Focus on the Global South Site Sydication http://focusweb.org Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:39:52 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://focusweb.org/images/M_images/logo1-transparent.jpg http://focusweb.org Focus on the Global South Site Sydication http://focusweb.org/statement-suppression-of-dissent-and-resultant-violence-cannot-resolve-confl.html Suppression of Dissent and Resultant Violence cannot Resolve Conflicts: The Thai Government and UDD Must Urgently Return to the Negotiating Table Statement from Focus on the Global South, May 17, 2010 The steps taken by the Thai Government in the past week, especially after the failure of the five-steps reconciliation proposal to gain acceptance by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), are totally unacceptable. The Government must take full responsibility for the deaths and injuries that ensued. Violence, suppression of dissent, and the violation of peoples' civil and political rights, including coup d’etats, cannot resolve the conflicts that have gripped Thai society. The use of weapons of war, whether by the Government or by all other parties, which amounts to abusing the lives of fellow human-beings for political gains, must be unequivocally condemned. Thailand Programme - Statements and Declarations Mon, 17 May 2010 09:59:02 +0100 http://focusweb.org/philippine-democracy-alive-but-is-it-well.html by Walden Bello* from INQUIRER.net The 2010 campaign has drawn to a close, and it’s time to distill my experiences after registering hundreds of miles by land, sea, and air crisscrossing the country as a party-list candidate. On the purely physical side, my shaking thousands of hands—I estimated some 3,500 in one two-hour period in the public market in Angeles, Pampanga—has apparently given my right arm a life of its own, like that of Dr. Strangelove or one of Jim Carrey’s characters. It twitches uncontrollably when not in action, as if waiting impatiently to be fed. Phillippines Programme - Article Tue, 11 May 2010 04:05:00 +0100 http://focusweb.org/the-blossoming-of-sino-iranian-partnership.html?Itemid=144 The blossoming of Sino-Iranian partnership: how an emboldened South is beginning to expose the limits of American power by Javad Heydarian It is undeniable that the year 2009 was a momentous year for People’s Republic of China, as it proved its centrality in the climate change talks, new global economic order, and ultimately in the international strategic-security arrangements. The year was also very important for Iran-China relations as energy investments soared, trade expanded and nuclear-diplomacy entered a new phase. On the other hand, Iran continued to defy western pressure and assert its interests in the highly strategic and vital region of Persian Gulf – where 40% of energy is transported everyday – as well as the Greater Middle East and Central Asia. The Iranian regime has not only survived the U.S sanctions, isolation and threats but also managed to enhance its influence in the region. Iran with its vast influence and regional connections is now arguably the main key to the resolution of problems in the region -- from the civil wars unfolding in Iraq and Lebanon to the security challenge of the Persian Gulf -- and it is hard to imagine any of them being resolved without Iran's cooperation if not blessing. China Programme - Articles Thu, 06 May 2010 14:01:00 +0100 http://focusweb.org/is-congress-worth-running-for.html By Akbayan! Representative Walden Bello from Inquirer.net s Congress worth running for? As someone that comes from civil society, I am often asked this question. I do not blame people for being so cynical. After a year in the institution, I cannot deny that all they have heard about the House of Representatives is true. Chronic Absenteeism and other Foibles The problem goes beyond the chronic absenteeism that forces the House leadership, for lack of a quorum, to resort to various subterfuges to conduct a modicum of business. I would say that about 50 per cent of my colleagues are there mainly to get their priority development funds or pork barrel to distribute to their constituencies. This being their sole interest, they are easily manipulated by the Executive which—no matter what the Constitution says--really holds the power of the purse. There are members of the 14th Congress who, I am told, have never once spoken on the floor in their nine years in the House. And when members do rise to deliver privilege speeches, they usually devote these to attacking enemies in their congressional districts, which is why very few members appear to be paying attention even when a speaker is trying his bombastic best to pound his absent foe to smithereens. Phillippines Programme - Article Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:54:14 +0100 http://focusweb.org/does-corruption-create-poverty.html By Walden Bello* From Common Dreams, April 23, 2010 The issue of corruption is a very resonant one in developing countries. In the Philippines, for instance, the slogan of the coalition that is likely to win the 2010 presidential elections is “Without corrupt officials, there are no poor people.” Not surprisingly, the international financial institutions have weighed in. The World Bank has made “good governance” a major thrust of its work, asserting that the “World Bank Group focus on governance and anticorruption (GAC) follows from its mandate to reduce poverty—a capable and accountable state creates opportunities for poor people, provides better services, and improves development outcomes.” (1) There is no doubt that corruption is to be condemned and corrupt officials resolutely prosecuted because it erodes trust in government. It also weakens the moral bonds of civil society on which democratic practices and processes rest. But while research suggests that corruption has some bearing on the spread of poverty, the claim that corruption is the principal cause of poverty and economic stagnation, although popular with voters, is questionable. World Bank and Transparency International data show that the Philippines and China exhibit the same level of corruption, yet China grew by 10.3 per cent per annum between 1990 and 2000 while the Philippines grew by only 3.3 per cent. Moreover, as a recent study by Shaomin Lee and Judy Wu shows, “China is not alone; there are other countries that have relatively high corruption and high growth rates.” (2) Phillippines Programme - Article Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:44:18 +0100