Posts Tagged ‘war’

Posted on September 1, 2008 - by Frank

Clarity in the Georgia and Russia Conflict

The recent conflict between Georgia and Russia, centering around the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia, has been a perfect example of the use of propaganda in modern media, with both sides twisting stories to suit their own agendas. Sadly this has only been further exacerbated by the interjection of other states such as the U.S and other NATO members that clearly have interests in the area - namely oil. Surprise.

Trying to sift through conflicting reports is a minefield where truth is nearly impossible to determine - reports of genocide being perpetrated by Georgian forces amongst the people of South Ossetia; displaced people pouring across into Russian territory; Georgian incursions into South Ossetia at the start of the Olympics to reclaim control of the semi-independant territory; reports of unprovoked Russian agression; headlines declaring the Russia was invading beyond South Ossetia and entering Georgia proper; talk of ceasefires and allegations that agression was continuing beyond those negotiations and mentions of plans to get Georgian troops out of Iraq and into the area prior to the break out of violence (suggesting premeditation between Georgia and the U.S).

Thankfully, it may be of interest to those who have followed this conflict and all the confusion that would understandably result from any research, to know that the Office of the International Criminal Court Prosecutor is analysing allegations made of crimes committed under ICC jurisdiction.

The allegations seem to involve attacks on civilians.

Georgia is a state that ratified the Rome Statute that saw the formation of the ICC, Russia is not. If Georgia is in any way implicated in crimes investigated by the ICC, it will have serious ramifications for those involved, for as long as they reside in Georgia, they fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC.

Confirmation of this analysis taking place was first released on August 20.

Posted on July 31, 2008 - by Frank

Review - Standard Operating Procedure

Written By Jacob Powell (Film Critic)

Reprinted with permission from Filmguide. For more reviews from the NZ Film Festival or more reviews by Jacob Powell, visit Filmguide.

Chances are you’ve seen some of the shocking photographs of torture, humiliation and death that emerged into the wild from the goings on of the American military prison in Abu Ghraib, Iraq; or at least you’ve heard of these pictures via the media aftermath that followed their release. The latest offering from inimitable documentarian Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War), Standard Operating Procedure (Hereafter: S.O.P.) is, not so much a direct indictment of the comportment of the American military during the war in Iraq, but an exploration of the Abu Ghraib photographs themselves and the specific contextual situations that produced them.

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Posted on July 17, 2008 - by Frank

Rape as a Method of Warfare

Often in war times, woman, children and the elderly are abused and mistreated. Seen as the weakest in society, they make easy targets and the crimes committed against them amount to crimes against humanity.

Sexual violence against females, both young and old, is a dark and often unspoken method used in many current war situations. Darfur has helped to highlight this situation, being the biggest case of rape being used as a systematic weapon of warfare, ever.

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