No Picture

The Iraq War: Planting the Seeds of Al Qaeda’s Second Generation

The American-led invasion and occupation of Iraq has provided Al Qaeda with a new lease on life, a second generation of recruits and fighters, and a powerful outlet to expand its ideological outreach activities to Muslims worldwide. Statements by Al Qaeda top chiefs, including bin Laden, Zawahiri, Zarqawi, and Seif al-Adl, portray the unfolding confrontation in Iraq as a "golden and unique opportunity" for the global jihad movement to engage and defeat the United States and spread the conflict into neighboring Arab states in Syria, Lebanon and the Palestine-Israeli theater. The global war is not going well for bin Laden, and Iraq enabled him to convince his jihadist followers that Al Qaeda is still alive and kicking despite suffering crippling operational setbacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and elsewhere.

Auntie Boon at work

AIDS, Orphans and Grannies in Thailand

They call her Auntie Boon. She is a 73-year old retired Red Cross nurse and public health researcher and she is boundless in her energy and commitment when it comes to the growing number of AIDS-infected women in Northern Thailand and their children. Many of these children become orphaned as a result of the pandemic. If at all possible, their grandmothers, and sometimes their grandfathers, take care of them, raising new families just when they thought they could relax a little in their old age. Auntie Boon, or Somboon Suprasert, spent many of her professional years researching HIV/AIDS in Thailand on behalf of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. Through that work, she realized that women her age were becoming caregivers to their orphaned grandchildren. She wrote a "Six Country Report to the United Nations" about the phenomenon. Then she set about doing something to help. As its charter president, Auntie Boon, who holds a master's degree in public health, presented an idea to the Chiang Mai chapter of Zonta International, a service organization dedicated to helping women and children. The idea was a program called "Grandma Cares." It is designed to help HIV/AIDS victims and their families in Northern Thailand, and train grandparents to take care of their grandchildren.

Volunteer in Ghana

Development, Human Rights and the Role of Volunteers

As the disparities between the rich and the poor widen, so does the confusion for ordinary citizens regarding how to change this global trend. How does one tread lightly on the rest of the world, while still helping communities in need? What is the right way to help? How can we approach humanitarian aid on a personal, sustainable and gracious level? Four women discuss the role of volunteerism in a world that's had its share of Western "development," and evaluate the impact that volunteers can have on creating a more just and compassionate world.

No Picture

Algeria: How Clean Can One Wipe The Slate?

On September 29th, 97% of those voting in the Algerian referendum on Peace and Reconciliation voted yes for peace and reconciliation.  Was this a necessary act of popular catharsis after some 13 years of violence? Or was it a government-staged show to reinforce its power?  Both are real possibilities.  It is important to analyze the results carefully as violence-torn countries need to find techniques to write "The End" to cycles of violence and counter-violence and to begin life again with a clean slate.  But does such renewal mean that those who have killed and tortured should be free from possible trials?  Much of the killing in Algeria - estimates are of over 200,000 - took place in rural towns and villages where people knew or thought they knew who was doing the killing. Is it possible to live an ordinary life now side by side with murderers?

Bush on Katrina

Shock and Awe in the Homeland: The Whole World is Watching

From the Gulf of Mexico to the Persian Gulf and beyond, a new wave of Shock and Awe is gripping the international community in the wakes of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. There is an increasingly glaring global inquisition taking place - and the spotlight is on American culture. Nationally, the focus of conservative and mainstream news coverage has suddenly shifted. Questions about American racism, classism, xenophobia and unmitigated consumerism and economic growth have hit the ground running. Even the untouchable topics of renewable energy, conservation and global warming, heretofore relegated to the margins of debate by those classes who have built their fortunes on fossil fuels and nuclear energy, are being uttered again as if they were newly discovered galaxies of hope.

Youth March

Creating Momentum: Youth and the Anti-War Movement

For the generation of activists politically shaped by the Vietnam War the similarities between then and now are striking; the nation is deeply divided and US soldiers fresh out of high school are dying by the hundreds each year. From heading national peace organizations to demonstrating weekly in their communities, these older activists are at the forefront of the movement. This was seen recently with Cindy Sheehan’s catalyzing actions outside of Bush’s ranch which evolved into a nation-wide tour with other military families. Sheehan has become the unofficial spokesperson for the peace movement. Given all of this, what role have youth in the United States played in the anti-war struggle? What challenges do they face within the movement and within the larger political culture? A closer look at some current student-led campaigns will show how, despite widespread youth apathy, young activists are creating the essential urgency needed to end the occupation of Iraq and move toward forging a sustainable peace. This will also help address a crucial dilemma for the wider anti-war movement: How can activists, young and old, inspire committed action? read more