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?
Ronnie Hall -
In just a few weeks, government negotiators will be jetting in to Europe primed and ready to hammer out a new global deal: fractious, coffee-fuelled all-night negotiations seem inevitable, as each country battles to reach some kind of face-saving deal that sounds far-reaching and progressive, but won’t damage its own economy. All involved claim to be worried about the possibility that talks might collapse: but would a deal, any deal, be better than nothing?
The answer is a resounding...
Jane Duncan -
"All shall call." This phrase was popularised by Pallo Jordan in the mid 1990's, and became a catchphrase of telecommunications transformation in South Africa. It echoed the idea espoused by Jordan at the Plenipotentiary meeting of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that access to telecommunications was a right, not a privilege.
A snap survey of telecommunications usage by residents of Grahamstown points to just how foreign these concepts are today.
It also points to...
Saliem Fakir -
On a recent visit to Madrid, I attended the Global Progress initiative held on 2-3 October 2009. It was a most illuminating meeting on the question of the evolution of European politics in the last 50 years.
I was invited by the Centre for American Progress (CAP), which is very strongly associated with the Obama administration, Heinrich Boell Foundation (the German Foundation for the Green Party) and Fundacion Ideas (allied to the Spanish Social Democrats).
I had the privilege of being a...
Efforts to prosecute those who may have committed war crimes in Israel's war on Gaza have spread beyond the Middle East to South Africa reports Imran Garda of Al Jazeera News. Lawyers working on behalf of two pro-Palestinian groups in South Africa are compiling evidence, which shows that South African nationals fought for the Israeli Defence Force in Operation Cast Lead against Gaza during December 08/Jan 09. The lawyers have identified at least 75 South Africans who fought...
Discussing language, politics and the role of the media in information dissemination at the Commonwealth Club in California earlier this month, Noam Chomsky also makes some interesting observations about nuclear powers, including Pakistan, which this week has been under siege of violence. Newspapers vs. the Internet Responding to the following question, Chomsky reflects on the role of newspapers and journalism in modern day society as well as access to information. In light of the...
Eamonn McCann -
It would surely be perverse of Radovan Karadzic to challenge Tony Blair for the presidency of the EU and risk splitting the war criminal's vote.
A record as a war criminal will hardly enhance any candidate's chances. But neither does it seem to be widely regarded as an impediment.
"There should be some mistakes too big to recover from," muses Guardian columnist Jackie Ashley. "But (that) is not quite the end of the matter.
If politicians have to struggle with competing evils...
