Alternatives International

Million Arab Lives, Small Price For Freedom

Saeed Naqvi — 2011-08-26T20:25:58Z

Just in case you did not know, Muammar Qaddafi and Bashar Assad are victims of a media war, relentless, no holds barred.

I am making this observation with a degree of authority because I returned last week from Damascus, Ham'a, Homs and vast Syrian spaces in between in searing 45°. As for Libya, well, I have been there earlier.

Some months ago, when David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy were salivating at Libyan oil, the International Herald Tribune published a cartoon.

A group of hatted Europeans are sipping Campari under an umbrella. Uncle Sam, looking rather like a butler, says, “There is a fire raging next door”. The European grandees reply: “don't just stand there; go put out the fire”.

Altruism is obviously at a discount when major fires, like the one in Libya, are to be put out. European leaders may be drooling at the sight of Libyan light crude, but all their representatives, flying in from Malta to Benghazi, have been trumped by the visit to Libyan opposition leaders by Jeff Feltman, US envoy and expert on Middle East. Americans are not likely to loosen their grip on Energy resources.

The ultimate compliment to Feltman came from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah after Israeli reversal in the 2006 Lebanon war. The government of Fouad Siniora, installed with American help was called the “Feltman Government” by Nasrallah. The label was adopted by Lebanese opposition groups.

The US ambassador to Syria, Robert Stephen Ford is no mean operator either. He has been travelling around the country with the audacity of a Special Forces stuntman in diplomatic guise. His visit to Ham'a, a Salafist center, along with the French Ambassador, in early Ramadan created conditions for some frightful rioting against the regime. The army retaliated, killing 75.

Just when the Bashar Assad establishment was seething with rage, last week Ford decided to poke his fingers in the regime's eye by turning up in Darr'a, another trouble spot where the variety of Muslims in bad odour with the west are up in arms against Assad. But there is no ambiguity in Ford's mission: he had gone to boost the morale of exactly the variety who, two months ago, had come out on the streets across the border in Jordan, brandishing their swords and demanding Shariah.

But has anyone seen that story? Ofcourse not, because stories about human rights in any monarchy in West Asia are taboo by edict of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on whose coffers an economically declining West has its eye. Only Republican dictatorships are in the line of fire. And towards this end the media has been deployed – BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and Al Arabia, the last two represent the Monarchies (Saudi Arabia and Qatar) now in the coalition of the willing, (Israel is the silent partner) in a blistering media assault on Assad's regime. Mission Libya, in their perception, is as good as accomplished.

After the Darr'a visit, the Syrian cabinet got into a huddle. Should the meddlesome US ambassador be shown the door? There were divisions in the highest leadership. Ford stays on. Assad knows his clout. When John Negroponte was US ambassador to Iraq, Ford was his deputy. The Pentagon confirmed to Newsweek in 2005, that the two masterminded “hit squads of Kurdish and Shia fighters to target leaders of the Iraqi insurgency”. Negroponte described Ford as “one of those very tireless people…..who, didn't mind putting on his flak jacket and helmet and going out of the Green Zone to meet contacts”. And now his genius is being put to good use in Syria.

It is universally accepted that disinformation is part of warfare. But who is the Assad regime at war with? In imitation of the choreography in Libya, an impression is sought to be created that the Alawite dominated regime is brutalizing the majority Sunni population.

To amplify this image, totally fabricated stories are being flashed on Al Jazeera, Al Arabia, BBC and CNN. “I have seen with my own eyes,” says a lady hosting some Indian friends, “how arms are being smuggled from Turkey in my hometown, Aleppo, given to the rebels but the subsequent violence is being blamed on the regime”. The lady is a scarf wearing Sunni.

Non Arab ambassadors visited the coastal town of Latakia to verify reports of “heavy shelling from the sea”. Persistent questioning of a cross section of people revealed that no shelling had ever taken place.

Journalists on a tour of Ham's were shown the police station from where seventeen people, including policemen, were pulled out, beheaded and their bodies thrown in the nearby river. However macabre the story, it gets no play because it is a narrative of the government which is in the west's line of fire.

The story of “mass graves” in Darr'a makes headlines on BBC and CNN even though inquiries made by embassies reveal that the burial of five members of a family (intra family vendetta) had been exaggerated as “mass graves”, resulting from an army crackdown.

But how is the media circumventing censorship? The New York Times says that “the Obama administration is leading a global effort to deploy ‘shadow' internet and mobile phone systems that dissidents can use to undermine repressive governments that seek to silence them by censoring or shutting down telecommunications networks.”

Really, what some people will not do for freedom. A million deaths in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and heaven knows how many more to follow in Syria, and wherever else, is but small sacrifice to keep the flame of freedom burning eternally and all flames need fuel.

The Upcoming Palestinian Uprising

Adil E. Shamoo — 2011-08-26T20:15:10Z

If conditions do not change quickly by the time of the U.S.-promised veto of Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly on September 20, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict could explode into a new uprising with hundreds of deaths. The recent attack of Palestinian extremists on a bus in the southern Israeli resort town of Eilat and the eager over-reaction of Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu is a harbinger of what is to come.

The uprising will bring the United States into sharp conflict with not only the Palestinians but also the rest of the Arab world. A new Arab spirit is demanding that the rest of the world, especially the United States, treat Arabs with equal respect and dignity.

The Palestinian Struggle

The Palestinians will ask the upcoming UN General Assembly to vote for “non-member state” status for the Palestinians on September 20. Since this resolution bypasses the Security Council, the promised U.S. veto will not be operative. The least desirable choice for the United States is to vote no in the General Assembly. It would isolate the United States from the rest of the world community, which is expected to agree to the Palestinians' sought-after status. With the United States at its lowest popularity in the Arab world, this further isolation would only create additional challenges as the Arab Spring turns cloudy and many long-term challenges complicate U.S.-Arab relations.

