Towards a global perspective . . .

Apparently, the OSCE, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, will soon be sending Peacekeepers  to Kyrgystan to police the upheaval that has followed the recent coup that deposed a corrupt and unpopular President Bakyev.   Though Kyrgystan is a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which is China and Russia’s regional platform,  China and Russia have stood down.   Not only have they not rushed to the aid of their beleaguered member state, but they have  turned away from formal pleas for assistance from the new government, which, we are told is more sincere, less corrupt and more popular than the deposed President Bakyev.    It appears that they have given over a corner of their world to the West.   Why?  Is it evidence of  internal weakness or weakness within the SCO?  Is it due to a conciliatory political pragmatism that defers to the real power in the world?   Maybe they think they are giving a bone to the wild dog pack?

I am sure there are all kinds of complex regional currents in the conflict.   It is true that Kyrgystan is a member of the SCO, and for purposes of local trade and regional solidarity, that makes sense.  However, the explanation for Russia and China’s reticence is very simple.  The US has it’s largest supply base for the Afghan war located in Kyrgystan.   The US has spent a fortune unconditionally supporting deposed President Bakyev to maintain this base, as they did with the corrupt government before him.    In that light, this base has most likely been a thorn in the side of the leaders of the SCO all along, so their boundaries are already compromised.   Now, if they go in to assist the new government in regaining order, their efforts will ultimately fall in one of two directions.  Either they will be expending their resources to protect US interests in the region, or they will be drawn into a proxy war against the US and it’s pawns.

Let me explain.   Read the rest of this entry »

Defamation, a documentary film written and directed by Israeli filmmaker Yoav Shamir, is a film that every American should see.     As far as I know, it hasn’t been shown in theaters here, but I’m sure you can rent it from various online sources.   Those like myself, who have Netflix can see it online for free on their Netflix account.   Yesterday, I couldn’t find a place to watch it on Youtube, but got a screen showing a copyright conflict. I wasn’t surprised because Gilad Atzmon’s website said it wasn’t available on Youtube in the US. Today I found that you can watch on Youtube by starting from the trailer on the web page for the film, linked below.

The film begins with the director saying that, as an Israeli, he has never experienced antisemitism, so he is going to explore the subject in this film. Read the rest of this entry »

I saw a performance by Gilad Atzmon a few days ago, and he really has something interesting to say.   A disaffected, anti-Zionist, ex-Israeli, he speaks not only for Palestinian rights, but for a reasonable assumption that no one is ‘chosen’ and all people should have equal rights.  As an ex-Israeli citizen, he critiques Israeli policy and Zionist culture in a way that is quite shocking by standards in the  US,  not that he doesn’t get some serious heat for his stance.

Gilad is a popular Saxophone player and Jazz Artist in the UK, and his music is most enjoyable.   You can sample his work on Amazon and iTunes.     He’s also written a couple of novels that I can’t say much about because I haven’t read them.  However, he has a great website, which I highly recommend.  It is linked in on the sidebar.