India's 'Berlin Wall'- The World's Next Vicious Border Dispute

"  Only with diplomacy and humility can we cure the ailments of our foolishly divided and hostile world"

          The 1,790 mile fence that divides India and Bangladesh has been a cause for concern as tensions rise over the aggressiveness of Indian security forces who patrol the barbed wire fortress. The wall that has taken over 25 years to build has separated the once friendly nations and has led to approximately 1,000 deaths per year according to the Bangladeshi government. 
          In January of 2011 a woman named Felani Islam was shot and killed while trying to cross the border from India into Bangladesh. She was attempting to attend her wedding that was being held in her family's ancestral village just a few miles beyond the fence. Her body was left dangling from the barbed wire for nearly 5 hours before being taken down by Indian security forces. The tragedy of 15 year old Felani's death has led Bangladeshi politicians to demand that Indian security forces switch to nonlethal weaponry, but calls for this disarmament still haven't been taken seriously by New Delhi. 

        It wasn't always like this though. Bangladesh and India have a common history and an intertwining bond that has lasted for over a quarter of a century. After the partition of India in 1947, the area of Bangladesh was the eastern region of Pakistan. Insurgents in the eastern region began calling for independence from the newly formed state due to ethnic and social divisions. Shortly after western Pakistani military forces launched an assault on students, armed security forces, and political dissidents who demanded independence for eastern Pakistan, sparking a bloody war that led to the creation of the Bengali liberation army, and the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Backed up by Indian economic aid, military support, and diplomatic engagement, the western Pakistani forces surrendered in 1971, leading to the creation of the country that is now known as Bangladesh.

Indian border guards patrolling the barbed wire fortress

        Since then relations between the two countries have remained generally positive, but the wall is deteriorating this just as quickly as it's being erected. The wall that was designed to ensure the security of India from Muslim extremists, an influx of illegal immigrants, and the chance of huge waves of refugees flooding India from the climate disaster prone country of Bangladesh has actually worsened security and has damaged political relations between the two countries. It is said that over 20 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants currently reside in India despite the 1,790 mile fence that covers almost the entire border between Bangladesh and India.
        Bribery is common among border villages, as immigrant smugglers called 'linemen' pay off border guards for safe passage of thousands of immigrants daily. Those that are caught by Indian security forces usually meet cruel ends. Claims of torture, indiscriminate killing, and outright abuse of human rights have led international organizations like the Human Rights Watch to release reports condemning the abuse perpetrated by Indian border guards.

       After Felani's death Indian officials agreed to disarm the border guards. For the first time since 2000, a whole month went by without a single death claimed. Only after a short while, the policy of disarmament was abandoned, and in April New Delhi decided to rearm the guards. This has resulted in more deaths of innocent civilians, some who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

       Border disputes and fortifications have led to declining relations among neighboring countries around the world. The Berlin Wall stood as a testament to the divide between capitalism and communism, and when it fell the world felt that it started anew. The on going conflict between Palestine and Israel has only worsened as settlements being built by Israeli settlers encroach on Palestinian land, hindering both compromise and progress between the two governments.         
        Only with diplomacy and humility can India cure the ailments of the now foolishly divided countries. India must begin the process of making amends for the indiscriminate killing of so many of Bangladesh's innocent civilians. If India and Bangladesh can't begin this process of detente, we will see a policy of self destruction that could ultimately lead Bangladesh to jump into the arms of Pakistan in their efforts to ward off Indian aggression. That kind of dilemma can't be blocked off by a wall armed with border guards either.

Signing out- John Thomas

Sources

Foreign Policy- "Fortress India", Scott Carney, July/August 2011

John McCain; Illegal Immigrants Caused Arizona Fires, Not Climate Change.

 A Quick Thought

             John McCain the once impartial, bi-partisan Senator who worked across the aisle with the likes of opposite minded politicians than himself like Ted Kennedy on immigration reform has done a 180 in terms of his rhetoric. On Sunday Senator John McCain said the fires that have engulfed his home state of Arizona were not caused by climate change, weather patterns, or even something more rational like any other possible natural cause; but it was undoubtedly illegal immigrants. Senator McCain was quoted as saying “There is substantial evidence that some of these fires are caused by people who have crossed our border illegally... They have set fires because they signal others, they have set fires to keep warm, and they have set fires in order to divert law enforcement agents and agencies from them.”. Even after much deserved criticism was thrown at Senator McCain, he still incessantly defended his stance on the Today Show by saying “I’m puzzled…that there should be any controversy.”

