Nonviolent Imperialism
March 8, 2008
Michael Barker continues his exchange with Stephen Zunes. Here he responds to Zunes on Gowans.
The progressive academic Professor Steven Zunes has recently entered into debate with Stephen Gowans – a Canadian-based political activist and writer.
- Zunes, “Nonviolent Action and Pro-Democracy Struggles”, Znet, February 17, 2008.
- Gowans, “Stephen Zunes and the Struggle for Overseas Profits”, What’s Left, February 17, 2008.
- Zunes, “A Reply to Stephen Gowans’ False Allegations against Stephen Zunes”, Znet, February 25, 2008.
- Gowans, “Zunes’ Compromising with Capitalism’s Sad Reality”, What’s Left, February 25, 2008.
This exchange is notable for Zunes’ declaration that Stephen Gowans’ response was “filled with demonstrably inaccurate and misleading statements about both me and the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict” (ICNC). This use of language is akin to the language he utilized to criticize recent articles I have written exploring his links to the ICNC. An example of this similarity is seen in Zunes’ unsubstantiated assertion that I have made “serious factual errors and misleading comments”, and a “series of false accusations and major leaps of logic” in the critiques of the ICNC. It is with this history that I approach a consideration of Zunes “13-point refutation” of Gowans’ alleged “lies and misinformation”. Read the rest of this entry »
Kosovo and the Question of Palestine
February 25, 2008
Ali Abunimah of the excellent Electronic Intifada on the Kosova precedent.
Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence has produced a range of reactions among Israeli and Palestinian observers that reveal their anxieties about their respective situations. An editorial in the Israeli daily Haaretz called on the Israeli government to immediately recognize Kosovo, arguing that “the struggle of the persecuted Kosovar people for independence is reminiscent of the struggles by other nations for the right of self-determination.” Of course Haaretz was not talking about the Palestinians, but about the “State of Israel, which was established in the wake of the Jewish people’s struggle for self-determination” (”Recognize Kosovo,” Haaretz, 18 February 2008).
If Kosovo, Why Not Palestine?
February 24, 2008
The Mosaic Intelligence Report examines several statements from Palestinian officials and asks whether the Palestinians, with their own unique problems, are planning to follow Kosovo’s example by making a unilateral declaration of independence. (via TruthDig)
