On the road to being just another Marxist hell hole? South African blog It's Almost Supernatural notes that SA was one of the countries, along with Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Cambodia and Zimbabwe, that left their seat at the UN empty when it came time to address the UN's recent condemnation of Holocaust denial: South Africa Fails to Back UN Resolution on Holocaust Denial
Unsurprising. From a yet broader, regional perspective, when Rhodesia became Zimbabwe all manner of principle members of popular and political culture ostentatiously joined in the celebrations, a kind of post-colonial, in excelsius triumphalism over all the regressive, reactionary, declasse, etc. forces in the historical and contemporary West, together with a proud, presumptive, facile vision of the future.
But now, with the brutish, repressive, economically regressive, etc. aspects exemplified in Mugabe's murderous, autocratic regime, where are all the voices and trenchant critiques? Well, there are a few, but they are few indeed. The too recent juxtaposition of events, triumphalism and bravado contrasting with dehumanizing oppression and systematic murder, don't make for Hollywood moralizings in a sound-bite, Bush Derangement Syndrome culture.
I always thought that Japan was never a friend of Israel. It has tons of business interests in the Arab world and is very dependent on Arab oil. It's possible, too, that the Japanese might find it awkward to support the resolution while being so stingy with apologies to China, Korea, etc. for its own WW2 crimes.
Joanne,
Have heard from some people ( have no way of corroborating their tales) that there are plenty of places off the "tourist trail" where non-Japanese are persona non grata. Hotels and restaurants for example.
Unfortunately it seems our common wisdom about that people "lost something in translation"!
There is a group of Japanese who have an affinity for Israel and even have their own Kibbutz but they seem to be an exception.
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Unsurprising. From a yet broader, regional perspective, when Rhodesia became Zimbabwe all manner of principle members of popular and political culture ostentatiously joined in the celebrations, a kind of post-colonial, in excelsius triumphalism over all the regressive, reactionary, declasse, etc. forces in the historical and contemporary West, together with a proud, presumptive, facile vision of the future.
But now, with the brutish, repressive, economically regressive, etc. aspects exemplified in Mugabe's murderous, autocratic regime, where are all the voices and trenchant critiques? Well, there are a few, but they are few indeed. The too recent juxtaposition of events, triumphalism and bravado contrasting with dehumanizing oppression and systematic murder, don't make for Hollywood moralizings in a sound-bite, Bush Derangement Syndrome culture.
(Also at Normblog, a note on Nick Cohen.)
Did I read correctly that Japan did not support the UN resolution? What is going on with that?
I always thought that Japan was never a friend of Israel. It has tons of business interests in the Arab world and is very dependent on Arab oil. It's possible, too, that the Japanese might find it awkward to support the resolution while being so stingy with apologies to China, Korea, etc. for its own WW2 crimes.
Joanne,
Have heard from some people ( have no way of corroborating their tales) that there are plenty of places off the "tourist trail" where non-Japanese are persona non grata. Hotels and restaurants for example.
Unfortunately it seems our common wisdom about that people "lost something in translation"!
There is a group of Japanese who have an affinity for Israel and even have their own Kibbutz but they seem to be an exception.