"Naxal menace"? Is TOI editorializing or is it reporting the facts? Is TOI an unwitting mouthpiece of the Indian government? Watch your words, TOI or you will find yourself becoming an arm of the government. Your professional responsibility is to engage in critical thinking to collect and disseminate information on behalf of the diverse Indian Polity.
Of course I am not supporting acts of terror against civilian populations by other civilian groups and individuals. Violence against civilians and destruction of public property, and even violence against the nation-state is never an efficient and productive answer.
The hard evidence is that so-called Naxals, Maoists, etc. are drawn from India's desperately disadvantaged HAVENOTS. Their handlers may have political party affiliation and are exploiting the havenots for their own narrow political gain, by promising and not delivering on basic needs which are HUMAN RIGHTS. However, the rank and file in Lalgarh, Chattisgarh and other areas, are HAVENOTS. So let us call them what they are -- HAVENOTS.
Let Manmohan, Pranab, Chidambaram and crew provide SOCIAL JUSTICE FIRST and We The People of India will have less DOMESTIC TERROR.
Cross-border terror in the form of jihadist and separationist activities causing public terror, (again exploited by handlers in the form of clerics and politicians), is also caused mainly by havenots of Pakistan, Bangladesh Afghanistan, respectively. Similar conditions exists in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
SOCIAL JUSTICE through food security, healthcare, education, land equity, employment etc. is key to dismantling terror in South Asia.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF INDIA'S MIDDLE CLASS?
India's burgeoning MIDDLE CLASS is largely apathetic towards the Havenots. Middle Class APATHY is Indian Democracys' greatest impediment. Our middle class, instead of being apathetic and contributing to official corruption and injustice, should butt-kick the Govt. into implementing social justice projects ASAP, immediately, pronto. It is the middle class, heavily subsidized by the Govt, that is the only social stratum that has the resources to deliver the butt-kick to the collusional Government ass.
India's middle class is part of the PROBLEM, NOT part of the SOLUTION. That must change now, in order to circumvent, outmaneuver and dismantle domestic terror. Ethical Democracy through Social Justice.
16 Jul, 2009 l 0354hrs IS
Chithra KarunaKaran
Ethical Democracy As Lived Practice
http://EthicalDemocracy.blogspot.com
City University of New York
====================================================================================
TOI copyright
We underestimated Naxals: Chidambaram
TNN 16 July 2009, 09:11am IST
NEW DELHI: Home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday forthrightly admitted that the naxal menace had been underestimated for several years by allowing Left wing extremists to spread their wings even as he promised that the battle against Maoist ultras would be joined in full earnest.
Replying to questions in Rajya Sabha, with the massacre of 30 cops in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district providing the latest reminder of the firepower amassed by the Maoists, Chidambaram told the House, "Regrettably, for many years, we did not assess the LWE challenge correctly. I think we underestimated the challenge."
Indicating that it will now require sustained efforts to contain the Maoists, the minister said, "Left wing extremists have extended their areas of influence. They have entrenched themselves. Today they pose a grave challenge to the state." The message was clear enough: a massive overhaul of planning and coordination, alongwith arming and training of specialised forces would be required to take on the Red ultras.
Even though his junior colleague Ajay Maken in a Parliament reply dismissed "liberated zones" carved out by Naxals as baseless propaganda, Chidambaram did not mince words. His grim assessment is borne out by latest statistics that Naxal incidents this year are more than those of terrorist violence in J&K and northeast put together. While Naxal affected states reported 915 incidents, J&K and N-E witnessed 810 incidents till May. Of these, 624 took place in the N-E and 186 in J&K.
The minister, acknowledging the ability of Maoists' to launch military-style attacks and overwhelm police detachments, revealed that the government had appointed a military advisor to help out in operational matters. "Plans are being drawn up in close consultation with state governments... we have also appointed a military advisor (Brigadier D S Dadwal)." The Maoist expertise in executing ambushes and mine blasts has only added to the problems.
Making it clear that cooperation of the states was essential in tackling Naxals, the home minister said he was in close touch with chief ministers of LWE-affected states and was looking forward to a meeting with them in August. State-level plans were being drawn so that they could be integrated with the Centre's, he added.
Brigadier Dadwal, a senior Army officer who was serving as deputy GOC with the 11 infantry division, will be responsible for coordination of police forces. He was appointed in February mainly for advising security agencies on specialised training but is also expected to help out in operational procedures. The manner in which police parties are being repeatedly targetted in ambushes makes it necessary to constantly assess and improve tactics.
The movement of visible forces along roads makes them a target and while there are operating codes, they are not dynamic enough while a militant outrage needs speedy, and possibly unconventional, responses. V K Choubey, the SP-level officer who died in the Mandawa attack, was a veteran and had survived two previous assaults. A closer examination of events was needed before it could be concluded that an experienced officer had ignored safety procedures.
The poor maintenance of police stations, lax training and low motivation have led to police in several states simply not challenging the ultras. In Orissa and Jharkhand, the state is seen to have retreated while Chhattisgarh has expressed the resolve, it has not implemented it in a focused manner.
When asked by CPI leader D Raja about the status of Salwa Judum (anti-Naxal people's movement) in Chhattisgarh, Chidambaram said, "We are not in favour of non-state players taking on extremists. That could be a political party... that could be Salwa Judum or any other organisation. We are for states dealing with Left-wing extremists."
On BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu's remarks that Salwa Judum movement was headed by the leader of Opposition in the Chhattisgarh assembly who is from the Congress, Chidambaram said he was in close contact with chief minister Raman Singh. The CM has "more or less accepted my line", Chidambaram told Naidu.
During his reply, the home minister also took on the Left Front government in West Bengal on a different ground - of poor handling of development demands that helped provide recruits to the LWE and resulted in incidents like Lalgarh. Claiming that alienation of sections of people was a factor in the rise of left wing extremism, he said, "A recent example of this is Lalgarh incident. Frustration and alienation builds up when state governments neglect development needs."
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
India -- A Democracy Without a SOCIAL JUSTICE Safety Net?
India cannot call itself an authentic and practising Democracy unless it immediately implements a full fledged program of social welfare services on behalf of its diverse billion plus people -- food security, healthcare, shelter, jobs, income guarantees, unemployment protection. Social Justice is every Indian's right in our unprecedented democracy.
Lack of food security results in maternal and infant malnutrition. 'Slum clearance' is dispossession and internal displacement of the poorest and most vulnerable. A social services safety must mitigate these intolerable conditions for our people.
