The Present Israel Crisis, July 2014

People all over the world seem to be fuming over Operation Preventive Edge being launched by Israel to attack Hamas militants in Gaza. In the ensuing attacks, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians. Many people are blaming the Israelis for being atrocious and brutal and not respecting human rights.

However much I detest the killing of innocents in a war, I cannot help but having sympathy for the Israelis. The situation is not easy. Gaza is controlled by Hamas, whose constitution demands the total obliteration of the Israeli state. They try and attack Israeli civilians whenever they have the opportunity. But the problem arises when Israel responds to such attacks and decides to bring the perpetrators to justice. Hamas quickly hides behind civilian cover. They use human shields to protect themselves and fire rockets from heavily populated urban areas where it is virtually impossible to hit them without getting civilians killed. They even hide weapons in schools and hospitals knowing well that Israel would generally avoid bombing them http://www.thestatesman.net/news/67507-UN-Chief-outraged-at-weapons-found-in-UN-school-in-Gaza.html . Thus, whenever Israel tries to attack a militant who has taken cover behind civilians, some civilians are killed in the process. The whole international community then jumps up to admonish Israel and call it names. What about the fact that even in the 21^st century, a country refuses to acknowledge another country but rather vows to destroy it completely? Iran has vowed to eradicate Israel from the map and has openly supported Hamas militants and encourage them with words and deed to keep attacking Israel.

When faced with such a situation what would you do? Will you refrain from attacking the militants who keep firing rockets at your citizens, or keeps murdering them, because attacking them will kill other civilians? Will you stand with hands in your pocket as others around you vow to kill you? Or will you act for your self-preservation? Will you try to remove the threat that you face? Israel is doing what it has to to survive. It is militarily more powerful than Hamas so their action is much larger in scale than Hamas, and therefore comes under scrutiny. Israel did agree to a ceasefire but Hamas refused. Does Hamas not care for the lives of the Palestinians in whose name they fight? Israel seems ready to stop this carnage but Hamas is not.

It is time we stood back and took stock of the whole situation instead of jumping to the same conclusion every time violence breaks out in Gaza vis-à-vis that Israel is murdering Palestinians in cold blood. It is time we acknowledge the breaches committed by Hamas of both human rights and international laws. Israel is right to suspect the verdict given by any UN investigation of the situation as every other time in the past the international community has been swift to blame Israel for every escalation in violence in that area. Maybe Israel is to blame for using more military might than necessary, but that does not mean that the entire international community just sidesteps the role that Hamas has played in escalating the violence and continuing to endanger the lives of the common Palestinians whom they proclaim to be fighting for. It is time we called a spade, a spade.

Ukraine Burning: Peaceful Protests, Riot Police and Democracy

A demonstrator waves the Ukrainian flag as the riot continues.

Ukraine is boiling in the midst of anti-government protest and a river of blood flows at the Maidan Square where the Ukrainians are protesting against the government with clashes between them escalating. The Ukrainians are calling for peaceful protests but alleging that the government is using violent means to curb the protest. At this stage it would be a good idea to look at what has led to such a crisis in Ukraine.

An Orthodox priest prays between the police and anti-government lines.

President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine, who belongs to the Party of Region, had been promising the citizens that he was eager to sign an Association Agreement with the European Union that would create closer economic and political ties between the EU and Ukraine. Ukrainians were eagerly looking forward to the signing of this treaty. But Russia was not too happy with the prospect of Ukraine allying with the EU as Russia wanted it to join its own union. Thus, Russia started applying economic sanctions on Ukraine. Ukraine depend heavily on Russia for its supply of natural gas and oil and feared an escalation of prices. On 21^st November, 2013, President Yanukovych suspended talks with the EU over the agreement and signed a treaty with Russia by which Russia promised to buy a substantial amount of government bonds and subsidize oil and gas prices.

A banner mocking Russian President Vladimir Putin at the protesters' camp in central Kiev.

