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POPSRed Primer for Children and Diplomats Part III by Victor Vashi
Vladimir Lenin, the first leader of the Soviet Union, sought to reclaim all of the areas formerly controlled by the Czars, especially the fertile Ukraine. As a result, four years of chaos and conflict followed in which Ukrainian national troops fought against Lenin's Red Army, and also against Russia's White Army (troops still loyal to the Czar) as well as other invading forces including the Germans and Poles. By 1921, the battles ended with a Soviet victory while the western part of the Ukraine was divided-up among Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia. But when Lenin died in 1924, he was succeeded by Joseph Stalin, one of the most ruthless humans ever to hold power. To Stalin, the burgeoning national revival movement and continuing loss of Soviet influence in the Ukraine was completely unacceptable. Beginning in 1929, over 5,000 Ukrainian scholars, scientists, cultural and religious leaders were arrested.... http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/stalin.htm
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POPS Russian's Break Agreement As Usual 14.08.08 13:19 Declaration of U.S. support to Georgia has increased the aggression of Russia and instead of pulling out from the city of Gori, they have reinforced their positions there, ousted Georgian police and journalists from the city. Reporters say they are hearing explosions from the entrance of the city; Ossetian gunmen have abducted several vehicles of various TV crews, reportedly, Niva, Jeep and Mercedes type cars. Russians did not stop the robbers. Ossetian militant was even threatening the reporter of the Rustavi2 with a gun. Despite numerous evidences of various reporters, Russian general denies the abduction. Georgian Security Secretary, who was waiting for the settlement of situation in the city, and the team of reporters have been evacuated from the city. Russian general says he is no responsible for the security of journalists and says no exact date when Russian will leave the city.
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POPSRussians Defy Cease-Fire: Troops In Georgia Digging In Elsewhere in Georgia, it appeared very clear that Russian troops were staying put, building ramparts around tanks and posting sentries on a hill near Igoeti, a central Georgia town only 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Tbilisi. Russian troops still effectively control the main artery running through the western half of Georgia because they surround the strategic central city of Gori and additionally the city and air base of Senaki in the west. Both cities are on the main east-west highway that slices through two Georgian mountain ranges. Russia also confirmed Sunday that it had taken over a major power plant in western Georgia. Rice noted that the text of the cease-fire, negotiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the current leader of the European Union, outlined a very limited mandate for the soldiers that Russia calls peacekeepers who were in Georgia when hostilities escalated. She said these soldiers can go on limited patrols within the two separatist areas but in Georgia
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POPSS.Ossetia claims Georgia plans to attack Kokoity said Georgian authorities have been issuing warnings to residents of Georgian villages in South Ossetia that Tbilisi will seize the areas by September. However, he said 'volunteers' from abroad will flood into South Ossetia and defend the province in the event of an all-out Georgian attack.
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POPS4,000 U.S. Combat Deaths, and Just a Handful of Images The truth hurts, right? See the rest of the story at link. People often forget why we anti-war refuseniks are so adamant--this photo is why. Dead Americans. For What? Oil and bullshit. Lies told by criminal President. It's absolutely disgusting, ain't it?
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POPS'Worse than apartheid' Nablus is closed off by six checkpoints. Until 2005, one of them was open. "The checkpoints are supposedly for security purposes, but anyone who wants to perpetrate an attack can pay NIS 10 for a taxi and travel by bypass roads, or walk through the hills. The real purpose is to make life hard for the inhabitants. The civilian population suffers," says Said Abu Hijla, a lecturer at Al-Najah University in the city. In the bus I get acquainted with my two neighbours: Andrew Feinstein, a son of Holocaust survivors who is married to a Muslim woman from Bangladesh and served six years as an MP for the ANC ; and Nathan Gefen, who has a male Muslim partner and was a member of the right-wing Betar movement in his youth. Gefen is active on the Committee against AIDS in his AIDS-ravaged country.
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POPSThe Obama Doctrine This is an article from The American Prospect that I found on del.icio.us, now that I've been frittering around with Clipmarks. The detail in the article belies the notion that Sen. Obama doesn't have a plan in mind should he take office on the now-familiar "Day One". Despite being an Obama supporter myself, I often wonder whether other supporters (and opponents, for that matter) are paying close attention. I mean, people DO realize that Obama is supporting an escalation of the conflict in Afghanistan, while at the same time reducing American forces in Iraq. Just a thought. Interesting article. Read the WHOLE thing.
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POPSResource Scarcity & Insecurity Despite these dire circumstances, Matthew believes key actions and policies could significantly reduce the likelihood that resource scarcity will lead to conflict and insecurity. He offers 14 specific recommendations for NGOs, governments, and international organizations, which include supporting “the effort in UNEP to integrate the environment into post-conflict assessment, disaster management, and peacebuilding” and mobilizing “the enormous capacity of the private sector and NGO communities…around sustainable development, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding.”
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POPSGlobal Challenges - The Copenhagen Consensus The Copenhagen Consensus 2008 project is designed to put fear to one side and highlight the best solutions among all of the world's biggest problems. The research on these pages reveals our stark spending choices in 10 areas.
