When does history begin? (10/5/06)
The topic for this Thursday's IIF discussion will be "When does history begin? or Whose land is it?", and we will be talking about "claims ... about one or another ethnic group having a right to some particular piece of the world." How are we to decide the legitimacy of such claims? What factors should be taken into account? Our discussion will be led by two of our regulars, Joel Kollin and Jason DeJoannis, and as background, I am passing along an article forwarded to me by Joel that was one reason this topic was chosen, and a comment and several articles that were sent to me by Jason. The questions we will be considering seem to arise in the context of so many of the discussions we have about so many different parts of the world. I hope you will join us at Villa this Thursday evening for what should be an interesting discussion.
Charles - I feel that the issue is Whose land is it? (When does history begin?) Here is one article for thinking about the issue:Whose Land Is It?
[And here is another: Whose Land is it anyway? CRH]
The trials and tribulations of Kashmir and Palestine (if I may) began in the same year, 1947, according to the official record. But when did these most intractable of conflicts truly begin, and does it even matter? After all, modern realities are just that; California et al. are unlikely to be returned to Mexico anytime soon (nor the US and Mexico to Native Americans). On the other hand, by looking only at today’s realities and ignoring the past, are we not encouraging opportunism? Which ghosts should be welcomed at the arbitration table?
The tension between “facts on the ground” and the historical litany of injustices is surprisingly universal, appearing in numerous post-World War II situations. For example, the breakaway territories of Taiwan and Northern Cyprus remain in indefinite limbo, with de facto independence but little hope for recognition. Further unresolved cases are on display in Sri Lanka , Indonesia , Tibet , Spain , Kosovo , Bosnia , Japan/China, Kurdistan , Chechnya and elsewhere, while Northern Ireland offers a counterexample of recent vintage.
In the 2005 World Summit, among areas of UN reform discussed was the addition of a new “peacebuilding” agency to supplement the numerous post-conflict peacekeeping operations around the world. Longstanding disputes tend to accumulate complexity and emotion as they cycle through dormant and active periods; entrenched polemics deepen distrust and polarize identity. We will discuss all of this on Thursday as we look for common threads in all-too-common situations.
Kashmir conflict, Wikipedia
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Wikipedia
Northern Cyprus, Wikipedia
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in a Nutshell, MidEast Web<
Question of Palestine – History, UN
Kosovo Dominoes: World hotspots in a nutshell, On Line Opinion
Kashmir Flashpoint, BBC
posted by IIF BlogMeister @ 10:48 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Charlie proposed the most concrete answer to the question "When does history begin?". He says, for the purposes of arbitration, history begins on August 2nd, 1945 - or in other words the last day of the Potsdam Conference, the final in a series of meetings which founded the United Nations and determined the post-war world order.
I am willing to entertain this proposal as it at least provides a reasonable foundation without which it is impossible to use uniform criteria to arbitrate longstanding conflicts.
Where does that leave us?
Kashmir would belong to India under the terms of the Indian Independence Act 1947. While several UNSC resolutions have called for a plebiscite, the plebiscite was never actually carried out. Until such time Kashmir belongs to India (not Pakistan or China).
Concerning Israel/Palestine we have a vacuum of legal documents. The UK abdicated its rule of the mandate in 1948 and the UNGA's 1947 resolution was nonbinding.
As regards Kosovo, Serbia's claims to the territory would clearly be outdated. This case also raises the point that separatist movements are ultimately subject to the judgement of the UN - which has confirmed thus far the independence of 5/6 of the breakaway movements from the former Yugoslavia.
Well done!
[url=http://umgcvuyh.com/vycp/adcy.html]My homepage[/url] | [url=http://enkwjsvf.com/ctwh/mwxa.html]Cool site[/url]
Nice site!
My homepage | Please visit
Well done!
http://umgcvuyh.com/vycp/adcy.html | http://lzifzjvh.com/iabl/isgu.html
Hello,
I keep coming to this website[url=http://www.weightrapidloss.com/lose-10-pounds-in-2-weeks-quick-weight-loss-tips].[/url]Lots of good information here i-i-f.blogspot.com. Let me tell you one thing guys, some time we really forget to pay attention towards our health. Let me show you one truth. Recent Scientific Research presents that about 70% of all U.S. adults are either fat or weighty[url=http://www.weightrapidloss.com/lose-10-pounds-in-2-weeks-quick-weight-loss-tips].[/url] Therefore if you're one of these citizens, you're not alone. In fact, most of us need to lose a few pounds once in a while to get sexy and perfect six pack abs. Now the question is how you are planning to have quick weight loss? [url=http://www.weightrapidloss.com/lose-10-pounds-in-2-weeks-quick-weight-loss-tips]Quick weight loss[/url] is really not as tough as you think. Some improvement in of daily activity can help us in losing weight quickly.
About me: I am writer of [url=http://www.weightrapidloss.com/lose-10-pounds-in-2-weeks-quick-weight-loss-tips]Quick weight loss tips[/url]. I am also mentor who can help you lose weight quickly. If you do not want to go under painful training program than you may also try [url=http://www.weightrapidloss.com/acai-berry-for-quick-weight-loss]Acai Berry[/url] or [url=http://www.weightrapidloss.com/colon-cleanse-for-weight-loss]Colon Cleansing[/url] for quick weight loss.
Post a Comment
<< Home