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2000 deadFor lack of a real person finds it surprising that only 64% voted against the ban on gun sales in Brazil, and suggests that with 36,000 annual gun deaths in Brazil, Americans should stop complaining about their 2000 Iraq war dead. Huh? Why? Here are photos from the 2000 too many peace protest in New York's Times Square the day before yesterday. The NY Times has a chilling online interactive feature with the faces, names and ages of the (mostly) young men who died. How's this for perspective instead? At least 26,732 Iraqi civilians dead, according to Iraq Body Count. October 29, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Bombs don't kill peopleoD friend, Hossein Derakhshan says in today's Guardian (UK), that the world should worry more about whether Iran has a democratic government than whether it has nuclear weapons. "Beware the bomber, not the bomb," goes the headline - reminds me of the old mantra of the US National Rifle Association, "Guns don't kill people, people do". I suppose a country has the right to defend itself, but don't tell me nuclear bombs don't kill people. Hossein's argument is more thoughtful than that, take a look. September 27, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Foreign aid for AmericaI pledged to send some money to victims of Katrina the other day, and was surprised to receive a few emails and comments from friends and family who had consciously decided not to donate because they felt the US should help itself - or rather - learn to help its poor instead of wasting all their resources making a mess of Iraq. I think it's bizarrely optimistic to expect anything good to come out of not sending food, soap and water to desperate people. Or maybe I should call it cynicism. Strange, that intense anger and frustration over the images on TV should cause people to do nothing instead of something. Well. The US has received official offers of aid from 95 countries in the past weeks (about a billion dollars worth), and judging by this transcript from the foreign press briefing at the US Department of State yesterday there is no lack of cynicism with regard to the offers or the responses to them. Fidel Castro offered 1,500 doctors only weeks after snubbing a US offer of US$50,000 aid to help with hurricane Dennis in Cuba. Iran offered 20 million barrels of oil, but only on the condition that America lifted sanctions against the country. Is it too late to make my offer conditional on better behaviour of the Bush administration? September 8, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) 23 July: Downing Street Memo 3rd anniversary
At least eight events will be hosted by or participated in by members of Congress. The office of Congressman Conyers in Detroit has organised a further 105 house parties through their website. In London, on Downing Street itself (2pm) a group of activists will perform a recreation of the Downing Street Memo as a Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Check out the cool map, and see if there is an event near you. Continue reading "23 July: Downing Street Memo 3rd anniversary" July 15, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Help: Iran's leading dissident is dyingWe've been covering this over in Iran Scan 1384. Journalist and human rights champion Akbar Ganji is on hunger strike in an Iranian prison, and his supporters seriously fear for his life. There's been some coverage in the Western press - mostly thanks to the New York Sun's Eli Lake (an Iran Scan contributor) who even seems to have managed to provoke comment in support of Ganji by President Bush. Activists are rallying together at the Release Ganji! campaign. And today I received a phone call from Human Rights First asking me to post this link: Click Here to Take Action. Please click on it, and visit Iran Scan for more links. Sign a petition, write a letter, and spread the word. It will make a difference. Today, we also received this article with the latest statement from Ganji's lawyer Shirin Ebadi. *** By Veronique Mistiaen Iran's most prominent jailed dissident, journalist Akbar Ganji has now been on hunger strike for more than month in Tehran's Evin prison, and his life is in danger. Ganji's lawyer, Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize winner 2003, expressed grave concerns over his state of health and urged people around the world to publicize his plight and call for his release. Continue reading "Help: Iran's leading dissident is dying" July 15, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Under attack in EthiopiaThis report from Addis Ababa on recent brutality in the Ethiopian capital "done in the name of democracy" came in late yesterday through Glenn Brigaldino (an oD reader and writer). It has been posted elsewhere too but Glenn wanted to make sure the report and its call for international attention reached oD's democracy-minded readership. Yesterday (June 10,2005), the brutal security forces of the TPLF arrested a lot of people who are suspected of being supporters of the opposition parties. The security forces arrested these young men by breaking into selected houses of those who had supported or organized people to support the CUD and UEDF (Coalition for Unity and Democracy and United Ethiopian Democratic Forces). A lot of people are missing in Addis Ababa these days and most of the arrests are carried out at night by cutting off electric light in the areas selected for the mission... Continue reading "Under attack in Ethiopia" June 15, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) Sisters doing it in the Middle EastThis week I've happened on a few articles about women in the Middle East that are worth sharing. I wish more of it were good news. But I definitely get the feeling things are getting shook up a little. Call me an optimist. There is still a long way to go. First, the news of Iranian women busting into a stadium in Tehran for a pre-qualification game for the World Cup in spite of a stupid ban on women attending sporting events in Iran. Keep an eye on Iran Scan 1384 for more about the role of women in their upcoming election. Second, a brave Saudi legislator, Mohamed al-Zolfa put forward a proposal on lifting the driving ban for women in Saudi Arabia. If you can't chain women's legs, at least you can chain their wheels. The proposal has not been welcomed by the men in power. Then there was this article from Egypt about several hundreds of men and women coming together to protest a sexual assault that happened on a small group of women in plain, daylight view of the police.
