'War on terror' dividing world, Amnesty warns

by Elsewhere 62 Replies latest social current

• 

  Elsewhere

  Damn... looks like Dubya has seriously fcked up the world.

  http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070523111616.2o2tkip3&show_article=1

  'War on terror' dividing world, Amnesty warnsMay 23 07:16 AM US/Eastern

  Fears stoked by the post-9/11 "war on terror" are increasingly dividing the world, Amnesty International said Wednesday, while rapping rights abuses from China to Darfur and Russia to the Middle East.

  The gap between Muslims and non-Muslims notably deepened, fueled by discriminatory counter-terrorism strategies in Western countries, warned the rights group in its annual report.

  Human rights are also routinely flouted in Iraq and Afghanistan, on the front line of the US-led crackdown on international extremism since the September 11, 2001 attacks which triggered a profound geopolitical shift.

  "The politics of fear is fueling a downward spiral of human rights abuse in which no right is sacrosanct and no person safe," said Amnesty International chief Irene Kahn.

  "The 'war on terror' and the war in Iraq, with their catalogue of human rights abuses, have created deep divisions that cast a shadow on international relations," making it harder to resolve conflicts and protect civilians.

  The 320-page report, covering rights abuses worldwide in 2006, focused particular attention on violence against women, as well as torture, terror and the death penalty, which Amnesty fiercely opposes.

  While noting that 144 states have ratified the UN Convention Against Torture, it documented abuse and ill-treatment by security forces in 102 states worldwide.

  The US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay came in for particular criticism: Amnesty said 400 detainees from more than 30 countries are still held in what it called "the public symbol of the injustices in the 'war on terror.'"

  As for violence against women, it said one in three women is subjected to intimate abuse by a partner during their lifetime, while 70 percent of casualties in recent conflicts are civilians -- mostly women and children.

  Regional conflicts around the globe provide the context for much of the abuse documented in the report.

  Sudan's Darfur region is near the top of areas for particular concern.

  "Darfur is a bleeding wound on world conscience," said its authors, adding that the UN Security Council "is hampered by distrust and double-dealing of its most powerful members."

  Last year's war between Israel and Lebanon brought shame on the international community, with the United Nations taking "weeks ... to muster the will to call for a ceasefire" in a conflict which saw 1,200 civilians killed.

  In Iraq "the worst practices of Saddam (Hussein)'s regime -- torture, unfair trials, capital punishment and rape with impunity -- remained very much alive" last year, it said.

  Russia has seen "widespread" hate crimes against foreigners, while Roma suffer "rampant" exclusion around Europe "illustrating the blatant failure of leadership to combat racism and xenophobia."

  Elsewhere the report condemned clampdowns on human rights defenders in China, Zimbabwe and Iran, "repression" in Egypt, and a "potential threat" to free speech in the form of new counter-terrorism laws in Britain.

  Specifically, the report identified "an arc of instability" extending from the borders of Pakistan to the Horn of Africa, where armed groups were flexing their muscles.

  "Unless governments address the grievances on which these groups feed, unless they provide effective leadership to bring these groups to account ... the prognosis for human rights is dire," said Khan.

  But the US-led "war on terror" provided an over-arching theme of the report's criticism.

  "Five years after 9/11, new evidence came to light in 2006 of the way in which the US administration treated the world as one giant battlefield for its 'war on terror,'" said Khan, singling out "extraordinary renditions" which also implicated countries including Italy, Pakistan, Germany and Kenya.

  "Ill-conceived counter-terrorism strategies have done little to reduce the threat of violence or ensure justice for victims of terrorism but much to damage human rights and the rule of law globally," she added.
• 

  drew sagan

  Yeah, but 50 years from now history will say he did the right thing.
• 

  Tyrone van leyen

  I tend to agree. These human rights abuses have been around for a long time and with terrorism rearing it's ugly head in America, perhaps being preemptive was the correct course of action. If only the rest rest of the world would help to fight it rather than let America totally drain it's resources. The sooner they eradicate these evils, the sooner resources can be spent for issues like global warming and the study of dna for the eliination of disease. We cannot turn our backs on it.
• 

  Warlock

  The world rolls down same old path. The only changes are the players, and technology.

