Jendayi Frazer, former University of Denver Prof, Implicated in 2006 Ethiopian Invasion of Somalia
Jendayi Frazer, US Under Secretary of State For Africa in the Bush Administration
Jendayi Frazer, US Under Secretary of State For Africa in the Bush Administration
Note: the piece below, originally published on this blog, has just been published in `Foreign Policy In Focus’. The title was changed, the rest is there. It was then picked up from Foreign Policy In Focus and reprinted in `Antiwar.Com.‘ Shortly afterwards, on December 14, it appeared in `Ethiosun’, what appears to be an Ethiopian diaspora human rights website; Later in the day, there it was on Jack&Jill Politics: A Black Bourgeois Perspective on U.S. Politics. A few days later, `News And Views For Anarchists and Activists at Yahoo.com picked it up as did the blog Siratyst. By the end of the week (Sunday, December 19), the piece appeared on `ZNET‘
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Ethiopia: Knee Deep In Somalia….
By mid 2007, the 50,000 Ethiopian troops that invaded Somalia in late 2006 found themselves increasingly bogged down, facing much fiercer resistance than they had bargained for as Somalis of all stripes temporarily put aside their differences to stand together against the outside invader.
As the military incursion turned increasingly sour, then US Under Secretary of State for Africa, Jendayi Frazer, who taught at the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies in the 1990s, insisted that, prior to the invasion that the United States had counseled caution.
Frazer was quoted that Washington had warned Ethiopia not to use military force against Somalia. Frazer was a close collaborator with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, for whom there also is a strong University of Denver (D.U) connection. Gone are the days when Frazer, as a University of Denver faculty member, opposed CIA recruitment on D.U.’s campus or when Condi Rice shed tears over learning about U.S. foreign policy in Latin America in the 1970s, in places like Argentina, Brazil and Guatemala. Read more…
Four New Links Added
Have added 4 new links (see the links at right) 3 of which that I just stumbled across this morning:
Conn Hallinan’s Dispatches From The Edge…columnist for `Foreign Policy In Focus’, writes on many international subjects. I find his stuff about as good – and accurate – as it gets
Jews On First… site that monitors the connections between mainstream Jewish groups and the far right. Good information. Done by Rabbi Haim Beliak of Los Angeles. Informative. Solid analysis
Syria Comment…done by Dr. Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma. Collection of articles, with commentaries by Landis on contemporary Syrian issues. From what I can tell, pretty decent and worth reading. After seeing the pathetic quality of the cables from U.S. Middle East ambassadors, released by WikiLeaks (the few that have made it to the public), suggest that the State Department might use this website as a source.
Talk To Action…put out by Rachel Tabachnick of Pittsburg, PA, it is a wealth of information on the increasingly bizarre world of the Christian Right
WikiLeaks: A Blow To Obama’s Prestige, But To Date, Not Much That We Didn’t Already Know..
Four days after the most recent WikiLeaks release of secret State Department cables – some 250,000 of them – the Obama Administration is still trying to assess the extent of the damage done to its foreign policy. That the leaks haven’t helped, is, of course, an understatement. But just how much have these documents hurt the US position in the world?
At this point, much of the discussion in the mainstream media – and at a forum on the subject held recently at the University of Denver – centered around the morality of the leaks, should or shouldn’t WikiLeaks have let 250,000 cats out of their bags? Much more attention has focused on the messengers, rather than the message. Read more…
Kazerooni, Prince and the Kairouan Kid Talk About Tunisia on KGNU
FreeTunisia.Org
Last night (November 23, 2010) on KGNU Boulder (Boulder, Colorado’s public radio station) Jim Nelson, host of Hemispheres along with Ibrahim Kazerooni and myself discussed the sorry human rights situation in Tunisia.
