PEACE JOURNALISM PERSPECTIVE
EDITORIAL
Two Indias: Gandhi and Modern India
#454 | Johan Galtung, 14 Nov 2016 - TRANSCEND Media ServiceGandhi was instrumentalized by Congress to get rid of Britons preaching against caste. India became independent, after a disastrous partition mainly caused by Lord Mountbatten; free to enter modernity, and to keep caste. The Congress Party got the cake and ate it too. So, I see two Indias, Gandhi and modernity, knowing there are more.
TMS PEACE JOURNALISM
The Trump Presidency (1)
#1 | Johan Galtung from Washington DC, 9 Nov 2016 – TRANSCEND Media ServiceAnd vast categories had suffered what the Greeks call a-timia, the loss of status, white-male-workers-Americans. 5-2 in favor of Trump. And the rust belt, the big mid-Western de-industrializing states, Ohio, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trump catered to their interests in revival, indeed also in hitting their negations in very unacceptable ways: women, colored, elites, immigrants.
The Trump Presidency (2)
#2 | Johan Galtung from Washington DC, 10 Nov 2016 - TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe focus turns to foreign policy, particularly China and Russia. Allies, but very different. China is bilateral, negotiating deals for mutual and equal benefit and good at it (Vietnam); Trump should go for the same. Russia is multilateral, they want a European House from the Atlantic to the Pacific, with US understanding of Crimea and Ukraine, cooperating with everybody for mutual benefit, but not meddling.
The Trump Presidency (3)
#3 | Johan Galtung from Washington DC, 11 Nov 2016 - TRANSCEND Media ServiceTrump and his inner circle of executives now work hard on a presidency “for all Americans”, after having insulted most of them. His business model calls for a President Trump different from the Candidate Trump.
The Trump Presidency (4)
#4 | Johan Galtung from Washington DC, 12 Nov 2016 - TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe Washington Post listed on 11 Nov “Donald Trump’s Campaign Promises”; and on 12 Nov, “Trump advisors play down some of his campaign promises”. Trump’s new focus: health care, jobs, borders, tax reform. The 12:
The Trump Presidency (5)
#5 | Johan Galtung from Washington DC, 13 Nov 2016 - TRANSCEND Media ServiceDonald Trump passed the CBS 60 Minutes TV test on 13 Nov. What came through was a relaxed Trump, in command not only of voice and body language and short crisp answers, almost always straight to the points, but also of an amazing array of facts. A quick learner; but also considerably better educated (Wharton) than his competitors.
OTHER COMMENTARIES
NONVIOLENCE
The Bear Clan Patrol and Community Protection
Timothy Braatz – TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe Bear Clan Patrol is, in a word, Gandhian. Mohandas Gandhi is probably best known for leading political campaigns of mass civil disobedience and noncooperation intended to end British colonial rule over India. However, he placed greater value on his “Constructive Programme”: cultivating nonviolent, self-sufficient, inclusive, non-exploitative communities, or ashrams, as an alternative to colonial dependency. He hoped the British colonists would see the superiority of what he considered “Indian civilization” and join it.
INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
Billionaire’s Elephant-Hunting Safaris Implicated in “Pygmy” Abuses
Survival International – TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe operation is based in two “protected areas” in Cameroon, leased by Benjamin de Rothschild. It offers tourists the chance to pay €55,000 to shoot a forest elephant. Baka were evicted from their ancestral land to create the trophy hunting operation, contrary to international law. It is patrolled by soldiers, police and armed guards, and Baka have now been told they will be shot on sight if they cross it to hunt to feed their families, gather plants, or visit religious sites.
BY TRANSCEND MEMBERS
Moralizing Military Intervention
Richard Falk | Global Justice in the 21st Century – TRANSCEND Media ServiceEver since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union there has been an upsurge of international undertakings that have claimed humanitarian justifications for military interventions in foreign societies. A second kind of justification for such interventions all of which are launched by Western countries (especially the United States) was associated with the global “war on terror.”
International Conference on Gandhian Perspectives on Contemporary Conflicts and Peace
Dr. Aurobinda Mahapatra | Gandhi Center for Non-Violence, Human Rights and World Peace – TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe Mahatma Gandhi Center for Non-Violence, Human Rights and World Peace at the Hindu University of America organized an international conference on Nov 3-4 2016, on the theme Gandhian perspectives on contemporary conflicts and peace. Speakers from Europe, Canada and India, besides the US, participated in the conference and focused on various aspects of Gandhian philosophy and its relevance for conflict resolution.