  Warlock
• 

  5go

  I tend to agree. These human rights abuses have been around for a long time and with terrorism rearing it's ugly head in America, perhaps being preemptive was the correct course of action. If only the rest rest of the world would help to fight it rather than let America totally drain it's resources. The sooner they eradicate these evils, the sooner resources can be spent for issues like global warming and the study of dna for the eliination of disease. We cannot turn our backs on it.

  Seeing as the USA have funded and taught the terrorist that brought evil unto USA. Only when he worked for the USA he was an operative now that he doesn't he is a terrorist.

  Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. Al-Qaida, literally "the database", was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians. [43]

  Tell me why the world really give a flip about helping the USA. Not only that but we invade a country that had nothing to do with him and help a country that is hiding him. Sounds like the USA doesn't really give a flip about terroism either.
• 

  frankiespeakin

  Yup, Bush really got the US in a real mess. That's why the ignorant shouldn't become president, they don't know what they are talking about or what they are doing.
• 

  Tyrone van leyen

  Tell me why the world really give a flip about helping the USA. Not only that but we invade a country that had nothing to do with him and help a country that is hiding him. Sounds like the USA doesn't really give a flip about terroism either. Well, stupid mistakes have been made in the past, and they will continue to be made but I wouldn't necesarily say invading Iraq was a bad Idea. If it suceeds then what will you say. 911 changed everything. Lawless countries likes Saddams are a breeding ground for terrorists. It cannot go unchecked. Indeed these countries have oil but they also have fanatical theocracies. That's a bad power mix. Iran is itching like hell to get Nukes and I think China, North Korea, Indonesia, and many African countries are just waiting for the States to exhaust it's resources. Aside from the enormous costs of the war, the toll on American lives has only been a little over 3000. This isn't good when you consider its human lives, but in comparison to WWII this war has already lasted longer, and in total millions of lives were lost back then. It's spectacular when you think of the culture of death in Iraq that only 3000 have died. I don't think it should be veiwed as an invasion but rather trying to help create order in a lawless country. If it were an invasion. The whole dam country would be taken over and they would not be supporting Nouri Al maliki. The States does not want to stay there. I admire the brave soldiers that are doing this, and I hope that they are apreciated when they finally come home. As I mentioned earlier the States isn't perfect, but thank God they are a super power that at least trys to do the right thing. Ask yourself how much you would be complaining if it was a communist country or a theocarcy that dominated the globe. You could throw away 90 per cent of the rights you have right now, out the window. Don't kid yourself, turning a blind eye to the aspirations of these hotspots will prove far more fatal in the end for the world at large. I still don't think the world at large realizes the world has changed and will never be the same again since the twin towers came down.
• 

  Gill

  Mr Bush was spouting his usual crap on our BBC news programme last night.

  I remember watching him and thinking, 'What have you done?!'

  Basically, the whole mess could have been avoided EXCEPT that the world leaders like making their profits from their oil companies.

  We could have pushed to go renewable power sources from the 1970's as the technology was already developing and developed then.

  Why else would we have any interest in the desert lands of the middle east with its backward, brainwashed cults that preached murder, mayhem and intolerance not only of others, but even of themselves.

  They, 'the muslim nations' would have had no quarrel with us, if we , the western nations, had not interfered with their politics. Basically we could have stopped buying their oil, left them to their own devices in their backward world, and moved on. But NO! We had to dabble to keep our 'control' of their oil, so a few westerners could get rich on refining and we could continue to pollute the planet!

  The Twin Towers was an enormous tragedy, BUT, the USA then threw all of its toys out of the pram, overdosed on the blue smarties and went hell for leather after a country that had nothing to do with that tragedy. It, with its foolish side kick, the UK, then proceeded to invade, decimate and destroy Iraq, in the name of what exactly?

  A country gets the government it deserves. The poor peoples of Iraq, obviously had to have such an evil leader to keep any semblance of order in their country other wise, look what happens, their factions try to kill eachother and everyone else in the process. Their beliefs are so obsessed with an afterlife, death, destruction and vengeance that they cannot live in peace. And so, the only kind of government that can control Iraq is one that will have to have the same practices as Saddam .....Fear and totalitarianism.

  The USA and UK send over their forces and naturally, the Muslims take up arms against the infidel.

