I like following world news. Unfortunately, I find most North American media's perspective too narrow. That's why I recommend the news organizations below for excellent analysis and coverage of world news:
Deep Thoughts From Afar (December 20, 2001)
Argentina erupted today. The lootings made it to the top story on BBC World. Even the indifferent US networks gave the story a 15-second "honorary mention"; once they had milked dry every single detail of today's happenings in Afghanistan. And once again, the drama of a news story touched me personally.
My hunger to learn more of the situation was only satisfied when I finally succeeded in tuning in to Argentinean TV on the net tonight. Even though I still remember the lootings and the food riots arising from hyperinflation in 1989, I honestly thought unrests stemming from economic crises had been resigned to the history book in Argentina. I was completely wrong. So common in situations like this, minorities seem to be hurt harder than most. A Korean supermarket owner was shown repeatedly crying hopelessly as looters helped themselves in his shop. How can anyone stay unmoved seeing a grown man crying like a child as if he had just lost his mother in a crowded street??
At this very moment, watching Portenos (people of Buenos Aires) gathered to protest in front of the Casa Rosada at the Plaza de Mayo (May Square), I feel sad. Sad not because Madonna is not dropping by to lip-sync on the balcony anymore, but because I love Buenos Aires and had such a great time there. I never imagined that I had chosen to visit Argentina at the final hours of its economic boom. As I watch the crowd, I can't help but wonder the plight, after 4 long years of recession, of the guy with whom I was chatting for hours until dawn in a Buenos Aires dance club that autumn night. I still remember his name, Carlos, who likes Evita but not Madonna.
Part of me wants to blame the US, the IMF and Argentina's creditors. They, as much as anybody who dares to care, have witnessed the country moving step by step towards default ever since last summer. Tonight, finance minister Domingo Cavallo, the very man who pegged the peso to the green back one to one and brought monetary stability to the country a decade ago, has resigned. Who will be next? President Fernando de la Rua? Or perhaps the military will make a come back? I hope Argentinean democracy has matured enough to survive this crisis. But then when people are hungry, democracy takes a back seat.
NATO missiles hit Peking's mission in Belgrade (May 9, 1999)
NATO missiles had hit Communist China's Embassy in Belgrade, and the Communist dictatorship in China is using the unfortunate incident as a political show. Ten years ago, hundreds, if not thousands of Chinese students were crushed by this very regime that is currently making an enormous uproar about the lost of 4 Chinese lives in Belgrade. Yet, it still, to this day, denies the Tiananmen massacre ever happened. To the ruling clique in Peking, please stop using the hypocritic outcry of xenophobia to divert the attention of the millions of Chinese people who desire a free society with the rule of law. On the other hand, I am proud of my adopted country Canada, for her humanitarian effort to help the refugees in Kosovo, including the airlift of some of the victims of the war to Canada.
Stop the ethnic cleansing, the rest will follow... (April, 1999)
Walking down the streets of downtown Toronto on one fine Saturday afternoon, I encountered a small group of anti-NATO air strike protesters. Unfortunately, I have problem identifying with their cause. I really want to ask them, instead of calling for NATO to stop the bombing, why don't they ask Slobodan Milosevic to stop the ethnic cleansing first? After all, Milosevic's government was the only party to refuse to sign a peace plan which led to the NATO military actions. It's sad that innocent people in Yugoslavia are seriously affected, or even injured and killed by these bombings. Nobody wants this to happen. In a perfect world, everybody is nice to each other and there is no war. However, our world is not such an utopia, far from it. As a consequence, dramatic (and violent) actions had to be taken sometimes in order to serve justice. The chance of peace or war lies in the hands of Milosevic and NOT NATO.
UN forces' mandate in Macedonia not renewed (February 25, 1999)
Communist China has vetoed an United Nations Security Council resolution to extend the UN monitoring forces' mandate in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Although it is almost certain that Red China cast a veto because of Macedonia's newly established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan, the official reason given for the veto was it "did not see any threat to international peace" in the current situation in Macedonia.
Well, I guess the Communist regime in China has been so isolated from reality (maybe because of the Great Wall?), that they have not come to understand what is going on in Macedonia's next-door neighbour, the Kosovo region of Yugoslavia. Or more likely, Red China simply doesn't care about anything but to isolate Taipei in the international arena. It makes me sick that in our post-Cold War period, such a regime still occupies a permanent seat in the UN Security Council (not to mention Taipei, on the other hand, isn't even represented in the UN at all). Red China cast a similar veto in 1997 concerning the dispatch of UN forces to Guatemala, another country that recognizes Taipei.
Who says democracy is not an Oriental value?? (December 6, 1998)
The Chinese people in Taiwan have demonstrated over the weekend that their country has matured into a thriving democracy by taking part in a free and fair legislative and mayoral elections. In a relatively short period, the people of the Republic of China in Taiwan not only witnessed an economic miracle, but also the evolvement of their country into the only Chinese society in the contemporary world where a real democracy exists. To the Lee Kuan Yew, Mahatir and Jiang Zemin of this world, as well as to all those who claim that democracy is a foreign value to Asians, please take note!!
It's Reconciliation Time! (October 24, 1998)
I absolutely agrees with Lady Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister who last week came out opposing the extradition of former Chilean president Agusto Pinochet to Spain. It's extremely unfortunate that during the 17 years of military rule in Chile, human rights abuses were committed by supporters of all sides of the political spectrum, especially the military regime. However, as events in the past week have demonstrated, any attempts to put Pinochet on trial will only open up more wounds in a Chile still deeply divided by supporters and opponents of the former military strongman. Just as Nelson Mandela has shown the world in his new South Africa, it is far more important for Chileans to work together now and reconcile their differences in order to work for a better future, rather than looking back at a painful past. This is especially true at a time when clouds from a possible economic crisis in Latin America looms large over the skies of Santiago and other Latin American capitals.
