20030331
" [W] ar opponents Russia, Germany and France are worried that the United States will find new evidence of their roles in the arming of Iraq, and will use it to its political advantage.
After the Americans had accused the Russians of having provided Iraq with bazookas, night-vision equipment and jamming transmitters against their GPS-guided weapons, the dispute almost began to take on Cold War proportions. But this time Russia was not the only enemy. Anyone who was involved in arming the Saddam regime and now stands by his side in battle can expect to incur the wrath of the Americans, including the Germans and the French."
NYTimes
Which country was the biggest supplier of weapons to Saddam Hussein when it tried to oust Iran's Mullah regime?
.: gisela 11:44 AM
...and anyone who hasn't seen "Bowling for Columbine" - go and see it. It is rich, fun, critical and VERY much up-to-date!
michaelmoore.com
.: gisela 9:56 AM
20030328
European Companies Fear They'll Be Left Out in Post-war Iraq
.: sawad 12:21 PM
bodycount
.: Jonas 11:03 AM
I don't believe it is completely up to the U.S. to decide the role Europe will play. European people, at all levels of organization, have decisions to make about this, I think.
As far as empires cresting ... Foucault makes an observation in The Order of Things that goes something like this: the moment one represents or studies an "episteme," this era (roughly speaking) will have already begun receding or disappearing. His observation is adapted from a truism about representation, which characterizes representation and the present as disjoint, and to some degree at odds with one another. It happens to be a truism in which I place a lot of value, and which I usually call a theory. But, there is a linear temporality in Foucault's adaptation that is simply not that easy to assume in the more general theory, whose emphasis is as much on disjointedness as on the proper sequence (present [first] -> re-present [second]). The question that arises from this theory in term of how we view the temporal and historical affects of the relation between the present and its representation is whether it is the case that the latter chases the former, or whether representation makes the present appear (re-appear) ... "in the first place?"
Empires have always fallen. It is not always easy to understand (or recover) the set of forces that lead to the demise of empires. It is very possible that this empire has actually been crumbling since the late-60's / early-70's, marked most obviously by the Vietnam War. Thus, it is easy to see the current gestures as an attempt by the empire to return to a time before this downfall began. But, using the theory of representation above, the current actions in effect represent the height of the empire, sometime after WW2, as already past. However, the empire is attempting simultaneously to unwrite self-representations that followed its withdrawal from Vietnam in '75. But this is an impossible task, since its repression of these self-images only serves to emphasize them (different theory). This becomes terribly circuitous ...
Perhaps an empire is not a classical story with a beginning, middle (crest), and ending, but, from a different "episteme," more of a thrashing about for control, transforming itself (and being transformed) from one space and time into another. The boundaries of empire do not end where a nation draws its boundaries, nor even at its seemingly limitless desires. Rather it is both an infestation and a socio-economo-politcal dynamic that draws against itself resistance, which we recognize as its limits and limitations.
.: sawad 11:02 AM
20030327
The 101st Airborne Division named one central Iraq outpost Forward Operating Base SHELL and another Forward Operating Base EXXON.
.: Jonas 2:31 PM
I finally read the article on Tony Blair's intentions.To me, his stated aim is nothing but a pretext.
Firstly, I don't buy that Tony is the one wanting to bring together the US and Europe: there never was a need for it before, let's say, September 2002, when the German election triggered Schroeder's big roar. Before that, the Germans and Americans were much closer than the Brits and the US, as much as Britain always setting itself apart from the European idea alltogether. They were always against anything which made Europe versus its national members stronger - the last one being its vote against the Euro as its currency. Tony's intention is nothing else but trying to place Britain as Europe's leader, and himself as its king. As much as it is Jaques Chirac's intention.
I guess, placing Britain as Europe's most influential power would be one (and maybe the only) way to convince the British people of the European idea altogether. It is his way of preparing some of the ground he lost for himself at home.
But I don't think that once this war is fought and once the rebuilding begins, that the US will even care about Europe alltogether. Whether it will be a satellite to the US or whether it will try to become a competitor for its interests, it will be nothing but an unpleasant nuissance to the United States. One which will demand more or less attention and diplomacy depending on which stand it will take. Whether it is Tony reigning it, or Jacques doesn't really matter. Peanuts.
I think the only way to brake this pattern would be a development which was briefly mentioned in the Spiegel: that the US, by getting involved in this war, has made the fundamental mistake of virtually every world power in history, which consecutively ended its reign - to overestimate its might: "The world's only remaining superpower is beginning to suffer from the disease with which every imperial power throughout history has been afflicted: the overestimation and overtaxing of its own capabilities," the magazine said. "Could the Iraq war herald its decline?"
Should we put our hopes on this? Can we?