Tens and thousands of protesters, mostly students and middle class people, poured into the Maidan Square, which had been the center for the Orange Revolution in 2004 that had kicked Yanukovych from his then post as Prime Minister, to protest against the government’s decision not to sign the agreement with the European Union. President Yanukovych responded by passing ananti-protest legislation that prohibited the use of loud speakers, among other stricter measures, without prior police permission. Protests erupted anew in response to this legislation and the protesters started demanding a change in the political power structure of the government as they felt that a lot of power was vested in the hands of the President.

Protesters hurl Molotov Cocktails at the police, who responded with stun grenades and rubber bullets.

Riot police throwing petrol bombs or Molotov Cocktails at protesters.

Medics evacuate an injured.

As anti-government protests swelled and people started putting pressure on the government with the Opposition joining in, the President responded by ordering riot police to crackdown on the peaceful protestors at the Maidan Square. (This might have been President Yanukovych’s revenge for his ousting from power via the Orange Revolution in 2004 that had also started at the same place, the Maidan Square) This led to bloody clashes between the protestors and the authorities. Many have been killed and thousands injured with the government deploying truncheons, tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets (some allege that live ammunition has also been used) to combat the protestors. But instead of subduing the protestors and their democratic zeal, this has only strengthened their resolve to seek a change in the government and the power structure of their country. Even though the Ukrainian government, including Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, resigned on 28^th January, 2014, President Yanukovych still is in power and his authoritarian power was amply demonstrated when in February, a few days back, he ordered crackdowns on the peaceful protestors leaving many dead and hundreds injured. The protestors did respond to the crackdowns by retaliating, throwing bricks and bottles at the police and the riot police. Protestors are now calling for everyone to be peaceful in their protest despite the actions of the government.

Smoke rises over the centre of Kiev as opposition supporters set fire to tyres.

Heavily armoured protesters shield themselves from police fire amid flaming barricades.

As Ukraine burns, we the citizens of the world look on; we, who call ourselves liberal and espouse democracy, just speak of high ideals while innocent people are dying and being injured in trying to live these ideals. Where are those that were so eager to give democracy to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan? What are they doing now when the people of Ukraining are fighting for democracy and human rights? Are the democratic rights and freedoms of the Ukrainian people not so important because they lack economic value? It is easier to fight when your own tail is on fire but it is the mark of humanity when you fight for the rights of others. This is the time for action and be inspired by the zeal and ideals of the Ukrainian people – this is the time to act.

Anti-government protesters gesture at a barricade.

[Photographs: The Telegraph]

The Tibetan Crisis

With the Syrian crisis and other conflicts raging around the world the attention of the world leaders, the world media and the people in general has been diverted to the refugee situation in these areas. But these conflict torn regions are not the only ones whose inhabitants have to suffer the tragedy of being driven out of their homeland and become refugees. Attention nowadays seems to have been diverted from a major crisis situation that has led to most of the people from that land becoming refugees in others vis the Tibetan crisis.

The Tibetan crisis has been successfully suppressed by the Chinese government from making the media splash that other conflicts seem to have, while being far more disastrous than quite a few others. China, using its military might has been trying to eradicate the centuries old culture, tradition, religion and language of the Tibetan community. Not being just satisfied with the occupation of Tibet, China is doing everything in its power to consume the Tibetan tradition with its state-driven policies. The Chinese military occupation and state-sponsored terror in the region has forced most of the Tibetans to move out of Tibet and seek refuge in other countries, mainly in India.

In India, the Tibetan community, under the leadership of the Dalai Lama, its religious leader, has created the Tibetan Government in Exile with its headquarters in Dharmashala. Here the Tibetan refugees have endeavoured to protect and sustain their centuries old traditions, religion and language. But their condition as refugees is not something to be proud of. Tibetan refugee camps are spread across many cities in India and the condition of these camps is dismal. The squalid living conditions, the poor sanitation and he lack of social and cultural integration into the local community is a major problem that the Tibetans have to face in their everyday life. There is hardly any effort from the government to help them integrate or to provide schemes for their economic development. Tibetans have been engaged in menial labour in the cities and their condition is deteriorating over the years.