The Palestinians have struggled for over 60 years to regain their rights, economic justice, and dignity. They have tried peaceful confrontation, military action, terrorism, and negotiation — without any success. The 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza live in an open-air prison with the highest unemployment (45 percent) in the world, near-starving conditions, and little or no medical care. Israel even stops humanitarian flotillas from reaching Gaza. Another 1.5 million Palestinians live in Israel as second-class Israeli citizens. Do the Israelis consider the Palestinians as equal human beings?

The Israelis paint the conflict at every step as an existential threat. Israel has legitimate security concerns, which have been addressed as part of successive deals. The existential threat may have been true in the first few decades of Israel's existence. However, most reasonable observers and many Israelis know that a demilitarized Palestinian state is not an existential threat. Israel has the upper hand militarily, and it has used it with a vengeance to suppress Palestinian aspirations. The Israelis are engaged in a policy of open-ended negotiation while confiscating and resettling Palestinian land.

President Obama has attempted to move the negotiations forward slightly by endorsing the blueprint used by previous administrations, namely the 1967 borders with mutually agreed land swaps. But the Obama administration remains as reluctant as its predecessors to pressure its Israeli ally to negotiate in good faith. The Israeli lobby remains powerful on Capitol Hill, the State Department is staffed by strong supporters of Israel, and the U.S. media features a very few voices representing Arab concerns. It's no surprise that U.S. policies rarely reflect Arab views.

Israel's policy has increased its isolation in the Middle East and the rest of the world, everywhere in fact except in the United States.Turkey used to be the closest ally of Israel in the Middle East. But after the killing of nine Turkish citizens (one also having U.S. citizenship) in the Gaza flotilla raid last year and Israel's refusal to apologize, the relationship between the two countries could not be any colder.

Playing Catch Up

U.S. foreign policy toward the Arab world has not changed to catch up with the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring is a result of centuries of occupation and indignity. Arabs are now more educated and more connected to the outside world. But instead of working with this new generation, the United States is trying to leverage its relationships with military contacts in Arab militaries to indirectly maneuver the Arab Spring in a way to sustain U.S. interests. Arabs can easily see the inconsistency of a U.S. policy that supports the overthrow of Libya's Moammar Gaddafi while taking no action in Bahrain and remaining silent about Saudi Arabia's oppression.

The Arab Spring has forced the Arab people to face their reality of occupation, colonization, and U.S. and Western support of their corrupt regimes. The current crises in several Middle Eastern countries, such as those in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, and Iran are destabilizing the area. The U.S. veto of the Palestinian statehood resolution at the UN will further aggravate a difficult situation. This destabilization can become further inflamed if the Palestinian-Israeli conflict deteriorates into another massacre of the Palestinians by Israeli forces. Arab anger can easily be directed against the United States.

As a primary issue among Arabs, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains a barometer that shows the willingness of the United States to grant Arabs equal respect. At this tenuous time in the Middle East, the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians by the Israeli military with U.S. acquiescence is explosive. But the United States can do something to change the situation. It can acknowledge the new realities in the Arab world by recognizing Palestinian self-determination at the UN. Treating Arabs as equals – rather than a people to be manipulated for political and economic gain – is a lesson of the Arab Spring that the United States can still learn.

Adil E. Shamoo, a senior analyst for Foreign Policy In Focus, writes on ethics and public policy. He is the author of the forthcoming book Equal Worth: When Humanity Will Have Peace. He can be reached at ashamoo@umaryland.edu.

New Countries on the Block

Isabelle Reford — 2011-08-02T19:18:51Z

The year 2011 saw the creation of the world's newest nation, South Sudan. The country has been officially recognized by the UN as its 193rd member following its independence from the Sudan in July. It was an event that brought South Sudanese together to celebrate, united by a new wave of national pride and to remember those lost in their long struggle for independence.

A bid for the recognition of a Palestinian state will be put forth to the UN in late September 2011. The Palestinian Authority (PA) under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas is preparing for the recognition of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders (i.e. the Gaza Strip and the West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital). Palestine as an entity was granted observer status at the UN General Assembly in 1974, which enables it to participate in the UN but it lacks the privileges of member states. For Palestine to be recognized as a full member would be extremely politically significant.

The UN, as an international body made of up individual member states, does not have the ability to simply create a country. A new nation is created by receiving the recognition of other existing states. For Palestine, there are over one hundred countries that already support its bid for statehood. The PA has chosen to proceed in one of two ways. Rather than submitting a bid for statehood directly to the UN Security Council (UNSC), the possibility of a Palestinian state will be voted upon at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In order for Palestine to be recognized as a state and therefore become a full member of the UN, it must receive two thirds of the vote during September's UNGA. The direct appeal to the UNGA is a loophole to avoid veto by a member of the Security Council, in this case the US, where a single rejection from any of the five permanent members of the Security Council would end the bid.

If Palestine is recognized as a state, this will mean Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories and the blockade on Gaza will violate international law. As a full rather than observer member of the UN, Palestine will be afforded the protection that all UN member nations are granted under the charter. In other words, the country's official borders will be defendable with a reasonable use of force, a feat in which Palestine can be assisted by other UN members. Furthermore, with Israel and Palestine both as full member states, the organization has the right to impose sanctions and to intervene when one member attacks another. Most importantly, the UN's recognition of a Palestinian state could force Israel to abandon the occupied territories, a move that could speed up the Middle East Peace Process.

The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which declares itself as the “sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,” has warned the PA that preparing a bid for September 2011 is much too risky. The PLO is rather concerned over damaging diplomatic relations with the United States, Canada and several countries in the European Union who are in fact opposed to a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders. According to Nabil Amr, a member of the PLO Central Council, the bid for statehood at the UN should be delayed by at least a year because of an alleged US threat to impose sanctions against a Palestinian state and against other states that vote for it.

While the majority of countries agree that urgent progress is needed towards a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, the US believes that the unilateral approach to statehood through the UN is not a viable option. Rather, it is arguing to continue the now deadlocked US-led negotiations between Israel and Palestine until an agreement of mutual settlement is reached.

