Only Nigerians can change nation's destiny By: Simon Ebegbulem, March 2, 2009 The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Renee Sanders, declared this weekend, that it was only Nigerians that could change their destinies and not any foreigner, urging the youths of the country to be ìrisk takers,î so as to ensure that the nation is free of corruption, improve democracy and open elections that would provide the best enabling environment for the development and well being of all Nigerians. http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/29954/44/
Zimbabwe: Civil society groups to independently monitor unity deal By: Lance Guma, SWRadio Africa, March 2, 2009 Civil society organizations met in Harare on 25th February and agreed to form an independent Civil Society Monitoring Mechanism which will look at the implementation of the unity deal that created the current coalition government. Concerns were raised that the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC), created under the September power sharing deal, is composed of politicians from the 3 political parties and has proved ineffective as a monitoring tool. http://www.swradioafrica.com/news020309/civilsoc020309.htm
Zimbabwe activist freed on bail By: BBC, March 2, 2009 Prominent Zimbabwean human rights activist Jestina Mukoko has been freed after three months in custody. But Zimbabwean journalist Brian Hungwe told the BBC she remains in hospital, where she had been under police guard. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7919369.stm
Zimbabwe: Arrests test Zimbabwe unity goverment By: Mxolisi Ncube, WPR, March 2, 2009 Zimbabwe's national unity government got off to a bad start last month, raising doubts about its ability to usher in political stability and economic revival in the country. Most worrying is the infighting within President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, where hardliners led by the country's joint chiefs of staff appear to be opposed to the deal brokered by the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) last year. http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=3376
Zimbabwe: WOZA activist Jenni Williams faces trial Thursday, March 5 By: Bryna Subherwal, Amnesty International, March 1, 2009 Jenni Williams, founder and activist in the human rights organization Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) faces trial next week for her role in a protest on October 16, 2008. Jenni was arrested and detained for ìdisturbing the peaceî even though the protest was a peaceful demonstration demanding that the government provide necessary food aid. Police used excessive force to break up the peaceful protest of over 200 people, and Jenni was arbitrarily arrested with Magodonga Mahlangu, another WOZA activist. http://blog.amnestyusa.org/iar/woza-activist-jenni-williams-faces-trial-thursday-march-5/
AMERICAS
United States: Mass civil disobedience on global warming Monday By: One World, March 2, 2009 Thousands of protestors will stage an act of mass civil disobedience at the coal-fired Capitol Power Plant in Washington, DC Monday, in what may be the highest profile act of civil disobedience on climate change in the United States. http://us.oneworld.net/article/360542-global-warming-protest-to-take-place-dc
Clashes in Nicaragua show Sandinistas control the streets By: Tim Rogers, CSM, March 2, 2009 The increasing intolerance and polarization that has defined Nicaraguan society for the past two years under President Daniel Ortega's Government of Reconciliation and National Unity was again evident on Saturday, as pro-government Sandinista supporters clashed violently with opposition groups protesting last year's alleged electoral fraud and what they say is the return to dictatorship in Nicaragua. http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0302/p90s01-woam.html
Gandhi's (few) possessions go up for auction in New York By: Benjamin Sarlin, The Daily Beast, March 1, 2009 The Indian government is protesting the auction of some of Gandhi's possessions, including his trademark glasses. The Daily Beast talked to collector James Otis, who is selling the items, about how he hoped the auction would promote nonviolence rather than court controversy. The Indian government is in an uproar over an auction this week in New York where some of Mahatma Gandhi's few personal possessions will be sold off, including his famous spectacles, sandals, and pocket watch, as well as eating utensils and the results of a blood test he once took. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-03-01/ghandis-few-possessions-go-up-for-auction-in-new-york/
Protest against sheriff's immigration policy heats up By: Tony Arranga, ABC Phoenix, March 1, 2009 Tensions rose between two large groups of protesters in downtown Phoenix on Saturday afternoon. At issue, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's stand on immigration and his policy to detain undocumented immigrants. http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/story/Protest-against-Sheriffs-immigration-policy-heats/Vyv7DAtHPEm7MOXPV9zIew.cspx
