by Howard Salter | Oct 11, 2007 | Global Justice, World Citizen
Recently, my colleague Rich Stazinksi wrote two very insightful pieces about the confluence of global issues , presidential politics and sports.
Today, in a similar note, I hope you will join me in wishing Etan Thomas the best of luck as he undergoes heart surgery . Who is Etan Thomas? If you are a sports fan you will recognize him as the muscle-bound center of the Washington Wizards, an NBA basketball team. If you are more than a casual fan of hoops, you also know that Etan is “More Than An Athlete,” which is the title of a book of poetry he wrote.
His poetry pulls no punches, as he opines on an array of social justice issues ranging from the war in Iraq, to climate change and issues of racism and the death penalty.
He also is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post .
Our thoughts and prayers are with you Etan.
by Citizens for Global Solutions | Jun 20, 2007 | Global Cooperation, World Citizen
When I wasn’t outside playing baseball or some other sport in the spring and summer of 1973, I was glued to the TV set. Just shy of 13, I was enthralled by the historical and political theatre of the Senate hearings on Watergate. (I know; serious early warning signs of a political junkie).
It wasn’t until a few years later that I began to understand that the Watergate story evolved from the tenacious reporting of two young Washington Post reporters: Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. One of my early mentors, Janet Mendler, was my high school journalism teacher. She took our class to a movie in 1976, “All the President’s Men.” The movie, combined with my concurrent reading of the book, allowed me to dream of one day becoming a newspaper reporter, ala ‘Woodstein.’
In today’s Washington Post, David Segal profiles Bernstein. The story’s hook is Bernstein’s new book, “A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton.” However, Segal only takes a glance at Bernstein’s new book, and delves into the ups and downs of the famed journalist.
Like it or not, Bernstein is forever measured against the canny, tireless reporting and writing he did at the age of 28, after a break-in that ultimately ended a presidency. And he is forever measured against Bob Woodward, his onetime byline buddy and a modern publishing phenomenon. Stolid and utterly focused, Woodward has written more than a dozen books — six since Bernstein signed the Clinton deal in 1999, all of them bestsellers.
Woodward and Bernstein literally became a brand; the Kleenex or Windex of journalism, if you will. For me personally, they became heroes on the same pedestal as Gordie Howe, Alan Trammell and Dave Bing (Detroit hockey, baseball and basketball legends). In the mid-1980s, I even named my cat ‘Woodstein.’
Once I moved to the nation’s Capital, I made a promise to myself: If I ever met either Woodward or Bernstein in person, I would walk right up to them and tell them how their work inspired me. In 1998, while working an event that then First Lady Hillary Clinton spoke at (for full disclosure, I worked in the Clinton Administration as a Senior Public Affairs officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development), I saw Bernstein about 50 feet away. He seemed to be walking out of the event.
Without a second thought, I yelled, “Carl!” To my surprise, he stopped. I then hurriedly walked over and introduced myself and told him how much of an inspiration he was to me. I knew about his supposed tough, hard as nails persona, however he was very affable, polite and seemingly humble that a late 30-something guy would run him down to thank him.
I’m not sure I’ll read his new book. I’m not a real big fan of biographies of current presidential candidates. But when the history of journalism, and frankly the history of the 20th Century of American politics is discussed, Carl Bernstein’s name, fame and work is, and always will be, more than a footnote.
by Citizens for Global Solutions | May 17, 2007 | Human Rights, World Citizen
While perusing the Partnership for a Secure America’s Across the Aisle blog, I came across guest blogger Michael Kraig’s attention-grabbing post “Respecting Global Citizens: the Case of Haleh Esfandiari.” I applaud Mr. Kraig’s willingness to discuss the plight of Ms. Esfandiari, the Iranian-American director of the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program, and I genuinely share his and many others’ sincere hope for her safe return to family, friends and colleagues. However, I am unsure of Mr. Kraig’s central premise: Is it the expression of concern for the well-being of Ms. Esfandiari and a criticism of the Iranian regime’s interrogation practices? Or rather, something more akin to personal outrage that ‘someone like Haleh’ could be sent to prison abroad?
Mr. Kraig doesn’t accuse the Iranian authorities outright of illegal detention or employing interrogation techniques that equate to acts of torture, but he certainly skirts the line on torture by mentioning “grueling and intimidating” interrogation sessions that Ms. Esfandiari has reportedly experienced. It’s instructive to review exactly how the UN Convention on Torture defines torture.? According to the convention, torture means:
“any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him information or a confession, punishing him for an act he has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.”
