July 17, 2006
Europe can tell Israel how punishing civilians backfires
Mark Mazower:
In 1949, Europeans spearheaded an international move to outlaw collective punishment. This came after two world wars in which they had witnessed whole towns and villages razed and civilians executed, conscripted for slave labour or deliberately made homeless. To break with this past, the Fourth Geneva Convention outlawed collective punishment and reprisals against non-combatants. How far away this all seems today. First in Gaza and now in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army has abandoned Geneva's restraints, retaliating against the kidnapping of its soldiers byblowing up power plants, oil refineries, airports and roads.........
Well, as far as I can observe, most of the mainstream Western media favors Israel this time. So I cannot agree with what Ouriel, Loic Le Mur's very close friend claims. Although Israel does certainly have the right to attack her enemies, isn't the manner of her asssault a bit out of proportion. By punishing a nation through destroying a country's infrastructure , what Israel can achieve? To what extent Lebanon is responsible for Hezbollah's existence? I guess the Lebanese government would already destroy that organization if it could. No state would like to have a state-like organization within her borders...
Techno fans dance in the streets to celebrate the world's biggest open-air street party with the motto 'Loveparade 2006 - The Love is Back' in Berlin, July 15, 2006. Scantily clad techno music lovers danced through the streets of Berlin on Saturday as the world's biggest street party, the Love Parade, returned to the German capital after a two year absence and just one week after the World Cup concluded. [Reuters]
BBC: Berlin sees return of Love Parade
* Solana to brief EU ministers on Middle East conflict; EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will on Monday brief the bloc's foreign ministers following a weekend trip to assess the escalating violence in Lebanon, while the latest move by Iran on its nuclear programme is also high on the ministers' agenda.
* Postcard From Lebanon By Fawaz A. Gerges
* Council to discuss Middle East......
* Inside the Mind of Hezbollah By Robin Wright
* G8 commits to 'open and transparent' energy markets......
* An American Foreign Policy That Both Realists and Idealists Should Fall in Love With By ROBERT WRIGHT
* Al Qaeda, American Style By JESSICA STERN
* Efficient procurement system key for EU integration, Marsili says
Posted by erkan at July 17, 2006 02:10 PM | TrackBackPosted to Casual analyses | Commentaries | News