With so much international effort being put into combating problems faced by refugees around the world, it is time that the international community pay more attention to the refugee situation in Tibet. China has so far been able to divert attention from Tibet but it is time that this changed. The Tibetan refugees  have been suffering for too long and it is time we, as the people of the world, as global citizens, did something about it. 

Despicable!!!

Rahul Gandhi is called the Prince of the Congress Party. Politicians and party members alike kiss the ground he walks on. This fellow decides to address a rally in the village of Phulpur in UP. At this rally, a student from Allahabad University protested by carrying a black flag. The student was not shouting slogans, nor was he armed. He was standing there with the flag. Police and Rahul Gandhi’s aides were quick enough to attack him and beat him up mercilessly. Jitin Prasad, a politician and close aide of Rahul Gandhi, went ahead and kicked and beat the student severely along with police. Are we supposed to tolerate this? Is this democracy? And after all this, we still kiss the ground that these politicians walk on? The police could have arrested him or made the student leave the venue but instead they chose to beat him up mercilessly. Maybe he belonged to another political party but that is no civilized or democratic way of treating dissension or opposition. This issue will be hushed up very soon. The media will forget about it tomorrow and we shall go on worshiping these politicians. Are these people to decide our fate, who beat up people who have something different to say? This is despicable and there are no excuses.

The world at large calls India a democratic country but pray tell me where is the democracy? Corrupt politicians abound. Criminal cases against them are hushed up. They are reelected time and again. They always break their promises. They tolerate no opposition and even use force to subdue dissenting voices. We are scared of complaining against them for fear of our own physical safety. Where is the democracy in this? I once heard in a movie, “Peace is not the absence of violence, but it is the presence of justice”. I paraphrase it in this context, “Democracy is not the presence of innumerable political parties, but it is the presence of justice”.

Watch the video on YouTube at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgpzpxbz9hI

China and India: Politicians Compared

What is the difference between Chinese and Indian politicians? Well, it is not just that the Chinese politicians all belong to a single party. The Chinese politicians are much more mature and far more wise than the Indian lot. The Indian politicians are quite tupid when compared to their Chinese counterparts. I shall explain why I say this.

Indian politicians are corrupt. This is a well known fact. They fleece everything to line their pockets. Any development project is sure to be helping one politician or the other to siphon off more money for their bank accounts. They do not care about the future. They just want to make money fast and take full advantage of anything that comes their way. This uncouth hankering after more lucre by the Indian political class has led to the image of our country suffering in the world market. Matters have been made worse by the fact that the politicians quibble among themselves as to who would get the lion’s share of the loot. They are so busy trying to decide this that the various deals with other countries suffer. With India stumbling, China takes advantage.

The Chinese politicians are as corrupt, if not more so, as their Indian counterpart. They siphon off money from all the deals and projects and line their pockets. If the politicians of both the countries so similar, why is the development of the two countries so dissimilar. This, I accord to the wisdom and maturity of the Chinese politicians. They have a foresight that the Indian political class lacks. The Chinese have taken lesons from the story of the duck that laid golden eggs. They have realised that unless more and more investments are made in and outside China, and unless they are able to make the economy prosper, their ability to line their pockets would be limited and would diminish over time. They are willing to let go a few dimes today so that they can encash on a better deal in the future. This leads to China having a growing economy that attracts millions of dollars in investment, which in turn increases the ability of the Chinese politicians to siphon off more money without affecting the growth.

For a minimal cut in their present income, the Chinese politicians are able to assure an increasing income in the future but our stupid politicians are too busy in the present to worry about the future. They may have the largest stash of money in Swiss bank accounts but the source of that money is soon going to dry up.

My advice to them is – take the money but do some work. It is okay if you take a ridiculously humungous bribe to give the tender for military equipment to a specific company, but see to it that the products that are supplied are worth it. Take money from the allocated amount to build a bridge but increase the cost of the project so that the quality of the bridge does not suffer. Here, some will say that unless the quality of the bridge is bad, how are the politicians going to make money through repairs? I say, make the quality of the bridge good and start off a new project. The people will be happy and the politicians would not have to spend heavily on goons and publicity to win elections. People would happily elect them.

