SUMMARY IN ENGLISH
CONTRA # 4 2008
Contra # 200
This is the 200th issue of Contra magazine. In the mid four pages there
is a short review of the 200 first issues as well as minitaures of all
200 covers.
A socialist in the White House?
by Tommy Hansson
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama have for
twenty years had close contacts with unrepentant members of terrorist
organization Weather Underground, And there are more skeletons in the
cupboard.
Tommy Hansson has studied the background of Obama. In addition to many
doubtful persons in his surroundings he has a very solid leftist vote
record. And his statements do question basic American values. But he is
an eloquent orator (although the contents of his key word ”change”
is really thin). And he has got a very important support from the media
and left-leaning billionaires.
Religions of peace and violence
by C G Holm
Almost all world religions advocates peace and humbleness. With one exception.
Islam has all the time since Mohammad been a religion linked to violence.
Still close to 1400 years after Mohammad this can be noted. There is only
one country with a weapon on its flag – Saudi Arabia. In ten of
the fourteen countries with major armed conflicts (listed by the Stockholm
Peace Research Institute) islam is at least one party in the conflict
(in some there are two moslem parties).
Hinduism shows a great tolerance for dissident thinking, eastern teaching
(confucianism and taoism) are conservative philosophies, much against
military violence to change the existing order, but supportive of military
defence of the existing order. Buddhism and christianity are both religions
where violence is seen as something evil. Islam, on the other hand, sees
violence as an integrated part of the endeavours to make islam a world
dominating religion.
The family and the dictatorship of political corrctness
by Tommy Hansson
In the end of June Tommy Hansson was, as Ambassador for Peace in the Universal
Peace Federation (UPF), invited to a conference in Bad Homburg in Germany.
The conference lasted three days and was part of a series arranged by
UPF under the collective name European Leadership Conferences (ELC). The
purpose of these European conferences is to work for increased understanding
across national, cultural and religious borders, thus contriobuting to
an international peace culture. Tommy Hansson tells more about it.
Realism and idealism in American foreign policy
by Fredrik Runebert
USA has always tried to combine idealism and realism in its foreign policy.
That’s claimed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the most
recent issue of the respected journal Foreign Affairs. In the löng
run the objective is to promote democracy and freedom, but in the short
term other more strategic goals have influenced the policy of the United
States. During certain periods either idealism or realism has dominated
the policy. The Nixon era could be regarded as a period of realism and
the Reagan era as a period of idealism. But even if Ronald Reagan was
one of the more explicitly conservative leaders of America, he also considered
strategic factors. Thus Reagan could make agreements with Gorbachev on
mutual disarmament.
Iran is threatening world peace
After four years as Israeli Ambaasador Eviatar Manor leaves. Mr Manor
has been morer low-key than his predecessor, but now when leaving talks
about Iran as a threat against world peace.
The information society as a threat in modern times
by Stig Daun
If statistics of the average time use of Swedes is correct we daily have
a large intake of violence and misery through television. Every day, all
the year. Year after year. Seldom the effects of this is mentioned in
media, why should they tell the public of their own shortcomings. Which
effects does violence on TV have on the public? And especially on children.
Psychiatrists can tell about it.
Count Hamilton and other Swedes at War
by David Stavenheim
Sweden has not been at war for close to 200 years. In spite of this a lot of Swedes have been involved in wars and armed conflicts, also disregarding UN peacekeeping operations. The book ”Swedes at War 1914–1945” by Lars Gyllenhaal and Lennart Westberg tells a large number of dramatic and curious individual dramas.
