Posts with the tag genocide

When Is Genocide Genocide?

Kay — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:05:28 EDT

We wrote two pieces about the state of the anti-genocide activism movement recently by our staff writer and former editorial intern Matt Zeitlin. John Prendergast himself responded to the story:

UNL Students Receive Grant for Anti-Genocide Activism

pdelatorre — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:06:54 EST

Divest Nebraska, a student organization at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), was recently awarded a grant of $400 from the non-profit Campus Progress for their campaign to convince Nebraska lawmakers to divest from targeted companies. Targeted companies are those companies operating in Sudan that provide few to no benefits to Sudanese citizens and generate revenue used by the Sudanese government to fund genocide.

End Genocide with Ryan Gosling and John Prendergast NEW VIDEO

Saxon Baird — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:28:53 EDT

A new video from the Enough project with Ryan Gosling and John Prendergast discussing genocide in Darfur and what you can do to help stop this crime against humanity.

Check it out right now HERE on Youtube.

MTV evokes the Holocaust, and I'm confused.

Jenny Odegard — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:51:54 EDT

Via Huffington Post.

I can't decide what is most upsetting/confounding about this situation.

The idea that MTV is using the Holocaust to startle teens? Or that the message of these ads is unclear?

The HuffPo writer ponders the complexity of media influence, corporations, and government regulation, but I would like to get more to the point of this particular reference. Ads are here and here.

Why is MTV trying to scare teenagers? Maybe I missed something, but I was under the impression that we're in the middle of a very exciting presidential election with a race between very distinguished and talented candidates on both sides. In what way does that signal impending systematic imprisonment and murder for "people like us"?

Kenya Genocide

Gabriela McCall Delgado — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:39:41 EST

Another case of genocide in the world? The death of hundred of children in Kenya, with the bodies piling up. How much is too much? When reading about the current situation in Kenya I have to agree with the CNN article characterizing the situation as genocide. Regretfully the current events in Kenya bring back to my mindscenes described in a book I read in my English class this semester, "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah, about children and the effects of the violence of war upon them. I highly recommend his book which tells the story of a boy soldier in Sierra Leone. Children are victims of war, either because of death, injuries or from being conscripted to become soldiers in a war between is still tribal groups. The question that comes to mind when reading the article on CNN is what can we do that is effective to change the situation? The campaign regarding Darfur has been going on for some time and yet the problem on violence is still there. Do we have any ideas on how to deal with a crisis that repeats itself throughout the African continent? I know Senator Obama is busy trying to win in Iowa at this moment, but this is a good moment to show that he can give some creative solutions even if he is not the most experienced candidate. He can try to show why he is the real hope for change. Genocide has happened before and is happening again. The question is, do we have the ideas for solutions, the will-power and the leadership to try to stop it? Genocide is a moral issue that most be dealt with.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/724286,CST-NWS-sweet03.article

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/01/03kenya.violence/index.html

Darfur Activisim: Over-Hyped And Overblown?

Justin Elliott — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 02:02:04 EDT

Ken Silverstein is, for my money—or time, as the case may be—one of the best D.C. journalists working today. A rarity in the blogosphere, his “Washington Babylon” at Harper’s regularly provides original reporting along with the standard interesting commentary. Yesterday Silverstein put up an important post on “Facts and Darfur,” touching on an issue that has animated American campuses more than perhaps any other in recent years. Even amid the heady successes of the campus-based divestment campaigns, it seems like a lot of us, myself included, knew very little about what was going on in Sudan beyond the stray terms like “genocide” and “Janjaweed.” I’ve tried to educate myself about Darfur. But I have to admit I’ve always regarded those campaigns with a measure of skepticism. One simple reason:

There Still May Be Hope For Darfur

David Brown — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:38:09 EDT

With the announcement that the Sudanese government under President Omar al-Bashir is close to reopening negotiations with rebel groups in Darfur, promising a ceasefire in the meantime, the Sudanese people along with the rest of the world may finally see and end to the violence in sight. But we must not get our hopes up quite yet. Several attempts at peace including an actual ceasefire have all lagged and eventually broken down completely over the last three years as genocide has continued in Sudan. As the report details the upcoming negations in Libya, it is hard to believe that this time around any agreement will stick as the government has yet to acknowledge their support of the Janjaweed militias who carry out the genocide. Bashir’s rhetoric about bringing an end to the nearly decade long conflict have amounted to nothing but hollow promises. His Islamic government has financed and supplied the Janjaweed militias for several years in their attempts to destroy all existence of the non-Arab African population in the western Darfur region. As the African Union remains largely ineffective in containing the violence, constrained by weak mandates and poor logistical support, the UN now stands to beef up its police force in the Darfur region.

Divesting from Sudan...kinda

Zach Marks — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 00:31:47 EDT

Getting universities to divest from companies doing business in Sudan in ways that support the genocide in Darfur has been one of the hottest campaign issues for student activists on campuses around the country. (It has also been one of the most closely watched topics on Campus Progress, which has published at least this, this, this, and this on student-led divestment movements.)

Vanity Fair Africa Issue

Dana Goldstein — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 22:49:12 EDT

Fresh on the heels of its green issue featuring Leo DiCaprio with an adorable baby seal, Vanity Fair has devoted July to Africa, with U2's Bono acting as symbolic "guest editor." I admit I was skeptical at first, especially considering the glossy adds for Product (Red)--Bono's effort to donate a percentage of profits from consumer goods to health care in Africa--throughout the magazine. And the Brad Pitt interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu is unreadable. But I highly recommend Sebastian Junger's reporting from Chad on China's growing economic influence in Africa and support for the genocidal Sudanese regime. Junger highlights fears on the continent that over-reliance on Chinese construction, labor, and oil investments will create a neo-colonial relationship. And he points out that the United States' blockage of China's attempt to purchase UNOCAL forced China's hand in pursuing oil reserves in beyond-the-pale Sudan. A reminder that energy policy is a crucial aspect of our foreign policy. And that climate change and poverty and genocide go hand in hand.

The profile of Jeffrey Sachs is interesting if you don't already know a lot about him. I also wouldn't miss "The Lazarus Effect," which details exactly how the uber-slick Product (Red) campaign works: The advertising dollars are drawn from each company's marketing budget (Gap, Apple, Converse, etc.), so no charity funds are going toward PR. And so far, Product (Red) leather jackets, watches, iPods, and such have raised $25 million to provide Africans with anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS. (I just can't figure out why those annoying parentheses are part of the name).

If you make it through all this, the excerpt from Tina Brown's new book on Princess Diana is pretty absorbing. Who knew she was secretly in love with a Pakistani heart surgeon?