I am just a layman with no exposure to mainstream politics and I can see the advantage of development. Can the Indian politicians, who come from political dynasties with years of experience in politics and corruption, not see this economic means to get more money? I am surprised at their stupidity, or do they have something else on their minds?

Politics and Politicians

After the rout of the Communist Party of India – Marxist in the assembly election of 13th May, 2011, the CPI-M is now on the backfoot. Let me tell you, I hate the Communists but not Communism. These so called Communist leaders of the CPM emphasize on the evils of imperialism as is symbolized by the USA. They ask the common people not to trust them and to boycott them. But they all send their children to the USA or UK to study and work. For any medical treatment they rush to the USA or UK. The supporters of the CPM, including the Student Federation of India (SFI) leaders, are hypocrites without parallel. They refuse to wear anything but Levis jeans, John Philips shirts and Addidas shoes, and drink only Coke or Pepsi, and vehemently criticize the imperialistic policies of the USA. I have never liked them and I never will.

Before and during the assembly elections, the CPM had vehemently stated that their party did not have armed cadres or harmads, and that it was the Opposition that had all the arms and was creating terror in the countryside. But with their rout in the elections, the truth has poured out. The local populace has come forward to raid CPM offices and their leaders homes and have come up with arms and ammunitions of mammoth proportions. Enough arms, rifles, pistols, revolvers, hand cannons, bombs and live ammunition has been recovered till now from CPM dens that are enough to start and continue a civil war. There is enough evidence that the CPM has been hoarding weapons and there is evidence of their use. Why then is there no legal action being taken against the party? Why can we not try the party at a court of law, because arms have been found from a large number of their offices? Why are we not banning the outfit?

I do not think anyone would be brought to justice. The politicians of all colours are joined at the top. They instigate the party workers to fight the workers of other parties but the leaders themselves have a wonderful understanding and look after each others backs. We have seen so many instances of violence after independence, when political parties have protested against unlawful policies of the central and state governments but in these violence have we seen even a single leader being injured or killed? Rarely. It is only the party workers who die. Their deaths give the politicians a platform to scream and shout and gain personal political advantage and the death of the party workers are soon forgotten.

What will Didi do? She cannot do anything. The Congress, the BJP, the CPI, the CPM, the Trinamul, the DMK, the AIDMK, are all connected at the upper echelons of power. It is only the poor party worker who is misled into believing that a party stands for a principle or ideology. Many even join these parties to gain economic advantage. I do not know whom to blame for this present state of affairs. Should I blame the common people or should I blame the politicians?

Osama: The Power Struggle Begins

Osama Bin Laden is dead. The most feared terrorist in the world was killed by US troops in Abbottabad. This elimination of the head of the Al-Qaida has sparked many concerns and many theories have been forwarded by experts on how the world scenario would be like without Osama. Some have foretold that there would be an increase in terrorist attacks in response to the killing of Laden and that the countries of the world should be prepared for that. I see the whole scenario in a different way.

Osama Bin Laden occupied a position of moral, economic, political and ideological authority over terrorist organizations of all shapes and forms. Everyone in that circle aspires for that post but everyone accepted Osama in that position because of his iconic image. Now that he is gone, there is a power vacuum that needs to be filled and there are a number of contenders.

The position gives the person who holds it, enormous power, both economic and political. Thus, there are a number of strong contenders who are ready to go to any length to occupy that position. This post has now been offered to an ex-Egyptian special forces officer. It had been previously stated that Al Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor, was the most competent for that post. So we see that a rift has already been made in the ranks of the terrorists.

History of Islam and the Caliphate tells us that the Egyptians are very different from the Arabs and are not very comfortable to be under the rule of the Wahabis. The Arabs, by nature believe that the sphere of Islam is their domain and no Muslim of any other ethnicity has the equal right to interpret and govern Islam. It is to be noted here that Egypt was the first region to proclaim a parallel Caliphate and move away from Arab dominated Islam. So, history has created a rift between Egyptians and Arabs.

