oD Plugs

The world's American election: a conversation Written by David Hayes    Wednesday, 05 November 2008 16:06

If this idea is right (and it makes sense to me, what I understand of it at least), then e-participation must be at the heart of this redistribution of power around the new (information) technologies. The trick is to understand the shape of the new power arrangements and design the e-participation system to match.

Artículo de Mary Kaldor "New thinking' needs new direction" en Open Democratie Is it possible to suppose that the United States might finally experience its own perestroika after the end of the Cold War? I am not referring to the movement around Barack Obama's call for change, although that could potentially be a critical factor in reinforcing and sustaining the new phenomenon of perestroika. Nor am I referring to the financial crisis although that too could provide an impulse for transformation. Rather I am talking about the far reaching debate and indeed restructuring currently going on inside the Pentagon as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It’s 2.30am and I’m turning in, convinced that the nightmare of Bush/Cheney is nearly over. But before heading for bed, I came on this nice piece by Sidney Blumenthal in openDemocracy… In 29 July 2008, President George W Bush appeared at the Lincoln Electric Company in Euclid, Ohio, where he spoke about energy and then asked the audience for questions. The opportunity for people in a small town in the midwest to pose a question directly to the president of the United States is a rare one, possibly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “And now I’d like to answer some questions, if you have any”, said Bush. But his request was returned with silence. Bush filled the air with an awkward joke: “After seven-and-a-half years, if I can’t figure out how to dodge them, I shouldn’t…” The audience tittered nervously. Bush continued, “If you don’t have any questions, I can tell you a lot of interesting stories.” The crowd laughed again, but no one raised a hand. “Okay”, said Bush, “I’ll tell you a story.”

Longtime leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom — who ruled the nation since 1978 — lost the election to former political prisoner Mohamed “Anni” Nasheed in a runoff vote following the initial Oct. 8 election. Judith Evans is editor of the Maldives-based national news Web site MinivanNews and writes about the historic election at OpenDemocracy.

Dr. Bhargava contributes regularly to openDemocracy (www.opendemocracy.net), a website for debate about international politics and culture.

This text was first published online at opendemocracy.net, September 25, 2008: “New thinking needs new direction”. The title and sub-headings of this version have been added by laviedesidees.fr.

The unfolding financial crisis in the U.S., which has sparked real fears that it could lead to a deep and long recession on the global scale, is understandably on the minds of many people. Much has been written about it already; specialists from different backgrounds have attempted to contribute to a better understanding of the history, mechanics, and gravity of the situation. Not all attempts are helpful, however, and some are downright intellectually embarrassing. Such is the case at hand. A team of two professors, Radhika Balakrishnan and Diane Elson, has undertaken in an OpEd (opendemocracy.net, October 16, 2008) to demonstrate that the current economic crisis in the U.S. is a human rights issue. Their principal thesis is the following: "Both the crisis and the proposed bailout involve violations of the human rights of millions of Americans."

From opendemocracy.net, 9.24.2008. * * * Rediscovering Traditionalism

From crisis to Golden Age, Mary Kaldor By Mary Kaldor The United States provided massive economic and military assistance to the rest of the world (except the Communist bloc), which returned to the US in the form of purchases of American goods. But as other countries caught up, …

Americas Society (AS) is the premier forum dedicated to education, debate, and dialogue in the Americas. Its mission is to foster an understanding of the contemporary political, social, and economic issues confronting Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada, and to increase public awareness and appreciation of the diverse cultural heritage of the Americas and the importance of the inter-American relationship. Council of the Americas (COA) is the premier international business organization whose members share a common commitment  to economic and social development, open markets, the rule of law, and democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere. The Council's membership consists of leading international companies representing a broad spectrum of sectors, including banking and finance, consulting services, consumer products, energy and mining, manufacturing, media, technology, and transportation.

Writing in OpenDemocracy, David Sugarman, an expert on the Pinochet regime, reflects on the “landmark” arrest and trial of the dictator a decade after Pinochet was taken into custody.

attacked<http://www.opendemocracy.net/terrorism/article/security_briefings/231008>> Open Democracy, UK - 9 hours ago> According to Lieutenant-General Lloyd Austin, commander of *US* combat *> forces* in Iraq, the province was experiencing over twenty attacks per week.> *...*>

RUSSIA’S RENEWED STRENGTH: WHAT IS IT FOR? Identifying the Kremlin’s objectives has been a major task for Russians and the rest of the world that is trying to live with Russia. Unlike many articles on the subject over the years, a recent exchange in the Internet forum www.opendemocracy.net, has generated more light than heat. The forum says it is dedicated to publishing news analysis and commentary from a pro-democracy, pro-human rights perspective.

The other day I sounded an excessively gloomy note about the non-implementation of the Pope's instructions regarding the return of the Traditional Latin Mass. But now I've caught up with a wonderful essay entitled "Rediscovering Traditionalism" by the Cambridge don John Casey on the openDemocracy website, which puts Summorum Pontificum in historical context and reminds us that this Pope has already worked wonders.

Monday, October 13, 2008 Washington and Latin America: Farewell, Monroe Doctrine By Juan Gabriel Tokatlian

So starting out on the pathway to enlightenment, which is less dark than totality but less light then the brightness of the sun doth shining upon solar reflecting mirrors, I put my ignorance to work for me and found the first name that I would never, ever think of when looking at Kenya. Really, there is no one I expected less to show up than Dick Morris (via opendemocracy.net). Mr. Schmoozer showing up in Kenya? WTF?But, when Raila Odinga, the man who lost the election folks think he should have won, was looked at

The UK government has frozen the UK assets of the Icelandic bank Landsbanki under the 2001 Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act passed after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the USA. This is an outrageous and deeply worrying perversion of the intent of the Act. The UK government may have a financial dispute with the Icelandic government, but not even the most paranoid denizen of Whitehall would be able to find a link between Icesave and Landsbanki and terrorism. It would be farcical - true political vaudeville worthy of a tin-pot dictatorship - if it weren’t part of a worrying pattern of executive encroachment on our basic freedoms.

Sovereignty, status and the humanitarian perspective, Mary Kaldor.