The Winograd Report

Honestly, I'm just posting a short blurb on this because I was following and linking to sources during Israel's war in Lebanon last summer. In fact, I'll put them back up here because I should have never taken them down:

Blogging in Beirut

Live from an Iraeli bunker

(This one hasn't been updated in awhile.)

I reformatted and can't find all of them, but those two were pretty much the best. Since one is from the Israeli perspective and the other from the Lebanese perspective it will have to do for now.

The Winograd Report is out and Olmert has been criticized for starting a war way too early. I think everyone who was following it would agree.

I will say I think Israel's Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, has been a great representative for Israel and now that she's announced she'll run to be Prime Minister, I'll start watching Israeli politics a bit more closely.

Beyond that, however, I think there are people better informed on the issue to comment.

So I'll just give you some links:

• Israel News Agency: Israel Winograd Report: Olmert, Peretz Negligent, Failed War Objectives
• Haaretz.com: The main findings of the Winograd partial report on the Second Lebanon War (the same as above but set to automatically print, so don't click it if you don't want to activate your printer)
• Haaretz.com: Livni: Olmert must resign; opposes new elections
• Al Jazeera: Israeli FM demands Olmert resign
  
• Slate.com: What Americans Can Learn From the Winograd Report

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Lebanese General Has Tea With Israeli Soldiers and Gets Arrested

I understand that each nation-state has laws which are important to them due to both historical and cultural reasons. I also understand that as someone who has never done military service that I lack an understanding of military rules and how soldiers should behave. With that said, I’m still having trouble figuring out why Lebanese General Adnan Daoud is under house arrest and under investigation.

According to news sources, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) seized the barracks where General Daoud was in command. His garrison was lightly armed and simply wasn’t equipped to fight off the IDF, so they didn’t resist. General Daoud was recorded on video serving and drinking tea with the IDF soldiers and walking with the IDF soldiers in the courtyard of the barracks. One day later General Daoud, his soldiers and civilians under the protection of UN peacekeepers left the area and headed north. The video footage was shown on Israeli TV and later was shown in Lebanon.

This is the wrinkle as written in the Daily Star from Lebanon:

Lebanese law forbids any dealings with Israel because a state of war exists between the two countries despite the Armistice Agreement of 1949. Lebanese citizens who have dealings with Israelis are subject to arrest and prosecution. (click here for the full article)

Now I don’t know about you, but his actions sound reasonable. It sounds like being pleasant, drinking tea and walking around with the Israelis instead of yelling “die, bitch, die” and letting off a few rounds was the better way to go. As stated above, it's reported that he and his soldiers were released along with civilians.

However, maybe I’m missing something. In fact, I’m sure I am missing something. It seems because he had a friendly encounter rather than a hostile one he’s now royally screwed. Ironically, it seems like General Daoud could be someone to teach officials on both sides of this some lessons in non-violent communication and how to engage rather than anger your opponent.

This one is irking me because, like I said, I don’t know much about the region or this conflict. However, it would seem that someone smart enough to engage the enemy, get himself, his troops and civilians out safely should be commended and not punished.

So help me out and give me some insight into why he’s in big trouble right now.

More articles:
Lebanese General Held Over Israeli Video
Lebanese General jailed for having tea with IDF before war broke out
Lebanese General Arrested For Conversing With Israelis

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When Will George Learn? Thanks For Turning Off the Mic Tony

The interesting thing about living in Korea is we're a day ahead which, most of the time, is cool. When the rest of the world is getting up I'm winding down.

I got up around 5am this morning so that's exactly what I was doing when I heard this report. I'm tucked in bed watching CNN before I go sleep, and they run a recording of Bush speaking with Tony Blair on the Israel - Hezbollah conflict.

The recording caught Bush speaking frankly about the crisis. Now this is one of my biggest personal fears as I'm known for being quite animated and expressive when I speak with close friends. I know how to hold my tongue and be presentable in formal or business situations, but I'm not like that in my private life. I also tend to pepper casual speech with close friends with choice swear words. It's very funny, and it's very American.

So, knowing this is a cultural fixture among Americans, I was braced and sure enough Bush let it rip. Eventually, Blair leaned forward and switched off the microphone, so either Blair figured out that what they were saying was being overheard or someone tipped him off because the CNN clip seems to be around a minute.

G8 SUMMIT Bush caught on open microphone

SAINT PETERSBURG (AFX) - US President George W. Bush, caught on an open microphone, said that a key to defusing the Middle East crisis was for 'Hezbollah to stop doing this shit'.

Talking to British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a working lunch at the G8 summit, Bush also hinted that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would take a bigger role in the crisis, and appeared to express frustration about UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

'I think Condi's going to go pretty soon,' the US president said, leaving Rice's destination unclear, though she is widely expected to travel to the region after a UN fact-finding team returns.

