 6, 2011 Face the Nation program. He spoke with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, the well-respected New York Times columnist, who recently returned from Libya, provides analysis on the Middle East’s new future.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7358632n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Not in the video, Mr. Friedman told Mr. Schieffer he expected an end to the Saudi Arabian monarchy sooner rather than later. What was not discussed about the wave of freedom and democracy sweeping across Arab nations is the impact on Israel. There appears to be widespread hatred of Israel by most Arabs. Furthermore many Arabs hate the West and the United States in particular.

From Wikipedia: Israel is widely believed to possess weapons of mass destruction, and to be one of four nuclear-armed countries not recognized as a Nuclear Weapons State by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).^[1] The US Congress Office of Technology Assessment has recorded Israel as a country generally reported as having undeclared chemical warfare capabilities, and an offensive biological warfare program.^[2] Officially Israel neither confirms nor denies possessing nuclear weapons.

Recent televised interviews with the current prime minister and foreign minister revealed nothing. Neither would confirm nor deny that they have and WMD. In fact the foreign minister implied that it is in their interest to have everyone believe they have such weapons.

Search the internet and you will find a variety of articles that contend that Israel does have WMD. The possibility that they do does act as a deterrent to any major attack by any potential enemy. After all, at the end of the day wouldn’t the Israeli government use WMD if their very existence was threatened?

America’s call for a democratized world has implications that have apparently not been thought out with precision. Or have they? Putting Israel aside. What would happen to the United States if Saudi Arabia stopped its oil shipments? Is democracy for Arab nations more important than oil? Perhaps our government knows the answers but have but have not been shared with its citizens. Neither the press, not even Wiki Leaks seems to know.

Free Gaza Movement – Looking the Other Way

Posted with permission from the author.

Bay Area News Group-East Bay
Feb. 28 letters to the editor

Looking the other way

IN LIGHT of the revolutions across the Arab world, why does the Free Gaza Movement continue to support the Hamas regime in Gaza? While Hamas confiscates homes to hide weapons tunnels, closes secular schools, and kills homosexuals and “Zionist collaborators,” FGM “peace activists” look the other way.

On Facebook, young Gazans express more hatred of Hamas than of the Israelis, knowing that criticism of Hamas can get oneself killed.

Hamas in Gaza is a division of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Closely allied with the Nazis during World War II, today they advocate an Islamic caliphate and genocidal jihad against the Jews.

Many fear they will hijack Egypt’s revolution to create a Taliban-style theocracy more oppressive than Mubarak’s regime.

The oppression people fear in Egypt exists today in Gaza. The Hamas charter does not call for a free Palestine; just annihilating the Zionists.

The “aid” flotillas sponsored by FGM do not bring humanitarian aid; even Hamas publicly stated that the supplies are useless. The flotillas are to enable Hamas to import more lethal weapons from Iran to attack Israel.

This is what the Free Gaza Movement represents — the same hatred and repression against which the people of Egypt revolted.

Larry Feinstein
San Carlos, CA

Oscar win highlights plight of Africans in Israel

ARON HELLER

From Associated Press

February 28, 2011 4:25 PM EST

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Students at the Bialik-Rogozin school in a rundown Tel Aviv neighborhood have survived genocide, war and famine. But they were all smiles on Monday after learning that a documentary about their plight had won an Academy Award.

“Strangers No More” puts a human face on Israel’s absorption of African migrants — an issue that has divided the country as the government plans to deport hundreds of children, including students at the school.

When news of the Oscar for best short documentary arrived early Monday, the school jumped into action, festooning the building with balloons and banners and hosting a visit by the mayor.

Both students and faculty said they hoped the sudden attention would persuade the government to cancel its deportation plan.

“Hopefully, thanks to the Oscar, people will see that these are children with dreams like all other children,” said vice principal Mirit Shapiro.

Israel has been grappling with how to handle an influx of migrants since they began arriving in 2005.

Tens of thousands of Africans, most from Sudan and Eritrea, have since infiltrated across Israel’s long desert border with Egypt.

Since then, Israel has become a magnet for asylum seekers and migrants desperate for jobs in the industrialized world. Many found their way to the impoverished neighborhoods of south Tel Aviv, home to Bialik-Rogozin. The area has so many migrants that Israelis have named it “little Africa.”

The government has scrambled to stop the flood of migrants by erecting a fence along the 130-mile (220-kilometer) Egyptian border and a massive detention center in the remote southern desert.

The Interior Ministry, which oversees immigration, now says it is poised to begin implementing a Cabinet decision to deport thousands of those deemed to be in the country illegally, including hundreds of children.

Some deportations of adults have already taken place, and tens of thousands of Asian workers who entered the country legally but have overstayed their visas are also marked for expulsion.

The plight of the children has especially resonated among Israelis, since the kids speak Hebrew, consider themselves Israeli and many have known no other life.