The program was somehow (but how?) downloaded and now appears at a site called `Nawaa: Daily News Alerts About Tunisia’ . You’ll find our program among the November 24 emissions. You might have to scroll down a bit, but it is there.The program runs for nearly a full hour. It includes an interview with an organizer for a Tunisian human rights organization here in the USA, called `Free Tunisia.Org’ that we simply refer to as `The Kairouan Kid’ as well as commentary by Ibrahim Kazerooni and myself.
Apparently, this particular site is often de-stabilized by the Tunisian government. (Wonder, if the Washington Media Group has anything to do with it?). So it changes its site address frequently. If you do not find the website, you might try clicking here. Go to the November 24, 2010 entries. Our program is the second entry for that day
Open Letter: John Hagee’s Pool: Swim At Your Own Risk; No Lifeguard On Duty
November 16, 2010
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We, Melodye Feldman and I, Rob Prince, are writing to invite you to join us on Sunday evening, November 21st to respectfully protest outside of the Jewish Federation Men’s Event.
This annual event, hosted by Federation and underwritten by Larry Mizel, selects a keynote speaker to raise money for the Jewish Federation. It usually draws upwards of 1200 attendee’s. More and more, the Men’s Event has been keynoted by speakers with a very conservative – right agenda.
This year the Federation invited the Reverend John Hagee, but due to a large outcry from both within and outside of the Jewish Community he was subsequently uninvited.
The Federation underestimated the outrage of inviting someone into the community who has espoused anti- semitic, homophobic, anti-Islam/Muslim and racist remarks over and over again in his speeches and writings.
Unfortunately, we have just learned that the Federation has invited David Brog to speak in Hagee’s place. By inviting Brog, we are still getting Hagee, someone who will most probably whitewash Hagee’s record. We see virtually no difference between Hagee and Brog as speakers. David Brog is the Executive Director of Reverend Hagee’s organization, Christian’s United for Israel (CUFI).
Brog himself is Jewish. As a result, the Federation argues he has the right to speak on behalf of Hagee and the relationship between the Christian Zionist Movement and their “love” of and “desire” to stand by the Jewish faith in support of the State of Israel.
Friends, although CUFI claims it does not proselytize as a part of its work, there is considerable evidence to the contrary. A good number of their past and present directors and board members are wholehearted involved in `bringing Jews to Jesus’.
CUFI also lobbies in Washington for extreme rightwing foreign policy positions. David Brog knows this.
Yet he believes that the means justify the end: Brog is willing to live with the knowledge and understanding that many of the Pastor’s that sit on the CUFI board, John Hagee included, continue to put out antisemitic, anti- gay, racist views because they financially support the State of Israel even while they are actively trying to convert Jews to become Jews for Jesus.
David Brog and many Jews in the larger established Jewish organizations continue to befriend this movement with the belief that “anyone who is willing to support the State of Israel” and to back it financially is a “friend” regardless of the hate they spew and the anti-ism’s that they speak.
Years ago Jewish organizations such as ADL, AJC, the Jewish Federation and AIPAC strongly condemned the venomous words and actions that these “Christian Right” pastors spouted. But today the Jewish Community not only remains silent – they embrace and honor these people and they remain silent or try to “explain away” what was meant when tapes and videos appear with their vile remarks.
David Brog is an enabler of John Hagee and his organization – Christians United For Israel. As such he can be considered little more than `Hagee-lite, at worst, Hagee in sheep’s clothing so to speak.
We believe in free speech. We believe that David Brog has a right to speak.
We also believe in the right to protest his speech, with an eye on educating the Jewish Community about CUFI, Hagee and Brog.
We cannot stand silently by while David Brog gives credibility and support to individuals and organizations like Hagee and CUFI, giving voice to their hate.
We will be standing outside of the men’s event to protest as a Jew against David’s remarks. We believe that he and CUFI are dangerous to the Jewish Community.
We will not be silent concerning organizations who allow their leader and board members to espouse hate and violence against segments of the population.
Please join us for this silent vigil.