After several decades attempting to negotiate peace between Israel and Palestine, is it not time to try a different approach? In the case of Sudan and South Sudan, separation, following negotiations and a referendum, has not been smooth as the disputed oil producing regions along the border are still seeing fighting. But in Palestine and Israel, where it is land that is disputed, could negotiations really ever progress faster than a UN resolution? This is a time when the UN has the chance to showcase its supra-national powers of governing and change the life of Palestinians once and for all.

Yours in solidarity,

Isabelle Reford

Photo: nagillum (flickr)

About the AIJ: The Alternatives International Journal (AIJ) is published by Alternatives, a member of the Alternatives International federation. The articles represent the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of Alternatives International.

Editors-in-Chief: Melissa Wils-Owens, Isabelle Reford.
Editorial Board: Feroz Mehdi, Michael Ryan Wiseman, Darren Shore.
Associate Editors: Marion Bauer, Erin Hudson, Jason Leung, Salma Moolji, Kartiga Thiyagarajah.

Feedback: The AIJ welcomes comments, questions, suggestions, and criticisms. Email aij@alterinter.org.

Contributing: The AIJ is a volunteer-based not-for-profit publication, which remains open to new contributors and participants. To submit an article or photos for publication, participate on the editorial team, or otherwise get involved, email aij@alterinter.org.

Isabelle Reford is an activist, writer and Editor-in-Chief for the Alternatives International Journal. She studies International Development and Italian at McGill University.

Alternatives International Project Briefing – August 2011

Isabelle Reford, Melissa Wils-Owens — 2011-08-02T19:06:46Z

Each of the nine member organizations of the Alternatives International federation is constantly at work on a variety of projects to improve social, economic and environmental justice in their respective countries and to create international solidarity. Every month, the AIJ publishes the Project Briefing which features a summary of interesting projects from various members. Read on to learn how Alternatives International is changing the world.

Alternatives Espaces Citoyens – Niamey, Niger

The landscape of Niger, like its neighbours in the Sahel, is dominated by desert. The country's dependence on locally produced food and livestock means its food stores fluctuate according to seasonal rain levels. On Alternative Info, one of Radio Alternative FM's programs, food security was discussed in depth in an interview with Mahamane Nouri, president of the Association of Defense of the Rights of Consumers (ADDC-Wadata). In June 2011, the government of Niger agreed to effectuate the free distribution of foodstuffs and to moderate the prices of staple foods such as rice and sorghum in response to a smaller agricultural output. It was believed that the June ruling would improve food security during the soudure, the period of time between the exhaustion of food supplies from the previous year and the next harvest. However, to effectively make food more accessible, the food distribution programs must be delocalized. To that effect, points of sale for staple foods under price controlled legislation must be set up in close proximity to the localities of Nigeriens who are most at risk. The ideal aim of the ruling is for the product to reach the consumer-in-need, either free of charge or at a reduced affordable price. Listen here…

Alternative Information Center - Jerusalem, Israel

Held in the West Bank at the beginning of July, the Alternatives Information Center's (AIC) Culture is Resistance! Week brought photographers, painters, musicians, writers and cinematographers together to demonstrate the connection between culture and resistance to Israeli colonialism. The Director of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture in Bethlehem, Mohammed Deirieh, spoke at the opening ceremony on July 5. One of the photographers featured at events throughout the week, Shareef Sarhan, stated in a photo description that “the space around us is limited, the ideas in us are unlimited.” This was a fundamental motto of the week. As he is a Palestinian living in Gaza, he could not attend the exhibition of his work at the AIC but sees his photography as a way of “break[ing] out from [the Gaza Strip] and reach[ing] the outside” – a way of resisting. Many others brought their art to Culture is Resistance! Week to emphasize the potential of creativity as an activist strategy. Read more...

Bethlehem-area group Awlad Al-Balad thrilled the audience with poetry reading and oud music (photo: Sergio Yahni, Alternative Information Center)

Alternatives Asia – New Delhi, India

March 8, 2011 was the one hundredth anniversary of International Women's Day. In recognition of this milestone, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samithi (BGVS) and members of Alternatives Asia reflected on the achievements of women in development over the past century. A campaign of studies and dialogues was held for the length of the centennial year in order to determine the advancements women in India have experienced. Within individual villages, BGVS's campaign staff across twenty-two Indian states conducted dialogues with women on their involvement in science and technology, health, education, environment, violence, livelihoods and microfinance. In order to evaluate changes over time, studies were conducted to determine the status of women prior to and immediately following India's independence and in the last 10 years. Another aspect of the campaign was to train 1,200 women across the country in jobs that were traditionally held by men such as auto repair and coconut tree climbing. BGVS's campaign for one hundred years of International Women's Day was not only a celebration of the achievements of Indian women but also helped to spread awareness of the equality that many women are still fighting for. Read more...

Forum des Alternatives Maroc – Rabat, Morocco

Through their Youth Action division, the Forum des Alternatives Maroc (FMAS) recruited fifteen Moroccan youth from diverse backgrounds to participate in a new cultural initiative entitled “Intercultural Theatre, for Dialogue and Mutual Understanding.” The youth participants in the project were charged with the creation, direction and acting of three theatrical productions on the subject of intercultural dialogue and the problems of migration facing youth today. Moroccan participants were joined by youth from both France and Italy in this initiative co-financed by the European Union and carried out in collaboration with cultural organizations in all three countries. The aim of the project is to raise awareness among youth of the power of theatre as an outlet for intercultural dialogue. Ultimately, this will bridge the gap between youth on both sides of the Mediterranean. The process began in March and a first round of performances was held on July 9, 2011 at one of Rabat's centres for the arts and culture. Read more...