For migrant advocates, the Oscar could not have come at a more opportune moment.

“If they are good enough to represent Israel at the Oscars, they are good enough to remain part of the country,” said Yonathan Shaham of the “Israeli Children” foundation.

The movie follows the story of three children at the school: Mohammed Adam, a refugee who escaped the genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region; Johannes Mulugeta, whose first day at school is captured in the film; and Esther Aikpehae, a girl who fled South Africa with her father after her mother was killed in unclear circumstances.

Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon’s 40-minute documentary details their struggle to acclimate to life in Israel, slowly unveils their stories of hardship and interviews the dedicated teachers guiding them.

The school had a United Nations feel to it on Monday, with children dashing through the hallways and a square interior courtyard featuring the 48 flags of all the students’ countries of origin.

Aikpehae, a precocious 12-year-old girl with piercing eyes and long black hair, speaks fluent Hebrew and excels in the sixth grade. But because she has been in the country less than five years, she is among those eligible for deportation. She said her only hope was to stay in her beloved school.

“It’s not like every other school,” she said in English. “There is Muslims, there is Jews and there are Christians and we all live in peace.”

The movie already appears to be making an impact, with some of Israel’s most powerful figures rallying in support of the school.

Education Minister Gideon Saar sent his congratulations, saying the school represented “education at its finest.”

And President Shimon Peres called the school to send his best wishes.

“You have brought us a double dose of happiness,” Peres said, noting the achievements of the school and the favorable depiction of Israel.

Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry, refused to discuss the movie.

Israel grants automatic citizenship to Jews but doesn’t have a firm policy for the migrants. The government took a step toward resolving their status by issuing a set of guidelines in August that would allow certain families to remain.

The criteria grant permanent residency visas to children of migrants if they have parents who entered the country legally, attended school, spoke Hebrew and resided in Israel for at least five years. Haddad could not provide figures on how many would qualify.

Adam, the 19-year-old Darfurian refugee featured in the film, says his dream it to study law in Israel. In Sudan, he watched his father and grandmother shot to death before his eyes. After just three years in Israel, he has graduated from high school, mastered the Hebrew language and is now studying at a post-high school seminar. His status in Israel remains uncertain, but he is optimistic.

“It’s thanks to the school,” he said. “Now I want to stay and get a university degree.”

Copied from this internet AP story: http://my.earthlink.net/article/int?guid=20110228/1ff777ce-fea6-4e56-8e21-3dcec70790fc

America’s Political Values Collide with its Economic Interests

Let’s be clear about one thing. America has security and economic interests throughout the world. I wrote about this issue on February 8, 2011. Since then I have read Niall Furguson’s WANTED A GRAND STRATEGY FOR AMERICA in Newsweek and Brendan Greeley’s The Fallacy of Facebook Diplomacy in Businessweek. The two articles converge on the point that I made on February 8. The bottom line is we want economic certainty, physical security, and democracy all at the same time.

Our desires are appropriate but the people who would carry them out do not see the world through the eyes of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. Facebook calls for neat round pegs in round holes while the square pegs fit into their appropriate holes sort of like the neat way we try to manage our affairs in the West. Neither the potentates of the Middle East nor the populations of those nations see the world as Westerners.

What makes this situation all the more difficult is that Western leaders do not understand the culture of those nations. Thus we have the American government tied in knots. Unfortunately, Barack Obama has not shown himself to be a strong leader and that has resulted in no coordinated plan to address the issues.

If I was betting, I would expect that whoever ends up leading the nations of the Middle East in the future, it will not be the same as it has been over the past 40 years. America’s lack of leadership will result in a more hostile environment for American interests. If we could only figure out what our primary interests are!

Wael Ghonim and the World’s New Age Revolution

The 60 Minutes interview with Wael Ghonim can be summarized with these few words:

Ghonim: Without Facebook, without Twitter, without Google, without YouTube, this would have never happened

Harry Smith: So if you’re an autocrat, or if you’re a dictator, and you watch what happened in Egypt over the last several weeks, what lesson do you think…?

Ghonim: He should freak out. He seriously should freak out.

This could be the beginning of a world wide wave of people power! Then again you can imagine that Facebook, Twitter, Google, and You Tube will be turned off by every dictator.

Tahrir Square Cleanup

Women clear the ground at Tahrir Square in Cairo February 12, 2011. Egyptians woke to a new era on Saturday after Hosni Mubarak’s 30 years in power came to an end, determined to ensure the army delivers civilian rule and prepared to use people power again if necessary.

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By Sandro Contenta Sat Feb 12 2011, Toronto Star

Revolutionaries armed with brooms descended on downtown Tahrir Square Saturday, launching a massive clean up of the site that was ground zero for 18 days of protests that overthrew a tyrant.