Notes from Prof. Dipl.-Des. Oliver Wrede

The Observer: »The plan – discussed by Pentagon officials and military chiefs last week on the orders of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld – is designed ‘to harm’ the German economy to make an example of the country for what US hawks see as Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s ‘treachery’. […]Another Pentagon source said: ‘The aim is to…

On Friday the 14th of February CNN.com presented a “transcript” of Hans Blix’s presentation to the U.N. Security Council concerning the progress of weapons inspections in Iraq. Comparison with other transcripts, notably that presented by the BBC , reveals that a substantial section of the presentation was omitted in the CNN version. The missing text…

»This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption — the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future…

»The United States Congress has stepped in to find nearly $300m in humanitarian and reconstruction funds for Afghanistan after the Bush administration failed to request any money in the latest budget.« [Daypop Top News Stories] So much about “bringing peace to the world”…

It was obvious that the Iraqi officials are going to be delighted by the anti-war protests. But they should be aware that there is a difference between »anti-war« and »pro Iraq«. These millions of people spoke out to Saddam Hussein as well: »The world doesn’t want a war – so disarm!«.

John Robb tries to think through why people may oppose a war. He lists some: Opposition to all war. Frustration with the US, as the sole superpower in the world, exercising its military power without considering the desires of the rest of the world. This is tied to the hope, that global activism in combination…

Dave Winer seems to suggest that 9/11 equals the war experience in France and Germany: »A common response from across the ocean. Unlike the US, France and Germany know what war is like. There’s the disconnect. Click here. Clue: That’s not Germany or France.« Clue to Dave: This is how many European cities looked like…

400.000 more than expected. That’s the biggest peace demonstration in Germany ever.

Ok – here is a scenario: Japan launches a preventive attack on North Korea, Pakistan launches a preventive attack on India, Russia launches a preventive attack on Cechnia, China launches a preventive attack on Taiwan, Israel launches (another) preventive attack on Palestine. In this scenario I think a preventive attack on Iraq from U.S. is…

»I’m certain I’ve just as much justification for killing Mr. Johnson’s wife and children as Mr. Bush has for bombing Iraq. […]Mr. Bush’s long-term aim is to make the world a safer place by eliminating ‘rogue states’ and ‘terrorism’. It’s such a clever long-term aim because how can you ever know when you’ve achieved it?«

NY Times: »In a two-hour interview in his United Nations offices overlooking Midtown Manhattan, Mr. Blix, the chief chemical and biological weapons inspector, seemed determined to dispel any impression that his report was intended to support the administration’s campaign to build world support for a war to disarm Saddam Hussein.[…]Finally, he said, he had seen…