Ireland to the Basques: lessons on the conflict

For ten years the resolution of Northern Ireland conflict was set as an example to follow. A perfect case of how diplomacy, talks and give up by both parties can drive into a peaceful solution. And yet, last weekend, a few discontent men wanted to blow up that.

First was the murdering of two soldiers (about to be deployed to Afghanistan), on Saturday night. They were shot at their base’s gates, when they were taking a delivery from two pizza men. Two other people (including the two pizza men) were wounded.

The Real IRA took responsability for the action in a call to a Dublin newspaper. They also said they didn’t apologize for taking British soldiers as targets (logical) but neither for targeting the two pizza men, as they were “collaborating” with the “enemy”.

Then was in a second attack 24 hours alter the first one. A policeman was shot dead in an ambush in County Armagh.

However, until these two attacks, the Northern Ireland peace process was taken as an exemplary process. From the Basque country, nationalists (pro Basques) were always begging for an Ireland-style solution to the ETA terrorism. But the constitutionalists (pro Spanish) had a very Spanish fault: they tend to act impulsively.

Get me right, being impulsive is not always wrong. But in politics, it is. And Spanish politicians show a high predisposition to act impulsively. In Spain, many political actions and laws are a product of the will to maintain the people happy more than of an in deep study of the situation. From the withdraw from Iraq to the approve of gay marriage, from the Parot doctrine to the debate for the reimplantation of the life sentence (not revised).

In the case of the Basque conflict, another act following that path of ad hoc legislation was the ilegallization of the Basque radical parties or abertzaleen ezkerra (patriotic leftists in Basque). There has been a lot of ink running on the more than probable loss of power of the nationalist parties in the Basque parliament after the elections. But no one has spoken about the truth: that the banning of Batasuna and similar parties led into that situation. If it hadn’t been banned, the representation of Basque nationalists in the Parliament would have been much more significant, similar to that from previous elections.

Also, another impulsive act from Spanish politicians regarding to the Basque terrorism was the end of the peace negotiations by Mr. Zapatero’s government after the bombing of Madrid airport in 2006. Here, from the UK and Ireland, Mr. Brown and Mr. Cowen have given a lesson of what should be done in a peace process to Mr. Zapatero. Like Mr. Blair and Mr. Ahern did in the past after the Omagh bombing. Patience, give up, talk. Knowing that there will be obstacles in the way, but that it worths going on with the process and never abandon at first sight of problems.



Photo: Reuters

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Matter of priorities

There are two sports over any other in the Commonwealth world. They aren’t soccer (king of sports worldwide) or the basketball (king of sports in America and somehow in China). They are instead two minor sports: rugby and cricket. The first one lives right now the 6 Nations craziness. The second one lives in between the anxiety and the fear for being targeted by terrorists.

Last March 3, a group of gunmen assaulted the bus where Sri Lankan national team was. The terrorist attempt ended up with eight dead (none of the sportsmen) and a few cricketers wounded, including a coach. It is the first attack on a sports team since the Munich massacre during the Olympics in 1972.

The attack helped many to, once again, argue between them. India took the opportunity to call on the lack of security and control over terrorist groups in Pakistan. Mumbai attacks were still fresh. Pakistan, on the other hand, tried to blame hhis neighbor country for the attacks. Some time after, however, they have to dismiss that idea.

Even from Japan some people used the attacks -with the excuse of Sri Lanka being involved- to blame China(!) for the regional instability. The visit of Sri Lankan Defense minister to China was just some more fuel to the fire.

However, the greatest affected by all this mess remained silent. Why? And why is only now, a week alter, that they start asking questions?

The reason remains in Sri Lankan sovereign soil. At that time, Lankan army was involved in a great offensive against the Tamil Tigers (LTTE), that were responding with everything they had, seeing themselves seizes and outnumbered. In other words, they were pretty busy. Now, with the LTTE leader fled out of the country or at least defeated, and with the militia in control of an area of less than 45 square kilometers, priorities have changed.

What hasn’t changed a bit is the situation of the thousand of civilians trapped in the conflict. According to India, there are at least 70,000 people trapped in the warzone, while the UN says they are 200,000. NGOs in the ground, like Doctors without Borders, have been raising awareness about the situation of the region for months. But the only thing they have achieved has been losing their own members, as stated by the last victim: a Red Cross worker.



