Iran Nuclear Deal 7-31-2015

31, July 2015                        Iran Nuclear Deal A deeply insightful article in the Economist made the astute observation that Israel’s main concern is not a hostile Iran but a friendly one. If close ties develop between our two countries to fight a common enemy, ISIS, then many Americans will question the logic of our unconditional support for Israel sending it billions of dollars of aid each year. Israel has done its utmost to meddle in our domestic politics and weaken the negotiating strength of President Obama. It has not paid a price for opposing our government’s stated position of halting Israeli settlements and lifting the crippling siege of Gaza. Likewise, Saudi Arabia is fearful of the Iran nuclear deal because our rapprochement would weaken the decades strategic alliance with the US. The Saudis cost us billions by driving up OPEC oil prices in the 70s and then cost us billions by driving down oil prices in the last six months. The Saudis fan the flames of extremism across the Middle East and much of the world. Meanwhile, they cling to a medieval theocratic view of the world that is at odds with our way of life. They crushed the pro-democracy movement in neighboring Bahrain and silence voices of dissent in their own country. Let the Iran deal go forward and ignore the polarizing influence of Israeli leaders and the Saudi royalty.

Obama’s Africa Visit 7-29-2015

29, July 2015              Obama’s Africa Visit

Young Africans were thrilled by President Obama’s visit but many leaders must have been troubled with the President’s preachy style admonishing them with their many policy shortcomings. They must be wondering how the President could be so critical given the epidemic of police brutality against African Americans and their disproportionate high incarceration rate. Race relations are at an all-time low with unarmed African-Americans more than twice as likely to be killed as their white counterparts. The incarceration rate for Hispanic and Blacks is at an all-time high. There is no ‘shining city on the hill’ for most minorities – more like ‘mole hills against a fading sky’.

Obama is also facing fierce criticism after twice describing Ethiopia as having a democratically elected government ignoring human rights groups who have denounced Ethiopia’s democracy as a "complete sham." In a recent election, Ethiopia’s ruling party won 100 percent of the country’s 547 Parliament seats. Human Rights Watch criticized the government in a recent report, stating, "Authorities use arbitrary arrests and politically motivated prosecutions to silence journalists, bloggers, protesters, and supporters of opposition political parties."

Sadly, President Obama did not address long standing failed US polices which have militarized much of Eastern Africa, especially Kenya and Ethiopia targeting Somalia which has radicalized many of the locals giving rise to the terrorist group, Al Shabab. The people of South Sudan are also suffering from unspeakable horrors precipitated by the huge proliferation of weapons supplied by western powers.  The US under President George Bush encouraged the new nation of South Sudan to secede from Sudan. 

Repeal AFSPA 7-27-2015

27, July 2015                          Repeal AFSPA

India’s long standing Armed Forces Special Powers Act, or Afspa, enacted in 1958 has fostered an unhealthy culture of impunity which has led to repeated gross human rights abuses against civilians in so called “disturbed areas”. Afspa was initially enacted in Punjab to counter the Punjabi Suba movement and the subsequent demand for a separate State - Khalistan. Its implementation had disastrous consequences, but first a little background.

In the 1950s, linguistic groups across India, eager to preserve their language and culture sought statehood, which led to the establishment of the States Reorganization Commission in Decemeber 1953. At that time, Punjab included present-day states of Punjab, Haryana and some parts of Himachal Pradesh along with Chandigarh. The vast majority of Sikhs lived in Punjab.

The Akali Dal, a Sikh-dominated political party active mainly in Punjab, sought to create a Punjabi Suba ("Punjabi Province"). The Sikh leaders stressed the linguistic basis of the demand, while downplaying its religious basis — a state where the distinct Sikh identity and language (Punjabi) could be preserved. Peaceful protests occurred all over Delhi and neighboring Punjab but on orders from the Central Government, the police and military responded with brutal lathi charges, imprisonment, torture, killings and many hundreds more simply disappeared.  

The Indian Government, under Indira Gandhi, was wary of carving out a separate Punjabi language state, because it effectively meant dividing the state along religious lines giving Sikhs a 60% majority; fearful that the Sikhs would undermine the Congress Party’s dominant power, Indira Gandhi encouraged Punjabi Hindus to declare their mother tongue Hindi. I was living in Delhi at that time and Punjabi was the common language used in Delhi and Punjab. The Hindu newspapers from Jalandhar, exhorted Punjabi Hindus to declare Hindi as their "mother tongue", to counter Punjabi Suba proponents. This later created a deep chasm between Hindus and Sikhs of Punjab which still lingers on to the present day.

