International Law: March 2006 Archives

THE fierce battle over the future of America's immigration system is spilling from Capitol Hill onto the airwaves, as conservatives accuse Democrats, human rights groups and even some labor unions of trying to stymie Republican efforts to stem the tide of illegal immigration.

But in recent weeks, some commentators and prominent Republicans have turned their swords against another formidable foe in their battle to tighten the borders: the Roman Catholic Church.

While the New York Times has treated the lopsided outcome of Belarus presidential election as confirmation of the allegations of the US-backed candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich that the vote was rigged, major media outlets have ignored their own previous reporting that predicted the incumbent, Aleksandr Lukashenko, was by far the most popular candidate and would likely score an overwhelming electoral victory.

It is a paradox that the two most populated countries in the world -- China and India -- which together have some 2.3 billion people, are running low on young women. That's because both China and India traditionally value boys more than girls. Modern technology has made it possible to identify the sex of an unborn child and to abort it if it is a girl. Other female babies are quietly disposed of after birth. That could mean long and lonely bachelorhoods in the near future for millions of men unable to find partners.

Prout supports intervention in sovereign nation states by a duly created world body. It rejects intervention by particular nation-states, even broad based coalitions. This is largely as the self-interests of nation-states (geo-political control, resource and ideology control) go against the self-interests of the planet.

Ideologically, Prout rejects the UN as such a world body, as the UN is foundations are based on inequitable world order. Moreover, eligibility into the UN is based on acquiring national status, thus leaving out social movements, cooperatives, and individuals.

Ideologically Prout rejects identity politics particularly religious politics, including the hindu variety ( eg, BJP genocide in Gujrat), of the Islamic variety (terrorism globally and in Kashmir) of the Christian Vatican (the feudal politics of the Vatican) and of the Jewish variety (Zionism).

The last two weeks there has been an uproar over who manages our ports. The uproar began when it became public that the British company Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., who manages terminal at 6 US ports was being bought out by Dubai Ports World. DPW is owned by Dubai which is one of the 7 Emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Since then there has been many statement made that have no bearing in fact. Any debate needs to be based on facts and not fear and political posturing. While I believe that no port operations should be managed by companies from out side the United States, I do not agree with using false information to promote that position.

The nation's liberated economy -- portrayed by globalization forces as an antidote to poverty -- has done little for nearly 300 million poor people, the most of any country

New Delhi -- Among India's poor, survival is still won by acts of despair and cunning. It's a daily quest whose reward is a plate of rice or a simple medication.