Jueves, 3 de agosto de 2006

MundoOriente Próximo

By David S. Broder (THE WASHINGTON POST, 03/08/06):

If you think there is an echo in the air when officials discuss the twin crises in Iraq and Lebanon, you're not hearing things. In both cases the argument for carrying on the destructive current policy comes down to a claim that "we can't afford to let the other guy win."

President Bush says over and over that cutting short the occupation of Iraq would turn that country over to the terrorists and embolden them to carry their wicked plots ever closer to our shores. He also endorses -- implicitly -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's view that an early cease-fire with Lebanon would strengthen Hezbollah and make its prime sponsor, Iran, even more of a threat to its neighbors.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoOriente Próximo

By Jon B. Alterman, the director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (THE WASHINGTON POST, 03/08/06):

We often think of American history in terms of turning points. We are attacked, we fight back, and the world often changes as a result. These turning points are few and far between: 9/11, Pearl Harbor, and the Civil War. We often build memorials in quiet, grassy places that invite contemplation. With the luxury of distance, we ponder how to remember both our suffering and our triumphs, and we imagine our future.

The Middle East has been battered so many times in the last century, there is not one site of mourning but many; everywhere is sacred ground.…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaModelo de EstadoModelo Territorial,

Por Aurelio Arteta, catedrático de Filosofía Moral y Política de la UPV-EHU (EL CORREO DIGITAL, 03/08/06):

Algunos apenas logran disimular el pelo de la dehesa. La coalición Nafarroa Bai, en el documento ideológico con que hace un mes se presentó en la sociedad navarra, incurría en los mismos disparates en que han incurrido antes sus miembros por separado. Y así, en un párrafo angelical solicita la «desaparición de la violencia», de cualquier violencia, pues su sentido del pudor le impide tachar a la etarra de 'terrorista', no sea que se enfade algún colega. Y en otro párrafo la denomina «violencia política», como si ese adjetivo disminuyera la gravedad del delito al atribuirle una causa pública.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoOriente Próximo

By Moshe Yaalon, a retired lieutenant general, was chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces from 2002 to 2005. He is now a distinguished military fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (THE WASHINGTON POST, 03/08/06):

The conflict in the Middle East is about much more than Israel and Hezbollah, or even Hezbollah's Syrian and Iranian sponsors. What is at stake are the very rules of war that underpin the entire international order.

Sadly, judging from how most of the world has responded to Israel's military action against Hezbollah, these rules have been completely abandoned.

The rules of war boil down to one central principle: the need to distinguish combatants from noncombatants.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica

Por Antonio Elorza, catedrático de Pensamiento Político de la Unoversidad Complutense (EL CORREO DIGITAL, 03/08/06):

El problema de los cesarismos reside en que, siendo dictaduras con vocación de eternidad, tropiezan con un obstáculo infranqueable: el final biológico de quien los crea y dirige. Su fiel colaborador Carrero Blanco se lo advirtió muy pronto a Francisco Franco, por mucho que intentara dorar la píldora, al indicarle que su único defecto consistía en ser mortal. Franco estuvo en todo caso mucho más preocupado por evitar que a su muerte llegara la democracia, sembrando el camino de obstáculos a su sucesor, que por garantizar una continuidad del régimen.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoOriente Próximo, ,

By Abdullah Gul, foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Turkey (THE WASHINGTON POST, 08/03/06):

ANKARA, Turkey -- The grave tragedy that has been unfolding before our eyes in Lebanon, and the inability of the international community to bring it to an end after three weeks of suffering, unfortunately raise questions about the United States and its proud legacy of leadership for freedom and justice.

