Tag: Syria

Categories
Mediawatch

Photosensitive

child_akkuza

Aylan Kurdi’s lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach.The photo was snapped moments before the body was picked up by a Turkish rescue operator. Within hours it became the internationally recognised symbol of the unfolding Syrian tragedy. Not the thousands of persons bandied across borders, not the hundreds of thousands of unwanted finding doors slammed in their faces, not a whole people that has become a European hot potato much to its own chagrin. No.

Just a little boy in a red t-shirt, shorts and shoes. Face down. Arms along his sides. At first glance it is not so much an image of death as one of exhaustion. Before you are struck by the dark reality of the death of an innocent you are first made to think of an exhausted loss of the will to go on. Then it hits you. This is a dead little boy. And this image has struck home in millions of households. It has been described as the ultimate eye-opener, the straw that broke the camel’s back. Did we really need the image of one dead kid set in a romantic position in order to unlock the last shreds of humanity? If so why?

Memory

Last night Rai3 showed the second of a two piece instalment called “Generation War“. The series, originally called “Our Mothers and Our Fathers” in German follows the fate of a group of five young Germans throughout World War II. The German channel ZDF had commissioned the series in order to act as a dialogue between generations. The series attracted huge criticism in Germany since it seemed to portray the Nazis as “others” to the German population but also served as an eye-opener to the great deception that Nazism had been to the young pre-war generation.

Dealing with history is hard enough. Remembrance and knowledge that results from not forgetting are crucial tools in understanding the freedoms and liberties that have been achieved in the last century. Reading abut Generation War I learnt that the first real big eye-opener in Germany with regards to the horror of the holocaust “only” appeared on TV in the form of a mini-series in 1978 (featuring among others a young Meryl Streep).

The media has an important role in shaping ideas about great events. There was no media as we know it at the time of the holocaust or anti-semite pogroms. Most news was state controlled and played to the tune of the dictatorship. More recently we can see the mediatic effect of reporting of mass exodus such as that of the East Germans in  1989. In fact it should not be too hard to remember that not too long ago the pathways of Austria and Hungary were flooded with another people eager to reach the Holy Grail of German free territory. At the time a collapsing East Germany witnessed a haemhorrage of citizens eager to escape the claustrophobic atmosphere behind the iron curtain.

27 years later East Germans are replaced by Syrians. The plight of the people running away from a war torn country had been gathering momentum for over three years now. It took a symbolic snapshot to bring home the reality. Those who had hitherto been numbed by the excessive amount of daily information covering tragedy after tragedy, war after war, displacement after displacement, were suddenly shocked into action.

Aylan was buried back in his tragic hometown of Kobane. The hopes that humanity can once again stir itself out of its egoistic stupor were not buried with him though. Right or wrong, the stolen snapshot of a dead boy’s curls playing with the waves on a turkish beach might have kicked off the tide of compassion and care that had long been lacking.

Categories
Zolabytes

I dreamt a dream

fifa_akkuza

 

It’s been a long while since the last Zolabyte. When my friend put this status up on facebook with his reflections on the scandal that just hit FIFA and the possible links to global politics I could not but ask for his permission to reproduce it here as a guest post. Here is HB’s dream. Sometimes they are so close to reality that you need pinching to know if it is true.

Ho visto un film fighissimo, o forse ne ho sognato la trama. l’FBI, quelli vestiti come will smith in MIB e con il furgone dell’a-team, dopo che gli Usa vengono ingiustamente defraudati dell’assegnazione dei mondiali 2022, inizia ad indagare sulla FIFA massimo organo mondiale del calcio. La trama si infittisce gli stessi agenti devono prima fare un master in calcio, non avendo la minima idea di cosa si tratti e vanno a Boston da Mr Pallotta a chiedere di cosa si tratti, lui di tutta risposta li porta al Fenway Park a vedere una partita della ASROMA. Lì loro capiscono che si tratta di uno sport di squadra dove 2 team da 11 uomini giocano senza mazza (e senza palle alle volte) inseguendo il pallone su un diamante cercando di insaccarlo dentro ad una rete invece che di lanciarlo il più lontano possibile fuori dalla tribuna. Il tutto condito da gridolini di scherno e da gesti teatrali quali cadute in seguito a sfioramenti, sorrisi ammiccanti e competizioni di hair-style e tatuaggi.