Unites States: Activists incensed after fatal shooting by police By: Global Voices, Bernardo Parrella, February 28, 2009 Several people recorded mobile phone videos of a police officer shooting and killing a young man named Oscar Grant on a subway BART train station in Oakland, California, around 2 am on January 1, 2009. Grant was shot lying face down on the ground in the Fruitvale station platform, after BART transport police intervened in a scuffle inside a crowded train car, with people returning home after New Year's Eve celebrations. Citizen videos and blogs have been central in the ensuing campaigns for justice. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/02/28/usa-activists-incensed-after-fatal-shooting-by-police/
Cuban activists arrested after restaurant sit-ins By: Uncommon Sense, February 27, 2009 One of the major fronts in the opposition to the Castro dictatorship is an ongoing campaign to have the Cuban peso, a practically worthless currency used to pay most workers, have the same value as the convervetible currency (CUC), which has a more exclusive circulation but is all that is accepted at the better stores and restaurants. Lead by the Federation of Latin American Rural Women (FLAMUR), the "With The Same Currency" campaign is a grassroots effort to break the economic apartheid of the Cuban people. http://marcmasferrer.typepad.com/uncommon_sense/2009/02/cuban-activists-arrested-after-restaurant-sitins.html
United States: Activists march in Austin for immigrant rights By: Brandi Grissom, El Paso Times, February 26, 2009 Lawmakers should shun mean-spirited proposals meant to make life in Texas harder for immigrants, said about a dozen El Paso human rights activists who trekked to the Capitol on Thursday. http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_11794061
Tibetan exiles: 'We shall overcome' By: Amy Yee, The Nation, February 26, 2009 When Everett Gendler, an 80-year-old rabbi from New England, asks the class of Tibetans to describe what the word "power" means to them, the students hesitate at first. But as they go around the circle, they warm to the task and come up with some telling responses. Power means "something frightening," says one young woman in soft English. Power means "bad or evil"; it means "violence" and "someone who monitors things," some other students offer. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090316/yee
Coal versus civil disobedience at Power Shift ë09? By: Red, Green and Blue, February 26, 2009 Is civil disobedience a viable green strategy? First, let me say that Iím a fan of civil disobedience in general. Iíve studied my Gandhi and my King, and am usually staunchly pro anything that shakes up the status quo and causes people enough discomfort to look at themselves. http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/26/whither-the-spotted-owl-and-what-does-that-have-to-do-with-powershift-09/
Peace communities under attack in Colombia By: One World, US, February 26, 2009 Colombian civilians who refuse to take part in the country's decades-long conflict are being attacked by guerrilla groups, paramilitaries, and the Colombian security forces for maintaining their stance as "communities in resistance." http://us.oneworld.net/article/360519-colombian-civilians-punished-refraining-conflict
Venezuela's determined voice of dissent By: Juan Forero, Washington Post, February 25, 2009 Days after President Hugo Ch·vez won a referendum to eliminate term limits, Congressman Juan JosÈ Molina stood up in the National Assembly and called the victory "a major fraud" made possible by weak institutions and a populace manipulated by an omnipresent government. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/24/AR2009022403721.html
ASIA/SOUTH ASIA
Digital photography giving voice to Nepal's Dalits By: Oneworld.net, March 3, 2009 Thirteen members of the historically marginalized Dalit community in Nepal are harnessing the power of digital media to document their people's struggles and work for social justice. The photographers include "teachers, students, soap opera stars, activists, and journalists who want to show the world the inequality and need for social change in their country," writes the Washington-based Advocacy Project, a human rights organization fostering social change around the world. http://tv.oneworld.net/2009/03/03/digital-photography-giving-voice-to-nepals-dalits/
India: People's manifestos presented to politicians By: Rajender Singh Negi, OneWorld, March 2, 2009 As India readies to elect a new government in April-May, civil society organisations have thrown up a tough challenge before all political parties and candidates. For the first time in the countryís electoral history, people have spelled out their priorities and areas of concern. With the next general elections drawing closer to elect a new federal government in India, the first 100 peopleís manifestos were released yesterday in the national capital to be presented before political parties and candidates vying for those seats. http://us.oneworld.net/article/360594-india-peoples-manifestoes-presented-politicians