"Overnight we have become national symbols," said one of the women, a lawyer, who was "groped" in the attack. Finally, depressing news about the dangers women still face in Afghanistan. A female television host of a popular music programme was shot in her own home after receiving numerous death threats. And this woman's "shelter" in Kabul reportedly beats women if they try to escape. Check out Amnesty International's new report on the systemic failure to protect women in Afghanistan. June 11, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) On the Crisis of Being FrenchMuch has been written of the political and emotional state of a nation ahead of Sunday's referendum on the EU constitution. Called by President Chirac, the French referendum is being touted as the deciding vote on the future of the EU, and looks like backfiring on the government. With the "non" vote gaining the ascendence through an unholy alliance of far left, far right and dissident gaullists, Krzysztof Bobinski writes on the injustice of such French self-importance for the rest of Europe, and the cowardice of the British in relying upon it. Johannes Willms argues that the debate in France reveals a nation torn, and exposes deep-seated fears over national identity, whilst Frank Vibert urges the French to do us all a favour and ditch a constitutional "turkey". The BBC's correspondent in Paris John Simpson says the result is too close to call, but that its clearly touched a nerve in the ongoing debate on national life. The BBC also offers a breakdown of arguments for and against here. There is a lot of talk about identity, but the French crisis must be about more than a threat to baguettes non? Europe news offers a selection of reports from all over the world, whilst European Democracy has some interesting discussions of the implications union-wide. May 25, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0) Darth Vader and the NeoconsI hope I'm not giving away too much of the plot, but there's one scene in the new Star Wars film where Darth Vadar says, "If you're not with me; you are my enemy" and Jedi Master Obe Wan Kenobi responds that only Siths (bad guys) "deal in absolutes" and proceeds to (try to) kill him with his light saber. The dialogue in the movie is so construed, I couldn't help wonder whether it was subsversive nod to Bush's mantra on good and evil. Apparently others are making similar connections. Laura Rozen from War & Piece invites her readers to chuckle at an opinion piece by Ami Eden at The Forward that asks whether Darth Vader was the Galaxy's original Neoconservative. May 22, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Taiwan a pawn in Pope's pursuit of ChinaThe NY Times today reports thawing relations between the new Pope and the Chinese government. Eager to help persecuted Chinese Catholics and of course expand the market of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI has signalled willingness to sever Vatican ties with Taiwan in order to make buddies with China. Getting Taiwan struck from the lists of international organisations helps confirm China's argument that Taiwan is not a real country but a breakaway province. Witness the battle over Taiwan's status in the World Health Organisation (particularly heated during the SARS crisis in 2003). May 22, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Religious candidates triumph in Saudi electionsA young Saudi blogger, Ahmed, on his experience of the first (municipal) elections in Saudi Arabia in 30 years in Global Voices. He describes how campaign posters bore the only non-blurred pictures of human faces seen on Saudi streets (usually pictures of people are banned by religious decree). Only 7 could be elected from 646 candidates; women were not allowed to vote; and a group of hardline Islamic candidates (the "Golden List") dominated the results. Still Ahmed says: "I was proud to be a part of this historical event". Let's hope it marks the beginning of something better. There seems to be a lot of disappointment going around about the Islamists winning so big, but what are you supposed to do when a democratic election elects non-democratic candidates? Geoff Mulgan in the FT this weekend reviews a few books that explore this question. May 3, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Women face constitutional setback in JapanJapan is having its own dillemas about how to ammend the constitution. Women's eNews has a great article about a national "family values" debate has sprung up around a proposal to revise Article 24 of Japan's 1946 constitution, which today guarantees the equal rights of women in marriage and divorce. "Because there is a problem with low birth rate in Japan, the LDP [Liberal Democratic Party] thinks that by creating a system where women stay at home, they will have more children," says Mamiko Ueno, author and professor of constitutional law at Chuo University, who is interviewed in the article. But the most contentious constitutional change proposed is in Article 9 which currently limits Japan's military activities to self-defence. May 3, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Sudan in children's drawings