What followed was escalating violence against Sikh civilians and militants by the Punjab police and military acting with complete impunity; not a single member of the police or military has been charged or indicted for acts of violence in what was commonly called encounter killings – much like unprovoked killings in Iraq, Afghanistan and African Americans in the US.

Afspa, which can be activated by the federal or state governments, gives soldiers wide powers to arrest, detain and kill with complete impunity from prosecution and punishment. Military courts are supposed to try soldiers guilty of such abuses but this rarely ever happens. This has resulted in  frequent rapes, torture, murders and disappearances of civilians.

In Nagaland, Jummu and Kashmir, the implementation of such draconian laws have had predictable consequences. It has radicalized the local population against such heavy handed measures and intensified the insurgencies much like US counter-insurgency measures have emboldened the Taliban and ISIS.

In July, Amnesty International published a damning report on abuses in Jammu and Kashmir, and called for repeal of the law. Indian legal authorities and human rights groups throughout the world, including the United Nations, have also urged its immediate repeal. In 2008, Human Rights Watch published a major report on Afspa calling for its repeal. In 2012, the United Nations said the act “clearly violates international law.” In 2013, a former chief justice of India, J.S. Verma, chairman of a committee charged with reviewing Indian law, also called for Afspa to be repealed.

In May, the state of Tripura mothballed  the law declaring it no longer necessary. The coalition alliance of The Peoples Democratic Party and The Bharatiya Janata Party, which governs Jammu and Kashmir, called for its repeal. Prime Minister Modi should heed the collective voices of human rights activists and repeal Afspa now.

Susiya 7-24-2015

24, July 2015              Susiya Palestinian residents and international supporters have launched an unprecedented round the clock vigil to halt the destruction of Susiya.  U.S. State Department spokesperson John Kirby also expressed outrage. The standoff is the latest in a decades-long fight by Susiya residents, who have been facing forced displacement since the 1980s. It’s tragic that the Jews who have suffered oppression and dispossession throughout much of their long history should now assume the role of the oppressor driving the indigenous people from their land and uprooting God’s gift to mankind - olives, grapes, almonds, peaches, figs and other farming crops.  Theodore Bikel, who played Baron von Trapp in "The Sound of Music" on Broadway and Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof," vigorously opposed the destruction of Susiya. Although he was closely identified with Israel and with Jewish life, he was also an outspoken critic of Israeli policy, especially a pending measure to forcibly relocate some 40,000 Bedouin Arabs from their ancestral lands. "One thing that is absolutely clear in my mind is that human beings cannot be treated like cattle;" human beings must be given the dignity and the respect that all human beings deserve, especially by a people who themselves—Jews—have experienced such deprivation in the past." If Susiya is destroyed and its residents expelled, it will serve as a green light for further demolitions and expulsions through the South Hebron Hills and Area C of the West Bank. This must not be allowed to happen.

Cuba 7-22-2015

 

22, July 2015                        Cuba Our long tortuous relationship with our neighbor, Cuba, began with the overthrow of the thoroughly corrupt US puppet, Fulgencio Batista, in January 1959 by Fidel Castro who was initially lauded as a hero. This quickly changed and in March, the National Security Council (NSC) planned a regime change (oh, how we relish regime changes!) by arming guerrillas inside Cuba. This led to efforts by the CIA who launched bombing and incendiary raids piloted by exiled Cubans and numerous efforts to assassinate Fidel Castro including exploding cigars. It’s ironic that we should be accusing Cuba of terrorism when we have engaged in decades of terror to undermine the Castro regime. Mercifully, U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations have finally been restored after five decades of mutual hostility. Unfinished business remains - the Cuban exile, Luis Posada Carriles, the Osama bin Laden of Latin America, needs to be indicted for his long campaign of terror dating back to the late ‘60s He directed a campaign of planting bombs in hotels and restaurants in Cuba that resulted in injuries and deaths of hundreds of civilians. Posada Carriles was also responsible for downing an airliner with 73 people on board. It is baffling to understand why the US is still harboring this terrorist. Finally, Guantánamo should be returned to its rightful owner, the Cuban people. Guantánamo has become an unsavory symbol of American power where people have been held and tortured for years without due process. Viva la Cuba.

