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OH Ελλάδα!

" The measure of man is what he does with power," said Plato. Perhaps the Greeks are following what their great philosopher said in ancient times, at the conjuncture of their financial crisis in the country. Facing a rather strong battle with the European economy right now, Greece which has plunged into serious debt issues since the end of 2009 is dueling an internal battle with its own civilians as well. Having witnessed a 120% public debt in 2010, major political decisions, bail-out loans from IMF and other Euro-zone countries, austerity cuts have been shaping the financial structure of Greece. The heavy borrowings from external sources have led the Hellenic government demand more taxes, cut off jobs, increase prices on products.

This inflation accompanied by fears of going bankrupt and losing the Euro, has incited hundreds of citizens to come out on streets and demand just living standards. Massive riots that took place in May-June 2011, with protesters chanting anti-austerity slogans,asking for better employment systems, consumed its capital Athens and its major political landmarks. Seems like the fragrance of the Arab Spring reached this South-eastern Europe country as well. It looks like, demanding better living rights is a misdeed and the people are themselves responsible for it. Greece has been a developed country, losing the drachma and accepting the Euro as its currency in 2001, it has been functioning as a major EU country, but with the politicians giving wrong debt-deficit figures to the monetary institutions and pushing the people to unemployment, just paints a foul picture with strokes of individual gains as the sole motto. And now, when people stand against such discrepancies, it's termed unlawful. Whatever happened to Greece and it's history of philosophers and their truth binding texts. As Socrates said-" Every action has its pleasure and price." The government is probably reaping the price of its misleading acts, but how much more public defiance and power cuts is it going to take to get Greece back on track. That's one question that challenges the might of this nation's people and their faith to get it in the right time.

When Democracy Demands Freedom.

Rallies, marches, vigils and the demonstrations.
Slogans, banners, caps and the flags.
Deadlines, fasts, protests and the demands.
Definitions of a Republic playing tug of war between the government and its people or better said- Freedom demanding its rights.

In the past week, India has witnessed the strength of its fundamental rights, with the anti-corruption campaign advancing across the country, making people finally shout against the parallel economy of fraud. Citizens, young or old, rural or urban, have been gathering in masses to make the government pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, which is an ombudsman that allows transparency into the work of senior politicians including the PM, and the judges as well. Leading this campaign is Anna Hazare, a social activist who has been fasting to highlight the quantum of importance attached to the bill.

So, where does that leave our democracy and its constitutional bearings? On one hand, we are celebrating our 64th independence from foreign rule, while on the other hand we are clanging on locked doors of democracy's huge facade to show its true face. 63 years, still? Everyday, Delhi roars with motorcycles chasing down each other carrying huge tricolours, with slogans of- down with corruption, ringing in our ears; but what have we achieved through all this? It's like screaming on deaf ears. Enough has been spoken and written about Anna's massive campaign, but has anyone ever thought about its potential result?

We might fight as long as we want to, but the important aspect is that we don't lose our focus. We should support anti-corruption measures, but not idealize the form of it. We should stand with the man running such campaigns, but not campaign with only his name. We should stop any cheating habit that our government runs, but not cheat ourselves with any personal limelight games. Only the end of such a game will surely highlight the real meaning behind all this and present a clear picture of what we have been trying to define in the last 60 years of our economic. social and psychological independence. Corruption or no corruption, only when we as citizens realize the sense of belonging to our country, stop thinking in the aspect of personal motives and above all, stop aping the trends and modes of highlighting causes for the sake of them, can we in reality become true achievers working for our nation and not ourselves. It is high time we start following the concept of - Belief in we rather than me.

As Yemen Fights A War Within

File: Children protesting on the streets of Yemen.

As children cry out loud, women shout through their cloaked voices and youth trample over the dictated laws,  another country plunges into deep waters to come out of its darkness.Yemen.

 Like all other protests in the Arab states since January, Yemen too has been grappling with it since March, but unlike countries like Tunisia and Egypt, it still hasn't been able to free itself from the rule of their president Ali Abdullah Saleh who has been in power since the last 33 years. But what makes Yemen have a different aspect of freedom from other Middle-East nations, are its conflicted regions. Yemen has a very powerful tribal base, which has been holding significant amount of power in the state of Yemen, politically. Throughout Yemen's administrative history, the tribal heads and their representatives have been a part of the government machinery, often playing a crucial role in elections as well. This time, with the public rising in huge numbers to demand constitutional changes in the country, these tribal forms have started supporting the citizens. Apart from the tribal militia, Yemen has opposition in the form of other groups as well. One of the most prominent of them is- the South Secessionist movement. This group concentrated in South Yemen has been in constant struggle with the government. Also, the government's conflict with the Houthis (zaidi Shiites) has been a major concern as well.