Thanks to Global Voices for the link. May 2, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Chinese blogs on anti-Japan protestsOfficial Chinese media were not allowed to report on recent anti-Japan protests in Shanghai, and the word 'march' has even been censored on popular Chinese instant messaging software. But the blogs have churned out account upon eye-witness account of the protests - some patriotic and proud, some more critical. Read the Global Voices summary of blog views from China. On openDemocracy, Isabel Hilton explains where the tension stems from. April 25, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Bolton: There's no such thing as the UNJust when we were getting used to the bizarre idea of Paul Wolfowitz as president of the World Bank, Citizens for Global Solutions remind us it's last chance to oppose the nomination of John Bolton for American UN Ambassador. It's one of those internal US decisions, which could become a real headache for the whole world. Democracy Arsenal offers top ten reasons why Bolton should not be named. And here are some of the interesting comments Bolton has made throughout his career:
I'm not sure this counts as constructive criticism. And it doesn't smell like diplomacy either. But not everyone thinks it's a bad idea. Doug Bandow from the Cato Institute says Bolton is right man for the job, and says he was surprised at how measured Bolton was in a chapter of a Cato book they both contributed to: "He did not call for closing the U.N. offices, dismantling the building, and deporting the diplomats," he says. So maybe we're lucky after all. On Obsedian Wings, a very thorough overview of who is for and against Bolton's nomination in Washington. "If [Bolton detractors] spent similar amounts of time and energy exposing the crimes and mismanagement at the UN, such as written about here and here and here, perhaps there'd be a new Secretary General by now and the UN would be in a better place," goes the argument. April 9, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) New report: Arab world is democratic "black hole"The third Arab Human Development Report was released this week after three months delay, allegedly due to American and Egyptian objections to the report's criticism of the war in Iraq and the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank (download it here). The report is on freedom and governance in the Arab world and is written by Arab scholars. It is certain to cause fury among Arab leaders too. It calls for immediate reform of "black hole" dictatorships, and comes down hard on US policies that tolerate authoritarian governments for the sake of regional stability. The UNDP has been nervous about publishing under its own name. The World Bank says: "Despite much criticism of the US in the report, the authors backed international efforts to promote democracy in the region, describing them as potentially the most pragmatic way to sustain momentum for change." One could only wish America's commitment to democracy extended so far as to accept criticism from the people who live with the results of it's policies. Sadly, it seems unlikely the region will speed towards democracy before the publication of the next and fourth report in 2006 on empowerment of Arab women. (Thanks to Daniel Makar in Sweden for emailing me about the report) April 8, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Saddam TV-torturedIn an innovative form of punishment, Saddam Hussein's jailkeepers specifically asked to have a colour TV placed in his cell so he could watch a video recording of the election of the new Iraqi president. April 7, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) 21st century papacy: gerontocracy or democracy?"The Pope is many things, but one of them is the last emperor." Slugger O'Toole picks up a piece from The Irish Times today. "The Roman Empire still haunts the church's structures of authority, with the Pope as Caesar and the Conclave as the Senate." Fintan O'Toole asks, "Can [the Catholic Church] lay the ghost of the Roman imperium and become something other than a male gerontocracy?" In our online debate about democracy and the Catholic Church, Bridget Mary Meehan offers a feminist, participative, egalitarian alternative to the closed Conclave at the Vatican. "Women-Church Convergence announces an open conclave in cyberspace so that the entire community of faith may make their views known about important issues in the church’s life. Visit us at www.women-churchconvergence.org/conclave." Dorothea McEwan adds:
