Blogging the democratic revolution
Since gain independence in 1962, Burundi has been ruled by the Tutsi minority, but the Hutu majority rebelled against the government in 1993 when its first democratically elected leader, a Hutu, was assassinated by Tuti paratroopers. Since then, ethnic warfare has ravaged the country and lands around it like Rwanda, culminating in the deaths of nearly a million people. The country has been under a transitional government for the past four years, which is largely responsible for helping to heal the country to the point of reaching a peace agreement. In March, the country voted overwhelmingly in favor of a…
Back in the 1980s, Nicaragua’s Sandinistas engaged in a communist campaign of mass murder against the innocent Miskito Indians on Nicaragua’s north Atlantic coast. The Miskito were peaceful people who lived in a strategic spot coveted by Cuban troops who were making inroads into Nicaragua as the region slid into civil war. Cuban troops wanted a supply route to foment unrest in Honduras and El Salvador, where the war to end communism was much hotter. The Sandinistas razed villages, burned crops and killed lifestock. Then they force-marched the Miskito on a long trek through the jungle to ‘re-education camps.’ There,…
In a continuing sequence of improved bilateral relations, Russia and China are staging first-ever joint military exercises over the next eight days. Andrew Young takes a look at all of the dimensions, both charitable and provocative. Here is his conclusion: Geopolitical considerations are also important to this exercise, although less important than the practical Russian and Chinese aims that I’ve outlined above. The two countries have an increasingly close, although still edgy relationship. Any kind of operation like this allows them to develop a closer working relationship and, more importantly, gives an outward show of co-operation to the rest of…
This is something that has been lingering on my mind for the past few days, as it has really gotten more attention than usual in the media and certainly isn’t something we usually think about often in U.S. politics. There was a piece just published in the Wall Street Journal, which prompted Rush Limbaugh to take up his opinion on the matter. The reason that the issue is becoming big is because the Akaka Bill, which could grant native Hawaiians their own self-governing land, is to be voted on in the Senate in September. In effect, it would be creating…
PREVIOUS POSTS, BACKGROUND: HERE LATEST PHOTOS: HERE, and HERE. It took nearly a week, but international NGOs and human rights organizations are starting to condemn the crackdown in Maldives. I’m rather surprised that they even know about it, given that Reuters gave up after its two token pieces toeing the government line. Reporter Without Borders jumps on top and tackles the regime for its brutal destruction of press freedoms in the past few weeks, including the closure of the only opposition newspaper and the arrest of several journalists. Article 19, an NGO that promotes global freedom of expression, has written…
Something from Val over at Babalu blog. I think she’s trying to tell us something. See it here.
Even with the winner a foregone conclusion, the unprecedented multi-candidate presidential elections in Egypt started today. The official campaign period for Egypt’s landmark presidential election opened Wednesday. Ten men, including sitting President Hosni Mubarak, are vying for the presidency in the country’s first multi-candidate election. The three leading contenders for the presidency all scheduled rallies for Wednesday to launch their election campaigns. Incumbent President Hosni Mubarak decided not to wait for the rally and took out a full-page ad in Egypt’s largest newspaper, the government-run Al-Ahram. A private television station bought space on another page, trumpeting its exclusive coverage of…
And they’re off! There is exactly one month before parliamentary elections are held in Afghanistan, meaning that official campaigns between some 6,000 candidates for 249 assembly seats and and positions in 34 provincial councils are now underway. An essential element to any successful election, free media coverage, is present in large quantities and will be the deciding factor in who wins and who loses given the plethora of contenders. This won’t be decided necessarily on the media’s bias, but by how each candidate’s message resonates with the voters, as JEMB is allowing every single person running the opportunity to run…
