Let’s all be humble about this and admit that, at this stage, we don’t know for sure why Madrid was attacked last Thursday. Al-Qaida are yet to enlighten us as to their reasoning. Until they do, we can only speculate. Nevertheless it is possible to draw conclusions about al-Qaida's rationale in general. Al-Qaida has launched attacks against many countries, some Muslim, some Christian, some with pro-war governments, some with anti-war administrations. Their attacks long pre-date the invasio...
When I heard of the bomb attacks in Madrid yesterday morning, there were 30 confirmed deaths. On hearing this news, my immediate reaction was: “ETA”. Thirty killed in one day would be a huge number by the standards of the Basque separatists, a “successful operation” in their own sick minds. When I learned more details of the attacks I realised my immediate assumption may have been mistaken. Thirty, I soon discovered, was not the final death toll but only the preliminary count. The number o...
John Kerry recently took time out from his busy schedule of Botox injections to clarify his position on Yasser Arafat’s credentials as peacemaker. Obviously hoping to pre-empt Republican allegations that he’s soft on terrorism, the senator from Massachusetts has let us all know that, to his mind, the Palestinian leader is no longer the statesman he once was. No, apparently Yasser “blew it” in 2000 and is now an “outlaw to the peace process”. Kerry is now signed-up to the “dump Arafat” tendency...
It’s nearly a year since American tanks began rolling across the Iraq – Kuwait border. The first anniversary of an event is a common juncture to indulge in a little reflection. My intention in writing this blog is both to reflect and to challenge. Specifically, I want to challenge the hawks to defend their war with the benefit of hindsight. Are you proud of your conflict? Do you still think it was right? It’s my belief that the anti-war camp has essentially been vindicated by the course of ...
It was around this time last year that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) thrust itself onto the global consciousness. The killer, flu-like disease, which emerged in the Chinese province of Guangdong in November 2002, was by March of last year spreading rapidly across East Asia. The epidemic eventually killed thousands across the Pacific Rim and hurt the global economy as trade and travel were disrupted. However by June of last year SARS was gone, vanishing into thin air. This led to...
I was listening to a British radio phone-in about al-Qaida last week. The rhetoric was embarrassingly clichéd. One gung-ho caller likened Bin Laden’s outfit to the Nazis, saying that they wished to destroy civilisation. The only solution, according to this particular hawk, was war to the end. Au contraire, retorted a left-leaning panellist, America with its “concentration camp” in Guantanamo, was the true heir to the Third Reich. Listening to this exchange, I couldn’t help but cringe. Ever...
The phrase “move on” has been very much in vogue in recent weeks. In some instances the term can have a positive connotation, as in to move on after the death of a loved one. In this case it articulates the need to get on with one’s life rather than wallow in the past. However, in the hands of some politicians, the phrase has taken on a negative undertone. When habitual liars like Gerry Adams or Tony Blair urge their opponents to “move on”, you know they’re in trouble. What they’re really sayi...
As we approach the tenth anniversary of the first IRA ceasefire, it’s easy to forget just how much things have changed over the past decade of relative peace. In particular the fortunes of Sinn Fein (SF) have improved dramatically in this period. It is strange to recall that, not so very long ago, the party was extremely isolated and unpopular. Back then, with their stablemates still at “war” (i.e. shooting people in their beds and blowing up high streets), SF was about as popular as George Bu...
Last week I wrote a blog urging American progressives to get behind John Kerry in spite of his right-wing tendencies. Should leftists hold their noses and vote for the unrepentant “new Democrat” from Massachussets in order to beat Dubya, or should they throw in their lot with some valiant no-hoper who better reflects their views? This has been a hotly-debated topic, especially since the great white hope of the anti-war movement started yelling out the states of the union in Iowa last month. ...
I must confess that I’ve always loved elections. I just can’t get enough of democracy in action: rallies, speeches, debates, knocking on doors, arguments, endless, endless arguments. Plonk me down in front of the TV when there’s an election on and I’ll be as happy as a junkie with a big bag of smack. Most of all though, I love Irish single transferable vote (STV) elections. The transfers, the intra-party battles, the tallymen, the recounts – this is political drama at its best. It’s best to be...
It was almost forty years ago when the Irish Cold War showed the first signs of thawing. Appropriately enough it was a snowy day in January 1965 when Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Sean Lemass’ limo made its way up the long drive of Stormont estate on the outskirts of Belfast. By going to the seat of power of the Northern Ireland government to meet Prime Minister Terence O’Neill, Lemass entered the history books. It was the first ever official visit to the North by a southern premier. In its...
Last year Belfast’s bus company introduced double-deckers to the city. What a wonderful innovation! Just pay your £1.10, climb to the top of the stairs and you have a wonderful view of a fucked-up society. This new elevated viewpoint allows one to peek over the many “peace walls” which segregate Belfast into Catholic and Protestant ghettos. On your way into town, rather than reading the paper or texting a friend, you can while away your time seeing what “the other lot” are up to. Ten yea...
This was the first of two books I read by American conservative journalist Robert Kaplan. It is far and away a superior piece of work than “Soldiers of God” his account of 1980s Afghanistan. Kaplan himself later admitted that he lost his senses of balance, such was his identification with the mujahadeen. His strong anti-communist beliefs coloured his view of the conflict in Afghanistan. His 1993 book “Balkan Ghosts” which examines another part of the “Evil Empire” is however much more nuanc...
So it seems that the die is cast; the next president of the United States will be George W Bush or John F Kerry. When the choice is presented in these stark terms, it’s a no-brainer for anyone to the left of Genghis Khan. All hail President Kerry! However, that’s exactly the problem. The only good thing about John Kerry is not what he is but what he isn’t. He isn’t George W. Bush. The Democrats have gone, so we’re told, for “electability”. Once again they’ve chosen a middle-aged white man to...
If you were to ask someone in the street what democracy means to them, you’d probably get an answer along the lines of rule by the people. The idea that a government must be elected to have legitimacy is strongly ingrained in western culture. In spite of this, voting levels are dropping across the richer parts of the world. Many believe that, no matter who is in power, nothing changes. Those in the middle or top just want to be left alone while people at the bottom have given up hope of ever imp...