Free the Shoe Warrior!

 

 

 

 

 

18 December 2008

 

His Excellency the Ambassador of Iraq                 

Iraq Embassy
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

SUB: FREE IRAQI PATRIOT MUNTATHER AL-ZAIDI

 

 

We are proud of Muntather Al-Zaidi for hurling his shoes at President Bush, shouting: “You dog! This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq.” The throwing of the shoes symbolizes the anger of the Arabs, the Muslims and all peace loving people of the world at the atrocities committed by Bush and his Iraqi stooges against the Iraqi people, and the continuing illegal occupation of Iraq.

 

It is an act of great heroic defiance to power that will inspire millions of youths throughout the world to stand up and oppose United States imperialism and its local agents. It’s a message to the oppressors that all your cruise missiles and weapons of mass destruction cannot destroy the spirit of the Iraqi people to resist occupation and win freedom and justice.

 

The flying shoes aimed at Bush and his stooges symbolizes the victory of the poorly armed Iraqi Resistance over the heavily armed American Forces and the local traitors. Muntather’s brave act, knowing that he will be caught and tortured and may even be killed, has redeemed the honour and dignity of the Arabs and Muslims which have been bartered away by the despots and dictators of the  Arab and Muslim world.

 

We understand from news reports that Muntather has been tortured and wounded by the Iraqi and American security forces. The torturers and their Western masters must realize that they will have to pay for their crimes when the people of Iraq end the occupation and achieve liberation and freedom.

 

It has also been reported that he may be sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for insulting Bush. The one who should be in prison is not Muntather but Bush, the war criminal, who is responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million Iraqis and 4200 U.S soldiers, and the displacement of 5 million Iraqis.

 

We join hands with millions of people throughout the world and demand that the Iraqi Government immediately and unconditionally release the Iraqi patriot Muntather Al-Zaidi and bring to justice his torturers. 

 

 

Yours truly,

 

S.M Mohamed Idris

Chairman

Citizens International

 

 

 

Mumbai Terror Attacks: The Mossad Angle

They killed Hemant Karkare, chief of the police anti-terrorist squad in Mumbai, to send a message that you cannot investigate the Mossad-RSS angle

by Amaresh Misra

MUMBAI, INDIA 4:00AM — Mumbai is under attack. People and forces who killed Mahatama Gandhi, who demolished the Babari Mosque have triumphed. More than 16 groups of terrorists have taken over Taj, Oberai and several hotels. Hundreds of people are dead. For the first time no one is blaming Muslim organizations. The Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare and other officers of the ATS have been killed. These were the same people who were investigating the Malegaon Blasts – in which Praggya Singh, an army officer and several other noted personalities of the BJP-RSS-Bajrang Dal-VHP were arrested. Karkare was the man to arrest them. Karkare was receiving threats from several quarters. LK Advani, the BJP chief and several other prominent leaders of the so-called Hindu terrorism squad were gunning for his head. And the first casualty in the terrorist attack was Karkare! He is dead – gone – the firing by terrorists began from Nariman House – which is the only building in Mumbai inhabited by Jews. Some Hindu Gujaratis of the Nariman area spoke live on several TV channels – they openly said that the firing by terrorists began from Nariman house. And that for two years suspicious activities were going on in this house. But no one took notice.

Our worst fears have come true. It is clear that Mossad is involved in the whole affair. An entire city has been attacked by Mossad and probably units of mercenaries. It is not possible for one single organization to plan and execute such a sophisticated operation. It is clear that this operation was backed by communal forces from within the Indian State. The Home Minister Shivraj Patil should resign. The RSS-BJP-VHP-Bajrang Dal should be banned. Advani and others ought to be arrested. Today is a day of shame for all Indians and all Hindus. Muslims and secular Hindus have been proven right. RSS type forces and Israel are all involved in not only destabilizing but finishing India. India should immediately snap all relations with Israel. We owe this much to Karkare and the brave ATS men who had shown the courage to arrest Praggya Singh, Raj Kumar Purohit, the army officer and several others.

A photograph published in Urdu Times, Mumbai, clearly shows that Mossad and ex-Mossad men came to India and met Sadhus and other pro-Hindutva elements recently. A conspiracy was clearly hatched.

This is a moment of reckoning especially for Hindus of India. The killers of Gandhi have struck again. If we are true Sanatanis and true Hindus and true nationalists and true patriots we have to see this act as a clear attack by anti-national deshdrohi forces. Praggya Singh, Advani and the entire brand is anti-national. They ought to be shot. Any Hindu siding with them is hereafter warned of serious consequences.

This is a question of nationalism. If no one else, the Indian army will not take this lying down. Communal, anti-national forces have attacked the very foundation of the Indian constitution and the nation. We will fight a civil war if need be against the pro-Hindutva, communal forces and their Israeli backers.

— 
Dr. Amaresh Misra is an historian/journalist. His most recent book “War of Civilizations: India AD 1857” was released in March 2008 by the Vice President of India Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari.

Quranic wisdom for Men and Women

Al-Ahzab (The Confederates)
Chapter 33: Verse 35

Equal Footing
“For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah’s praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.“

Initially, Quranic verses used only the masculine plural form to refer to the women and men in the new faith community. For years, “believers” (al-muminun), and “the truthful” (as-sadiqun), either referred specifically to men or to the men and women who constituted the Prophet’s first Companions. Once, a woman (or several, according to the different traditions) asked the Prophet why women were not explicitly mentioned in the revealed message. The Book – which, while revealing a universal message, also included responses to the questions asked by the Men around the Prophet – was later to mention women and men distinctively, as in the above verse.