In the light of all these conflicts, Yemen is facing a civil war, which has been further more raged by the Jasmine revolution,  having begun after a series of protests from the students of Sana'a University in the capital of Sana'a. At a time, when the people of all nations have stood up to demand amendments in their governing structures, so as to bring back political and economic stability, Yemen might fall into one of its biggest internal conflicts ever. And this might ruin the prospects of coming out victorious in this wave of jasmine.What ignites this further more is the fact that, Saleh sent his subordinates to the northern tribe of Taiz, to atack their areas. By doing this, it seemed that Saleh tried to provoke Taizis to fight back. Clearly, through such means he tried to invoke internal fights so that people could not stand together against the government. Acts such as these along with professional firing done on the people on the orders of Saleh after they were coming out from a mosque having offered their Friday prayers, clearly indicate the extent to which rulers can go to retain their supremacy. 

In a nation already torn by a tyrannical rule, and doped by the extensive consumption of Qat; it seems a like a long battle lies ahead for the Yemenis. A path much more difficult than perhaps what was followed by theTunisians and the Egyptians. But what lies ahead, can be figured out, only when the people of Yemen stand together, bound by one common goal of  democracy and just living. Perhaps then, Yemen will witness the victorious day freed from any sort of dictatorship.

An excellent article by NYT on the happenings in Yemen from a protestor's viewpoint.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/magazine/yemen-on-the-brink-of-hell.html?scp=1&sq=Yemen's%20story%20of%20a%20woman&st=cse

"The Beginning of the end of Afghan War"-President Obama

A file picture of President Obama with the Afghan troops in December 2010

President Obama on 22nd June, announced the starting of a series of withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, in what is seen as an attempt to bring the soldiers back home.In an official address to the US nation, he ordered the US military to withdraw 10,000 troops from the Afghan land by the end of the year and pull out another 23,000 by the summer of 2012. The President assured that by 2014, the process of transition will be completed, and "the people of Afghanistan will be responsible for their own security."

This announcement came with many reasons from the President. His first and foremost statement being that USA had been successful in dismantling the growing forces of the terrorist group Al Qaeda, and also "inflicting serious losses' to the extremist group. This reason comes after the killing of Al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden by the US forces, in May 2011. The attempts to capture Osama had been one of the main targets of the US force and the success of that mission gave a new boost to Obama's administration altogether. 

The second reason to this withdrawal decision of the troops, has been the immense amount of money being already put for the forces out there. Nearly a trillion US dollars have been used by the States' on the war, especially during the times when the country had been struggling with harsh economic crisis. Over the years, the tax payers in USA had to pay a quantum more than they were supposed to, because of the war against terror. As Mr.Obama put it, saying-"Now. we must invest in America's greatest resource: our people."

According to a poll, around 73% of the US citizens agreed to the decision of the removal of forces from Afghanistan.

This move by the US administration comes at a time, when all the odds are in favour of the ruling party. The fact that in 2009, President Obama ordered a surge of 30,000 troops to be deployed to Afghanistan to incapacitate the growing terror, and then the simultaneous WikiLeaks war logs showing the shocking number of civilian deaths that took place during US' war on terror on the Afghan soil, had reached the epitome where people were questioning the result of army forces efforts there; all such questions had been pounding the White House door, and all of them received an answer on 22nd June. The promise that all troops will be called back by 2014 has lighted a ray of hope for the citizens of Afghanistan as well. The truth that, that nation has been burning under terror and increased corruption, might see a new dawn of independent governance. What follows is the functioning of a country without foreign forces patrolling its streets, and with all positive anticipation, Afghanistan may see the bright side of its existence once and for all.

Playing Chinese Whisper?

Ornamental jasmine growing in Daxing, on the rural fringe of Beijing.

