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Kosovo, `world' opinion and `globalisation'
by Dr. R.J. Barendse
27 April 1999 22:03 UTC
Dit is een meerdelig bericht in MIME-indeling.
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J.L. Beatty writes:
"The present hostilities in Kosovo are arguably the Internet's =
"first war", much as Vietnam was television's "first war" and the Gulf =
War was the war that saw CNN come of age as a major mass media outlet."
Quite true - and an interesting remark ! So, NOT Afghanistan, =
Somalia, Zaire/Congo, Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan or Kashmir - =
for although all these wars involved as much - if not more - casualties =
than Kossovo they were hardly noted.by either media or internet.=20
Tells you something about the true extent of `globalisation' does =
n't it ? Without the cold war, to the center - or `first world' - wars =
in the periphery are, well, `peripheral wars'. And about `world opinion' =
I guess too - which means, well, the opinion of - mostly - white males =
in cities in the `first world' to whom people killed in the periphery =
are, well, deads of peripheral interest.=20
To which the common answer in the US would be - why should WE care =
for, say, Sierra Leone - it's far away anyway. To which the answer would =
be: take a look at the map: what's closer to Florida ? Sierra Leone or =
Kossovo ? Strange how economic geography even slants `mental geography'. =
Or, again, why bother ? No people from Sierra Leone in the US. Oh no?
There used to be a `third world', a `fourth world' and, maybe, =
there's now a `fifth world' of former `third world' and formerly `Soviet =
Third World' countries (like Tadjikistan or Kirghizistan) - who have =
nothing to offer to either the `world system' or any global arms-race =
and are not so much excluded from, as totally forgotten by, the world =
system. Many of those are sinking into ever deeper social and economic =
stasis - if not chaos, without `global' world-opinion either noting or =
caring.=20
So, for example, the EU is potentially willing to offer 250 milion =
to rebuild Kosovo - but who cares (or knows) about, say, Afghanistan. OK =
- half of that country may well be so invested with land-mines as to be =
unusable for the next generation but who cares about the - still 20 =
million - people who happen to live in that heap of cold war-shambles ? =
Afghanistan has played its role on the world-scene, now it may leave =
preferably unnoted and without bothering the rest of the world anymore - =
and, sadly, that applies to perhaps a tenth of the world's population =
which has no role to play in either `world system' or `world opinion' =
anymore. And is assigned to the `carbage-bin of history' as Ronald =
Reagan would have said.
But let me not interrupt the spirited and learned discussion on this =
list on a rich people's war with a note on the `ragged people's wars' =
which are going on everywhere without anybody taking notice. =
Fuzzy-wuzzies killing fuzzy-wuzzies - that's no concern fitting =
`serious' `World-opinion' - whether it be TV or CNN or the internet - is =
it ?=20
Best wishes
(To the discussion)
Dr. R.J. Barendse
r.barendse@worldonline.nl
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<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">J.L.=20
Beatty writes:</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">"The=20
present hostilities in Kosovo are arguably the Internet's =
"first=20
war", much as Vietnam was television's "first war" =
and the=20
Gulf War was the war that saw CNN come of age as a major mass media=20
outlet."</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">Quite=20
true - and an interesting remark ! So, NOT Afghanistan, Somalia,=20
Zaire/Congo, Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan or Kashmir - for =
although=20
all these wars involved as much - if not more - casualties =
than=20
Kossovo they were hardly noted.by either media or internet. =
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">Tells=20
you something about the true extent of `globalisation' does n't it ? =
Without=20
the cold war, to the center - or `first world' - wars in the =
periphery are,=20
well, `peripheral wars'. And about `world opinion' I guess too - =
which=20
means, well, the opinion of - mostly - white males in cities in the =
`first=20
world' to whom people killed in the periphery are, well, deads of =
peripheral=20
interest. </BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">To=20
which the common answer in the US would be - why should WE care for, =
say,=20
Sierra Leone - it's far away anyway. To which the answer would be: =
take a=20
look at the map: what's closer to Florida ? Sierra Leone or Kossovo =
?=20
Strange how economic geography even slants `mental geography'. Or, =
again,=20
why bother ? No people from Sierra Leone in the US. Oh =
no?</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">There=20
used to be a `third world', a `fourth world' and, maybe, there's now =
a=20
`fifth world' of former `third world' and formerly `Soviet Third =
World'=20
countries (like Tadjikistan or Kirghizistan) - who have nothing to =
offer to=20
either the `world system' or any global arms-race and are not so =
much=20
excluded from, as totally forgotten by, the world system. Many of =
those are=20
sinking into ever deeper social and economic stasis - if not chaos, =
without=20
`global' world-opinion either noting or caring. </BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">So,=20
for example, the EU is potentially willing to offer 250 milion to =
rebuild=20
Kosovo - but who cares (or knows) about, say, Afghanistan. OK - half =
of that=20
country may well be so invested with land-mines as to be unusable =
for the=20
next generation but who cares about the - still 20 million - people =
who=20
happen to live in that heap of cold war-shambles ? Afghanistan has =
played=20
its role on the world-scene, now it may leave preferably unnoted and =
without=20
bothering the rest of the world anymore - and, sadly, that applies =
to=20
perhaps a tenth of the world's population which has no role to play =
in=20
either `world system' or `world opinion' anymore. And is assigned to =
the=20
`carbage-bin of history' as Ronald Reagan would have =
said.</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">But=20
let me not interrupt the spirited and learned discussion on this =
list on a=20
rich people's war with a note on the `ragged people's wars' which =
are going=20
on everywhere without anybody taking notice. Fuzzy-wuzzies killing=20
fuzzy-wuzzies - that's no concern fitting `serious' `World-opinion' =
-=20
whether it be TV or CNN or the internet - is it ? </BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">Best=20
wishes</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">(To=20
the discussion)</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px">Dr.=20
R.J. Barendse</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px"><FONT=20
color=3D#000000 size=3D2><A=20
=
href=3D"mailto:r.barendse@worldonline.nl">r.barendse@worldonline.nl</A></=
FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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