Opinion and Analysis Archive

28.02.2005 Peter Benenson, the founder of Amnesty International who died last week, would have cited this report from Sri Lanka as a reminder of how much remains to be done for the Amnesty cause. It tells of the difficult rehabilitation of a Tamil liberation fighter following torture at the hands of the Sri Lankan Army.
From: The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture

24.02.2005 Helping people with disabilities to become volunteers themselves provides one of the most challenging and fulfilling experiences of volunteering. In India the International Year of Volunteers (2001) was the inspiration for subsequent government action, writes OneWorld Volunteer Editor, Vedabhyas Kundu.

24.02.2005 Tony Blair's Commission for Africa holds its final meeting today. Will the recommendations take account of input from Africans who feel that conventional development models are failing? Not according to this report of a "consultative" meeting in Uganda.

22.02.2005 Iraq is by tradition the breadbasket of the region, its wheat farmers expert in selection and preservation of seeds. This will not prevent US agribusiness from endeavouring to convert diversity into uniformity and foreign ownership.

18.02.2005 The new Bill to ban incitement to religious hatred has now passed its third reading in the House of Commons and goes to the Lords. Who could be better qualified than Salman Rushdie to provide some clear thinking on this "bad law" which threatens deep traditions of freedom of speech in the UK?

15.02.2005 As European overseas development ministers meet in Luxembourg, some people question whether there is too much aid from too many donors. Some African countries deal with as many as 26 donors, each with separate terms and conditions. What actions can be taken to avoid diminishing returns?

11.02.2005 The King of Bhutan pioneers the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH), an antidote to the despised but sadly universal measure of our wellbeing, Gross National Product (GNP). A happy marriage will contribute more to GNH.

10.02.2005 Global corporations dominate the media landscape, cramping opportunities and rights for alternative media. This seminar at the World Social Forum identified key issues which should be addressed at the Tunis World Summit on the Information Society.

09.02.2005 A recent BBC Horizon programme has raised awareness of a new dimension to the climate change debate. Global dimming is attributed to the particles emitted in fossil fuel combustion. The impact is alarming.

08.02.2005 As the UK election combatants indulge in a distasteful battle for "tough on migration" votes, an October 2004 lecture by the Director of the Institute of Race Relations traces the post-war history of immigration policy and the worrying implications of recent attitudes.

07.02.2005 As the recent G7 finance ministers' meeting provides more ammunition for European phobia of everything in US politics, OpenDemocracy has found an author who sticks up for Uncle Sam. Readers are invited to comment.

04.02.2005 Mobile phones are the latest assault on the natural world of silence in which our species evolved. Health and wisdom may be undermined if we cannot satisfy the expectations of our genes.

03.02.2005 President Hugo Chávez of Venezuala was the star turn at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre. His country intrigues development professionals. But is Venezuala really changing?

01.02.2005 Many human rights campaigners are concerned that the "MDG industry" is obsessed with impersonal targets at the expense of real people. Is the human rights approach to development in danger of being sidelined?