The coming of an Egyptian to the head of Al Qaida has not gone down well with the rank and file of the terrorist organization. There are many dissidents. The present incumbent at the helm of affairs is trying his best to unite the organization by focusing on the revenge of Osama’s death, but that call for revenge is not being as successful as he had hoped. There seems to be a lack of a concerted effort and most of the leaders are only looking for opportunities to usurp power.

In this state of internecine conflict, the best strategy for the West would be to stay put and not get involved. Troops should be withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan as scheduled, and there should be minimal response to terrorist attacks. The least we need now is an external enemy for Al Qaida, which would give them a reason to unite. Now as the organization is on the verge of a power struggle we should help in the struggle by staying out of it. They will destroy themselves from inside.

Osama is dead but he has left a legacy that people are ready to do anything to inherit. The only obstacle in their path is each other and not an external enemy. We should just sit back and watch as the drama unfolds and respond, and not give them a reason to respond.

Kashmir Enroute

Kashmir has been at the center of controversy and debate ever since partition. Terrorism, militancy, separatism has been some of the issues associated with it. A large number of commissions and committees have been formed to try and solve the problems associated with the picturesque landscape. But none till now have come up with any plausible solution to bring peace to the lands of Kashmir. The only way forward seems to be the way shown by the Kashmiris themselves in the recent election in the state.

The various separatist leaders of Kashmir had been urging the Kashmiris to boycott the panchayati raj election of this year. They accuse the Government of India of corruption and intent to loot Kashmir. The believe and propagate the belief that the present situation in Kashmir can be attributed to the treatment meted out to Kashmir by the Indian government. They want Kashmir to be a sovereign country. So this time, when the elections came, they asked the local populace, rather threatened them to abstain from voting. But it so happened that the people of Kashmir did not seem to share their opinion and went all-out to vote. It was a massive turnout.

It seems to me that in consonance with the present mood of common people all over the world, the Kashmiris have taken matters into their own hands. They have had enough of the fightings and accusations and want to build their own lives now. They have lost enough Kashmiri lives to this mindless game of politics.

This election shows that the Kashmiris have finally rested their hopes on the working of the democracy that India promises. Instead of depending on the dubious MPs and MLAs to take care of them they have taken charge of their own fates by depending on the Panchayats, the local government, to take care of their needs. After all, who will understand their needs better than they themselves. They have been supported in their efforts by the chief minister, Mr Omar Abdullah’s faith in Panchayati Raj. This devolution of power to the grass-roots had decreased the incidence of militancy in a marked way.

Militancy was able to strengthen its roots among the people as a means to solve their problem. But instead of solving them, militancy has increased the problems faced by the local people and only helped the aspirations of a select few. Panchayati Raj and democracy seem to be the only way out of their problems, and a very good one I must say. If the Panchayati Raj system works, then militancy can say farewell to Kashmir. I am not saying that there will not be militants. There will still be militants among the people of Kashmir but they would find it very difficult to garner support for their cause and work freely.

The cynics may say that there are a large number of examples of panchayats diverting democracy to the material welfare of a select few and the corruption that is prevalent. With due respect to their concern I would like to point out that there is much higher concentration of corruption in the upper echelons of power than in the lower strata. Kashmir deserves a chance and they have earned it by electing to vote despite threats. It is my belief that these people will be able to use democracy to bring peace and prosperity to Kashmir. You may say that my belief is a bit utopian but you will have to agree that in the present scenario it is possible – very possible. Instead of harping on the what-ifs of the upcoming election in West Bengal, we should pay more attention to what has happened in Kashmir and learn our lessons from it.