.: gisela 11:47 AM
The most apolitical architect makes real ugly tea pots, yet he is my favorite: Greg in the NYtimes today
.: Jonas 11:24 AM
20030326
thing.net is a good host
.: Jonas 8:04 PM
"Chemical warfare specialist Lance Cpl. Thomas Conroy of the U.S. Marines holds a pigeon used to help detect chemical attacks." (CNN)
?
.: Jonas 5:44 PM
Lenny retro-rocks for peace together with Iraqi Kadim Al Sahir. I am not particularly interested in the musical fruits of this collaboration, but I would like to throw the Retro aspect into the discussion. I was born into a hippie commune at the end of another famous protest era and thus I do have my hopes and concerns about revisiting. Much of what we are doing on the street these days is based on '68 patterns, but luckily we are also advancing. A major part of course has to do with the technological advancement that allows us to gather and bypass gov. media. There are other parts though where I am not convinced yet if we are advancing. Embracing diverse strata in the movement for example was handled rather poorly by those before us; basically one social, economical, educational (+ to some extend professional) caste. And how open or ignorant do we react to those (mostly one economical caste) who risk their lives or those who confront us with serious criticism. How open are we ? Here one statement of the bbc page just posted below:
"I've never understood why people will put so much energy in protesting a war in the name of peace and life and absolutely no energy into stopping the dictators of the world from committing murder year in year out. Either it's because collateral damage is much worse than murder or you can get on television protesting against countries like USA and UK."
.: Jonas 12:21 PM
when bush the 2nd was campaigning for the pres, at some point he began to refer to china as an "strategic competitor." since even before he was selected into office the american+murdoch press questioned him little if at all on the accuracy of what came out of his mouth, instead the work began to interpret and give meaning to his "dyslexic" (according to mark crispin miller) term. had he meant "strategic partner?" who knows. however, he used the term and never retracted it (he is never wrong).
some people of intelligence thought at the time that if elected gw would get the u.s. into a war -- with china. and indeed a certain opportunity for discomforting rhetoric came when a chinese fighter jet brushed up against a u.s. spy plane and caused the latter to have to land safely on chinese soil, as they say. the pilot of the chinese plane died, but who cares. this story is not over ... there is always taiwan ....
this bit has been on my mind of late because from it i began to grasp gw's anti-globalist, neo-nationalist aspirations. "europe" -- a united europe -- would be seen as either standing in the way or being irrelevant to such aspirations. the neo-cons would never be for europe, except as a satellite of u.s. imperialism. "europe" would at best be seen by the neo-cons as an "strategic competitor" vying for something the u.s. wants.
france and germany, among others, have seen this and don't like it -- that's clear. i can't explain what tony is up to, except playing the role of appeaser, trying to put a sugar coating on the difficult pill of new world order.
the question is whether france and germany will come back to take their medicine, so to speak, or whether they will decide that the u.s. is a hegemon that has transgressed far beyond the bounds of hegemonic decorum (saying nice things to satellite states) and needs to be confronted sooner rather than later. round one has already been fought. it could get uglier.
.: sawad 9:07 AM
i carelessly replaced "series" with "string" in my earlier post.
"[...] a series of disarmament wars," says fischer.
why a "series" and not suddenly everything in parallel?
... the optimism/ethnocentrism (in that the [eth{n}ically protestant] u.s. is going to be able to keep everything tidy while it goes about the work of knocking off state after state) even in this ...
.: sawad 8:25 AM
20030325
thanks for the welcome, jonas.
'a string of wars' does sound rather clean. and I assume the 'string of wars' that will occur 15 years later to rectify the problems created by this string will also be addressed with such excellent tactility?
i've been reading the opinions on the bbc site. not for the information they contain, but to attempt to gather a better understanding of the world opinion as my entire family in england appears to support this war, thus making me quite ill.
what is everyone else's stance on Blair's transatlantic warning?
.: jason 11:07 PM
"Salam"'s blog is the source of the images of Iraq that I posted below, but which don't seem to appear in any longer (why?). He is an architect, it seems.
String of wars ... so clean ...
.: sawad 6:35 PM
INTERVIEW WITH JOSCHKA FISCHER_03.03.20, Der Spiegel
[...]
Fischer: Certainly. The complete disarmament of Iraq could have been brought about by a combination of military pressure, inspections, and step-by-step measures
SPIEGEL: A nice thought, but to get that done one would have had to avoid making loud noises in the [German] election campaign and to have entered into serious conversations with the Americans.
Fischer: I did that. Ever since September 18th or 19th, 2001, when Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz in Washington roughly outlined for me what he thought the answer to international terrorism had to be.
SPIEGEL: And?
