Blogging the democratic revolution
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)…
There they are, Chavista Cheesecake at the Chavez Youth Festival, posing away in exclusive photos for a blog site called ‘Chase Me Ladies, I’m In The Cavalry.’ Boy are they gonna be in trouble when the comrades on the block committees back in the barrios find out. There goes the party card. Harry has more here. UPDATE: Whoops, forgot a Chavista babe – Boli-Nica has a photo of Evo Morales cavorting at the Chavez Youth fest here.
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…
Last week, IAM(also)CANADIAN posted this humorous piece on the newly-designated Governor General, Michaelle Jean: The Liberal government has taken this Äracial profilingÅ one step further, using a complex profiling formula in order to draft the new Governor General. “The algorithm they are using appears to require attention to be paid ONLY to persons who are female, non-Caucasian, non-Canadian born, from Montreal Quebec, left wing, former CBC employees” said Tom, a Governor General racial profiling expert. On a more serious note, we now find out that Michaelle Jean is allegedly a Quebec nationalist whose circle of friends includes Quebec terrorists. “In…
Daniel at Venezuela News and Views has a STUNNING piece about what the Venezuelan opposition should do now in the wake of Venezuela’s failed municipal elections this past weekend. It’s is AWESOME, beyond Daniel at his finest to something quite godly. He’s like Alexander Hamilton in his suggestions for the opposition of what arguments to use, what tactics to take, what strategy to follow now, in these conditions. It’s truly awesome. Daniel’s rapier diagnosis: The other fact is that at way more than half of your voters, those that usually vote for you, did not bother to vote this time.…
I have generally had a moderate to good impression of Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution, to which Iraq’s current prime minister also belongs. Perhaps this is because when I have seen Hakim it has mainly been on Al-Jazeera, where he appears with other commentators, most of whom are yelling about how much they want to kill Americans, so he comes off as an epitome of reason and tolerance. But I think right now he is on the course of promoting an idea which is really bad. Hakim is advocating that the Iraqi constitution, which…
Some Brit named Harry who has a very valuable Web site obnoxiously titled ‘Chase Me Ladies, I’m In The Cavalry‘ has gotten into the Chavista Youth Festival, and loaded up his blog with a dozen pictures and sarcastic commentary. Harry writes: Streets full of communists. Please advise. (As Tim Blair would say, check out those awesome power fists! -Mora) (Another youthful Chavista Babe Of Politics -Mora) UPDATE! It turns out to be the International Festival of Youth and Students. (Walking around Caracas the other day I thought some hippies were having some kind of giant fucking jumble-sale.) 17,000 students and…
Cheap oil for rich Uruguay – that’s Hugo Chavez’s masterplan for winning influence in the region. What’s news to him is that it won’t buy him any influence. Down in that part of the world, people who are bought don’t necessarily stay bought. Just ask the IMF and emerging market investors about Argentina! Not that Uruguayans enjoy that comparison to their neighbor, but I think it’s highly questionable that Uruguay will become a Venezuelan satellite over this. They are able to buy oil at market rates. Hugo Chavez is just not making them have to. Uruguayan per capita income is…
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.…