Wednesday February 15, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Triumvere's past comments

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TriumvereDec. 06, 2011 - 10:18AM JST

a horrible fiat experiment that hampers economic growth and redistributes wealth from goods producing countries to none producers.

Say what now?

Germany, industrial powerhouse, has been the chief beneficiary of the Euro, allowing it to export its goods much easier than it would have been otherwise.

Posted in: Merkel, Sarkozy say EU treaty needed to save euro
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TriumvereDec. 06, 2011 - 03:05AM JST

idiots

Posted in: Speeding blamed for pileup involving 8 Ferraris, 1 Lamborghini
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TriumvereDec. 04, 2011 - 07:18AM JST

Interestingly, we may see an aliance between the Muslim Brotherhood (~30%) and the liberals (~20%) against the Salafists (~20%). (Numbers based on current projections.)

Posted in: Egypt Brotherhood says it won't impose Islamic values
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TriumvereDec. 03, 2011 - 10:58AM JST

...and now the three-ring circus is complete.

Posted in: Trump to moderate Republican presidential debate
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TriumvereDec. 02, 2011 - 12:54PM JST

....

I see what you did there.

Posted in: Fine bodywork
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 12:54PM JST

I would say a healthy does of apprehension would not be out of line.

Conceded. (I may indeed be too optimistic for my own good.) However, I put to you the same question I put to WilliB: How would you have had us act otherwise?

Posted in: Islamists claim lead in Egypt vote count
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 12:50PM JST

WilliB,

What would you have Obama done, exactly? Should he have shored up Mubarak? Not taken part in the Lybia conflict? Should we try to save Assad from his impending doom?

I don't see any other way forward for the region than the one that was taken, to be honest. At best you might have been able to prop up a few autocrats for a couple of years, supporting a status quo which was bad for us and bad for them - the root cause of terrorism & extremism in my esitmation - only to be on the wrong side of history when the whole thing inevitably came crashing down. I don't see how that would help anyone.

Islam itself, I would argue, has long been coopted by discontented groups looking for a weapon. Political change offers a new (and potentially more effective) avenue where were previously only extremism and terrorism. Perhaps Islam will be allowed to grow in new directions now. Iliberal democracy dominated by Islamists may be the price we have to pay for that in the short term, but I am optimistic about the long term potential.

Posted in: Islamists claim lead in Egypt vote count
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 11:34AM JST

A follow-up:

That is not to say we shouldn't be apprehensive about Islamist parties or Shariah base law. Certainly, these developments are considerably more worring from a human rights perspective than, say, would have developments based on humanism and liberal democratic principles. What I object to, however, is the idea that Islamic influence automatically translates into human rights abuses and that continued despotism would have been superior.

So, basically. keep your eye on the post-revolution Middle East, but don't write it off yet. (Also, be prepared for set backs, trade-offs, and slow progress. Remember: we are in this for the long haul.)

Posted in: Islamists claim lead in Egypt vote count
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 11:23AM JST

WilliB,

You consistantly refuse to believe that "Shariah" is open to interpretation, despite copious evidence to the contrary. Egypt's pre-revolution laws were proportedly "based on Shariah." Lybia's new gov't wants laws to be based on "Shariah," but is open to certain forms of interest which are techically banned in the Koran. The Koran, much like the Bible, is full of internal inconsitancies and, in practice, open interpretation and cherry-picking. And many of the more unplesant practices often assosciated with Islamic law often turn out to be tribal practices that have no basis in the Koran.

The point is, you do not know what "Shariah" based law will ultimately look like in these countries.

Posted in: Islamists claim lead in Egypt vote count
1

TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 09:55AM JST

Where are the posters who were claiming it was all paranoia when fears of this have been raised in the past? I hope the Islamists remember to thank President Obama for all his help.

Islamic parties across the middle east are benefiting from the arab spring, tis true. But that "Islamism" does not automatically make one a terrorist. Many of these parties are described as "moderate" and have pledged to respect plauralism, and the rights of minorities. Hell, even the Muslim Brotherhood seems to have mellowed out quite a bit. Yet posters like WilliB would have you believe this is some sort of triumph for Al Qaeda + Friends.

This is a necessary step. The previous authoritarianism which whas the root cause of so much of the Middle East (and thus the world's) problems (including terrorism) could not continue. Perhaps now the these parties, the region, and even Islam itself can evolve in a positive direction.

Posted in: Islamists claim lead in Egypt vote count
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 08:28AM JST

As for Korean movies, the majority are awful and drag on forever. Koreans never learned to edit their dramas and movies properly.

Huh. Lot of highly regarded films have come out of Korea in the last few years (certainly many more than from Japan). I suppose you feel these do not accurately represent the majority of films...

