www.ufvcascade.ca
E~.r~pe at the brink J.D.R. BROWN as a complete sovereign default
failure of otherwise rational actors to
THE CASCADE and exit from the Eurozone looms .. move beyond their petty jealousies The crisis in Europe has entered even more troubling waters this past week, if that's even possible. Silvio Berlusconi, the now former Prime Minister of Italy, has been forced to step aside after losing a vote in the lower house of the Italian parliament to implement yet more austerity measures. These reforms were deemed necessary by the myriad of interests in the European Central Bank, the European Commission, and the governments of "core Europe" (read: Germany et al.) after the interest rates on Italian government bonds raced toward seven per cent- an incredibly high number for a country which is still solvent. The formation of a technocratic government, lead by the unelected Mario Monti, a former European Commissioner, is expected to be completed by Monday, November 14. Various coverage in European and some North American media float the idea that this new interim government will calm the markets and allow Italy to continue to borrow as rates decline,· thereby holding off complete catastrophe. I am not as convinced. Greece has just announced its own . government of national unity which is also to be lead by a technocrat rather than ari elected politician, and the bond vigilantes continue to circle
Europe now stands at a cross roads. The post-war project of European integration has been, up until this point, a resounding success. Despite the spectre of war between the Warsaw Pact and NATO during the Cold War, Western Europe has been without a major conflict since the end of World War II and that is perhaps the greatest evidence in favour of the ongoing European project. But the series of concentric circles that has, up until now, characterized the European Union and the various other. organs and organizations of cooperation has run its c;ourse. Lehman Brothers collapsed .at the end of George W. Bush's final term in offi_ce,and we are very nearly into the last year of Obama's first and perhap~ final term. In all this time, Europe has been unable to effectively deal with the series of fiscal calamities that have come their way. The various solutions that have been proposed up until now have been small potatoes in the very worst _way. Bailouts by Germany and further commitments to backstop Greece, Portugal, Ireland and others have done nothing to solve the crises in any of these countries, and have generally exacerbated the terrible economy calamities that ordinary persons have to deal with - especially unemployment. What we are witnessing right now is the
and save not just the euro, but the future of the entire European Project. There is only one proper remedy to what ails Europe, and it is certainly not tripling tuition fees and cutting pensions as David Cameron has done in the UK. No, it is full fiscal and political union: federalism. At least amongst the countries of the eurozone, a federal government with the powers of taxation and a democratic mandate would be able to backstop all of the countries now under threat from the bond markets and would be able to set up sane financial institutions. Or, at least, modify the existing financial institutions to be sane, such as making the European Central Bank into a lender of last resort. Some European elites have even begun to float this idea of federal integration· themselves, including the former German f9reign minister. But Europe remains at the brink. We will see very quickly whether the politicians and technocrats of Europe will be able to stave off economic Armageddon, and in the process we may witness the birth of a truly federal Europe. And if we do not, I cannot even begin to imagine the consequences.
THE CASCADE and reasonable of us, the base truth
of the matter is this: if you don't list~n, no one will listen to you. OccupiOccupy Vancouver has seen a ers need to draw healthy attention to lot of grief these few past weeks. A themselves, with their perseverance, central concern in the Vancouver community and cause. They need to mayoral elections, the media focus keep things organised and their mohas tightened its lens on the small mentum strong. The city's demands are perfectly tent-city in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery. The media attention is reasonable. There are comments varied, but leans to the negative in.its floating around on the immoderate attention the city is paying to Occupy opinion on the protest. Ashlie Gough's death at 23-years- Vancouver's safety restrictions, they of-age, resulting from a heroin over- are silent on the matter of the slumdose, two days after a different oc- like conditions of the housing for the cupier survived an overdose, brings poverty stricken of Vancouver. Of all forth critical issues surrounding the the deaths by drug overdose on the Occupy movement for those sup- streets of Vancouver, why did Ashlie porting and opposing it. The city of Gough's spur Robertson to such deVancouver is quickly assessing the cisiveness? What about the homeless safety of the set-up, while Mayor people's safety conditions? Yet these Gregor Robertson is quickly hop- questions don't seem valid It's not ping down from the fence to the in- about the attention paid by the Vancreasingly popular "dismantle" side. couver Fire Department, Police and The occupiers have been ordered Mayor to Occupy. It's about the meto take a number of precautions for dia's fixation on the municipality's fire safety standards, including or- attention. It isn't a fair representation, ders to: remove all unoccupied tents, and this speculation is only creating create a separation of three feet be- unnecessary animosity. Because, tween all tents, remove all tarps cov- wouldn't it be nice if it really was just ering multiple tents, and to create a good against evil? But it isn't. Naturally, the homeless would continuous path of travel within the gravitate to a warm place with a encampment. Ashlie Gough was visiting medical station, tents, safety and friends who were a part of Occupy, an attitude of caring camaraderie. she apparently wasn't a part of the These people are the victims of movement herself. Despite this, a whose cause the Occupy movement drug-free, safe Occupy Vancouver.is is fighting for - the forgotten, the neentirely necessary. While the occupi- glected, the needy. But the tents can't ers must remain unyielding on their . start looking like a mini-slum, even cause, they should comply with the if that could be a perfect metaphor city's demands and avoid seeing it as - some of the people we're trying to submitting to what they're fighting convince don't get metaphors. Oc-
Intervention, occupation, and nation building in Middle Eastern Libya JOEJOHNSON THE CASCADE
