[World Affairs] Pulling Out of Iraq

Tony Blair is back in the news, and for once it's not about his impending exit as Prime Minister. This time he's rocked the world with the announcement of his exit plain for British forces in Iraq.

Of course this isn't just driven by Prince Harry serving in Iraq but of course long-term clamour from British citizens to pull out their forces from the controversial war.

The staggered withdrawal proposed by Tony Blair will involve cutting down 1,500 troops in the coming months to have troop levels below 5,000 by the end of the year. It's a rather strong statement given the recent US troop surge which sends a somewhat opposing message, coupled with other members of the coalition of the willing slowly announcing their own withdrawal plans. More and more the US is being left to its own devices in order to "finish" what they've started in Iraq, whatever that will mean in the long run.

It's an interesting move on Blair's part - given his previous statements which have always been highly in favor of US foreign policy initiatives, this move one not immediately expected from Blair. Perhaps it's a way for him to end his term on a more "positive" note for British citizens so he won't simply go down in memory as Bush's lap dog or something to that effect.

Related Links:

• globeandmail.com: Who's in Iraq
  
• Reuters: Britain to cut Iraq troop levels by quarter
  
• TIME Magazine: Tony Blair's Exit Strategy
  
• TIME Magazine: Blair and McCain: A Double Blow to Bush

Photo linked from Flickr user tmaiduongthi's photosteam.

[Pink News] European Developments

Gay rights are definitely making headlines in Europe these days, and it's at opposite ends of the spectrum though.

As a follow-up to my previous post about the UK gay adoption issue. As promised, Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced his decision regarding whether or not Catholic adoption agencies could become exempt from the new Equality Act. It's definitely an interesting way of skirting the issue, in a manner of speaking.

What he's decreed is that Catholic agencies will not be given exemptions, which helps reinforce the relevance of the Equality Act in addressing concerns related to discrimination. However, he has provided a 21 month period for preparation to give everyone time to do whatever it is they need to do before full implementation. Many see this as a way to take advantage of the experience these agencies have prior to them closing out entirely should they decide to stick to their guns and stop supporting adoptions in the country given the conflict with their beliefs.

I felt this was an interesting compromise to things and just goes to show how slick these British lawmakers can be.

On the other end of Europe (which some might argue to be part of Asia already) the mayor of Moscow has vowed to prevent a gay rights parade from taking place in the capital, calling such activities 'satanic' given his views and those of some religious groups like the Orthodox Church.

Of course gay rights groups are protesting the decision, which is merely a repeat of previous pronouncement made in 2006 regarding this same issue, and have sworn to take this issue up with the Strasbourg court.

Gay rights are always a difficult issue to address given how varied opinions are and what a strong role religion plays in this particular debate. While I'm glad for the limited successes we've had here and there, there's always some form of discrimination happening elsewhere in the world that reminds us just how much more needs to be done.

Related Links:

• BBC News: No exemption from gay rights law
  
• BBC News: Moscow bans 'satanic' gay parade

[Pink News] The UK Gay Adoption Issue

Currently on the discussion table over in the U.K. is the Equality Act 2006 not because people are necessarily concerned with being equal but more along the lines of what such legislation means. The Act, which takes effect in Englad, Wales and Scotland this April, outlaws discrimination in terms of providing services, goods or facilities based on sexual orientation.

An offshoot of this measure is the provison that gay couples will be allowed to adopt as well, a sweeping item that will force all Catholic agencies to allow for these adoptions as well.

And that's where the pickle is.

Of course the Catholic Church is asking for an exemption from this Act on the basis that complying would violate their beliefs on the subject of recogizing homosexual unions. Even the Church of England supports them on this particular issue.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has committed to release a final decision next week on whether or not the exemption is to be allowed. In the meantime, the lines are being drawn in the coming debate on whether or not the Catholic Church has any basis for requesting this concession.

The best quote I've read so far comes from Harriet Harman, the Constitutional Affairs Minister coming from the Labour Party. She stated,

You can either be against discrimination or you can allow for it. You can't be a little bit against discrimination

Powerful stuff.

Related Link:

• BBC NEWS: Adoption decision 'due next week'

[World Affairs] Blair's Long Goodbye

Back in high school I was pretty active in the school debating team. It was my time amongst the debaters that I learned to appreciate current events and when I started the habit of keeping up-to-date on all the latest and greatest news around the world. More often than not, I always found foreign news to be more interesting than the worst of our scandals back here. I'm not trying to sound overly third world-ish here - it's juat at times I feel our concerns are so petty compared to the issues being tackled elsewhere.

I've always been a big fan of Tony Blair, mainly because of his wit and ability to truly carry and argument. I think that's something England has managed to keep consistent in their leaders - usually they're pretty powerful speakers that always manage to command the attention of a room and soon manage to gain the respect of many as well.



Yesterday Mr. Blair addressed the Manchester conference for the last time as Prime Minister. Given the recent calls for him to step down, he had previously mentioned his willingness to end his term soon enough. Beyond those vague statement, yesterday's speech marked his "official" exit from the party, although his actually leaving the position of Prime Minister is something that is set to happen at a to-be-determined date within the next few months.

While his actions post-9/11 were not his best, in my opinion, given his choice to play the role of the US government's strongest ally with practically blind loyalty at times, he still managed to make me pause whenever he took to the stage to make known his views. I doubt there will be many individuals who can possibly manage his speaking skills; then again there's no point in even trying. Each leader strikes his own path and leaves his own mark on the political world.

I can only begin to wonder how things will be after his time.

For some of the more notable points from his speech, feel free to visit the BBC news excerpts page by following the link.