Cheers,
Melodye (Feldman) and Rob (Prince)
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The Jewish Federation’s Men’s Event begins at 6 pm at
Wings Over The Rockies Air And Space Museum
7711 E. Academy Blvd, Denver
We will be there with signs by 5:15. …. join us
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Supplementary Materials…
Allies That Come With A Cost – (an October 15, 2010 op ed by Dr. David Schneer, Director of Jewish Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder that appeared in The Jewish Daily Forward )
Some Background Materials on John Hagee and David Brog (prepared by Rachel Tabachnick) Hagee – Brog
Denver: Keep Fighting And Educating (a wealth of material on Hagee-Brog) and all with just one click!
Announcement For the Men’s Event With Brog as keynote
It Gets Better – (a piece by Michael Kadovitz of Denver that appeared in the North Denver Tribune November 3, 2010)
The Second Coming of John Hagee To Denver (R. Prince blog entry – September 13, 2010)
John Hagee: Second Coming Cancelled; Rapture Delayed (R. Prince blog entry – September 30, 2010)
Tunisia: Videos on Political Repression
What follows will be a series of videos from the internet on political repression in Tunisia, which has only intensified in recent years. The first two are a two part series that appeared on Al Jazeera in 2007. Since then, the situation has only gotten worse from all available reports
– People In Power: Political Repression And Corruption in Tunisia – Part One (2007)
– People In Power: Political Repression And Corruption in Tunisia – Part Two (2007)
– The New Stage of Repression in Tunisia (Auguest 21, 2010) by Vincent Geisser of the Centre Nationale de Researches Scientifiques. This segment is in French. Geisser is a specialist in modern Tunisian political economy.
Right Wing Social Movements…Some Articles
Chip Berlet
(note – this is the first of a number of articles on the Right Wing in the USA. This first piece is an interview by David Barsamian of Alternative Radio with Chip Berlet. Berlet is an expert on right-wing social and political movements and has followed them closely now for four decades. He has a Colorado connection in that he attended the University of Denver in the late 1960s. This interview with him is excellent and it changed my own views about the Tea Party, which I admit, I have had difficulty taking seriously. Now I take it more seriously. More stuff on the right wing to follow)
– David Barsamian’s Interview with Chip Berlet in `The Sun’ Magazine – November 2010 Issue
A Talk on Christian Zionism: Thursday, November 11, 7:00 Pm; University of Denver, Lindsay Auditorium, Sturm Hall
Christian Zionism, John Hagee: The Unusual Connection Between Christian Fundamentalism and Liberal Jewish Zionism
A Talk by Rachel Tabachnick:
When: Thursday, November 11, 7:00 Pm
Where: University of Denver, Lindsay Auditorium (in Sturm Hall – just north of the `bridge’ over Evans)
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Rachel Tabachnick:
Rachel Tabachnick is an independent researcher and writer specializing in Christian Zionism and its impact on Israel, Jews, and interfaith relations. She has provided research on the Religious Right to activist organizations and political campaigns from the local school board to the national level. She is a regular contributor to www.Talk2action.org, one of the leading online platforms analyzing the Religious Right. Rachel has authored articles on Christian Zionism for publications including Zeek, an online magazine presented byThe Jewish Daily Forward, and The Public Eye of Political Research Associates. Rachel has given presentations on Christian Zionism and other topics concerning the Religious Right for Jewish, Christian, and interfaith groups, including the Second International Academic Conference, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Pathways to Peace at Central Connecticut State University, and PA Progress Summit 2010 of Keystone Progress in Pennsylvania.