Enough has been written on the subject. A safety net is long overdue and we can certainly afford to. In fact, we can't afford not to. The India govt. is criminally negligent in failing to deliver on these urgent civil society priorities.
We are a democracy, but we can't eat our vote. We can't find shelter by cowering under the ballot box.
Shame on India's alleged leaders so long as they renege on a comprehensive social welfare safety net and turn their backs on providing basic needs.
Civil Society groups in India and hundreds of other countries should bring charges against their governments in the International Criminal Court for oppressing and exploiting their long suffering citizens.
The ILO states that India can spend about 4% of its GDP to cover ALL Indians with social services. From Kanyakumari to Kashmir We the People need that protection. It is a fundamental human right of our civil society.
Lack of food security results in maternal and infant malnutrition. 'Slum clearance' is dispossession and internal displacement of the poorest and most vulnerable. A social services safety must mitigate these intolerable conditions for our people.
Enough has been written on the subject. A safety net is long overdue and we can certainly afford to. In fact, we can't afford not to. The India govt. is criminally negligent in failing to deliver on these urgent civil society priorities.
We are a democracy, but we can't eat our vote. We can't find shelter by cowering under the ballot box.
Shame on India's alleged leaders so long as they renege on a comprehensive social welfare safety net and turn their backs on providing basic needs.
Civil Society groups in India and hundreds of other countries should bring charges against their governments in the International Criminal Court for oppressing and exploiting their long suffering citizens.
The ILO states that India can spend about 4% of its GDP to cover ALL Indians with social services. From Kanyakumari to Kashmir We the People need that protection. It is a fundamental human right of our civil society.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Gay Mullahs We Need YOU
Can a gay MULLAH please step forward? We all know you exist. But instead of burying your head in the sand or hiding in the closet We need you to speak out against Sec 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a law that dates back to 1860, during the British Colonial oppression of India.
Today, because India is a secular democracy all individuals and groups have a right to express a personal opinion. However, my personal opinion or anyone else's cannot have the status and authority of LAW.
The law stands above personal opinion. The law of the land has the solemn obligation to protect and preserve the rights of ALL individuals. The diverse LGBT constituency has long been denied equal civil rights in marriage and divorce under Indian Law. Their private sexual lives have long been criminalized under Sec 377 of the IPC. This is inhumane, uncivilized,unethical, unconstitutional and wrong. The Indian state has committed a CRIME against homosexuals by denying them their civil rights.
The Indian state or any secular democratic state IS NOT A PARTNER NOR CAN IT ADJUDICATE PRIVATE ACTIVITIES OF CONSENTING ADULTS, whether heterosexual, homosexual, transgender or any other sexual orientation.
Repeal 377. It's got to go.
Chithra KarunaKaran
Ethical Democracy As Lived Practice
http://EthicalDemocracy.blogspot.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/After-Deoband-other-Muslim-leaders-condemn-homosexuality/articleshow/4723843.cms
Times of India copyright
After Deoband, other Muslim leaders condemn homosexuality
1 Jul 2009, 1238 hrs IST, PTI
audio
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
NEW DELHI: Amid government moves for a re-look at criminalising homosexuality, several Muslim leaders have said any attempt to legally permit
unnatural sex is an attack on religious and moral values.
"Legalisation of homosexuality is an attack on Indian religious and moral values," over a dozen prominent Muslim religious leaders said in a statement.
The statement has been endorsed by Maulana Jalaluddin Omari, President of the Jamaat-e Islami Hind, Maulana Muhammad Salim Qasimi, Rector of Darul Uloom Waqf, Deoband, Maulana Mufti Mukarram Ahmad, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Fatehpuri, among others.
"We are shocked to see reports in the media that the Union government is considering the repeal of Section 377 of the IPC, which means making homosexuality legal," the statement said on Tuesday.
It said that homosexuality is a sin and a social evil which will only lead to societal disintegration and break-up of the family.
Appealing to the government not to be influenced by the "decadent trends of the Western culture" and not to give in to the demands of a minuscule minority, the statement said the government should not test the patience of the silent vast majority of the country which abhors such behaviour.
A prominent body of Muslim community Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had earlier hit out at the government's proposed move, saying the repeal of the section would create "sexual anarchy" in the society.
"The section should stay as its repealing would result in sexual anarchy in the society. Those opposing the section are influenced by Western culture. Those who argue for independence do not realise that independence should have its limits," Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind spokesperson Abdul Hameed Noamani said.
Leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband had earlier also opposed the Centre's move to repeal a controversial section, saying unnatural sex is against the tenets of Islam.
"Homosexuality is offence under Shariat Law and haram (prohibited) in Islam," Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Darul Uloom Deoband Maulana Abdul Khalik Madrasi has said.
The reaction came after reports that Centre was likely to convene a meeting soon to evolve a consensus on repealing a controversial section of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises homosexuality.
-----
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Today-is-judgment-day-for-gays/articleshow/4726608.cms
Today is judgment day for gays
2 Jul 2009, 0730 hrs IST, Smriti Singh, TNN
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court is due to deliver on Thursday its much-awaited verdict on a petition seeking decriminalization of
homosexuality.
Seven months after concluding the hearings on the petition filed by Naz Foundation, a bench consisting of Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Muralidhar will announce whether section 377 IPC could be “read down” to decriminalize private consensual sex between adults of the same sex.
As an NGO working among AIDS/HIV-affected people, all that the petitioner sought was a reading down of the wide-ranging provision, which imposes life sentence on those found to have “carnal intercourse against the order of nature”. Much as the provision sounds archaic, there is little likelihood of it being repealed as the relief sought by the petitioner, by its own admission, has been framed “to ensure the continuance of applicability of section 377 to cases involving children or cases involving non-consensual sex.”
Thus, if the high court saves the provision by reading it down, section 377 will continue to be in the statute book to deal with paedophilia and non-consensual sex between members of the same sex. This is a likely scenario going by the observations made by judges during the hearings last year and the contradictions that remained unresolved in the government’s stand.
While the home ministry wanted the petition to be dismissed, the health ministry supported its contention that section 377 criminalized homosexuality per se, it was obstructing the AIDS/HIV prevention efforts among high-risk groups. Whatever the outcome, this is the second time the Delhi high court will be pronouncing on Naz Foundation’s petition against section 377. In 2004, it dismissed the petition at the preliminary stage stating that “an academic challenge to the constitutionality of a legislative provision could not be entertained.” It further said that when no personal injury was caused to the petitioner by this provision, the petition could not be examined.
