New kid on the bloc

Make room for the new superpower. Founded largely for trade reasons, the European Union is now in the process of ratifying a Europe-wide constitution. Laws and a ruling governmental body are already in place. Means to represent a combined Europe in matters of foreign affairs have also been agreed upon. All the emerging power still lacks is a strong defense plan. But that’s just a hitch in the road while Europe is fast approaching the bona fide status of superpower, a development the United States cannot brush aside as it has in the past.

Looking at Europe’s history, the rapid development of a unified Europe is an outright amazing achievement. Neighboring countries have been tied up in historic conflict for centuries. Wars were started just to settle the score of the previous ones. But in the interest of unity, all countries seem to agree that these conflicts truly belong in the past and should not hamper Europe’s future.

France and Germany, for example, could not have a worse historical relationship, but in the interest of peace, this is set aside.
French President Jacques Chirac said last week he endorsed a plan to revamp NATO, brought forth by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. “We must also, as the German chancellor has underlined, continue to take account of the changes that have occurred on the European continent,” he said at a recent NATO summit that President George W. Bush also attended. Addressing U.S. concerns, Chirac went on to say, “Europe and the United States are real partners. So we need to dialogue and listen to each other more.”

And therein lies the problem. On this side of the pond, our government has largely ridiculed Europe and brushed aside treaties such as the International Court, the Kyoto Protocol and ICBM treaties establishing nonproliferation of intercontinental missiles. Yet it expects Europeans to play along when it comes calling.
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Syria hands over Saddam’ s half-brother

Is Syria trying to play nice now? (emphasis added)

The Iraqi government said today that it had imprisoned a half-brother of Saddam Hussein, a suspected major financier of the insurgency and for several years the head of the country’s domestic intelligence and security service, once the most feared agency in Iraq.

The half-brother, Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan al-Tikriti, is No. 36 on the list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis that the American government compiled after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003. He is believed by Iraqi officials and American commanders to have funneled large amounts of money from Syria, where he sought refuge after invasion, to guerrilla cells here in Iraq. He was apparently captured in Syria with the help of the Syrian government over the weekend.
The New York Times

Middle East ball game

Israel is officially blaming Syria for the suicide bombing that occurred in Tel Aviv on Friday, killing five.

The U.S. ambassador to Syria was already recalled after the attack that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Iran soon thereafter vowed it would back Syria if the U.S. showed any plans to take on Syria.

Last Sunday Vice President Dick Cheney mused that when “you look around the world at potential trouble spots, Iran is right at the top of the list.” He then added that Israel “might well decide to act first” on taking out Iran.

So here’s the ball game: Syria supposedly attacked Lebanon and now Israel. Meanwhile Iran is developing nuclear arms and officially backs Syria. VP Cheney said if Israel wants to take out Iran, he’s all for it.

Time to get nervous.

Aliens

You know, Germany has come a long way in the last 60 years. It’s a respected member of the international community and may even have a shot at a a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council in the near future.

And then you come across something like this. (Note that it’s not only lame, there are apparently also no women in America. Probably why my brother and I had to import them.)

And yes, I am in a weird mood tonight.

Duty Free bring-along

If any of my readers happen to come across this at the Hong Kong Airport, buy it for me will ‘ya? I’ll pay you back, I swear.

Guardian: Coral reef clue to fast sea rise

Looks like sea-level rise may be a much bigger problem than we thought:

The discovery of ancient mangrove forest remains under the Great Barrier Reef has cast doubt on some theories about how quickly the sea level rose after the last ice age.

Most scientists believe it was a gradual rise over the past 9,000 years. But the existence of relic mangroves 70cm (27in) below the floor of the Barrier Reef, some with leaves and branches still intact, suggests an abrupt rise.

Dan Alongi, a biologist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, said it appeared that sea levels rose about 3 metres in less than 30 years, drowning forests and flooding estuaries, 20 times faster than previously thought.

“Material was very much intact, it didn’t even have time to fully decompose when it was buried,” he said. “So it does tell us that when climate change last happened it was comparatively quick.”

It could indicate how quickly the climate might change in future, he said, adding that a sudden rise in sea level of the same magnitude would cause widespread damage to coastal areas.

Ocean current modelling suggests that sea levels could rise anywhere from 1cm to 10cm in the future. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that at worst it could be 50-88cm this century. Guardian

It would certainly take care of any pesky electoral problems Florida has. With a three meter rise most cities in the state would be wiped out.

political iPod

Just for giggles:

The Bushes are aware of this, said Laura Bush’s press secretary, Gordon Johndroe. “There is a certain expectation that the president and first lady be consumers of American culture. They know people are interested in what movies they see and what music they listen to.”

The president has owned the personal accessory of the moment for some time, said Johndroe. He’s loaded his iPod with his favorite country singers: George Jones, Kenny Chesney and Alan Jackson. He also listens to Aaron Neville, Creedence and Van Morrison. AP

Kerry’s kids as well as Edward’s all have iPods as well. I asked.