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POPSWater Policy in Israel and Palestine - There's Enough Water for Both The increasing difficulties with water availability, concludes the hydrogeologist, result from Israel using the majority of water resources for agricultural purposes, although this sector today represents a very small portion of the Israeli economy. Despite this, the Israeli state remains unswervingly committed to the Zionist foundation myth, which regards the promotion of agriculture as a central tenet in the Jewish settlement of Palestine. Messerschmid, in turn, sees the priorities of Israeli water policies as fundamentally flawed, leading to a wasteful use of the precious resource. Large areas of land, for instance, are still intensively watered even during conditions of very high temperatures, although most of the water immediately evaporates. The Palestinians, by contrast, do not even have the amount of water at their disposal that was promised in the Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty. Deutsche Fassung
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POPSRacial integration through social engineering? Fifteen years after the end of apartheid, South Africa's urban residential areas remain almost as segregated as before. Now the eThekwini Municipality plans to change that -- by allocating housing on racial lines.
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POPSAmnesty: Sexual Abuse of Schoolgirls "In the US, 83% of girls in public schools aged between 12 and 16 said they had experienced some form of sexual harassment. In Latin America, sexual harassment in schools was found to be widespread. Girls living in war torn countries were particularly vulnerable to kidnapping and sexual violence, the report found. A Unesco study published last year found that 40% of the 77 million school-age children not attending school lived in areas affected by conflict." ...Guardian
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POPSChina's Army Builds For Reach Past Taiwan, U.S. Says Other Contingencies The report concludes that China is thinking beyond Taiwan. ``Analysis of China's military acquisitions and strategic thinking suggests Beijing is also developing capabilities for use in other contingencies, such as conflict over resources or disputed territories,'' it says. Cyber Warfare The report also says that China is increasing its capabilities in space and cyberwarfare. ``In both those areas there's reason for concern,'' said David Sedney, assistant secretary of defense for East Asia. The system will be operational in the next two to three weeks, he said. He noted that no one in China ``picked up the phone'' when U.S. officials called after a B-2 bomber accidentally bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in May 1999.
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POPSBird Flu: US Accused of Developing Bio Weapon Indonesia, the WHO, and the US conflict over bird flu samples that will make millions for US Pharma companies and the Indonesia Health Minister claims in a book that the US wants it to make biological weapon. By the way, the neoconservative Project for New American Century blueprint for "global hegemony", in addition to space dominance and a "new middle east" does mention the use of bioweapons : The document also calls for the creation of "US space forces" to dominate space, and the total control of cyberspace to prevent "enemies" using the internet against the US. It also hints that the US may consider developing biological weapons "that can target specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool".
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POPSModern day slavery Check the source for ways to help end modern day slavery. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Martin Luther King Jr.,
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POPSKill the cat that kills the bird? Interesting article about the conflict between cat lovers and bird watchers. There is good evidence that America's large population of feral cats has decimate bird populations, including endangered species. Bird watchers advocate culling feral cats, which cat lovers do not want to do. The story focuses on Jim Stevenson, who was tried for shooting and killing a feral cat in defense of some piping plovers, an endangered species.
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POPSTimeline: The Frightening Future of Earth The international panel of scientists predicts the global average temperature could increase by 2 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100 and that sea levels could rise by up to 2 feet. Scientists have even speculated that a slight increase in Earth's rotation rate could result, along with other changes. Glaciers, already receding, will disappear. Epic floods will hit some areas while intense drought will strike others. Humans will face widespread water shortages. Famine and disease will increase. Earth’s landscape will transform radically, with a quarter of plants and animals at risk of extinction.
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POPS PETITION UN Security Council Burma Renewed signs of the civil war flaring up again following the military's arrest of Shan leaders and rejection of the federal principles proposed by ethnic ceasefire groups at the national convention. Increased deployment of armed forces in areas of ethnic nationalities and persecution of civilians resulting in a massive displacement of people and exodus of refugees into neighboring countries. Increased intimidation, harassment, politically motivated arrests, and restrictions imposed on members of the National League for Democracy (NLD). The Amnesty International estimates that there are about 1,100 political prisoners facing harsh prison conditions and subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment.
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POPSWishfull Thinking Will Not Win Afghanistan
First, to be clear: I firmly believe that the Taliban should be wiped from the face of the world. I was talking about this before 9/11 because I don't believe we should wait until Americans die to put an end to crimes against humanity. But, anyone who thinks we are making progress in Afghanistan is lying to themselves. Afghanistan is the rock against which Empires break themselves. You simply can't win a war in those moutnains. Although I hear people say that our cause is just, or great, or that we are making progress, I have not heard a single person tell me what strategic reasons we have for thinking that this conflict is winnable. History is against us here. The present is against us as well. The future holds no hope for a decisive military victory. It's not good news, but it's the way it is. We can't develop a military strategy if we aren't honest with ourselves first. Wishful thinking from thousands of miles away is not enough to win a war.
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POPSHRW: No Justice for War Violations, a year later! The IDF relentlessly bombarded civilian areas throughout southern Lebanon, launching some 7,000 bomb and missile strikes in Lebanon, which were supplemented by thousands of artillery attacks and naval bombardment. These attacks led to at least 1,125 deaths in Lebanon – the vast majority of whom were civilians – as well as 4,399 injured and an estimated 1 million displaced. IDF attacks killed and injured civilians attempting to flee the fighting and disrupted convoys of humanitarian food aid to those who remained in southern Lebanon.
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