The only thing required for evil to succeed...

[Ants]

Do yourselves all a favour and read the most fascinating book written in decades. I base this on its proposal of MANY MANY solutions.

MANIFESTO on a NEW WORLD ORDER. I think this titles seems a bit cliched but is one of possibly only a handful of books to live up to such a title.





From Publishers Weekly
The anti-globalization movement may have a reputation for traffic-blocking obstructionism devoid of a positive program, but this smart and stimulating manifesto aims to change that. Monbiot (Amazon Watershed; Captive State) is uncompromising in his attack on what he says is an international order run by and for wealthy elites and powerful corporations. But he is equally critical of what he sees as the left’s infatuation with localism and anarchism, its knee-jerk opposition to trade and its preoccupation with feel-good palliatives like "mindful consumption." What he offers instead is a utopian vision of a global democratic order that transcends the obsolete nation-state, based on a real world program for concrete institutions to supplant the undemocratic power centers of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization. His most substantive ideas concern world trade, which he feels should be restructured to open advanced countries to Third World exports while allowing backward economies to develop behind protectionist barriers. He calls for a Fair Trade Organization to set mandatory standards for international corporations, and resurrects Keynes’s proposal for an International Clearing Union that would automatically rectify trade imbalances and prevent poor countries from getting trapped in debt. Less thought out are proposals for a revitalized United Nations General Assembly that would abolish the Security Council, and a directly elected World Parliament, initially vested only with "moral authority." Monbiot’s ideas will find their critics, but his often scintillating analyses of the inequities of the world economy and his preference for constructive action over dogma make the book a good place to start for readers in search of solutions.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This stuff is not rehash. Its bold and hopeful.
Please I beg you READ THIS BOOK.

 

[Ants]

Here is another review on this special book.

The Age of Consent: A Manifesto for a New World Order - Book Review
New Internationalist, Sept, 2003 by Phil England
by George Monbiot (Flamiago, ISBN 0 00 715042 3)

The emphasis of the social justice movement has increasingly moved from identifying problems to proposing solutions particularly since the establishment of the annual World Social Forum in 2001.

In The Age of Consent Monbiot ratchets the debate up a notch by proposing that we now adopt a single programme for change which we can all get behind.

He's kick-started the process by studying many of the proposals on offer and presenting this draft plan of action. In essence, the world's poor would use the threat of defaulting on their combined debt in order to turn the World Trade Organization into a Fair Trade Organization, allowing them to apply protectionist measures to boost local industry while giving them access to the rich world's markets. Once wealth had been redistributed between countries by these means, an International Clearing Union--replacing the IMF and World Bank--would provide disincentives for the accumulation of debt and normalize the balance of trade between nations.

A self-establishing 'world people's assembly' run on the basis of representative democracy, unmediated by the nation-state and where everybody in the world had a single vote--would have the moral authority to pass judgment on the other global institutions. Different readers will be left with different questions but the scale of Monbiot's thinking is of the order we need if we are to address the problems that now confront us. The muscles he suggests we flex could grow in equivalence to the vested interests we need to overthrow.

 

[visual]

how long did it take u to figure out that the UN is the most corrupt governing power in the world. It's all about politics. All bark and no bite. They just send in peacekeepers after the violence.
Now, wouldn't it be interesting if the Lebs were ranked No2 or No3 in OPEC. I think that the US would have said something alot sooner in terms of a ceasefire (let alone letting israel start with the bombings).

Dannyboy,a bit confusing that,seeing that lebanon under resolution 1559(?)should`ve disarmed hesbollah.If we have to blame America for everything ,we should ask why did`nt America do something through the UN to make sure that the terorrists were in fact disarmed.

 

[anon]

he he, good one Wayne.

I reckon we'll see something like that in about 20 years when the US and China end up going for it.

That would be WW3. What's happening now is clash of civilizations.

anon

 

[noirua]

The Middle East situation is set to quieten down as all the countries have tie ups with so many others or certain reliances.

