Research

Qualms Over Baghdad

(continue to next section - an essay about John Perry Barlow)

The case for sanctions against Saddam Hussein's Iraq may seem like a no-brainer; bad man invades small neighboring country, gets caught hoarding weapons of mass destruction, and, come find out, he even tested the arsenal on his own people. Beneath the surface, however, lurks another side to this story.

UN sanctions have killed thousands of innocent civilians and devastated the nation's infrastructure. Yet, they've only strengthened the hold Hussein has on the country. Scott Ritter, the former head of a UN weapons inspection team, has said lifting the embargo is long overdue. There are no weapons of mass destruction left in Iraq, he insists - after all, HE was the one who made sure they were eradicated. Others say we shouldn't give up so easily, thereby capitulating to the likes of Saddam. Which side is right? Browse through these links and decide for yourself.

Web Sources

Title of Web Page: Iraq Action Coalition.
Web address: http://www.leb.net/IAC
Description: Homepage of an anti-sanctions organization. It provides a collection of fact sheets, articles, personal accounts and other information about the Iraq sanctions and allied air attacks. This source is information heavy and well-organized - related essays are grouped under the same link. It is, however, from an advocacy perspective, and so it presents only one side of the debate.
Source of Website: leb.net (a Lebanese organization)

Title of Web Page: Voices in the Wilderness.
Web address: http://www.nonviolence.org/vitw
Description: One of the foremost organizations opposing the sanctions. Voices in the Wilderness provides fact sheets and news on their homepage, which is frequently updated. This is a great site for getting the latest in sanctions-related news, but, like the Iraq Action Coalition, it presents only an activist's point of view.
Source: The Nonviolence Web

Title of Web Page: Iraq: Sanctions - The Silent Weapon
Web address: http://www.iacenter.org/iraq.htm
Description: This site has more agitprop than the other advocacy pages - it contains images of propaganda posters and has oversized headings that look like they came out of a socialist newspaper. But it has some good information, especially on the efforts of the International Action Center, which happens to be the page's sponsor.
Source: International Action Center

Title of Web Page: United Nations Special Commission: UNSCOM
Web address: http://www.un.org/Depts/unscom
Description: The homepage of the UN commission responsible for weapons inspections in Iraq. The site doesn't have much information beyond the skinny on the commission itself, but it's great for information about the inspections straight from the horse's mouth.
Source: The United Nations

Title of Web Page: Saddam Hussein's Iraq
Web address: http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/iraq/iraq99.htm
Description: This is probably the best site advocating a pro-sanctions viewpoint - although that's not saying very much. This page, maintained by the Department of Justice, doesn't probe very deep into the issue. Most of the essays are short and oversimplified, and the visual aids are so dumbed down they're almost meaningless.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice

Other Sources

Center for Defense Information. (1991). “The Aftermath of War with Iraq.” Produced by the Center for Defense Information. Washington: Center for Defense Information.

Katzman, Kenneth. (1998). “Iraq : international support for U.S. policy.” microform. Congressional Research Service. Washington: Library of Congress.

McDaniel, Douglas E. (1992). Economic sanctions: issues raised by the sanctions against Iraq.” Congressional Research Service. Washington : Library of Congress.

Mark, Clyde R. (1992). “Congress and Iraq, 1990.” .microform. Congressional Research Service. Washington : Library of Congress.

“Iraq under siege : the deadly impact of sanctions and war.” Edited by Anthony Arnove ; with essays by Ali Abunimah, et al.. Cambridge, Mass: South End Press.

Revisiting the Iraq Sanctions. The New York Times [Online], 10 paragraphs. Available LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, February 17]. (2001, February 10).

Sanctions Have Their Place. The Gazette (Montreal) [Online], 9 paragraphs. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, February 17].

Osborne, David. (2001, February 9. Britain and US Look for a Way to Hurt Saddam, Not his People. The Independent (London). [Online], 12 paragraphs. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, February 17].

Heinen, Tom. (2001, February 8). Iraq sanctions have failed, former U.N. official says. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [Online], 17 paragraphs. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, February 17].

Wright, Robin. (2001, January 17). Bush May Find his Father's Foe a Formidable Adversary. The Los Angeles Times [Online], 32 paragraphs. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, February 17].

(2001, January 16). Ten Years Later, Time to End the Gulf War. The Seattle Times [Online], 8 paragraphs. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, February 17].

From Altered Consciousness to “Net Consciousness;” a Profile of John Perry Barlow

Growing up on a ranch in Wyoming, John Perry Barlow was anything but the popular image of a computer whiz kid. Yet, he became one of the most influential men in the information revolution when his passion for wide-open spaces took him to the largest one ever conceived - cyberspace (1).

Long before he started down the information superhighway, Barlow entered the counter culture through a variety of different avenues. His first was the American road; he discovered, in the motorcycle, his ticket to high-speed freedom and youthful rebellion. Later, as a lyricist for the Grateful Dead, his trips took on an altogether different quality. Today, Barlow is the voice of Internet autonomy as the co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). His rebellious streak is now serving the rights of “Netizens,” who pledge their allegiance to no one - save their imaginations and the wonders of computer technology (1).

Through his work with the EFF, Barlow has become the Information Revolution's answer to Thomas Jefferson. In 1996, he drafted the “Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace,” in which Barlow responded directly to a threat from the Internet Decency Act. Here, he also prognosticated the future of this medium - describing a cyber world that would no longer acknowledge old “legal concepts” like private property (2).

Since he authored this declaration, Barlow has diversified his efforts into other areas of web development. His resume is beginning to look less like that of a career rebel, and more like that of a business professional, with gigs as a consultant to companies like the Global Business Network (3). Barlow also helped former-Vice President Al Gore hammer out his Infobahn policy, and became the first Grateful Dead lyricist to hitch a ride on Airforce 2 (4).

(1) Gove, Alex. (1998, March). “What Does John Perry Barlow Do?” Red Herring Magazine, v52. 10 paragraphs. Also Available [Online]: Red Herring Communications [Accessed: 15 February, 2001].

(2) Barlow, John Perry. (1996, February, 8). Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace. Electronic Frontier Foundation. Also Available [Online]: Electronic Frontier Foundation [Accessed: 15 February, 2001].

(3) John Perry Barlow. Electronic Frontier Foundation. Available [Online]: Electronic Frontier Foundation [Accessed: 15 February, 2001].

(4) Quittner, Joshua. (1994, June). The Merry Pranksters go to Washington. Wired Magazine, features sec. 8. Also Available [Online]: Wired Digital, Inc. [Accessed: 15 February, 2001].

Web Sources

Title of Web Page: WHAT DOES JOHN PERRY BARLOW DO? - From the March 1998 Issue
Web address: http://www.redherring.com/mag/issue52/bait.html
Description: An article describing what Barlow does when he isn't fighting intrusive government on the Net.
Source of Website: Redherring.com

Title of Web Page: Barlow Home(stead) Page
Web address: http://www.eff.org/~barlow
Description: A wealth of information on Barlow, provided by the man himself.
Source of Website: The Electronic Frontier Foundation

Title of Webpage: Wired 2.06: The Merry Pranksters Go to Washington
Web address: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.06/eff.html?pg=3&topic=
Description: An article about the people behind the EFF.
Source of Website: Wired Magazine