Reporting on Conflict | Media Watch Blog

• News source:
• 25 August 2011
• Afghanistan 101
• By American Friends Service Committee

In addition to increased reliance on drones and other mechanical weapons systems, the US military has increasingly turned to private contractors to help fight their wars.

Based on open sources from the department of defense – which certainly do not include special forces – there are currently 384,926 personnel actively engaged in supporting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• News source:
• 24 August 2011
• Resisting the temptation to take up arms against a dictator isn't just the moral thing to do -- it's also the most effective way to win.
• By ERICA CHENOWETH

“Nonviolent Resistance Is Admirable but Ineffective.”

Hardly. In the current geopolitical moment, it may seem hard to argue that a nonviolent uprising is a better tool for uprooting a dictator than the violent kind. Armed rebels, backed by NATO air power, are on the verge of ending four decades of despotic rule by Muammar al-Qaddafi in Libya. Meanwhile to the east, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad has killed with impunity more than 2,200 members of a mostly nonviolent resistance to his family’s long-lived rule.

Arguing in favor of the Syrians’ tactics, and against the Libyans’, would seem counterintuitive — but for the evidence. The truth is that, from 1900 to 2006, major nonviolent resistance campaigns seeking to overthrow dictatorships, throw out foreign occupations, or achieve self-determination were more than twice as successful as violent insurgencies seeking the same goals. The recent past alone suggests as much; even before the Arab Spring, nonviolent campaigns in Serbia (2000), Madagascar (2002), Ukraine (2004), Lebanon (2005), and Nepal (2006) succeeded in ousting regimes from power.

• News source:
• 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