Posted in: Korean drama backlash
1

TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 08:03AM JST

Piracy,

I'm sorry if my post was offensive. I interperated your original post to indicate you thought that believing the Iranian government was behind the embassy take-over to be foolish - a position I, in turn, felt was foolish. Thus the tone of the post, which was perhaps ill considered.

I in no way meant to indicate you were a proponant of the Iranian government. Likewise, I doubt there are many here that truly want war with Iran, despite the occasionaly belicose language on display.

Yuri, Still not sure where we are in disagreement... it is possible, I believe, to expel and ambassador, but to still retain a low level diplomatic pressence at an embassy. I'm not sure if Iran originally ordered out the entire British delegation or just the ambassador. Clearly, after the crisis, the entire British delegation has been evacuated. In any case (whether the siege was orchastrated or not), Iran's failure to protect the embassy was deemed grounds to expel the Iranian delegation from Britian.

This closed the Embassy (stopping all services) and sending home the staff.

Are you refering here to the original Iranian gov't decision to expel British diplomats, the seige of the embassy, or Britian's decision to send the Iranian diplomats home in response?

Posted in: Britain evacuates embassy staff from Iran
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 03:52AM JST

They are upset over foreign television programming?

Man, these people are going to soil themselves when population decline and the comming financial crisis wrench the borders open.

Posted in: Korean drama backlash
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 02:11AM JST

I'm not sure I grasp your objection, Yuri. I was simply pointing out that the British ambassador was already in the process of being formally expelled when the incident occured.

Posted in: Britain evacuates embassy staff from Iran
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 01:26AM JST

The British ambassador was not expelled per say, but rather forced to flee so I should think this would not be cause for any action against the Iranian Ambassador in London.

Actually, the Iranians had already made the decision to expell the ambassador prior to this fiasco: he (she?) had been given two weeks to leave.

Posted in: Britain evacuates embassy staff from Iran
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 12:49AM JST

So will the UK shut down the Iranian embassy in London and order them to leave the country?

It's customary to expel the ambassador of a country that has done the same to yours. Whether the whole embassy will go or not...

Posted in: Britain evacuates embassy staff from Iran
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 12:47AM JST

The biggest question about Tuesday's attack is the degree of regime complicity in organizing the event. In the past, similar demonstrations at the U.K. embassy have mostly been organized by the Basij, a paramilitary youth organization overseen by the Revolutionary Guards. Flags, posters, and even placards with slogans have been handed out to attendees at some previous demonstrations. A statement issued by a student group claiming to represent the protesters on Tuesday said that the demonstration was “spontaneous” and did not have ties to any official bodies. And the foreign ministry issued a statement expressing regret about the attacks.

But there are signs of official endorsement even if there's not clear evidence yet of official complicity: conservative parliamentarian Hamid Rasai was among the crowds today. And shortly after the embassy attack, Mahmoud Ahmadibiqesh, a member of the Parliament's national-security committee, told the Khabar Online website, “England was under the illusion that they could defeat our revolution with their actions. But thank god, the brave action of the students in capturing the English den of spies showed them that they are deluded.” For some, there's already plenty of evidence of government involvement in Tuesday's attack. “This action was completely coordinated from the top. It started with the actions in Parliament,” says Haghighatjoo. “The intention was to send a message to England that if you put pressure on us, we're not going to back down.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/11/29/iranian-riots-at-british-embassy-portend-troubling-isolationism.html

Not conclusive proof, mind you, but good evidence that this event being backed by the gov't is not merely possible, but has a pretty good chance of being true (and not just some far out theory).

Posted in: Britain evacuates embassy staff from Iran
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 12:26AM JST

And you easily believe what sounds nicest to you rather than accept what might be true.

Right back at you.

You are acting like Iran doesn't do stuff like this all the time: set up rallies, pay protesters to attent, use the Basij to forment conflict and then pretend that the gov't doesn't have a hand in it. Hell, that is what the Basij exist for. This isn't some sort of coked-out tinfoil-hat fantasy. It's entirely consistant with Iran's past behavior.

Yet because you don't like the political implications...

Posted in: Britain evacuates embassy staff from Iran
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TriumvereDec. 01, 2011 - 12:19AM JST

Well, there is certainly precident.

Posted in: Prince Akishino says there needs to be discussion on retirement age for emperor
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TriumvereNov. 30, 2011 - 10:36PM JST

Britain hits at Iran financially, and who suffers? The ordinary people. Is it such a surprise the ordinary people might do this in reaction? Does it have to be a conspiracy? I see Iranian police in the pictures. I see a lot of them in fact. Looks like they are doing their job to me. Is it hard to believe they got overwhelmed by failing to predict how serious the riot would be? Is it easier to believe the conspiracy theory? Really? If I were going to go with a conspiracy theory it would be the simple fact that the press has been bucking for war with Iran for years now, and an event like this will get spun. Consider the allegation of world outrage.

You are incredibly naïve.

Posted in: Britain evacuates embassy staff from Iran