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For more information contact Alice Turak: Alice.Turak@gmail.com or Rob Prince robertjprince@comcast.net
Obama’s Other War – Yemen – Deeper and Deeper Into The Big Muddy
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Early blog entries/articles on Yemen
Yemen Powerpoint – R. Prince powerpoint on Yemen
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Yemeni auto worker in Detroit from the 1970s
Another terrorist bomb defused; but it’s still good publicity for Al Qaeda of the Arab Peninsula
Another bomb threat from Yemen, this one coming in the form of explosives hidden computer printer cartridges, mailed through UPS to destinations in Chicago – a synagogue (un-named) and Jewish community center in the windy city. Intercepted in Dubai, presumably after a tip to the U.S. from Saudi intelligence, neither bomb (it appears there were two) reached their intended target. And a few days prior to a major national election here in the United States, Homeland Security was able to claim some credit for neutralizing what might have been a nasty explosion, either mid-air or in Chicago.
If meant to influence the outcome of yesterday’s election, the plot failed, and miserably, as the electorate nationwide was fixated on the economy and the failure of the Obama Administration to pull the US out of the current deep recession. It is unlikely that Democrats gained much on election day from stopping the bombing
But although the explosions were avoided it is still very likely that the perpetrators, presumably (although it has not yet been verified) Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) gained politically from even a botched attempt in the Arab and Muslim world. Indeed, while those behind the plot would have been pleased had the bomb exploded – and done damage to both people and property – in some ways they were still quite satisfied with the international publicity that the incident provoked. Read more…
The Series:
afef ben naceur and fahem boukadous
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The Powerpoint Presentation (in ppt 2007) – Political Repression in Tunisia: The Boukadous Case
The Powerpoint Presentation (in ppt 1997-2003) -Political Repression in Tunisia: The Boukadous Case
The Powerpoint Presentation (as a pdf file) – Political Repression in Tunisia: The Boukadous Case
Rashid Khalidi: The Palestine Question in the US Public Sphere
Note: This was a speech given by Rashid Khaladi about a month ago in New York. It deals with the changing attitudes here in the United States towards the Israeli-Palestinian issue. It pinpoints some of the changes in attitude which have taken place `on the ground’ so to speak – in the universities, the literature, the media on this question (but very little in the political sphere). It gives a nice – if short – history of how popular support for Israel was built and maintained here in the United States and the extent – limited actually – to which that support has been partially eroded. Worth Reading… (rjp)
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Rachid Khalidi: The Question of Palestine in the US Public Sphere
Thank you all for coming today, and, to those of you who are watching, thank you for viewing this talk. Those of you who live in Washington, who are subjected to the American media, will probably be relieved to hear that I will not be talking about the peace process. If you insist, I’m happy to answer questions about it. I’m going to talk about a broader topic, which I think sheds light on why there is not a process that is leading towards peace. And this is the Palestine question and the American public sphere. It is a great honor to be doing this in the context of the Edward Said lecture series. Edward was a dear friend and I think that having a lecture series in his name will help to push the process that he actually personally played a very big role in opening up in this country.
A number of factors played a part in cementing support for Zionism and later for the state of Israel of its two primary international sponsors: Great Britain and the United States. As you know, each of them in its own era was the greatest power of its time. In winning over the British and American political classes and their respective publics to the cause of Zionism and to the cause of Israel, a crucial role was played by scholarly and non-academic writings, and later by the cinema and other media. I think it’s insufficiently recognized that establishing the hegemony of Zionism in the field of ideas in an Anglo-American academic and public discourse was a vital precondition for its successes in the political and diplomatic arenas. The discursive victories of Zionism preceded its triumphs in the chancelleries of the world and on the battlefields, and the latter would never have occurred, in my opinion, but for the former. In other words, in addition to being successful as an idea, as a national movement, and as a colonial settler phenomenon, political Zionism has always been a resounding public relations triumph. (For the rest of the article, click here)
Alan Gilbert: The Danger of David Petraeus (or How the Military Plunges Us Deeper Into The Morass)
