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The news is slow in Europe today. Or, more likely, I am so used to the daily dish of killing and get killed, starving and get starved and double-crossing and getting duped, I am by now too weary to write about that. Today’s round-up will bring us to Venezuela, Iran, Iraq and Berlin.

Let’s start with The Independent. Johann Hari points to one remark Ingrid Betancourt made, shortly after being freed. Among the people she thanked for her liberation was – Hugo Chavez.

As Ingrid Betancourt emerged after six-and-a-half years – sunken and shrivelled but radiant with courage – one of the first people she thanked was Hugo Chavez. What? If you follow the news coverage, you have been told that the Venezuelan President supports the Farc thugs who have been holding her hostage. He paid them $300m to keep killing and to buy uranium for a dirty bomb, in a rare break from dismantling democracy at home and dealing drugs. So how can this moment of dissonance be explained? Yes: you have been lied to – about one of the most exciting and original experiments in economic redistribution and direct democracy anywhere on earth. And the reason is crude: crude oil. The ability of democracy and freedom to spread to poor countries may depend on whether we can unscramble these propaganda fictions. (read more)

You will find in this story, if you care to read on, that 59 percent of Venzuelans are quite happy with their democracy. Compare that to the US.

Look at The Guardian. Simon Tisdall reminds us, that the focused propaganda we hear about Iran and their nuclear program leaves out many political developments in a very complex country:

Yet as often in the past, unfavourable estimations of Iranian intent fail to take into account the fierce, contradictory political forces at work in one of the world’s least reported, least understood major countries. As Iran’s domestic problems including high unemployment, inflation and corruption intensify, and as next year’s presidential election comes into contentious focus, battles for control and influence are raging on several fronts. (read more)

One thing is for certain, any military strike against Iran will strengthen President Ahmadinejad. People tend to rally behind their leadership in times of war. Why should the Iranians’ reaction be different to the 2004 Presidential election in the US?

Even The Times deserves a closer look. There must be a timetable for US withdrawal from Iraq! Says who? Well, the Iraqi Prime Minister:

[…] the Shia prime minister who last week boasted he had crushed terrorism in Iraq, suggested it was time to start setting timelines. “The current trend is to reach an agreement on a memorandum of understanding either for the departure of the forces or a memorandum of understanding to put a timetable on their withdrawal,” said Mr al-Maliki during a visit to the United Arab Emirates. He rejected efforts by Mr Bush to hurry through an agreement on vital issues such as the immunity of US troops in Iraq and use of the country’s airspace.

And, there’s more. Not only the major oil companies won’t have the free access to Iraqi oil, they have dreamed of, or were promised, there may not be immunity for US troops either:

Mahmoud Othman, an independent Kurdish MP, said the issue of immunity for US forces had become a particularly sensitive subject for Iraqis.

“We have suffered so much from immunity. Immunity equals committing crimes, that’s what we have seen these five years. …In the name of immunity they have killed people, committed crimes, they have their own prisons, they captured Iraqis. We can’t continue like this,” he said. (read more)

I doubt this is what Bush, Cheney and their cronies had in mind when they brought democracy to Iraq. The Iraqis doing a Chavez and keeping the good stuff for themselves.

Barack Obama will be in Germany on July 24th, it seems. But will he speak at the Brandenburger Tor? Not likely, says Der Spiegel:

However, the source, who asked not to be named, was reserved about the prospects of Obama holding a speech before the Brandenburg Gate.”

“The Brandenburg Gate is the most famous and history-rich site in Germany,” the Chancellery source said. In the past, the location has only been used on very special occasions for political speeches by world leaders. And it has been reserved for use only by elected American presidents, not candidates. The decision on whether the Democrat can speak at the location ultimately lies with the Berlin state government. Chancellery officials are concerned that the Brandenburg Gate could be turned into an “arbitrary stage” that other campaigns could also seek to use in the future.(read more)

Germans are huge fans of Barack Obama, they would overwhelmingly vote for him if they could. Honestly, McCain is no match for him in our view. We feel as much as Americans do, the need for politicians who are able to solve the problems of our modern age. And we do feel Obama is the closest we can get there. You can count on our continued interest.

Have a good start into another week. Stay healthy and safe!