             Even though it is plain to see how ridiculous of an accusation this is, Senator McCain wants us all to believe it. We still have to provide factual evidence to disprove his theory, even though he hasn't provided any to substantiate his. Arizona ranger Tom Berglund denounced the “illegal immigrant” theory to ABC News, saying, “There’s no evidence that I’m aware of…indicating such a thing.”. Remember, this is the guy whose job it is to analyze and understand the causes of the fire; not some racially motivated politician in the Senate.
             This is just another attempt by the right wing conservatives to push their anti-immigrant, anti-minority, and anti-poor propaganda down the throats of Americans without question or doubt of their intentions. It is their aim to scapegoat the weak and the vulnerable in an attempt to push through their political agenda without resistance. This same political tactic has been used throughout history by some of the worst of the worst; South African apartheid advocates and Afrikaners blaming tribal leaders for the continuing instability in their country. The Hutus were painted by the Tutsis in Rwanda as an inferior race and the cause for the country's hardships, leading to the 1994 100 day genocide which killed up to a million people. Hitler with his claims that the Jews were the reason for the economic downturn in Germany in the 1930's which lead to one of the worst tragedies in modern times.          
             As much as I don't want to equate Senator McCain with the likes of such despicable people as Hitler or the Afrikaners, I do just want to connect the dots in regards to the political strategy. It's not even necessarily John McCain, but his party that purports such political propaganda without remorse. By defining a clear target as a scapegoat, a plan of action can be set forth, while simultaneously passing legislation and policies that actually hurt the majority of people while only benefiting those that aim to oppress, the political elite. It's these tactics of blame, fear mongering, and outright propaganda that has caused millions to die around the world, sparked countless wars, and has only hastened the rate at which hate and racial discrimination around the world is disseminated.

             It's a sad thing to see how civil discourse in this country has gotten so ugly that politicians can get away with blaming almost anything on a minority group. It's one thing to say illegal immigrants take jobs, another thing to say they inadvertently lower wages, another to even say they raise crime rates; but to say that illegal immigrants are to blame for the Arizona wildfires that have consumed 389,000 acres is a complete falsehood, erroneous and outlandish. This is an insult to our intelligence as a nation, an insult to the hardworking Hispanics of this country, and a complete lack of respect to the scientific community that has year after year and day after day provided overwhelming statistics, studies and facts that the recent extreme weather systems have been caused by climate change. Never once in a study on climate change did it say "the lack of enforcement of America's borders overwhelmingly causes extreme weather systems", but John McCain would like you to believe so.

            I'm just wondering how Senator McCain plans on blaming illegal immigrants for the tornado's in Joplin, Missouri.

Syrian Protests; A Lost Cause or the Growing Pains of Democracy?

"  Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be" - Sydney J. Harris

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria meeting with supporters

            Mounting violence in Syria seems to be of no strife to president Bashar al-Assad as he gave his third presidential address in the wake of the recent protests sprouting up across the country. Thousands of Syrians have filled the streets, demanding his resignation and the reforms they desire be met by the government. In response government security forces have maimed, tortured, and killed hundreds of peaceful protesters in an attempt to silence the dissidents. It is said about 10,000 refugees have already flooded the bordering state of Turkey and the number keeps climbing. 

Thousands of refugees have flooded into bordering Turkey for refuge
from vicious security forces attempting to quell protests

