What’s New November 1999

Date of Update

Description

November 29, 1999

1. Additional sources of information about the WTO ministerial meeting has been added. One is from the official WTO web site for this ministerial meeting. Another is a look at concerns from developing countries about the WTO meeting and the realities they are living with, while the third new link is from Corporate Watch which has live broadcasts. A report from Christian Aid also looks at the fairness in the current free trade model that corporations are pushing and examines if it really has been fair. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Fair Trade / Causes of Poverty
   
   
   
2. East Timor has gained independence from Indonesia (after much violence). Other areas within Indonesia facing similar violations of human rights, however, are continuing their struggle without much of the world attention that East Timor received. One such region is Irian Jaya, where violence and human rights abuses have been going on for many years. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Geopolitics
   
   
   
3. What is the relation between globalization and the military industrial complex? As free trade agreements are negotiated, military and defence related spending is not included. This allows the developed nations to maintain their technological superiority to develop weapons and therefore indirectly subsidizes arms corporations that then sell them to the rest of the world. The arms trade is big business. In fact, it is the largest business in the world. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Geopolitics / Human Rights / Trade Related Issues
   
   
   
4. The global media is dominated by nine corporations. It used to be around 50. That was in the 1980s before all the mergers and buyouts. Even then, some were alarmed that just 50 corporations was not enough for real democracy and diversity! Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Mainstream Media / Human Rights / Trade Related Issues
   
   
   
5. It isn't just Europe that has been vocal about the need for more safety testing of genetically engineered food. Many people around the world are also concerned. In Latin America, however, there are more supporters of the technology, it seems. However, some of the supporters also suggest that more caution is needed. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Genetically Engineered Food / Trade Related Issues
   
   
   

November 22, 1999

1. A new section on the crisis in Chechnya has been added. In a parallel to Kosovo, Russia is brutally cracking down on Chechens and many civilians have been killed. International groups are alarmed at the human rights abuses. This section helps provide links to other sources that are covering the issue and explores some of the various interests, such as oil, that may be fuelling this bloody conflict. Over time of course, more will be added. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Geopolitics / Human Rights / Trade Related Issues
   
   
   
2. Additional sources of information about the upcoming WTO ministerial meeting has been added. One is an article from Le Monde Diplomatique, titled Trade before Freedom and looks at the impacts that the WTO has and will have on us. Another article points out how even two large proponents of free trade criticize the latest trends in corporate influence. The others are a couple of articles that a look at the lack of media coverage in the US. The meeting, at the end of November is expected to draw thousands of protestors... Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Fair Trade / Causes of Poverty
   
   
   
3. East Timor has gained independence from Indonesia (after much violence). Other areas within Indonesia facing similar violations of human rights, however, are continuing their struggle without much of the world attention that East Timor received. One such region is Aceh, where violence and human rights abuses have been going on for many years. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Geopolitics
   
   
   
4. An additional link to more information about the East Timor crisis has also been added. This one is a great documentary from Amy Goodman, titled Massacre: The Story of East Timor. It describes a massacre in 1991 and also looks at the US role in the 1975 Indonesia invasion of East Timor. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Geopolitics
   
   
   
5. Some additional sources on the media have been added. One is from the newly launched Media Channel. Another is a great news service for the alternative press, Alternet. Lastly a link to a group called Cause Communication, that helps nonprofits publicize important news, has been added. These are great sources worth checking out. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Mainstream Media / Human Rights
   
   
   
6. What was the role of the media in the Kosovo crisis? While the Serbian regime had a propaganda model in place, so did the western mainstream media. Many aspects of the causes and the actual bombing campaign went unreported or were inaccurate. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Crisis in Kosovo / The Need for NATO / Geopolitics
   
   
   
7. The largest act of civil disobedience in the U.S. since the Vietnam War occurred over the weekend of November 21, 1999 as people protested against the School of the Americas. Some people have even called this the School of the Assasins as it has trained military personnel of various Latin American nations that have participated in notorious human rights violations. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Arms Trade / Geopolitics / Human Rights
   
   
   
