[pistons92] two sides of a coin...

Yesterday (10/04/03 14:00 British Summer time) the USMC expeditionary force 
and USArmy 3rd Inf division linked up at Firdaus square on the east of Tigris 
river. Fighting is still raged on the west of the river as it was expected to 
be the region where the US main thrust would be conducted. (Northwest of 
Baghdad as the Southwest area has been under 3rd Inf for some time). Being 
situated in front of Palestine hotel (where foreign journalist are kept and 
monitored by Iraqi government) the link up were reported intensively. 

The day was started by the disapearance of Iraqi law and order in the street 
of Baghdad and minders who sole task were keeping an eye to the journalist and 
al Sahhaf who in the past two days held the press conference on top of 
Palestine Hotel as the regular palce at the ministry of information accross 
the river has been partially captured on Sunday. The day before an AFP 
journalist managed to film  a desperate counter attack mounted by a group of 
Iraqi youth with RPG and AKs. The group was beaten back after losing 1 man 
death and 2 more wounded. The climax of the event was the toppling of Saddam 
bronze statue that has only been erected two years ago (amid Iraqi people 
poverty due to the so called UN sanction) at 16:00 BST. The decapitation of 
the statue that follows is widely seen as a sign that Saddam's government is 
on the brink of anihilation. (NO definite news yet about this)

What left to Saddam honour is probably to follow Hitler footstep to take his 
own live. (Many of his Iraqi opponent beginning to call him coward for not 
taking such action)

Against the backdrop, the western journalist (BBC and ITV) has been 
empahsising on the jubilant Iraqis who has been destroying Saddam picture 
since the morning. They trid to brought down the statue by rope and sledge 
Hammer until they managed to get a recovery tank of USMC to pull it down. I 
guess in many ways it is just a question of having a chance to start a new. It 
may not be nationalist by our education standard. But, what's the different 
being squeeze by fellow national or foreigner? The first one has been a fact 
of life. The second one may not be the case yet.

Reporting the same thing, the Arab media (shown by BBC for UK viewer) simply 
expressing disgust to the jubilant people. They are not behaving nationalist 
way arent' they? Along the same line Kompas reporting the action as an act of 
disrepute while republika went further by describing it as if the Iraqi was 
watched the whole event with their heart sunk. There might be such people but 
those around the square did not show such thing... After all the news are 
relayed from Jordan rather than first hand report. Apparently the Syrian 
choses to see the edge of the coin by airing natural programme on TV yesterday.

When we glance at the nations of the world, it ism easy to see that 
nationalism sentiment is mainly strong in the impoverish countries. Has 
Nationalism been used by many so called indigeneous government to hide 
something sinister from their own people?


*****

This on going war might be immoral as it makes a number of people suffer. But 
then is there any blodless war? In this sense there is no such thing as moral 
war. On this ground religious objection is more than valid.
(Where were we when the people in Beograd were heavily bombed? Was there any 
protest at the time? Indeed it was started as ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. But 
the Yugoslavian adventure had never been agreed by the UN) 
If we put the whole business in perspective, the Iran-Iraq war lasted for 7 
yrs without any one actually made any gain despite of killing 1 million 
Iraqis. Taking the Iraqi's number (that is likely to be exagerated) around 
4000 civilian died or wounded, 3000 Iraqi soldier died or wounded (these 
Allied number might be exagerated) and around 400 allied soldier died or 
wounded which involved a lot more destructive power and within 3 weeks is 
nearly over, the present war is certainly not stand out in this issue.

It has been suggsted very often (In Indonesian media, notably a colum in 
Kompas last Saturday) that the war is a product of schizophrenic decision 
making. Other simply called this war mongering. The event seems to suggest 
that it is a delusion to say that. If anything it does suggest is the war 
itself was a rational decision in the US part. Be that a oil-Dollar reason as 
many conspiracy theorist like to think. Without being pretentious the war does 
pave a way to a potentially more stable Iraq (and to lesser extend the middle 
east) that will be friendly to western economy. (I do understnad how the 
Chinese aren't happy with all of this as the US at the moment has strong 
presence in Central and East Asia -- and Middle East once war on Iraq is ended 
-- therby enclosing most of Chinese border.) Obviously it will benefit the US 
and UK more than others (which again demonstrate the rationale) but it does 
not automatically means that everybody else will be worse off to justify 
resentment that endede with more terrorism. Only time will tell.

*****

Hopefully it will pave the way for a more tolerant future rather than bigotry 
that sadly has engulfed even Indonesia more and more...
(Isn't it right to say that life style such as being maried or not; having 
religion or not is one form of fundamental human right? There is no right or 
wrong. Many people do chose not to get married as they want to advance their 
career. In place like Stanford University (where Condoleeza Rice served as 
provost -- semacm rektor di Indonesia) many people are required to work more 
than 12 hrs a day 7 days a week to stay on top. (I've known people with US Ivy 
league connection) That's the hard reality of American dream. Unless one is 
born rich, one has to work hard to be rich. In that life style, it does not 
sound very responsible to start a family. 

As far as religion is concern what matter to people arond us is how we behave 
since trancendental relationship is really personal (Hasta, we did agree on 
this point, didn't we?). In this sense, religion is not exactly relevant on 
buidling up a civic society. What has happen very often is religion is 
politicised to achieve something that is not exactly ethical. The later 
problem is becoming more and more serious if the majority of people actualy 
still live in poverty. Maluku conflict is a good example. In history, we have 
learn the migration of european to America and Australia in 17-19th century. 
More recently the same thing has drove mass migration from middle east and 
central Asia to Europe, US and Australia.

Why do you think many ex-Taliban fighter choose to go to UK than any middle 
east country? Remember one of them has been quoted in press saying, "You are 
still my enemy but I like to life in the UK (as the present Afghan government 
would prosecute me)"


*****

Well, (especially for Hasta) there is no hard feeling here. I am just sadden 
by the fact the we, Indonesian, have turned more and more to bigotry. We like 
to think that the white is racist because of their colonial past. These days, 
you'll see that more easily in Black and Pakistani population. There is no 
need to go the deprive north (of England) that naturaly act as a fertile 
ground for sectarianism. London is the place where we can see the racism (from 
the minority) quite clearly. 


Indi H. Tristanto

Dept. Aero. and Auto. Eng. (AAE),       tel  : ++ (0)1509 227 242
Stewart Miller Building,                fax  : ++ (0)1509 227 275
West Park,                              email: I.H.Tristanto@xxxxxxxxxxx
Loughborough University,       
Loughborough,                
Leicestershire LE11 3TU         
United Kingdom

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