The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
Pepe Escobar -
Beware of strangers bearing gifts. Post-modern amazon and United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton finally landed in Tripoli - on a military jet - to lavish praise on the dodgy Transitional National Council (TNC), those opportunists/defectors/Islamists formerly known as "North Atlantic Treaty Organization rebels".
Clinton was greeted on Tuesday "on the soil of free Libya" (her words) by what the New York Times quaintly described as an "irregular...
Earlier this week, President George W. Bush spoke at an economic summit in Canada. Amnesty International called on the Canadian government to arrest Bush and either prosecute or extradite him for the torture of prisoners in the so-called "war on terror." Meanwhile, four men who say they were tortured in US prisons under the Bush administration lodged a private prosecution against the former president in a Canadian provincial court. The Center for Constitutional Rights and the...
Five years ago Palestinian fighters launched a daring raid that ended in the capture of an Israeli Soldier, Gilad Shalit. The goal was to exchange him for the thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
That swap took place on Tuesday this week with 470 Palestinians and the Isreali soldier released in the first stage of a deal mediated by Egypt.
Eventually a total of 1000 palestinians will go free. Despite this over 5000 prisoners will remain in Israeli jails.
The deal...
Saliem Fakir -
It could be argued that the climate change issue has become less about climate justice and more about new profits.
In South Africa, the concept of the green economy is abuzz with nervous energy. There have been numerous conferences on the subject in light of the upcoming United Nations Climate Conference (COP 17) to be held in Durban later this year.
But is “green growth” just about new markets and different types of goods that carry the green label? Is it just about greening an...
Mandisi Majavu -
An article by a Mail & Guardian journalist accurately described Lindiwe Mazibuko, the Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson, as “a new kind of South African politician.” I do not, however, subscribe to the view that Mazibuko is a new breed of South African politician simply because she watches Black Adder reruns to relax or because she enjoys drinking cabernet sauvignon at the “hip Societi Bistro.”
What makes Mazibuko a new generation of black politician is...
Michelle Pressend -
When South Africa hosts the United Nations Climate Change meeting, COP 17 (17th Conference of the Parties), it will be make or break for the Kyoto Protocol.
COP 17 is important because the first commitment period that legally bound developed countries to cut their emissions under the Kyoto Protocol comes to an end on 31 December 2012. If the meeting in South Africa does not agree to a second commitment period, COP 17 could be labelled, “the COP that killed the Kyoto...
