Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

Artist Peter Fend recently exhibited his work at the Pasadena Community College. His exhibit suggests a geopolitical connection between the Colorado River Basin and the Persian Gulf. He suggests that instead of seeing eachother as enemies, the regions should find commonality in the fact that both regions suffer similar problems. These problems include problems caused by the oil industry and drought. Because of ecological similarities, the 2 regions and should see eachother as allies in solving their shared problems.

Laying out challenges to nationalism and oil-based economies, Fend's work is visionary. It calls for a new perspective on the consitution of power- that polities should be centered around human needs like water and energy, not abstract lines of colonial cartographers. Peter Fend says, "yes, Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Those weapons are called oil. If the oil burried below Iraq is used, it will do more long-term harm to the planet than any weapon Saddam Hussein may have now."

In response to the global crisis, Fend (through his group Ocean-Earth) and others call for bold alternative geopolitical strategy and investigation into alternative technologies instead of proceeding with oil-death policy.

Read two posts on Peter Fend's exhibit; 1/ 2.