The foundation then approached the Supreme Court, which disapproved the manner in which the high court had disposed of the matter. SC observed that when there was a debate on this issue the world over, “where is the question of the petition being academic? We are not able to accept the approach of the high court that it is an academic exercise and there is no personal injury.” Accordingly, in 2006, SC directed HC to reconsider the matter in detail. The judgment is coming close on the heels of statements from ministers on the possibility of a legislative intervention because of growing demands from the community of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT). If the judgment serves the purpose of decriminalizing homosexuality, the government will be spared the burden of amending a provision laden with religious and cultural sensitivities.
Interestingly, in the new team of law officers appointed by the government, at least two of them — attorney general Goolam Vahanvati and additional solicitor general Indira Jaising —- have publicly supported the demand for decriminalizing homosexuality.
---
wikipedia copyright
Chapter XVI, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code a piece of legislation in India introduced during British rule of India used to criminalise homosexual activity.It is also commonly referred to as the ‘Anti-sodomy Law’. The Section 377 was drafted in 1860 by Lord Macaulay as a part of the colonial project of regulating and controlling the British- and Indian-origin subjects, which reads:
* Unnatural offenses: Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
* Explanation: Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offense described in this section[1].
The ambit of Section 377, which was devised to criminalize and prevent homosexual associations - sodomy in particular, extends to any sexual union involving penile insertion. Thus even consensual heterosexual acts - but coitus - such as fellatio and fingering may be declared a punishable offense under this law.
The Indian Penal Code was later reproduced in most other British colonies – and to date many of these laws are still in places as far apart as Singapore and Sri Lanka.
In 2006 it came under criticism from 100 Indian literary figures,[2] most prominently Vikram Seth. The movement to repeal Section 377 has been led by the Naz Foundation India Trust, an activist group. It is currently under a constitutional challenge at the Delhi High Court.
It must however be noted that convictions under this law are extremely rare, and in the last twenty years there have been no convictions for homosexual relations in India.
==================================================================================
Today, because India is a secular democracy all individuals and groups have a right to express a personal opinion. However, my personal opinion or anyone else's cannot have the status and authority of LAW.
The law stands above personal opinion. The law of the land has the solemn obligation to protect and preserve the rights of ALL individuals. The diverse LGBT constituency has long been denied equal civil rights in marriage and divorce under Indian Law. Their private sexual lives have long been criminalized under Sec 377 of the IPC. This is inhumane, uncivilized,unethical, unconstitutional and wrong. The Indian state has committed a CRIME against homosexuals by denying them their civil rights.
The Indian state or any secular democratic state IS NOT A PARTNER NOR CAN IT ADJUDICATE PRIVATE ACTIVITIES OF CONSENTING ADULTS, whether heterosexual, homosexual, transgender or any other sexual orientation.
Repeal 377. It's got to go.
Chithra KarunaKaran
Ethical Democracy As Lived Practice
http://EthicalDemocracy.blogspot.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/After-Deoband-other-Muslim-leaders-condemn-homosexuality/articleshow/4723843.cms
Times of India copyright
After Deoband, other Muslim leaders condemn homosexuality
1 Jul 2009, 1238 hrs IST, PTI
audio
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
NEW DELHI: Amid government moves for a re-look at criminalising homosexuality, several Muslim leaders have said any attempt to legally permit
unnatural sex is an attack on religious and moral values.
"Legalisation of homosexuality is an attack on Indian religious and moral values," over a dozen prominent Muslim religious leaders said in a statement.
The statement has been endorsed by Maulana Jalaluddin Omari, President of the Jamaat-e Islami Hind, Maulana Muhammad Salim Qasimi, Rector of Darul Uloom Waqf, Deoband, Maulana Mufti Mukarram Ahmad, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Fatehpuri, among others.
"We are shocked to see reports in the media that the Union government is considering the repeal of Section 377 of the IPC, which means making homosexuality legal," the statement said on Tuesday.
It said that homosexuality is a sin and a social evil which will only lead to societal disintegration and break-up of the family.
Appealing to the government not to be influenced by the "decadent trends of the Western culture" and not to give in to the demands of a minuscule minority, the statement said the government should not test the patience of the silent vast majority of the country which abhors such behaviour.
A prominent body of Muslim community Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had earlier hit out at the government's proposed move, saying the repeal of the section would create "sexual anarchy" in the society.
"The section should stay as its repealing would result in sexual anarchy in the society. Those opposing the section are influenced by Western culture. Those who argue for independence do not realise that independence should have its limits," Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind spokesperson Abdul Hameed Noamani said.
Leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband had earlier also opposed the Centre's move to repeal a controversial section, saying unnatural sex is against the tenets of Islam.
"Homosexuality is offence under Shariat Law and haram (prohibited) in Islam," Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Darul Uloom Deoband Maulana Abdul Khalik Madrasi has said.
The reaction came after reports that Centre was likely to convene a meeting soon to evolve a consensus on repealing a controversial section of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises homosexuality.
-----
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Today-is-judgment-day-for-gays/articleshow/4726608.cms
Today is judgment day for gays
2 Jul 2009, 0730 hrs IST, Smriti Singh, TNN
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court is due to deliver on Thursday its much-awaited verdict on a petition seeking decriminalization of
homosexuality.
Seven months after concluding the hearings on the petition filed by Naz Foundation, a bench consisting of Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Muralidhar will announce whether section 377 IPC could be “read down” to decriminalize private consensual sex between adults of the same sex.
As an NGO working among AIDS/HIV-affected people, all that the petitioner sought was a reading down of the wide-ranging provision, which imposes life sentence on those found to have “carnal intercourse against the order of nature”. Much as the provision sounds archaic, there is little likelihood of it being repealed as the relief sought by the petitioner, by its own admission, has been framed “to ensure the continuance of applicability of section 377 to cases involving children or cases involving non-consensual sex.”
Thus, if the high court saves the provision by reading it down, section 377 will continue to be in the statute book to deal with paedophilia and non-consensual sex between members of the same sex. This is a likely scenario going by the observations made by judges during the hearings last year and the contradictions that remained unresolved in the government’s stand.
While the home ministry wanted the petition to be dismissed, the health ministry supported its contention that section 377 criminalized homosexuality per se, it was obstructing the AIDS/HIV prevention efforts among high-risk groups. Whatever the outcome, this is the second time the Delhi high court will be pronouncing on Naz Foundation’s petition against section 377. In 2004, it dismissed the petition at the preliminary stage stating that “an academic challenge to the constitutionality of a legislative provision could not be entertained.” It further said that when no personal injury was caused to the petitioner by this provision, the petition could not be examined.