Contribute your ideas and resources to the debate. April 5, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Searching the PopeJohn Paul II is headlining everywhere this week. Even the Arab media have been leading on the story, say the New York Times. Online, the most thorough posthumous account of the Pope's life is found on Wikipedia. Lord knows how many people helped edit and write the entry. One of the Top 40 articles that making the rounds in the 'blogosphere' (see Outside the Beltway) is by Christopher Hitchens on Slate, "Papal Power: John Paul II's other legacy". For all the official apologies the Pope made over the years (...anti-semitism, mafia relations, etc), Hitchens reminds us of the Pope's failure to act quickly on sexual child abuse in the Church. Conservative bloggers like Michelle Malkin and John Henke were quick to dismiss posthumous criticism of the Pope as distasteful ("nekro-heckling"), but readers in both these blogs defended Hitchens' argument. Would things have been different with a democratically elected leader of the Church? Probably not so long as the terms last a lifetime. Some great discussion in openDemocracy's forums going on... April 4, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Democracy in the Catholic Church: is it time?For the world’s one billion Catholics and for the non-Catholics who watch, the passing of Pope John Paul 11 will be an historic moment. Few Popes have been more enmeshed in the politics of their time or have had as much impact both on the Church and on the wider world. But as the Church mourns Karol Wojtyla, the first Polish Pope, the Catholic Church must elect the first Pope of the 21st century. At openDemocracy, we believe the issue of democracy is one of the most important that the Church must confront as it enters the third millennium. Who owns the Church, who should govern it, how should they be chosen and by whom? Within the Church itself there is a recognition that democracy and governance are the new battleground. But how far can democracy go in an institution that still does not admit women to power? Should the Pope be elected by all the faithful instead of by the Cardinals? Or should the Vatican itself be cut down to size? And if the Catholic Church must grapple with this challenge, what about the world’s other faiths? As the Cardinals enter their conclave in Rome to choose the next Pope we shall be debating these fundamental issues on openDemocracy.net. We hope you will join us. April 1, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Galloping horses at World BankThe United States has 17% of the share capital and 100% of the power when it comes to appointing the new head of the World Bank. Not everyone is wild about this situation, as Alex Wilks recently reported for openDemocracy. Take the FT. In an online poll of 30 March, 80% of Financial Times readers opposed the appointment of Paul Wolfowitz, the Bush administration's candidate (sample size 5711 at 9pm GMT). Oh those wild and crazy senior accountants and chief financial officers! Still, Wolfowitz is considered a shoo-in when the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors meets today in Washington. And to mark the event, "race fans" are holding a photo finish one horse race at 10am local time outside the Bank's HQ. This will be re-creation of the process that led to Wolfowitz’s enthronement, says Soren Ambrose of New Voices on Globalization. "Neigh-Sayers" deplore the small field, Ambrose adds. There will be NO BETTING. But just because there’s only one horse in the race doesn’t mean no one else wins. Consolation prizes go to several countries for being good sports and accepting Wolfowitz despite their distaste for the man. March 31, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) An unexpectedly short and easy revolutionA vivid and exciting eye-witness account of the revolution in Kyrgyzstan on March 24th by Elnura Osmonalieva from Thinking-East. Protestors stormed the White House in Bishkek and ousted the president. This is how it started:
You need to see the historic photos Elnura Osmonalieva took throughout the day too:
We'll soon find out who gets to sit in the president's chair from now on... This last photo is the view from his office. x March 29, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Sudan gov behind aid worker killings?From American Prospect Online:
Tomorrow, March 30, the U.N. Security Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution that would authorize an international court to investigate and prosecute the mass murder in Darfur. Human Rights First is campaigning on the issue. March 29, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Turn grandma into a diamondYou'd think it was a hoax, but for a modest price a company named LifeGem will make you a real diamond out of the cremated remains of your loved ones, human or animal. They extract the carbon from the ashes to make the diamond, and give you back the rest to bury or place on the mantel. "How many LifeGems can be made from one individual?" is just one of the FAQs on LifeGem's website. The answer is over 100, which is very convenient if the whole family wants one. Natural diamonds take millions of years to create, but LifeGem's "diamond presses" can speed the process up to a few months. It's not just for bereaved Americans. LifeGems are made in Australia, Canada, England, Hungary and The Netherlands too. Imagine what the price of a celebrity diamond would be... Any bids on a Princess Diana diamond? Would anyone like to pre-order Solana Larsen earrings? Of course, if I decided to turn myself into diamonds, I couldn't use this other service from the Alcor Life Extension Foundation. These guys will freeze your body until the technology exists to bring you back to life. It's a lot