Democracy

Dubai Exports Blamed for Terror

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Citing an “alarming lack of export oversight,” the U.S. accused the United Arab Emirates of giving Iran and Syria access to electronics it fears could be used by Shia militias in Iraq to make explosives. Dubai Customs denied the charge, saying that it has been cooperating with anti-terrorism efforts, Agence France-Presse reports. The customs agency also said the United States did not share any details about suspect shipments, and that the accused company did not violate any export controls or break UAE laws. Source:

“UAE rejects U.S. criticism on export of sensitive material”
Agence France-Presse, December 29, 2006

 

Democracy

For Gypsies, Eugenics is a Modern Problem / Czech Practice Dates to Soviet Era

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By Mindy Kay Bricker
PRAGUE (Newsdesk.org) — Gypsy women who say they were sterilized against their will by Czech doctors were heartened last December when a government investigator released a study that largely vindicated their claims.
Six months later, however, advocates for Gypsies — known more formally as Roma — say the practice is continuing, and are dismayed by what they consider only token steps by Czech officials to stop it. “There’s been basically dead silence at the level of elites,” said Claude Cahn, program director of the European Roma Rights Center, an advocacy group based in Budapest. Officials at the Health Ministry acknowledge the problem, but have not taken responsibility. “[Sterilization] was by no means a national policy, but errors [were] committed by individual medical facilities,” said Jaroslav Strof, the Health Ministry’s director of healthcare and pharmacy, in an e-mailed statement. Yet the Czech government’s independent ombudsman, Otakar Motejl, released a detailed report last year charging that “potentially problematic” sterilizations of Roma women have been public knowledge for more than 15 years.

Democracy

Election Reform Stumbles on HAVA Hangups

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By Jed Herrington, Newsdesk.org
As the first elections of 2006 approach, states are rushing to satisfy the technology upgrades mandated by the Help America Vote Act. But controversial new machines have put the brakes on compliance for some counties, jeopardizing their chunk of more than $3 billion allocated by the law. Passed in response to “hanging chads” and other problems that plagued the 2000 elections, HAVA requires states to abandon punch-card and lever voting systems and improve accessibility to disabled voters by the first federal election of 2006. Overall compliance, however, is still incomplete. According to a report (PDF) this month by Election Data Services, 69 million voters will vote on optical scan ballots, while another 66 million will use electronic equipment — mainly direct recording electronic machines, also known as touch screens.

Democracy

A Back-Door Draft?

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By Martin Leatherman, Newsdesk.org
On May 12 the Pentagon won the latest in a series of legal battles over its “stop-loss” policy, which keeps soldiers on active duty after their contracts have expired. Critics call the policy a “back door draft,” since volunteers must serve against their will. The U.S. 9th district Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) that Emiliano Santiago, a National Guard Reserve sergeant, had to follow orders to remain with his unit after completing his eight year contract. The court said that since Santiago’s unit was mobilized before his contract expired, it was legal to keep him. An executive order activated stop-loss in November 2002, according to PBS.org.

Democracy

The Activist Judiciary

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Martin Leatherman, Newsdesk.org

With Representative Tom DeLay calling for the dismantling and rearranging of the courts, and three contentious federal judicial nominations up for confirmation, judicial activism is again in the spotlight. The conflict has its roots in the 1803 Supreme Court case Marbury v Madison, in which Justice John Marshall established the power of judicial review for American jurists. His ruling enables the courts to overturn legislation that is deemed contrary to the Constitution, a precedent that solidified the role of the judiciary as a separate but equal entity in federal government. Now, Republican members of Congress, saying that the courts have exceeded their mandate, have begun to push for more control. According to the Associated Press, DeLay has been investigating several ways of doing this.

Democracy

Focus: Uganda — ‘A War Against Children’

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Jodi Wynn, Newsdesk.org
Since the Lord’s Resistance Army was formed in 1987, approximately 20,000 children in Acholiland, a region in northern Uganda, have been abducted and 1.6 million people displaced. “I feel frightened, I feel very afraid, I have returned only once to my real home,” Charles Ojok, who was abducted at age 14 on his way to school, told the BBC. Jan Egeland, a Humanitarian Affairs official for the United Nations, visited Northern Uganda in 2003 and was “shocked” by what he found. “This is above all a war against children. They are abducted, abused and violated,” he said in a press release.

Democracy

FOCUS: Syria and Lebanon

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By Jodi Wynn, Newsdesk.org
The February 14 assassination of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri has heightened tensions along the borders of Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Hariri was a longtime opponent of President Emile Lahoud, who welcomed the ongoing presence of 14,000 Syrian troops in his country. Hariri resigned as prime minister in October 2004 to protest efforts to extend Lahoud’s presidential term by three years. Omar Karami, who supported Lahoud’s pro-Syrian policies, was quickly appointed to fill Hariri’s position. Protestors blamed Lahoud’s government and Syria for Hariri’s death.

Democracy

FOCUS: Women in Iraq

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By Jodi Wynn, Newsdesk.org intern
As democracy takes a step in Iraq, traditional gender roles and the strong ties between religion and government are major obstacles for women. According to a recent report by Amnesty International, women are more confined and limited since the U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003. Although the report acknowledged that women faced institutionalized violence prior to Saddam’s fall, it also noted that since the occupation they wear headscarves more often, and avoid school and work due to fears of fundamentalist reprisals. The report also raised concerns of gender-based intimidation and sexual threats by U.S. soldiers, including against female political detainees. Washington said it would review the findings.

Democracy

UPDATE: Nepal Crisis

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By Jodi Wynn, Newsdesk.org intern
[Read an earlier summary of Nepal’s political crisis]
King Gyanendra’s seizure of power in Nepal may be backfiring. International military aid has been cut and the Maoist insurgency continues its attacks full-force. Because Gyanendra has been unable to contain the rebellion, some former officials of Nepal’s Congress, which the king suspended on February 1, are discussing ways to abolish the monarchy, adopt a new constitution and work with the Maoists politically. Gyanendra’s pro tem government, meanwhile, has “ruled out” mediated negotiations with the rebels, and says it can meet most of its military needs through internal funding sources. Human rights groups that have entered Nepal since the

Democracy

FOCUS: The Saudi Election

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By Jodi Wynn, Newsdesk.org intern
Many Saudis were skeptical when their government — an absolute monarchy — announced it would be holding the first in a series of municipal elections on February 10, 2005. To many, the attempt at democracy seemed to be an effort to appease the West and reformists. Despite the fact that half the council seats and official government positions will be appointed, the election is unprecedented, and may represent a major change in the idea of government in Saudi Arabia. But there are many factors that may undermine the process. The exclusion of women from the polls brought condemnation from Western media, but was described as only practical by a Saudi journalist.