I just hope they don’t have such crap on it. Maybe John Kerry would like the new iPod Shuffle’s watertight case? You know, he could take it windsurfing and stuff. Not to mention the snowboarding jacket with built in remote… Now there’s a commercial waiting to happen.

Chalabi to end up with cabinet post

Well, it looks like Chalabi made a deal:

It’s been a slow and steady return to the fold for Ahmad Chalabi, once disgraced and on the outs with both Iraqis and the Bush administration.

The former Washington favorite may have lost his bid to be Iraq’s next prime minister on Tuesday, but he emerged after three days of haggling with the possibility of being named to a senior Cabinet post in the new government. AP

If you’re not familiar with Chalabi’s past, the article has quite a bit of history on him. He is likely going to be a key player in Iraq, no matter what post he ends up in.

Bush skips out on possible hard questions by Germans

President Bush chose not to have a “town hall style” meeting in Germany during his visit. The reason was Germany did not agree to have prescreened questions and could not guarantee that the president was asked uncomfortable questions. Der Spiegel

Can’t say I blame him. If I was to ask him a question on live TV he probably wouldn’t like that either.

Interesting though that the German government did not agree on the rules that President Bush uses in virtually all his town hall style meetings, isn’t it?

Bush calls plans to attack Iran ‘ridiculous’

“This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous.”

? President Bush at a news conference in Europe today.

Hmmm…. Why am I not buying it? Oh, here’s why:

“Yes, I told the Prime Minister there are no war plans on my desk.”

? President Bush at a press conference in Australia on June 13, 2002. He was responding to a question asking if the U.S. was planning to attack Iraq.

We now know that the Bush administration was hell-bent on taking out Saddam at that point.

South Korea’s decision to pull out of U.S. investments sends dollar tumbling

This is precisely what I was talking about when I said that foreign investors can hold the U.S. hostage:

U.S. stocks sank on Tuesday as oil prices jumped above $51 a barrel and the dollar slid on concerns that other central banks would follow South Korea’s lead in diversifying reserves out of U.S. assets. AP via Josh

Hardly good news. If South Korea, a country that is dependent on the U.S. to keep it’s neighbor at bay, can decide to pull out of U.S. investment, who’s next?

Chalabi drops out, Al-Jafaari likely to be Iraqi PM

AP is reporting Chalabi dropped his bid to become Iraqi Prime Minister.

Interim Iraqi Vice President Ibrahim al-Jaafari was chosen as his Shiite ticket’s candidate for prime minister Tuesday after Ahmad Chalabi dropped his bid, senior alliance officials said. Al-Jaafari’s selection means he likely will lead Iraq’s first democratically elected government in 50 years. AP

Chalabi has a shot at becoming Iraqi PM

Ahmad Chalabi, a secular Shiite once known for his ties to Washington, and Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the conservative interim vice president, will face off in a secret ballot Tuesday to determine who will be the Shiite majority’s choice for Iraqi prime minister, officials said. AP

Reminder: Chalabi fed fake information to both the U.S. government and the New York Times. In order to push for a strike against Iraq he lied with the intent of taking power himself. He is also accused of leaking information to Iran.

I guess we can just wait 10 years and have a regime change in Iraq through open warfare, right? A tried and true method.

Not running

Just to be clear to those finding my site via Google: I am not running for the Board of Education.

Google is fun, but it still has ways to go to help you find the things you are actually looking for.

White House sources say Chief Justice Rehnquist will likely step down by June

The moment it became known U.S. Supreme Court William H. Rehnquist had thyroid cancer speculations about his replacement started. It now looks like his stepping down may come within the next months. The Court resumes it’s session today, but Justice Rehnquist remains absent due to illness. The New York Times also says this:

Top White House officials have discussed the situation, one of those people said, and have concluded that they will have to be ready for President Bush to make known his intentions for replacing the chief justice no later than June but possibly sooner. They have prepared ever-narrowing lists of candidates to be nominated for the court, one official said.

“The thinking, clearly, is that the chief will retire in June,” said a person who has participated in these discussions. “The question is, of course, is whether he will be able to endure until then.” The New York Times

German election media ethics

There’s an interesting twist in the German election that took place Sunday in Schleswig-Holstein. The outcome of the local election could have influence on the majority of the lower house, so it’s closely watched. But the media still maintains it was too close to call.

To make matters more complicated: A small minority in the most northern of Germany’s states is exempt from the so-called 5 percent rule. Each party has to reach 5 percent to be alloted seats in parliament. But the rule does not apply to the Danish minority in Schleswig-Holstein. If they even reach one seat, the election will be swayed and thereby also parliament.

What was most interesting was that a pollster appearing on the national nightly news-programme Tagesthemen said the outcome remains so uncertain because exit polling is not used. On top of that the usual “Sunday question” (Sonntagsfrage) which is usually asked to establish poling data is not asked in the seven weeks leading up to an election. The reason is that the media does not want to sway an election by projecting its outcome.

The U.S. media relies on exit polling data to project outcome in states in the eastern times zones while voting is still going on in the western times zones. So this tactic may come as a shock to U.S. pollsters. But maybe it’s something to consider for the future.

