Alternative Perspective
 Issue 20, February 12, 2003
 Compiled by Madhukar Shukla

Introduction: Alternative Perspective is an attempt to widen our awareness about issues related to business, environment, role and influence of media, geo-politics, culture, etc. It aims to share, on a regular basis, some of those pieces of news and information, which do not find place in the highly monopolised mainstream media. Please feel free to share/ forward/ distribute this newsletter to others who may be interested.



Special issue on Impending Gulf War - II

 with due apologies to those who were looking for something else in this issue
[I mean, this is mostly what I found relevant to read on the Net this week;-0) - hopefully, the next issue will contain more diverse issues]

Note: The URLs of sources used in the text are numbered and given at the end of the Newsletter.

In This Issue:
  • Evidence Against Iraq: Flawless in the Media Bubble
     A week back, Collin Powell presented his "compelling" evidence to the UN Security Council about Iraq's material breach to the UN Resolution 1441. It was impressive, with images taken from satallites, transcript of intercepted conversations, powerpoint presentation, etc., and made a good story. It was also reminiscent of similar satallite photographs which US had shown in 1990, to prove that Iraq was building up forces to invade Saudi Arab - the photographs shown by US in 1990 turned out to be spurious[1] - by that time, of course, the war was over. Given the dubious history of US "factual evidence" to justify wars (including Vietnam War), there is every reason to doubt neutrality and credibility of US intelligence[2]. For instance, in his presentation, Powell cited "the fine paper that United Kingdom distributed yesterday, which describes in exquisite detail Iraqi deception activities". Later this UK report turned out to be plagiarised from a student's thesis written 12 years back, and an article written in 1997!!![3]. Similarly, Powell's claims about the "poison factory" in North Iraq[4] turned out to be just a small hamlet of no consequence.
    http://www.mediamonitors.net/solomon112.html

  • Afghanistan: A Year After its "Liberation"
    A year after the "International Community" liberated Afghanistan, the country has disappeared from the media - and public - memory (one may say, overtaken by the latest upcoming episode of the "War without End"). Meanwhile - notwithstanding the impression of Afghanistan War being a successful intervention - attacks against foreign troops, battles, assassination attempts, bombardment of Taliban positions and Afghan rebels, opium production, etc., continues as before (if want to know more, type "Afghanistan" in Google news!!!)... Before, the world goes around "liberating" another sovereign country, it may be useful to look at the aftermath of its last "successful" venture.
    http://www.robert-fisk.com/articles168.htm

  • War is Good Business - for some at least
    Joseph Stiglitz, the ex-Chief Economist of World Bank, decries the myth that war is good for economy[5]. He may be right as well: war is not good for economy. But then, in every calamity, there are some who do make a profit. As this article shows, while the oil prices may go up, inflation may increase, and stock market may become volatile, there are some businesses, for whom war portends a great business opportunity.
    http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2003/0301warcost.html

  • Breaking International Law to Uphold the Law?
    With a paradoxical (perverted??) logic, war in Iraq is being projected as the answer to ensure global peace. After all, so the argument goes, Iraq is in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution, and that is a "material breach"... What is sometime totally neglected in media reporting is the other material breach[6], which USA has practiced for last 12 years... and its own WMD program, in breach of the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972[7].
    http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/law/2003/0201powell.htm

  • Anti-War Protests around the World
    Though, the 15th Feb Anti-War Rally in New York is in legal jeopardy[8], the sentiments against the Iraq War (-II???) around the world have been rising and becoming more vocal. These links (some 40-50 odd in all) are a hopeful reminder that there are still quite a few people in the world who think that "waging peace" is a more effective alternative than "waging war".
    http://www.globalpolicy.org/ngos/role/iraq.htm


    Other Sources Quoted in the Newsletter:
    [1]: http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,889419,00.html
    [2]: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,889664,00.html
    [3]: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=12620001&method=full&siteid=50143
    [4]: http://www.observer.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,892112,00.html
    [5]: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,879652,00.html
    [6]: http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/2002/1201breach.htm
    [7]: http://inthesetimes.com/print.php?id=48_0_2_0
    [8]: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--paradepermit0207feb07,0,5832872.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire


    Archives
    [Your Feedback] [View Guest Book]
    To Subscribe, pl send a blank mail to
    [email protected]
    Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

    1