Democracy

Focus: Reforming the United Nations

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Built from the wreckage of the League of Nations after World War II, the United Nations has a historical mission to prevent conflict and respond to disaster. But its humanitarian mandate has been undermined by politics, corruption and impropriety. Calls for reform are growing louder, and the great powers pushing for change are hardly nonpartisan. -Dogged by scandal
-Member nations faulted
-Reform calls
-Radically pragmatic
Keyword search: United Nations reform
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Keyword search: United Nations critic
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Keyword search: oil for food
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Keyword search: Rwanda
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Dogged by scandal
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Dogged by its failure to prevent the bloodletting of Bosnia and Rwanda, beset by the still-unfolding oil-for-food scandal, and trying to shake an ongoing sex scandal that includes harassment charges against a high-level official and the abuse of refugee minors by peacekeepers, the United Nations has seen better days. Now, the world’s largest humanitarian organization faces renewed calls from activists of all stripes for reform, resignations and more radical changes.

Democracy

FOCUS: Beyond the Tsunami — Aceh’s Turmoil

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Before the tsunami, the rebellious Indonesian province of Aceh was hardly a household name — and even after the world’s TV, radio and newspaper reporters descended on the region, the bulk of their coverage focused on the horrors of the giant wave. But Aceh has a rich and troubled history, endowed with extraordinary natural resources, and saddled with a legacy of colonialist violence that is still playing out today. Historical Turmoil
Separatist Origins
Brittle Peace
Feared Militia
The Military: Violence, Corruption
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Historical Turmoil | top
A paradise island by any measure, Sumatra — and its northernmost Aceh province in particular — has nevertheless suffered greatly from catastrophes both natural and human in origin. Of the former class of disaster, the most notable prior to the 2004 Christmas tsunami was the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, a volcanic island in between Java and Sumatra. Tsunamis from the explosion rose 100 feet high, claimed more than 35,000 lives, destroyed 165 coastal villages, and heaved 600-ton blocks of coral onto the shore.

Democracy

UPDATE: Election 2004

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The candidates have been sworn in, but legal battles remain in the bedraggled aftermath of Election 2004. In Washington state, Republicans are in court to force consideration of flawed ballots, and are pushing for a possible revote, even after Democrat Christine Gregoire made her inaugural speech. A host of bills are on tap in the state to prevent a re-run of similar problems next Election Day. But even reform boosters admit that “human and administrative error” will remain an issue. In San Diego, the battle is characterized as “voter intent against ballot rules.”

Democracy

FOCUS: Election Reform

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Research by Allison Bloch, Newsdesk.org Intern 
The controversies of the 2000 presidential election provoked heated debate and new legislation intended to prevent similar problems in the future. In 2004, with electoral irregularities only growing more widespread, calls for reform have renewed appeal. Campaign finance, the electoral college and disenfranchisement are just a few of the issues under debate. Newsdesk.org will be following this issue throughout 2005. Consider this short survey just the tip of the iceberg.

Democracy

UPDATE: Faith & Politics

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The intersection of politics and religion continues to be notable mostly for its collisions. Miami and Alaska appear to be at the forefront of a new effort to get state and federal funding for religious schools. Elsewhere around the U.S., spiritual and secular takes on Christmas and other winter holidays have led to claims of discrimination, protests, and also lawsuits over offical statements of seasonal cheer — especially in schools. This includes one New Jersey school district’s complete ban on religious music. A protest against the policy brought out Republicans, Democrats, Christians and Jews.

Democracy

The Recount Accounts

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Research by Allison Bloch, Newsdesk.org Intern 
BREAKING NEWS: Get the latest on U.S. election recounts. Improved processes and technology were supposed to prevent a rerun of the Florida 2000 election debacle. Instead, in 2004, complaints have multiplied. Ohio, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington state and San Diego, Calif., are rife with accusations of irregularities, and the discoveries of lost and undercounted votes. Protesters face an uphill battle to get recounts underway.

Democracy

Women & Politics

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Article research by Allison Bloch, Newsdesk.org Intern 
Simply having the right to vote does not guarantee civic enfranchisement or equal status. A short survey of women’s issues at home and abroad finds wage disparities, lack of political involvement, and, of course, conflict over abortion rights and wrongs. Some articles listed below may move to paid archives over time. To further your own research, we’ve provided links to keyword searches on the topics we cover. -Blue State Blues
-Women Abroad
-Abortion
-Status: Quo?

Democracy

Faith & Politics

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“Values voters” and George W. Bush’s successful election campaign have made religion the hot political topic. Today’s edition of FOCUS surveys the media terrain. -State Sponsored Religion
-Islam
-Europe
-Viewpoints
-Traditions & Trends
STATE SPONSORED RELIGION
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Creationism resurgent
Schools in Ohio, Wisconsin, Kansas and Pennsylvania are at the frontlines of the debate on teaching evolution. The cultural divisions are deep. Editor & Publisher reports that a Gallup Poll found that 35 percent of Americans believe evolution is “well-supported by evidence.”

Democracy

Garage Opponents Protest Road Widening / Golden Gate Park construction advances

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By Savannah Blackwell
Two dozen protesters gathered at the corner of 9th Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard in the Sunset last Saturday, in opposition to a planned four-lane thoroughfare leading to the controversial parking garage being excavated under Golden Gate Park’s Music Concourse. The protesters handed out leaflets to passers by, and motorists periodically sounded their horns in response to signs reading “Public Process Steamrolled” and “Honk against widening roads in Golden Gate Park.” Pinky Kushner, a Sunset resident and one of the protestors, said that the garage’s backers — including the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in the Music Concourse, and Wells Fargo heir Warren Hellman, a primary funder of the museum — appear to be on their way to getting the plan implemented by the city. She hopes the protest inspires the same sort of grassroots politics that scuttled a rebuild of the elevated highway along the Embarcadero after the Loma Prieta earthquake, and that blocked a plan to build an elevated highway around the Golden Gate Park Panhandle in the early 1960s. A longtime neighborhood activist, Kushner said that the four-lane thoroughfare “runs counter to everything San Francisco has always stood for,” and that public input into the planning process has been minimal or ignored.