more expensive, but a shot at eternal life might be worth it... Must think more about that before my 99th birthday. Human remains are eternally political. Check out the openDemocracy article, "The Afterlife of Bodies" by Ken Worpole from about a year ago. March 28, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) UK immigration: melting pots and tossed saladsThe issue is no longer whether multiculturalism is a good thing, it seems, but what sort of multiculturalism is best. On the Today programme this morning, Keith Vaz, former Europe minister, and professor John Kay, economist, turned to cooking metaphors. So, fondue or salad? Or both? Perhaps our debate The Strange Career of Multiculturalism can help with the words and theories, the tastes and smells. And if you're after models for migration, check out People Flow. March 24, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Asian critique of UN Human Rights CommissionThere's up-to-date information on the unrests in Nepal and Kyrgyzstan on the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) website. The ACHR weekly Review discusses human rights and the UN critically from an Asian perspective. Send them an email if you would like to receive it. Here's a snippet from the article on Kyrgyzstan:
March 23, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Kyrgyzstan riotsIn Kyrgyzstan protestors are so furious, it's the police who are being beaten to death on the streets. Political unrest in this Central Asian country of 5 million people, is getting scant coverage in the international press, but openDemocracy staffer Ben Paarmann is keeping tabs on the tense situation in his blog. Ben worked for the International Foundation for Election Systems in Krygyzstan briefly in 2004, and is an editor of thinking-east.net a website by young academics about North Africa, Near and Middle East and Central Asia. David Hayes contributes this link: Stakes rise in Kyrgyzstan uprising March 21, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Blood shed at Somali peace talksPeace is some way off if even the negotiators can't resist beating each other with sticks and metal chairs. Here are the photos from the meeting yesterday. Last year we published a great article on the signing of the 14th peace agreement in Somalia in 14 years, by openDemocracy friend Harun Hassan. Seems like not much has changed since then: Somalia: Exit into history? March 18, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) St. Patricks Day politicsPresident Bush celebrated St. Patrick's Day yesterday by receiving the five sisters of IRA-murder victim Robert McCarthy for a visit at the White House. If you haven't read Robin Wilson's super background on the story on openDemocracy yet, have a look. For the past decade Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams has been the customary guest of honour for St. Patrick's Day celebrations in America. Not this year. The IRA has silenced all the witnesses in the brutal murder of McCarthy, and allegedly offered simply to shoot the killers to end the fuss. The sisters seek truth and justice for their brother, and have become front figures in what has developed into a campaign to put an end to the IRA. As Polizero blogger Bob Morris puts it,"The McCartney sisters are now playing on a very big chess board, with some of the players no doubt caring little personally about them or their brother." Is America falling out of love with the IRA? It is, if the American Ireland Fund dinner last night is any indication. Calls to disband the IRA by US politicians have been renewed. But Gerry Adams is still on the charm offensive here, and here, and warned that forcing the IRA to close shop in "a humiliating fashion" could end up leading to a more radical replacement. March 18, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) Who will be the next World Bank president?Here is a very interesting blog that keeps track of all the news rumours circulating about who will be the next World Bank president. The blog author, Alex Wilks, has counted 35 candidates so far. The most unlikely, I think, is rockstar activist, Bono from U2. But that hasn't stopped the LA Times nor The Times Online (UK) from backing him ahead of messrs Wolfowitz and Wolfensohn. Visit: www.worldbankpresident.org March 16, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) How to become an American quickIf you really want to be an American, there's a way to earn your passport. Don a gun, risk your life, wear a US uniform, and you might get lucky like the 50 immigrants who are going to be sworn in at a military neutralisation service at the George Bush Presidential Library in Texas on March 11. They come from Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and they will all become US citizens by the end of the day. Washington Foreign Press Center say in an advisory email:
Your application for US citizenship gets fast-tracked once you join the military. And ironically, it becomes an "automatic honour" if you are unfortunate enough to die. March 3, 2005 in News related | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) |
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