Many Articles, Lasered Rats, Bob Gould

[tcpip]

Have written an article on the contemporary use of "humanitarian intervention" from the Yugoslav wars to the contemporary intervention in Libya, which has caused a great deal of debate among the left. I take the opportunity to refer to the open letter by Juan Cole and why Libya 2011 is not Iraq 2003. Also from the Victorian Secular Lobby is a brief article on the changes to the Equal Opportunity Act, a site which is now helped by a media monitor who sends through daily relevant updates. And finally, have also written an article on lightbringers.net on global warming mitigation, especially when reference to comments by religious leaders (i.e., insufficient). Was very impressed to discover that my open letter to Eugene Kaspersky has been translated into Russian (link included). My site is still operative so clearly it hasn't been slashdotted yet :)

When getting a pet, I think one should engage in a cost-benefit study with regression analysis. This is after spending several hundred dollars on the weekend. To be sure, it was a batch job (3 rats, 1 cat, 1 rabbit). The cat (Mac Lir) needs dental work which is, of course, identical in price to human dental work. The rabbit (Dantilion) needs some shots and to get its fluffy arse cleaned up. The rat (Rascal) has a respiratory infection and needed antibiotics; the vet also give, gratis, laser therapy. Naturally enough, I asked the difficult question on how shining amplified light into the rodent through the skin would improve the healing process and have since learned something about this experimental technique.

Was saddened to hear of the death of Bob Gould, a well-known Sydney radical whom I had the pleasure to meet on a number of ocassions. His extensive writings were often very critical of the internal politics of the Australian far-left, and especially the DSP, and usually with a great deal of justification. To their credit, Green Left Weekly found time to say good words about him. I am personally honoured to have known him.

Comments

[lifedistilled.livejournal.com]

I think that the author of the top-ten-reasons list re: Libya/Iraq leaves open far more questions about the military adventures in Iraq than he resolves. Iraq's situation is not one that can be discussed in ten simple -pages-, let alone bullet-points of apple/orange comparison.

As a supporter (albeit, as you know, somewhat reluctant) of the continued actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's getting a little tiresome, having the same old arguments over and over, as if each new person in line simply waits to be convinced. One begins to feel as though no one will ever admit that there is a leftist/progressive position that can simultaneously be humanistic and democratic and yet be in favor of the violent deposing of tyrants.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

You're quite right about the bullet points; however Juan Cole has written extensively on middle-eastern and north african matters. I suppose he's just trying to make a pithy summary on the main differences between the two interventions.

One begins to feel as though no one will ever admit that there is a leftist/progressive position that can simultaneously be humanistic and democratic and yet be in favor of the violent deposing of tyrants.

It's an odd argument to encounter. After all, when a population is being murdered by their own government, and they appeal for help it shouldn't be particularly hard to work out what to do.

[lifedistilled.livejournal.com]

I don't have any issue with the Libyan interventions. It's a great example, in my opinion, of the correct way to wage a proactive, just, and humane military action. A page from this book would've been worth it's weight in gold in Iraq, and I regret that we had Bush Inc. leading the way on that one. I would like to have seen what Obama would've done with similar circumstances - or, I suppose, that's just what we're seeing.

I think it's more that Cole seems to be taking potshots at the war in Iraq as though the statement's he's making are patently obvious as opposed to deeply controversial - at least in this top-ten list here.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I agree; the Libyan intervention has been run "by the book" - rather like the Bosnia action in '95. It amazes me that there are those nominally of the left who are trying to condemn the action; the moonbats at Information Clearing House being one prime example; if there was ever a need for an alternative to that news-service...

Although Cole's statements may be patently obvious to you and me, I don't think they are for a lot of people. Most appear to have completely forgotten how Gaddafi was attacking protesters in Feb this year and shelling Misrata.

[lifedistilled.livejournal.com]

Hah, I have a terrible feeling that we're talking at cross-purposes here. My issue with Cole is that he seems not to be willing to acknowledge the good that has come out of the Iraqi intervention, despite the (numerous) setbacks and failures. That's what I meant earlier by saying that there doesn't seem to be a willingness amongst the leftists/progressives to acknowledge that there is good to be found in the actions.

Regarding Libya, I think he's spot-on.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

My issue with Cole is that he seems not to be willing to acknowledge the good that has come out of the Iraqi intervention

Such as?....

Well, I suppose the sanctions ended.

[lifedistilled.livejournal.com]

Such as the fact that the Iraqi people have a parliament and a means of civil redress as opposed to a tyrannical and randomly malicious despot. Such as the reasonable expectation of feminine and academic liberation at some point in our lifetime. Such as not enduring lives of endless worldwide sanction and economic hardship so that the crime family that claims to 'lead' them can build a palace in every province of the country.

There are plenty of reasons why humanistic, democratic progressives should be pleased with the removal of Saddam Hussein from a position of power (not to say authority) in Iraq. There are also plenty of reasons why humanistic, democratic progressives should loathe the lies, misinformation, mishandling and atrocity that it took to get there. I don't mean to say that Cole is 'wrong' about Iraq. I mean to say that he paints the picture as though the Libyan intervention is entirely good, and the Iraq one counterpointed as entirely evil, which it isn't.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

*nods* OK, I agree with those reasons, and also with you comments regarding the relative rightness/wrongness of the Iraq/Libya interventions. In a sense they are simplistic, but I think making the issue more complex would confuse people who are already saying that the two are the same..

[lifedistilled.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, overly simplifying the issue is what leads people to conflate 'Iraq' with "boondoggle" and refuse to budge their opinions, I think. You can't look at a situation like Iraq without a mountain of context.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well it was about 80% mess, 20% success... :)

[lifedistilled.livejournal.com]

I think that ratio will start to shift in time, once the rhetoric and unfair appraisals start to be forgotten and the real tolls start to be taken. America gets blamed for a great deal of the civilian deaths that occured, or at least those deaths get lumped into an ambiguous "total civilians killed since" number. And yet only a very small fraction of them are actually the fault of US Armed Forces.

The militants involved in those civilian deaths are organizations that have slowly been routed and starved out. Iraq, despite all attempts otherwise, has a reasonably democratic system, or at least the foundational underpinnings of one. It will take time and real will on the part of the country's people, but in a hundred years, it's possible that Iraq will be looked at in the same way that any other revolutionary state is examined. America didn't come to be independent without bloodshed, either.

[nvcarnie.livejournal.com]

I actually read an article! Normally, I just sort of read your posts and move on, thinking, "i'll come back to this one!"

At any rate, the first article re: Libya vs. Serbia - this is ostensibly the same argument I used in my senior thesis in 2004 - that the invasion of sovereign nations to comply with international law and humanitarian needs was justified. Thanks for the summary! :-)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

You wrote a thesis on this? Any chance of getting a copy of said document?

[nvcarnie.livejournal.com]

I did - "Development of International Humanitarian Laws and their Implementation" primarily focusing on international genocide laws, defining sovereignty and why international laws are rarely enforced.

You can totally have a copy - as soon as I get home to my parents' place where it's stored.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Fantastic, I really look forward to it... It an issue which I have some deep thoughts over..

Re: Pets and Financial Analysis

[ferret-otaku.livejournal.com]

To paraphrase you and possibly keep your impoverished lawyers in caviar:

"Before becoming parents, I think people should engage in a cost-benefit study with regression analysis."

LASERs, whilst not magic, massless bullets, can help many chemical reactions.

Re: Pets and Financial Analysis

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well, for all purposes servants of pets are not too dissimilar to parentage.