As the Middle-East revolts stir up countries with every passing day, it seems as if a new decade of revolution awaits them.With people across countries gathering up in unified forms to bring democracy and justice back on track and lives to normalcy, it is very much evident that no longer shall any tyrannical force be allowed to survive and ruin citizens' lives.Restoring socio-economic welfare and human rights has been the ultimate goal of these protesters.Following the Arab nations, there have been strong cases of pro-democracy eruptions in China as well, since early this year.
Agitators took to the streets in Beijing in the month of late February, and crowds of hundreds of people gathered in cities such as- Shanghai.Following this, the police arrested many activists and tried to disperse the crowds.The agitations were related to the lines of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, when thousands of people took part on the demonstrations against the government and its laws.Due to the resistance that occurred in February,many websites and video links relating to the Middle-East crisis and news reports were blocked by internet censors.With Google and Facebook already banned in the state, it became a mighty task to get connected to any information regarding the Arab nations' protests.
In order to avoid any new disruptions, the Chinese government has now banned the distribution or circulation of jasmine flowers in the cities.Following the name 'Jasmine Revolution', that ignited all these rallies and gatherings in the nations of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya; the Chinese law forces have started taking strict measures to avoid any type of object or its symbolism that can lead to protests.Even web searches for the name 'jasmine' have been blocked.All these and many more strict measures have been taken by the Chinese forces to implement law and order in the Communist Republic of China.The arrest of Nobel Peace Prize winner 2010, Liu Xiaobo for his human rights advocacy in China, and the artist Ai Weiwei, for his ideas on justice and freedom in China have been much talked about lately, putting a question on China's domestic policies.
What lies ahead for China or its citizens is only a myriad of questions that need to be answered specifically.How the Chinese citizens take their governing system?Do they believe in following it as per their communist ideals? Does blocking the websites to information and banning the distribution of flowers, the correct way of dealing with the protesters and the citizens alike?How does one respect and reprimand someone at the same time?One has to realise that,it is not a case of convicts trying to escape, but a case of people of the same land as their governors are, trying to justify their ways of being administered and monitored in their homeland.While, the game of protests may have started out with a pop and extinguished soon; there is no doubt that clouds of persistent revolts still envelope the country.A game of Chinese whisper perhaps?

History Revisited?Israel-Palestine talks resurface with US playing a major role

President Obama and Israeli PM Netanyahu at the White House

As the Middle-East nations wake in the rise of a new wave of democracy,penchant talks about Israel-Palestine issues have resurfaced with the US administration playing an important role as an negotiator.On May 20,President Obama had a formal meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House,where he lay some important strategic discussions that included the need for peace negotiations between Israel-Palestine "more urgent than ever", and suggesting that-"the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secured and recognized borders are established for both states."The Israeli PM rejected this statement,saying going back to the 1967 lines was never an option.

The Israel-Palestine conflict,dating back to 1967,has been a major peace concern not only within the Middle-East nations but as a part of global peace negotiations as well.This time the intervention comes as a result of various political reasons, national and international.Firstly, the question of having a strong anti-terrorism force in in the Middle-East has been one of the most major standpoints in holding all such peace talks.Whether it is, involving the UN or USA,the geared up dictum to crush terror is the major reason to resolve tensions among the states.Furthermore, Palestine is heading up for a membership in the UN,elections for which will be held in September this year.President Obama strongly said that no vote at the United Nations would ever create a Palestinian state,a strong indication that the US would veto a resolution recommending Palestinian membership in the 192-nation world body.The States' administration has to create a platonic understanding between the two countries in order to reinforce a  meaningful discourse.Lastly, garnering a strong Jewish vote bank for the next Presidential elections, is what president Obama is making efforts for.Ensuring successful talks with Israel is a key to increasing votes and a critical electoral strategy.

Whether it is discussing the future of Palestine or the future of the millions of refugees in the Gaza Strip; talks can only prove fruitful if an affirmative answer with peaceful consent of the nations involved is convened.The nature of the discussions at present is in doldrums, as USA has been unable to convince Israel to get on a conclusive derivation.Netanyahu has given a stern disapproval to 1967 resolutions, and simultaneously the US has to ensure that its image doesn't get painted as anti-Palestine,as it's main aim in Middle-East has been projected as a peace negotiator.Hard times lie ahead,and within all aspects,talks and negotiations will continue,and as Mr.Obama said-"Obviously there are differences between us.The precise formulations and language and that's going to happen between friends."