This evolution of the message is part of divine teaching in the process of revelation carried out over twenty-three years: the faithful are thus led to evolve in their understanding of things and critically reconsider some of their cultural or social practices. The status of women, who were sometimes killed at birth because of the shame they might bring, was to be reformed in stages, as verses were revealed.

It thus appeared more and more clearly that the Quran’s message and the Prophet’s attitude were apt to free women from the cultural shackles of Arab tribes and clans and from the practices of the time. The Creator addresses women as being on an equal footing with men, their status as beings and believers is the same as men’s, and the requirements of worship are absolutely identical.

Compiled From:
“Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation” – Tariq Ramadan, pp. 209, 210

Deputy Speaker’s Rejection of Motion on Gaza Condemned

 

 

 

Press statement

by S.M Mohamed Idris

27 November 2008

 

 

 

 

Deputy Speaker’s Rejection of Motion on Gaza Condemned

 

Citizens International strongly condemns the Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat Datuk Ronald Kiandee for rejecting the emergency motion to urge the Government to take action against the closure of the Gaza border in Palestine by Israel.

 

We express our full appreciation of Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi (BN –Batu Pahat) for raising the motion and the Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as well as all the Members of the Dewan for supporting it.

 

The international public will construe the rejection of the motion as an expression of pro-Zionist sympathies and anti- Palestinian prejudice. It has brought great shame to our Parliament, Government and Nation.

 

The rejection goes against the sentiments and wishes of the Malaysian people who have been urging the international community to take urgent steps to lift Israel’s siege of Gaza and end the humanitarian disaster there.

 

 

 

 

The reason given by Datuk Ronald for rejecting the motion, that is, that it is not urgent is absurd. He obviously has not been reading newspapers or watching T.V on the plight, suffering and misery of the Palestinians in Gaza. Or is his decision based on a prejudiced view of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict?

 

The following statistics highlight the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need for urgent action by governments, the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Conferences (OIC) and all those who believe in defending and upholding human rights and the rule of law.

 

·         Around 80% of Gaza populations live under poverty line. 

·         1,100,000 people depend on humanitarian aid provided by UNRWA, Arab, Islamic and foreign organizations.   

·         Unemployment ratio has reached 65% 

·         60% of Gaza’s children suffer from malnutrition. 

·         About 97% of factories and workshops have stopped working, specifically 3900 factories. The industrial zone of Gaza is completely closed. 

·         Individual income: $650 per year or $2 a day. 

·         Freedom of movement from Gaza to the West bank, Jerusalem and outside world is being blocked. 

·         Around 260 people have died due to lack of medicines or because of being prevented from traveling outside for treatment.  

·         Nearly 40% of siege victims are children. 

·         About 150 types of essential medicines are not available in Gaza. 

·         The only medical factory in Gaza has halted production due to shortage of raw materials. 

·         Projects for constructing and developing hospitals, clinics and educational bodies have been suspended. 

 

 

Given this grim situation it is preposterous that Datuk Ronald rejected the motion on the ground of lack of urgency.

Thousands of people are braving their lives to break the siege. Civil society organizations have been sending shiploads of medicine and food to Gaza to break the siege, despite the threats from the Israeli Armed Forces. Is it not a shame that our Parliamentarians, sitting in the air-conditioned comfort of their ostentatious chambers, cannot even adopt a paper resolution in support of the efforts to lift the siege.

We call on all Malaysians to:

·         Write to Datuk Ronald Kiandee protesting against the rejection of the Motion on Gaza.

·         Write to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to jointly move a motion in the Dewan Rakyat on lifting the siege on Gaza

·         Hold demonstrations in front of Parliament House urging our Parliamentarians to adopt a motion on lifting the siege on Gaza

·         Write to President Hoseini Mubarak through the Egyptian Embassy here urging the Egyptian Government to open the Rafah Crossing to allow for free flow of people, goods and services.

·         Hold demonstrations in front of the United States and Egyptian Embassies calling for an end to the siege of Gaza.

 

 

 

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

S.M.Mohamed Idris

Chairman

Body Language

The scanner in action at a Western airport. source: AFP

 

The western politicians are having bad time. The new project to place body scanners at the airport has received a very negative support from them. They try to rule out the elligibillity of the machine under the pretext of ” invasion of personal privacy”.

 

From this story, we can decipher lot of discourses that has surrounded it. The prime issue why the scanners need to be there in the first place would be about the threat of terorrism. 

 

It seems, the Western world has been brainswashed heavily with the word “terrorism”. Yet, they seem naive to understand the origin of the cause why terrorism happen. 

 

But this is not merely about terrorism. It has something to do with another form of element that worth to ponder about.

 

 

The another element is about morality. The politicians knew that the machine violates their personal morality, yet in the Western hemisphere, prostitution had long been legalized  just like how McDonad is selling its Big Mac for public consumption.

 

Brothels are being open everywhere as long as the demand can come in. In the same way, behind the scene, human traficking is being considered a legalized activity too as the demand is highly intertwined with the prostitution activity. A particular “close one-eyed” case.

 

Now, let us think deeply why do the politicians behave like this. Why they are flip-flopping their thoughts on this morality stuff?

 

It has something to do with their mode of thinking. Its all boil down upon their world view that has long being shaped by various mode of thinking through out the history of western civilization that, to borrow Prof. al-Attas words as always in the state of ‘becoming’ rather than ‘being’.