After all, my generation grew up with an image of the United States as standing for the revered values of democracy. It is sad that this image of a "kinder, gentler nation" is being tarnished as millions around the world watch in complete horror as events unfold in Lebanon.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoOriente Próximo, ,

By William Hague, shadow Foreign Secretary (THE TIMES, 03/08/06):

THE EVENTS OF the past few days have clearly demonstrated the depth of the Middle East crisis. A UN meeting to determine which countries might contribute troops to an international force was postponed. After a short lull in military activity after the tragic airstrike on Qana, Israel rejected calls for an immediate ceasefire, Hezbollah continued to rain rockets on Israeli towns and President Assad put the Syrian Army on a higher state of alert. Perhaps most worrying of all, diplomatic efforts appeared to have been derailed when Condoleezza Rice’s visit to Beirut in pursuit of a ceasefire deal was abruptly cancelled and Israel announced that it would continue its offensive.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoOriente Próximo, ,

By Robert A. Pape, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, is the author of “Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.” (THE NEW YORK TIMES, 03/08/06):

ISRAEL has finally conceded that air power alone will not defeat Hezbollah. Over the coming weeks, it will learn that ground power won’t work either. The problem is not that the Israelis have insufficient military might, but that they misunderstand the nature of the enemy.

Contrary to the conventional wisdom, Hezbollah is principally neither a political party nor an Islamist militia. It is a broad movement that evolved in reaction to Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in June 1982.…  Seguir leyendo »

ReflexionesDemocracia

By Timothy Garton Ash (THE GUARDIAN, 03/08/06):

A central claim of the Bush administration's foreign policy is that the spread of democracy in the Middle East is the cure for terrorism. So what do you do when you get a democratically elected terrorist organisation? Ignore the contradiction. Pretend it doesn't exist.In the past few weeks there has been something utterly surreal about the US continuing to allow the Israeli military to pummel Hizbullah, and kill women and children along the way, while insisting that Washington's purpose is to strengthen the legitimate, democratic government of Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Lebanese prime minister, Fouad Siniora, has been calling desperately for the one thing that the US and Israel have refused: an immediate ceasefire.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoOriente Próximo, ,

By Nehemia Shtrasler, a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz (THE GUARDIAN, 03/08/06):

There was one moment during the war when we had the upper hand. It was the moment when Israel had succeeded in striking Hizbullah with strong and surprising force, Haifa was peaceful and the number of casualties was small. That was the right moment to stop the war, declare victory and move on to the diplomatic track.This opportunity came when the G8 convened in St Petersburg on July 14, two days after the fighting broke out. The G8 formulated a four-point plan, and nothing could have been better for Israel.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica

Por Joaquín Roy, catedrático Jean Monnet y director del Centro de la Unión Europea de la Universidad de Miami (EL PAÍS, 03/08/06):

El percance de Castro ha estallado inoportunamente en un momento dulce para su régimen. Estaba aparentemente disfrutando de una dosis de oxígeno. Castro se había permitido el lujo durante los tres últimos años -desde que se enzarzó a bofetadas con la Unión Europea por la protesta generada por el encarcelamiento de disidentes y las ejecuciones de secuestradores de naves- de prescindir del "diálogo constructivo" con los bienintencionados gobiernos que no están de acuerdo con la estrategia de Estados Unidos.…  Seguir leyendo »

EuropaUnión Europea

By Michael Meacher, the Labour MP for Oldham West and Royton, and a former environment minister (THE GUARDIAN, 03/08/06):

The UN has now labelled the pulverisation of Lebanon an "illegal war", yet still the UK has not called unequivocally for a ceasefire. This defiance of British and international public opinion not only diminishes our standing in the eyes of the world, but also raises, yet again, the issue of how those in power are held to account for their decisions.

There are many such examples in Britain today. What mechanism is there to prevent the prime minister unilaterally giving support to a US attack on Iran, embroiling Britain in a conflict that the public overwhelmingly rejects?…  Seguir leyendo »

ReflexionesNaturaleza

By Tim Radford (THE GUARDIAN, 03/08/06):

The atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen would like to save the world and darken your day. He proposes in this month's issue of the journal Climatic Change that to screen themselves from runaway global warming, humans could use heavy artillery to lob huge explosive shells laden with sulphate particles high into the stratosphere.A potent mix of pollutants would scatter the incoming sunlight and bounce more sunbeams back into space. Bingo, you'd lower the rate of global warming, make the planet's current tenants a little bit more secure and give the fossil-fuel industries more reason to push hydrocarbons and fill up the corporate coffers.…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaCultura y Ciencia

Por Gregorio Marañón y Bertrán de Lis, presidente de la Real Fundación de Toledo (EL PAÍS, 03/08/07):

