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by Sharon Grimes, W A M M
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Nepal Peace Agreement Signed
In Nepal, a peace agreement was signed Nov. 21 between the government and Maoist fighters opposed to the monarchy. The country has been in a civil war for more than 10 years and more than 13,000 people have been killed. Maoists will be confined to UN-monitored camps until the election to choose an assembly. Maoists will hold seats on the assembly, which will draft a constitution and vote on whether to continue the monarchy. They have said they will abide by the assembly’s vote. (Al Jazeera English, 11/21/06.)
Mpls. Approves Instant Runoff Voting
Minneapolis voters approved a ballot initiative for instant runoff elections, which will be implemented for the 2009 city elections. Instant runoffs allow voters to rank their choices, and if no candidate receives a majority of the first choice votes, the second and third choices of the voters help determine the winner. Supporters say it gives voters more of a say, will give politicians an incentive to run positive campaigns, and eliminates the need for primary elections. Other U.S. cities, as well as Ireland and Australia, have similar voting methods. (Minneapolis StarTribune, 11/15/06)
Rumsfeld Resigns
Voters expressed their disapproval of the Iraq War in the November elections and of the direction the Bush Administration has been taking the country. And Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is gone. The day before the elections, an editorial in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force Times called for Rumsfeld’s removal. “Rumsfeld has lost credibility with the uniformed leadership, with the troops, with Congress, and with the public at large,” the papers said. “His strategy has failed, and his ability to lead is compromised. And although the blame for our failures in Iraq rests with the secretary, it will be the troops who bear its brunt.” The papers, published by Military Times Media Group, a part of Gannett Co., have no direct connection to the military. But according to David Segal, director of the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland, the papers are “influential with” the “professional military.” He feels that the papers wouldn’t have called for Rumsfeld’s removal if the editors weren’t hearing similar comments from senior military officers. (salon.com, 11/4/06; http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2006/11/04/rumsfeld/index.html)
The Red Cross Calls to Ban Cluster Bombs
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for a ban on the use of cluster bombs because of their indiscriminate killing. Each cluster bomb contains 200 to 600 tiny explosives that scatter over an area the size of a football field. Usually 10 to 15 percent, and sometimes up to 80 percent, do not explode immediately. Children are especially affected because the unexploded bombs look like toys and will go off at the slightest disturbance. ICRC said it is “stepping up its campaign against the weapons because of Israel’s unprecedented use of the scattershot bombs during its month-long war with Lebanon.” Human rights groups estimate that Israel dropped cluster bombs containing as many as 4 million tiny bombs in Lebanon. UN officials estimate that 30 to 40 percent failed to explode on impact. (International Herald Tribune, 11/6/06.)
Bill Challenges Permanent Bases in Iraq
This year’s military appropriations bill bans the Pentagon from using any of the money to build permanent bases in Iraq or control Iraq’s oil resources. The bill incorporates part of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Iraq STEP proposals, and according to FCNL “is a first step toward changing failed U.S. policy.” FCNL also reports that a number of September polls show a majority of Iraqis want U.S. forces to leave their country. In a State Department poll, 65 percent of surveyed Baghdad residents favor an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops. (Friends Committee on National Legislation.)
Global Campaign to Help Women Escape Violence
A global campaign, “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence,” was launched on Thanksgiving Day by Winrock International and the Women’s Edge Coalition. Economic self-sufficiency is critical in helping women who escape gender-based violence. The New Perspectives for Women project, implemented by Winrock International with USAID funding, has Regional Support Centers in various countries where women can go for rehabilitation, psychological assistance, meals, legal assistance, vocational and job training, job placement, and internship programs. (Women’s Edge Coalition e-mail, 11/21/06)
Palestinians Find Success with Non-Violent Resistance
Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza protected the house of a militant leader forcing Israel to call off air strikes. Israeli security forces have recently begun warning Palestinian militants and others nearby of air strikes so they can evacuate the area. Instead, Palestinians have stayed as human shields, forcing the Israelis to change their strategy.
Palestinian leaders say this is a moral victory that will be repeated. “The Palestinians are creative and this is something amazing,” says Maher Miqqdad, a Fatah spokesman. “Maybe in the past six years of the intifada, the focus was on military resistance. But we shouldn’t deny the importance of peaceful resistance. There is an importance in increasing the peaceful struggle.” (The Christian Science Monitor, 11/20/06.) |
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© 2006 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
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Complete December 2006 / January 2007 Index - click here
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