 

One of the most central problem is dualism in thinking. Perhaps due to the influences of Aristotelian mindset as well as Cartesian division between mind-body.

 

The results of this mindset creates this kind of mess. The dichotomy between society and individual, sacred and profane.

 

For the politicians, their personal morality must not be jeopardised by this scanner machine. But the society’s  morality can be nullified in the name of prostitution that nicely being packaged as an industry.

 

They called it as a sex industry just like what computer, or heavy machinery industry being defined in our economic world.

 

The logic behind this notion that carries the word industry is for rationalization purposes. By rationalizing the activity, people will view it as a legitimate subject of economic rather than a morality-based scenario. In a secularized-capitalistic society, morality has no decent place. For the sake of improving a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), an immoral acitivty like prostitution can become an industry just like what happen in Amsterdam of Netherlands. A multi-billion industry. 

 

The power of language as a cognitive tool to rationalize day-to-day phenomena must not be look down. In the case about the scanner, the problem goes beyond the technicalities of the legitimacy of the act in terms of morality and economic matter but more upon the world view that has dominated the westerners for centuries.

 

If the Western world still could not seek to understand their root cause, they could be destroyed from the inside of their own comfort zone. This case just perfect to show and indicate the pervasiveness of chaotic (anti-thesis to Tauhidic) world view that the Western world has embraced since the era of Aristotle.

 

A very dangerous one indeed.

 

P/S: Maybe in future I will try to view more on this kind of problem under the lenses of Gramsci, Foucault and al-Attas by using their philosophical framework.

The Post-Modern Coup in Malaysian Politics

Today is the 13th of September. I believe, most Malaysians would either feel nervous or don’t care less regarding the current political turmoil that we currently experience in our own backyard ( Thailand is far worse). Pak Lah is looking frailer than ever. Sometimes I wonder what actually he has been thinking all this while. Of course the real subject of the ‘next big thing’ in Malaysian politics will not going to be focusing on him rather on none other than the return of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his quest for getting on the seat of power (read: Putrayaja).

 

Pragmatically, his ideas are being favoured by almost all Malaysians as they have grown tired on Barisan Nasional’s political antics. But I believe, as a responsible citiizen, we need to assess all areas of this coming post-modern coup de’tat for the sake of preserving our backyard from any kind of Machiavellian and oportunistics politicians.

 

Why did I say this 16th September as a coup rather than just ‘hopping’ from one party to another? First, the act, eventhough has garnered a lot of supports from various segments of our society is still far from democratic in its process. Well, what can you expect from those defaulters later? Politics, for most of them is their shortcut ticket for success. 

 

We all know how ‘short minded’ our politicians have beeen, be it from Barisan Nasional or even Pakatan Rakyat itself. Our politics is immature and very shallow in nature. Almost all the time the battle would be about ‘us versus them’ rather than ‘proposal versus refutation’. All I can say that our politics carry a heavy burden of relativism in finding the proper solutions for various problems. Relativism sometimes can be good but in a porous society like us, it can turn into a hideous creature that could wreck havoc among the ethnics.

 

We can never survive in a long run if we continue to play this political game under the shade of post modernity where relativism in finding Truth runs rampant. I believe how much some of you disagree that politics is free from any religious intervention,  the philosophical question for Truth must always be in the limelight in order for us to come close to the best solution for our society be it in economics, sociology and any other important fields that had and continuously shaped our life as Malaysian.

 

Wisdom ( or knowledge in its simpler form) is what we should acquire first before anyone of us would like to be a leader for their constitutions. That means, our politics must always be central upon knowledge as a source of arguments, refutations etc. Not like what we have today whereby emotions, antics and theatrics are the most efficient tools to garner support from the public. It reminds me about a bunch of people who being labeled as ‘Sophist’ ( in Islamic tradition they were labeled as Sufastaiyyah ) by Socrates during his time for being obsess in toppling down their opponent’s argument rather than debating to find truth on the issues concern. I believe in Malaysia we have more Sophists than any genuine ‘politician cum philosopher’ who would and should serve us better in this political drama. 

 

I have no qualm about Anwar Ibrahim and I will be very happy to perform my duty as a good citizen in helping him performing some check and balance activites upon his ideas and policies if he is really going to be the next PM. He is indeed an intelligent, charismatic and sensible leader at this moment. Alas, I don’t put too much hope on him because I belief the real problem that we currently have ( national unity, poverty) can never be solved under one prime minister as it involves more than just a political will but most importantly intellectual will in order to find solutions that could lead all of us to the real Truth (al-haqq).

 

I think we need, in Derrida’s word, to “deconstruct” most of the modern myths and the socio-condition of our people in order for us to have a proper foundation in, if I may use this word, ‘re-building’ our society back. The challenges are far complex than what we have ever hoped for especially regarding this coming 16th September. If you have read civilizational history perhaps you will understand what I have meant.

 

A post modern coup indeed.

Putin’s Winning Hand

Once the Atlantic Alliance is shattered, America’s lifeline to the world is kaput

By Mike Whitney

16/08/08 “ICH” — – There are no military installations in the city of Tskhinvali. In fact, there are no military targets at all. It is an industrial center consisting of lumber mills, manufacturing plants and residential areas. It is also the home to 30,000 South Ossetians. When Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered the city to be bombed by warplanes and shelled by heavy artillery last Thursday, he knew that he would be killing hundreds of civilians in their homes and neighborhoods. But he ordered the bombing anyway.

