Stories written by Augusto Zamora
Augusto Zamora is a professor of International Public Law and International Relations at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (a_zamora_r@terra.es).

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION VS. FANATICISM: NOT THE REAL ISSUE

By Augusto Zamora and - -
What is being attacked in the Muslim reaction to the publication of cartoons of Mohammed is not the freedom of expression but its abuse, writes Augusto Zamora, professor of International Public Law and International Relations at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. In this article, the author states that the vehemence of the reaction cannot be attributed solely to religious feeling. The cartoons seem to have been the last straw after decades of wrongs that have grown increasingly frequent in recent years. Though no one is admitting as much, this vast and populous Muslim region is undergoing a new and intense process of colonialist reoccupation which has turned it into the most fragile area in the world. Though the US and its allies justify the military occupation in the context of the war against terrorism and promoting democracy and human rights, the real motive is winning geopolitical control of the region and its energy resources. It is thus not surprising that terrorism has intensified and that so many Muslims loathe the West. The future course of the Near and Middle East will be determined by the policy the West decides to pursue in the coming months and years. If it persists in its current approach of unrelenting militarism, the number of wrongs will continue to mount and trigger more and more conflicts, which could build into a major war.

THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE

By Augusto Zamora and - -
Few seem willing to question what seems unobjectionable, namely that the US, victor of the Cold War, is now the single global superpower, writes Augusto Zamora, professor of international public law and international relations at the UAM. However, is the US in fact the only pole of power, or does its hegemony rest on an array of circumstantial facts that will disappear in the years to come? the author asks in this article. The danger of today\'s militaristic whirlpool is that to hold onto power the right-wing that rules the US will have to keep the country and the world in a continuous state of war, in the purest Orwellian sense. Europe (and the world) should understand that guaranteeing any more of Washington\'s military imperialism could generate an interminable conflict combining religious fanaticism, 19th century geopolitics, and lite fascism. As Henry Kamen said, \'\'The preservation of the Spanish Empire was due to the general passivity of all other powers.\'\' The same holds true for the hyperpower of the US. But as with Spain its hegemony will be ephemeral. Questioning the heretofore unquestionable power of the US is the price humanity will pay for a safer, multi-polar world.
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