India: Students to boycott classes in Kashmir against presence of army By: Fayaz Wani, News Blaze, March 1, 2009 The people of Bomai in North Kashmir, where two youth were shot dead by Indian army personnel on February 21, have said that the students of the area won't attend the classes till Indian army vacate occupation of the educational institutions. The residents said that scores of educational institutions in the area are presently under the occupation of the Indian army and para-military personnel. http://newsblaze.com/story/20090301121721kash.nb/topstory.html
Tibetan monks protest in restive West China By: Reuters, March 1, 2009 Tibetan monks in a restive area of western China took to the streets calling for more religious freedom after they were banned from holding a traditional New Year's prayer ceremony on Sunday, activists said. About 50 monks demonstrated outside the Sey Monastery in an ethnic Tibetan part of Sichuan province that was roiled by violent protests last year and where a monk set himself on fire on Friday, the Students for a Free Tibet group said. http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-38272820090301
China: Volunteers put The Economist into Chinese By: Andrew Baio, NY Times, March 1, 2009 Every day, Chinese fans produce unauthorized translations of Western pop culture products and put them online, like subtitled episodes of ìHeroesî or the final Harry Potter novel. But a group calling itself the Eco Team has picked a more cerebral target: the British newsweekly The Economist. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/business/media/02economist.html?_r=2&ref=world
Cambodia/Myanmar: Human rights activists barred from ASEAN meeting By: Jim Gomez, AP, February 28, 2009 Prominent activists from military-ruled Myanmar and Cambodia were barred Saturday from a meeting with Southeast Asian leaders, upstaging the opening of a summit billed as a historic step toward greater human rights in the region. http://www.topix.net/content/ap/2009/02/human-rights-activists-barred-from-asean-meeting-2
More protests flare for Pakistan's Sharif By: Jane Perlez, IHT, February 27, 2009 Protests against a court order barring a former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, from holding office continued in major Pakistani cities Friday, and legislators from his party gathered outside the locked provincial assembly in Lahore vowing to stand by their leader. http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/27/mideast/pakistan.php?WT.mc_id=newsalert
Tibetan monk shot by Chinese police after setting himself on fire By: China Digital Times, Paulina Hartano, February 27, 2009 During the Monlam prayer festival of the Tibetan New Year, a monk set himself on fire and was then shot at Kirti monastery in Aba County, an ethnic Tibetan area of Sichuan province. It is not known whether he is alive or dead. From Telegraph: Pro-Tibet activists in London and Hong Kong reported that the monk, called Tabe and said to be in his twenties, walked out of Kirti monastery, an important seat of worship in a majority Tibetan area of Sichuan province, at around 1pm. He was carrying a hand-drawn Tibetan flag carrying a picture of the Dalai Lama. http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2009/02/tibetan-monk-shot-by-chinese-police-after-setting-himself-on-fire/
Burma releases 24 of 2,100 political prisoners By: One World, February 26, 2009 Some 24 political prisoners were among the 6,000 detainees freed by the Burmese military regime this week, but thousands of political prisoners remain behind bars in the country. http://us.oneworld.net/article/360539-24-political-prisoners-released-burma
CENTRAL ASIA
Azerbaijan: Popular website back ó minus forum By: Simon Maghakyan, February 28, 2009 After several days of closure, the popular semi-independent Azerbaijani news and discussion website, Day.az, is back. However, raising additional questions about its brief disappearance, the site's forum ó known for its open and somewhat democratic discussion ó is not. The day after Day.az was closed, user Zaur at Web Designers Blog commented on the importance of the forum. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/02/28/azerbaijan-popular-website-back-minus-forum/
Azerbaijan seeking justice for Khojaly massacre By: RFERL, February 27, 2009 The Azerbaijani government said it is still trying to bring to justice those responsible for the events of the Khojaly massacre, as the 17th anniversary was marked on February 26. Khojaly is a small Azerbaijani town in which hundreds of people, including many civilians, were killed by ethnic Armenian forces on February 25-26 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1992. http://www.rferl.org/content/Azerbaijan_Seeking_Justice_For_Khojaly_Massacre_/1500606.html
