Sunday, December 16, 2007

Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, Excuses for Murder. Tell it to the Judge.

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Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, the Indonesian cleric and political leader, says that the Bali bombers "were not terrorists but counter-terrori...
Friday, December 14, 2007

"Shoot them on the spot." The Traditional Dance of Rewarding War Crimes.

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Last June, when President/General Susilo of Indonesia visited one of his provinces, in the Moluccas, he was greeted by local residents perfo...
Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Breaking News: US Intelligence Personnel Tap Indonesian Phones. British Also Involved. Detachment 88, Kopassus Get Covert US Aid.

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News and Comment, http://www.newsc.blogspot.com/ Wednesday, December 12, 2007 9:21 AM US Eastern time) By Allan Nairn US intelligence offic...
Friday, December 7, 2007

Imposed Hunger in Gaza, The Army in Indonesia. Questions of Logic and Activism.

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The UN World Food Program estimates that, in the wake of Israel's cutoffs,"Food imports into the Gaza Strip are only enough to meet...
Wednesday, December 5, 2007

It Takes (Out) a Village: Illegitimate American Power.

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Hillary Clinton just pointed out that whoever holds the US presidency can, on both national and foreign matters, engage in "split-secon...
Monday, December 3, 2007

Knowing Where the Bodies Are Buried. The Indonesian Generals -- and Putin -- Laugh.

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The phrase "knowing where the bodies are buried" has different meanings in Timor and Washington. In Washington, it means knowing s...
Sunday, December 2, 2007

'Go ahead, kill them. Just be sure to fill out your expense account.' Law and Order in Bangkok, Washington, and other Pre-Civilized Capitals.

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A headline in the Bangkok Post (November 27, 2007) says that ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra "faces up to 26 years in jail...
Saturday, December 1, 2007

Power Can Buy You People. Can It Buy You Happiness? The Regime Still Stands in Burma, Where "The People Just Want Food."

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Crossing the Moei river from Thailand into Burma you see many river bathers. But if you look again more closely you notice they are all on ...
Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Thomas L. Friedman and the Bali Bombers. Cold-Blooded Celebrity.

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The Daily Telegraph of Australia carries a report of an extraordinary death-row press conference/ festive family visit (Indonesian death row...
Saturday, November 24, 2007

Rising in Malaysia. Handle With Care. The Dangers of Feeding Poor People.

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In downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, some Dior dresses just got dry-cleaned with tear gas, in an interesting illustration of the principle th...
Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Bangladesh and Wall Street After the Flood: Two Different Kinds of Property

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Early estimates say that maybe 3,000 people have died in the Bangladesh cyclone and floods. And the footage shows that much poor-people'...
Sunday, November 18, 2007

Approach With Caution, Americans: Adam Smith Has a Gun

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When hard rain falls on a tin-roofed house it sounds like a machine-gun assault. Unless you know the person you're talking to very well...
Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Getting Shot in the Stomach: Hunger and Dissent in Burma, and Other Countries...

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Talking with some Burmese activists the other day, one young leader made a crucial point. The discussion included familiar topics like sanc...
Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Vomiting to Death on a Plane. Arsenic Democracy.

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On Tuesday the big front page news in the two leading newspapers of northern Sumatra was that Indonesia's President, Gen. Susilo Bambang...
Sunday, November 11, 2007

Military Dictatorship: Administer Only as Needed

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Referring to the $10 billion in military and financial aid that the US has given the government of Pakistan since it formally switched sides...
Friday, November 9, 2007

State of Emergency in Pakistan, But Not in the United States.

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Gen. Pervez Musharraf has declared a state of emergency in Pakistan, and in the White House, Bush and Cheney may be, in some part, a little ...
Thursday, November 8, 2007

Duduk - Duduk, Ngobrol - Ngobrol. Sitting Around Talking, in Indonesia.

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Sitting around in a house in Indonesia over green agar-agar (seaweed gelatin) for diarrhea, the talk is of the "dog" POLRI police,...