Military spending at cost of national security

Defense spending is seen as matter of national security. It is undeniably important to spend money on the military, but when does enough become too much? If spending isn?t restrained, the country will end up selling out national security to the highest bidder.

Like many others before it, the Bush administration has declared itself to be for a stronger, safer America and believes that spending on military issues must take precedence over spending on social issues.

According to an analysis conducted by The Washington Post, the new $2.5-trillion budget proposal contains cuts to 150 programs spanning virtually all aspects of everyday life. In the meantime, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are estimated to have cost the U.S. taxpayers upward of $300 billion.

The cuts and the ballooning costs of military involvement abroad are undeniably intertwined. Even more troubling, though, is that high-ranking U.S. officials often act blas� about putting the nation in debt.
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Bush speaks

Irony alert!

Citizens must choose to hold their governments accountable. ? George W. Bush speaking in Brussels today.

Spain ratifies European constitution

Look, it’s a new Super Power emerging:

The European constitution cleared its first major hurdle last night when Spanish voters overwhelmingly endorsed the historic document in the first of 10 referendums that will be held across Europe over the next 18 months.

With all the votes counted, 77% of voters had approved the constitution, which is meant to simplify the work of the EU. Only 17% of Spaniards voted no, according to the interior ministry.

However, European leaders, who had hoped that voters in one of the most pro-EU countries would turn out in large numbers, will be disappointed that nearly 60% of the population failed to vote. Turnout was around 42%, the lowest in any Spanish vote since the death of Franco in 1975, and below the 46% in last year’s European parliamentary elections in Spain. Guardian

Bush implies America would back Israel attack on Iran

Plan B: Have Israel nuke Iran

Asked whether he would back Israel if it raided Teheran’s nuclear facilities, Mr Bush first expressed cautious solidarity with European efforts, led by Britain, France and Germany, to negotiate with Iran.

But he quickly qualified himself, adding that all nations should be concerned about whether Iran could make nuclear weapons.

“Clearly, if I was the leader of Israel and I’d listened to some of the statements by the Iranian ayatollahs that regarded the security of my country, I’d be concerned about Iran having a nuclear weapon as well. And in that Israel is our ally, and in that we’ve made a very strong commitment to support Israel, we will support Israel if her security is threatened.”

His comments appeared to be a departure from the administration’s line that there are no plans to attack at present and that Washington backs European diplomatic efforts. The remarks may have reflected Mr Bush’s personal thinking on an issue causing deep concern in Washington.

Moments later, Mr Bush was asked another question on Iran and appeared to return to his script - this time emphasising the need for a diplomatic effort. Telegraph

CIA killed Abu Ghraib man with “official” torture

Must be “bring out the trash day” at the CIA:

An Iraqi whose corpse was photographed with grinning U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib died under CIA interrogation while in a position condemned by human rights groups as torture ? suspended by his wrists, with his hands cuffed behind his back, according to reports reviewed by The Associated Press.

(…) The prisoner died in a position known as “Palestinian hanging,” the documents reviewed by The AP show. It is unclear whether that position was approved by the Bush administration for use in CIA interrogations.

The spy agency, which faces congressional scrutiny over its detention and interrogation of terror suspects at the Baghdad prison and elsewhere, declined to comment for this story, as did the Justice Department.

Al-Jamadi was one of the CIA’s “ghost” detainees at Abu Ghraib ? prisoners being held secretly by the agency. AP

United States should set example by ratifying Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol went into effect Wednesday. Notably absent from countries committing to the protocol is the world?s biggest producer of such greenhouse gasses: the United States.

The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997. Its full name, Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, illustrates what it was intended to do. The increasing emissions of greenhouse gasses had been linked to a rise in the Earth?s average temperature. To counteract this trend, the international community agreed to impose standards to keep emissions at the level they were at in 1990, if not lower them.

All member countries of the European Union ratified the protocol in 2002 and have successfully lowered the emissions. The EU accounts for about 21 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and has proven that stricter guidelines do not necessarily adversely impact the economy.

Meanwhile, the United States is pouting. While being instrumental in drafting the protocol, the United States never ratified it. The official stance taken was last reiterated by President George W. Bush, who said, ?America?s unwillingness to embrace a flawed treaty should not be read by our friends and allies as any abdication of responsibility.?
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CIA links terror threat to Iraq

Talk about being on a roll today:

Unrest in Iraq is providing Islamist militants with training and contacts which could be used in new attacks abroad, the head of the CIA has warned. BBC

Let’s remember: Saddam had no ties with Al Qaida and did not fund terrorism. Now Iraq is a training ground for terrorists.

Saddam did not have weapons of mass destruction and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the Bush administration knew that or at least had credible evidence to put the existence of WMD in Iraq into doubt.

We were told the war would cost American taxpayers 1.7 billion dollars. By now the costs are at about 200 billion $300 billion.

1,600+ U.S. soldiers dead.

The word “clusterfuck” comes to mind.

CIA says China becoming an increasing military threat

See what I get for wondering out loud what the CIA is up to?

The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency has warned that China’s military modernisation is tilting the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait and increasing the threat to US forces in the region. Financial Times