The foundation then approached the Supreme Court, which disapproved the manner in which the high court had disposed of the matter. SC observed that when there was a debate on this issue the world over, “where is the question of the petition being academic? We are not able to accept the approach of the high court that it is an academic exercise and there is no personal injury.” Accordingly, in 2006, SC directed HC to reconsider the matter in detail. The judgment is coming close on the heels of statements from ministers on the possibility of a legislative intervention because of growing demands from the community of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT). If the judgment serves the purpose of decriminalizing homosexuality, the government will be spared the burden of amending a provision laden with religious and cultural sensitivities.
Interestingly, in the new team of law officers appointed by the government, at least two of them — attorney general Goolam Vahanvati and additional solicitor general Indira Jaising —- have publicly supported the demand for decriminalizing homosexuality.
---
wikipedia copyright
Chapter XVI, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code a piece of legislation in India introduced during British rule of India used to criminalise homosexual activity.It is also commonly referred to as the ‘Anti-sodomy Law’. The Section 377 was drafted in 1860 by Lord Macaulay as a part of the colonial project of regulating and controlling the British- and Indian-origin subjects, which reads:
* Unnatural offenses: Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
* Explanation: Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offense described in this section[1].
The ambit of Section 377, which was devised to criminalize and prevent homosexual associations - sodomy in particular, extends to any sexual union involving penile insertion. Thus even consensual heterosexual acts - but coitus - such as fellatio and fingering may be declared a punishable offense under this law.
The Indian Penal Code was later reproduced in most other British colonies – and to date many of these laws are still in places as far apart as Singapore and Sri Lanka.
In 2006 it came under criticism from 100 Indian literary figures,[2] most prominently Vikram Seth. The movement to repeal Section 377 has been led by the Naz Foundation India Trust, an activist group. It is currently under a constitutional challenge at the Delhi High Court.
It must however be noted that convictions under this law are extremely rare, and in the last twenty years there have been no convictions for homosexual relations in India.
==================================================================================
Monday, June 29, 2009
India Govt. Too Chicken To Confront OZ Racism?
India Govt. Too Chicken To CONFRONT OZ Racism?
Why hasn't the India govt. sent a Special Representative, accompanied by affected family members, to OZ to meet with students to directly hear their trials and tribulations within racist OZ society?
Such a meeting should take place before the full glare of TV cameras. OZ has proved it is a racist society. The victims, our students, don't have to prove anything to the Ozzies, except to prove that their home government in India can and will act to protect them.
Manmohan and his crew need to step up and be counted on this issue. Please don't send mealy-mouthed bureaucrats, diplomats and some recently elected Congress wallahs in the Ministry of External Affairs (at least one name comes to mind), who are too afraid to speak out for fear of jeopardizing their new and unfolding careers in the Congress Party apparatus.
Instead, let the GOI send civil society / human rights activists who have proved their mettle. OZ needs to be told face to face by India that India will not tolerate racist brutal acts against our students. OZ takes our students' money which enriches OZ govt and OZ unis. and then OZ appears incapable to taking strong preemptive measures to protect our students against their homegrown racists?
29 Jun 2009, 1306 hrs IST
--------------------------------------------
Times of India copyright
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4715044.cms
====================================================================================
Why hasn't the India govt. sent a Special Representative, accompanied by affected family members, to OZ to meet with students to directly hear their trials and tribulations within racist OZ society?
Such a meeting should take place before the full glare of TV cameras. OZ has proved it is a racist society. The victims, our students, don't have to prove anything to the Ozzies, except to prove that their home government in India can and will act to protect them.
Manmohan and his crew need to step up and be counted on this issue. Please don't send mealy-mouthed bureaucrats, diplomats and some recently elected Congress wallahs in the Ministry of External Affairs (at least one name comes to mind), who are too afraid to speak out for fear of jeopardizing their new and unfolding careers in the Congress Party apparatus.
Instead, let the GOI send civil society / human rights activists who have proved their mettle. OZ needs to be told face to face by India that India will not tolerate racist brutal acts against our students. OZ takes our students' money which enriches OZ govt and OZ unis. and then OZ appears incapable to taking strong preemptive measures to protect our students against their homegrown racists?
29 Jun 2009, 1306 hrs IST
--------------------------------------------
Times of India copyright
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4715044.cms
====================================================================================
Climate Change Bill Passes the House
Comment 82. published on Nytimes.com
EthicalDemocracy
Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
June 29th, 2009
8:31 am
Despite the heavy NO votes by those elected leaders who can't seem to practice thoughtful action on the environment, based on factual evidence, it's hoped we will soon have a LAW after the Senate passes the same.
Let's then implement it for the Greater Collective Good (GCG, my coinage).
The Greater Collective Good appears to be an almost alien concept in the US when it comes to global environmental justice. But any step, however small, in this direction, is welcome.
Chithra KarunaKaran
Ethical Democracy As Lived Practice
http://EthicalDemocracy.blogspot.com
----------------------------------------------------------
New York Times copyright
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/opinion/29krugman.html
==================================================================================
EthicalDemocracy
Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
June 29th, 2009
8:31 am
Despite the heavy NO votes by those elected leaders who can't seem to practice thoughtful action on the environment, based on factual evidence, it's hoped we will soon have a LAW after the Senate passes the same.
Let's then implement it for the Greater Collective Good (GCG, my coinage).
The Greater Collective Good appears to be an almost alien concept in the US when it comes to global environmental justice. But any step, however small, in this direction, is welcome.
Chithra KarunaKaran
Ethical Democracy As Lived Practice
http://EthicalDemocracy.blogspot.com
----------------------------------------------------------
New York Times copyright
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/opinion/29krugman.html
==================================================================================
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Both India, Pakistan are US Stooges
Both India, Pakistan are US Stooges, trying to outmaneuver each other to gain favor with the US. This failing lose-lose strategy for The Peoples of India and Pakistan only increases the power of the US in our culture area and region.
Pakistan is even more servile than India, the Pakistan govt. is a paid political prostitute of the US since the John Foster Dulles era of the US State Department and the CIA of the '50's , however both India and Pakistan governments are stooges. Both serve US interests more than their respective peoples' interests, and the interdependent collective interests of ALL of the people in the South Asia culture area and region.
Why is India's Defence Minister A.K. Antony moaning and complaining to the US? Why give the US additional power as an intermediary in our region? Both India and Pakistan are ceding power in our region, to the US. Shame on our alleged leaders.
Yes, yes, Antony has a point. BUT it is also equally a fact that India has numerous domestic so-called "terror" groups. The terror label, orchestrated by the United States has now become a catch-all for ALL groups who oppose policies of the STATE, no matter which state it is.