Initiative pour un autre monde – Paris, France

From August 25 to 28, the Initiative pour un autre monde (IPAM) network will take part in a gathering of “Citizen Convergence for an Energy Transition” in Lézan in the region of Cévennes. The series of roundtables, workshops, and personal accounts will hold a particular focus on the state of shale gas and oil, bringing together perspectives from across the field of the environmental protection. A grassroots movement at heart, the fight against shale gas is truly driven by citizens who have a desire to change their daily routine which heavily consumes fossil fuel energies. Through the exchange of knowledge and ideas, the gathering in Cévennes aims to develop a democratic respect for the environment and its health, of both the world and its inhabitants. The event, organized by France's National Coordination of Collectives and a number of associations for environmental protection (including but not limited to ATTAC, Amis de la Terre, Greenpeace and Stop nucléaire), will evaluate the current climate of fossil fuel energy use in France and take a look at the existing movements for an energy transition at the international level. Read more...

Alternatives Montreal - Montreal, Quebec

The seventeenth annual Alternatives' Days will be held this month between August 19 and 21. Over fifteen distinguished speakers from international non-governmental organizations, universities, activist groups and citizens' organizations will attend the event to initiate and lead discussion. This year's four main panels will focus on the revolutions in Maghreb and the Middle East, neo-liberalism in the Americas, Quebec's Plan Nord, and Canada's “conservative” government. The event, held in the natural setting of Camp Papillon in the Lanaudière region near Montreal, will feature workshops, kiosks, music and open-air activities. The participation of knowledgeable panelists, as well as the involvement of members and employees of Alternatives International and hundreds of concerned citizens should allow for extremely informed and productive discussions throughout Alternatives' Days. For more information or to register, visit the Alternatives Montreal website.

Teacher Creativity Center - Ramallah, Palestine

After the success of the first Educational Days in 2010, the Teacher Creativity Center prepared for this year's Educational Enlightening Days an event entitled “We Care: All for Educational reform in Palestine.” The event was held on July 25 and 26, and shed some light on the creative Palestinian educational initiatives by individuals and institutions. After presenting the creative projects, discussions ensued on how these initiatives can be encouraged, developed and mainstreamed in a manner that contributes to the educational reform in Palestine. The Educational Days included two main themes of discussion; namely, Educational Partnerships and Investing in Social Capital. In addition, a selection of the best and most creative educational initiatives that succeeded to make a difference on the educational and social levels were presented and discussed. Read more....

Associação Civil Alternativa Terrazul

Preceding the Rio + 20 Conference, the International Planet Under Pressure conference will be held in London from March 26 to 29, 2012. It will provide scientific leadership to the UN climate conference through establishing a comprehensive update of the pressure planet Earth is now under by compiling and presenting scientific papers. Throughout the four days, the conference is meant to inform delegates and policy makers of the current pressures on the planet, opportunities for implementing changes for a sustainable future, challenges and hindrances to progress, and finally of a vision for 2050. Based on the scientific results they present, Planet Under Pressure encourages changes in governance and technology to be carried out on local, national and global scales.
Read more...

Photo: AIC Website,
Alternatives Terrazul Website

Last Call for Alternatives' Days Registration

Melissa Wils-Owens — 2011-08-02T18:45:33Z

Since 1994, Alternatives Montreal has focused Canadian interest in social and political activism through an annual event called Alternatives' Days.

Both an opportunity for Canadian camaraderie and strategy development, Alternatives' Days is a weekend of activities related to current social, economic, political and environmental concerns. Activists and artists from within and outside Quebec, as well as international partners, official guests and members of Alternatives come together to share analyses, reflections, music and good will. Activities include panel discussions with well-known public figures, a variety of practical workshops, cultural activities, kiosques for community organizations and local produce, evenings around the bonfire and open air activities for the whole family. This year's theme is Revolutions Facing Neo-liberalism, referring particularly to the Arab Spring. Alternatives' Days exposes concerns, entices discussion and illuminates the need for global solidarity, making it a pivotal occasion. It will be held from August 19-21 at Camp Papillon de St-Alphonse de Rodriguez in the Lanaudière region.

Quebecor's Crusade against Public Financing

Emilie Couture — 2011-08-02T18:35:47Z

“Do as I say, not as I do”: it is basically the message that the different entities of Quebecor Media have been sending us recently about the use of provincial and federal funding. The recent targeted attacks of Sun Media and the Journal de Montréal reflect the hypocrisy that has existed for a long time within this information giant.

Fact reminder

On May 5th of this year, in her column in the Journal de Montréal, Nathalie Elgrably-Levy accused the state of using public funds to finance culture which according to her, is a non-profitable activity. “Risking to be politically incorrect,” she was very blunt with artists saying that if they live in misery it is because there is no demand for their talent or that they simply lack talent.

A month later, anchor Krista Erickson of Sun News (founded by Quebecor thanks to the partnership between TVA Group and Sun Media) also began to criticise the public financing of the arts. This time the hostess targeted the solo modern dancer Margie Gillis during a heated interview that has spread on the web like wild fire. Instead of questioning her guest on her career achievements, she disrespectfully accused the dancer of receiving personally, or through her company, $1.2 million (a little under $100,000 a year) of public funding over the past thirteen years.

Recently, Eric Duhaime, a columnist for QMI Press (Quebecor Media Inc.) who has often written about the fight against public financing, made some strong accusations against Alternatives International in an article for the Toronto Sun this past July 7th. He accused the NGO Alternatives of embezzling taxpayer money ($769,828 in 2010-2011) by using it for projects that according to him “do not bring any real democratic and humanitarian help.” Let us remind ourselves that Alternatives International is a federation of nine NGOs recognized internationally, of which Alternative Montreal is the Canadian member. The funds criticised by Duhaime are those exclusively attributed to Alternatives Montreal for their development projects in Iraq, Afghanistan and Haïti, the three priorities of the federal government.

The example not to follow...

When journalists use the stage they are offered to not only express their political preferences, but also to publicly criticise the beneficiaries of government funding, their comments become very questionable as along with the role played by ethical journalism in today's news.

