November 2002

“USA:s angreppsplan avslöjad” hette det i en sexspaltig topprubrik på utrikessidan i HD häromveckan (11/11 2002). Bakom rubriken låg antagandet att en journalist någonstans genom kontakter eller rentav grävande journalistik lyckats avslöja något som makthavarna sökt hålla hemligt. Att offentliggöra militära anfallsplaner är förmodligen inte riskfritt. Här hade någon modig journalist utmanat makten. Var det så? Naturligtvis inte. Nyheten om anfallsplanerna var högst sannolikt planterad på initiativ från Pentagon på mycket hög nivå, som ett led i det intensifierade propagandakriget. Den hade först publicerats i New York Times och därefter citerats av TT-Reuter som stod som källa till det i HD publicerade telegrammet. “Uppgav en hög anonym tjänsteman”, hette det. TT hade inte satt rubriken på artikeln ifråga. I texten fanns dock ingenstans en markering av osäkerhet angående “nyhetens” ursprung. Är man så aningslös på TT, undrar jag, att man inte inser att det nu pågår ett högintensivt propagandakrig, där...

Reaktionerna i Storbritannien på händelserna den 11 september innehöll också ett mått av tillfredsställelse: nu skulle resten av (väst)världen få erfara vad det innebar att leva under hotet av terrorattacker, det som utgjort britternas vardag under de tre decennier då hotet från IRA-attacker utgjorde en kännbar realitet. Och som en följd därav kanske visa större sympati för de åtgärder som britterna sett sig tvingade att vidta för att skydda sig mot detta hot och för vilka de, enligt dem själva, oförskyllt pådragit sig kritik från såväl människorättsorganisationer som Amnesty International och Europadomstolen för mänskliga rättigheter. Nordirlandkonflikten var en utdragen lågintensiv konfliktsituation med återkommande toppar av massiv förödelse. Fram till slutet av nittiotalet hade konflikten resulterat i över tretusensexhundra döda och tiofalt fler skadade. De materiella skadorna översteg det fattbara, för att inte tala om de dolda kostnaderna i form av utebliven ekonomisk utveckling av det som i praktiken var en...

Kofi Annans utkast till fredsavtal mellan grek- och turkcyprioter har sedan det offentliggjordes i mitten av november diskuterats dygnet runt på den delade ön. Annan-planen utgör en sinnrik kompromiss som tillmötesgår flera av parternas viktigaste krav men som också innehåller inslag som både grek- och turkcyprioter kommer att ha mycket svårt att acceptera och det av helt motstridiga skäl. Den närmaste tiden, och det helst innan EU:s toppmöte i Köpenhamn 10-12 december, måste deras politiska företrädare ta ställning till om om de efter fyra decennier av konflikt kan sluta upp bakom Annan-planens framtidsvision: ett återförenat Cypern vars grundsten utgörs av ett nytt Œpartnerskap‚ mellan grek- och turkcyprioter på likställd basis. I så fall kan grek- och turkcyprioter under decembermötet gemensamt få klartecken från EU och den långa vägen mot politisk återförening påbörjas ˆ detta förutsatt att Annan-planen också lyckas vinna över en inledningsvis skeptisk folkopinion. Tanken är att ett färdigförhandlat avtal...

The demonising of the enemy before the war is intense. The Swedish media, for instance, take for granted that a war against Iraq will take place. No alternatives to war are mentioned. Iraq has become a synonym for Saddam Hussein in the Swedish media, leaving 23 million human beings in oblivion. Iraq as a society and culture, from now on, belongs to the zone of silence. It is above all very important that not even the tiniest element of humanness affects our perception of the country. Iraqis must not be pictured as human beings, mothers, fathers, children with hopes and fears, poverty or wealth. We must only imagine Saddam and his palaces that we will pulverize in a technological inferno. None of the potential consequences of a full-fledged war are being discussed. Millions of refugees; tens of thousands of dead and injured (both Iraqis and Americans, especially if chemical weapons...

The demonising of the enemy before the war is intense. The Swedish media, for instance, take for granted that a war against Iraq will take place. No alternatives to war are mentioned. Iraq has become a synonym for Saddam Hussein in the Swedish media, leaving 23 million human beings in oblivion. Iraq as a society and culture, from now on, belongs to the zone of silence. It is above all very important that not even the tiniest element of humanness affects our perception of the country. Iraqis must not be pictured as human beings, mothers, fathers, children with hopes and fears, poverty or wealth. We must only imagine Saddam and his palaces that we will pulverize in a technological inferno. None of the potential consequences of a full-fledged war are being discussed. Millions of refugees; tens of thousands of dead and injured (both Iraqis and Americans, especially if chemical weapons...