8. Many countries have failed to uphold the rights of children and enact the convention that they have signed to. Despite being the widest ratified treaty in the world, an Amnesty international report reveals that many nations have not provided some of the basic rights to their children. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Human Rights
   
   
   

November 15, 1999

1. Because journalists and the UN have not been able to go to West Timor, it is difficult to know how East Timorese refugees there are being treated. Since the violence and destruction following the August 30 referendum where East Timorese overwhelmingly voted for independence, Indonesian-backed paramilitaries have gone on a killing spree and devastated much of East Timor. Indonesia itself has been backed for decades by the US, UK, Australia and others for business interests and hence their human rights violations have often been overlooked, or even supported... Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Geopolitics / Trade Related / Human Rights
   
   
   
2. The US military budget is increasing, as well as certain Asian nations, while for the rest of the world, there is a large decline in military spending. The U.S. military budget is more than nineteen times as large as the combined spending of the seven countries that the US calls Rogue... Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Geopolitics / Trade Related / Human Rights
   
   
   
3. An additional source of information regarding the coming WTO Ministerial meeting in Seattle has been added. This millennium round is expected to be accompanied by a lot of public protest at the way globalization is shaping up and becoming increasingly dominated by corporate interests, sometimes unaccountably. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Fair Trade / Causes of Poverty
   
   
   
4. Structural Adjustment initiatives imposed by the IMF and World Bank to developing nations have constantly come under much criticism. The IMF and World Bank often provide loans with conditions such as the cut back of social provisions. In essence, this is a seen as reducing the standard of living for the people of these countries. Structural Adjustment, then is a major cause of poverty. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Causes of Poverty / Fair Trade
   
   
   
5. A link to a new report describing the problems of the Innu people in Canada has been added. The report claims that the racist policies of the Canadian government have been largely to blame. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Human Rights
   
   
   
6. A link to an additional source about media has been added. This one is from adbusters. They have numerous sections, both humorous and informative. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Human Rights
   
   
   
7. Many countries have failed to uphold the rights of children and enact the convention that they have signed to. Despite being the widest ratified treaty in the world, a Human Rights Watch report reveals that many nations have not provided some of the basic rights to their children. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Human Rights
   
   
   
8. The US cancels a patent on a plant that is sacred to many indigenous Latin Americans. While that is positive news, the underlying problem of being able to patent such indigenous knowledge threatens livelihoods of many people in developing countries, especially farmers. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Genetically Engineered Food / Trade Related Issues
   
   
   

November 7, 1999

1. Some Sierra Leone rebels do not accept UN deployment of peacekeeping troops. They are against it if UN troops are authorized to use force to ensure disarmament of ex-combatants. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Geopolitics / Human Rights / Mainstream Media
   
   
   
2. An additional source of information on Eritrea has been added. The Horn of Africa is just one of many regions in Africa that is going through, or recovering from recent conflict. However, mainstream media has hardly talked about the conflicts in Africa... Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Geopolitics / Human Rights / Mainstream Media
   
   
   
3. Structural Adjustment policies have been a major cause of debt and poverty in developing countries. These programs have also been criticized for being a Western imposition on other cultures as well as hypocritically asking emerging nations to cut back on the very provisions that Western nations used to develop their own economies. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Causes of Poverty / Fair Trade
   
   
   
4. Mainstream media is often criticized for being largely influenced by corporate interests. Such so-called market censorship prevents various mainstream media groups to objectively report on many issues, in case one of their advertisers, owners or sponsors would be offended. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Human Rights
   
   
   
5. An additional source of information about the use of children as soldiers has been added. This one is a report from Foreign Policy in Focus that looks into the US roles and policies. There are approximately 300,000 child soldiers around the world. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Geopolitics / Human Rights
   
   
   
6. An additional source of information about landmines has been added. This one is the Adopt a Minefield campaign. Landmines affect mainly civilians. Even though the Ottawa Convention, or the Landmine Ban Treaty, has been the fastest convention adopted, key nations such as the US, Russia and China still have not signed or ratified the treaty. Go There!
   - Related Section(s): Arms Trade / Geopolitics / Human Rights