Fischer: His view was that the US had to liberate a whole string of countries from their terrorist rulers, if necessary by force. Ultimately a new world order would come out of this - more democracy, peace, stability, and security for people.
SPIEGEL: A vision of the future that you presumably don't completely share?
Fischer: I can't and don't want to imagine that we are facing a series of disarmament wars. Rather we should be making sure that the instruments for peaceful solutions, above all the UN, are developed further. We must not end up having only the one set of alternatives: either allowing the continued existence of a terrible danger or being forced into a disarmament war. That must be avoided. This is the task of political policy makers, and it is what the majority in the Security Council wants. But so far there has been no genuine transatlantic dialogue about this.
SPIEGEL: Why not?
Fischer: Because the Europeans at their end started to hold strategic discussions too late. We have to catch up now. At stake are the great questions facing humanity: What kind of world order do we want? What are its essential elements? What are the new dangers and risks of our present policy of intervention? How do we confront them?
[...]
Yes, but there is something else that is surprising. Take Mexico, Chile, and Turkey - all of them young democracies. In these countries you see the obstinacy of democracy. For democracy also means being able to have a different opinion - about fundamental existential questions, certainly also vis-à-vis friendly governments. This is a very, very important experience which is valid beyond today. And it tells us: When others in Europe have a viewpoint different from ours, it is neither a cause for alarm or for rejection. Rather it is a sign of democratic maturity.
[...]
NYTimes.
.: gisela 11:35 AM
we're not the only bloggers on this...
Salam Pax
.: gisela 11:12 AM
It looks like this evolves into a warblog, and I think that's just fine in times like these. Or as Jason put it on another platform: "feels a bit odd trying to get something done at the office this morning when you read that "People are doing what all of us are, sitting in their homes hoping that a bomb doesn’t fall on them and keeping their doors shut." " Welcome Jason.
.: Jonas 10:59 AM
20030324
I am actually more worried about them using any if they suffer further setbacks. And yes, the hypocritical weather reports are hardcore propaganda material. It's like saying: And now let's see if the sun is shining in our recently acquired state to the east.
.: Jonas 3:11 PM
Call me a cynic, but who really doubts that there isn't a Pentagon-inspired plan to "find" (planted) WMD's?
.: sawad 11:52 AM
I'm pretty much refusing to watch the daily broadcasts. This morning I took a peek, just in time to see a major network tell us about the weather in Iraq (there are some major sandstorms to the southwest). The weather reports are one of the most important and least understood ideological apparati global capital possesses.
Southknoxbubba on the "embedded" media: Link
The visible and the invisible: Link
On Rumsfeld opportunistically decrying violations of international law: Link
Hey, let's support our corporate-controlled media reporters!
.: sawad 11:50 AM
"This is how it should be done: Lodge yourself on a stratum, experiment with the opportunities it offers, find an advantageous place on it, find potential movements of deterritorialization, possible lines of flight, experience them, produce low conjunctions here and there, try out continuums of intensities segment by segment, have a small plot of new land at all times [...] Connect, conjugate, continue: a whole "diagram", as opposed to still signifying and subjective programs." (Deleuze/Guattari, A thousand plateaus)
Saturday we marched down Broadway. Caught first in a tourist line waiting to get into the "Lion King", we couldn't get onto Times Square without a ticket for a Broadway show. Nevertheless, everything was friendly. Broadway seemed huge and was full of people: Herald Square, Madison Square, Union Square, Washington Square. Drums, signs, stickers, slogans.
We should have carried a flag. According to NYPolice, everybody carrying a flag may hold it up with wodden or metal poles, all other signs had to be carried without.
At Union Square, dispersing the crowd dragged on for many hours.
But what did we achieve? Is it right to demonstrate when others are commanded to risk their lives?
What a mess the US got itself into with this. What should we hope for.
A swift resolution, yes, but how does it look like? I heard a commentator on the radio say " We don't want to destroy Iraq's infrastructure, because in a few days we will OWN this country!" What would you do if a "democratic army" decided to invade your country?
.: gisela 10:39 AM
20030323
.: Jonas 2:22 PM
20030322
"NYC March for Peace and Democracy: On Saturday, March 22, New York is marching to stop the war in Iraq! Join us for a massive and spirited march to support peace abroad and civil liberties at home. [..] This time around, the Mayor and the NYPD have pledged to respect our right to march. We are negotiating with the City over the route, which will be in Midtown Manhattan." (UnitedForPeace)
.: Jonas 3:30 AM
20030321
.: Jonas 5:31 PM
gore vidal...he's been another great source for me, have you read his latest books on our current situation?
.: raul 1:52 PM
'shock and awe' has started...
