Christian Science Monitor, Oct. 17, 1996
By Stephen Zunes [source]
Despite Nobel Peace Prize, US is more concerned with arms sales.
The muted reaction of Clinton administration officials to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to two human rights activists from East Timor is not simply due to the seeming obscurity of that small Southeast Asian nation. No choice could have been more embarrassing for the United States government. The brutal Indonesian occupation of East Timor has cost an estimated 200,000 lives, nearly one-third of the population. And the United States has helped make it all possible…
Category: Christian Science Monitor
The Dangers of Miscalculation in the Middle East
Christian Science Monitor, May 03, 1996, [source]
Zunes recommends this piece by his colleague, Marwan Bishara,
director of the Jerusalem Council on International Relations.
Those fighting terrorism must not forget that it’s fueled by oppression and economic deprivation.
Clinton on Wrong Side of Jerusalem Issue
Christian Science Monitor, By Stephen Zunes April 27, 1994
[Source] A little-noticed policy shift by the Clinton administration on Jerusalem has implications beyond the fate of one city in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. It marks a retrenchment in the American commitment to international law and the authority of the United Nations. The United States abstained from a section of a recent UN Security Council resolution condemning the February Hebron mosque massacre, objecting to a paragraph that referred to the Arab part of Jerusalem as occupied territory. This eastern half of Jerusalem was seized by the Israeli Army in June of 1967, along with the rest of the West Bank, which was controlled by Jordan…
Arms Sales Ironies
Christian Science Monitor, Oct. 14, 1992, By Stephen Zunes
[source] The timid opposition in Congress to the Bush Administration’s announced sale of 72 highly sophisticated F-15E jet fighters to Saudi Arabia shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. Congressional support for Israel may require opposing the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, underwriting Israeli settlements and occupation forces in the West Bank and Gaza, and even banning the Palestinians from operating an information office in Washington. But selling sophisticated weapons to a hostile neighbor of Israel’s has rarely been considered problematic…
The Appeal of Bigotry
Christian Science Monitor, Nov. 16, 1990, By Stephen Zunes
[Source] The assassination of Meir Kahane brings on mixed emotions for most Americans familiar with his career. First of all, many acknowledge the tragedy of taking any human life, particularly for political purposes; it is yet another unfortunate manifestation of the easy availability of handguns; and it is another depressing reminder of the increasing violence in the clash between Israeli and Palestinian nationalism. On the other hand, such an end was almost inevitable. As with the assassination of American Nazi leader George Lincoln Rockwell over 20 years ago, there is a sense that leaders of violent hate groups will die violently themselves…
Re-Evaluate, Recognize Angola
Christian Science Monitor, June 25, 1990, By Stephen Zunes
[Source] Despite the euphoria resulting from independence in Namibia and prospects for negotiations in South Africa, another conflict in that region continues – and the United States is fanning the flames. The US government continues to arm UNITA, a rebel organization seeking to overthrow the Angolan government. Angola’s civilians are the principal victims. Angola, with its large oil reserves, is potentially one of the richest countries in Africa. Yet thanks in large part to the chaos wreaked by UNITA, the country ranks near the bottom of the world’s nations in providing its citizens with even the most basic needs. In 15 years of war since independence, over 200,000 Angolans have been killed and more than 20,000 children orphaned. UNITA’s use of land mines has produced a gruesome statistic: over 50,000 Angolans have been left amputated, the highest per capita in the world. Many of these mines come courtesy of the US taxpayer…
Nicaragua – Not Another Domino
Christian Science Monitor, March 09, 1990, By Stephen Zunes
[Source] While the Bush administration and many pundits see the defeat of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua as simply a continuation of the democratic trend sweeping Eastern Europe, the circumstances are quite different. Failure to make such a distinction, in fact, could be disastrous for US foreign policy…
US Should Reassess Policy in Western Sahara
Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 10, 1989, By Stephen Zunes
[Source] The incoming Bush administration has an opportunity to score an early diplomatic victory should it choose to actively throw its support behind United Nations sponsored negotiations for a peaceful settlement to the war in Western Sahara. To do so would be a departure from the Reagan administration which, despite diplomatic successes in Namibia and elsewhere, has chosen not to play a similarly constructive role in northwest Africa. Indeed, few Americans were even aware of this 14-year conflict until it was suddenly brought home in the tragic downing last month of an American aircraft that had been participating in locust spraying efforts in neighboring countries…