  Many, many more people have died than did in the Twin Towers tragedy and for what? To prove what point? To correct what? To give justice to who?

  This begs the questions, are we faced with a Muslim /Christian World wide conflict? We already have one!

  As for the rest of the tragedy in this report, in violence against women, children and of course men, well, What's new?

  Sadly, rape, sexual abuse and torture is as, and always has been as common as how many cups of tea are drank world wide every day. It will not be stopped until education and prosperity belongs to every resident on the planet, hence Never!

  Have we fallen into a tornado? No! We have always been in this tornado of life.....just every so often light is shed on the planets under belly and it makes a sickening picture of humanity. But, only shedding light on it will help to point out how every one must stand against these evils and not look and them and then go and commit even more in revenge.

  This is where Bush and Blair failed. Instead of looking at the Twin Tower tragedy and seeing the pain, and injustice and trying to do good and help the poorer nations where such ignorance is bred, they looked and decided to destroy and cause even more pain to others.

  I agree with an earlier poster that Darfur is a bleeding sore on the face of the planet, but then, what about, Congo, Chad, Zimbabwe, Iraq and the poor, poor people all around the planet.

  Seems to me, that every so often, mother nature looks at the people on this planet, nods in despair, gives a big big shudder and shakes the world of humanity off her shoulders to start its rise or should we call it 'fall', all over again!
• 

  Tyrone van leyen

  I hope this is not comparing apples with oranges but history does tend to repeat itself. When Hitler, was making headway through Europe, Neville Chamberlain signed a nonagression pact with Hitler and it was declared " Peace in our time" What everyone should have learned from that is you do not make deals with dictators. Fortunatly the only person in Brittain that saw through that, was Winston Churchill who was not very popular when he made his stance.

  Everyone normal person wants peace and doesn't desire to go to war but in reality had they not done so, what would the world be like today? Things will always get worse before they get better. Today Japan is a better country, Germany has turned 180 degrees. Russia, is still a rough country but it is far less brutal than in the days of Stalin and has made many drastic changes. Even China has enbraced capitalism but has further to go. These are countries in which there own history and enormous populations dictate the rate of change. But it is happening

  The world was divided back then too. Divided between facism, Nazism and communism. The democratic civilized world united and fought this foe and the world became a better place. Today the world has lost it's resolve. I agree that the west should have been taking measures to become independant of oil. So far the war has cost half a trillion dollars and this money would have been enough to convert the entire united states over within 5 years. However if terrorists were to have free reign during that 5 years you might not even recognize it as a country anymore. I suppose it's a matter of priorities. No one couold have known what was being planned with 911. These are what if's. If you ask me, I call that an act of war. It is a known fact that Al Qeda operates out of Iraq. and many other countries and judging by how long they lasted and there icredible stealth and diabolical ends to disrupt the world. They have no rules. Can we afford to let this movement grow. The world must unite against it and get its resolve back.

  Even the united nations has become influenced by it's tentacles. There is no room for evil in a global world. It is not a joke.
• 

  Gill

  TVL - Perhaps the US had a right to react against an act of war, but it didn't have a right to act against a country that was not the instigator of the 9/11 attack. If, as you say, Iran takes care of the terrorists, then why attack and destroy Iran?

  Makes no sense!

  Being a Muslim, however, is a mind set and not a nation. The radical Muslim motivation is from a cult of death that intends to convert the world by the sword. There is not one country that you can invade and decimate to change tha mind set, that is why being better, behaving better, taking the moral high ground, in this particular instance, has to be considered as an alternative to all out warfare on an innocent party. Iraq is NOT going to be a better place for this war. If anyone survives it, (any Iraqis) they will be left hating the west more than ever.

  The war remains a grave, and devastatingly serious mistake.

  You cannot beat people up who are in cults to convert/change their mindset. It does not work.

  The Cult of the Muslims and its obsession with death is what needs to be explained, discussed and taken to pieces as this control mechanism is what allows the terrorist leaders to USE ordinary muslims to their ends.

  By the way, I just want to say, the Prison Scandal of Iran should more than show us that the West does not behave in any way better than the Middle East nations, but only that many amongst us aspire to a juster, fairer society.

  Personally, I'm not holding my breath BUT with education we can at least reduce the injustices in the world.