There was no “Battle of Tskhinvali”; that’s another fiction. A battle implies that there is an opposing force that is resisting or fighting back. That’s not the case here. The Georgian army entered the city unopposed; after all, how can unarmed civilians stop armed units. Most of the townspeople had already fled across the border into Russia or hid in their basements while the tanks and armored vehicles rumbled bye firing at anything that moved.

What took place in South Ossetia last Thursday, was not an invasion or a siege; it was a massacre. The people had no way to defend themselves against a fully-equiped modern army. It was a war crime.

In less than 24 hours, the Russian army was deployed to the war zone where it chased the Georgian army away without a fight. Journalist Michael Binyon put it like this, “The attack was short, sharp and deadly—enough to send the Georgians fleeing in humiliating panic.” Indeed, the Georgians left in such haste that many of their weapons were left behind. It was a complete rout; another black-eye for the US and Israeli advisers who trained the clatter of thugs they call the Georgian army. Soon vendors on the streets of Tskhinvali will be hawking weapons that were left behind with a mocking sign: “Georgia Army M-16; Never used, dropped once.”

By the time the army was driven out, the downtown area was in engulfed in flames and the bodies of those who had been killed by sniper-fire were strewn along the streets and sidewalks. Many of people who stayed behind were simply too old or infirm to leave. Instead, they huddled in their basements waiting for the shelling to stop. It was a bloodbath. The city’s only hospital was deliberately targeted and destroyed; another war crime. By day’s end, over 2,000 people were killed in an operation that was clearly engineered with the assistance of the Bush White House. Bush regards Saakashvilli as his main client in the region; they are friends. He is America’s cat’s paw in the Caucasus. Saakashvilli’s assignment is to try to get Putin to overreact militarily and demonstrate to European allies that Russia still poses a threat to their national security. Fortunately, many Europeans see through the ruse and know that the trouble originates in Washington.

For the most part, Americans are still in the dark about what really happened last weekend. There’s a great video circulating on the Internet by a Russian citizen that has been living in USA for the last 10 years. He sums up the role of the US media with great precision. He says, “The western media–especially CNN–is feeding you complete horseshit. Russia did not invade Georgia first.” The youtube can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c26Q-qxDEA

The coverage of the western media has been abysmal. Nearly every article and TV news segment begins with accusations of Russian aggression concealing the fact that the Georgian Army bombarded and invaded the capital of South Ossetia one full day before the first Russian even tank crossed the border. By the time the Russians arrived, the city was already in a shambles and thousands were dead.

These facts are not in dispute by those who followed the developments as they took place. Now the media is revising the facts to manage public perceptions, just as they did with the fictional WMD in Iraq. Many people think that the media learned its lesson after they were exposed for using bogus information in the lead up to the war in Iraq. But that is not true. The corporate media–especially FOX News, CNN and PBS (the smug, liberal-sounding channel)—continue to operate like the propaganda arm of the Pentagon. Its disgraceful.

In a 2006 referendum, 99% of South Ossetians said they supported independence from Georgia. The voter turnout was 95% and the balloting was monitored by 34 international observers from the west. No one has challenged the results. The province has been under the protection of Russian and Georgian peacekeepers since 1992 and has been a de facto independent state ever since. If Putin applied the same standard as Bush did in Kosovo, he would unilaterally declare South Ossetia independent from Georgia and then thumb his nose at the UN. (Sauce for the goose, is sauce for the gander) But Putin and newly-elected Russian President Dmitry Medvedev have taken a conciliatory attitude towards the international community and tried to resolve the issue through diplomatic channels. So far, they have conducted themselves with restraint and avoided any confrontation.
Still, Russia’s operation in South Ossetia has ignited a firestorm in the US political establishment and Democrats and Republicans alike are demanding that Russia be “taught a lesson”. Condoleeza Rice flew to Tbilisi on Friday and ordered Russian combat troops to withdraw from Georgia immediately. Saakashvili topped off Rice’s comments by saying that the Russian troops were “cold-blooded killers” and “barbarians”. So much for reconciliation.

Saakashvili’s hyperbolic rhetoric was followed by a surprise announcement from Poland that they had approved Bush’s plans for deploying the Missile Defense Shield in Eastern Europe. The system is supposed to defend Europe from the possibility of attacks from so-called “rogue states” like Iran, but the Kremlin knows that it is intended to neutralize their nuclear arsenal. Political analyst William Engdahl explains the importance of the proposed system in his recent article, “Missile Defense: Washington and Poland just moved the World closer to War”:

“The signing now insures an escalation of tensions between Russia and NATO and a new Cold War arms race in full force. It is important for readers to understand…the ability of one of two opposing sides to put anti-missile missiles to within 90 miles of the territory of the other in even a primitive first-generation anti-missile missile array gives that side virtual victory in a nuclear balance of power and forces the other to consider unconditional surrender or to pre-emptively react by launching its nuclear strike before 2012.”

The new “shield” will be integrated into the larger US nuclear weapons system placing the world’s most lethal weapons just a few hundred miles from Russia’s capital. It is a clear threat to Russia’s national security and it must be opposed at all cost. It is no different than nuclear weapons in Cuba. The timing of the announcement is particularly troubling as it only adds to the tensions between the two superpowers.

President Medvedev made this statement after hearing of Poland’s decision: “This decision clearly demonstrates everything we have said recently. The deployment of new anti-missile forces in Europe is aimed at the Russian Federation.”