World Democracies: Challenges and Trends (October 12, 1998)
It's been a glorious time during the past few weeks for advocates of democratic rights around the world. Democratic elections were held in a number of diverse countries. Whether they mark the end of an era for political heavyweights in Germany and Slovakia, or one more chance to govern for the incumbents in Sweden, Brazil and Australia, electorates in countries all over the world have exercised their democratic rights as well as one of their responsibilities as citizens of a democracy.
Unfortunately, things are not as rosy in certain countries. In Malaysia, the xenophobic and autocratic Mahatir Mohamad has jailed his former protégé Anwar Ibrahim, whom Mahatir himself sacked as Deputy Prime Minister last month. After openly calling for reforms, Anwar was jailed by the bigoted Mahatir with bogus charges including homosexuality. (Even though homosexuality is legal in most of the civilized world.) Meanwhile, Mahatir continues to blame anyone who is not Asian for the failure of his own country's economic crisis. (Wonderboy seriously think Mahatir belongs to the same group as the anti-native, anti-immigrant Pauline Hanson, the Australian One Nation Party leader.)
As a result, I hereby call for the leader of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum not to attend the annual APEC leaders summit meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia later this year. After all, Mahatir himself boycotted the inaugural APEC leaders summit in Seattle back in 1993. He feared APEC had given non-Asian countries too much influence on Asian economic affairs.
An even bigger challenge to democracy occurs in Russia, where the democratically-elected President is as sick as the Russian economy. Seeing the pictures on TV showing how President Yeltsin almost stumbled beside Uzbek President Islam Karimov during his first state visit to Uzbekistan, it struck Wonderboy as one major bad omen for the millions of Russians hit hard by the latest economic crisis in that country. It's a shame that at this critical moment for the Russian economy and the young Russian democracy, there's no other capable public figure to lead the vast country, other than a pale and aloof man suffering from what is claimed to be bronchitis. (Last time when it was claimed that Yeltsin had a cold, he actually suffered a major heart attack.) It will be interesting to see how Russia reacts to any imminent NATO military actions in the next few days against Yugoslavia, a long-time ally of Russia. Then, just may be, the rest of the world will get a hint of who's really in charge in Moscow.
World Leaders Speak Out for Taipei (October 3, 1998)
During the general debate of the 53rd United Nations General Assembly (Sept 21- Oct 2), delegates from 25 countries voiced their support for Taipei.
President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso, President Guntis Ulmanis of Latvia, President Raúl Cubas of Paraguay, President Arnoldo Alemán of Nicaragua, President Armando Calderón Sol of El Salvador, President Carlos Flores of Honduras, Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini of Swaziland, Prime Minister Said W. Musa of Belize, Deputy Prime Minister Taufa Vakatale of Fiji, Prime Minister Edison James of Dominica, Prime Minister Denzil Douglas of St.Kitts & Nevis, the Foreign Minsters of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Czech Republic, Liberia, Gambia, Senegal, St.Vincent & the Grenadines, Chad, Malawi, Guatemala and Haiti, as well as the representatives from Grenada, Solomon Islands and São Tome & Príncipe have all spoken out directly or indirectly in favour of Taipei's participation in the world body. Of the 25 countries, Latvia, Czech Republic and Fiji do not have official diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (ROC). On the other hand, Panama was the only ROC ally that failed to mention Taipei's cause during the general debate.
I expresse my strong and unconditional support for the letter dated July 8, 1998 jointly submitted by Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Gambia, Grenada, Liberia, Nicaragua, São Tomé & Príncipe, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Senegal, Solomon Islands and Swaziland to the Secretary General of the United Nations concerning participation of the Republic of China on Taiwan in the world body.
The letter with clearly and forcefully states that international environment has changed significantly since the adoption of Resolution 2758 in 1971, expelling Taipei from the United Nations. It also cites precedents of membership of divided states within the UN. The fact that the 21.8 million Chinese residents on the island of Taiwan has no representative and no channel to have their voice heard is an international injustice. The claim that the regime in Peking represents the inhabitants of Taiwan simply doesn't reflect the reality. The Republic of China in Taiwan meets all conditions of the organization's criteria for membership and based on the principle of universality, I, together with the 11 aforementioned countries, request the Secretary General to review General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971 and consider the Republic of China's participation in the United Nations.
I further commend the 11 signatories for their enormous courage despite external threats against their honorable action. Each of these 11 signatiories may not be huge in area or size of population, but their sense of international justice has warmed the hearts of every single peace-loving citizens of our global village.
Update I: Sept 11, 1998: Malawi, Dominica, Chad and Panama have since joined and become signatories of the above proposal.
Update II: Sept 11, 1998: For the sixth consecutive year, the General Committee of the UN General Assembly, after a debate that lasted 2 hours and 48 minutes (longer than any other idtem on the Committee's agenda), unfortunately decided once again not to include the item in the GA agenda.
During the General Committee debate, the following 16 countries voiced their support of the proposal:
Burkina Faso, Chad, Dominica, El Salvador, Gambia, Grenada, Honduras, Liberia, Malawi, Nicaragua, Paraguay, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Swaziland.
The following 40 countries spoke against the proposal:
Algeria, Argentina, Belarus, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lesotho, Libya, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, St. Lucia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Yemen, Zimbabwe, Red China
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