.: raul 1:46 PM
'...Opposition to the invasion of Iraq has been entirely without historical precedent. That is why Bush had to meet his two cronies at a US military base on an island, where they would be safely removed from any mere people. The opposition may be focused on the invasion of Iraq, but its concerns go far beyond that. There is growing fear of US power, which is considered to be the greatest threat to peace in much of the world, probably by a large majority. And with the technology of destruction now at hand, rapidly becoming more lethal and ominous, threat to peace means threat to survival...' Chomsky http://www.zmag.org
.: raul 10:29 AM
WNYC commentator this morning on VR war: The images we see on TV are weirdly reminiscent of video games, but the video game graphics are better.
.: Jonas 8:13 AM
20030320
"Over Texas steaks we discussed where the military is headed in relation to VR and Web3D." (About)
.: Jonas 11:25 AM
20030319
Sirens in Baghdad
"New York: Converge on Times Square at 5:00PM on the day the bombing begins (next day if the bombing begins at night). If the police block access to the Square, we will flood the surrounding streets [..] WEAR WHITE FOR PEACE- WHITE RIBBONS WHITE ARMBANDS" (UnitedForPeace)
.: Jonas 9:43 PM
"Activists in the US, under the banner of the United for Peace and Justice group, are co-ordinating "die-ins" and direct action in city halls and public buildings across the country." (Guardian)
"Some advocates argue for showy acts of civil disobedience. Others say they fear that too much disruption would alienate the public that they are trying to sway. The dispute occurs at a turning point for the movement, as the hundreds of thousands of protesters who overwhelmed the streets of several cities last month realize that they have not been able to stop the war." (NYtimes)
.: Jonas 8:54 PM
20030310
Peter Denham Smithson died in London at the age of 79.
.: Jonas 12:30 PM
20030307
Map of NYC bloggers, by subway stop!
.: sawad 2:18 PM
20030306
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 13:24:22 -0500
From: XXX@yyy.zzz
To: ZZZ@yyy.xxx
Subject: Santa Fe call for artists
Status:
Please help pass the word (message forwarded from jschlesinger@sfai.org)...
We at the Santa Fe Art Institute have just decided to have an 'emergency'
response to the duct tape issue!
Open call for artists to make artwork made of duct tape and plastic sheeting
for exhibit titled, "Duct & Cover." Submit all artwork to the Santa Fe Art
Institute by Monday, March 24 between 9-5pm. Show opens Wednesday, March 26
from 5-7pm.
Please pass the word! We know this is short notice, but we want to respond
artistically right away.
Please call 505/424-5050 for more information.
Thanks!
Jennifer Schlesinger
Santa Fe Art Institute
1600 St. Michaels Drive
Santa Fe, NM 87505
Ph. 505.424.5050
Fax 505.424.5051
.: sawad 11:57 AM
New Graphic Design ... from U.S. Mil. >> CENTCOM Leaflet Gallery
.: sawad 4:56 AM
20030305
www.dear_raed.blogspot.com
.: sawad 1:13 AM
20030303
MIT Arch: 9-11 And Its Aftermath
Until very very very recently, most inhabitants of the United States loved to revile, or at least had an ambiguous relationship with, the urban profile of downtown Manhattan. Until terrorists took out the World Trade Center buildings, the buildings had very few aesthetic defenders. The universal nostalgia invoked by the same media audience by the sudden absence of the two buildings, therefore, might appear a bit perplexing.
.: sawad 12:48 PM
In a case of the unexplained ... Recently Captured al Qaeda Leader
Was Killed Last Year
.: sawad 10:24 AM
I have to just ask one question that may simply be of rhetorical interest at this point: How democratic was the process?
.: sawad 10:23 AM
20030302
Architecture is hip. I believe that in the past 12 years, architecture became a part of popular culture. Finally this fashion arrived in new york. We get designs by pop star architects now every day on our desks at city planning. but not only among politicians and developers are star architects fashionable. also among the general public. to me this started in berlin, where thousands queued to see the reichstag right after its topping off. Or the jewish museum –a major tourist attraction for more than a year without a single exhibit, just architecture!
I noticed something else that herbert muschamp wrote about this whole competition. That is architecture in a way was turned upside down. The 6 teams were asked to create architecture without program. The reason why the first designs were such a failure, was because they were pure program. They fulfilled the required square footage, nothing else. It obviously didn’t fly, so the 6 teams were let loose without a specific program –just recommendations. Funny enough, lmdc thought they would then be able to generate exactly this from the designs: a program.
You are right sawad, this is the beginning and I am curious to see who will lead this discourse. And will this debate be ultimately able to bring the two together –design and program. Let’s hope we will get to see daniel on the construction site and not just in the charlie rose show.
.: kaja 2:24 PM
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