Multiple varieties of the Taliban have proliferated, as a direct result of US activity in the region in the 80's, when the US invented a Cold War confrontation with the Soviets in Afghanistan. In this the US was joined by Pakistan and their old and dependable ally Saudi Arabia -- that beacon of democracy.
India should stop demonizing Pakistan and the Taliban. We need to clean up our own house and stop pointing fingers conveniently across the border. The inconvenient truth is India has plenty of groups attacking the Indian state from within.
Q. Are they ALL terror groups, or are many of them them desperate for economic justice? Do they feel neglected or exploited by the Indian state? The same is true in Pakistan where internal groups are chronically disaffected because they cannot achieve even the bare necessities of life.
It is absolutely true that the feudal and military elites of Pakistan have reaped the whirlwind by fomenting terror in Kashmir. Now terror is biting them in the butt.
However, India is better off concentrating on the grave social, economic and political injustices multiplying within our borders.
Let us remember that the US is not an ally but a highly self-serving dominant global entity that has destabilized the South Asia culture area and region. The US is continuing the damage that the Brits conducted during the colonial period. DIVIDE and RULE hurts Pakistanis and Indians, and increases the power of the US in our region. So let us persevere to work together, Indians and Pakistanis, despite the impediments of a superpower attempting to gain strategic depth in our region.
Chithra KarunaKaran
Ethical Democracy As Lived Practice
http://EthicalDemocracy.blogspot.com
---------------------------------------
My comment published on TOI online
Pakistani Taliban a threat to India: Antony
Chithra KarunaKaran Ethical Democracy,NYC,says:Why is India moaning and complaining to the US? Why give the US additional power as an intermediary in our region? Both India and Pakistan are ceding power in our region, to the US. Shame on us. Yes, yes, Antony has a point. BUT it is also equally a fact that India has numerous domestic so-called "terror" groups. The terror label, orchestrated by the United States has now become a catch-all for ALL groups who oppose policies of the STATE, no matter which state it is. Multiple varieties of the Taliban have proliferated, as a direct result of US activity in the region in the 80's, when the US invented a Cold War confrontation with the Soviets in Afghanistan. In this the US was joined by Pakistan and their old and dependable ally Saudi Arabia -- that beacon of democracy. India should stop demonizing Pakistan and the Taliban. We need to clean up our own house and stop pointing fingers conveniently across the border. It is absolutely true that the feudal and military elites of Pakistan have reaped the whirlwind by fomenting terror in Kashmir. Now terror is biting them in the butt. However, India is better off concentrating on the grave social, economic and political injustices multiplying within our borders. Let us remember that the US is not an ally but a highly selfserving dominant global entity that has destabilized the South Asia culture area and region. The US is continuing the damage that the Brits conducted during the colonial period. DIVIDE and RULE hurts Pakistanis and Indians, and increases the power of the US in our region.
So, let us persevere to work together, Indians and Pakistanis, despite the historical and contemporary geopolitical impediments.
25 Jun 2009, 1416 hrs IST
--------------
Times of India copyright
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pakistani-Taliban-a-threat-to-India-A-K-Antony-/articleshow/4700759.cms#write
NEW DELHI: The Taliban operating in Pakistan pose a "real threat" to India, the region and the world, defence minister A K Antony said on
Thursday.
"The Taliban are a threat to world peace, our region and a real threat to India," he told reporters here on the sidelines of the two-day Unified Commanders Conference that he inaugurated here.
Antony also expressed concern over the situation in Pakistan.
"Pakistan is in turmoil. We are very concerned about it. We are trying to convince Pakistan that they have to take strict action against anti-India elements operating from there," he maintained.
Given this, the minister said India could not afford to lower its guard along its western border, especially in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Of late, there is a decline in infiltration along the border. But we cannot say it is an improvement, since terrorists are still operating from the other side. India can not lower its guard at the border, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. We have to be very vigilant and careful," Antony contended.
He said he would discuss the security scenario in the South Asian region with visiting US National Security Advisor James Jones Friday.
"He is visiting me tomorrow. We will discuss the security situation in the (South Asian) region. When we discuss this, we can not avoid (mention of) Afghanistan," Antony said.
Better coordination and strengthening the war fighting capabilities of the army, the navy and the air force are high on the agenda of the Unified Commanders Conference, being held on the theme "Victory through Jointness".
=====================================================================================
Pakistan is even more servile than India, the Pakistan govt. is a paid political prostitute of the US since the John Foster Dulles era of the US State Department and the CIA of the '50's , however both India and Pakistan governments are stooges. Both serve US interests more than their respective peoples' interests, and the interdependent collective interests of ALL of the people in the South Asia culture area and region.
Why is India's Defence Minister A.K. Antony moaning and complaining to the US? Why give the US additional power as an intermediary in our region? Both India and Pakistan are ceding power in our region, to the US. Shame on our alleged leaders.
Yes, yes, Antony has a point. BUT it is also equally a fact that India has numerous domestic so-called "terror" groups. The terror label, orchestrated by the United States has now become a catch-all for ALL groups who oppose policies of the STATE, no matter which state it is.
Multiple varieties of the Taliban have proliferated, as a direct result of US activity in the region in the 80's, when the US invented a Cold War confrontation with the Soviets in Afghanistan. In this the US was joined by Pakistan and their old and dependable ally Saudi Arabia -- that beacon of democracy.
India should stop demonizing Pakistan and the Taliban. We need to clean up our own house and stop pointing fingers conveniently across the border. The inconvenient truth is India has plenty of groups attacking the Indian state from within.
Q. Are they ALL terror groups, or are many of them them desperate for economic justice? Do they feel neglected or exploited by the Indian state? The same is true in Pakistan where internal groups are chronically disaffected because they cannot achieve even the bare necessities of life.
It is absolutely true that the feudal and military elites of Pakistan have reaped the whirlwind by fomenting terror in Kashmir. Now terror is biting them in the butt.
However, India is better off concentrating on the grave social, economic and political injustices multiplying within our borders.
Let us remember that the US is not an ally but a highly self-serving dominant global entity that has destabilized the South Asia culture area and region. The US is continuing the damage that the Brits conducted during the colonial period. DIVIDE and RULE hurts Pakistanis and Indians, and increases the power of the US in our region. So let us persevere to work together, Indians and Pakistanis, despite the impediments of a superpower attempting to gain strategic depth in our region.
