16 December 2003

Where's my money?

[source, source]

Saddam Hussein’s fugitive number two, Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, may have surrendered to US-led coalition forces in Iraq, Kuwait Television reported on Tuesday, quoting its correspondent in Baghdad.

The correspondent said on air that “the information is not confirmed and is confusing.”

He said that according to the information, Duri had given himself up on Tuesday morning and that no more details were available.

Two things:

  • Remember the 48 hour rule - with rumours like this, wait 48 hours before taking them as more than rumours.
  • Can Al-Duri collect the $10,000,000 reward if he turned himself in?

UPDATE: Looks like this isn’t panning out. I can’t find any recent stories about it and one would think that it would be reasonably big news.

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Vatican moral compass still spinning

[source, source, source]

A top Vatican official said Tuesday he felt pity and compassion for Saddam Hussein and criticized the U.S. military for showing video footage of him being treated “like a cow.” […]

“I felt pity to see this man destroyed, (the military) looking at his teeth as if he were a cow. They could have spared us these pictures,” he said.

“Seeing him like this, a man in his tragedy, despite all the heavy blame he bears, I had a sense of compassion for him,” he said in answer to questions about Saddam’s arrest.

Here we see ruling class solidarity overcome the PR machine.

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Free markets are not a panacea

[source, source]

Market-dominant minorities are the Achilles heel of free market democracy. In societies with such a minority, markets and democracy favour not just different people or different classes but different ethnic groups. Markets concentrate wealth, often spectacular wealth, in the hands of the market-dominant minority, while democracy increases the political power of the impoverished majority. In these circumstances, the pursuit of free market democracy becomes an engine of potentially catastrophic ethnonationalism, pitting a frustrated indigenous majority, easily aroused by opportunistic politicians, against a resented, wealthy ethnic minority. This conflict is playing out in country after country today, from Bolivia to Sierra Leone, from Indonesia to Zimbabwe, from Russia to the middle east.

This demonstrates how important culture issues are to a successful self-ordered society.

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They missed Stalin, too

[source, source]

Disbelief and gloom seized many Palestinians Sunday at news of Saddam Hussein’s capture as Israel fired off a telegram of congratulations to Washington.

The former Iraqi ruler was a hero to many Palestinians for his stand against Israel and its U.S. ally, as well as for helping families of Palestinians dead in an uprising [emphasis added].

For Israel, he was a menace over the horizon who long bankrolled the enemy.

“It’s a black day in history,” said Sadiq Husam, 33, a taxi driver in Ramallah, West Bank seat of the Palestinian Authority.

I think they mean “families of Palestinians dead by their own hand while trying to commit mass murder”. But somehow, the sympathy meter is not getting off the zero mark.

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Wesley Clark: US has no right to defend itself

[source, source]

I would say to the Europeans, you know, we’ve had our differences over the years, but we need you. The real foundation for peace and stability in the world is the transatlantic alliance. And I would say to the Europeans, I pledge to you as the American president that we’ll consult with you first. You get the right of first refusal on the security concerns that we have. We’ll bring you in.

It’s not a right if you have to ask permission.

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