Well-Made World 28

A mishmash for today's update.

First, we turn to yesterday's referendum in Venezuela, which ended in defeat for Hugo Chavez and his plan for advancing Venezuela along the path to a 'socialist' state. Tariq Ali, calling attention to the unprecedentedly low turnout among voters, proposes--while citing analysts of Venezuelan politics--that Chavez's main mistake was to rush the referendum process, which gave the Venezuelan populace little time to take in its implications, while also giving his critics, both in Latin America and Washington, that his rule is an authoritarian one. Ali, ever hopeful, says that this is not, by any stretch, Chavez's downfall.

We turn now to the recent "peace conference" in Annapolis, which Azmi Bishara has termed "Madrid redux"--an analogy all too depressing in its accuracy. Bishara is far too coherent and attentive to detail for us to venture any quick summation of his article, so we must turn you, with no undue urgency, over to him.

And, finally, it is being reported that, in fact, Iran began bowing to international pressure as early as 2003 by ending its project to develop a nuclear arsenal. That, though, is not stopping French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner from sticking to the militaristic line vis-a-vis Iran that he's encouraged since being brought into the fold of Nicolas Sarkozy's government, or from Stephen Hadley saying that pressure must still be kept on Iran to not, er, misbehave. Hypocrisy, while suffering a slight setback, still rules the day!

Well-Made World #12

Middle East

• On the anniversary of the War of 1967, Jonathan Cook takes a look at Shin Bet and Bizshara, and Saree Makdisi, Edward Said's nephew, eloquently makes the case for one secular state in Israel-Palestine.
• Nizar Latif interviews the elusive Moqtada al-Sadr, who, the article notes, has taken to wearing a white shroud in combination with his usual black turban, "a symbol of his willingness to be martyred, and his belief that death is close at hand."

The US

• Military judges in separate decisions throw out charges against Omar Ahmed Khadr of Canada and Salim Ahmed Hamdan of Yemen, (temporarily) thwarting the US government's system of trying Guantánamo detainees. Classified as "enemy combatants" instead of "unlawful enemy combatants," these men are sure to be charged on different grounds following a re-group on the part of the Pentagon.
• Mit Romney: poised for entry into the White House.
• And thanks to JL, again--No Empires kept meaning to include an article on Cindy Sheehan's disillusionment, and here it is.
• David Vest on the second Democratic debate and the "Democrats War." No Empires supports Dennis Kucinich as a rare politician with a spine in the US.

Europe

• Diana Johnstone explains why Sarko's appointment of "progressive"/opportunist Bernard Kouchner shouldn't surprise anyone.