Furthermore, Sun Media and the Journal de Montréal, the principal accusers in this crusade against public financing, seem to have forgotten that they are biting the hand that has been feeding them for years.

Public help that is given to creators is first of all directed to companies that create television, radio and written content. The journalist Nathalie Elgraby-Levy, who has criticized the funding of the arts and culture, should be well aware of this as she is a member of the board of directors for the TVA Group.

The publications of TVA (TV Hebdo, Le Lundi, 7 Jours, Échos vedettes, etc.) have as a matter of fact received a total of $3.9 million from the Canadian Periodical Fund in 2010-2011. The magazine TV Hebdo alone received a total of $ 1,157,000. Ironically, the Canadian Periodical Fund is part of Canadian Heritage, a ministry that promotes cultural and community life.

“The financial support of Canadian Heritage is essential to the viability of small newspapers like ours,” affirmed the editor of Sun Media, Dave Sykes, when announcing the new funds given to community papers by the Canadian government. In 2010, Canadian Heritage granted $341,782 for the Aid to Publishers program. Many of the papers receiving these funds are owned by Quebecor ($57,291 to The Goderich Signal-Star, $40,673 to The Shoreline Beacon, $32,246 to The Kincardine News and the list goes on).

Even worse is the fact that the Sun News journalists, Erickson and Duhaime, omitted to mention that the media corporation for which they work is also subsidized by state funds. Canada Media Fund is a public-private partnership to which Ottawa contributes up to 40% and which pays substantial amounts to broadcasters like TVA and Sun TV every year. TVA alone received $18.5 million in 2010-2011.

These considerable sums come with all kinds of credit taxes that are granted by SODEC (Société de Développement des Enterprises Culturelles) to the many subsidiaries of Quebecor and especially to the Quebecor Groupe Livre and the Groupe Archambeault.

The CEO of Quebecor, Pierre-Karl Péladeau, has never denied the importance of government subsidies. On June 14th 2010, in a letter to the honourable James Moore, minister of Canadian Heritage, he threatened to sue the federal government if it did not change the criteria for receiving funds from the Canada Media Fund so that shows like Star Académie could receive their share of subsidies.

Politics and audience ratings

The most absurd in all this is Sun News, a new network of continuous news broadcasting that was launched by Quebecor at the end of last April. It is an addition to the largest chain of newspapers in the country, the Sun Media papers, which have emerged in all the big cities of Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and even Winnipeg.

“The tone will drastically change from what the viewers are used to seeing in Canada, it will be less politically correct and we will emphasize topics that the people are really interested in; the topics that we discuss at the office in front of the coffee machine, or around the table,” said one of the top managers of Sun News, Luc Lavoie.

This says a lot about the new official competitor of CBC News and CTV. With at its head Prime Minister Stephen Harper's ex-director of communications, Kory Teneckey, a shift to the right can be anticipated faster than expected in the world of media.

At Quebecor it seems that the “politically incorrect” will mingle more and more with the “political” itself. This is a dangerous combination more likely to lead to scandals than objective information, as has been the case with the recent episodes on public financing. Evidently, journalistic integrity becomes rather an accessory when we know that audience ratings also rhyme with government funding...

Photo: Emilie Couture

This article was written for the Journal des Alternatives and was translated by Lucas Lafourcade.

67 Minutes: A successful example of social cohesion

Nitasha Moothoo-Padayachie — 2011-08-02T18:29:52Z

"It is ordinary people...that make the world a special place,"
- Nelson Mandela, 2008

July 18th not only marks the birthday of the great Nelson Mandela, but also marks a recently enacted 'Mandela Day,' an international celebration that is aimed at inspiring social activism and appealing to the humanity in us all. Nelson Mandela is the first world leader to be dedicated an international day by the United Nations. This day is not simply an event of celebration, but is a day of selflessness and civic action in South Africa. People all over the country gave generously in honour of the “67 minutes” campaign which is observed in celebration and respect for the 67 years of activism Nelson Mandela has given to South Africa. Mandela Day inspires people to mobilize themselves for social action on a large scale; not only in South Africa but around the world. Millions of people participated in assisting children's homes, animal shelters, schools and local community projects. Others gave in simple ways, offering a cup of tea to the municipal workers labouring tirelessly on local South African roads in the biting winter chill. These small acts of kindness are examples of the humanity and social cohesion our societies are capable of.

How then can the 67 minutes campaign be made a sustainable one which essentially, goes to scale, and allows for a more connected and socially aware global society? Human rights adds significance to the agenda of development. They draw attention to accountability for the delivery of development benefits to all people, lend legal and moral legitimacy, and bestow a sense of social justice to the objectives of human development. This perspective directs attention in setting development goals to the rights and needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized members of society, especially where deprivations are the result of discrimination. It also highlights the right to information, political voice for all, and other civil and political rights as an integral part of the development process. As such, consciousness of human rights lends an important and objective normative tool to address the inherent power issues underlying many of the contemporary development problems, and can lead to social cohesion, which is essential in the transformation process to a better society for all. [1]

The success of human rights-based development strategies will primarily rest on the recognition and respect for the primacy of universal human rights by the state. As was highlighted in the Human Development Report in 2000, “respect for human rights is to be reflected in a state's norms, institutions, legal frameworks and enabling economic, political and policy environment.” Intrinsic steps in this regard have to be taken through:

• Advocacy: sensitisation of all stakeholders in the broadest sense of the word

• Institutional development: creation of sustainable institutional systems

• Implementation: the application of human rights in law and reality

• Monitoring: effective systems for societal monitoring of human rights enforcement

• Redress: transparent mechanisms to correct human rights violations

• Specific measures: affirmative action for addressing structural issues that perpetuate inequality and discrimination. [2]

These recommendations, tabled by the United Nations can only be realized through sustained efforts by all individuals. As Mandela said, it will ultimately be the work of ordinary people that make the world a special place. As a global village, citizens of the world need to move towards an active engagement across societies that recognizes difference and includes the voices of the poor and excluded. To guard human rights and promote social cohesion, active citizenship must be complimented by political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights. The recent victory of the Egyptian people demonstrates the value of active citizenship and a commitment to a better life.