It was President Ronald Reagan, the darling of the neoconservatives, who decided to remove short-range nuclear weapons from the European theater. Now, ironically, it is his ideological heir, George W. Bush, who is on track to restart the Cold War by putting a high-tech nuclear system on Russia’s perimeter. The younger Bush has already broken his father’s commitment to Mikail Gorbachev to never expand NATO beyond Germany. Presently, Bush is pushing to gain NATO membership for two former-Soviet states; Ukraine and Georgia. If they are approved, then any future dispute with Russia will pit the United States and Europe against Moscow. It’s no wonder Putin is trying to derail the process.
The Bush administration has been planning for a confrontation with Russia for more than a year. In fact, Raw Story reported on operations that were conducted by the military on July 14, 2008 which were probably a dress rehearsal for the current conflict. According to Raw Story:

“US troops on Monday (July 14) began military exercises near the Russian border in ex-Soviet Ukraine and were poised to launch them in Georgia, amid tense relations between Moscow and Washington. A ceremony inaugurating the Sea Breeze-2008 NATO exercise was held off Ukraine’s Black Sea coast against anti-NATO protests and a hostile reaction from officials in Russia. Sea Breeze-2008…includes forces from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Macedonia and Turkey…’The US-Georgia joint exercises will be held at the Vaziani military base’ less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Russian border with a total of 1,650 servicemen taking part.”

So, it appears the Bush administration, working in conjunction with the Pentagon, did have contingency plans for dealing with a flare-up with Georgia. The real question is whether or not they planned to initiate those hostilities to advance their own regional agenda? No one knows for sure.

Now that Georgia’s American-trained army has been humiliated in front of the world, Bush is trying desperately to save face by demanding that Russia allow the US Air force to deliver humanitarian aid via C-17 military aircraft to the tens of thousands of Georgians who were displaced in the fighting. It is worth noting that, as yet, Bush has never delivered as much as a bag of rice to the 2 million Iraqi refugees living in Jordan and Syria due to his war in Iraq. Bush’s magnanimity is not only suspect, it also creates real problems for Putin who will have to decide whether the offer is sincere or just a ploy to open up the ports and airfields so that more weaponry and ordnance can be delivered. As Barry Grey suggests in his article “Bush Dispatches US Military forces to Georgia” the humanitarian operation could be a scam:

“This is a formula for an injection of US military and naval forces into Georgia of indeterminate scope and duration. It will certainly involve the presence of hundreds if not thousands of uniformed US military personnel on the ground, and a substantial number of warships in the region. The US is introducing this military force into a situation that remains highly unstable and combustible, raising the possibility of a direct military clash between the United States and Russia.”


Grey is right, but what choice does Putin have? His task is to avoid a military confrontation with the United States while demonstrating to his Europeon partners that their future lies with Russia not America. That’s the real goal. To achieve that, he needs to expose Bush as reckless, petulant, and incapable of being a responsible steward of the global system. Maybe Putin will have to back-down at some point and swallow his pride; it makes no difference. What matters, is the endgame; showing that Russia is strong and dependable and will provide its European allies with oil and natural gas in a businesslike manner. That’s the winning hand. Meanwhile, the United States will be forced to take a long-overdue look in the mirror and revisit its strategy for perennial war. Unfortunately, once the Atlantic Alliance is shattered; America’s lifeline to the world is kaput.

Source: Information Clearing House

————————————————————————————————————

Citizens International is a global initiative from Penang, Malaysia. It seeks to analyze the causes of increased militarization of the planet and to work towards an environment of peace and international security including the preservation of social justice, ecology and sustainable development. CI also supports the development of traditional knowledge systems.

No.10, Jalan Mesjid Negeri, 11600 Penang, Malaysia, Tel: (6)04-828 4648, Fax: (6)04-8284648, e-mail: cizs@streamyx.com

Malaysian and the captive mind syndrome

It has become a norm for me to indulge in newspapers every weekend. One of the catchiest article I have read this week echo the same worry that I have since I become much more critical in observing our culture. Andrew Sia has written an awesome piece of analysis (which I copy pasted from the Star website. See below) regarding our attitude towards the Western culture. He was referring specifically to the Chelsea Asian Tour which had landed on our soil few weeks ago. It shows how our people really upholding John Terry and Co. by prepairing the Chelsea team with lavish and extravaganza treatment beginning from the arrival at the airport till the night Chelsea whipped our Malaysian boys 2-0.

Full of humor and cynical statements, Andrew has managed to captured my intention so vividly that I could relate his article directly with what the late Syed Hussein Al-Atas has famously promulgated as The Captive Mind Syndrome.

As you can see whatever happen during the Chelsea Asian Tour in Malaysia as being mentioned extensively in Andrew’s article below perfectly described the syndrome. As a 3rd World Nation who being continuously assault by the globalization demonic influences,  we the Malaysians, especially the younger generations like me has being reduced into a pathetic state of, to borrow Andrew’s phrase “worshipping the west“.

If I were to elaborated further the connotations of “worshipping the west”-I mean literally surely people will accuse me Taliban etc. But that is the naked truth of our people. Well, the syndrome is not merely being imposed through external forces of the Westernization a.k.a Globalization but also due to our weakness in upholding our cultural roots which are rich with beautiful values.

What can I say? As a Malay who lived in the city, my struggle to uphold the values of our roots still far reaching than I thought. If you want to understand this problem deeper I recommened you to read Syed Hussein’s The Myth of Lazy Natives (cost you about RM 300 in Kinokuniya KLCC) or the brilliant Islam and Secularism by Prof. Syed Naquib Al-Attas (the small brother of Syed Hussein).

