Suchergebnisse

In this personal essay, Egil Fossum describes how his perspectives, along with the perspectives of many others like him, have developed over the course of many years into a situation of hopelessness & despair for the Palestinian people. Fossum begins with the generally positive impression he held of Israel from early childhood & tells how his exposure to various other Middle Eastern perspectives began to shift his attitude to challenge his original assumptions. Though extensive travel throughout the Middle East, Fossum develops a view that re-assesses the impact of Israeli political action on the Palestinian people. Perhaps more importantly, he comes to gain an understanding of how Western media has helped shape a somewhat distorted view of the Palestinian struggle. Fossum explores these issues from the standpoint of his personal experience & poses the question of how a defeated people might ever be able to navigate through the complex political terrain that presently stands before them. C Brunski

The chief objective of the Iraq War has been branded as US control of the Middle East. Rising oil imports, stronger pro-Israeli interests & the demise of a Soviet rival power have resulted in a US Middle East policy more based on force than on diplomacy. Both for the US & Israel important interests are at stake. The reconstruction of Iraq's large oil industry is likely to influence the world oil market for decades. For Israel an alliance of Iraq & Syria might be critical. Israel does not have the resources to control its strategic environment, & any Israeli use of force requires US support. Thus the US occupation of Iraq & any plans to invade Iran dampen pressure on Israel to find a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians, Lebanon & Syria, while a US withdrawal from Iraq would increase pressure. While it might be in the US interest to weaken the Arab states & their control over oil, a fragmentation could be in Israel's interest. The draft Iraqi oil law suffers from a lack of clarity that might compromise the government's bargaining position. Iraq can rebuild its oil industry through service contracts that eventually might be paid in oil. Many large, proven fields with a low geological risk preclude any need to explore for new prospects or grant equity shares in fields already indicated, or to enter into long-term oil contracts as long as the war lasts. The US occupant has, however, a pressing need to kick-start the Iraqi oil industry. Finally, the article discusses prospects for US policy on the Middle East in the years to come. References. Adapted from the source document.

A number of new technologies for crisis communication is developed based on a now widespread acknowledgment: Information saves lives. But what is really in this realization? The fact that access to information can be equated with access to clean water and food for a refugee? That we no longer need their own exploration crews to track down people which went out to live in the mountains? In the this article I put spotlight on digital map crisis ('crisis mapping') and the importance of an increasingly digitized crisis communication between recipients and donors of humanitarian aid. An initial assertion that discusses the past candidate that more digital communication between professional humanitarian relief agencies and the public contributes to increased efficiency of the traditional relief efforts. Past candidate based on the assumption that the crisis-affected population can provide information that is relevant for response prosecutors, in a manner that is faster and more cost-effective than ever before. In return, crisis victims fervent early response, and through that the taking over of control over the flow of information in response to prosecutors, they also have a greater influence on the welfare services tasks and priorities (Shkabatur 2012: 4). Adapted from the source document.