Should Bashir Face Charges for Genocide in Darfur?

The genocide in Darfur has become a global hot-button political issue that has given rise to lots of questions - do we call it a genocide (President Bush and the U.N. in 2005), how much aid should we give (some say too little too late from Bush), and now whether Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir should be charged with orchestrating the genocide by the International Criminal Court. 

According to an Jan. 30 IPS article, the African Union is currently standing behind Bashir saying that charging him would result in a disruption of the peace process currently happening in the region. Many claim that this reasoning is without merit, citing his blatant attacks on certain ethnic groups and his reluctance to allow peacekeepers and aid into the war-torn region. ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo "concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe Bashir bears criminal responsibility in relation to 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes," according to IPS. In short, it appears Bashir has not made the peace process easier by any means.

Perhaps history can better help us understand the situation. Looking back at other trials that have occurred to prosecute the guilty after previous genocides such as those in Iraq, Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, again the issue is divided. Some say that they are a necessary part of the healing process, while others say they cause more rifts than they heal. This article provides a look at arguments both for and against international war crimes tribunals, while an NPR story provides a look through the eyes of two International Criminal Court experts.

While the final decision has not been made to prosecute Bashir, it is difficult to really understand the issue due to a lack of information about what acts were committed in Darfur and by whom. With journalists having problems entering the region since the conflict began, it has been difficult to provide a faithful and accurate telling of events. But to whomever was involved, accountability needs to be given, and that is not a question up for discussion.

New update: now a call for President Bush to face charges for crime against humanity for his so-called "War on Terror."

A journalist's professional hazard - everywhere

A Jan. 21 IPS article on the deaths of two Venezuelan journalists this month comes at the same time as the death of Russian journalist Anastasia Baburova hit the news. The deaths of the two Venezuelan journalists have received little news coverage compared to that of Barburova - perhaps because Russia is now considered one of the most dangerous countries in which to be a journalist, or possibly because journalist's deaths in developing countries are considered more "normal" and less likely to be reported on. 

I find this idea reflected in the first sentence of the article by Humberto Márquez: "With chilling calm, the killer dismounted from the motorbike, pulled out his gun and shot Ores Sambrano through the head as if it were the most natural thing in the world." I italicize that last phrase for emphasis because it indicates the idea that murder of journalists is now considered so commonplace in Latin America that people have become numb to its affects. According to CPJ, however, "deadly violence against the press is rare in Venezuela...Four journalists have been killed in direct relation to their work since, 1992, the most recent in 2006."

From January to May of last year, I worked for Global Journalist, a magazine published by the University of Missouri that focuses on press freedom issues around the world. I sometimes used to write Death Watch, or a list of journalists who were killed in their line of duty since our last issue. At one of our first meetings our managing editor told us it was the most read section of the magazine, a fact determined by a survey conducted by an MU strategic communications class. I have wondered why that is - is it the stop and stare factor of death, a way to honor fallen colleagues, or frustration for the state of journalism? Or perhaps a combination of all these factors as a reflection of an individual journalist and his relationship to others within this profession. I personally felt frustration that we even had to have such a page in our magazine, as idealistic as it may seem. To have a full page dedicated to death should not be necessary.

There is no doubt that journalism is a dangerous profession, for some more than others, but if journalist's murders are simply dismissed in mainstream news coverage it gives the message that it has become accepted in some parts of the globe, and that is just unacceptable.

Alternative Energy in the Balkans - and Beyond?

With gas (or more importantly lack thereof) becoming a big news story right now in different parts of the globe, most of the focus has been on the political and economic ramifications of the continued use of this resource (take the New York Times or the Guardian, for example). But doesn't this situation also merit a revisiting of the need for alternative energy sources, particularly in parts of the world where they have not been previously explored?

Vesna Zimonjic's Jan. 12 IPS article does just that. With gas flow to Eastern Europe practically nonexistent, the journalist takes a look at possible energy alternatives in the Balkan region. Wind and solar energy are prime examples of resources that have been underutilized but offer great potential compared to traditional resources such as coal and wood which can cause multiple health problems with overuse, the article says.

An article from BalkanInsight.com approximately one month ago before the Eastern Europe gas crisis began says the Balkans are ignoring "the potential gains" to be had from alternative energy resources. An interesting insight is that the resistance to its use is "passive" rather than active, mostly due to encountering the red tape of bureaucracy. Bosnia, for example, does not feel the need to necessarily explore alternative energies because their classification as a developing country means they do not need to meet the requirements to reduce their emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. This definition could have implications for other developing countries who might be considering their reliance on certain energy sources. 

While their Western counterparts are implementing alternative energies such as wind farms at full swing, Eastern Europe has an opportunity to take advantage of some alternatives that  have been previously presented to them but now might seem more palatable due to the current situation. 

How to Measure Development

Results from a new report done by Social Watch, a NGO watchdog network, indicate that poverty will continue to dominate sub-Saharan Africa for the next 200 years unless there is renewed action towards the region, according to a Jan. 8 IPS article by David Cronin.

Different organizations use different indicators to measure global human development. For Social Watch, there is a focus on medical assistance at birth, child life expectancies, and childhood educational standards which combined is called the basic capabilities index. While the health of children provides a good indicator for the future, it does not take into account some other important factors that ensure a country's positive development. 

Adult literacy rates, for example, could indicate whether or not the education received has had a lasting impact, and is taken into account in the Human Development Index compiled by United Nations Development Program. Gender development and equality also highlight the important role women have in a country's economic, political and social development and is explored in the UNDP's Gender Related Development Index and Gender Empowerment Measure. Access to a functioning, clean water source, and proper nutrition are factors included in the Human Poverty Index. Aid, investment, migration, environmental, security and technological concerns are all included in the Commitment to Development Index compiled by the Center for Global Development. 

Social Watch is providing an important service, but perhaps the focus on their report underestimates the numerous complex issues that determine human development around the world.