Chithra KarunaKaran
Ethical Democracy As Lived Practice
http://EthicalDemocracy.blogspot.com
---------------------------------------
My comment published on TOI online
Pakistani Taliban a threat to India: Antony
Chithra KarunaKaran Ethical Democracy,NYC,says:Why is India moaning and complaining to the US? Why give the US additional power as an intermediary in our region? Both India and Pakistan are ceding power in our region, to the US. Shame on us. Yes, yes, Antony has a point. BUT it is also equally a fact that India has numerous domestic so-called "terror" groups. The terror label, orchestrated by the United States has now become a catch-all for ALL groups who oppose policies of the STATE, no matter which state it is. Multiple varieties of the Taliban have proliferated, as a direct result of US activity in the region in the 80's, when the US invented a Cold War confrontation with the Soviets in Afghanistan. In this the US was joined by Pakistan and their old and dependable ally Saudi Arabia -- that beacon of democracy. India should stop demonizing Pakistan and the Taliban. We need to clean up our own house and stop pointing fingers conveniently across the border. It is absolutely true that the feudal and military elites of Pakistan have reaped the whirlwind by fomenting terror in Kashmir. Now terror is biting them in the butt. However, India is better off concentrating on the grave social, economic and political injustices multiplying within our borders. Let us remember that the US is not an ally but a highly selfserving dominant global entity that has destabilized the South Asia culture area and region. The US is continuing the damage that the Brits conducted during the colonial period. DIVIDE and RULE hurts Pakistanis and Indians, and increases the power of the US in our region.
So, let us persevere to work together, Indians and Pakistanis, despite the historical and contemporary geopolitical impediments.
25 Jun 2009, 1416 hrs IST
--------------
Times of India copyright
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pakistani-Taliban-a-threat-to-India-A-K-Antony-/articleshow/4700759.cms#write
NEW DELHI: The Taliban operating in Pakistan pose a "real threat" to India, the region and the world, defence minister A K Antony said on
Thursday.
"The Taliban are a threat to world peace, our region and a real threat to India," he told reporters here on the sidelines of the two-day Unified Commanders Conference that he inaugurated here.
Antony also expressed concern over the situation in Pakistan.
"Pakistan is in turmoil. We are very concerned about it. We are trying to convince Pakistan that they have to take strict action against anti-India elements operating from there," he maintained.
Given this, the minister said India could not afford to lower its guard along its western border, especially in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Of late, there is a decline in infiltration along the border. But we cannot say it is an improvement, since terrorists are still operating from the other side. India can not lower its guard at the border, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. We have to be very vigilant and careful," Antony contended.
He said he would discuss the security scenario in the South Asian region with visiting US National Security Advisor James Jones Friday.
"He is visiting me tomorrow. We will discuss the security situation in the (South Asian) region. When we discuss this, we can not avoid (mention of) Afghanistan," Antony said.
Better coordination and strengthening the war fighting capabilities of the army, the navy and the air force are high on the agenda of the Unified Commanders Conference, being held on the theme "Victory through Jointness".
=====================================================================================
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Can Neda in Death Rekindle Iran's Democracy?
The shot that killed 26 year-old Neda Salehi Agha Soltan on Saturday in Tehran was heard around the world. Our hearts hurt for her. According to several reports, not least the stunning I-minute video of her dying moment, Neda was an innocent bystander watching street protests against a flawed election result, when she was shot. Neda, you are an innocent and your immortality in the cause of freedom, justice and Iran's democracy has just begun.
Iran's SELF-STYLED, UNELECTED "supreme leader" which pretty much means 'look at me I'm TOP DOG MULLAH and I am embarrassingly selfpromoting' -- Khamenei-- bears responsibility for Neda's brutal killing.
Ahmadinejad's leadership is dependent of the support of the clerics, (all male no surprise), and NOT the electorate. Ahmadinajad cannot succeed because his victory is bloodstained by the dying gasp and the rolling eyes of an innocent. Ahmadinejad's victory was not accomplished by ethical means, necessary for the full expression of participatory democracy.
But wait -- both Khamenei and Ahmadinajad are effective in controlling US neo-imperial designs in the West Asia region. That's important.
Neda's death has lent a bloody clarity, as well rendered more complex the internal and external geopolitics of Iran:
People everywhere who support the ethical development of civil societies in all nation-states, regions, culture areas and spaces, had hoped that Iran's elections would be fair. We had hoped that Iran's ancient civilization and staggering contribution to world culture would be vindicated by a vibrant and authentic expression of the people's aspirations. Instead, Iran's election have proven to be highly irregular, if not outright fraudulent.
3 million more votes were "cast" than there were registered voters! Did dead people vote? Did non-existent people vote? Did certain people vote multiple times? What an unholy mess for this self-described Islamic Republic.
Could Iran learn a lesson in electoral politics and vote counting from secular democratic India which recently conducted a massive and fair election; has more followers of Islam than Iran; and has more followers of Islam than any country except Indonesia? Yes Iran can.
Yes, Iran take a page out of India's flawed but fair election Lesson Plan. Iran, Be open, transparent, take responsibility for discrepancies in the vote count. Show that you can be discursive, not prescriptive. Discussion that bends towards Justice and in fact leads to Justice is the cornerstone of Ethical Democracy.
Obviously, the first strategic step that both Ahmadinejad and MirHossein Moussavi should have jointly taken is to call, in a televised joint appearance, for a vote recount in disputed constituencies and a rejection of illegal ballots.
Instead, Ahmadinejad defended the result and proved himself by his actions to be ever more inclined to be a dictator rather than an elected leader. He was supported by Iran's self-proclaimed Supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who predictably promised a bloody suppression of peaceful street protests against the flawed ballot result. It was precisely that bloody suppression that so heartbreakingly claimed the life of Neda Salehi Agha Soltan. She is a slain innocent in the perilous journey towards Iran's democracy.
Iran's needless, mindless self-sabotaging suppression of The People's ballot has given the US, (a state sponsor of terror in West Asia and South Asia), an opening to assert itself as a champion of freedom and liberty in West Asia. The US is not. All the evidence proves the US is not. Iran therefore played right into the hands of the US. Instead of conducting a fair election, Iran chose to be brutally repressive of its own people. In fact Iran caused an internal division of its own electorate by pitting Moussavi's supporters, generally more educated, more female and more affluent, against Ahmedinajad's more traditionalist, more religious and more male supporters. The stolen election has unnecessarily caused disharmony among the fascinatingly diverse and divergent elements of the Iranian public.