Intervention, occupation and nation building best define Western policies towards the Middle East. Over the past decade it's been Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and now Libya, who have all seen what it means to have external involvement in their sovereign affairs. Of course, their experiences are unique for each country, but one question has reap- in a place like Syria:' And now this is where things peared every time. Why this counget messy, while a further .question try? The simple answer would be the comes forth. Do we accept that while Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan; Saddam we provide military protection for Hussein's WMDs in Iraq; terrorists in some people, others are out of reach Pakistan; and the revolution in Libya due to political implications? Of to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi. course, there are economic actions However, this isn't a simple world that can be taken, but in Assad's case we live in and rarely is anything so these have limited effect. It's a hard straight forward. Each of the reasons fact to take that we' live in a world here are based on the fact that the where people can live and die at the international community, with the hands of their government, while all West in particular, has some kind of we can do is take a political course of action. interest to advance. However, let's move onto a final . Perhaps this question can best be analy~d by taking a deeper q~estion: is it possible to successfully look into Libya As a country whose occupy a nation in hopes of rebuildchange came with the Arab Spring, ing it for the better? Fast often uses this Russian provthe people now have an opportunity to become a beacon of freedom . erb in his classes, ''We know you can across the region. It had been four tum an aquarium into fish soup. The decades under Gaddafi's rule when question is can you tum fish soup back into an aquarium?" When a the rebels finally pushed through with the backing of NATO. But now government is overthrown, a vacthe question becomes how did they uum is created. Fast went on to say, get to that point, and for that matter, 'There are business fragments, and could they have done it without in- socialist fragments, and religious tervention? fragments, and secular fragments, The rebellion against Gaddafi and dorninational fragments, that all this opportunity." began on February 15, 2011, as a want to now ... This is why occupations designed small conflict between the people and Gaddafi's security forces. It to facilitate the move from a transith~ broke out to the initial stages tional government to a strong and cupiers should keep things aestheti- of a revolt, and then a full blown sovereign state often take at least a cally pleasing. We are trying to bring revolution. Soon after, the National decade. But with that, and if history a"Vareness,and in this way trying to Transitional Council was formed is any indicator, the odds for success convince. to direct the resistance. However, a still aren't optimistic. The Americans Stewart Brinton of The Province month after the rebellion began the have been in Iraq for eight-years and wrote one such message of misun- Gaqdafi's military gained the initia- counting. Their withdrawal is loomderstanding "I suspect someone tive, pushing back as far as the rebel's ing and future of Iraq remains questionable. associated with Occupy Vancouver ho~e base of Benghazi. Intervention The issues that face nations in this got her the drugs and may have had to take place to prevent a maseven injected her and left her in the sacre, and so NATO stepped in with fragile time are very serious. Take the guns that found their way into tent where she was found. There are substantial air power, eventually dark, drug-addled energies at Oc- leading to the success of the rebels in the hands of all the rebels.in Libya. Akuffo made the point that, "now cupy Vancouver," he wrote. overthrowing Gaddafi. So once again, the question the international community will Do you really think that these people are living on the cold streets changes: Why intervene with Libya have to find a way of getting those in front of the Vancouver Art gallery and not in countries such as Syria, guns out of the hands of potential to party, do drugs and avoid paying where horrible acts of abuse are be- · people like terrorists", as many will rent? Do you really believe people ing committed against its own citi- begin to flow freely. ':Africa has one of the highest incidents of small with the passion and dedication zens? According to Scott Fast, Professor arms and light weapons circulating enough to plant themselves in the Emeritus in Political Science, Gad- around that region. So the truth is mids.t of the ugly grey concrete-in a movement that has spread across dafi, "In practice, his policies... had, that the rebuilding of Libya is linked the world-facing winter, violent riot ~ reputation for doing a pretty good to the general peace and security of police officers, and ill-informed, self- job in terms of housing and food and the African continent because of the righteous citizens like Stewart Brin- that sort of thing, if you compared it amount of arms that is circulating to other North African countries:'· right now in that part of the world," ton, are just lazy druggies? But occupiers can't brush hiin Now, Gaddafi was a supporter ofter- continued Akuffo. The Arab Spring has brought on aside. Brinton isn't the bad guy; some rorism and committed brutalities on don't believe there are any of those. his ·people. But these brutalities are a wave of change in numerous counIt's just people trapped in a system not on the same level as the crack- tries. Some will succeed in freeing that makes it too easy to be selfish. down by Bashar Al-Assad, President their selves from the oppression of It's a system that suppresses com- of Syria, who has had 3,500 of his dictators, while some won't. But the passion and understanding by.sepa- own people openly slaughtered on time will come when all governments must face their people. ration, a system of warped values the streets. rn close with this line from Charthat creates this terrible detachment. To further answer the question Brinton is the type that occupiers are posed, Edward Akuffo, another Pro- lie Chaplin in The Great Dictator: fessor of Political Science, identified ''The misery that is now upon us is trying to help understand what's "it is all because Syria, as Assad has but the passing of greed, the bitterwrong with this system. "Time to tear Occupy Vancouver said, is the fault line of the Middle ness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of men will down," Brinton wrote: "It isn't what East and any kind of intervention it pretends to be." That's fine for you there might have very bad replica- pass and dictators die and the power to say. Is your democracy what it pre- tions with regards to instability to they took from the people, will rethe whole of the Middle East. So that turn to the people, and so long as tends to be? is the calculation that policy makers men die - liberty will never perish..:' have to make in terms of intervening
ccupy _Vancouver's stru SASHAMOEDT against. Among the most rational
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16th, 2011
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