Uzbekistan: Russian and international organizations are defending the arrested activist By: Sergey Naumov, Ferghana, February 27, 2009 In the beginning of March of 2009 there will be a trial over the head of Amu Darya basin inspection of Uzbekistan State biological control, Makset Kosbergenov. We already reported that Makset was arrested in the mid-December, 2008 and accused of receiving bribes in the amount of two million sum ($1300) in cash and ìfishî value. http://enews.ferghana.ru/article.php?id=2509
EUROPE
Armenia: Opposition supporters remember 2008 violence in Yerevan By: Gayane Abrahamyan, Eurasianet, March 2, 2009 Shouting "Punish the March 1 criminals," supporters of former president Levon Ter-Petrosian gathered March 1 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of clashes between security forces and opposition protestors that left at least 10 individuals dead. http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav030209a.shtml
Belarus: Action in solidarity with political prisoners dispersed near Lukashenkaís administration By: Charter 97, March 2, 2009 Activists of the ìYoung Frontî stood near the building of the administration with a banner ìNo to Political Terrorî.Officers of protection service of Lukashenkaís Administration came out to the participants of the picket and ordered to stop it. The ìYoung Frontî member answered according with the Constitution, they had a right for free expression. http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2009/3/2/15678/
Belarusian activists want to remove Soviet-era monuments By: RFERL, February 28, 2009 A group of Belarusian public activists in Minsk say they have petitioned the presidential administration to dismantle hundreds of Soviet-era monuments and replace them with others dedicated to famous figures in Belarusian history. http://www.rferl.org/content/Belarusian_Activists_Want_To_Remove_Soviet_Era_Monuments/1500823.html
Ukraine: Kyiv entrepreneurs, doctors to protest against mayor's activities on Thursday By: Kyiv Post, February 25, 2009 Entrepreneurs and doctors are to erect a protest camp on February 26 outside the city administration to protest against violations of law they claim were committed by Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky. http://www.kyivpost.com/city/36206
Prominent Uzbek human rights activist detained By: RFERL, February 24, 2009 Human rights activist and journalist Dilmurod Sayyid has been taken into custody in Tashkent on suspicion of extortion, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reported. Sayyid is an outspoken critic of human rights violations in Uzbekistan and has been under pressure from officials since 2005, when he sharply criticized the country's rights situation in an article in the "Advokat-press" newspaper. http://www.rferl.org/Content/Prominent_Uzbek_Human_Rights_Activist_Arrested/1498349.html
MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA
Hollywood delegation visits Iran, Iran demands apology for three decades of insults By: MEMRI, March 2, 2009 In response to the visit, Javad Shamaghdari, art advisor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called on senior Iranian filmmakers not to meet with the Hollywood group, until they apologized for insulting the Iranian people and the Islamic Revolution and for issuing lies in films such as "300," "Not Without My Daughter," and, recently, "The Wrestler." He said, "Cinema officials will only have the right to have official sessions with... Hollywood movie makers when [the latter] apologize to the Iranians for their 30 years of insults and slanders." He added that Iran would believe U.S. President Barack Obama's promise of change if it was expressed in an official apology from Hollywood. Read full article... http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD226709
Iran: Former Miss North Dakota, journalist, arrested in Iran for buying bottle of wine, says her father By: Dave Kolpack, Huffington Post, March 1, 2009 A U.S. journalist has been arrested in Iran, and her father said Sunday she told him in a brief phone call she was detained after buying a bottle of wine. Roxana Saberi, 31, has not been heard from since her last call on Feb. 10, her father, Reza, told The Associated Press on Sunday. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/01/roxana-saberi-us-journali_n_170915.html
Egypt: Lawyers continue protest By: Yasmine Saleh, Daily News Egypt, March 1, 2009 Lawyers vowed to continue their sit-in inside the Lawyersí Syndicate throughout this week in protest at a new draft law that would increase lawsuit fees 10-fold. http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=20088
Iran: Labor activist arrested By: IHRV, March 2, 2009 On Monday, Rahim Boostagh, one of the members of the management group of Haft Tape Kesht and Saníat Union, was arrested after he had been summoned to the News Headquarters of the Intelligence Office. This member of the Haft Tape Kesht & Saníat Union is spending a second day in detention while the fate of this labor activist is unknown after he was transferred to the News Headquarters of the Intelligence Ministry. http://www.ihrv.org/inf/?p=1935