Till then enjoy reading your heart our with the article below!

Worshipping the West

By ANDREW SIA

The way we feel about foreign football idols may reflect the kind of people we are – and it’s not a pretty picture.

LAST Tuesday, we had the Chelsea superstars come here to play a game at half-pace against a Malaysian selection, with the local crowd awash in the blue Samsung T-shirts of the English Premier League (EPL) boys.

Some local fans waited for hours to book the best standing spots at the team’s hotel, desperate for a morsel of affection from their idols. How did Chelsea’s multi-millionaire footballers return our love?

“Most of them just walked past, with their ears plugged into their music. They didn’t seem to have much time for us, even though some fans were waving flags and cheering,” recounts Eric Samuel, a StarSport Senior Writer who was at the scene.

We even welcomed them with elaborate Sarawakian cultural dances, and again we seemed to be “bothering” Chelsea’s megastars.

“From their faces, they must have been thinking, ‘Aiyoh what-lah, coming to this sakai (savages, a derogatory term for the orang asli) country’. At least stop and admire the dances for a little while-lah,” chips in another StarSport writer.

Malaysian Chelsea fans showed so much love for their team but got little back in return. EHFAN SHAH/ The Star

In other words, it looks like we gave Chelsea the red carpet treatment and got a cold blue shoulder back.

“While local reporters were playing cat-and-mouse games to get to any one of the superstars during their two-day stay, (foreign) news agencies and British newspapers had loads of stories quoting the superstars. A case of double standards, perhaps?” wrote R. Manogaran, Deputy Editor of StarSport in a comment piece on Wednesday.

And how were the local slobbering fans treated?

“At the official training session on Monday, thousands of fans thronged the Shah Alam Stadium to catch a glimpse of their aces in action and, hopefully, get an autograph or snap a picture for posterity.”

Manogaran continued: “While a select few, probably with connections to the organisers or someone higher up, managed to get onto the pitch for their autographs and snapshots, many of the die-hard fans could only watch from the stands — anger seething and tempers flaring.”

“Hopefully, when other bigger teams come our way, local media will not have crumbs thrown their way and the fans will be given their money’s worth!” concluded Manogaran. To be fair, there were some autograph sessions and Chelsea’s captain, John Terry, did make some effort to be friendly to the fans. But overall, by our standards of warm-hearted Asian hospitality and effusive politeness, where we go out of our way to make guests comfortable, the Chelsea visitors’ response seemed rather gruff.

In retrospect, it’s fortunate that the proposal to bring in Manchester United on July 27 last year to “celebrate our 50th Merdeka” did not happen.

First of all, it might have been a humiliating repeat of their last visit in 2001 when the national team were whacked 6-1 by Man U – while Malaysians cheered on the bashing. Or would Man U have been discreetly asked to play at half-pace to “give face” to us? Just as Luis Scolari, the Chelsea coach, admitted that last Tuesday’s game was nothing more than a warm-up “training match”?

I am not really a fan of, nor hold grudges against, any particular EPL team. My only beef here is, why do we so slavishly indulge in this West Worship, while receiving so little love back from our idols? Are we so lacking in self-worth?

At times, we seem like under-appreciated, love-struck women who pine after indifferent or callous men, the perfect candidates to read the book, He’s just not that into you (you stupid woman!).

What causes our lack of self-esteem? To start with, Malaysian football is abysmal. The problems – unpaid players’ salaries, bankrupt state FA’s, politicians hogging posts, lack of grassroots development and bookies fixing matches – have been dragging on for years.

TSo we have a Third World soccer mentality, but at least we still have First World physical infrastructure right? Sorry again, no. When Brazil came here to train before the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan, Scolari was then the samba boys’ coach. They had to run around looking for proper venues as the playing pitches were so bumpy and badly maintained that they posed an injury threat.

Have things improved since that international embarrassment? Scolari, now coaching Chelsea, was anxiously “waiting for the final whistle”, fearing that the poor condition at the Shah Alam pitch might injure his precious players. Given that some of them are paid £100,000 (RM700,000) a week, each of their toes must be worth, what, RM10,000,000?

West Worship is a prevalent theme in our society. The list includes, service staff who treat Mat Sallehs extra nicely over locals, VIPs who prefer sending their children to British universities over local ones, our architecture blindly copying European styles despite the searing tropical heat here, the proliferation of English-derived words in Bahasa Malaysia and people who miraculously acquire American accents after a two hour stopover at Los Angeles airport.

But even if we’re going to worship the West, let’s at least do it properly. Let’s revere not only the external stuff, like their football players, but also the deeper substance – the professional sports management, youth skills development and corruption-free leagues – that allowed these great players to emerge. So that one day, we will have players that can storm the World Cup, as South Korea did in 2002.

Otherwise, we will be perpetually reduced to bowing in adoration before Chelsea’s demigods, begging for scraps of their attention, as they brush past us nonchalantly.

Copy pasted from the Star website.

Interview with Shell CEO

Why is oil so expensive?

“The short answer is: nobody knows. Suffice it to say that, ten years ago, when the oil price was $10, nobody foresaw that it would be $140 today. So, even if I had any particular insight, there would still be a 50/50 chance of getting it wrong. That also explains why we have stopped to make a lot of forecasts.”

Still, what factors determine the price of oil?

“We look at fundamentals — as well as small shifts. We always ask, What’s going on in the Middle East? How many refineries are online? Is there enough gasoline in the stations?