Thoughts on US Presidential Election Result
James Albertini | Malu 'Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action – TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe important question before and after any election is how do we, the people, hold officials accountable? The stakes couldn’t be higher. How do we get officials to serve the interests of justice, peace, and saving civilization from total destruction from nuclear war and/or climate disaster?
Trump Threatens Us with Climate Disaster
John Scales Avery – TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe participants in the current UN climate talks in Marrakech are extremely worried about the effect that his election will have on the viability of the Paris climate agreement. Trump has stated in his campaign speeches that, if elected, he would pull the United States out of the Paris agreement.
No Trumps to Diplomacy
Vithal Rajan – TRANSCEND Media ServiceAfter the death of Julius Caesar, the conqueror, Augustus, the first Emperor, concentrated all power in his hands ending Rome’s democratic traditions. Tiberius corrupted the system further. Caligula took Rome deeper into cruelty and destruction. Nero’s buffoonery signaled the long cynical decline of all social values till Rome ceased to be the centre of the Western world. A curious parallel exists today in the history of the American empire.
Oh My God, Trump!
Uri Avnery | Gush Shalom – TRANSCEND Media ServiceLet us be fair. Miracles do happen. President Trump may turn out quite a different person than the nasty candidate. He may be pragmatic in the good sense of the word, learn quickly, govern sensibly. As our Muslim friends say: Inshallah, if Allah wills it.
Radical Disaffection Engendered by Elitist Groupthink?
Anthony Judge | Laetus in Praesens – TRANSCEND Media ServiceDemocratic Rehearsal of the Final Battle between the Forces of Light and the Dark Force – Inspired by Election of Donald Trump (9 November 2016)
Now What Should We Do?
Howard Richards – TRANSCEND Media ServiceAn Agenda for Berniecrats after the United States Election
Fathers and Sons – A Perspective of Life, Love and Harmony
Dr Ravi P Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media ServiceHistory is a strange amalgam of events and lives of people – important or ordinary. Among these lives the relationships of fathers and their sons form vibrant and humane accounts. The personalities may differ from generation to generation. But their stories recount interesting and unforgettable episodes of life, love, harmony and occasionally animosity.
IN FOCUS
Caught in the Act: NGOs Deal in Migrant Smuggling
Gefira – TRANSCEND Media Service10 Nov 2016 – Ship-tracking software and reports from journalists prove that NGOs, the Italian Coast Guard and smugglers coordinate their actions. The Automatic Identification System exposes NGOs operating in Libyan territorial waters.
‘Epidemic of Birth Defects and Cancer in Iraq after US-Led War’
Human Wrongs Watch – TRANSCEND Media ServiceSamples taken from Iraqi children living in Iraqi cities bombed during the US-led campaign show lead poisoning, which is a result of pollution caused by American military bases and the war, says Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, an environmental toxicologist.
ACTIVISM
Police Departments Refuse Participation in Dakota Access Pipeline Crackdown
Isiah Holmes – MintPress News8 Nov 2016 — In addition to the general retreat of departments, two officers have already turned in their badges in support of the protesters. As if that wasn’t enough, an army of sympathizers is re-purposing social media to combat police efforts in Standing Rock.
Taking a Stand at Standing Rock
Rev. John Dear | PeaceVoice – TRANSCEND Media ServiceIf the Standing Rock campaign is able to stop or reroute the pipeline, it will do so because of their steadfast nonviolence and the strong movement that has grown up around them. But like every grassroots movement of nonviolence, they need help and are asking for it. Everyone can get involved to help build this movement, support their nonviolence, and reach that good outcome and transformation.
ANALYSIS
Understanding Trump
George Lakoff – TRANSCEND Media ServiceAs a longtime researcher in cognitive science and linguistics, I bring a perspective from these sciences to an understanding of the Trump phenomenon. Similar to Wilhelm Reich’s analysis of Hitler’s resonance with Germans holding the Authoritarian Father archetype (in “Mass Psychology of Fascism”). Important for an understanding of where the American right is coming from.
SPECIAL FEATURE
The Very Positive Sides to Trump’s Victory: A Baker’s Dozen
Rachel Olivia O'Connor | Countercurrents – TRANSCEND Media ServiceI’m one of the most radical souls on earth, with many decades of having my head bashed in at the barricades (in the name of leftist causes) under my belt. I belt out what’s below now because of the highly unproductive commentary coming out of alternative media outlets and from mainstream sources freaking out about Trump’s downsides. I’m fully aware of his horrid downsides.