The demonising of the enemy before the war is intense. The Swedish media, for instance, take for granted that a war against Iraq will take place. No alternatives to war are mentioned. Iraq has become a synonym for Saddam Hussein in the Swedish media, leaving 23 million human beings in oblivion. Iraq as a society and culture, from now on, belongs to the zone of silence. It is above all very important that not even the tiniest element of humanness affects our perception of the country. Iraqis must not be pictured as human beings, mothers, fathers, children with hopes and fears, poverty or wealth. We must only imagine Saddam and his palaces that we will pulverize in a technological inferno. None of the potential consequences of a full-fledged war are being discussed. Millions of refugees; tens of thousands of dead and injured (both Iraqis and Americans, especially if chemical weapons...

Krig præsenteres i disse måneder som den eneste løsning på konflikten med Irak. Den nye resolution fra FN’s Sikkerhedsråd (1441) mindsker ikke risikoen for at USA, med eller uden FN-accept, angriber, besætter og kontrollerer Irak i januar eller februar næste år. Men krig leder ikke til holdbare løsninger. Det har vi klara beviser for fra Kroatien, Bosnien, Kosovo, Makedonien, Somalia og Afghanistan. Omend der nok er lagt låg på volden, så er de underliggende konflikter stadig til stede, og de krigsførende parter har ikke bevæget sig en tomme mod forsoning eller fælles visioner om fremtiden. Der kan findes ekstreme situation hvor man må gribe til vold – som når man griber et barn hårdt i armen når det er ved at løbe ud foran en bus. Men internationalt må vi ganske enkelt lære at skelne mellem krig og konfliktløsning, mellem vold og ægte fredsbestræbelser. USA nægter at forhandle og bruge...

The speech by Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh for United Nations Day was to a great extent about Iraq. Twelve years ago, the Security Council of the UN decided to take measures to fully disarm Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, by applying sanctions and imposing inspections, in order to remove the threat to international peace and security posed by Iraq, a threat manifested by the nation’s aggression and occupation of Kuwait. What has happened during those twelve years? Highly successful inspections were conducted under the leadership of the Swedish ambassador Rolf Ekéus. Those inspections led to the destruction of most of Iraq’s biological and chemical weapons. No reliable expertise claims that Iraq is even close to possessing nuclear weapons. Along with the bombing of Iraq’s infrastructure by the United States and Britain (without UN mandate and in total discord with international human rights agreements), the sanctions have crushed the country’s...

The breakthrough in the second round of talks between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government signifies progress well ahead of expectations. At the end of the second round, three important agreements on political, military and economic matters have been signed. These agreements to address political issues, improve security and restore normality shall be followed up by setting up joint committees for the purpose. The crucial agreements were topped with the LTTE announcing its intention to enter democratic politics, signifying the rebel outfitís desire to turn a new leaf for wider political acceptance in Sri Lanka and abroad. This is expected to spur international financial and developmental assistance for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction as the negotiations brokered by Norway and hosted by Thailand is the first effort involving western facilitators and supported by India, Japan, the EU and the US. Given the failure of four...

The speech by Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh for United Nations Day was to a great extent about Iraq. Twelve years ago, the Security Council of the UN decided to take measures to fully disarm Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, by applying sanctions and imposing inspections, in order to remove the threat to international peace and security posed by Iraq, a threat manifested by the nation’s aggression and occupation of Kuwait. What has happened during those twelve years? Highly successful inspections were conducted under the leadership of the Swedish ambassador Rolf Ekéus. Those inspections led to the destruction of most of Iraq’s biological and chemical weapons. No reliable expertise claims that Iraq is even close to possessing nuclear weapons. Along with the bombing of Iraq’s infrastructure by the United States and Britain (without UN mandate and in total discord with international human rights agreements), the sanctions have crushed the country’s...

Statement at the European Parliament, October 22, 2002 Thank you for inviting me to speak today. I have come here to urge you all, individually and collectively, to do everything in your power to oppose a US war against Iraq a war that can have no good end. I believe that we have within our reach the ability to stop this war before it begins.  If we succeed, we will save the lives of innocent Iraqis who have suffered enough, and also the lives of young American soldiers, who enlisted in the military with the primary purpose of obtaining the resources to go to college. We will also prevent the creation of thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of new terrorists, whose activities will undoubtedly affect Europe as well as the United States.  America Does Not Speak with One Voice The Bush administration would have the world believe that America speaks...

Introduction There are at least two problems with the phrase “Agenda for Human Rights workers in Southeast Asia”, apart from the usual politics of agenda setting. First, the term “human rights workers” is purposively selected to both emphasize the human side of working for human rights and to undermine the increasing tendency in some corners to relegate human rights activities to mainly be in the hands of experts. Second, the term “Southeast Asia” as a complex topography can hardly be discussed in general without essentializing it. But while there may be no underlying unity nor Southeast Asian essence which is shared by all Southeast Asian societies, to assume a total absence of broad family resemblance in the area would also be contrary to common experience. (1) One of the direct implications of this understanding then, is there could be no uniformed agenda for human rights workers in Southeast Asia, though...