With regards to the post-1994 period in South Africa, the government has “affirmed public participation as ‘deepening democracy' in a way consistent with the ideological heritage of the African National Congress.” Participatory democracy has thus been emphasised as central to its governing agenda, with the reform of local government as the centrepiece of this commitment. Through enactment of the Municipal Structures Act of 1998 and Municipal Systems Act of 2000, the African National Congress has implemented several mechanisms for participatory governance, including ward committees, public/development forums, and Integrated Development Planning (IDP).

Despite the observation of Mandela Day, many challenges remain. South Africa's fledgling democracy still has a long road to walk to realize equal rights in its true sense, then again, so do all countries; developing and developed. The Mandela Day campaign must be internalized by all citizens of the world as an every day initiative. It is everyone's responsibility to promote human rights and social cohesion and recognize the importance of global citizenship on a day to day basis. If South Africa and the world can demonstrate and internalize the values expounded by Nelson Mandela for 67 minutes annually; what really stops us from embodying these values 365 days a year? As global citizens, we can be more if we believe in something bigger than ourselves.

Footnotes:
1. Adapted from Human Rights in UNDP, Practice Note, 2005

2. UNDP Practice Note, 2005

Photo: Abode of Chaos (flickr)

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Nitasha Moothoo-Padayachie is a PhD student at WITS School of Politics. She is currently Deputy-Director at the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy and is responsible for the rollout of skills programmes to South African youth. She has a keen interest in feminist politics and theory.

Interventions in Africa: Help or Hindrance?

Kelsey Williams — 2011-08-02T18:14:23Z

Sub-Saharan Africa withstands an almost constant onset of civil wars, ethnic conflicts, and failed states. When these tragedies occur, there is an attitude within the international community that some form of intervention is required from either the international, continental, or regional level. The question remains whether these involvements are actually helpful, or could the new norm of constant intervention be considered a hindrance to African countries?

Each category—international, continental and regional—has had its share of both successes and failures. In general, international and continental interventions both suffer from the plight of bureaucratic decision-making, while regional efforts benefit from a more bottom-up approach. Thus, the question of whether interventions are an effective tool has to be answered within the context of who is intervening.

The United Nations, as the most prominent international institution in international relations today, is the case study for international interventions. The UN's General Assembly (GA) is made up of over 150 member-states, and within this apparatus, it must account for the opinions of every member-state when making decisions. While the Security Council (SC) of the UN has the final say in most decisions regarding disrupting a country's sovereignty, in other words an intervention, it cannot ignore the opinions and requests of the GA. As the SC accounts for the GA's opinions, the vicious process of bureaucratic decision-making begins. The UN has to appease its member-states when making its decisions. If there are blatantly conflicting opinions within the organization, there must be a process of compromise. While the countries that oppose one another may individually have suitable plans for an intervention, when compromise combines the two proposals into one, there is a high likelihood that the logic and effectiveness of the plans will be lost. This is especially true when the motives of the actors are based on self-interest rather than on helping the country in need; unfortunately this is almost always the case.

The African Union (AU) is the strongest internationally recognized continental organization in Africa, and thus exemplifies continental interventions. As a result of its membership, the AU has a lot more potential than other governing bodies to help in terms of interventions. It is comprised of the countries that suffer from similar problems in similar political climates. Yet the AU faces a major obstacle in trying to satisfy its various member-states, who can all still have various motives and interests despite being part of the same continent. This problem, similar to that tackled at the UN, often results in a compromise, which once again will lead to ineffective policies where one ideological viewpoint is not sustained. As such, bureaucratic-decision making is a problem time and time again in intervention policy, motivated by the apparent self-interest of parties, at both the international and continental level.

The key to successful and peaceful interventions lies in regional bodies, such as the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). The group is bound together by a common desire to stop the spillover effects of conflicts from causing further tensions in West Africa. The regional organization works because its members' self-interests coincide with ECOMOG's common goal. [1] Two decades of peace processes in West Africa: achievements, lessons, failures. Regional organizations are generally composed of countries with similar political, economic, geographical or cultural circumstances. These regional organizations are much more effective in intervention missions than the international or continental groups that attempt to intervene in similar situations. In industrialized states' dealings with the developing world, there are often examples of grassroots organization using bottom-up approaches that are much more effective than the top-down ones. This trend has presented itself in working with aid for developing countries where initiatives such as micro-lending have had long-term positive impacts. [2] The possibility is that the concept of the bottom-up can apply across the board in dealing with Africa's numerous issues; smaller-sized initiatives may be more effective in all regards. Despite many of these regional organizations having structural issues that inhibit their effectiveness, [3] they have an understanding of the issues that larger organizations are unable to conceive. Furthermore, bureaucratic decision-making is often bogged down by the actor's own self-interest, whereas regional or smaller initiatives are often motivated by a desire to solve the problem itself, which eventually benefits neighbouring countries.

The perspective which posits international and continental interventions as ineffective is often seen as pessimistic and cynical. If we are truly trying to help, but are currently doing so through ineffective means, is it not worth it to analyze the situation in a different manner in order to find out what actually works? In this case of interventions in Africa, we do have an idea of what is most effective, and that is regional interventions. Unfortunately, support is more widespread for UN or AU-backed interventions, despite their lack of effective capacity.

All in all, intervention can only lead to peace in situations where it is led by a genuine motivation to help, and where there is also an appreciation and understanding of the domestic socio-economic and political situation. The motives and interests of international players cannot take the forefront in interventions. The underdevelopment of the African state was a necessity for the formation and consolidation of European states, and the continued presence of the global North in African domestic politics will continually undermine any potential for development. Instead of always intervening on our own terms, maybe we should take some time to understand individual situations and support initiatives that already work.

