In the endless geopolitical realignments of the Middle East, the Caliphate of the Islamic State (formerly ISIS or ISIL) seems to have frightened just about everyone else involved in Middle Eastern politics into a de facto geopolitical alliance.
Source: The Guardian Unlimited
Nobody in their right mind wants more violent protests. But, as Martin Luther King said, ‘a riot is the language of the unheard’
In 1966, Martin Luther King started to campaign against segregation in Chicago only to find his efforts thwarted by violent mobs and a scheming mayor. Marginalised by the city’s establishment, he could feel that non-violence both as a strategy and as a principle was eroding among his supporters. “I need some help in getting this method across,” he said. “A lot of people have lost faith in the establishment … They’ve lost faith in the democratic process. They’ve lost faith in non-violence … [T]hose who make this peaceful revolution impossible will make a violent revolution inevitable, and we’ve got to get this over, I need help. I need some victories, I need concessions.”
As Washington supports Israel’s violence, Latin American heads of state have stood up against the offensive, acting as moral leaders for the hemisphere, and demonstrating their independence from the historically-hegemonic empire to the north.
Source: Truthout
When President Obama said on August 8, 2014, that: “with innocent people facing the prospect of violence on a horrific scale . . . when we have the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre, then I believe the United States of America cannot turn a blind eye,” you might have thought that he was talking about the current situation in Gaza. However, as you may or may not be aware, we are once again back to talking about Iraq.
Considering that the US government is ultimately responsible for the scale of death and destruction in Gaza through its sponsorship and unfaltering support for the state of Israel, it might be prudent to ask why, in this part of the world, at this point in time, the US government is considering airstrikes “to prevent a potential act of genocide” while supporting another one in a completely different location. Bear in mind that last year, Iraq saw its most violent year without so much as a comment from Western powers.
NATO claimed that its intervention in Libya was a historic success. But three years later, Libya is in complete chaos. Some 1700 militias have a combined total of 250,000 men under arms. Another external intervention seems necessary to stabilize the country. But the US and NATO must never be involved.
On August 7th, 1987, the five Central American presidents signed a peace accord known as Esquipulas II named after the city in Guatemala where the first round of meetings had taken place the year before. The accord included a number of provisions for cooperation between the five countries, and most notably called for an end to support for “irregular forces” by all of the signatories.
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