By Noam Chomsky
05 June, 2009
"A CNN headline, reporting Obama's plans for his June 4 Cairo address, reads 'Obama looks to reach the soul of the Muslim world.' Perhaps that captures his intent, but more significant is the content hidden in the rhetorical stance, or more accurately, omitted.
Keeping just to Israel-Palestine -- there was nothing substantive about anything else -- Obama called on Arabs and Israelis not to 'point fingers' at each other or to 'see this conflict only from one side or the other.' There is, however, a third side, that of the United States, which has played a decisive role in sustaining the current conflict. Obama gave no indication that its role should change or even be considered." (more)
Yeah, seems like business as usual. No surprise at all really. Any number of US administrations have asked for a halt to settlements, but there was no teeth to the request and the settlement activity continued.
ReplyDeleteMoy, Off topic, have you seen the movie "Che"? Was interested in your take on it.
Yes, I saw it, and I think it's pretty good. There are a few things missing which are crucial, such as for example the popular jubilation in Cuban following the triumph of the Revolution, but overall, its a must see.
ReplyDeleteThanks Moy.
ReplyDelete<span style="">Obama's Speech</span>
ReplyDelete<span style="">America's Violent Extremism</span>
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22771.htm
<span style="">Obama said that "the events of 9/11" and al-Qaeda’s responsibility, not America’s desire for military bases and hegemony, are the reasons America’s commitment to combating violent extremism in Afghanistan will not weaken. Will Muslims notice that Obama’s case for America’s violent extremism in Afghanistan and now Pakistan is hypocritical?
Al-Qaeda, Obama says, "chose to ruthlessly murder" nearly 3,000 people on 9/11 "and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale." These deaths are a mere drop in the buckets of blood that America’s invasions have brought to the Muslim world. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of the Muslims America has slaughtered are civilians, just as are the unarmed Palestinians slaughtered by the American-equipped Israeli military.
Against al-Qaeda, whose "actions are irreconcilable with the rights of human beings," Obama invokes the Koran’s prohibition against killing an innocent. Does Obama not realize that the stricture applies to the US and its "coalition of forty-six countries" in spades?
America’s wars are all wars of choice. The more than one million dead Iraqis are not al-Qaeda. Neither are Iraq’s four million refugees. Yet, Obama says Iraqis are better off now, with their country in ruins and a fifth of their population lost, because they are rid of Saddam Hussein, a secular ruler.
No one has a good tally of the dead and refugees America has produced in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, declared Obama, "The situation in Afghanistan demonstrates America’s goals and our need to work together."
In his first 100 days, Obama managed to create two million Pakistani refugees. It took Israel 60 years to create 3.5 million Palestinian refugees.</span>
More on the speech.
ReplyDeletehttp://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=3808&updaterx=2009-06-05+11%3A53%3A32
"Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will <span style="font-weight: bold;">inevitably fail.</span>"
ReplyDeleteObama said.
VAA, how...laughable, considering how the USA acts...LOL
ReplyDeleteI went fishing rather than vote for Goldwater,but I'm, otherwise, a loyal,straight ticket Republican.
ReplyDeleteI was nauseated by O-mania.
I dispise the Democratic congressional 'leadership'.
But,I may have more respect for BHO than you guys do.
BHO has issued a challenge,and he's not gonna let Bibi punk him.
Yeah bullshitter! We know you're republican. You said it before. Bush junior is your idol!!! We cherish your insightfull comments! Please Keep bullshitting, we're interested!
ReplyDeleteVAA, this is a truism. We benefit from the success of others. Others benefit from our success. This has always been true. This also means that Israel benefits when Palestinians succeed; and that Palestinians benefit when Israelis succeed. In their hearts both peoples feel the truth of this in their bones. Dare I say, upon reflection and meditation even Saif and VAA know the truth of this.
ReplyDeleteIt angers the Liebermans and other extremists to no end that neither can survive without the success of the other.
V, didn't America try to facilitate economic growth in Asia and Latin America? What are you talking about?
ReplyDeletePS. American living standards are much higher because of Chinese, Indian, Korean, Brazilian, Indonesian, and other foreign economic growth.
Go OBAMA! Go the Messiah!
ReplyDeleteWe have to go through this every few years, because we have retards that think there is some essential difference between democrats and republicans. Some people never learn
ReplyDelete"...Obama called on Arabs and Israelis not to 'point fingers' at each other or to 'see this conflict only from one side or the other.'..."
ReplyDeleteMaybe Obama should start at home first by lecturing our supposed representatives in Congress about not seeing the conflict from one side, which would be the Israeli side...
Marion, Obama implicitly did just that. However, the problem in America is much deeper than you imply. Very few in the Congress have any signficant knowledge or understanding of Palestine. Without understanding, there is no hope of Congress adjusting.
ReplyDelete<p>NO BIG SURPRISE
ReplyDeleteIsrael: No policy change after Obama speech
<p>Israeli officials say settlement policy won't change after Obama speech
Israel will not heed President Barack Obama's powerful appeal to halt all settlement activity on lands the Palestinians claim for a future state, officials said Friday, a position that looks sure to cause a policy clash with its most powerful ally.
The government plans to allow construction inside existing West Bank settlements to accommodate for growing families, said the officials.
"Benjamin Netanyahu will have to come to a decision soon. It's either 'yes' to Obama or 'no' to Obama," wrote columnist Ben Caspit in the Israeli daily Maariv on Friday.
So far there is little indication Netanyahu will answer "yes."
"With all due respect to President Obama, and there is respect, and to the deep friendship between Israel and the United States, no foreign leader of another country will set policy in Judea and Samaria," lawmaker Ofir Akonis of Netanyahu's Likud Party told Army Radio. Judea and Samaria ahttp://wire.antiwar.com/2009/06/05/israel-no-policy-change-after-obama-speech-4/re the Hebrew terms used for the West Bank.
What is wrong with being a Republican? Lincoln and Ike were Republicans.
ReplyDeleteBoy you're weird! Or maybe just the village idiot?
ReplyDeletemessiah? Are you serious? Or maybe just the village idiot?
ReplyDelete