Who Let the Bombs Out?

Bush! Brown and Blair!

Barked one of the chants at yesterday’s anti-war rally in London. I´m alive!!!

This is one of the biggest rallies I’ve ever been to, with a superb mixture a good cross section of the society, of all ages (great Gen Y turn out for example), ethnicity, political factions and groups. I am becoming more and more impressed with the political culture in London, not just the depth the media analysis goes but also the kind of discussions and dissent it has created amongst its people. Democracy isn’t just a tick on a ballot paper or a blue print emailed across overnight. It’s a process of education, self awareness, altruism, community, sharing power, and reclaiming that power should it be gone via every day actions and interactions. It’s a culture, it takes time. Throughout the last many centuries, London in the heart of England has bred that culture through witnessing some of the most brilliant and influential moments and periods in political history – if not blood, tears and a whole lot of kicking and screaming. No one said it was easy, and every community will have a different experience, but it sure is rich and vibrant when we have it and when its here to stay.

Its been five years since the illegal invasion of Iraq (and six for the one in Afghanistan) had started and it is still dragging on. As a concerned global citizen, as a member of the human race I do not support the US led military presence and “democracy strategy” in the Middle East. Sure Saddam and the Taliban were one of the most repressive regimes in the world (though there are many others, some even admits to having nukes – lets start with China, North Korea, …so why aren’t they taken out?), but their riddance and the chaos and hatred that followed is being mismanaged by the wrong people and the wrong agendas. The UN and its security council, which can be very powerful but useless if not damn unhelpful at the same time, could be more courageous in leading the collective international community in addressing the power vacuum in Iraq and Afghanistan, like it has done in the recent past, say in East Timor or the former Yugoslavia. Its never easy, but at least it would better accepted and more transparent, and participated by the international community. But that is a world called Idealism and we are stuck in a world called Pragmatic Gutlessness, which has gotten worse and worse as the years go by. So on we complain, or perhaps hope. Because its our right, and absolutely our responsibility.