Thus, it seems that Mr. Kraig is indirectly leveling a very serious charge against Iran. And if Ms. Esfandiari has been intimidated or tortured, as defined under international law, I am indeed appalled; appalled because I believe in the rule of law and don’t believe in the torture of my fellow man — full stop — whether it’s by American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, and secret CIA prisons, our proxy (outsourced) “interrogators” in Egypt, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, or other national security apparatuses. Torture is universally immoral and illegal. However, Mr. Kraig argues that it is Ms. Esfandiari’s “global citizen” status not her humanity that places her detention and interrogation “beyond the pale.” He states:
Trading and interrogating true spies is one thing; we’ve all studied the Cold War, and people who join intelligence agencies as operatives know what they’re in for when they join. But interrogating and imprisoning truly global citizens who clearly exist across multiple societies and state boundaries is beyond the pale. I am as outraged about this as I would be if (for instance) Gianni Picco were imprisoned; it just ought to be clear, by now, that a norm has developed in regard to such individuals. Most people are clearly defined and described as nationalist; they define themselves and their own actions in traditional terms. But not all, and certainly not Haleh.
I must question the “They-know-what-they’re-in-for” logic. Moral relativism of this nature is frankly shocking. Does this line of thinking extend to relief workers on the ground in Darfur? I suspect these well-meaning and indispensable individuals knew what they were in for when they joined. How about U.S. Foreign Service officers stationed around the globe? They certainly should know the potential risk associated with their jobs. Is it okay to trade and interrogate them? I, as well as many in the international community, don’t think so.
I believe the international community must draw a broad, deep line in the sand on interrogation and torture not just for global elites like Haleh Esfandiari and Gianni Picco but for every man, woman and child that inhabits our increasingly interconnected world regardless of national origin/citizenship, educational attainment or professional background. If we don’t, individual states will be well within their perceived rights to interrogate any individuals they deem to be security threats or “true spies” (Ms. Esfandiari has been accused of espionage) just as the Bush administration has interrogated and tortured ‘enemy combatants’ (or simply outsourced these dirty deeds to allies and enemies alike).
I wonder if Mr. Kraig will travel to Saudi Arabia or Syria the next time a scheduled trip coincides with the detention, imprisonment or interrogation of a dual-passport carrying global citizen. For instance, would he travel to Saudi Arabia now while the country plans to execute two Saudi-born Palestinians with Canadian citizenship who confessed to murdering a young Syrian during a schoolyard fight in Jeddah? (It’s reported that the confession was forced and that the boys have experienced both physical and mental torture during their detention.) Or what about the case of Maher Arar, the Syrian-born, Canadian software engineer who made the mistake of touching down on U.S. soil only to be “transferred” by the U.S. to a prison in Syria via Jordan where he spent two years being tortured in the name of national security? Does the plight of these global citizens meet the threshold for boycotting international travel and engagement?
Surely the issue here is either one of the chilling effect that detentions and interrogations have on international relations, cultural exchanges and other relationship cultivating programs between countries, or about the basic rights that every person — regardless of the number of passports and airline mileage points — is entitled to. Surely it cannot be the infringement of Ms. Esfandiari’s “elite status” as characterized by Mr. Kraig (and not by anyone speaking on Ms. Esfandiari’s behalf).
Terms such as “citizen” and “national” are quickly becoming obsolete in our increasingly interrelated world. To say that people who are clearly defined as nationalist can expect to be interrogated or tortured, while those enjoying the status/passport/association of “global citizen” are protected from such treatment by virtue of that status is to essentially say what the Bush administration (and numerous presidential candidates) has been saying for six years: sometimes it’s acceptable to torture (or employ “enhanced interrogation techniques”) against “enemy combatants.” Mr. Kraig simply calls them “nationalist.”
Finally, I must question the wisdom of Mr. Kraig’s refusal to attend an event that is hosted by a respected Iranian institution with a “pro-engagement, positive-sum vision.” In the rhetorically-heated, politically-charged atmosphere surrounding current U.S.-Iran relations, it is the belief of this pro-engagement, global citizen (although I only possess a U.S. passport) that we need more channels of communication — not less — if we are to avoid what many neoconservatives and neoliberals want us to believe is an unavoidable confrontation with Iran. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that Haleh Esfandiari is soon cleared of any forthcoming charges and released unharmed so Mr. Kraig won’t be forced to make this difficult decision and will instead be allowed to work “respectfully across differences to create fair, just, and lasting solutions” to the world’s most pressing challenges.
by Citizens for Global Solutions | May 14, 2007 | Climate Justice, World Citizen
Digging around in the blogosphere, I think I may just have found the solution we’ve all been looking for…
STOP THE USE OF LAWNMOWERS, WEEDWHACKERS, ETC AND DEMAND EVERYONE TO HAVE THE RIGHTS TO PLANT TREES AND BUSHES AND NOT HAVE TO HAVE LAWNS. FOR THOSE WHO DEMAND TO HAVE LAWNS THEY WILL USE A SHEEP OR GOAT RENTAL SERVICE TO KEEP THEIR PROPERTIES MAINTAINED.
