Marking the 200th post…

To commemorate having reached the 200th mark, we have compiled a list of our 20 most favourite posts (not in any order) which you should read (if you haven’t).

1. Nakba Day, 15 May - this post was made last year to remind us of the continuing sufferings of the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. While Israel will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Gazans continue to live under the shadow of the economic blockade…

2. Situation in Darfur worsened for second half of 2007 - Given that the situation in Darfur has yet to improve, we should pay special attention to the humanitarian crisis in the region.

3. Failure of US- Iraq Invasion - two recommended books on current American’s foreign policy. Bob Woodward’s State of Denial provides an insight on the Bush Administration while Patrick Cockburn’s The Occupation details the failure of the Iraqi invasion at ground zero.

4. I think you should have a speedy Gonzales departure! - Torture American style and its Australian detainee, David Hicks…

5. May Day Rallies around the World in 2007 - Workers around the world celebrate May Day…

6. Suu Kyi “cannot stop her calls for sanctions” - a posting on the Burma uprising last year and why the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate is caught between a rock and a hard place. To date, the military regime continues to adopt a ‘close- door’ policy against international organisations. This is despite the current humanitarian crisis which is causing thousands of deaths.

7. Liberal Upbringing = Happy Children - an earlier post on why a liberal atmosphere might be conducive to bringing up happy kids.

8. Americans want change… so does the world… - Given the American Presidential elections are coming in a few month’s time, this post reveals how Americans yearn for change. Who would the Americans vote for? Will there be any differences in American’s foreign policy if a Democrat were to be voted into office?

9. Dennis Kucinich - The Most Progressive Democratic Presidential Candidate - America loses a potential president who could possibly made a difference.

10. Time to boycott the China Olympics - The idea of a boycott has been raised by fringe groups. Should sports have a priority over human rights? Given that China has steadfastedly refuse to improve its human rights record, what can human rights organisations do?

11. Repealing Death Penalty is not imposing post-colonial will - Asian autocrats claim that the death penalty is congruent with its Confucian values. This posting exposes the oft-repeated myth.

12. How Asians Commemorate Human Rights Day 2007 - The peoples of Asia desire and fight for human rights and democracy too.

13. Law Society, Mas Selemat and the ISA - The escape of Mas Selemat, a detainee who was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Singapore, opens up a window of debate for the repeal of the legislation. The ISA is a piece of draconian legislation in Singapore and Malaysia which allows detention without trial.

14. The relationship between Human Rights and Democracy - Democracy is not just about conducting periodic elections. Human Rights Watch exposes this misconception and the West’s implicit endorsement of authoritarian regimes.

15. More by Tariq Ali - Excerpts and Links - Tariq Ali remains one of the generation’s most vocal and sharpest critics against Western hypocrisy especially with regards to Pakistan and Palestinian issues.

16. War on Democracy reveals sinister US administration - Watch ‘War on Democracy’, award- winning journalist, John Pilger’s first made for movie documentary which documents the US administration’s history in undermining Latin America’s democracy.

17. Panel agrees Howard government has managed to silence dissent in Australia - Howard might be gone but the damage he has done could outlast his legacy. This is an event review of a forum whereby politicians, academics and media commentators criticizes his government for censoring free speech.

18. Taiwan commemorates 20th anniversary lifting of martial law - Taiwan has become a member of the democratic club with a successful and mainly peaceful transition. Yet, it has been rejected by the UN as a qualifying member state. As Allison Hsieh who was quoted in this posting remarked, “Western countries that claim to support democracy and freedom must be much more assertive in their support for Taiwan’s right to self-determination…”

19. Amnesty (for) American Abductions - The current neo-conservative American Administration conducts illegal abductions under the banner of ‘war on terror’…

20. Sorry - The Australian government has apologised to the Indigenious community for its Stolen Generations policy but stops short of monetary compensation. This is in tune with the advancement of indigenious rights which has recently been recognised on the UN level when the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly September last year.

Who’s the bigot?

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, has called former US President Jimmy Carter a ‘bigot’ after the Nobel Peace Prize Winner had a meeting with Hamas in Syria. A bigot is a derogatory term which is used to refer to someone who is prejudiced.

Is that term justified? After all, Carter’s intention was to merely seek a meeting with Hamas (who by the way was democratically elected by the Palestinians) to discuss the possibility of peace in the Middle East. In fact, it is the ambassador who revealed his bigotry by outrightly condemning Iran and trying to ignore the pertinent question at hand - the humanitarian crisis in Palestine as a result of Israel’s economic blockade.

A bigot is someone who refuses to engage in any rational discussion of the issues and is insistent that he or she is always right.

In insisting that Israel cannot negotiate with Hamas, it is clear who the bigot is…

What is the Holocaust?

After the Libyan deputy UN ambassador, Ibrahim Dabbashi, compared the situation in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust, the diplomats from France, US, Britain, Belgium and Costa Rica walked out of the consultation room to register their protest.

That the diplomats should get upset about the Libyan’s envoy comments throw up the fundamental question of whether what qualifies as a Holocaust. After all, why should the word, ‘Holocaust’ be restricted for only Jewish suffering under the Nazis but not others who have also suffered during Nazi rule? What about serious human rights violations committed by totalitarian or military regimes which cause the deaths of hundreds or thousands? How serious should a situation be before it can be considered a holocaust?

According to Wikipedia, the word Holocaust was in use as early as the 18th century to denote ‘the violent deaths of large number of people’. For example, Winston Churchill and other contemporaneous writers used it before World War II to describe the Armenian Genocide of World War I (Wikipedia on The Holocaust).

Finkelstein also argued that the Holocaust was not ‘cast as a uniquely Jewish - let alone a historically unique - event’ prior to the 1967 war. In fact, he asserted, ‘Organized American Jewry in particular was at pains to place it in a universalist context’ (Finkelstein, 2000 p. 42).

That the Nazi Holocaust should only be restricted to Jewish suffering is somewhat disturbing. After all, human sufferings, despite their ethnicity or religion (or otherwise) are equal. There is no reason why its use should only be restricted for Jewish suffering in concentration camps.

Whether the use of the word, holocaust is justified for the situation in Gaza will certainly invite ferocious debate. What is of foremost concern though, is that the situation in Palestine, specifically in Gaza, has deteriorated to such an extent that UNRWA had to suspend aid due to fuel shortage. The cause - Israel embargo.

The envoys should have made their presence more useful in the UN Security Council consultation by coming up with a resolution to pressurise Israel to stop its economic blockade , which are hurting the civilians, instead of being so hung up over a term.

= References=

1. Wikipedia on The Holocaust, accessed on 24 April 2008

2. Finkelstein, N. G 2000, The Holocaust Industry, Reflections on the exploitation of Jewish Suffering, Verso, London