Staatsräson

GPM # 73 “It’s the economy, stupid.” In search of US presidential campaign slogans summing up what concerned voters, this was the catchiest Bill Clinton strategist Jim Carville came up with, back in 1992. “Change vs. more of the same” and “Don’t forget health care” were much less memorable. Thirty-two years and eight presidential campaigns later, another pressing issue is on the minds of those who’d likely vote for Kamala Harris, if she gets on the right page — an arms embargo on Israel, and a US-enforced halt to the Gaza genocide. The GPM spoke about the Harris campaign and Israel-USA’s ongoing Gaza genocide with Medea Benjamin, co-founder and tireless guerilla activist with the American feminist antiwar group, CODEPINK. Listen to our conversation in today’s podcast. Click on the play button above or go here. Gaza (Tasnim News Agency) Here’s another slogan – ‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine Shall be Free’. Sounds righteous, no? Calling for freedom … or an end to non-freedom? According to allies and advocates of the ‘Jewish State’ of Israel, this popular slogan is horridly antisemitic – a vulgar rallying cry for racial hatred and genocide. In the Federal Republic of Germany, shouting out this phrase can land you a stiff fine, or get your fired. Earlier this month, a Berlin court slapped a 600 Euro fine (about 600 US dollars) on a young German-Iranian woman for shouting out this two-phrase declaration at a Berlin rally, four days after Hamas’ assault on southern Israel. Bad timing. According to a court spokesperson, the slogan “could only be understood as a denial of Israel’s right to exist.” All the more reprehensible, Judge Birgit Balzer sniffed, given Germany’s responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust, and its sacred obligation to be perpetually penitent. Staatsräson, it’s called. Reason of state. To learn more about Staatsräson — and the hazards of calling for Palestinian liberation in Germany, especially if you’re a person of colour — the GPM reached out to Wieland Hoban, Chairman of Germany’s Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East — Jüdische Stimme. Listen to our conversation in today’s podcast. Click on the play button above or go here. Listen to our complete conversation here:   Konrad Adenauer, architect of Staatsräson And … Shout out about to another Harbinger Media Network podcast you might be interested in — Cyborg Goddess: a Feminist Tech Podcast. Host Jennifer Jill Fellows interviews researchers about the effects of technology. From bicycles to vibrators, birth control to fitbits, social media to chatGPT, Cyborg Goddess unpacks it all from a feminist intersectional lens. Check them out here.