Photo: Getty Images

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Friendly fire 07-08/03/09

- At the end, Karzai won’t delay the elections. And he will continue with the help of his brothers to stop corruption in Afghanistan. Capone's way.

- How would look Barbie if she was a real woman.

- NBA, stuck from the free throws line and awesomely awesome with the long distance throws.

- What diplomacy didn’t handle, maybe will the science.

- Jon Stewart vs. Twitter.

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World safest helicopter

Just in case Obama hadn’t enough problems with his Blackberry, here comes another one: his chopper.

Take a military helicopter. Name it in a fancy and important way, let’s say, Marine One. Give the project a lot of money. Give back the first draws to the designing lines. Double the budget. Take the next model. Increase again the budget by adding some extras -don’t forget the plush carpeting. Now, an only unit (and they are 28 in total) should cost as much as an Air Force One (who also has its own problems). Face then your old enemies that, now that they won't enjoy it, want the budget reduced. Double-check the extras. Go on against all odds.

And all this for what?

Just to find the blueprints of your super-secret-ultra-safe-mega-advanced chopper in the hands of the Iranians.



Photo: AP

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Bashir and The Hague

The International Criminal Court has emitted a warrant to arrest Mr. Omar al-Bashir. The President of Sudan is reclaimed by The Hague in a decision with no precedents. Not because is a head of a state -Charles Taylor, ex-president of Sierra Leona, or the Serbian Slobodan Milosevic had been previously prosecuted-, but because he is the first one in being prosecuted while still on active duty.

More specifically, the ICC charges Bashir with war crimes (“intentioned attacks against civilians and pillaging”) and crimes against the humanity (“murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape”) made in Darfur by Arab paramilitaries, the janjaweed. At the end, the charges for genocide have been withdrawn, but the ICC admits that they could be taken in consideration again if enough evidence is found.

However, the efficiency of this warrant is not clear. The detentions in the past of Taylor and Milosevic show that it is almost impossible to catch the man without the collaboration of the country involved. Aegis Trust agrees with it. And for now, the African country has said that the Court can eat the warrant. Word.

In the case of Bashir, neither out of Sudan looks like the ICC is going to find enough partners. Although the 180 countries signatories of the Court Constitution are forced to collaborate with it, many are showing their disapproval. In the Security Council, Russia and China -the latter with important business in the area- want to hold on the case. And the African Union, the Arab League and the Islamic Conference have already stated that they won’t obey the order.

There is also the risk of Darfur’s conflict to intensify and a big threat to the fragile peace process going on. Up to now, the UNAMID has been attacked by the militias operating in the area. From now on, it could be attacked too by the Sudanese army. If Bashir will expel the Blue Berets or not, time will say. But for now, he has expelled a dozen of Western NGOs, including Medecins Sans Frontiers, Oxfam and Save the Children.

However, the new American foreign policy may be an important back to the case. Even the USA is not part of the ICC -George Bush pulled out his country in 2002 to avoid prosecution of American soldiers involved in legal problems in Afghanistan and Iraq-, it is still the biggest economic contributor and has helped a lot with the ongoing investigation of the ICC in Lebanese Hariri’s murder. And the focus of the new Administration could go further than just re-signing the Constitution of the ICC.

In fact, recently Secretary of State Hillary Clinton proposed to create a no-fly zone in Sudan to deliver humanitarian aid, similar to the one created in 1991 in Iraq and she has warned of a more aggressive policy in the area -whatever that means. Truth is that America’s policy in the area has turned indeed tougher. And to all that, we should add the rumors of a possible cup d’Etat in Sudan.

Whatever it will be, for now, the only ones losing the bet are the thousands of refugees because of the war.

Extra: Two good A&Q from the BBC and The Guardian about Darfur and the warrant on Bashir.

Extra 2: Related with another Bashir, this time a short movie about the blocking of Gaza Strip, from the producer of the Israeli film Waltz with Bashir. The director, in the case of Gaza, declined to make any comments.



Photo: Sudanese Arab militant,janjaweed. BBC
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