The Trump Ploy
Linh Dinh – The Unz ReviewSince the deep state won’t even tolerate a renegade reporter at, say, the San Jose Mercury News, how can you expect a deep state’s enemy to land in the White House?! It cannot happen… The deep state ushered in Trump because he’s clearly their most useful decoy. As the country hopes in vain, the crooked men behind the curtain will go on with business as usual. Trump is simply an Obama for a different demographic. Nothing will change for the better.
We’ve Seen Donald Trump before – His Name Was Silvio Berlusconi
John Foot – The GuardianBe warned: Italy’s former prime minster promised the world and disdained the truth – and became his country’s third longest-serving leader. The lesson for America is that for far too long Berlusconi was treated as a joke and a clown. By the end, nobody was laughing.
Trump – The Symptom
Baher Kamal – Inter Press Service-IPS11 Nov 2016 – The electoral victory of U.S. Republican Donald Trump — many have said — is an alarming signal that heralds new, difficult times. Maybe. Anyway, this victory could –and should-be seen as a symptom not as a disease. Such disease consists of a widespread malaise, the feeling of frustration and even oppression that the majority of citizens shelter in their hearts and minds worldwide.
President Trump: Big Liar Going to Washington or Tribune of the People?
Prof. John McMurtry - Global ResearchTrump is no working-class hero. He has long been a predatory capitalist with all the furies of greed, egoism and self-promotion that the ruling system selects for. But he is not rich from foreign wars of aggression, or from exporting the costs of labor to foreign jurisdictions with subhuman standards. He has initiated a long overdue recognition of parasite capitalism eating out and wasting the life capacities of the US itself as well as the larger world.
Anticipating the Trump Presidency
Richard Falk | Global Justice in the 21st Century – TRANSCEND Media ServiceIt is wildly premature to think that this election signals that the American people have descended into the swamps of racism and nativism, but it will still take a vigilant opposition movement to prevent Trump’s government from imposing its horrendous agenda on our collective future.
AFRICA
Africa’s Challenge to the ICC
Solomon Dersso – Al JazeeraOn November 16, the signatories to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court will come together and for the first time they’ll have to face defections. In a matter of weeks three states withdrew from the ICC. The scrutiny of the three African withdrawals from the ICC should not be reduced to accusations of seeking impunity.
ANGLO AMERICA
The ‘Victorious’ Legacy of the Vietnam War
Emanuel E. Garcia, MD | Intrepid Report – TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe irony of the Vietnam War Memorial is no match for the irony inherent in the fact that the man who has won a Nobel Prize for Peace is the very same individual who has presided over drone-assassination, a programme whose distinction is as a kind of apex of dehumanised murder.
ASIA & THE PACIFIC
The Public Loves Myanmar’s New War on Muslims
Poppy McPherson | Foreign Policy – TRANSCEND Media ServiceOne year after a historic election put a civilian government in charge, the country’s army is using brutal methods to regain its popularity.
EUROPE
Dying to Get to Europe
Baher Kamal – Inter Press Service-IPSThey are not just data or numbers for statistical calculations. They are desperate human beings fleeing wars, violence, abuse, slavery and death. They hear and believe the bombastic speeches about democracy and human rights and watch the many images of welfare and good life in Europe.
MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
Palestinian Social Fabric Frays in Lebanon’s Camps as Drug Dealers Target Children
Franklin Lamb – TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe past few years have witnessed an alarming increase in drug distribution in Lebanon’s 12 Palestinian camps, as dealers target children and teenagers. This conclusion is based on research and surveys by camp officials, residents and activists, as well as in-depth interviews with mothers of targeted Palestinian children between the ages of 11-15.
THE UNITED NATIONS
United Nations Meet to Turn Climate Pledges into Action
Annie Sneed | Scientific American – TRANSCEND Media ServiceSystems to track and review each country’s progress will be put into place. The Conference of the Parties (COP 22) and the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 12) will be held in Marrakech, Morocco from 7-18 November 2016.
