Child Soldier in Uganda

Uganda: ICC Issues Arrest Warrants for Lord’s Resistance Army

On October 14, 2005, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague announced that it issued warrants for the arrest of five leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), the first such step taken by the new human rights court. The ICC prosecutor has accused Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA and four of his closest commanders, Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo, Dominic Ongwen, and Raska Lukwiya, of killing, raping and robbing civilians.  The chief ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, put a special emphasis on the LRA's systematic kidnapping of children, forcing them to fight and using girls as sex slaves. The ICC has no police of its own and must depend on cooperation from Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (ex-Zaire), where the LRA leaders are believed to be operating. 

Abidjan

Conflict, Crisis and Soccer in Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest cocoa exporter, producing 43% of the planet's supply. For thirty years, cocoa production, in addition to coffee crops, logging and seaport activities, constituted the backbone of this West African republic's economic success, enabling political stability and social harmony. Thus, while most African countries were engaged in violent struggles for independence, Cold War geo-politics or ethnic conflicts, Côte d'Ivoire was one of the continent's success stories. Today however, Abidjan's modern skyline is only a reminder of the days of peace, unity and prosperity. The critical Presidential election of October 30 has been postponed due to technical and political unfeasibility, and that is only the tip of the iceberg.

Alter-EU

Time for Transparency in the EU

The Dutch and French rejections of the EU constitution make the time ripe for strong measures to create more transparency around lobbying in Brussels. The European Transparency Initiative, created by Vice President of the Commission, Siim Kallas, must not miss this opportunity. The EU's democratic deficit has long been discussed, andyet never seems to go away. The perception continues that the EU is an impenetrable fortress, where corporate and political elites make decisions with no room for citizens' involvement. The estimated 15,000 lobbyists in Brussels, the vast majority working for business interests, combined with dubious public affairs practices and a lack of any credible mechanism for ensuring transparency, give credence to this perception.

False Alarm

Manufacturing High Anxiety

"Are you and your family at risk?" Almost anyone who watches television has heard that teaser during the news. The answer is often no, but the question itself has the power to set off a panic reaction that leads people to rush out for the latest cure or recommended precaution.

Several years ago, Dr. Marc Siegel, a practicing internist in New York and frequent guest on TV news programs, began to notice what he calls "free-floating communicated fear" was causing his patients to personalize risks that were actually quite remote. In his new book, False Alarm: The truth about the epidemic of fear, he has assembled a convincing case that, misdirected by political opportunists and irresponsible media, we too often worry about the wrong things, and that fear itself poses a greater risk than any "bug du jour."

Image

Operation Latin American Freedom

Preparations are underway for renewed US militarization and intervention in Latin America. To protect its own hegemony and economic interests, the US government is using the threat of terrorism as an excuse for military operations aimed at destabilizing leftist movements and governments and securing natural resources such as oil and gas.

By focusing on social programs in education, land reform and healthcare, many of the region's new leaders have put the needs of the people ahead of the demands of multinational companies. This leftist resurgence makes corporate investors and other harbingers of the free market nervous. Recently, the Bush administration has gone to extreme measures to ensure that this leftist trend is put in check.

Protest

Creating Momentum: Youth and the Anti-War Movement, Part II

While many of their peers are being recruited to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, high school and college students across the country are engaging in a grassroots effort to stop militarization and recruitment in their schools. The growing number of counter-recruitment efforts and the large turnout among young people at the September 24th anti-war march in Washington DC are evidence that youth are providing essential momentum to the anti-war movement. Before surveying the growing counter-recruitment movement and its potential, it is helpful to recognize where student anti-war activists find their inspiration to get involved in these issues. This is particularly important when considering the challenges of isolation, apathy and consumerism facing young people today. read more