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Bush, Blair and Uzbekistan ...
Eric Margolis belongs to an endangered species - journalise wise. He's one of the North American continent's few remaining, true foreign correspondents.
He's also an author and a damn good defence analyst. He's been around for a long time and reported both on & from, a lot of different places. He's seen a lot, he knows a lot - and he happily shares his knowledge. He is, to coin a phrase, the real deal.
I'll confess I don't always like what he writes - mostly because the truth all too often, hurts. Particularly, if it's UK and/or US double standards he's exposing - again. However, I've never known him lie. Take, for example, his latest online article - "Uzbekistan's Tyrant."
Here, he once again tells it how it really is - regarding the Uzbek despot, Islam Karimov and his associates; Tony Blair and George W. Bush.
Oh, yes - and regarding more Caspian oil - more US military bases - more torture - more instability - more killings and more dirty dealings. To mention but a few.
Human rights and political [in]justice get a mention too. Remember them?
Remember the ex UK Ambassador to 'Kashtent'? The one Tony Blair so recently had booted out? He was the brave British diplomat of principle who dared blow the whistle on horrendous human rights' violations - and more.
If you don't remember or maybe never even knew, then click the link below to read the full article: http://www.ericmargolis.com/
posted by Richard at Tuesday, May 24, 2005
12 Comments:
Richard? Are you alright?
"Kashtent" ... very witty spoonerism, Richard!
And as usual a superb article by Margolis -- good on you for reminding me about his perspicacity in foreign affairs. He makes the NY Times' Tom Friedman look like a pre-schooler by comparison.
Although I am admirer of Margolis and his clear international awareness, I can't see how the solution he proposes makes sense.
How is this any different from the U.S. invasion of Iraq, "to topple a repressive tyrant who sits on a pool of oil"?
Does he think the Uzbekistan people who are now demonstrating and revolting against the tyrant would welcome such an invasion with roses? They are not stupid. They know the U.S. does not spread democracy, only fake puppet regimes. It does not spread humanitarianism either.
Granted, he advocates using a coalition of Western governments that would include Canada -- but it still adds up to the same thing.
After a failure, doing the same thing over again and expecting different results .....
It may be far from perfect, but the UN and the World Court were created to handle repressive tyrants who torture people and boil them in oil rather than a "coalition of the willing" led by BushCo neocons.
I'm fine thanks, Julie. Better for a good night's sleep. Why did you ask?
I've only just seen your query; you must have posted after I'd hit the hay. Remember I'm eight hours ahead of you. Heh. Even though the clock @ Blog top shows seven - I can't get it to change from GMT to BST.)
Hi, Mark.
As for 'Kashtent' - here's the truth. It wasn't inspiration but rather [originally] a simple typo. When editing/rewriting [as I all too often, need to, I spotted it. Then, like you, I saw the [black] humour in it - so kept it in. Heh.
I agree, Rosemary. It's a huge bloody mess that can't 'genuinely' be sorted out, by anyone strong enough and sincere enough.
Sad to say, it's another no-win situation for the 'people'. What's the lesser of the two evils, is Margolis' thinking - I think.
You're right too, about the role that should be played by the UN & the World Court - but before that stands a chance of happening in Uzbekistan - the UN member states must first get serious enough about it.
If & when they do - we may have even more troubles on our hands.
I'm thinking back to my recent "Shades of Suez" piece. Remember? Will the US and/or Russia simply say "Sure, guys. We'll leave it to you. You go ahead and do what you think's best."
The truth is, while I'm so often certain of what's 'cooking' - I don't always have an alternative 'secret recipe' to offer.
Gawd! What an almighty, bloody big mess, eh, Rosemary?
Right, Richard.
I don't have any solutions that look efficient or even workable, but sometimes "solutions" others propose just don't look like solutions to me.
Da-Dah!
Look at this - from the BBC - on Uzbekistan and CHINA developments today.
Uzbek leader seeks China support
Andijan residents do not talk about what they have seen
Uzbek President Islam Karimov has begun an official visit to China, his first foreign trip since the violent suppression of protests at home.
Before he left, China backed Mr Karimov's handling of the protests in the eastern city of Andijan.
Uzbek officials say 170 people died in the city on 13 May, but eyewitnesses say more than 500 were killed.
Mr Karimov has described the victims as Islamic extremists, but witnesses say they were anti-government protesters.
The Uzbek leader has turned down calls for an international inquiry into reports that troops shot at unarmed civilians.
Oops! Missed the link - here it is.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4577501.stm
For some odd reason all I could see for some hours (even after refreshing my screen repeatedly) was the flag... nothing else... just the flag. Like you had ceased to exist after posting the flag... I was thinking "The MIB can't go after Galloway... maybe Bush sent them after Richard instead!"
Not that I'm paranoid, mind you... but sometimes everybody really IS out to get you!
Heh. It's the way one of my picture[software] programmes works, Julie. Before I start working on the blog copy, I have to choose and upload an imagine, first. If I don't do it in that order, any pic I post later, plonks itself at the top of the 'next' blog. Which, at that time, doesn't yet exist.
Sounds crazy, I know, but it's freebie software and it does other jobs too. :^)
Ahhhhh... I seeeeeee... I have to do it the old fashioned way with ftp-ing it to my website writing the HTML to get it to magically appear at the top or middle or where ever of my post.I'm still trying to get the hand of getting it to "wrap". **sigh**
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