Saturday, February 16, 2008

Daniel and Barack

Steven Taylor mentioned this IHT story about Daniel Ortega endorsing Barack Obama, saying he is laying the foundation for “revolutionary change.”

Further down, however, the article also notes that Ortega is sending Nicaraguan soldiers to WHINSEC, formerly called the School of the Americas, even though he believes that it was tied to torture in the past. Last October Bolivia announced it would no longer send soldiers (if you’re interested, see my post, which includes comments from WHINSEC staff).

Ortega did not explain why he approved the training, but said he would try to ensure officials did not turn into "torturers and killers."

The current Ortega incarnation is really pretty fascinating.

18 comments:

Bosque 8:07 PM  

SOA is being watched heavily because of its past.

I'm surprised certain countries haven't filed suit against the US for its training some of the 'errant' former students.

boz 7:13 AM  

Maybe Ortega actually understands that WHINSEC today is very different from SOA in the past. Or maybe he's just trying to keep his military happy.

Anonymous,  10:46 AM  

Whats your take on the current elections? Am I accurate in seeing Obama as the only one who would significantly alter foreign policy?

I've heard Clinton bring up Chavez in a stump speech as a threat and used to try to portray Obama's promise to open diplomatic channels and talk to people as naive.

Also, do you think its significant that McCain chaired the IRI since the early 90s?

Greg Weeks 11:41 AM  

I am less interested in what McCain did in the 1990s than what he says now, which is hawkish. As always, a critical question is, if elected, who he appoints to the main L.A. positions. Even the Bush Administration has been less confrontational since Shannon became Asst. Secretary.

As for Obama, one can hope, but no alteration is assured.

Anonymous,  3:45 PM  

What can you tell us about Obama's advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski? All I know is that he was prominent in the Carter administration.

boz 10:09 PM  

From what I understand, Zbig is a minor player in the Obama advisor circle. Look up Susan Rice or Samantha Power if you want to see some of the people who are more influential and are likely to remain influential during his (hopefully) upcoming presidency.

Anonymous,  6:00 AM  

ahh, thanks for the clarification, boz!

Justin Delacour 12:16 PM  

Look up Susan Rice or Samantha Power if you want to see some of the people who are more influential and are likely to remain influential during his (hopefully) upcoming presidency.

Oh great, Samantha Power. The guru of "humanitarian intervention." Yuck.

Anne-Marie Slaughter, another Obama adviser, is even worse. Just before the Iraq War, she actually tried to make a case that our invasion of Iraq without UN Security Council approval could be made legal retroactively. Her argument went like this. If we found weapons of mass destruction during the invasion, the invasion would become legal retroactively. This is analogous to the argument that, if the police were to break down your door without a warrant and then find something illegal in your house, they could retroactively annul the illegality of the unlawful search and seizure.

Welcome to the news wonders of "liberal internationalism."

But all that aside, Obama himself definitely strikes me as more diplomatic than either Clinton or McCain, so I'll plug my nose and pull the lever for him when the time comes.

boz 4:03 PM  

Oh great, Samantha Power. The guru of "humanitarian intervention." Yuck.

Have you read her book "A Problem from Hell"? It's excellent.

Anonymous,  4:49 PM  

Obama would probably be the most reasonable when it comes to open lines of communication for world leaders.

Anonymous,  4:51 PM  

Obama hasn't taken any money from lobbyists this election so he's probably not going to win. If he does win that will unprecedented.

Justin Delacour 9:34 PM  

Have you read her book "A Problem from Hell"? It's excellent.

"Excellent" from the perspective of a Washington propagandist, not an anti-imperialist.

Justin Delacour 9:38 PM  

Obama hasn't taken any money from lobbyists this election...

That's actually not true. He's taken plenty from the lobbyists and has a fair-sized war chest. He's certainly no leftist, but he is very formidable politically.

boz 5:47 AM  

"Excellent" from the perspective of a Washington propagandist...

I don't think that's accurate. It's pretty damning of Washington's policies over the last 100 years or so as we've ignored and/or failed to act in the face of evidence of genocide. If you haven't, you may want to read it.

Greg Weeks 7:11 AM  

Coincidentally, I had a gift certificate and bought that book not long ago, but still have not had time to start it.

Paul 12:17 PM  

" 'Excellent' from the perspective of a Washington propagandist, not an anti-imperialist."

How about a Dorm Room Revolutionary?

Justin Delacour 11:12 PM  

It's pretty damning of Washington's policies over the last 100 years or so as we've ignored and/or failed to act in the face of evidence of genocide.

Anybody with the slightest bit of critical analytical skills can see that the "humanitarian interventionists" (a la Power) provide a new and lofty cover for the neocons and the neolibs to pursue U.S. strategic and commercial objectives under the guise of humanitarianism. It's bad news. Very bad news.

boz 8:23 AM  

Anybody with the slightest bit of critical analytical skills can see that...

Power believes the international community should act to stop genocide and mass murder. It's a legitimate position that I agree with.

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