Blogging the democratic revolution
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.…
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…
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…
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)…
President Saakashvili and President Yushchenko met for a summit in Georgia to discuss and make the announcement of a new grouping of nations whose sole purpose is to secure the principles of democracy for their people. It will be called the Commonwealth of Democratic Choice. 12 August 2005 — The Ukrainian and Georgian presidents today called for the setting up of a new regional alliance that would champion freedom and democracy in their countries and throughout the region. Ukraine’s Viktor Yushchenko and Georgia’s Mikhail Saakashvili said in a statement that the Commonwealth of Democratic Choice will become a powerful tool…
With the government of Israel maintaining staunch in its position, and opponents to the plan becoming desperate as the day of reckoning comes ever the more closer, an enormous rally was held in the capital of Tel Aviv in protest of the Gaza pullout plan. Youth activists set up a little tent village as their base for singing and handing out orange ribbons to passersby. Demonstrators poured into Rabin Square, asking for general elections while reciting prayers. The police would not give a number, but it is estimated that somewhere between 100,000 and 300,000 people joined the rally Thursday evening.…
NOT. Hey, that was a pretty funny joke right? Just about as funny as the racial justice jokers in the South African government. In a previous post entitled “South Africa Speeding Up Land Reform,” I talked about how President Mbeki is ideologically sympathetic with Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and how the country is planning to speed up the process of land-reform through government redistribution. The land reform conference didn’t explicitly state that they were taking Mugabe’s lead, but based on what I know, I assumed it. Well, my assumption was correction. South Africa’s deputy president is saying that, with regards…
Poor President Putin. According to Russia’s constitution, he won’t be able to run for the presidency again when his second term ends in 2008. Speculation is always rampant about whether or not he will run again, and just a week ago he was lamenting the fact that he cannot run again because the constitution does not allow it. Russian president Vladimir Putin stressed that the constitution of the Russian Federation did not allow him to remain the head of state after 2008. ???????I may want it but the constitution doesn????????t allow me to do so. I think the most important…
Even though the King imposed a state of emergency in February that was constitutionally lifted three months later, he still retains his powers and Nepal’s democratic process is still suspended. Protests are still broken up, hundreds of political prisoners are still being held, and the media still isn’t allowed to operate freely. Why? The King says that taking absolute control was necessary in order to crush the Maoist insurgency because the parliament was too ineffective. Yet there has been no progress against the Maoists, and now civil society is in turnoil because of the King’s actions. Because of this, the…
As the deadline for drawing up the new constitution for Iraq is approaching, women and civil society groups are becoming more and more vocal of their opposition to groups who wants sharia to be the civil law of the land. However, whenever they take to the streets to protest, their stalkers arise out of the mist. These stalkers aren’t men, but other women who are perfectly willing to see them subdued. It’s a game of demonstrators versus counter-demonstrators. BAGHDAD (AFP) – A group of ultraconservative Iraqi women confronted a protest by their liberal opponents in central Baghdad as tensions mounted…
Several days after high-brass military men ousted President Taya from power in Mauritania, diplomats are finally taking my line on this: cautious optimism. I’ve been arguing consistently that this may just be what Mauritania needs to order to secure real democracy in the face of a dictator who cracked down on all political opposition — not to mention falsified every election he ever held. When the coup first happened, everyone from the AU to the EU to the US to every other acronym organization condemned it. That line of thought is now changing. NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) – Western nations will support…
It has almost been three months since Ethiopia held its parliamentary elections, and the results have been delayed over and over and over. And the results aren’t all that surprising, especially after all the lack of transparency in the counting process, the putting opposition leaders under house arrest, the banning of protests, and the beating and shooting of student protestors. The government is really after Jimmeh Carter’s naive little heart (who, by the way, certified the elections after walking around a bit even when EU observers would not). Even after all of this, who still wins? You guessed it. Ethiopia’s…
RFE/RL has an interview with Ukraine’s leading lady who we all laud over, Yulia Tymoshenko. It covers a range of topics marking the 6th month anniversary of the new government coming to power. UPDATE: Meanwhile, Russian nationalists are filming a porn movie about Yulia and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. Is anyone else anticipating this as much as I am?
As Lukashenko’s regime continues to move in on Belarus’ largest civil organization, the Union of Poles, and Europe now promising funds for opposition groups, tensions between the country and the rest of Europe are escalating dramatically. The EU sent a delegation to investigate human rights and democracy in Belarus, and they actually had the cojones to turn them away! Hrodna, Belarus; 8 August 2005 (RFE/RL) — Belarus today denied a delegation from the European Parliament permission to enter the country. Polish diplomat Bogdan Adam Klich, chairman of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with Belarus, told RFE/RL: “I don’t understand…
There has been much debate over whether Abdullah’s formal succession to the throne will allow reform to begin its progression in Saudi Arabia; a task that no doubt has odds generated by entrenched totalitarianism stacked against it. A move that looks promising, and is hopefully an indication of things to come, is that Abdullah just pardoned high-profile reformists who were jailed simply for their dissent. JEDDAH, 9 August 2005 ???????? In a day of dramatic developments and in a show of magnanimity, King Abdullah just seven days into his reign, pardoned three jailed high-profile reformists and a group of Libyans…
After the government of Azerbaijan accused the opposition of being funded by Armenian intelligence and NDI for a coup, the political progress in the country seems to be degrading quickly. In my analysis of what happened, I wrote that, “using Armenia is probably the best way for the Azeri government to discredit the opposition in one sure-fire nationalistic sweep.” Indeed, now pro-government and opposition groups are clashing in the streets over the allegations. (AFP) – Some 300 pro- and anti-government demonstrators in Azerbaijan showered each other with stones and bottles Monday in a clash over an opposition leader’s alleged contacts…
Click here, trust me. TechCentralStation.com published my article about it. Hope you like! PS: Carnival of revolutions.
Developments after the military coup continue to be interesting. Since the disbanded the parliament, they have adopted a new transitional charter in order to oversee the process of democratization Here are the details. DAKAR, Aug. 6 (Xinhuanet) — The Mauritanian junta Saturday adopted a charter on the organization and power allocation in the transitional period, the national radio said. The 11-point document, approved by the coup leaders’ Military Council for Democracy and Justice, stipulates that the council should honor all the country’s international commitments, abide by human rights laws and rules of international organizations, particularly those of the African Union…
We’ve discussed Belarus quite a bit over the past few days, including an item showing that Congress approved $24 million of funding for opposition parties in the countries. Now, it seems as if the EU has finally moved beyond “stern condemnations” to real action, by getting ready to set aside funds for similar measures that the U.S. is taking. THE European Union is set to provide cash for opposition parties in the former Soviet republic of Belarus. EU diplomats are considering direct funding to allow Belarus’s opposition parties to compete with the pro-government campaign. If approved, it would mark a…
With news of the draft constitution circling the streets, women aren’t all that happy knowing that legislation will be based on sharia and certain rights won’t be given. So what do they do about it? Make their views known by exercising their right to assembly! This was the first civil rights protest held by women’s groups in the holy city of Najaf. It was reported by Radio Free Iraq, but this is the only account I could find of it on Google News (now that’s pathetic!). Women representing 17 civil society groups took the streets of Najaf on Aug. 3.…