The theocratic government of Iran created this dangerous wedge between its own people and Iran gave the US an opportunity to assert itself as the champion of freedom and civil liberties in West Asia. The US plays the Democracy card while invading, occupying, droning, displacing civil societies across regions. The US has been the main culprit in destabilizing democratic processes in Iran over several decades, beginning with the overthrow of Mossadegh, the propping up of the Shah and the support of Iraq against Iran in a bloody decade long war. The US continues to be a major force for destabilization throughout West Asia, which the US from its neo-imperial vantage point of dominant power calls the Middle East.
It remains to be seen whether Neda's brutal death will ignite and rekindle Iran's dormant democracy. It remains to be seen whether Iran's civil society will resist equally the 1) forces of Iran's repressive state apparatus, and also 2)turn its back on US attempts to gain strategic depth in Iran, by pretending to be a voice for civil rights and democracy in West Asia.
Q. If Iran's govt cannot accurately count electoral ballots, can Iran be trusted to safeguard the nuclear weapons it is developing?
A point to ponder -- the answer appears to be a qualified NO.
Chithra KarunaKaran
Ethical Democracy As Lived Practice
http://EthicalDemocracy.blogspot.com
-------------
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/14/AR2009061401757.html
Washington Post copyright
The Iranian People Speak
By Ken Ballen and Patrick Doherty
Monday, June 15, 2009
The election results in Iran may reflect the will of the Iranian people. Many experts are claiming that the margin of victory of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the result of fraud or manipulation, but our nationwide public opinion survey of Iranians three weeks before the vote showed Ahmadinejad leading by a more than 2 to 1 margin -- greater than his actual apparent margin of victory in Friday's election.
This Story
While Western news reports from Tehran in the days leading up to the voting portrayed an Iranian public enthusiastic about Ahmadinejad's principal opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, our scientific sampling from across all 30 of Iran's provinces showed Ahmadinejad well ahead.
Independent and uncensored nationwide surveys of Iran are rare. Typically, preelection polls there are either conducted or monitored by the government and are notoriously untrustworthy. By contrast, the poll undertaken by our nonprofit organizations from May 11 to May 20 was the third in a series over the past two years. Conducted by telephone from a neighboring country, field work was carried out in Farsi by a polling company whose work in the region for ABC News and the BBC has received an Emmy award. Our polling was funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
The breadth of Ahmadinejad's support was apparent in our preelection survey. During the campaign, for instance, Mousavi emphasized his identity as an Azeri, the second-largest ethnic group in Iran after Persians, to woo Azeri voters. Our survey indicated, though, that Azeris favored Ahmadinejad by 2 to 1 over Mousavi.
Much commentary has portrayed Iranian youth and the Internet as harbingers of change in this election. But our poll found that only a third of Iranians even have access to the Internet, while 18-to-24-year-olds comprised the strongest voting bloc for Ahmadinejad of all age groups.
The only demographic groups in which our survey found Mousavi leading or competitive with Ahmadinejad were university students and graduates, and the highest-income Iranians. When our poll was taken, almost a third of Iranians were also still undecided. Yet the baseline distributions we found then mirror the results reported by the Iranian authorities, indicating the possibility that the vote is not the product of widespread fraud.
Some might argue that the professed support for Ahmadinejad we found simply reflected fearful respondents' reluctance to provide honest answers to pollsters. Yet the integrity of our results is confirmed by the politically risky responses Iranians were willing to give to a host of questions. For instance, nearly four in five Iranians -- including most Ahmadinejad supporters -- said they wanted to change the political system to give them the right to elect Iran's supreme leader, who is not currently subject to popular vote. Similarly, Iranians chose free elections and a free press as their most important priorities for their government, virtually tied with improving the national economy. These were hardly "politically correct" responses to voice publicly in a largely authoritarian society.
Indeed, and consistently among all three of our surveys over the past two years, more than 70 percent of Iranians also expressed support for providing full access to weapons inspectors and a guarantee that Iran will not develop or possess nuclear weapons, in return for outside aid and investment. And 77 percent of Iranians favored normal relations and trade with the United States, another result consistent with our previous findings.
Iranians view their support for a more democratic system, with normal relations with the United States, as consonant with their support for Ahmadinejad. They do not want him to continue his hard-line policies. Rather, Iranians apparently see Ahmadinejad as their toughest negotiator, the person best positioned to bring home a favorable deal -- rather like a Persian Nixon going to China.
Allegations of fraud and electoral manipulation will serve to further isolate Iran and are likely to increase its belligerence and intransigence against the outside world. Before other countries, including the United States, jump to the conclusion that the Iranian presidential elections were fraudulent, with the grave consequences such charges could bring, they should consider all independent information. The fact may simply be that the reelection of President Ahmadinejad is what the Iranian people wanted.
Ken Ballen is president of Terror Free Tomorrow: The Center for Public Opinion, a nonprofit institute that researches attitudes toward extremism. Patrick Doherty is deputy director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. The groups' May 11-20 polling consisted of 1,001 interviews across Iran and had a 3.1 percentage point margin of error.
For more on polling in Iran, read Jon Cohen's Behind the Numbers.
=================================================================================
Iran's SELF-STYLED, UNELECTED "supreme leader" which pretty much means 'look at me I'm TOP DOG MULLAH and I am embarrassingly selfpromoting' -- Khamenei-- bears responsibility for Neda's brutal killing.
Ahmadinejad's leadership is dependent of the support of the clerics, (all male no surprise), and NOT the electorate. Ahmadinajad cannot succeed because his victory is bloodstained by the dying gasp and the rolling eyes of an innocent. Ahmadinejad's victory was not accomplished by ethical means, necessary for the full expression of participatory democracy.
But wait -- both Khamenei and Ahmadinajad are effective in controlling US neo-imperial designs in the West Asia region. That's important.
Neda's death has lent a bloody clarity, as well rendered more complex the internal and external geopolitics of Iran:
People everywhere who support the ethical development of civil societies in all nation-states, regions, culture areas and spaces, had hoped that Iran's elections would be fair. We had hoped that Iran's ancient civilization and staggering contribution to world culture would be vindicated by a vibrant and authentic expression of the people's aspirations. Instead, Iran's election have proven to be highly irregular, if not outright fraudulent.
3 million more votes were "cast" than there were registered voters! Did dead people vote? Did non-existent people vote? Did certain people vote multiple times? What an unholy mess for this self-described Islamic Republic.
Could Iran learn a lesson in electoral politics and vote counting from secular democratic India which recently conducted a massive and fair election; has more followers of Islam than Iran; and has more followers of Islam than any country except Indonesia? Yes Iran can.