Capite la basi continua la caccia all’imperatore del male Joao. Il brasiliano malefico non viene accusato di avere agevolato i mondiali nel suo paese, ma di averlo fatto in Russia e Qatar. Mentre per il Qatar si capisce l’astio degli USA, sconfitti nell’assegnazione proprio grazie ad un pugno di Petrodollari, per la Russia si fatica a trovare un movente che spinga l’FBI ad indagare. Sono noti i rapporti di stima reciproca e fratellanza universale che legano gli USA alla Russia. Il film si trasforma in un noir di altri tempi dove gli USA per vendicarsi dell’onta subita dal Qatar, grazie all’ausilio dei partner occulti arabi noti fan del calcio a stelle e strisce, indeboliscono l’economia Russa (in fondo gli USA sono signori non se la prendono con un popolo quello qatariota che ha già la natura contro ed il cui nome potrebbe far parte di ogni farmaco mucolitico della terra) pompando greggio come se non ci fosse un domani e portando in ginocchio l’economia Russa, nel frattempo il demone russo invade l’ucraina di cattivi propositi, concedendogli 4 miliardi di dollari di prestito e sconti a gogo sul petrolio. Per festeggiare si prendono a pallonate aerei malesiani come se piovesse.

Questi russi non sanno festeggiare in modo composto dirà poi “il portatore di luce” Obama. Gli USA ora si vedono minacciati. Non possono arrivare secondi anche nella gara degli aiuti Umanitari. Offrono 3 miliardi di aiuti della UE e Impongono alla UE stessa una serie di sanzioni economiche che sta mettendo in ginocchio non la Russia ma l’Italia, sanzioni che troppo non piacciono alla Germania (primi partner economici europei della Russia) ma gli interessi del pallone vanno salvaguardati e allora avanti tutta. Arrivano al gesto supremo cambiando la costituzione per permettere di vendere lo shale gas all’estero mostrando così tutto il disinteresse economico. Tale sprezzo viene notato e lodato dal mondo intero. A donetsk per festeggiare fanno saltare in aria l’aeroporto. Ahi ahi la vodka.
Nel frattempo in Italia disperati per la situazione economica venutasi a creare per colpa della Russia , lotito chiede di spostare l’ucraina perché dice che potrebbe, come bacino di utenza portare più vantaggi rispetto al frosinone, ma la ciociaria intera si solleva ed in forma di protesta solleva caci a mo di panuelada (il lancio del cacio va da se sia sport tradizionale delle terre che hanno dato i natali tra gli altri a San Gaspare del Bufalo, San Silverio e Sant’Ormisda). Lotito il moralizzatore offeso ma mai arreso medita vendetta.

Qui finisce il primo tempo, come ogni buon Action-movie americano la produzione nota di aver quasi finito il budget e tagliando di qua e di la, fa durare il secondo tempo 20 minuti. L’europa si rende conto che forse la Russia può tornare utile e la Merkel come una gattina inizia a fare le fusa, l’Isis conquista l’iraq, minaccia mezzo mondo ma gli Usa non centrano nulla e per imparzialità non intervengono. Assad resta il demonio, ma essendo i siriani troppo seghe a calcio bisogna fargli capire in altro modo che non è gradito, il verde rettangolo di gioco non fa per lui.

In ucraina i fascisti danno dei fascisti ai comunisti e viceversa.Si stanno organizzando tornei da oratorio alla memoria di Peppone e don Camillo. In Russia l’economia risale, in Italia la merda sa sempre di merda ma abbiamo l’expo (di merda mi dicono i ben informati). In finlandia si chiamano 1,5 milioni di riservisti, sperando di allearsi nuovamente ad una germania forte per distruggere la russia del pallone. Purtroppo per loro la federazione del pallone tedesca, per non farsi parlare dietro, immatricola solo oriundi da chiare origini non ariane. In svizzera paese neutrale per definizione, vengono arrestati tutti i vertici della FIFA escluso il diabolico JOAO. Il pallone è tondo, gli Usa sono il bene, il Qatar deve cambiare nome assad ha da mori.

Sono curioso di vedere il sequel…

 

HB

*****
Zolabytes is a rubrique on J’accuse – the name is a nod to the original J’accuser (Emile Zola) and a building block of the digital age (byte). Zolabytes is intended to be a collection of guest contributions in the spirit of discussion that has been promoted by J’accuse on the online Maltese political scene for 10 years.
Opinions expressed in zolabyte contributions are those of the author in question. Opinions appearing on zolabytes do not necessarily reflect the editorial line of J’accuse the blog.
***

Categories
Mediawatch

Toxic

Malta might soon have to worry about a more real danger than Syrian refugees. Not that Syrian (or any other) refugees are dangerous. The boat carrying Syrian chemical weapons that left Latakia port on Tuesday carries a much more lethal threat than any amount of refugees could ever (even potentially) be. BBC News reported that a Danish vessel, escorted by Russian and Chinese warships, left the Syrian port loaded with the confiscated chemical weapons. So far so good.