Over 3,000 people staged a sit-in protest in Kathmandu demanding an end to the monarchy and the restoration of parliamentary democracy. My blogosphere buddy Jim Hoft has a roundup. The protesters on Tuesday squatted in the street at Basantapur Durbar Square for several hours and disrupted traffic. Demonstrators included members of the Peace Society of Nepal, supporters of the country’s seven main parties, artists and writers. The protest was called by a group called the Citizen’s Movement for Democracy and Peace, said one of the organisers, Mathura Shrestha. Women activists carried lit lanterns to symbolise their search for freedom and…
Unrest from the Kurds in Syria is continuing to forment against the Assad regime, driving cracks into its shaking rule on power. Protests and riots have become more and more frequent in recent months. Violent clashes between Syrian Kurds and police have erupted in the northern town of Ein al-Arab, according to a human rights organisation. The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in Syria said rioting broke out after Kurds were prevented from showing their support for a banned separatist group. Cars were damaged and stones thrown at police who responded by firing tear gas and making a number of…
In the email: One of the most positive recent developments in Morocco has been the rise of TelQuel Magazine, a French-language weekly publication that regularly push the envelope in shocking ways. Most prominent was a massive cover story a few months ago detailing King Muhammad VI’s salary. Other taboo-breaking cover stories have included pieces on re-interpreting the Quran, homosexuality in Morocco, and the country’s drug sub-culture. For a while, TelQuel’s groundbreaking and thrilling journalism seemed to be a sign of progress toward genuine freedom of expression in Morocco – albeit with an unquestioning respect for the king’s right to rule.…
More from Harry Hutton on the Chavista Festival of Youth. Go see it here. UPDATE: Alek Boyd has more good stuff from disgruntled delegates who saw Chavez Venezuela just a little too closely – read it here.
Mad Minerva posts a little bit of Asia democracy news regarding the creation of a 26 member Democratic Pacific Union. Taiwan’s President Chen said that the DPU should be used to bring the last 15 and the 39 Pacific rim countries into its democratic arc. Especially China. President Chen Shui-bian (????????????????????) yesterday called upon the political leaders of 26 Pacific Rim nations to help bring democracy to China — something he sees as a key mission of the newly-founded Democratic Pacific Union (DPU). Chen made the remarks while addressing the inaugural meeting of the DPU, a non-governmental organization with representatives…
Commercial aircraft crashes in Venezuela, 152 dead. How long before Hugo Chavez tries to politicize this? Prepare for any of these explanatory templates from Hugo Chavez sometime this week. That’s the kind of atmosphere Hugo Chavez has created for Venezuela. He’ll do it to whip up popular support, given his abysmal showing (last figure: 9% voted for Chavez’s MVR party) in this month’s municipal elections. Here are some likely possibilities: 1. What a coincidence – three planes crashed in this month – Canada, Greece and Venezuela. The gringos obviously bombed this, planes don’t crash that often on their own. 2.…
PREVIOUS POSTS, BACKGROUND: HERE. LATEST PHOTOS: HERE. The democratic revolution in Maldives continues, with the situation turning downward by the second. Following the arrest of opposition MDC chairperson Nasheed at a peaceful sit-in on the anniversary of Black Friday, and the subsequent protests and mass detentions, violence is escalating on both sides. Opposition supporters, including children, the elderly, and even a pregnant woman are being beaten and arrested. Some protestors are throwing molotov cocktails at riot police as they are hailed by rubber bullets. Portions of the police forces have turned on the government and are also being detained. Yet…
For anyone else watching the riveting countdown to the constitution, Iraq the Model is the place to be. Omar has been giving up-to-the-minute updates on the National Assembly session, which was required to approve a draft constitution for referendum by midnight. They convened at just past 11, which really means that they were cutting things close. Given that a few very important issues remain unresolved, however, the assembly voted to change the TAL charter to allow themselves an extra week to work on the draft. BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) – Iraq’s parliament agreed to a seven-day extension for leaders to complete…
The first time most people on this side of the world had ever heard of Aceh was late last year on Dec. 26, when an enormous tsunami swept over the land and killed over 130,000 people. It’s part of Sumatra, an island of 4.1 million in Indonesia, and home to three decades of a rebel war for independence that has killed several thousand more. But the tsunami has yielded good news, as tragedy begets the best in people. Due to the overwhelming need to distribute aid to the victims of the tsunami, a deal by both the government and the…