“So beyond the fundamentals, the price of oil is determined by psychologies, tensions in the world or lack of spare capacity.”

Every power plant has got to be zero emissions. Widespread deployment of CO2 capture and storage (CCS) at power stations is crucial for that to happen.

Is the era of cheap fossil fuels coming to an end?

“I think that easy oil and easy gas — that is, fuels that are relatively cheap to produce and very easy to get to the market — will peak somewhere in the coming ten years.”

Why is that?

“Mother Nature has put enough of it out there. In other words, there’s no shortage of molecules out there. It is just that she has put it in difficult places, like the Arctic, or in the form of “difficult oil and gas”. Where before you would drill a hole in the ground and gas would come out — that is “easy” gas — now you will drill a hole in the ground and you can see the gas, but it won’t come out.”

What challenges does this pose?

“You have to invest a lot, per unit, per lot, per barrel

Ten years ago, when the oil price was $10, nobody foresaw that it would be $140 today.

of oil — and it is not just the dollars per barrel, but the brain cells per barrel that go up as well. That changes the nature of the industry completely. It becomes very technology-intensive, capital-intensive, top-expert intensive.”

How is Shell meeting these challenges?

“We have hired thousands and thousands of experts mid-career, which we have never done in the past. This is a clear indication we are sure there is an opportunity for those unconventional energy sources.”

How can international oil companies such as Shell compete with national oil companies in developing oil resources?

“If we can only do the same as national companies in producing easy

The industry has become very technology-intensive, capital-intensive and top-expert intensive.

oil, then the value proposition we can make to those governments who have a very strong agenda will be quite difficult. So for us, it is very important that we have something distinctive — such as unique technologies, large project management, operational excellences, track records of working cheaper or having access to markets.”

Why is this important?

“If we bring something to the table that others don’t have, the national oil companies will probably invite us to form joint ventures, as they have done in the past. If we don’t, they won’t.”

What must we keep in mind when planning the world’s energy future?

“One of the key things about planning the future of the energy system is to recognize the natural timeframes. If you get a car today that is of high quality, you know that it is still going to be on the road in 20 years, somewhere in the world.

“And if you build a power plant, it is going to be operating in 40 years. So, if there are any brand new technologies, they need to be out of the lab now to be of significant scale in the time period that we’re talking about.”

And what must we keep in mind when setting greenhouse gas standards?

“The world faces a rise in emissions by 25% between now and 2020, because of the surge in energy

The price of oil is determined by psychologies, tensions in the world or lack of spare capacity.

demand in Asia. To cut CO2 emissions in half by 2020 effectively means that by that time, you have got to get into place a zero-emissions power sector and a more-or-less zero-emissions transport sector. So, starting today, that means every plant today, every power plant, has got to be zero emissions. That’s what it means. But it is not going to happen that fast.

“However, we believe that if the world makes the right choices in the next few years, we could bring down energy-related emissions substantially after 2020. Widespread deployment of CO2 capture and storage (CCS) at power stations is crucial for that to happen.”

And finally, what is a specific example of how companies can reduce CO2 emissions?

“We put quite a CO2 penalty on every design we make. Why? Because many of our installations are built for decades — and if you put a high CO2 penalty on every total CO2 you emit, you will have higher efficiency units.”

How important are biofuels?

“Our aim is make transport fuels out of next-generation bio-fuels — that is, the sustainable, non-food variety. To that end, we are on the move all the time by collaborating with small companies and by doing our own research.”

Do they have potential to be an important part of the world’s energy mix?

“I think that the way that we look at next-generation biofuels is that you have to look at an integrated way: How sustainable are the biofuels? What is the CO2 footprint? Will you eat up your own biofuels? That is very much part of our thinking.”

“We have already learned from hard lessons in developing renewables — but we are very committed to developing renewables and to making them cheaper.”

Do biofuels have a future?

“Yes. In the end, the aim is to make sustainably sourced next-generation biofuels that don’t compete with foods, and are more CO2 efficient “from well to wheels” than products based on fossil fuels. And they certainly will be a lot better than transport fuels based on coal.”

How is Shell attempting to create a market for biofuels?

“The thing you have to do, is to go through the learning curves as fast as you can. That has to do with reserves, demonstrations, projects and brains.”

Where does the investment come in?

“Only if you have a value proposition for the consumers which is attractive, then you can invest a lot. And that we have already learned from hard lessons in developing renewables. We have been too early in technologies that people didn’t like to buy. But, we are very committed to developing renewables and to making them cheaper.”

How does nuclear energy fit into the mix?

“Nuclear energy is very important. However, over the next 20 years, there is such a decommissioning program under way that you have to have massive construction just to hold it steady — and then you have to build on top of that.”

Why is that such a challenge?

“How sustainable are the biofuels? What is the CO2 footprint? Will you eat up your own biofuels? That is very much part of our thinking.”

“You essentially have to recreate three industries — construction, uranium mining and waste management — that have effectively been depleted over the last 20 years. So it takes time to rebuild the industry, and then have the scope that grows. We see it growing, but we don’t see it able to be the silver bullet.”

What does the future hold for hydrogen?

“I worked in the United States in the 1990s and I picked up this idea here — I was quite enthusiastic about it. We are still enthusiastic, but it will be less and later. Everybody in the field still has to work out a lot of problems. While it is still a quite exciting fuel, you have to still figure out from what you can make the hydrogen. So, we think that there is a future — and it may compete with all kinds of alternative forms of transport, but it will not be there tomorrow.”