      The Assad family has held power in Syria for over four decades beginning with Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, who took power in 1971. Although he made many modern reforms such as opening the country up to foreign markets, investment in infrastructure, education, medicine, and granting women equal status through the 1973 constitution, his rule was criticized for his political oppression. In 1982 the Syrian army was ordered by then president al-Assad to enter the town of Hama where a revolt was taking place by Sunni Muslims who vehemently opposed the al-Assad regime. There is no exact figure for how many Sunni Muslims were killed in the event but differing reports have the number up to 40,000 casualties perpetrated by the Syrian army against the political opposition. This left a stain on Hafez al-Assad's presidency and he was from then on seen by his people as a vicious authoritarian who did not enjoy competition for his political power. After Hafez's death in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad succeeded him as president of Syria. The image of Hafez al-Assad as a political tyrant carried on to his son, who father like son, prosecuted, tortured, intimidated and executed the political opposition into exile.
        Now after the Assad family's reign over the country for over four decades, idealistic minded reformers seek amendments to Syria's 40 year old constitution, which limits civil liberties and guarantees Bashar al-Assad's Baath Party a monopoly on political power. It's the freedom of assembly, the freedom of speech, and all rights and freedoms that make up a flourishing democracy that protestors are calling for. In the face of harsh opposition President Assad claimed the government would repeal the martial law which outlaws peaceful demonstrations. This was a facade, as all the reforms promised by president al-Assad have either been lack luster of non-existent. The people of Syria seem to have had enough of the al-Assad family and their political rights denied by the authoritarian regime.

         The al-Assad family's defiance gives creed to the theory that dictators who remain resilient in the face of political unrest can actually hold onto power. President Ahmadinejad did just that after the uprising that was perpetrated by the Green Movement in both 2009. Even in recent months Iranian protesters took to the streets, only to have them beaten back into silence by the Revolutionary Guard. Once again Iran's streets fell silent. The same happened in Burma under Than Shwe in 2008, where it is said thousands of people were killed and arrested after mass protests shook the country. Among the dead were a hundred monks, the most holiest and pious of people, adding insult to injury. When Ghaddafi threatened to do the same thing as his political parallels in power have done he was met with opposition from the entirety of the international community. NATO and UN troops were sent in to aid the opposition forces who sought to unseat the Libyan dictator.       

        What is happening in Syria is no different than what would have happened in Libya, but the reaction from the international community has differed as almost nobody has threatened to intervene in the conflict. The closest thing we've gotten to a reaction was a statement from president Obama- "This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now". His words, as noble as they are, mean little as hundreds of people are still being intimidated, arrested, tortured and killed. 
         Syria's alliance with Iran has proven to be fruitful for Syria, as the United States or any of the western powers won't intervene for fear of Iran's wrath. The response from Iran that frightens western powers is not necessarily directed at the western powers themselves, but one of the few allies in the region; Israel. If the United States were to send ground troops or reinforcement to the opposition in Syria, Iran would immediately denounce the foreign intervention and would most likely begin by attacking Israel, the closest target Iran can reach. President Ahmadinejad is looking for any excuse to attack Israel, and the invasion of an Iranian ally whose interests are likewise to Iran's would certainly be a moment for the regime in Iran to monopolize.

Protesters in the streets of Syria, demanding for the resignation of president
Bashar al-Assad

        With all this being said, this crisis has President Assad's legitimacy as president gasping for air. Legitimacy to rule over a mass of people is the key to a successful dictatorship. The regime may use brute force, intimidation tactics, economic incentives or even patronage to those who align themselves with the party, but eventually the calls for true democracy and freedom will outweigh whatever privileges or benefits president Assad wants to claim are on the way. Without popular support or belief in his right to rule, president Assad may soon meet the fate of other Arab leaders like Mubarak or Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

        Let's not be so optimistic though, there are those dictators who have managed to keep power behind the veil of patriotism and democracy. Worse than the facade of democracy is the overt use of brute force to maintain rule over a population. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Than Shwe, Kim Jong Il, and the alike have all learned that if you have enough guns, you can force, intimidate, and murder the opposition into exile. In a perfect world the former would overtake the latter, but usually this is not so. For now the Syrian people and those oppressed around the world will remain in their current situations unless something drastic is done. 
        It's the freedom to say and do as one pleases without fear of an overly intrusive entity, a 'big brother' of sorts watching your every move that people around the world have fought and died for. While the number of dictatorships around the world have declined in recent years, those that remain have proven to be the worst of the worst. It's a moral high ground that democracies and free nations around the world must follow in order to combat this threat to global peace. Although it may seem for now nothing will stop these dictators from keeping their grip on power, time is running out. It's only so long that a regime can hold power before it crumbles. Once the legitimacy to rule is tarnished there is no going back. Al-Assad may have the upper hand for now, but there's no gun, army, or force powerful enough to kill the idea that Syria's citizens are fighting for.

Signing Out- John Thomas

Sources

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/22/syria-protests-obama-says-violence-must-end-now_n_852808.html