Iran: A new wave of suppression at the University of Shiraz By: IHRV, March 2, 2009 A new wave of suppression at the University of Shiraz has been marked by the issuance of a suspension from studies verdict for Kazem Rezayee for the duration of 12 months. The disciplinary committee of the University of Shiraz has issued a new verdict for the students who were summoned to this committee for their participation in the gatherings of the 4th, 5th, and 9th of January. http://www.ihrv.org/inf/?p=1937
Western Sahara: Polisario marches for independence By: Alfred de Montesquiou, MSNBC, February 27, 2009 Hundreds of troops paraded in the desert Friday with tanks, artillery guns, and automatic rifles to step up their call for independence for Western Sahara. The show of force by the Polisario Front commemorated the 33rd anniversary of the declaration of the Saharawi Republic by the Polisario, a rebel movement that rejects Morocco's annexation of the territory. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29430210/
Civil resistance looming in Bahrain By: Saeed Shehabi, The Muslim News, February 27, 2009 The small island of Bahrain has more political burden than it can shoulder. The recent images of the political upheaval there carry striking resemblance to the images of stone-throwing youth in the Palestinian territories, only to be pursued by the Israeli soldiers using live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas. http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=3953
Targeting Israel with boycotts, divestment, sanctions, and prosecutions By: Stephan Lindeman, After Downing Street, February 26, 2009 Enough is enough. After 61 years of Palestinian slaughter, displacement, occupation, oppression, and international dismissiveness and complicity, global action is essential. Israel must be held accountable. World leaders won't do it, so grassroots movements must lead the way. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/40238
On Hizbullah TV: Iranian Attorney-General Qorban Ali Najaf-Abadi explains the different types of executions By: Memri, February 26, 2009 Qorban 'Ali Najaf-Abadi: "Chopping off the hands of thieves is very rare. Cases of qisas [executions in retaliation for murder] are more common. Qisas is the individual prerogative of the victim's family, and the government does not intervene in this matter. http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD226309
Iran: Report about mass student protest against forced burring of martyrs in Amirkabir University By: IHRV, February 26, 2009 On Monday, after a week of opposition, the remains of a number of war martyrs were buried in the presence of a large gathering by security and militia forces amid protests by students. The ceremonies were conducted with the intervention of university security forces who refused to allow entry by some members of the universityís Islamic Society inside the campus. http://www.ihrv.org/inf/?p=1926
Algeria: UN Western Sahara envoy holds talks with Polisario By: Jillian York, Global Voices, February 22, 2009 Yesterday, Christopher Ross, the UN Special Envoy to the disputed Western Sahara, arrived in Algeria to hold talks with the Polisario Front, according to AFP. Daily Maghreb reported on the meeting, stating: Ross was in a ìlistening positionî while meeting Morocco's Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri and senior officials of the royal consultative council for Saharan affairs (CORCAS), an informed source said. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/02/22/maghreb-un-western-sahara-envoy-holds-talks-with-polisario/
IN PAST NEWS
Kenya: Online activist, Ory Okolloh By: This Way Up, February 19, 2009 Ory Okolloh, is one of Africaís most powerful online activists and legal minds. Born into a poor family who could barely afford to pay her school feeís she graduated from Harvard Law School Kenya to found Mzalendo.com ñ a ëwatchblogí that demands accountability from Kenyan MPís by monitoring what they do, writes Geraldine Royds. http://www.thiswayupezine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=645&Itemid=100
'Turning pain to power' in war-torn Congo By: One World, February 18, 2009 A five-city 'Turning Pain to Power Tour' led by women's rights activist Eve Ensler and Congolese Dr. Denis Mukwege seeks to mobilize resources for the estimated 500,000 women raped over the last decade in the Democratic Republic of Congo. http://us.oneworld.net/article/360322-rampant-sexual-violence-continues-congo
BOOK REVIEWS
Mexico Unconquered: Reviewing a people's history of power and revolt By: Benjamin Dangl, Truth Out, February 27, 2009 Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world, calls Mexico home, as do millions of impoverished citizens. From Spanish colonization to today's state and corporate repression, "Mexico Unconquered: Chronicles of Power and Revolt," by John Gibler, is written from the street barricades, against the Slims of the world, and alongside "the underdogs and rebels" of an unconquered country. The book offers a gripping account of the ongoing attempts to colonize Mexico, and the hopeful grassroots movements that have resisted this conquest. http://www.truthout.org/022709C