Iran are probably pleased, if the truth be told, as Iraq - remember, Iran and Iraq fought an 8 years war - now has the Shia's in power, even if it is very rocky existance.
The second factor is the smoke screen that has been thrown up over their Uranium objectives.
Russia fought in Afghanistan and the US and allies are doing the job for them. Iran supplied the War Lords in the North of the country in the continued battle against the former leadership, so the jobs being done for them as well.
Iran has little care for human life really as they sent civilians across the mine field in the war with Iraq.

Saudi Arabia only protests because they would be seen to be out of line in not doing so. The Taliban and Hesbollah are more of a threat to them than Israel.

Syria needs Iran as this stops Israel, supported by the United States, from attacking them and rooting out, not only hesbollah's support, but Taliban support as well.

As long as peace comes about then the Middle East's hate relationship with Israel can be more normalised, at least for a few more years.

 

[Prospector]

And while media attention is focussed on Lebanon and Israel, Iraq continues to implode with many more being killed each day than in Lebanon. Bush must be liking Israel at the moment and even Condoleeza is the one who is dealing with that issue.

 

[Sean K]

The Middle East situation is set to quieten down as all the countries have tie ups with so many others or certain reliances.......As long as peace comes about then the Middle East's hate relationship with Israel can be more normalised, at least for a few more years.

Noirua, do you really think there can ever be 'peace', or anything 'normailised' in the Middle East. Perhaps you mean that hating each other is 'normal'?

It's a sad, sad human world.

To overcome this feeling of dispare at human beings, I look to nature to try and see the beauty on this amazing planet. It's all great until I see the fish eating smaller fish, lions hunting fawn, and spiders eating each other after sex. Then I realise: hey, this is it! We are one in the same. A bunch of animals going about our daily lives.

Evil is but one natural phenomenon of the world we live in.

 

[visual]

http://www.memritv.org/Transcript.asp?P1=783

This is very interesting and from a muslim point of view.Explains a lot ,sadly.

 

[noirua]

Noirua, do you really think there can ever be 'peace', or anything 'normailised' in the Middle East. Perhaps you mean that hating each other is 'normal'?

It's a sad, sad human world.

To overcome this feeling of dispare at human beings, I look to nature to try and see the beauty on this amazing planet. It's all great until I see the fish eating smaller fish, lions hunting fawn, and spiders eating each other after sex. Then I realise: hey, this is it! We are one in the same. A bunch of animals going about our daily lives.
Many Aussies and Kiwis hate the UK ( Winston Churchill ) over decisions concerning a battle fought in 1915.
Remember, many still blame the UK and Winston Churchill over decisions made 91 years ago.

Evil is but one natural phenomenon of the world we live in.

How long can hate go on? I doubt the English still blame the Italians ( The Roman Empire ) for enslaving its people in the galleys etc., for nearly 400 years.
I believe there are some who still hold a grudge concerning the battles fought with Alexander the Great, 2,500 years or so ago.
The English and French still dislike each other, much of that goes back to the 100 years war.
A Scotsman is said to have turned down the England Soccer managers job due to the feelings of his countryman over battles with the English fought up to 1,000 years ago.

and so it goes on.

Everyone has anger etc., in their personal history. One member of my family was swindled in the 1870's and I'm still angry about that when it is discussed, once again.

I think anger and hate have to be accepted and it's a matter of staggering on at times and doing the best possible in the situation.

 

[visual]

http://switch5.castup.net/frames/20041020_MemriTV_Popup/video_480x360.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak=null


Hope this works,very ineresting.

 

[Sean K]

A girl after my own heart Vis. Great link.

 

[Happy]

How long can hate go on? I doubt the English still blame the Italians ( The Roman Empire ) for enslaving its people in the galleys etc., for nearly 400 years.
I believe there are some who still hold a grudge concerning the battles fought with Alexander the Great, 2,500 years or so ago.
The English and French still dislike each other, much of that goes back to the 100 years war.
A Scotsman is said to have turned down the England Soccer managers job due to the feelings of his countryman over battles with the English fought up to 1,000 years ago.

and so it goes on.

