Nipawin - Tuesday, October 23, 2001 - by: Mario deSantis
 
 

cyclical

We are so imbued in the roman imperial philosophy of "status quo," and "quid pro quo," that we are forgetting what social development means in terms of social progress and freedom for all of us. No powerful nation wants ever to take a first step to make peace a cyclical phenomenon, for instance by reducing military expenditures and trying to democratize our countries. As long as we wage a war for one reason or another, we engulf ourselves in waging wars in a cyclical fashion.

 

 

mission
accomplished

Take this war on Terrorism. White House officials are saying that this war on Terrorism will take many years and that the bombing of Afghanistan may go on till next summer or until the mission is accomplished. I question which mission. The mission to wage a war against terrorism? The mission to take Osama Bin Laden dead or alive?

 

 

more
noble

Foreign policies supporting the political "status quo" are in effect maintaining the current warfare in the Middle East. Now we have the foreign policy of "quid pro quo" as we partially cancel Pakistan's foreign debt in return of its support against the evil-doers. Wouldn't it have been more noble to cancel this foreign debt which has kept Pakistan from growing socially and economically?

 

 

ABM

In November President George Bush will be talking with Russian President Vladimir Putin so that he could have his blessing to break the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty and spend more money in the star wars project. Is there a need for star wars technology to fight the new war of the 21st century against terrorism, and I wonder why we don't strive for peace and social development on earth?

 

 

Mafia

Academic Garda Kharmi views the bombing of Afghanistan in this way
"It's like bombing Sicily to try to beat the Mafia."
A few days before being murdered, one Sicilian journalist explained the Mafia phenomenon in this way
"Mafia members are in parliament, they are sometimes ministers, they are bankers, and they are those who at this moment are at the top of the nation."
   
  I ask another question: Where are the evil-doers?
   
----------References:
  Bush and Putin hail new relationship, BBC News, October 21, 2001 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1612000/1612078.stm
   
  War View: 'It's like bombing Sicily to try to beat the Mafia', BBC News, October 22, 2001 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1608000/1608752.stm
   
  The mafia, Italian Studies, University of Toronto http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3ita/ITA235Y/protected/mafia2.html