ARTICLES AND REPORTS OF INTEREST
How development leads to democracy-What we know about modernization By: Ronald Inglehart and Christian Welzel, Foreign Affairs, March/April 2009 Summary: Democratic institutions cannot be set up easily; they are likely to emerge only when certain social and cultural conditions exist. But economic development and modernization push those conditions in the right direction and make democracy increasingly likely. Ronald Inglehart is Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan and Director of the World Values Survey. Christian Welzel is Professor of Political Science at Jacobs University Bremen, in Germany. They are the co-authors of Modernization, Cultural Change, and Democracy. http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20090301faessay88204/ronald-inglehart-christian-welzel/how-development-leads-to-democracy.html
Rewriting the narrative: An integrated strategy for counterradicalization By: Washington Institute, March 2009 With the Middle East having emerged as a focal point of American foreign policymaking, a complex array of regional issues now compete for the urgent attention of our nation's leaders. In preparation for the first presidential succession of the twenty-first century, The Washington Institute assembled three independent Presidential Task Forces. Each is composed of its own bipartisan, blue-ribbon group of experts and practitioners, and each charged with addressing a discrete issue high on the Middle East policy agenda. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC04.php?CID=311
Empowering women By: Karin Maria SvanÂ, Open Democracy, February 27, 2009 We are used to hearing of women as victims. How can women be empowered instead of victimized? How can women gain the right to be seen as full individuals? During this ISFiT Plenary Session, Nobel Peace Prize Laurate Dr. Shirin Ebadi engaged the audience in her fight for equality between men and women. Part of openDemocracy's blog by participants at the International Student Festival in Trondheim http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/email/empowering-women
Freedom of speech vs. freedom from humiliation By: Karin Maria SvanÂ, Open Democracy, February 27, 2009 Should there be a limit to free speech? If so, what limits should there be and at what point? Who should exercise these limits? And who has the right to define when humiliation has occurred? These were the issues discussed in this very emotionally engaging plenary session. http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/email/freedom-of-speech-vs-freedom-from-humiliation
Collective interview: What was the beauty of people power in the first-ever Edsa uprising? By: PhilStar, February 26, 2009 C.B. Fundales, Bulacan: Its beauty was our purely patriotic motivation. It was a selfless act of a people, not for anyone or anything else, but for love of country. Jose Fabello Jr., Cagayan de Oro City: That it happened at all. It will be a long, long time before we can see another such happening again! Edsa II was a far cry from the first. (Editorís Note: Starting today, The Phil. STAR brings back the Inbox Rewards program, with cool prizes awaiting texters of this readersí section. Please turn to page 8 for the program mechanics. Keep texting!) http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=443608
Facebook diplomacy: How governments are exploiting the Internet By: Internet and Democracy, February 26, 2009 Our friend Evgeny Morozov has a great new piece in Newsweek exploring how democratic governments and dictatorial regimes alike are successfully leveraging the Internet. He cites a number of examples weíve brought to light on this blog, including Iranian Basiji bloggers and their location on our new Iranian blogosphere map, Israel-directed bloggers during the war in Gaza, and public diplomacy 2.0 in the US. http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/idblog/2009/02/26/facebook-diplomacy-how-governments-are-exploiting-the-internet/
Muslim publics oppose Al Qaeda's terrorism, but agree with its goal of driving out US forces By: World Public Opinion, February 24, 2009 A study of public opinion in predominantly Muslim countries reveals that very large majorities continue to renounce the use of attacks on civilians as a means of pursuing political goals. At the same time large majorities agree with al Qaeda's goal of pushing the United States to remove its military forces from all Muslim countries and substantial numbers, in some cases majorities, approve of attacks on US troops in Muslim countries. http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/home_page/591.php?nid=&id=&pnt=591&lb=