Yes, Iran take a page out of India's flawed but fair election Lesson Plan. Iran, Be open, transparent, take responsibility for discrepancies in the vote count. Show that you can be discursive, not prescriptive. Discussion that bends towards Justice and in fact leads to Justice is the cornerstone of Ethical Democracy.
Obviously, the first strategic step that both Ahmadinejad and MirHossein Moussavi should have jointly taken is to call, in a televised joint appearance, for a vote recount in disputed constituencies and a rejection of illegal ballots.
Instead, Ahmadinejad defended the result and proved himself by his actions to be ever more inclined to be a dictator rather than an elected leader. He was supported by Iran's self-proclaimed Supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who predictably promised a bloody suppression of peaceful street protests against the flawed ballot result. It was precisely that bloody suppression that so heartbreakingly claimed the life of Neda Salehi Agha Soltan. She is a slain innocent in the perilous journey towards Iran's democracy.
Iran's needless, mindless self-sabotaging suppression of The People's ballot has given the US, (a state sponsor of terror in West Asia and South Asia), an opening to assert itself as a champion of freedom and liberty in West Asia. The US is not. All the evidence proves the US is not. Iran therefore played right into the hands of the US. Instead of conducting a fair election, Iran chose to be brutally repressive of its own people. In fact Iran caused an internal division of its own electorate by pitting Moussavi's supporters, generally more educated, more female and more affluent, against Ahmedinajad's more traditionalist, more religious and more male supporters. The stolen election has unnecessarily caused disharmony among the fascinatingly diverse and divergent elements of the Iranian public.
The theocratic government of Iran created this dangerous wedge between its own people and Iran gave the US an opportunity to assert itself as the champion of freedom and civil liberties in West Asia. The US plays the Democracy card while invading, occupying, droning, displacing civil societies across regions. The US has been the main culprit in destabilizing democratic processes in Iran over several decades, beginning with the overthrow of Mossadegh, the propping up of the Shah and the support of Iraq against Iran in a bloody decade long war. The US continues to be a major force for destabilization throughout West Asia, which the US from its neo-imperial vantage point of dominant power calls the Middle East.
It remains to be seen whether Neda's brutal death will ignite and rekindle Iran's dormant democracy. It remains to be seen whether Iran's civil society will resist equally the 1) forces of Iran's repressive state apparatus, and also 2)turn its back on US attempts to gain strategic depth in Iran, by pretending to be a voice for civil rights and democracy in West Asia.
Q. If Iran's govt cannot accurately count electoral ballots, can Iran be trusted to safeguard the nuclear weapons it is developing?
A point to ponder -- the answer appears to be a qualified NO.
Chithra KarunaKaran
Ethical Democracy As Lived Practice
http://EthicalDemocracy.blogspot.com
-------------
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/14/AR2009061401757.html
Washington Post copyright
The Iranian People Speak
By Ken Ballen and Patrick Doherty
Monday, June 15, 2009
The election results in Iran may reflect the will of the Iranian people. Many experts are claiming that the margin of victory of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the result of fraud or manipulation, but our nationwide public opinion survey of Iranians three weeks before the vote showed Ahmadinejad leading by a more than 2 to 1 margin -- greater than his actual apparent margin of victory in Friday's election.
This Story
While Western news reports from Tehran in the days leading up to the voting portrayed an Iranian public enthusiastic about Ahmadinejad's principal opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, our scientific sampling from across all 30 of Iran's provinces showed Ahmadinejad well ahead.
Independent and uncensored nationwide surveys of Iran are rare. Typically, preelection polls there are either conducted or monitored by the government and are notoriously untrustworthy. By contrast, the poll undertaken by our nonprofit organizations from May 11 to May 20 was the third in a series over the past two years. Conducted by telephone from a neighboring country, field work was carried out in Farsi by a polling company whose work in the region for ABC News and the BBC has received an Emmy award. Our polling was funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
The breadth of Ahmadinejad's support was apparent in our preelection survey. During the campaign, for instance, Mousavi emphasized his identity as an Azeri, the second-largest ethnic group in Iran after Persians, to woo Azeri voters. Our survey indicated, though, that Azeris favored Ahmadinejad by 2 to 1 over Mousavi.
Much commentary has portrayed Iranian youth and the Internet as harbingers of change in this election. But our poll found that only a third of Iranians even have access to the Internet, while 18-to-24-year-olds comprised the strongest voting bloc for Ahmadinejad of all age groups.
The only demographic groups in which our survey found Mousavi leading or competitive with Ahmadinejad were university students and graduates, and the highest-income Iranians. When our poll was taken, almost a third of Iranians were also still undecided. Yet the baseline distributions we found then mirror the results reported by the Iranian authorities, indicating the possibility that the vote is not the product of widespread fraud.
Some might argue that the professed support for Ahmadinejad we found simply reflected fearful respondents' reluctance to provide honest answers to pollsters. Yet the integrity of our results is confirmed by the politically risky responses Iranians were willing to give to a host of questions. For instance, nearly four in five Iranians -- including most Ahmadinejad supporters -- said they wanted to change the political system to give them the right to elect Iran's supreme leader, who is not currently subject to popular vote. Similarly, Iranians chose free elections and a free press as their most important priorities for their government, virtually tied with improving the national economy. These were hardly "politically correct" responses to voice publicly in a largely authoritarian society.
Indeed, and consistently among all three of our surveys over the past two years, more than 70 percent of Iranians also expressed support for providing full access to weapons inspectors and a guarantee that Iran will not develop or possess nuclear weapons, in return for outside aid and investment. And 77 percent of Iranians favored normal relations and trade with the United States, another result consistent with our previous findings.
Iranians view their support for a more democratic system, with normal relations with the United States, as consonant with their support for Ahmadinejad. They do not want him to continue his hard-line policies. Rather, Iranians apparently see Ahmadinejad as their toughest negotiator, the person best positioned to bring home a favorable deal -- rather like a Persian Nixon going to China.
Allegations of fraud and electoral manipulation will serve to further isolate Iran and are likely to increase its belligerence and intransigence against the outside world. Before other countries, including the United States, jump to the conclusion that the Iranian presidential elections were fraudulent, with the grave consequences such charges could bring, they should consider all independent information. The fact may simply be that the reelection of President Ahmadinejad is what the Iranian people wanted.
Ken Ballen is president of Terror Free Tomorrow: The Center for Public Opinion, a nonprofit institute that researches attitudes toward extremism. Patrick Doherty is deputy director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. The groups' May 11-20 polling consisted of 1,001 interviews across Iran and had a 3.1 percentage point margin of error.
For more on polling in Iran, read Jon Cohen's Behind the Numbers.
=================================================================================
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