Democracy & Civics

Thailand's Muslim Conflict

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Violent conflicts between Thai armed forces and a rebel separatist group in the three Muslim-dominated southern provinces of Thailand flared up again last week when a series of small bombs planted in restaurants and karaoke bars killed a Buddhist civil servant and wounded four others. The insurgency, and the government’s campaign to crush it, have resulted in 2,500 deaths in the past decade, according to the Jakarta Post. Although Islamic reformists say they are making progress against violent ideology, the conflict has now spread to neighboring provinces and could soon affect Bangkok as well. Thailand’s population is 95 percent Buddhist, and measures to combat the rebellion increasingly appeal to religious intolerance. Thai forces are empowered by martial law and have detained dozens of people without charge.

World

Israeli Arabs say Home is not so Sweet

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Even as Israel prepares for peace talks with Palestinians in Maryland next year, its relations with native Israeli-Arab citizens have been deteriorating. An exception to this is a court ruling — and a plot of land — won by an Arab-Israeli couple in the Galilee community of Rakefet. The court agreed with their claim of bias in a screening process all potential new residents of the community must undergo. Although the tests indicated they were both intelligent and well-suited to the community, officials rejected them due to their “social incompatibility.” In another Israeli village, hundred of Druze Arabs say they were targeted by police looking for suspects who had damaged a cellular phone antenna.

Democracy & Civics

The Persistence of Rendition

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When President Bush publicly acknowledged the existence of secret CIA jails, he also said they would be vacated — temporarily. Today, parts of the rendition program are still being debated by U.S. courts — and investigated by foreign governments. According to the Washington Post, 14 suspected Al Qaeda militants have been taken out of CIA prisons and moved to Guantanamo, but human rights groups say up to 30 other “ghost prisoners” remain unaccounted for. Some have been transferred to their home countries, such as Libya or Pakistan, and held in government jails there. Others are suspected of remaining at several CIA “black sites.”

Democracy & Civics

Whistle-Blowers Muted by Bureaucracy

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Whether speaking out about violations of national security or tainted meat, precious few government employees receive protection for their whistle-blowing from the Merit Systems Protection Board, according to an investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting and Salon.com. An unprecedented review of 3,500 cases filed since 1994 reveals that whistle-blowers win no more than 3.5 percent of the time, and can spend years fighting for their rights amid a backlog of thousands of cases. Memos obtained by the writers show Republican judges stalling a case until a Democrat leaves the bench, while the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, the only court of appeal for whistle-blowers, has ironclad rules about the workplace that make victory impossible. President Bush said he would veto a Senate bill to reform the system over national security concerns. Source:
“The war on whistle-blowers”
Salon.com, November 1, 2007

World

The Twin Horns of a Co-Epidemic: AIDS and TB

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Tuberculosis rates in South Africa’s Western Cape villages are among the highest in the world, due to a burgeoning co-epidemic of HIV and TB. According to a new report by international health experts, the paired diseases, which first emerged 23 years ago, now afflict nearly one-third of the 40 million people infected with HIV worldwide, and without proper treatment kill 90 percent of patients within months. In South Africa, overcrowded clinics are increasingly unable to diagnose or treat victims, a situation exacerbated by a spike in drug-resistant tuberculosis. Source:
“HIV-TB combo to shake Cape townships”
Independent Online (South Africa), November 2, 2007

World

The Taliban's Volatile Mix … of Foreign Fighters

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Foreign jihadists from Pakistan and Iran are infiltrating the ranks of the ruling Afghanis Taliban in Helmand Province, according to the Institute for War & Peace Reporting. The fighters are blamed for near-daily suicide bombings, and for terrorizing the locals, committing extra-judicial killings, and arresting Afghanis who travel into government-controlled areas. The captives are accused of spying, and beaten in jail until relatives come to pay for their release. Some Afghans say the fighters are being sent by Tehran for a political — rather than religious — purpose: to keep occupation forces “pinned down” and thus unable to attack Iran as the nuclear dispute there deepens. Source:
“Foreign Taleban rile Helmand residents”
Institute for War & Peace Reporting, October 30, 2007

Democracy & Civics

Old Wounds Deepen for Government Critics

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A snapshot of anti-government and protest movements in Bolivia and the Philippines reveals little progress towards healing old wounds — in fact, some appear to be deepening . But in Zimbabwe, a ray of sunshine may break through the political deadlock. Bolivia’s Fault Lines
In eastern Bolivia, opposition to the socialist government of Evo Morales is digging in over attempts to nationalize lucrative natural gas fields for the benefit of the impoverished, majority Indian communities of the western highlands. Morales is pushing towards a December 14 constitutional convention, which would give greater power to Aymara and Quechua Indians, reports the San Francisco Chronicle’s Foreign Service. Public response has been divisive.

Environment

Uranium Wealth Ignites Niger Strife

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Africa’s struggle with mineral wealth and regional poverty has a new poster child, as Tuareg nomads in Niger take up arms for a greater share of the booming uranium trade there. Niger is not only the continent’s leading uranium exporter, it is also one of the most impoverished — a situation exacerbated by progressively severe drought. According to ISN Security Watch in Switzerland, a nascent rebellion by Tuareg rebels has claimed the lives of 50 soldiers, although the government claims the attacks were by drug smugglers and robbers, and has deployed “thousands” of troops to the region. The situation is further complicated by the presence of foreign mining companies, which have been the target of rebel attacks — but are also blamed for exacerbating the violence. In particular, the government blames Areva, a French company, which until recently had a monopoly on the uranium trade there, of exhorting rebels to attack its competitors.

Democracy & Civics

Blood Diamonds Sullied, But Still Glitter

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Delegates from 70 countries and international groups will meet in Brussels next week to discuss progress in stamping out trade in “conflict diamonds.” Also called blood diamonds, the rare gems are unearthed in war zones and are used to fund militant operations. SABC News reports that the multinational Kimberly Process has successfully reduced the trade from 15 to one percent of all diamonds sold on the world market. An opinion piece in The News, a Liberian newspaper, even notes that Sierra Leone, once riven by civil war fueled by diamond smuggling, now seeks to develop a lucrative tourist industry focused on its “spectacular” beaches. But Reuters reports that Belgian authorities also seized 14 million euros worth of suspect diamonds in Antwerp last weekend.

Democracy & Civics

New Hope and Hurdles for Uganda Peace

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Overshadowed by the Darfur conflict, one of Africa’s most bloody and intractable rebellions inches closer to resolution. Reconciliation is on the agenda in Uganda, where an unprecedented meeting between elected President Yoweri Musevini and leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army is scheduled for the capital city of Kampala, reports The Monitor, a leading newspaper there. The LRA, renowned for extraordinary cruelty in its attacks on rural villages, and children in particular, has been locked in conflict with the government for decades. One of the decisive issues in the conflict is the fate of Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, who is wanted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands. The human-rights advocacy group Enough says that only three options exist for Kony — “accountability, asylum or arrest.”