Huge new platform to tell world leaders ëto put people firstí By: Put People First, February 11, 2009 A huge new platform of unions, development agencies, faith and environmental groups plans to tell world leaders attending the G20 summit in April that only just, fair and sustainable policies can lead the world out of recession. The alliance, which includes the TUC, Oxfam, ActionAid, Friends of the Earth and CAFOD, is calling on people to join a major demonstration for jobs, justice and climate in London on Saturday 28 March, five days before the summit. http://www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk/2009/02/huge-new-platform-to-tell-world-leaders-to-put-people-first/
Democracy promotion under Obama: Finding a way forward By: Thomas Carothers, Carnegie Endowment, February 2009 As President Barack Obama and his team define the contours of a new U.S. foreign policy, one of their many challenges is to reformulate U.S. policy on democracy promotion. President George W. Bush elevated the profile of U.S. democracy promotion but then badly tarnished it. By relentlessly associating it with the Iraq war and regime change, he caused many in the world to see it as a hypocritical cover for aggressive interventionism serving U.S. security needs. http://carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=22767&prog=zgp&proj=zdrl
IN OTHER LANGUAGES
La disidencia gana terreno en Cuba By: Leoncio Gonz·lez, La Voz de Galicia, February 24, 2009 La persecuciÛn de los que disienten en la isla, a quienes se encarcela, se aÌsla o se empuja al exilio; el cerrojo informativo sobre lo que se comunica al exterior y la simpatÌa de la que a˙n gozan los Castro a este lado del mar, han forjado la impresiÛn de que en Cuba no existe oposiciÛn y de que los ˙nicos que discrepan del rÈgimen son los nost·lgicos establecidos en Miami o agentes de EE.?UU. que han hecho del anticastrismo un modus vivendi . Sin embargo, la realidad no es tan esquem·tica. http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/mundo/2009/02/25/0003_7552452.htm
El Grito de la Selva By: Comminit, March 1, 2009 "El Grito de la Selva" es la primera pelÌcula de largometraje realizada por comunicadores indÌgenas en la amazonÌa boliviana. La cinta narra acontecimientos basados en hechos reales sucedidos en los aÒos 1990 y 1996 en el contexto de la preparaciÛn de la histÛrica marcha que los pueblos indÌgenas del Beni iniciaron a la ciudad de La Paz en reclamo de dignidad y territorio, y aborda el papel y lucha de las comunidades indÌgenas en la defensa de sus derechos y su tierra. http://www.comminit.com/es/node/268222
Actos de protesta contra la doble moneda By: Juan Carlos Chavez, El Nuevo Herald, February 28, 2009 Un grupo de opositores que aboga por la restituciÛn de la moneda nacional para todas las operaciones comerciales en Cuba, protagonizÛ el jueves una serie de actos de desobediencia civil en establecimientos estatales de cinco provincias de la isla. http://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/america_latina/cuba/story/392990.html
NOTICES
Call for nominations: Pop!Tech 2009 Social Innovation Fellows Program By: Craig Zelizer, PCDN, March 2, 2009 Around the world, visionary change agents are hard at work incubating new approaches to the planetís toughest challenges. Yet theyíre often doing so without taking advantage of the latest tools and thinking in technology, communications and innovation ñ or a network of experts, peers, and supporters who can help them truly change the world. The Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellows program is designed to help fill that gap ñ to equip the next generation of world-changing innovators with the tools, insights, visibility and social network that can help them scale their impacts to new heights.http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/forum/topic/show?id=780588%3ATopic%3A117082&xgs=1 International Women's Media Foundation invites Neuffer Fellowship applications
International Women's Media Foundation invites Neuffer Fellowship applications By: Craig Zelizer, PCDN, March 2, 2009 The International Women's Media Foundation ( http://www.iwmf.org/ ) is accepting applications for the 2009-10 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship, which is awarded to women journalists who focus on human rights and social justice. Full-time, part-time, or freelance journalists working on human rights or social justices issues are eligible to apply. http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/forum/topic/show?id=780588%3ATopic%3A117064&xgs=1
Free The Shministim ñ Isreal's Young conscientious objectors By: December18th.org The Shministim are Israeli high school students who have been imprisoned for refusing to serve in an army that occupies the Palestinian Territories. December 18 marks the launch date of a global campaign to release them from jail. Join over 20,000 people including American conscientious objectors,Ronnie Gilbert, Adrienne Rich, Robert Meeropol, Adam Hochschild,and more... http://december18th.org/