1. ECOWAS, . (2010, March 26). Two decades of peace processes in West Africa: achievements, lessons, failures. Retrieved from http://www.comm.ecowas.int/dept/h/h1/en/rapport/Final_Report_Two_Decades_English.pdf

– 2. "Kiva - About Microfinance." Kiva - Loans that change lives. Kiva, n.d. Web. 8 July 2011. <http://www.kiva.org/about/microfinance> .-

3. Khobe, Mitikishe. 2000. “The Evolution and Conduct of ECOMOG Operations in West Africa” in Institute of Security Studies Monograph No.44, February 2000. Available at: http://www.iss.co.za/Pubs/Monographs/No44/ECOMOG.html

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The Arab Spring: to live with the dignities of human rights or die trying

Erin Hudson — 2011-08-02T18:01:47Z

“They are saying death or dignity. Yes, it has come down to this…Do not make a mistake; this is not a religious revolution. This is not an ideological revolution. This is a human rights revolution.”

As one speaker addressing the crowd at the Global Day of Action for Syria in Montreal said, the revolutions of the Arab Spring are, without a doubt, human rights revolutions depicting the people's stark choice: death or dignity.

Beginning in Tunisia during the winter of 2010, the Arab Spring refers to the revolutionary movements that have emerged throughout Northern Africa and the Middle East. Demonstrators are demanding freedom from authoritarian regimes in order for their human rights to be respected and upheld.

In the Tunisian revolution around three hundred people were killed, though as activist Haroun Bouazzi says, even one is too many. Across the region, many more people have lost their lives in a struggle for freedom and justice from authoritarian regimes.

Bouazzi, a member of the Montreal Collective for Social Struggles in Tunisia, discussed the importance of mobilized diaspora communities for the revolution in Tunisia. “Dictators hate the light. They want to stay in the dark and do whatever they want and making the media talk about what they're doing, you know, I'm pretty sure we actually saved lives,” he said.

The population of the Tunisian migrant community in Canada numbers around sixteen thousand yet, despite their small number, Bouazzi believes there was a large impact from demonstrations organized by the Montreal Collective for Social Struggles in Tunisia—particularly among francophone media. “We felt that it was our duty to be in the street, and to make the media talk about this,” he said.

Since the revolution, Tunisian civil society actively expresses its' needs and demands. Violence towards sex workers and increased police wages were among some of the reasons that Tunisians took to the streets. Along with new associations being formed and older associations finally granted the freedom to carry out their work, Bouazzi described how Tunisians are “learning freedom.”
“Everyone agrees that they want [the elections] to be a success. Not only for Tunisians, but for all the Arab world, the Muslim world and the world. We feel that we have a responsibility here. We started something way bigger than our country—nobody would have expected something like this—and we don't have the right to fail for us and for everyone else,” said Bouazzi.
Though conditions in post-revolution Tunisia appear positive, the bloated public sector implicates many Tunisians in the actions of Ben Ali and his regime. Out of the 10.4 million Tunisians, approximately two million were claimed to be members of Ben Ali's party, the Rally for Constitutional Democracy (RCD), in existence since 1988. “Justice is far from done. Ben Ali is just the head of a big system,” added Bouazzi.

This big system in Tunisia is in part a result of the adoption of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's structural adjustment plan in 1986 and occupies a key contributing role to the Arab Spring. Neoliberal economics, the logic behind the creation of structural adjustment plans, are as much a part of the Arab Spring as the dictators who are now facing an uncertain future. The Arab Spring represents one of the largest challenges to the neoliberal status quo and policies to date.

Throughout the world, the implementation of structural adjustment plans has led to the emergence of vast inequalities in wealth among people—the Middle East and North Africa are no exception. A disproportionate number of people have been excluded and marginalized while a small few have become extremely wealthy. Interestingly, the locations of the first revolutions of the Arab Spring, in Tunisia and Egypt, are the countries that have governed in accord with neoliberal adjustment plans for the longest.[ [1]->http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201122414315249621.html]

Damascus (Arabic: Dimashq, commonly known as al-Shām, also known as the City of Jasmine (Madīnatu 'l-Yāsmīn)) is the capital and the second largest city of Syria as well as one of the country's 14 governorates.

In the view of Collective for Syria activist Brian Aboud, the vast inequality of wealth in combination with increasing unemployment rates and worsening of many Syrians' economic wellbeing is what mobilized them to demonstrate against their President Assad's regime—and it is not a phenomenon unique to Syria.

“There's a set of very pronounced economic conditions that you see in other parts of the Middle East that gave rise to those revolutions as well,” said Aboud.

In addition to poor economic conditions, it is state repression, injustice and life under an authoritarian regime that exert a large toll. Syrians lived under a forty-nine year emergency state—the longest in the region. With all rights suspended, security forces could arrest anyone at anytime without accusations, a warrant or any kind of due process according to activist Buschra Jalabi.

“We have to remember—this is a police state. The only way to think or act, in terms of security, is in terms of repression,” she said.

Security forces given free reign, like those in Syria, are able to repress perceived threats to a regime with minimal fear of consequences or accountability due to the international community's support. Through albeit tumultuous working relationships, the international community, in line with neoliberal policies and led by the United States, supported most, if not all, authoritarian regimes throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The track records of human rights violations seem to factor into the international consciousness only if international economic interests are in jeopardy. With authoritarian regimes able to garner international support in exchange for the provision or guaranteed availability of their regional interests, these regimes appeared immune and insurmountable.

However, uprisings and demonstrations continue in spite of the enormous amount of repression exerted upon people by their own governments. Demonstrations for change throughout the region show the conviction and strength these people, otherwise labeled as disenfranchised, marginalized or powerless, possess and the changes they are achieving through their own efforts.

Recent accounts of the Syrian regime's brutality is interpreted by many to be part of an effort to re-establish fear of the government among Syrians. The targeting of children along with unarmed civilians attending demonstrations has become a part of the Syrian regime's strategy for quelling uprisings. With people continuing to demonstrate despite severe repression, their message to the Syrian regime is clear: they will not back down.