Note: Alan Gilbert and I teach at the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. There is a link to his blog (to the right of this column). He wrote this entry on Petraeus about a month ago, but I just now read it. Think it well worth the read. RJP
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Alane Gilbert: The Dangero fo David Petraeus (or How the Military Plunges Us Deeper Into The Morass)
Obama gave a speech a week ago about ending formal American combat in Iraq. It might be (sort of) true. It was not triumphalist. It hoped to get (most of the rest of) the troops out – the 125,000 or so, 50,000 regulars, some 75,000 Xe mercenaries – by the end of next year. He spoke of dealing with the economic challenges to America and of a potential strong middle class. This was a good point except that he gave it little substance. Apparently, there will be some payroll tax cuts for small and fairly large business and restoring the Clinton level of taxation for the ultrarich (not near high enough), and about $50 billion for roads and railroads. But this is not yet an intelligent Keynsian jobs program; it is sort of politically useful – might outflank the Republics to retain nominal Democratic majorities in the House and Senate in an era of mass unemployment and the cocoon for reaction of the mainstream media now. (for the rest, click here)
The Only Thing The Drug Gangs Fear Is Legalization
SODEXO and the University of Denver…
Rally of SODEXO workers at Morehouse College in Atlanta, August 12, 2010
Strike At George Mason University, Virginia, September, 2010
SODEXO Workers in Columbia Tell Without Overtime Pay, Anti-Union Threats, September 2010
HRW Report – Human Right Watch Report on Violations of Workers’ Freedom of Association in the United States by European Multinationals (includes a section on SODEXO’s practices in the USA)
SODEXO: A Corporate Profile – an analysis of the company from the UK, but includes some of the history of its U.S. practices
April 2010 Rally In Support of Union Organizing of SODEXO workers at the University of Denver
Article from Business Week 2-15-2010 American Unions With European Employers
University of Washington Considering Kicking Out SODEXO – December 13, 2010 article on the campaign on the Seattle campus
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It’s called SODEXO – an acronym for something, but what? – and it runs the concessions at the University of Denver where I work. Until recently I haven’t known much about them, other than a fair percentage of their employees appear to be Black and Hispanic women, at least those I have run into at Cherrington Hall, Nagel Hall and on `the bridge’ over Evans Ave. But since last April I’ve learned a bit more. At that time,
Headquarters of the Confederation Generale de Travail (CGT) a French union confederation, one of the groups that recently invited SODEXO workers from the US (including the University of Denver) and Colombia to Paris to give testimony on worker conditions at SODEXO sites outside of Paris (where the company is headquartered)
university SODEXO employees supported by some student groups and community leaders, including a Denver city councilman, Chris Nevitt, and several members of the state legislature, held a rally supporting SODEXO employees right to form a union – specifically in this case, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and to engage in collective bargaining with the company over wages and working conditions.
I attended the rally, more out of curiosity than anything else, and it was only then that I came to understand, if ever so vaguely, the working conditions and problems of a part of the university community about which, it turned out I knew so little, and I suspect, that my colleagues and others in the `university family’ know even less. (for details of the rally see the link `April 2010 Rally’ above).
Now six months later, it appears that progress towards unionization has been slow. Recently – just last week – an attempt by some SODEXO employees accompanied by an SEIU union rep to meet with the university administration was rebuffed, security called in and if those involved were not physically manhandled, it seems they were treated rather rudely.
It appears the university wants none of it. Read more…
John Hagee: Second Coming Cancelled; Rapture Delayed
read all about it…
Sue Greene’s Column in today’s (September 30) Denver Post
The Empire Responds: David Harsanyi’s Retort to Sue Green (October 1) Denver Post
Pastor Hagee Disinvited to AJF Men’s Dinner Event (Intermountain Jewish News’ Report on Hagee Cancellation)
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Background Piece – John Hagee’s Second Coming To Denver
Background Material -`Talk To Action’ Website on Hagee and Christian Zionism
Background Material -`The Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado’s Rationalization of the Hagee Invitation. (October 7) MENS EVENT FAQ on Hagee
Background Material – Rachel Tabachnick’s piece in `Zeek’ “Why Christian Zionists Love Jews And Other Notes From The End-Times”
View from the Left Bank: Rob Prince's Blog 