Everyone has anger etc., in their personal history. One member of my family was swindled in the 1870's and I'm still angry about that when it is discussed, once again.

I think anger and hate have to be accepted and it's a matter of staggering on at times and doing the best possible in the situation.

Australia could be looked at as role model for grudge-less nation.

We even looked after our Japanese mates in Iraq

 

[Sean K]

We did in East Timor too Happy. And their HQ in Suai on the south coast was on the exact same site they used in WWII.

 

[noirua]

Australia could be looked at as role model for grudge-less nation.

We even looked after our Japanese mates in Iraq

Yes indeed, and that's after they bombed Darwin in the last World War. There is that bit about Winston Churchill though; Have some still got a grudge over that?

 

[Rafa]

How long can hate go on?

Very good question... !

Don't know the answer, but i dare say, a long long time... Cause you know what they say, revenge is dish best served cold!

I think all we can do is extend the hand of friendship to people of other races... accepting at the same time, they they do have the weight of history on their shoulders too... (i.e. we can't be forcing people at gun point to integrate... that is just going to back fire). Its only over time, with the mingling of the races that we can become one global race...


But then on kennas' point

Perhaps you mean that hating each other is 'normal'?

Yeah, i always thought that the only way all humans will unite is if we discover aliens... Then we can all focus our attention on destroying them and taking over their planet!

 

[visual]

Rafa,if you look at the link that I posted you will see that we or the west has hardly anything to do with their hate.
You dont have to go there but ,this opinion comes straight from one of their own.Also you will see that her opposition are just ignorant,uneducated ,ect...

 

[Rafa]

well, the thing is visual, its a lot easier to spread hate than it is to spread love... a lot easier to illustrate the bad in people than the good... and once the cycle's started... its pretty darn hard to stop.

you only got to look at the children overboard, etc... and how easily we all believed that asylum seekers threw their kids overboard... and all the negative connotations that went with it, i.e. their all terrorists, etc...


i have no doubt that people in arab lands are being fed complete and utter tripe about us.... no doubt about it... eventually, they will all believe it...

 

[Rafa]

Tony Blair today...

THE British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has called for a fundamental reappraisal of British and US foreign policy, admitting that excessive emphasis on military power and failure to address the Palestinian issue has left the West losing the battle for hearts and minds in the Middle East.

"We are far from persuading those we need to persuade" that Western values are even-handed, fair and just in their application, Mr Blair told the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles.

There was no point disguising the damage the war on the Lebanese border was doing to Middle East peace. When the war ends "we must commit ourselves to a complete renaissance of our strategy to defeat those that threaten us".

The only way to defeat the "arc of extremism stretching across the Middle East" was to build an alliance of moderation that painted a future in which people of all faiths could live together. The West had to show it was even-handed, fair and just in applying those values.

"Unless we reappraise our strategy; unless we revitalise the broader global agenda on poverty, climate change, trade and, in respect of the Middle East, bend every sinew of our will to making peace between Israel and Palestine, we will not win, and this is a battle we must win."

Mr Blair described the conflict in the Middle East and beyond as "an elemental struggle about the values that will shape our future".

"It is in part a struggle between what I call reactionary Islam and moderate mainstream Islam, but its implications go far wider. We are fighting a war, but not just against terrorism, but about how the world should govern itself in the early 21st century; about global values."

He said the battle in Lebanon had been started by Hezbollah. It was intended "to create chaos, division and bloodshed and to provoke retaliation by Israel that would lead to Arab and Muslim opinion being inflamed, not against those who started the aggression, but those who responded to it".

 

[visual]

http://www.break.com/index/what_really_happens_pallywood.html

I wonder how much of what we are seeing falls under the pallywood tag,

 

[wayneL]

http://www.break.com/index/what_really_happens_pallywood.html

I wonder how much of what we are seeing falls under the pallywood tag,

Two quotes I heard years ago are relevant here.

"The first casualty of war is truth."

"Never believe anything you hear and only half of what you see."

Everything is BS... from both sides.

Cheers