And finally, what will it take for renewable energy to go mainstream?

“Once the footprint of those renewables is really environmentally ok, and the technologies can compete on price without subsidies, then we are convinced you can attract capital — that is nothing new. That is what we see in those start-up companies with the new technologies.”

Taken from The Globalist.com

The Naked Truth of Oil Crisis

The current oil crisis that has been sweeping almost everybody who live, eat and travel using the black gold and had caused a massive setback to all people. In Malaysia itself, we have been bogged down with emotional and politicized issue regarding the oil crisis. Bulk of the argument was due to the abandonement of subsidy which have amounted around RM50 billion.

By continuously championing this issue using populist reasoning, most Malaysians will fall into the trap of the politicians who normally do not think far enough in analyzing this crisis. Hopefully the article below could serve some understand of the big picture we are facing. For sure, the Age of Oil is rapidly declining and we need to prepare a mat to land comfortably and safely.

Why are oil prices soaring so high, and will they ever return to Earth? Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency in Paris, explains why peak oil is real, why biofuels are indispensable, and how China determines what you pay at the pump.

Foreign Policy: The Wall Street Journal recently reported that your agency is preparing to revise its estimate of future oil supplies. Can you tell us a little bit about your preliminary findings?

Fatih Birol: We publish a book every year, World Energy Outlook (WEO), that lays out strategies related to energy and climate change. For this year’s WEO, we wanted to look at oil-supply prospects, as there are a lot of question marks. So, we are looking at 400 top oil fields, on a field-by-field basis, asking how much oil we can realistically expect to come to market. We not only look at the geological part of the issue, but also the economics. We are going to publish our study on the 12th of November, so I don’t know the results yet. What I can tell you is that what we are experiencing in the last few years—high prices, lack of investment in many areas, and the significant decline rates, especially in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and elsewhere—will be considered.

We are entering a new world energy order. Today, demand for oil is dominated by China, India, and even by the Middle East countries themselves. The main actors of the recent past—namely the OECD countries, rich countries, the United States, Europe, Japan—their time is passé. It’s over.

FP: Why aren’t more new supplies coming online, given the current high prices?

FB: The bulk of the oil has in the past been produced by the international oil companies, so-called Big Oil. But their existing reserves are declining in what they have under ownership. They have no access to new reserves, the bulk of which are in Middle East countries. In most of these countries, only the national oil company can, by law, invest. So, even though the international oil companies may have the capital and the technology, they don’t have access to the reserves. Therefore, the bulk of the growth in the future needs to come from the national oil companies, and perhaps price will no longer be the main determinant when they make their [production] decisions, because for many countries, oil is their only natural endowment. And those countries legitimately value and want to leave their one and only natural endowment for future generations.

FP: Do you believe in peak oil?

FB: Of course, but the question is when? Global oil resources are limited. We have conventional oil; we have unconventional oil. We have oil in the North Sea, in the Gulf of Mexico. We have more oil in the OPEC countries. What I can tell you is that one day global conventional oil will peak. This will depend on many factors, including the role of technology, investment, and production policies. When we look at oil outside of the OPEC countries, when you put all of them together, I think it is going to peak very soon. But we have unconventional oil, and we have oil in the Middle East as well. How much will come to the market from unconventional oil?

FP: As we’re seeing at the United Nations’ food crisis meeting in Rome, biofuels are becoming a huge source of controversy. What impact would a backlash against biofuels have on energy prices? How important are biofuels to the oil market?

FB: Biofuels, in the last two years, played a crucial role. When you look at the numbers, almost one third of the growth in liquid [fuel] production came from biofuels. If we didn’t have that one third, the prices today that we are experiencing could be much higher.

FP: How much of the current oil price is explained by financial speculation? Is there an “oil bubble,” as George Soros and others are claiming?

FB: There is definitely financial speculation, but the main reason for the high prices is the growing perception in the markets that the future demand growth may not be met by the supply growth. This provides fertile ground for speculators, and they play a triggering role in increasing prices.

FP: Will prices stay at this level for the next, say, 12 months? Do you believe the Goldman Sachs estimate that oil will hit $200 a barrel next year?

FB: As the chief economist of the IEA, I cannot by law make any predictions about prices. But what I can tell you is that I expect that for the next years to come, we will have a high price trajectory. There may be zigzags, but I would be very surprised if prices go down to the levels we saw three or four years ago, in the long term.

FP: The price, or even the price trajectory of oil, is notoriously hard to predict. What are the biggest uncertainties in trying to make forecasts?

FB: On the demand side, I think the biggest uncertainty is how much the Chinese economy will grow in the next 10 to 15 years. If the Chinese economy grows at 7 percent level or 9 percent, there is a huge difference for global oil demand growth. This two percentage-point difference has implications on oil demand that are higher than all OECD countries’ oil demand growth.

On the supply side, when we look at how much money we need to invest to increase production, we mainly look at how much oil demand will grow in the future. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. The main problem here is that the existing fields, many mature fields, are declining. So we have to increase production, not only to meet the growth in demand, but also to compensate for the decline in existing mature fields outside of OPEC. These decline-rate issues are not really taken into consideration, which is much more important than demand growth when it comes to production prospects. Our book, World Energy Outlook 2008, will provide a lot of data on that.

This interview is taken from the Foreign Policy magazine website: http://www.foreignpolicy.com

Fatih Birol is chief economist at the International Energy Agency.