Eric Lee

[This article originally appeared on Engage.]

The worst thing about Jonathan Freedland's article is not the lyrics but the melody.

The article is song-like in its constant repetition of a refrain of “Palestinians say this” followed by “Israelis says that”, paragraph after paragraph, an unending rhythm, beautiful in its simplicity.

But Freedland describes symmetry where there is no symmetry. He equates that which cannot be equated.

Writing from the safety of chilly England, Freedland looks down upon the hot-tempered fools in the Middle East who can't see things as clearly as he does. He can't understand why the residents of Ashkelon, Beersheba and Sderot – and today, all Israelis – are cheering on the IDF. They must all be mad.

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[This article also appears on Harry's Place.]

The battle for Gaza did not begin yesterday. It is one in a long series of battles that stretches back for decades. On this point, both Israelis and Palestinians agree – even if the mass media tends to have a much shorter memory.

This battle is the latest stage of a war that is entirely about whether a Jewish state will be allowed to exist in the land of Israel. On this point, both Hamas leaders and the Israelis are in agreement.

A strong case can be made that this battle is part of the endgame in that war. The decades-long conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors is slowly coming to an end. And Israel has won.

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[This article also appears on the Z-Word Blog.]

Maybe because it's Christmas week, or maybe because the issues are complicated, but there has been a distinctly muted trade union response to the fighting in Gaza.

The International Trade Union Confederation, representing 168 million workers in 311 national affiliates, takes an even-handed approach in its statement, calling for a cease-fire – but blaming Hamas for triggering the current wave of violence and reiterating its support for a two-state solution.

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[This article also appears on Harry's Place.]

Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza has triggered the expected response on the international Left. In a 1,500 strong protest yesterday at the Israeli embassy in London, protestors carried signs referring to the “Holocaust” in Gaza. Emails racing around the net talk of “genocide”. The mainstream media speak of an Israeli “blitz”. Some editorial writer somewhere has surely already used the expression “final solution” to describe what Israel is trying to do.

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Unions are increasingly turning to tools like Facebook. But there is also a growing awareness of the problems with such social networks. Groups and causes one sets up on Facebook do not belong to you. Facebook can, and does, close them down at will. Some union organisers, like Canada's Derek Blackadder, have found that being too energetic in building one's own personal network can get you thrown off Facebook as well.

Still, the idea of a social networking website where one can link up with friends and build groups with little effort is appealing. That's why finding alternatives to Facebook is so important.

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One of the stranger things being said about Barack Obama's election victory is that part of the reason for his success was his use of the Internet.

Obama, we are told, 'got it'. John McCain did not. The young guy was clued in, and old geezer couldn't use a keyboard.

Not only did the pundits say this, but the Obama campaign itself used McCain's inability to send an email in one of its campaign ads. It was a way of saying that McCain was out of touch.

Much has been made of the fact that Obama raised a tremendous amount of money using the Internet, and that his website made use of cutting edge technology – including social networks like Facebook – very effectively.

The danger of all this is that campaigners are going to believe it is true. And my concern is that unions are going to buy into this as well.

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After the cheering has died down, the empty champagne bottles recycled and we awaken to a new day in America, many of us are asking the question: what next?

One doesn't need a crystal ball to predict what Obama will do in his first few months in office. The new Democratic president is going to introduce new legislation, re-order budget priorities, and attempt sweeping change. Top priorities will include grappling with the economic crisis, climate change and health care.

It's important therefore to contrast the first few years of the Roosevelt administration with that of Clinton – and to ask which type of president Obama will be.

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For more than a decade, LabourStart has provided online news for trade unionists. This summer the website underwent a major overhaul most of which was not visible to the casual visitor. But the changes have allowed British trade unionists to see things they could never see before.

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There is an increasing tendency among trade unions to "outsource" certain parts of our websites -- and this is going to cause problems for us even in the short run.

More and more unions are creating groups for themselves on the social networking site Facebook. For example, the NUJ's group on Facebook has over 1,800 members.

Other have taken a keen interest in the online virtual world "Second Life" -- going so far as to create a permanent "Union Island" there. The TUC, Unison, Prospect and Connect are all backing that initiative, which was launched by UNI Global Union.

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Ask people what they think makes for a great union website. Some will say – keep it fresh with loads of new content. Others will add – make it interactive. Add a mailing list. Make sure the site is accessible for disabled people. Use a content management system. Don't use Flash. Do add a search bar.

That's good advice, but in my experience setting up three websites for three different trade unions in London this summer, I think there's one thing often neglected when we talk about the difference between success and failure. I'm talking about training.

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This article appears in Democratiya (number 14).

Russia, it was said, was still reeling from the loss of its empire. It had formally accepted the right of countries like Ukraine to self-determination. But among its leaders, some sought ways to bring the “near abroad” back into the fold. As a result, all the countries on Russia's borders were actively seeking the protection of European powers and America. This, in turn, was interpreted by the Kremlin as a kind of encirclement. Tensions with Poland were running expecially high. And then the Russian army invaded Georgia.

The response of the trade union movement and the democratic Left was swift – universal condemnation of a blatant act of aggression, an obvious attempt to seize control over a country whose independence Russia had recognized. Georgia had no better friend than the international labour movement which stood by its side at a difficult moment.

That was in 1921 – not 2008.

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This article was published in the most recent issue of Solidarity.

The latest issue of Solidarity contains two articles about the American presidential elections, offering two different perspectives with the aim of stimulating debate. That's certainly positive, except for one thing. I can't tell the difference between the two points of view.

In one corner, Malik Miah argues for not voting for Obama and possibly backing Nader or the Greens. In the opposite corner, Sacha Ismail urges socialists to ... not vote for Obama.

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