Reporting on Conflict | Media Watch Blog

• News source:
• 7 August 2011
• All Africa (originally published in the Guardian 2 August 2011)
• By Thomas Elhaut

• News source:
• 6 August 2011
• BBC News
• Activists say about 1,650 civilians have been killed and ten of thousands arrested since the anti-government demonstrations began in March.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to “immediately end” the use of troops against civilian protesters.

In a telephone call to the Syrian leader, Mr Ban also said the use of mass arrests against protesters must be stopped, the UN said.

It was the first contact between the two men since April.

• News source:
• 5 August 2011
• Opinio Juris
• By Julian Ku

This article by Steven Rosen about the legality of a Palestinian state and a short response by Josh Keating touch on this issue. In short, Rosen argues for some independent legal standard for determining statehood (and Palestine doesn’t meet it), such as the Montevideo Convention, while Keating basically argues that there are no such standards

• News source:
• 5 August 2011
• Hamilton Spectator
• By Ray Cunnington

Suddenly, old dangers become new again. As South African activist and retired Anglican bishop Desmond Tutu says: “The nuclear power crisis in Japan’s Fukushima power plant has served as a dreadful reminder that events thought unlikely can and do happen. But it must not take another Hiroshima or Nagasaki … before (some leaders) finally wake up and recognize the urgent necessity of nuclear disarmament.”

Worldwide, many powerful movements are calling for the total abolition of nuclear weapons. But it would seem that nuclear catastrophes, through accident, miscalculation or terrorism, cannot be eliminated without recognizing that nuclear power reactors have a close connection to atomic weapons.

At noon on Saturday, Aug. 6, Project Ploughshares and Hamilton’s Mundialization Committee are reviving the tradition of holding a public observance at City Hall to commemorate the 1945 nuclear devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their citizens by the world’s first atomic bombs.

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The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (9 August) was first proclaimed by the General Assembly in December 1994, to be celebrated every year during the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1995 – 2004).

In 2004, the Assembly proclaimed a Second International Decade, from 2005 – 2015, with the theme of “A Decade for Action and Dignity.”

• News source:
• 5 August 2011
• CNN | Inside the Middle East
• By Kevin Flower

This week, Israel’s Defense Ministry agreed to make an extraordinary payment – an award of almost $150,000 to a Palestinian family in Gaza.

It is the first pay-out to any party claiming harm during the course of Operation Cast Lead – Israel’s three-week offensive in Gaza that began at the end of 2008, according to the Ministry and human rights organizations

The settlement was negotiated by the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) on behalf of the family of a mother and daughter killed by Israeli soldiers during Cast Lead. The payment is to be made to the family in return for their dropping the claim against the Israeli military.

• News source:
• 2 August 2011
• Foreign Affairs
• By John Mueller

• News source:
• 1 August 2011
• International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
• By Catherine Lengyel in Tunisia

His name is Daniel. He is tiny, but he is feisty. He has to be. Over the course of only a few weeks, he has experienced more upheavals than most people do in a lifetime. When he opens his eyes, he looks wise beyond his days.

The 15th of July marked the first month of his life. A month ago, he would have fitted into the palm of a hand. Now, it takes two hands to cradle him. He lives with his parents in a tent, at the Al Hayet Transit Camp near the Tunisian border with Libya which was established by the Tunisian Red Crescent and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). His grandparents watch over him anxiously, his young aunt – a medical student – warily monitors his progress, and his ‘big uncle’, all of ten-years-old, stands guard, ready to come to Daniel’s defence at a moment’s notice.
His parents merely smile at him, as the parents of newborns always do. For them, he is a miracle.

And indeed, he really is.

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• The Singing Revolution

The Singing Revolution film shares how, between 1987 and 1991, hundreds of thousands of Estonians gathered publicly to sing forbidden patriotic songs and share protest speeches, risking their lives to proclaim their desire for independence.

Public Broadcasting Stations around the U.S. have begun to announce their schedules, and starting July 26th through September airdates have been scheduled. Check the list of stations for dates/times in your area on the TSR website, you can search by STATION or CITY: http://www.singingrevolution.com/cgi-local/screenings.cgi

First occupied by the Soviets in 1939, then by the Nazis, and then by the Soviets again, Estonia lived through decades of terror. By the end of World War II, more than one-quarter of the population had been deported to Siberia, been executed, or had fled the country. Music sustained the Estonian people during those years, helping to maintain the Estonian language and sense of culture. It was such a crucial part of their struggle for freedom that their successful bid to re-establish their independence is known as the Singing Revolution.
The Singing Revolution tells the moving and dramatic story of how the Estonian people strategically, willfully, sung their way to freedom–and helped topple an empire along the way.

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The Transcend Peace University TPU is an all-online university, currently headed by Prof. Dr. Johan Galtung, widely recognized as the core founding-figure of the academic discipline of peace-studies. Our inter-disciplinary courses are designed to cover issues pertaining to peace and development studies.

As specialists in this domain, we emphasize solution-oriented approaches. Our faculty members are leading peace scholars and internationally recognized mediators. The purpose of TPU, the educational institute of TRANSCEND, is to impart to our students the knowledge and skills required for professional peace and development work.

TPU equips students with analytical and practical competence in conflict-transformation and -resolution. Our methodology draws from more than fifty years of knowledge provided by distinguished researchers and practitioners from all over the world.

1st term 2011: March 7th – May 27th (12 weeks)
Summer Sessions – July 18th – August 26th (6 weeks)
2nd term 2011: September 26th – December 16th (12 weeks)

Our 12-week and 6-week (Summer Sessions) online courses are addressed to government and non-government practitioners – including students – in need of high level analytical peace & conflict competence. The Galtung-Institut offers additional on-site tutorials in southern Germany – for further information please visit the homepage of the institute: www.galtung-institut.de.

E-mail: tpu [at] transcend.org
Contact person: Karoline Weber, Executive Secretary, weber [at] transcend.org

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This July and August, there will be a contest on the Peace Portal: The Stories of Peace Challenge! The 25 best stories will win a publication in “People Building Peace 2.0″ and receive ten copies of the book. One of these winners will be offered customized features and professional services on the Peace Portal, worth € 500,- for free! Please go here for more information: www.peaceportal.org/web/stories-contest