Carnival Of Revolutions

Monday, September 26, 2005 Carnival Of Revolutions Revolution! There has been some big news from the Axis of Evil this week, as good cop North Korea announces plans to renounce its nuclear weapons, while the International Atomic Energy Agency is referring bad cop Iran to the UN Security Council for its intransigence over its nuclear programs. Look for terrorism partners North Korea and Iran to swap the good cop/bad cop role severals times over the next few months - the two seem quite adept at coordinating their activities. Also, check out the Handbook for Cyber-Dissidents from Reporters Without Borders. This is a must-read for the novice democratista anywhere in the world rebelling against the idea that it is the right of the government to tell you what to think. Armenia Armenian activitist are torn over whether to support a referendum on November 20 regarding amendments to the constitution. The amendments, which would limit the authority of the presidency, particularly the President's ability to fire the Prime Minister at will, would smooth the way for integration into Europe. However, Onnik Krikorian states that many feel that "the present government lacks the legitimacy to amend a constitution that does not function not because it is flawed but because there is the lack of the rule of law in Armenia." There is more on the constitutional referendum here. Burma Iran is not the only country of late facing referral to the Security Council. Burma, one of the most repressive states in the world, and a sponsor of terrorism as well, may be up for referral also, according to Publius Pundit. Cuba The Bad Hair Blog introduces us to 'Universidades sin fronteras'(Universities without boundaries), a dissident movement within Cuba seeking freedom of association and expression for Cuba's college students. This movement is sponsored by Rolando Rodriguez Lobaina, who was recently arrested for his activities and then released a week later by Cuban authorities. That is a remarkably short time for incarceration in the Gulag that is Cuba, and Fausta states that "Lobaina’s release from prison, only a week after his arrest gives credence to the power, passion, and conviction of the growing international youth network outside of the island, aspiring for recognition of human rights and educational reform in Cuba. The quick mobilization and response to Lobaina’s detention by groups such as 'Raices de Esperanza'and 'El Comité Internacional de Jóvenes por la Democracia en Cuba' raised enough eyebrows to sufficiently concern the communist regime, and proves that the voices and actions of Cuban sympathizers outside of the island are being heard and making a difference." Global War On Terror Al-Qaeda issued a broadcast lauding the "defeat of the Zionist occupation" in Gaza, and stated that Hurricane Katrina was Allah's wrath upon New Orleans, a 'city of homosexuals.' The statement also praised Zarqawi's work to "defend the honor of the pure Muslim women in the robbed land of Iraq." Via the indispensable MEMRI. Iran A Daily Briefing On Iran has a roundup of articles regarding Iran's imminent referral to the UN Security Council. European military attaches walked away in protest from a military parade in Tehran. The EU members agreed that, if the parade including any slogans that attacked their allies, they would walk out. Sure enough, Iran marched Shahab-3 missiles by them with banners saying 'Death to America' and the Europeans walked. Palestine A large explosion of rockets killed during a Hamas demonstration killed 15 this week. Hamas blames Israel, naturally, but the PLA blames Hamas. The Head Heeb points out that the PLA would have given kneejerk support to the claim Israel was behind the blast if it were true. The fact that the PLA blames Hamas' own negligence belies the truth of the matter. The IDF has engage in air strikes and arrests to root out the sources of Hamas rocket attacks into Israel. Kirk H. Sowell warns us that the PLA is tattered and in disarray, and has authority over virtually nothing and no one. To quote the Jerusalem Post, "The Palestinian Authority is crumbling, its leader Mahmoud Abbas is too weak to enforce law and order, his Fatah party is in disarray and Hamas is taking control of the Gaza Strip, Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin said on Wednesday during a rare on-the-record briefing with military reporters... "The Palestinian Authority is barely functional," Diskin said at his headquarters in Ramat Aviv. "(Abbas) has no apparatus to control Fatah. He is a general without soldiers. Giving him more weapons won't give Fatah strength. He needs more motivation." Preaching a message of doom and gloom for the prospects of a positive times ahead, Diskin said the Palestinians were making enormous efforts to acquire rockets and other weapons in the West Bank, smuggled in from the Sinai. He also said the Shin Bet believes Islamic extremists who follow an al-Qaida ideology were still targeting the Sinai resorts and that Israelis should stay out of there... " Kirk's blog also presents excellent weekly roundups of events throughout the middle east. Yemen Our friend Jane Novak of Armies of Liberation certainly seems to be getting under the skin of the Saleh regime of late. Jane has been blogging regularly on the tyrannical nature of Yemen's government, and the press there is attacking her, calling her a Zionist, as well as "a Mason, a Yemeni man in disguise, a Hashemite, working for the CIA, working for the Socialists, residing in al-Arabait, and a Docile Student of a Monkey Monk." If one can be judged by the enemies one makes, Jane is a fine upstanding citizen of the world. It is also a testament to the power of blogs that now even hidebound reactionary states feel the need to respond to them. Yemen too has a part to play in the Global War on Terror, and has not endeared itself to neighboring Saudi Arabia, which complains that "all weapons and explosives used by the Qaeda fighters were bought and smuggled from Yemeni arms markets. Confessions of those arrested shown that they use Yemen as a source of arms and transfer them over the border.” Moreover, the evidence is piling up that Yemen is a major transit point for terrorists infiltrating into Iraq. And President Saleh supports Iran's nuclear program. The Carnival of Revolutions Home Base can be found here, at WILLisms.com. Thanks Will! 10:24 PM | | |