ENVIRONMENT
Climate Change Is Intergenerational Theft. That’s Why My Son Is Part of This Story
Naomi Klein – The GuardianWe still have both the time and power to force our politicians to change course. It’s too late for most of the world’s coral reefs but it’s not too late for all of them. And it’s not too late to keep temperatures below levels that would save millions of lives and livelihoods. For that kind of rapid change to happen, however, we are all going to have to stop being so impeccably calm and reasonable. We’re going to have to find that part of ourselves that feels this threat in our hearts, as well as our heads.
Toxic Air – The ‘Invisible Killer’ That Stifles 300 Million Children
Baher Kamal – Inter Press Service-IPSChildren Breathe Faster, Take in More Air than Adults – UNICEF further stressed that children are more susceptible than adults to both indoor and outdoor air pollution as their lungs, brains and immune systems are still developing and their respiratory tracks are more permeable.
MEDIA
Donald Trump and the Media’s ‘Epic Fail’
Rachel Oldroyd – The Bureau of Investigative JournalismOne of the most egregious failings of the media in the US election was their chase of audience share at the expense of substantial reporting. As happened in the UK in the run up to Brexit, lots of American media outlets treated Trump as entertainment – his soundbites, as shocking as they were, provided fantastic content on social media – and elevated his untruths to their front pages.
US Elections: Western Media Stopped Reporting and Began Shaping Opinion
Gefira – TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe powers that be so desperately wanted to prevent Donald Trump from becoming the 45th president that they chose to treat people like, excuse using the word, sheeple, telling them in no uncertain terms how a “decent” citizen was supposed to vote and how he was to assess the candidates.
PARADIGM CHANGES
Six Theses on Saving the Planet
Richard Smith | The Next System Project – TRANSCEND Media ServiceFrom the earliest days of the Industrial Revolution, workers, trade unionists, radicals, and socialists have fought against the worst depredations of capitalist development: intensifying exploitation, increasing social polarization, persistent racism and sexism, deteriorating workplace health and safety conditions, environmental ravages, and relentless efforts to suppress democratic political gains under the iron heel of capital.
REVIEWS
Rupture, Loss and Living: Minority Women Speak About Post-Conflict Life
Vithal Rajan – TRANSCEND Media ServiceThis reviewer discovered another message as he closed the book. Though he had shared the same time-space as the authors, he had not been aware of the delicacy with which women could unravel the tragic aspects of the human condition through the living narratives of other women, which could only be read through eyes blurred with tears.
ARTS
There Is a Crack in Everything, That’s How the Light Gets In: Leonard Cohen on Democracy and Its Redemptions
Maria Popova | Brain Pickings – TRANSCEND Media ServiceTrained as a poet and ordained as a Buddhist monk, Leonard Cohen (21 Sep 1934–10 Nov 2016) is our patron saint of sorrow and redemption. He wrote songs partway between philosophy and prayer — songs radiating the kind of prayerfulness which Simone Weil celebrated as “the rarest and purest form of generosity.”
OBITUARIES
Leonard Cohen, Epic and Enigmatic Songwriter, Is Dead at 82
Larry Rohter – The New York Times10 Nov 2016 – Over a musical career that spanned nearly five decades, Mr. Cohen wrote songs that addressed — in spare language that could be both oblique and telling — themes of love and faith, despair and exaltation, solitude and connection, war and politics. More than 2,000 recordings of his songs have been made by Judy Collins, Tim Hardin, U2, Aretha Franklin, R.E.M., Jeff Buckley, Trisha Yearwood, Justin Timberlake, Elton John, among others.
HISTORY
This Week in History
Satoshi Ashikaga – TRANSCEND Media ServiceNov 14-20 ~ QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.” –Cadet Maxim
IN ORIGINAL LANGUAGES
(Italiano) Dalla regionalizzazione alla globalizzazione: problematic
Johan Galtung | Centro Studi Sereno Regis – TRANSCEND Media ServiceDa trattare ci sono i loro rapporti e la globalizzazione politica, culturale, militare, economica. Politicamente dovrebbe funzionare per consenso, che vuol dire uguaglianza fra le regioni e veto per tutti. Culturalmente mediante il dialogo delle civiltà, non un monologo. Militarmente l’uguaglianza potrebbe far sì che l’ORU riesca là dove non è riuscita l’ONU con un Comando Militare. Economicamente: mediante condivisione – non monopoli – su base regionale.