from Harry Hutton: QUOTE “At the Conference of the Americas, I????????m going to sneak up on him ÄBushÅ real quiet and shout BOO!” Hugo Chavez, speaking at the Tribunal Against Imperialism this evening. (Imperialism got convicted, you’ll be pleased to hear.) He doesn????????t often refer to him as Bush. Calls him Mr Danger. Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the Republic. Meanwhile, how did I miss this? Alek Boyd has a good writeup from the other day of other things that went on at that Chavista youth festival, besides the Chavista mock trial of America starring former garage band singer…
The Florida register of companies contains details of the board of directors of Smartmatic Corporation, which is formed by Antonio Mugica, Alfredo Anzola, Antonio Mugica Rivero, Roger Pi????ate, Antonio Mugica Sesma and Luis Feliu Ä1Å. Its principal place of business is 1001 Broken Sound Parkway, NW, STE D, Boca Raton, FL 33487. The company’s history in Venezuela dates back to seven years ago when the venture was “the Research and Development Unit of Panagroup in Venezuela” (sic) and in “2000 we realized the true impact of our technology in the growing device-networking market, and we emerged as an independent company”…
Joshua Landis at Syria Comment reproduces an interview with a Syrian human rights lawyer and opposition activist, Anwar al-Bunni. The entire post is worth reading, but I’m just going to excerpt part of it to focus on two issues: (1) the relationship between regime change in Iraq and the position of Kurds in Syria and (2) the relationship between the Syrian opposition and U.S. foreign policy. I’ll have some comments below. This is an excerpt from the interview, “Anwar al-Bunni: Interview with Syria’s leading Human Right Lawyer, By Joe Pace“: …We hear a lot that the Iraq war empowered Syrian…
Hugo Chavez has consolidated power in Venezuela. But that is not enough. He has taken his oil earnings to buy influence all through the Americas. At the expense of Venezuela. It’s a growing issue there. Gustavo Coronel has one of the most comprehensive and eloquent essays on the issue. Read it here.
YESTERDAY’S REPORT, MORE BACKGROUND: HERE! LATEST PHOTOS: HERE! The democratic revolution in Maldives continues, with the government continuously arresting protestors and opposition leaders. All major news affiliates are completely ignoring this story. There is absolutely nothing. A total blackout. The only news is coming from from local sources, thouse being Minivan News and the Dhivehi Observer. Here is the very latest since this morning. SUNDAY 14TH (to Maldives time) 12:27AM: MALE: Police moving into Maafanu ward of the capital 12:17AM: MALE: Protestors shouting loudly for the resignation of President Gayoom on Maaveyomagu 12:13AM: MALE: Lots of shouting reported near Majeedhimagu…
With Monday looming as the deadline to submit the Iraqi constitution to the National Assembly for a vote, we’re all sitting here wondering, “Will it be done on time?” President Talabani thinks so. In fact, he’s saying that it will be done early. BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) – Iraqi leaders rushing to finish a constitution Saturday reported tentative agreements on distribution of oil wealth and other issues, but there was no deal on the main obstacle: federalism. President Jalal Talabani predicted the constitution would be submitted to the National Assembly on Sunday – one day before the deadline for parliamentary approval.…
It’s the anniversary of “Black Friday,” when exactly a year ago riots broke out across the country of Maldives. The protestors were challenging President Gayoom and his 25 year presidency over the arrest of reformists. They demanded free, fair, and transparent multi-party elections. Real reforms. Real democracy. What began as an unprecedented and unplanned rally, the largest in Maldives’ history, ended in a violent security forces crackdown on protestors, reformists, and even government ministers. Ever since then, amid internal and international pressure, Gayoom has had to try his hand at reform without much enthusiasm. He’d dish it out and then…
I ran across this piece as I was scrawling through the Washington Times. It’s very interesting, detailing how money given by USAID for development projects in Bolivia is being used by a local leftist as leverage over the population. Read it all here. YAPACANI, Bolivia — A peasant leader associated with a left-wing politics and coca farmers has been using U.S. aid money to intimidate residents and consolidate his authority in this part of eastern Bolivia, local officials and residents say. Many complain that peasant leader Cimar Victoria, who had been entrusted with directing U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)…