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Karl Horberg
Danbury, CT
Recent Activity
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Karl commented on the article |Beyond the general category of "ethnic violence" any comparison between the current situation in Osh and violence in Bosnia or Rwanda is misleading. In Bosnia and Rwanda the violence was state sanctioned. The violence in Kyrgyzstan is a result of a lack of the government's authority in the south. In neither Bosnia nor Rwanda did the ruling government request intervention by a third party. The interim government of Kyrgyzstan has.
@Becca W- You can being by donating money to MSF, UNHCR, and the ICRC. Each organization allows you to earmark which cause you would like your money to go to. You can also contact your elected officials and ask them to pressure the government of Uzbekistan to stop forcibly returning refugees to Kyrgyzstan.
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Karl commented on the article |Couple clarifying points-
Kokand, about 100 miles from Tashkent, was the capital of the short-lived anti-Bolshevik Muslim Provisional Government of Autonomous Turkestan from 1917-1918. So well yes, it is true today that citizens of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan practice a very moderate form of Islam, it has always been home to a particular brand of Islamic nationalism that was never completely snuffed out by the Soviet Union.
The "control by enclaves" narrative is bound to be mentioned in any case of ethnic violence in post-Soviet states. However, it's unlikely for one reason in general and two in particular. First, the USSR was a giant state, spanning 14 time zones and hundreds of ethnic groups. High-ranking Soviet officials probably were involved in more pressing matters than redrawing borders. Second, documentation exists showing an agreement between Kyrgyz and Uzbek officials trading territory in the Fergana Valley. So yes, Soviet officials were involved, but they were local officials, probably more concerned with filling their own pockets than anything else. And finally, Kyrgyzstan shares a border with China, a rival to the USSR. To create conditions for ethnic unrest on territory than shares a border with an unfriendly neighbor would certainly be a disastrous strategy.
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Karl commented on the article |I believe the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been in effect since May 2008. Here's the press release- http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26199&Cr=disab&Cr1=convention
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Karl commented on the article |I'm not certain that it's fair to compare meeting with the Dalai Lama and recognizing genocide. Even if you accept the Chinese government's ludicrous assertion that the Dalai Lama is a dangerous separatist, sitting down with him for a chat is hardly the same as labeling a country as a perpetrator of genocide.
As far as the tantrum only lasting one or two news cycles, I don't see that happening. Turkey recalled their ambassador after the bill passed committee. A full vote hasn't been even taken yet and Turkey's moving towards ending diplomatic relations with the US. That's a pretty big step. As far as I know China never recalled their ambassador after Obama agreed to meet with the Dalai Lama.
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Karl commented on the article |When you say Scahill had three sources do you mean that the high-ranking anonymous intelligence official was actually three people or that there was one anonymous source and two named sources? If it's the first case then I don't think the article makes that clear at all. If it's the second case then I still think it's fair to say that the foundation of the article rests on a single anonymous source. Certainly the most shocking parts come from that person.
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Karl commented on the article |Not a conflict map, but useful, comprehensive and awesome- http://freedom.indiemaps.com/
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Karl commented on the article |Not to be difficult, but the link in the 3rd paragraph and the link in the 4th paragraph are identical. Is there a link to the study?
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Karl commented on the article |I would generally agree, but I would amend to say that, for lack of a better word, laziness is the cause of evil rather than selfishness.
I don't mean the laziness that comes with waiting until the night before to start a term paper, but rather the laziness that comes with wanting to expend the absolute least amount of effort to get by. For example- it's easier to blame one religion for financial problems than to enact economic reforms, it's easier to slaughter or forcibly deport one ethnic group than to form a coalition government.
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Karl commented on the article |I submit the Brioni Declaration, which ended the Slovenian Independence War, as an example of a peace agreement without an accountability measure.
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Karl commented on the article |Re: ICC Appeal.
I think you're confusing the leave for appeal with the appeal itself. The Prosecutor had to get permission from the Pre-Trial Chamber to file an appeal. The PTC granted the leave for appeal on June 24th.
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