Iraq and the New Great Game

Rahul Mahajan

Monday, August 5, 2002, Common Dreams

In the run-up to the Gulf War, government officials put forth a bewildering
array of reasons for the war, culminating with Secretary of State Baker's
fatuous claim that "it's about jobs."

In this coming war, perhaps the earliest and most consistently telegraphed
since Cato the Elder's repeated calls for the destruction of Carthage, a
similar confusion reigns. The same reflexively secretive administration
that didn't want to disclose which companies it met with and for how long
when formulating its energy policy has released at least four different
plans for achieving "regime change" -- widely-announced "covert"
operations, the "Afghan strategy," "Gulf War lite," and the "Baghdad/inside
out option." It has also released numerous reports of generals, military
strategists, and other insiders who oppose the war, to the point that
people seriously wonder what's going on.

from ainfos

There has been much talk about the Italian group
YaBasta--and even imitations!--in anarchist circles. And
while it should be clear to anyone paying attention that
YaBasta (a.k.a. "Movement in White Overalls") isn't an
anarchist organization, the problems with YaBasta go
much deeper. Not only does YaBasta openly dialogue and
work with the state (including supporting and running
candidates in elections), but they even collude with the
state to suppress anarchists and anarchist projects. Yet it is
not only YaBasta as a particular organization that
anarchists should be wary of, but as a method of
organization and a model of struggle--the focus of most
anarchists' acritical jubilation--YaBasta is highly
problematic. They have explicitly moved away from
self-organization and towards politics, away from
conflictual action towards mediated, public spectacles
(often arranged with the police in advance). Thus we
include the article below to clarify where YaBasta stands in
relation to the state, anarchists, and social revolution. But
don't take our word for it, look at the quotes from YaBasta
themselves at the end of the article.

A Contrarian View of Open Source

Bruce Sterling

(A Speech at the O'Reilly Conference in San Diego, California, July 26, 2002)

Thanks for showing up to see the obligatory novelist at this gig.

It's very touching of you to take the trouble to watch me get some emotional issues off my chest.

You know, I don't write code. I don't think I'm ever going to write any code. It just amazes me how often people who know absolutely nothing about code want to tell software people their business. "Why don't they just," that's the standard phraseology. "Why don't they just" code-up something-or-other. Whenever I hear that, frankly, I just want to slap the living shit out of those people.

A Capsule History of the Dutch Provos

By Teun Voeten provos

It's no secret that Holland has the most liberal drug laws in the world,
especially when it comes to cannabis. What you may not realize, however,
is that these laws were enacted thanks to the efforts of the Dutch Provos.
The Provos set the stage for the creation of the Merry Pranksters,
Diggers, and Yippies. They were the first to combine non-violence and
absurd humor to create social change. They created the first "Happenings"
and "Be-Ins." They were also the first to actively campaign against
marijuana prohibition. Even so, they remain relatively unknown outside of
Holland. Now, for the first time, their true story is told.

hydrarchist writes :This article was published in the autonomist ejournal The Commoner

Pondering Information and Communication in Contemporary Anti-Capitalist Movements.

Anonymous Comrade writes:

You may find our pamphlet "Bordiga versus Pannekoek"
interesting:

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/3909/bo rdiga/bvptoc.html

Incidently, its just been reviewed by the ICC who rather
predictably criticise it for 'modernism', 'anarchism' and
undermining the need for the Revolutionary Party.

toshimaru ogura ogr@nsknet.or.jp writes:

We are Japanese lawyers who have been working for Japan's ratification of
the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, and for introduction of International Law of
Human Rights into our soil.

As lawyers in action, we are fully aware of the fact that counter-measures
against trans-border organized crimes and terrorism are put on the agenda
for urgent needs by the international community. But on the other hand,
some of these measures may affect or even encroach on the basic principles
of penal law enshrined by modern societies or internationally admitted
principles of human rights. This is particularly anxious about the newly
conceived policies against such crimes or terrorism by the International
Convention against Organized Crimes or a review of the 40 recommendations
of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in OECD. We believe firmly that
international protection of human rights should be an important object to
be achieved by the international community as a whole, and that any newly
conceived crime policy must be in perfect compatibility with such
principles.

"Kropotkin Was No Crackpot"

Stephen Jay Gould

In late 1909, two great men corresponded across religions,
generations, and races. Leo Tolstoy, sage of Christian
nonviolence in his later years, wrote to the young Mohandas
Gandhi, struggling for the rights of Indian settlers in
South Africa:

"helps our dear brothers and co-workers in the Transvaal.
The same struggle of the tender against the harsh, of
meekness and love against pride and violence, is every year
making itself more and more felt here among us also."

Anonymous Comrade writes

"The Préfontaine and Overdale Squats

An Analysis of Building Occupations in Montreal


by Michael William

I have mixed feelings about the Overdale and Préfontaine squats, which is no doubt the case with many people who squatted or who supported the squats. There were delightful
moments and some real triumphs. But there were also many problems and disappointments.

"Geronimo Knew How To Do It"

Hunter Gray

This is about Factionalism and Organizing and Challenges.

Geronimo [Goyathlay] knew how to do it.

The enduring Apache fighter, whose tactical abilities were equaled only by
his tremendous commitment to his people, never gave up. Traveling, often
with his cohesive band encompassing only with a few dozen warriors and their
women and children, frequently crossing vast stretches of formidable
desert -- sucking a small rock or chewing twigs to keep throats moist --
they fought on and on and on against thousands of U.S. Army troops.
Winchesters were as easily incorporated into their culture as computers are
by the Natives of today.