IRAN 7-18-2015

18, July 2015                           IRAN It is profoundly disappointing that radio and television media continue to provide excessive air time to Prime Minister Netanyahu. In a recent interview, he offered no specifics but was desperately trying to sway US lawmakers to oppose the historic nuclear deal with Iran. Why were representatives of the P5 + 1 not given equal time to refute Netanyahu’s false assertions? Targeting Iran for bad behavior reeks of hypocrisy. The US and the Brits have meddled in Middle East affairs for decades, beginning with the covert overthrow of the pro-democracy government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953. We ensconced the Shah of Iran and sold him billions of military weapons which he used to oppress his people which radicalized many Iranians and created decades of resentment. We supplied Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons and logical intelligence in Iraq’s war with Iran. Our ‘shock and awe’ unprovoked attack on Iraq destabilized the whole region and gave birth to ISIS. Israel’s belligerence, including frequently attacking its Arab neighbors and brutally repressing the Palestinians, has roiled the region for almost 70 years. Not to mention that Israel is a rogue nuclear state that has been hiding a sophisticated atomic-bomb arsenal. Finally, Saudi Arabia has been investing its oil wealth to advance its Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam, which has inspired terrorist groups throughout much of the world. The Saudis have participated directly and indirectly in regional wars including crushing the pro-democracy movement in Bahrain and the current bombardment of Yemen, killing hundreds of civilians.

Yemen 7-17-2015

17, July 2015                        Yemen

The U.S. backed Saudi offensive against Houthi rebels has caused widespread chaos. A Saudi naval blockade cutting off food and fuel supplies has precipitated widespread famine.  80 percent of Yemen’s 25 million are in dire need of humanitarian aid and more than one million have fled their homes. Yemen is one of the most impoverished nations in the world with over 90 percent of its food imported. The Saudi-led coalition’s (UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Jordan) indiscriminate bombing has intensified rage against the Saudis and the U.S. and boosted support for the Houthi rebels. The current conflict is less to do with Yemen who are innocent victims of a regional proxy war.  Yemen’s fate was sealed under the highly corrupt, oppressive rule of US backed - former President Saleh and his regime. In 2011, under US pressure, Saleh’s regime gained unprecedented blanket immunity for past war crimes. Prior to the recent hostilities, Yemen was perceived to be the "successful" Arab Spring model. Many of the regional powers have been guilty of committing the most egregious crimes, the Yemini government in exile, the Saudis and their coalition partners, the Houthis and the US which provides the Saudis with billion in weapons. including outlawed cluster bombs, and logistical intelligence. The ‘terror in the skies’ hovering over Yemen - US drone strikes - has intensified anger towards the US.  The drone strikes are the face of America to most Yeminis.

Encrypted data 7-13-2015

13, July 2015              Encrypted data It is surprising that the FBI and its British counterpart, GCHQ, should be demanding greater access to encrypted data on the heels of one of the most egregious data breaches in US history when more than 21 million Social Security numbers were compromised. It is heartening to read that fourteen of the world’s pre-eminent cryptographers, computer scientists and security specialists have collectively opposed the FBI and GCHQ’s demand for access to encrypted communications. Such access would endanger all such confidential data, as well as the broader communications infrastructure. Surely, with repeated data breaches of sensitive data we should be demanding more encryption not less. Contrary, to FBI’s director, James Comey’s scare tactics notwithstanding, law enforcement personnel at the state and federal level were only hindered by encryption on four wiretaps all year.  We cannot and should not weaken encryption standards to provide easy access to the FBI and other Intelligence Agencies. To do so would also provide easy access to criminal and foreign governments and severely compromise our security and put us at much greater risk. Clearly what is needed is to enhance our security software to prevent hacking and not weaken encryption standards.

Eric Holder 7-11-2015

11, July 2015                        Eric Holder

In the latest sign of the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington, ‘double agent’- recently retired U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is returning home — to the corporate law firm, Covington & Burling, where he worked for eight years before becoming head of the Justice Department.