Libya: Has The West Faltered Again

The situation in Libya could soon turn into a second Iraq for the West, especially the USA, if it is not careful. However, the initial damage has been done. The West has entered militarily into the Libya situation. Now some of you may say that the West wants to extract all the resources of Libya, especially oil, and that is why it has helped impose a No-Fly Zone over Libya. If this is true, the West is much more stupid than I thought. Lets go through the situation one reason at a time.
The West has not unilaterally imposed a No-Fly Zone over Libya, the Arab League has backed this move in the UN. I think the West should not have taken up this offer of personally imposing the No-Fly Zone, thus deploying its own personnel in Libya. But you may ask what is wrong with that, after all the Arab League supports it? Well, everything is wrong in this case. The Arab League, as its history says, has always been a slimy partner. Even though they say that they support the No-Fly Zone, they will do a volte face as soon as the tide turns. So the backing of the Arab League cannot be depended on.

This stance might mean a lot of expenditure for the West. The imposition of the No-Fly Zone itself is costing a humongous sum of money to the West. If the situation changes this expenditure may increase tenfold. Gaddafi is fighting the rebels. The rebels are fighting Gaddafi. With the West having decided to use their own forces in Libya the crisis may spiral out of control. It would be very easy for Gaddafi and other leaders to point to the presence of Western troops in Libya and say that the West is their common enemy and be able to unite Libya and take over control. The excuse he needs is the death of a few civilians. In that scenario other anti-Western countries will also raise their voices. Seeing the changing winds the Arab League will do a volte face and condemn the West’s attack on Libya saying that they just wanted the imposition of a No-Fly Zone and not war. This stance will lead to massive expenditure by the West on its military presence to control the sticky situation. They will have to fight the people in whose name they started the imposition of the No-Fly Zone.

People in general have a very short memory span. In a few weeks people would have forgotten that the Arab League had called for a No-Fly Zone over Libya and supported the UN resolution. What they will see is the presence of Western troops in Libya and then it will be very easy to brain wash them, starting off terrorist attacks on the West in the name of Libya’s liberty. It will become a second Iraq.
Instead of going headlong to fight for human rights, the West should have insisted on the Arab League providing the military personnel to impose the No-Fly Zone and promised to provide monetary and technical aid to the Arab League. The West would still have been blamed for fanning the flames against the liberty of people but at least the main ire would have fallen on the Arab League, making it easier for the West to manipulate it (if that is the West’s motive). Terrorist attacks would have been restricted to the Middle Eastern countries of the Arab League instead of focusing its wrath on the West. This would have brought the Arab League on the side of the West in its fight against terrorism. I really do not understand why smear mud on yourself when you can help it.

All of this may just be a fool’s musing and the main motive may be much more subtle and far more complex. May be but it surely does not seem so. I am not anti-Arab or something of that nonsense. I am just talking in terms of profit and loss. But if my assessment of the situation is correct then I salute the Arab League for their masterful diplomatic success in shifting the responsibility to the West without even any financial expenditure.

'Egypt is Free'

Mubarak has quit. The dictator is no more. In a strange turn of events President Hosni Mubarak has stepped down after making a firm stand that he would not step down till his term ends in September. Egyptians are jubilant. They had marched on to the Presidential palace and surrounded government buildings, and lo and behold, Mubarak flees with his family to a Red Sea resort. So the people have triumphed. What next?

This is the question in everyone’s mind and academics and scholars all over the world are sweating over “what-ifs”. The enthusiasm of the Egyptian people has reached a fever pitch. Their belief in themselves and their ability to bring change is soaring high. Whoever now comes to power needs to take this into consideration. Maybe after a year or two or even earlier than that the people of Egypt might go back to their stance of accepting without protest whatever is meted out to them in the name of politics by those in power; but not in the next few months. This is a new chapter in Egyptian history. No one can say what will happen the next moment. I believe there is no point in losing one’s sleep over what will happen if Islamic fundamentalists take over power. What if they do? They won’t be having any worse influence on international politics compared to the dismally flawed US policies in the Middle-East. If we can give the US all the scope to exercise its idiotic (I need a stronger word here) foreign policies that has had disastrous effect on the international political arena; I believe that we should give the Egyptians a chance to prove themselves. At least they have earned it.