What they will do with the weapons is the real problem. The UN has confirmed that the Danish boat is carrying what are termed as “priority one chemical materials” – not your average bleach or dettol. In fact the BBC report continues “the “most critical” chemicals include about 20 tonnes of the blister agent sulphur mustard”. Sulphur mustard eh. It’s a good thing that they have been removed from the hands of evil warlords prepared to use them on innocents. But where will all the sulphur mustard be taken? Here is the BBC again, explaining the steps:

1. The Syrian authorities are responsible for packing and safely transporting the chemical weapons from 12 sites across the country to the port of Latakia. Russia has supplied large-capacity and armoured lorries, while the US has sent container drums and GPS locators.

2. Russia will provide security for loading operations at Latakia, for which the US has supplied loading, transportation and decontamination equipment. China has sent 10 ambulances and surveillance cameras, and Finland an emergency response team in case of accidents.

3. Denmark and Norway are providing cargo ships and military escorts to take the chemicals to an as yet unnamed port in Italy. Russian and China will also provide naval escorts.

4. In Italy, the “most critical” chemical agents will be loaded onto the US Maritime Administration cargo ship, MV Cape Ray, to be destroyed by hydrolysis in international waters. Less-toxic chemicals will be shipped by Norwegian and Danish vessels for disposal at commercial facilities.

Do not be deceived by the MV in the US vessel’s name. It stands for “motor vessel” and does not mean that Malta is involved in any way. Now I confess to absolute ignorance as to the process of “hydrolisis” and what it does to “priority one chemicals” such as “sulphur mustard”. What I do find of considerable concern is the location where the destruction of the chemical weapons is to take place. Here is the BBC “approximative” map:

_72043169_syrian_chemical_weapons_disposal_624

See what I am getting at? That number 4, approximate as it is, could not be any closer to Malta. Given that the Mediterranean is not exactly huge once you remove territorial and national waters, it should be of some concern – at least to those who are entrusted with the government and welfare of our nation – that this internationally concerted plan involves the destruction of very dangerous chemicals so close to the waters of our island nation.

The least we could have is more information. If our political establishment took a break from the navel gazing they might even find out what is happening in our back yard.

Further Info

An ABC News report on the MV Cape Ray. It includes this very reassuring paragraph: “It’s currently being outfitted with two Field-Deployable Hydrolysis Systems (FDHS), which the Pentagon began procuring in February 2013, knowing it might need a way to destroy Syrian chemical-weapons components in the field. It did not expect to do so at sea, and the equipment had to be tested for vibrations, the sloshing of liquids, and other potential problems.”

Have you ever destroyed chemical weapons at sea before?
Erm no. But we’re outfitting our vessel and we will do our best to contain “sloshing liquids”. There’s always a first time you know.

Categories
Jasmine Politics

Bahrain & Yemen: What resolution?

The Yemeni Jamahariya and the Kingdom of the Two Seas have also been caught by the wildfire of the Jasmine revolution. In Bahrain the Shia 70% of the population has been ruled by the al-Khalifas and Sunni elite for over 200 years. The Sunni police and army of Bahrain are now being boosted by Sunni reinforcements from Pakistan, Yemen, Jordan and Syria. There is no doubt that the Bahraini troubles have a strong element of sectarian violence and this renders the politics of international intervention very different from that in Libya.

The Saudi’s, huge players in the regin, have worries of their own in the Eastern Shia province were there were calls for release of Shia prisoners. The US and West is distracted by the Libyan debacle and they still rely on the Arab support to give that particular action an international dimension. Intervention in the Middle East is further complicated by the fact that the ties with the Sunni leadership are much more intricate than those wrought enthusiastically with Gaddafi once the UN embargo was lifted.

Which leaves the only possible intervenors in the region as Ahmadinejad’s Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon – unsurprisingly mainly Shia territories. Iran’s hands are tied in much the same way as America’s in this sense. Any possibility of intervention by Iranian troops will be seen as an attempt to extend its sphere of influence in the region.

Whether it is Libya, Bahrain or Yemen that we are speaking on, it is increasingly evident that international assistance to national uprisings has to be able to withstand the possibility of being linked to “egoistic interest” of the intervenors. Whether it is oil, business or sectarian religious solidarity, no amount of UN resolutions will be able to mollify the realpolitik behind the reasons of one government’s intervention.

Another important issue that is being revisited on an international level is the question of the respect of sovereign integrity. We all saw the Libyan emissary briefing the press angrily about Libya’s indignation for foreign interference. The precedent being set here relates to whether the international community is prepared to sit back any longer and watch an elite in country X mistreat, kill and torture its own nationals – simply for the sake of “respecting territorial integrity”.

The lessons handed down to us in previous centuries combined with the increased levels of the values of the common heritage of human rights and the immediacy with which information about violations of such rights reaches the world will play a huge role in defining the new rules of the international scenario. Will Woodrow Wilson’s dream come true a century too late?