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Debating our debateMarc Schulman's blog on the article I wrote with our Editor Isabel Hilton misses most of the points despite generous quotations - thanks for them. Solana linked to it below. It is far too defensive. A huge debate is finally opening up in the United States about the dangers of the way it is seeking to impose democracy, and it is not 'anti-American' to make these points just because one is not American. As for the leadership of the anti-war demonstrations, I agree. We refer to the exceptional size and genuine character of the popular feeling against President Bush's war of choice. Alas, the leadership of the organisations that called them were there because they opposed the war in Afghanistan. In my view, their sectarianism ensured that there was no popular, or democratic follow-through. There is a good discussion about this in Todd Gitlin's blog at TPM cafe.
October 24, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1) Muslim empireIn his blog, Somali-Norwegian Bill Ainashe shoots down Hazem Saghieh & Saleh Bechir's argument on openDemocracy that the "muslim community" is a European invention. He says the community even "predates the European colonialists" and was the foundation for a Muslim empire that ruled for centuries... October 20, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) A new paradigm for the fight against terror'One of the most surprising political developments since the attacks of Sept.
11. 2001 has been the extent to which the fight against terrorism has divided
the democratic world' writes Fernando Cardoso
former president of But Cardoso has faith. The 'seemingly unbridgeable gulf' between those who wanted to counter terrorism through 'taking the battle to the enemy' and those who 'tended to minimise the threat' is not so unbridgeable after all. It is the Madrid Agenda, Cardoso believes, that may prove to be our golden gate. Continue reading "A new paradigm for the fight against terror" April 7, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) "Arabs out of Iraq"Inflammatory graffiti has begun to appear on the walls of Baghdad saying, "Arabs out of Iraq" and "We back the government - Arabs go home", The Independent (UK) reports. New strict residency rules to detain and expel foreign Arabs, suspected of aiding the insurgency, have triggered both protest and support. Foreign Muslim fighters in Iraq are a familiar story, but the focus on foreign Arabs is new. Targeted groups include Palestinians, Sudanese Arabs, Syrians, Saudis, Egyptians, and even Chechens and Iranians. The LA Times observes: "For those who have lived here for years, the xenophobia is painful. Most Arabs came for work, often with proper papers." For an insight into the difference between an Arab and a Muslim response to the "war on terror", see Dyab Abou Jahjah on The thirty year war on terror, and Fareena Alam on A humane Muslim future. Add your thoughts and read Dyab Abou Jahjah's comments on the distinctions and stereotypes in our forum discussion. March 24, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Thanks for being thereThanks to everyone who held a meeting on democracy and terrorism on Friday, March 11. Please remember to let us know what happened at your meeting and what you spoke about, here. You can also send your comments by email to bill@safe-democracy.org - any length or format is fine. We'll be back soon with more news on the meetings and post-summit reflection. March 14, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Retiro Gardens, Madrid, March 11A little girl rides past on a tricycle clutching a packet of crisps and an old woman wipes tears away and puts her hanky back in her pocket. It is almost silent here but for the clanking of metal on metal as workmen dismantle the stage where the king and mourners had stood. I am sitting on a low wall next to the memorial hill that has been created in memory of all the victims of terrorism. In Retiro gardens, a few minutes from Atocha station, the sun is out and spring is in the air. Continue reading "Retiro Gardens, Madrid, March 11" March 11, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0) Listening to the US Attorney General...I have just come from listening to His Excellency the new Attorney General of the USA, Alberto Gonzales, speaking to a session at the Madrid summit. The difference of tone between him and most other speakers was striking. All our important speakers are emphasising that fundamental principles of the rule of law and human rights must be safeguarded or the terrorists will win. Mr. Gonzalesview is that in the fight against terrorism we must "seize the initiative in a way that is consistent with the rule of law". Rarely can the word consistent have seemed so miserable and diminished. Everyone else I have heard speak at the Summit - look at Kofi Annan's speech for a clear example - has gone out of their way to recognise the long list of terrorist outrages from Bali to Bagdhad that have taken place between September 11 and March 11 - except Alberto Gonzales. The words talk about a global struggle, but the world as it is lived seems not to figure in any felt or human way. He spoke of the need to "fight terrorism and advance freedom so that the world will be more peaceful" but the tone was militaristic, and his conclusion left no room for doubt: "we will not be divided, we will taste victory." It did not leave a particularly democratic taste in my mouth. March 10, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) 11 March meeting: a London debateIf you haven't yet peopled a meeting to discuss democracy and terror on 11 March, and you're in London, how about peopling this one? It's open to all and you don't need a ticket. "Democracy and Terror" A panel debate on the first anniversary of the Madrid bombings to reflect on the human cost of terror and consider a just, democratic response. With Richard Norton-Taylor, Steve Crawshaw, Alex Colas, Marcus Gerhardt, Dominic Hilton, Douglas Murray.
