> [Anderson writes]
> In Lebanon, the EU and the US prop up a cabinet that
> would not last a day if a census were called, while German, French and
> Italian troops provide border guards for Israel. As for Palestine, the EU
> showed no more hesitation than the US in plunging the population into
> misery, cutting off all aid when voters elected the wrong government, on
> the pretext that it must first recognise the Israeli state, as if Israel
> had ever recognised a Palestinian state, and renounce terrorism (read:
> any armed resistance to a military occupation that has lasted forty years
> without Europe lifting a finger against it). ...
(Yawn). Perry has become like those FM stations in the heartland, which broadcast the greatest hits of the 1950s. There are no social forces or contradictions in his articles, just rants about devious politicians, a Great Power nationalism which hasn't changed since 1885, and laments about the inconceivable almightiness of the US Empire, which is so almighty that it's achieved almightitude.
The Lebanon force was a face-saving way to get Israel out and making it much harder for them to attack Lebanon again. Every so often, the UN contingent will paint Israeli jets with radar, to remind them who's boss. The UN has also pointedly avoided any serious effort at root out Hezbollah's bunkers. Yes, the EU's demonization of Hamas is screwed up. But the EU's overall Mediterranean policy is surprisingly progressive, all things considered.
-- DRR