“I think the uprising in Syria erupted at a point which could not be delayed further,” said Jalabi in reference to the detention and torture of a group of boys between nine and thirteen years old who were apprehended by Syrian security forces for painting revolutionary graffiti. The boys' graffiti slogan was a popular slogan; the people want the fall of the regime.

Evidence of this strategy includes the case of thirteen-year-old Hamza al-Khateeb. Taken by security forces at a demonstration, his body was returned to his family bearing evidence of severe torture, cigarette burns, mutilation and emasculation. The returning of the deceased to the family is a rare happening that Jalabi interprets as a gesture of calculated provocation.

“This kid shows the horrific violence to which they're capable of,” said Jalabi.

The responsibility to stand in solidarity with the Arab Spring cannot be overstated. Recalling pictures he saw from Syria, Bouazzi said, “It's a real massacre that is going on and we have at least to show these people that they are not alone in their struggle. Nothing can stop these people from winning and we have to be on their side.”
The Arab Spring shows that governments and mass systems of oppression can be stopped—they are not inevitable or invulnerable to mass actions and by extension, anyone can challenge the status quo by adding their voice to support the Arab Spring's demand for human rights.

Photo: james.gordon6108 (flickr)

freestylee (flickr)

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Erin Hudson is a student at McGill University, an editor at the McGill Daily and a volunteer at McGill's campus-community radio station CKUT 90.3FM.

Madagascar's Land Distribution – what is left for the Malagasy?

Marion Bauer — 2011-08-02T17:35:28Z

In Madagascar, a diverse set of needs as well as the factions representing them battle to find a way to fulfill their interests, often leading to turmoil. Madagascar's policies of land distribution are one such battle. The government struggles to balance efforts to protect Madagascar's unique biodiversity with efforts to ensure economic opportunities for local populations as well as efforts to attract new foreign investment to develop the country.

Madagascar's abundance of natural resources such as forestry, minerals and arable land attracts many large multinational corporations. These agreements, signed under the pretext that it will increase employment in the country, often hide the capitalistic and often exploitative intentions of the corporations or the Madagascar government due to the lack of governmental transparency and allegations of corruption.

South Korean company, Daewoo Logistics, signed a deal with the government in 2008 that would have given about 1.3 million hectares, which represents roughly half of Madagascar's arable land to South Korea for a ninety-nine year deal. Former President Marc Ravalomanana struck the deal much to the uproar of the population and the opposition. Such a deal would have put the country at a great disadvantage since much of its population relies on subsistence farming and since the deal will monetarily bring back almost nothing to the government.

However the population was unwilling to stand for the injustice of Daewoo Logistics' deal. The signing of the deal was one of the determining factors of the coup d'état in 2009 when Andry Rajoelina, former mayor of Antananarivo (Madagascar's capital) announced that he was taking power. Rajoelina compared this land deal to “neo-colonialism” – foreign powers that take over what rightfully belongs to the people without consultation and without compensation. The controversial new president promised changes like constitutional reform and to govern without corruption. However, the international community asked questions concerning the legality of this new power and the legitimacy of its administration, which in turn caused even more political instability. The government was not recognized internationally and therefore did not receive any more aid internationally.

Arable land remains in Madagascar's hands for now but the changes in the political landscape causes further economic problems. Conservation efforts were among the processes undermined as a result of the 2009 coup.

Because of its remote location, Madagascar enjoys a biodiversity unlike any seen on the planet with about ninety percent of its plants and animals not found anywhere else. It split from continental Africa more than sixteen million years ago, which has allowed complete isolation from other species in the world. In early June of this year, World Wildlife Fund published a report saying that six hundred new species were discovered in the country. All agree that this biodiversity hotspot needs to be protected but this unique fauna and flora is under great risk if local populations, the government and non-governmental agency do not agree on what the protective measures should be. Years after the 2009 coup, an agreement has yet to be reached.

Farm land, moving from local to foreign ownership, from Rova Ambohimanga, royal palace.

Non-governmental organizations have sent large sums of money to create national parks and create other preservation actions. Former president Ravalomanana had started conservation effort at the beginning of his presidency in 2003 by expanding land for national parks and asking the international community for fifty million dollars to further help the preservation efforts.

However the 2009 coup brought so much instability that the World Bank did not see it safe to keep funding the country until June 22, 2011 where it loaned US$52million to fund ecotourism, community development and create thirty new parks within the next three years.

But where does that leave the local population? Some of the sources of income for those living outside of the large cities include the selling of rosewood, a precious wood, and showing tourists where to see lemurs in the forests. This second economic activity, which brings about four hundred million dollars per year, is in theory helped by the preservation measures. However the coup has been deterring tourists from coming into the country, leaving many people without the capacity to afford rising food prices. The first source of income, however, is greatly endangered by the conservation measures. Cutting down rosewood is illegal because of its protected species status. Though these measures are necessary for the environment, they also put the population at great risk. Some rely so heavily on it that hundred thousand trees were cut in the 2009 estimate.

A further part of Madagascar's living habits is the “burning culture” in order to collect wood and make the land more fertile. This practice serves two purposes for the local population; burnt part of the forests are harvested, and the burnt wood collected to be sold. The land, then, is full of minerals and therefore more prone to cultivation. However, the deforestation encourages erosion and further threatens the ecosystem.

This puts the country at the risk of losing some of its greatest natural resources but in a country where about seventy percent of the population lives under the poverty line, there are very little alternatives. Should the protection of the environment come before the economic hardships of people dependent on their natural resources for livelihood?

This is the challenge facing Madagascar; a land full of unique life, but one that is struggling to find a balance between economic, political and environmental development. Political and economic gains for the elite are the residual effects from many environmental policies, which bring international aid and recognition, however meeting these interests creates a huge imbalance since the people are left with very little.

Photo: Marion Bauer (In text photo),

International Rice Research Institute (flickr)

Marion Bauer is an activist and a political science student at McGill University.