openDemocracy and The Grimshaw Club invite you to join them at LSE, 6-7.30pm. Continue reading "11 March meeting: a London debate" March 10, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Madrid recommendations: internet and democracyJust in: participants in the Madrid Conference on Terrorism, Democracy and Security have drawn up recommendations about the role of the internet in democracy, which you can read here. The document, The Infrastructure of Democracy, states: "truth emerges best in open conversation among people with divergent views". "Terrorism is everyone's issue. The internet connects everyone. A connected citizenry is the best defense against terrorist propaganda." Consider yourself a connected citizen? This is about the part you play. March 10, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) The Madrid Summit - Creative debatesOver the last two days of the Madrid Summit, twenty panel discussions have been running, covering subjects from ‘Stopping the spread of WMDs’ to ‘Terrorism and the travel industry.’I was also there for part of the panel on Democracy, Terrorism and the Open Internet. There were lots more panels, and I was the note-taker on a couple of these: ‘Protecting the Humanitarian Space in the Face of Violence and Terror’ and ‘Women, religion, terror, democracy.’ I’ll tell you a little about the first.
Continue reading "The Madrid Summit - Creative debates" March 10, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Greetings from the Madrid SummitHello people! I am sorry it’s taken me so long to reach you. I have been drawn in to working on the Summit’s panel discussions. Je suis la rapporteur. That means I have to condense 90 minute intense conversations onto a page of A4. Anyway, I have stolen a moment and even managed to fire up my embarrassingly chunky lap-top to spread some Summit news. This is how it all began… Continue reading "Greetings from the Madrid Summit " March 10, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Madrid Summit and democracyWhile we wait for the blogging to start from Madrid, here' a ringing word of encouragement from Policybusters.com in the United States. Hope we meet the challenge: "Whatever the results of the Madrid Summit, Bill Thompson and OpenDemocracy have provided a valuable example of the way such on-line forums can work to challenge future international summits to be more open to real democratic interchange. But in order to build on this experiment in Open Democracy, I hope the members of OpenDemocracy involved in the Summit will take up the democratic challenge of being anthropological participant observers of the micropolitics of the Summit events this week. And I hope all participants will think about what we can learn from what did and did not happen at this Summit to make future international policymaking Summits more truly democratic in both their process and their results--" March 8, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Third ForceNever mind the second coming and the fourth dimension, Nancy Skougor and Paul Hilder are sending out the call for a third force: "We call for the just and peaceful resolution of all conflicts, for the uprooting of fear and want. So, nothing too ambitious then. March 6, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Democracy and Terrorism: the debate continuesNext week a team from openDemocracy will be off to the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security in Madrid - for the past two months we've been running an online debate about the issues raised. and we're asking people around the world to Meet on March 11 and discuss them at home or work with friends, family or colleagues. There has been a fascinating debate about the ways that democracies should respond to terror, and we've seen some brilliant pieces published both on openDemocracy and elsewhere. One really compelling view comes from Judith Large, Senior Programme Advisor on Democracy Building and Conflict Management for
IDEA, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Large has extensive experience in international relations,
political economy and conflict theory/analysis, having run practical
consultancies for the WHO, DFID, UNDP and the British Council in areas such as
East Timor, Bosnia, Indonesia and the Philippines, so her perspective deserves careful consideration. March 4, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) Meet on March 11
If you've been reading your openDemocracy email you know that openDemocracy is supporting this effort by helping people like you and me organise small meetings with friends and colleagues on March 11, the one-year anniversary for the train bombings in Madrid. Here's an open letter from Anthony Barnett explaining why. Kim Campbell is the Secretary General of the Club de Madrid, the group of former world leaders who are organising the Summit. More than 200 of the world's top scholars have been involved so far, and the goal is to come up with constructive and practical proposals for how democracies should deal with terror. OK. But why should we care? And why should you go straight to the meetings website, register your own gathering, and send us your views on the Madrid Agenda? Kim Campbell said, "We want people to take ownership of these ideas." She added that governments are vulnerable to public pressure, and that only an informed citizenry can help push policy that isn't born of fear. "Yes, terrorism presents a problem," she said, "but not one that needs to undermine our democracies." More than 500 people around the world have registered to hold their meetings already, and we've made the meeting packs available in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Italian and English. We want to know what you think - wherever you are - and we want to tell the people who can actually make difference what to do about it. Sign up today. Continue reading "Meet on March 11" March 2, 2005 in Democracy & Terrorism | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) |
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