This is an excerpt from a comment posted to a very cool video that poses a challenge to the Presidential Candidates to tackle global warming by re-engaging with the rest of the world.? I can’t decide whether to go with that or the goats.
But whichever one I decide to go with, I have to agree with my colleague Rich (sorry Howard — but when he’s right, he’s right!) that the LiveAid crew should put concrete solutions on the concert menu. We’re way past the “climate change? what climate change?” point in this conversation… Just do me a favor… don’t let Spinal Tap pick the solutions.
Now please excuse me, I have to go see a man about a goat…
by Citizens for Global Solutions | May 8, 2007 | Global Cooperation, World Citizen
It’s that time again folks! The last week has seen the conclusion of the much anticipated third installment of the GlobalSolutions.org Flash Movie Contest . Once again this acclaimed initiative demonstrated its value in educating youth about the key global issues and concerns of the day, and gained some exciting and sophisticated movies that are arguably some of the best we’ve ever had. As the contest continues to go from strength to strength, it’s rewarding to find ourselves as inspired by what our young audience is creating as they are by the work that we do as an organization.
This year saw over 5,600 registrants from across the globe, including Pakistan, Mexico and the Ukraine. We saw the greatest age range in our contest participants than ever before – from ages 11 to 60 and for the first time brought in a five member panel to judge the submissions. The winners ranged in age from 15 to 24, with the first place movie focusing on energy and thus tying in perfectly with our key organizational campaign of 2007.
Tellingly, the winning submissions this year all focused on issues relating to energy and the environment, demonstrating how strongly young people feel about the need to combat pollution, develop alternative energy sources and focus far more on sustainable development.
The animator of the winning movie, 24-year-old Jeffrey Knight from Savannah, Georgia, pointedly commented that, “Be they small or large, our decisions and demands will shape the future of our world and make it a future worth saving.”
Flash technology is an exciting medium for bringing complex foreign policy issues to a broader audience, especially youth. Communicating key concerns in the space of a couple of minutes is phenomenally challenging, especially when many people that we engage are new to the subjects and have to start from scratch. This reflects not only that youth understand the issues at hand far more intricately than they are given credit for, but also demonstrates their astounding ability to communicate two minute animations that retain many of the nuances of what are complicated global problems.
Ensuring that GlobalSolutions.org stays high on the top of the technology wave is a crucial goal of the flash contest, but lets not lose sight of the bigger picture of what this initiative is all about education and engagement.
Flash has constructed both an echo chamber in which peoples’ own voices can resound, and a channel by which their opinions may flow into the foreign policy debate. And in accordance with our organization’s vision and mission, these engaged young people have adopted our policy areas as the vehicles through which they can both join the conversation and offer their own personal solutions to the intricate threats and challenges of the 21st century.
by Citizens for Global Solutions | May 3, 2007 | Global Justice, World Citizen
I have been a news junkie extraordinaire for far too many years. I admit my addiction, but there is no way I can break it. Even as a kid, I would run to the door each morning to grab The Detroit Free Press and begin to devour the news. At that early stage, I went right to the sports section. I had to check every columnist, carefully ingest each and every box score and memorize the top 10 leaders in home runs, goals scored, or scoring in the NBA depending upon the season.
As I grew older, the sports section has become my dessert. The main course for me is the front page, followed by the editorial and op-ed pages. With the internet, I can even get a handle on the daily news coverage around the world before 6 AM each morning (I am cursed, as I can’t sleep past 5 AM most mornings).
Over the past few years, logging onto the internet to check the news from papers all across our interconnected world has become quite depressing. With the daily death tolls in Iraq on the rise to disease and poverty ravaging our brothers and sisters in developing nations, I often find myself in a funk before my first cup of coffee is even finished.
This morning, E.J. Dionne, who writes a column for the Washington Post and is a scholar at The Brookings Institute, had a piece entitled “Democrats’ Foreign Policy Primary.” The headline caught my interest, but frankly, as I read E.J.’s column and normally I love his wit and insight there was a complete disconnect between the headline and what E.J. was articulating.
What Dionne focuses on is solely the Democratic positioning in regards to Iraq. He devotes less that one paragraph to Senator Obama’s “detailed foreign policy speech last week“
In fact, many candidates on both sides of the aisle have delivered big-picture foreign policy speeches: Obama, Hilary Clinton, John McCain , “America’s Mayor” and Bill Richardson . Yet, while the media clamors for depth and substance from the candidates, the press falls short when it comes to actually covering and analyzing the views of the people who are running for president.
So, I guess this morning’s “funk” was given a moment of hope, only to be dashed by the Post’s misleading headline on Dionne’s column.