Hay que reconocer, muy personalmente, a José María Barreda la salvación de la Vega Baja de Toledo, de tan excepcional valor paisajístico y arqueológico. Gracias a su decisión, estos terrenos de origen público, que estaban en trance de privatizarse para construir sobre ellos un centro comercial y 1.300 viviendas, se integrarán, definitivamente, en el Patrimonio de Toledo, que es, también, Patrimonio de la Humanidad. El gesto merece destacarse por su ejemplaridad, en unos momentos en los que la fiebre inmobiliaria, fruto de la inmensa riqueza acumulada tras diez años de expansión económica, amenaza con destruir una parte importante del paisaje natural e histórico de España.…  Seguir leyendo »

InternacionalSalud Pública

By Deborah Jack, chief executive of the National Aids Trust (THE GUARDIAN, 03/08/06):

The first sentencing of a gay man for "recklessly" transmitting HIV to a sexual partner is expected to happen tomorrow. All seven previous convictions - which in England and Wales go back to 2003 - involved heterosexuals, each of whom received a substantial sentence. If you have transmit HIV during unprotected sex, having failed to tell your sexual partner you are HIV positive, this is now seen by the courts as grievous bodily harm.

Was this how we were meant to respond to HIV? Was this the shared responsibility for sexual health some of us remember hearing about in the 1980s and 90s?…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica

Por Oswaldo José Payá Sardiñas, líder del Movimiento Cristiano Liberación (MCL) y autor de varios proyectos sobre la apertura democrática de Cuba, entre ellos el Proyecto Varela para la convocatoria de un referéndum sobre libertades civiles. Ha sido galardonado con el Premio Sajarov del Parlamento Europeo y, en varias ocasiones, nominado al Premio Nobel de la Paz (EL MUNDO, 03/08/06):

El domingo 9 de julio salimos apurados de casa mi esposa y yo, junto a nuestros tres hijos, para llegar temprano a la iglesia del Cerro, a la que vamos desde siempre, sin importarnos cuando ha habido persecuciones, miradas agresivas, burlas, vigilancia o indiferencia.…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaMemoria Histórica

Manuel Fraga es el ministro de Franco mejor valorado hoy (EL MUNDO, 03/08/06):

Manuel Fraga Iribarne encabeza la clasificación de popularidad de los ministros del general Franco. Con una nota media de 5,09 es el mejor valorado de una lista de ocho miembros de los gobiernos franquistas, seleccionados por ser los que mejor pueden recordar los entrevistados tantos años después de desaparecido el régimen.

Un segundo ministro de Franco aprueba en este sondeo: Torcuato Fernández Miranda, quien obtiene una nota de 5,02. Fraga Iribarne y Fernández Miranda son los mejor recordados, sin duda porque su gestión política se prolongó tras el franquismo a favor de la democracia.…  Seguir leyendo »

ReflexionesIslam y Mundo Árabe

Por Stephen Schwartz, Director ejecutivo del Centro del Pluralismo Islámico de Washington (ABC, 03/08/06):

DESDE las atrocidades del 11 de septiembre de 2001, Occidente ha empezado a prestar atención al problema de la educación islámica, incluyendo en particular las madrazas o escuelas religiosas de Arabia Saudí, Pakistán, Egipto, Indonesia y demás que adoctrinan a los jóvenes fieles en las creencias radicales y violentas del wahabismo y las ideologías pseudorreligiosas similares.

En recientes viajes en representación del Centro del Pluralismo Islámico, he comenzado a analizar cómo pueden asistir los no musulmanes y los occidentales a los musulmanes moderados a la hora de cambiar esta situación negativa.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica

Por Carlos Malamud, investigador principal para América Latina del Real Instituto Elcano y profesor de Historia de América de la UNED (ABC, 03/08/06):

LA noticia de la operación de Fidel Castro dio la vuelta al mundo de forma vertiginosa. Por primera vez desde el inicio de la revolución cubana, el máximo líder, aunque sólo fuera de forma temporal y a su hermano, cedía el poder. Este hecho, con sus limitaciones, supone un giro copernicano en la reciente historia de Cuba, cada vez menos centrada en el pueblo cubano, ya que el protagonismo de la revolución ha recaído en un solo hombre (que se expresa en la primera persona del singular), rodeado de su hermano y una camarilla gobernante.…  Seguir leyendo »