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Finally Peace May Be At Hand!
by
RichardKanePA | 02.08.2010
Negotiations are in the wind in at several different levels, a UN conference, a request for the US to take the Taliban off of the terror list, the US removing five retired Taliban leaders from the list, then Afghan President Karzai getting in the act asking the entire Taliban be taken off the list and asking them to negotiate. The main thing missing is enough excitement on the part of the US peace movement or well posted dissimilation of the information by peace organizations and sites. Just Foreign Policy has a petition to the President and Congress calling for negotiations, but searching of details what is going on, means scrawling through Haitian and other material. Joe Cosason front page coverage in Salon Magazine blog has Afghan President Karzai defying the US, which isolates one section of the story. Come on all us who are longing for peace, let's add some excitement to the mix. The period reminds me of early in the Vietnam War when Johnson was still a popular President, but I wish the chant of "Negotiate Now" was again in the news. The US started things a little by trying to make peace with lower levels of the Taliban who might be willing to renounce al Qaeda. This was inspired by some local tribesmen getting in a fight with al Qaeda, following that, the US poured in aid to help them. Next the UN conference in Prague, which somehow received little US news coverage, asked that the entire Taliban be taken off of the terror list. One person taken off the terror list was Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil, a former foreign minister had been seeking negotiations on his own. One person off the list had already denounced al Qaeda. I think President Karzai wanting not to be left out of the mix, rather than him defying the US was what is going on. The US has mixed desires. The Taliban announcing they are preparing a response, automatically gives Karzai a touch of legitimacy, something the US appreciates. In the meantime. the Taliban has a strict new code of conduct that it is showing off. After failing to destroy the Cental Bank in Kabul, the four suicide-vested surviving members of the Taliban didn't do what they would have done in the past, blow themselves up in front of the bank, killing an many people as possible. Instead they holed up in a nearby shopping center ordered the people out and kept up a firefight for five hours killing no bystanders, or only one (It is disputed whether the one other person killed was with them or not). Next there was another story where more suicide bombers died then victims. Then silence on the news. The Taliban managing to get into where they don't belong without killing someone important or a lot of bystanders is not considered news. If major negotiations ever start before the US is facing immanent bankruptcy and dollar collapse (by our always finding more expensive ways to fight), when the Taliban is at it's best behavior, lessens the possibility of a raw terror attack, derailing progress during the talks. I kind of wonder what is happening. Most seem to agree that there are about 100 al Qaeda volunteers now in Afghanistan. Could this mean that al Qaeda suicide bombers are acting under strict Taliban guidelines? Not really off the subject, President Obama seems to be talking about a firm date to totally get out of Iraq, at which point al Qaeda will likely show off. If instead Obama suddenly announces he is getting out this month, and al Qeada shows off, they will anger any local Iraqi who is not totally part of al Qaeda for trying to stop the US from leaving. For reference and verification, since I am having trouble embedding links, and too many non-embedded links are distracting, so please click on the links in the following site, But be sure to note the intense desire to persuade Johnson though convincing Johnson with logic, rather than depicting Johnson as a demon in the following 1965 appeal to negotiate an end to the war. I think depicting Obama as a war demon in disguise is not the way for the antiwar movement to go in 2010. Meaning negotiations to start now would be the more timely to head off such talk. Please clink on the 1965 mind set which I hope inspire today's movement, No matter what US doves or hawks do, the war will end when the US becomes bankrupt unless the US joins al Qaeda in fighting cheaply without all that protective armor and backup ever more expensive technology that the US fights with. Other nations such as Saudi Arabia are trying to break the impass between the US and the Taliban such as Saudi Arabia, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61117E20100202
A lot has to click together but events seem to be circling around this happening.
Please everyone, who wants peace without bankruptcy, let's pay more attention and spread all this information around. Richard Kane |
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Comments
Poetic Injustice
Submitted by RichardKanePA on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 8:45amSomehow we are in the present mind-set where showing strength is considered weakness. The US is showing strength in having the underwear bomber's relatives involved in interrogating him. They would know better than anyone else whether he is lying. Torturing him would lead him to give out false information.
With Obama, America finally showed strength in the world, with a new positive image instead of the world dreaming of getting even with the bully, sabotaging the US in every way it can. Somehow the Republicans are forcing Obama to show strength which is really weakness. Sadly under the present mind-set, negotiating is considered showing weakness and bankrupting the dollar with ever more expensive smart weapons is showing strength. We somehow can do better then a suicidal foreign policy to challenge the suicide bombers with.
Richard Kane
RICHARDKANEpa.blogspot.com
NY Times update on negotiations
Submitted by RichardKanePA on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 1:03pmThe New York Times has emphasized that Pakistan is perusing peace talks to end the war. Somehow if left out that Mullah Omar has been for a long time urging an end to the attacks on Pakistanis, urging the rebels and al Qaeda to only attack the Americans, therefore Pakistan has been dragging its feet when it comes to going after him like the US wants,
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world/asia/10pstan.html
There has been a lot of negotiation efforts around the world to end the war in Afghanistan. Somehow the peace movement hasn’t paid much attention. Gareth Porter in Common Dreams enthusiastically reported Afghan President Karzai defining the US by seeking unconditional talks with the Taliban, neglecting to mention Karzai having done so several times before. Nevertheless any information on negotiation attempts is so scattered that googeling Gareth Porter is the best way to know what is going on,
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/02/02-8
The retired Taliban officials who were taken of the terrorist list after a UN peace conference in Prague urged all of the Taliban to be taken off the list are, as of late, tying to mediate a step down approach such as no destroying of roads or killing of doctors, in return for no night raids,
http://www.globalissues.org/news/2010/02/05/4443
For links on the peace conference and Karzai trying to get Saudi Arabia involved see the links at these sites,
http://www.phillyimc.org/en/finally-peace-may-be-hand
http://www.phillyimc.org/en/cyber-repression-cyber-prison-can-threaten-ordinary-folk#comment-34604
Since the US peace movement hadn’t cheered the Feb 2009 cease-fire in the Swat Valley instead joined hawks in condemning that modified Shria Law was established there, it makes it difficult for the Obama administration to go along with any cease-fire that has harsh conditions involved. However if the US just left in a hurry the conditions for any Afghan seen as too close to the Americans would be even harsher. The Taliban and other normal Muslims who end up in a fight with Americans see hiring al Qeada suicide-bombers as a disgusting necessity, since normal people don’t commit suicide on command and will want al Qaeda to keep their distance as soon as they no longer need them. However, they may or not be able to stop al Qaeda from conducting internet broadcasted trials and punishments, of anyone who got close to the Americans.
Al Qaeda is confident that the US is heading straight toward bankruptcy and a US-currency-less world. Maybe the reason they have delayed a huge attack on the US is that it might result in the US fighting cheaply, instead of spending ever increasing sums to keep each soldier as safe as possible.
During Vietnam there were teach-ins so people could understand what is going on.
One possible scenario would be a repeat of history where the next Republican President candidate will like Nixon claim to have a secret plan to end the war. Nixon expanded the war to Cambodia and Laos, the next Republican President into Iran and beyond. But next time it ending as desperate Americans try to barter to stay alive since the dollars will be worthless.
However if we get excited about each peace scare, instead of not paying attention, the future will be much better than this. Let’s at least spread the word around the internet of a need for new teach-ins. There is an even change we won’t end up with a goon like Cheney in the White House, and no matter what else the odds keep improving the more we educate ourselves.
I am troubled that sometimes people who want to end the war end up making it harder not easier for the President to do what is right, Teach-ins unlike some other suggestions can only help.
http://RICHARDKANEpa.blogspot.com
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