Later, Bush added that 'the irony is, what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit, and it's over,' though he does not specify who 'they' are.

And he appeared to express frustration about Annan, saying 'I felt like telling Kofi to get on the phone with Assad, make something happen.'

The recording picked up as Bush, apparently expected to make remarks, declared: 'I'm just going to make it up. I'm not going to talk too damn long like the rest of them. Some of these guys talk too long.'

Here is the full transcript of the conversation from Adam Boulton's weblog: Bush & Blair Raw & Uncut

Now, in a way, this is good because Bush has basically laid out what everyone knows is the U.S. perspective on this conflict. He also did well by saying that the U.S. wasn't blaming Lebanon for this conflict. It's clear my government is laying responsibility squarely on the shoulders of Hezbollah.

However, the problem is Bush took a very disrespectful tone and approach to the whole process of diplomacy. If you read my other posts on international politics, you already know that I have a big problem with the lack of diplomacy the Bush administration engages in. I don't think diplomacy is calling nation-states you don't like names and telling sovereign countries what they "must" do. Granted, I have very strong opinions on what certain nation-states should or must do, but I've learned by living in a foreign culture that you can't talk to people from different cultures the way you talk to your friends or family.

Also, it's very important to take the time to talk to your counterparts because it is key to fostering understanding and agreements. That's not to say that sitting around in "getting to know you" sessions always saves the day, but it seems that not one person in Bush's cabinet has taken a basic negotiations and strategy course. Clearly, all of them need a crash course ASAP because having such a cavalier attitude and saying people "talk too much" when many think we could be on the brink of World War III is short-sighted.

After all of the mishaps in international diplomacy since Bush has taken office you'd think that they would finally get that maybe their approach to diplomacy has been wrong.

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Hezbollah, Lebanon, Israel and a Clear Failure of International Society

Yes, I know that I’ve been avoiding commenting on the fire being exchanged in the Middle East between Israel and Hezbollah. I know I haven’t commented on Hezbollah forces in Lebanon attacking Israel and kidnapping two Israeli soldiers along with the inevitability that Israel would answer back by lobbing artillery and air strikes into Lebanon.

Yes, I’m studying international studies, particularly diplomacy and security. However, what a fine mess this is. I think I’ve chosen not to address it thus far simply because as soon as I heard the news, I knew which way this was going to go. I silently hoped that the big powers like the U.S. would immediately urge Israel to show some restraint lest this spiral out of control. Initially, that didn’t happen.

“Diplomats”! That term is in quotes because, outside of the diplomats themselves, does anyone truly see them as diplomats?

My definition of a diplomat is someone who is educated and armed with the skill and determination to resolve disagreements and conflict before rounds are fired and people start evacuating. Also, diplomats snap into place if, like in this current crisis, they aren’t called upon initially to work things out. I don’t see that happening at all. This is all political where you have the people on the international scene giving not two cents about resolving conflict and caring more about keeping the masses happy thereby keeping themselves in power. No one wants to be the first to slash his or her political wrists.

When I tune into CNN International I turn the sound off until the World Sport segment comes on. It’s so incredibly depressing and both sides are acting, unfortunately, in such a knee jerk and predictable fashion that I really don’t see this resolving itself anytime soon or in an amicable manner. When I do ante up and turn the sound on it’s rant after rant from the various sides which is then juxtaposed with the heart wrenching stories of weepy to livid civilians caught in the middle fleeing to Syria.

One theory as to why the Palestinians in Gaza as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon are much feistier is because of Israel’s new leader Ehud Olmert. Olmert, unlike his predecessor Ariel Sharon, doesn’t have a military background. Maybe this is the reason for Olmert’s baptism by fire, but that means Olmert has an interest in being a hard-liner in this crisis. That gives him very little room to move. Hezbollah believes they’re fighting a great enemy, and we all know it’s near impossible to argue with someone tied deeply into their faith and their religion.

Various organizations and governments from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to the G8 are calling for Israel to exercise restraint. Israel, of course, is saying the attack and subsequent kidnappings were an act of war which technically they are. But if politicians conducted all foreign policy based on the rules of engagement we would have had a war during the Cuban Missile Crisis as well as war a few times over here in Korea. It just seems that if your solution is being a hardliner then war is your only option because answering back with air assaults and artillery you know it’s going to escalate.

Again, it seems hopeless, unless someone who is a visionary can step in and try to get both sides to calm down and come to the table. This has all the markings of getting worse before it gets better.

I guess that’s why I haven’t said anything about it until now. It’s pretty much a done deal unless something astounding happens.

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