(Italiano) Due Indie: Gandhi e l’India Moderna
Johan Galtung | Centro Studi Sereno Regis – TRANSCEND Media ServiceGandhi era per i bisogni, la modernità per l’avidità; Gandhi per l’autosostentamento locale, la modernità per il commercio illimitato; Gandhi per costruirsi la propria identità, la modernità per l’americanizzazione come neo-nirvana; Gandhi per la risoluzione nonviolenta dei conflitti, la modernità per polizia, militari, guerra.
(Português) Carta Aberta aos Ativistas Brasileiros
Robert J. Burrowes, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media ServiceA julgar pelos protestos que têm sido noticiados, bem como pelas mobilizações por influentes líderes comunitários em defesa da democracia, nutro grandes esperanças pelo Brasil. Tendo sido um ativista da não-violência por muitos anos, gostaria de oferecer o meu apoio para que os ativistas brasileiros possam desenvolver uma estratégia não-violenta que irá aumentar suas chances de sucesso.
(Italiano) La guerra che distrugge
Elena Camino – Centro Studi Sereno Regis• 60 milioni di persone dislocate
• 125 milioni in situazioni di crisi
• Gli attuali costi per aiuti umanitari: 25 miliardi di $ annui
• Fondi mancanti 15 miliardi di $
In una comunicazione il SIPRI informa che “la spesa militare nel 2015 è stata di 1,7 migliaia di miliardi di $, con un aumento dell’1% rispetto al 2014”.
(Português) Acordámos num mundo que não conhecemos
José Manuel Fernandes | Observador – TRANSCEND Media ServiceTrump assusta, mas mais assustados devíamos estar por não termos ouvido os eleitores que mobilizou. E não, não: Trump não é um fascista nem os EUA são Itália. Por isso não venham prever o apocalipse.
(Français) La politique est la solution
Megan Erickson, Katherine Hill, Matt Karp, Connor Kilpatrick, & Bhaskar Sunkara | Investig’Action – Jacobin MagazineNous ne pouvons pas nous déplacer au Canada ou nous cacher sous le lit. C’est le moment d’embrasser la politique démocratique, et non de la rejeter.
(Français) Le projet de mondialisation de Wall Street rejeté: Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead!
Diana Johnstone | Investig’Action - CounterPunchLe racisme et le sexisme sont-ils les ingrédients-clés de la réussite de Donald Trump ? Pas pour Diana Johnstone. L’auteure de Hillary Cinton, la reine du chaos revient sur la campagne désastreuse de la candidate démocrate et analyse les enjeux de cette élection.
(Português) Abelhas entram para a lista de espécies em extinção
Helô D'Angelo | Exame – TRANSCEND Media ServiceEventual fim das abelhas não nos deixaria só sem mel: dois terços do que comemos dependem do trabalho delas como polinizadoras.
(Italiano) Il “Mio” Segni, I “Miei ” Segni
Silvia Berruto – TRANSCEND Media ServiceIl Festival di teatro, arte e spettacolo, giunto alla sua XI edizione, rinominato nel 2016 con New generations Festival, che si è svolto a Mantova dal 26 ottobre al 2 novembre scorsi.
IN-DEPTH VIDEOS
Parents of the Peace/Conflict Research Field: Johan Galtung
George Mason University School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution – TRANSCEND Media ServiceStarting with founding the Peace Research Institute Oslo in Norway when he was only 29 years old, Johan Galtung became the ‘founding father’ of peace research in Europe and ultimately had a worldwide impact on our modern understanding of peace and the structure of conflict.
SHORT VIDEO CLIPS
Everybody Knows (Music Video of the Week)
Leonard Cohen – TRANSCEND Media ServiceLeonard Cohen, a Canadian poet and novelist, abandoned a promising literary career to become one of the foremost songwriters of the contemporary era. He passed away on 10 Nov 2016.
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen (Music Video of the Week)
Andre Rieu Orchestra – TRANSCEND Media ServiceCohen’s Masterpiece Composition – Maastricht Concert 2013
SATIRE
President Trump’s Briefing Session
Dr. Leo Rebello – TRANSCEND Media ServiceTrump’s first day at the Oval Office after being elected President. First briefings by the CIA, Pentagon, FBI:
JOKE OF THE WEEK
The Salary Theory…
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media ServiceDilbert’s “Salary Theorem” states that “Engineers and scientists can never earn as much as business executives and sales people.”
“Capitalism and State sovereignty are goners. Bankism rules the world in all respects now.” “Militaries are the ultimate manifestation of direct, structural and cultural violence—a cancer that must be extirpated from humanity.” — Antonio C. S. Rosa, M.A.
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