He pioneered what became to be known as extrajudicial settlements," – closed door agreements which were not subject to judicial review. All of the bankers escaped punishment and instead fines were levied for their criminal conduct, fines that will borne by the shareholders. The Holder Memo outlined a policy of minimizing "collateral consequences," –noncriminal remedies which offered an escape hatch to white collar criminal bankers. Perhaps the largest criminal banking enterprise was HSBC which laundered money for drug dealers—that only had to pony up a big fine instead of donning on orange jump suits and ankle chains. HSBC admitted laundering $880 million for a pair of Central and South American drug cartels, including the Sinaloa drug cartel, which is infamous all over the world for releasing torture videos of its victims.

Holder failed to criminally prosecute other Covington clients, for their role in the financial crisis, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup for which he is now being richly rewarded with a very lucrative Covington partnership.

The Greek Economic Crisis 7-7-2015

7, July 2015                The Greek Economic Crisis The small Greek David aimed their referendum sling shot at the Eurozone Goliath but failed to produce a favorable outcome. The Eurozone behemoth is made up of 18 countries representing 337 million people with a combined GDP of $15 trillion. By contrast, Greece with a population of 11 million has a GDP less than 2% of Eurozone’s aggregate GDP – a  loss which amounts to an insignificant rounding error. It can perhaps be argued that the lending agencies, the “triloka” made a series of bad loans knowing with near certainty that Greece would default. The referendum was couched in vague language and the outcome was a near certainty that the Greeks would reject more austerity (why would anyone welcome “more pain”?). A more honest and meaningful vote should have been to ask the Greeks to vote if they wanted to stay in the Eurozone. Writing off half of Greek’s debt ($270 billion) would send the wrong message, namely that their profligate spending, gross mismanagement and failure to reign in the tax cheats would be forgiven; this would create an extremely dangerous precedent. This mini crisis sends a clear message to all monetary union partners; keep your house in order and meet your obligations. On the flip side the Greeks like to remind Germany that their  Wirtschaftswunder, the economic miracle, was only possible after their post war creditors retired 50% of their outstanding debt and restructured the remaining 50% in the so-called London Agreement in 1953.

Our domestic Guantanamo 7-5-2015

5, July 2015                Our domestic Guantanamo              Rikers Island, our very own ‘Guantanamo Bay prison’, has a long dark history of incarcerating and destroying young lives. One of the most egregious examples is the recent tragic death of a 16-year-old high school sophomore, Kalief Browder, who was detained on suspicion of stealing a backpack. He maintained his innocence and requested a trial certain that he would be soon acquitted; he was only offered plea deals during which time the trial was repeatedly postponed. He endured nearly 800 days in solitary confinement and was horribly abused by guards and fellow inmates. His case was finally dismissed from a complete lack of evidence. Traumatized by the appalling abuse he was forced to endure, he committed suicide a few days after he was released. It is doubtful if the tragic death would have received any media attention were it not for the persistent efforts of Jennifer Gonnerman, a staff reporter for The New Yorker who first reported Kalief’s suicide in her article "Before the Law: a boy was accused of taking a backpack. The courts took the next three years of his life." She later published exclusive surveillance footage showing him being beaten by guards and fellow prisoners. Mayor, De Blasio said he ‘deeply saddened’ by Kalief’s death. Let us hope he follows through with concrete reforms and holds the prison guards fully accountable for Kalief’s appalling abuse.

IRAN 7-2-2015

2, July 2015                              IRAN The proposed Iran Nuclear Deal should go forward notwithstanding opposition from Israel and Saudi Arabia. There is a general consensus from a wide range of scientific experts that a deal would increase the time it would take Iran to amass enough bomb-grade uranium for one bomb from the current two months to at least 12 months. The agreement will require Iran to disconnect and remove some 14,000 centrifuges and put them under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Only 5,060 first-generation machines would be allowed to enrich uranium to low levels. Some critics argue that Iran could immediately reassemble, reinstall and recalibrate the excess centrifuges — but it would take many months, if not years, to achieve such a goal. Moreover, inspectors would immediately detect any such illegal activity. Under the terms of the agreement, Iran must reduce its current stockpile of 8,700 kilograms of low-enriched uranium to no more than 300 kilograms. If no agreement is reached there is little doubt that Iran would accelerate its nuclear bomb making capabilities. Finally, the US should demand that Israel stop being so coy and reveal their own huge stockpile of nuclear weapons. Israel should follow Iran’s example and sign the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty).