Saturday, May 28, 2011

Update V (2011)

(Apologies to anyone who has checked this blog recently and found nothing new. I’ve been very busy–bogged down is a better way to put it--working on posts about the mix of religious and ethnic identities in Syria. I hope to post these next week. Also, when I tried to post on Thursday night I couldn't get into BlogSpot--don't know why.  As the school year winds down, I’d like to hear from teachers who’ve visited this blog and used its resources. What worked or didn’t work? If you are a teacher ed student or practice teacher, I especially want to hear from you. Send your feedback to my e-mail account: historylynx@gmail.com.)


This post provides updated or additional resources for recent posts and covers these topics:

1) Ivory Coast’s New Chapter
2) Journalists on the Frontlines: Ivory Coast
3) Journalists on the Frontlines: Libya
4) From Birtherism to Otherism
5) Finland and the Crisis in the Euro Zone


IVORY COAST'S NEW CHAPTER

On May 21 Alassane Outtara was inaugurated as president of Cote d’Ivoire, opening a new chapter and a return to constitutionality (as legislative elections are expected before the end of this year). At the inauguration twenty heads of state and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon listened as President Outtara called for national reconciliation and reiterated a strong commitment to investigating human rights abuses.
  • For a quick rundown on Cote d'Ivoire since the overthrow of Laurent Gbagbo (April 11), see Paige McClanahan’s article in The Christian Science Monitor. The inauguration was widely covered in international media online (search your preferred sites) or check out the NYT article. (See Resources for both of these.)
Ouattara expects that the International Criminal Court will be involved in pursuing cases. He has stated that investigations, to be conducted internally and by the UN Human Rights Council, would probe allegation of mass killings (particularly in and around Duékoué) by forces taking his side in the civil war–as well as those by supporting Gbagbo. While he is determined to form a national unity government, he is worried that pro-Gbagbo fighters who have fled to Liberia might try to stir up trouble within the region (1).

A slow economic recovery is underway. Cocoa exports have resumed (May 8), a harbinger of better days to come, yet some cocoa farmers are too afraid to return to their plantations. Also fearful are many displaced farmers who grow foodstuffs are staying away others, also fearful, are fields and this means that food shortages. These fears are not irrational as attacks on returnees are documented in the Amnesty International report (see Resources).

For the country’s internally displaced and Ivorian refugees in Liberia, the immediate future still looks grim. That’s 335,000 unfortunate people (200,000 in Cote d’Ivoire, 135,000 in Liberia) in need of humanitarian assistance, especially food. UN and other programs only 35% funded, amounting to deficit of $200 million over the next few months. (2)

This week Amnesty International released a report, based on a two-months of research and more than 100 interviews conducted inside Cote d’Ivoire. Press coverage of this report has highlighted (unfairly I think) a statement by Gaetan Mootoo, Amnesty’s chief investigator, that is alarmist. According to Mootoo, "Alassane Ouattara’s failure to condemn these acts could be seen as a green light by many of his security forces, and other armed elements fighting with them, to continue" (3). I’ve added the bold emphasis to make it clear that Mootoo, despite his reporting incidents of abuse and retribution occurring after Gbagbo’s ouster--was not accusing Ouattara of ordering or orchestrating such actions (though, perhaps, he meant to imply this).

Of course, the international community needs to hold Ouattara’s feet to the fire. How responsible is Ouattara? Now that he’s president, we can say that the "franc stops on his verandah" but that is quite different from alleging that he is the instigator. I have reservations about the extent to which Ouattara has firm control over the military–which is probably taking order from Guillaume Soro (4). In any case, we all need to read the report for ourselves, not rely on brief summaries in the media (see Resources).

The report gives a detailed account of abuses occurring during the civil war or immediately after former President Gbagbo was captured on April 11th, when tensions were running very high (when Ouattara had not yet had an opportunity to exert his authority over forces acting on his behalf). Those "loyal" forces were directly under the control of military men and warlords, whose self-interest was to leverage their own positions. The Duékoué massacre on March 29th was a horrible event and the Amnesty report is justified in pointing to the UN’s "fatal inertia" as a major enabling factor. Survivors told Amnesty that they asked the UN for help, repeatedly, but it never came. Also, very apparent in the report’s presentation is the ethnic dynamic at work. How ethnic identities and the legacy of Ivoirité play out in the coming months is what I’ll be watching out for.

Activities

READ/COMPARE the BBC, VOA and Guardian articles: ASK: Do you detect difference in POV? What exactly indicates these differences? Which article is a fairer, more balanced presentation of the Amnesty reports findings?

PLAN: The eye-witness testimonies embedded in the Amnesty report are primary sources (though, of course, the original recordings/transcripts from the field are "more" primary). Global studies and world history teachers may plan now (or make a note to follow-up over the summer) to incorporate a balanced selection in next year’s lessons. If you teach an elective course on genocide, this material is relevant.

FRENCH TEACHERS: Go to the French version of the Amnesty report and select eye witness testimony (short paragraphs, in quotation marks, in Chapters 3-4) to use as a translation exercise. Introduce the topic orally or use a news source. If time permits, discuss these accounts in French.

Resources
McClanahan, Paige. "West Africa Rising: Ivory Coast Recovering from Season of Violence." Christian Science Monitor (May 24, 2011): http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0524/West-Africa-Rising-Ivory-Coast-recovering-from-season-of-violence

Nossiter, Adam. "Ivory Coast’s New leader Takes Oath, Urging Unity." New York Times (May 21, 2011): http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/world/africa/22ivory.html?scp=2&sq=nossiter%20ivory%20coast&st=cse

Amnesty International. "‘They Looked at His Identity Card and Shot Him Dead’: Six Months of Post-Electoral Violence in Cote d’Ivoire." Amnesty International (2011): http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AFR31/002/2011/en

  • Available as both a PDF and HTML, in English and in French(page numbers below are those of the document itself, not the PDF). English PDF: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR31/002/2011/en/bb769d9e-874f-442e-9454-993977a35f95/afr310022011en.pdf
  • Includes a concise summary of events since 2002, leading up to the election in November 2010 and Gbagbo’s unwillingness to cede power, the escalating violence, the conclusion of the civil war (Chapter 2).
  • Chapters 3-4 cover crimes/abuses by all sides, including those perpetrated after Gbagbo was ousted. Eye-witness testimony is presented throughout these pages. The ethnic animosity involved is clearly apparent--very obviously pointed out in the title). For the Duékoué massacre and abuses in this area see pp. 37-44.
  • See the ample footnotes (pp. 62-65) for more background sources, context, and detailed reports (for Ivoirité see notes 6, 20).
For an Amnesty International UK article about the report with a concise summaries of its findings and recommendations:
For early press coverage of the Amnesty International report:
Notes 

1) Adam Nossiter (see Resources). "Ivory Coast: Alassane Ouattara Warns of Mercenaries." BBC News (May 23, 2011): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13500677 

2) For details see "Ivory Coast Humanitarian Response Woefully Underfunded," Oxfam Ireland (May 23, 2011): http://www.oxfamireland.org/blog/2011/05/23/ivory-coast-humanitarian-response-woefully-underfunded/ 

3) Mootoo is quoted in The Guardian but the NOT in the Voice of America piece (despite its title); see articles in Resources.

JOURNALISTS ON THE FRONTLINES: IVORY COAST

(For Ivory Coast see posts listed above.)

During Cote d’Ivoire’s post-election stand-off and civil war the country’s journalists in working in both broadcast and print media–on both sides-- behaved badly, according to Reporters Without Borders. After Gbagbo was dislodged and arrested, Ouattara’s supporters have turned to harassing pro-Gbabgo journalists, looking for revenge. (1)

Recently, for Ivoirian journalists there have been a few positive signs--–but troubling news as well. One newspaper that had supported Gbagbo is now back in print and others expected to reappear within a week or so. But a warning by the new minister in charge of communications, Hamed Bakayoko, in which he stressed the desirability of limits on freedom of the press, is prompting organizations like Reporters Without Borders to voice their concerns. Speaking on World Press Freedom Day (May 3) Hamed Bakayoko (the new minister in charge of communications) spoke about freedom of the press in a manner worrisome to those who value it and advocate for the rights and protection of journalists. In addition, fears aroused by incidents, such as the torching of a radio station in a suburb of Abidjan, have been amplified by the news that a pro-Gbagbo radio journalist, Lago Sylvain Gagneto, who was arrested by pro-Ouattara forces earlier this month, was then summarily executed by them. On May 24 one of the directors of an opposition daily was arrested, perhaps to send a message before it resumes publication. (2)

I agree with CPJ spokesperson that Ouattara should act quickly "to rein in his forces and uphold the rule of law" (3).

Activities

These activities are recommended especially for journalism or global studies classes.

READ/DISCUSS: Distribute copies (or read online) the articles about the predicament of pro-Gbagbo journalists now that the former President has been arrested and his rival inaugurated (see Resources). ASK: What can/should President Ouattara to protect ALL journalists?

DISCUSS: Lift Minister Bakayoko’s remarks (as quoted in "Opposition Press Resumes Publishing") and put them into a hand-out. ASK students to respond: Does freedom of the press have limits? What limits might be appropriate or not, in a crisis situation? How might what he said apply--or not--to places in the news right now? (If you are an advocate of absolute freedom of the press, stop and think for a moment how radio messages were used to incite genocide in Rwanda.)

FRENCH CLASS: For a quick translation exercise (a good "bell-ringer") print-out the this page and/or listen to the audio (if you think it’s clear enough):

Resources
"Call to Avoid Media Vengeance by Civil War Victors," Reporters Without Borders (April 19, 2011): http://en.rsf.org/cote-d-ivoire-call-to-avoid-media-vengeance-by-19-04-2011,40061.html
"Opposition Press Resumes Publishing," Reporters Without Borders: (May 23, 2011): http://en.rsf.org/cote-d-ivoire-opposition-press-resumes-23-05-2011,40263.html

"In Ivory Coast, Pro-Ouattara forces Harass Journalists," Committee to Protect Journalists (May 24, 2011): http://cpj.org/2011/05/in-ivory-coast-pro-ouattara-forces-harass-journali.php

Notes

1) "Call to Avoid Media Vengeance by Civil War Victors," Reporters Without Borders (April 19, 2011); "In Ivory Coast, Pro-Ouattara forces Harass Journalists," Committee to Protect Journalists (May 24, 2011); see resources. For incidents after the disputed election see Nassirou Diallo with Mohamed Keita, "The Struggle Contines for Power, and Media, in Ivory Coast," Committee to Protect Journalists Blog (January 2011?): http://www.cjp.org/blog/2011/01/the-struggle-continues-for-power-and-media-in-ivor.php

2) "Opposition Press Resumes Publishing," Reporters Without Borders: (May 23, 2011): http://en.rsf.org/cote-d-ivoire-opposition-press-resumes-23-05-2011,40263.html; "Pro-Gbagbo Journalist Murdered, Newspaper Hounded as Reprisals Continue," Reporters Without Borders (May 25, 2011): http://www.rsf.org/cote-d-ivoire-pro-gbagbo-journalist-murdered-25-05-2011,40345.html

3) Mohamed Keita (CJP Africa Advocay Coordinator), as quoted in In Ivory Coast, Pro-Ouattara forces Harass Journalists," Committee to Protect Journalists (May 24, 2011)" (see note 1).


JOURNALISM ON THE FRONTLINE: LIBYA

Finally, on May 18th, after six weeks in detention, the Libyan government released four journalists: James Foley, Clare Gillis, Manuel Varela Brago, and Nigel Chandler. Foley, Gillis, and Brabo had been traveling near Brega when they were attacked by Libyan soldiers. They have now revealed that Anton Hammerl, a South African journalist who was with them, was o shot and left to die in the sand. The Libyan government had been claiming that it had no information about Hammerl. Perhaps as many as 15 international journalists are still being held in Libya.

This week those just released have begun to share their stories. I’m planning a post devoted to their stories, with background and links to their work. In the meantime, if you need an end-of-year video, consider showing the James Foley segment broadcast this week on PBS NewHour.

Resources

"Journalist Foley Details 6 Weeks of Captivity in Libya: 'I Could Make it.'" PBS NewHour (May 25, 2011): http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/jan-june11/libya_05-25.html

Jensen, Jon. "Reporters Release Tempered by news of Colleague’s Death." GlobalPost (May 19, 2011): http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/110519/libya-journalist-death-anton-hammerl-james-foley-clare-gillis


FROM BIRTHERISM TO OTHERISM

See this post: "Birther Bigotry–in America and Ivory Coast" (April 29, 2011).

In the US President Obama’s decision to release the long-form birth certificate has put a damper on Birtherism and, after a flurry of attention, sidelined Donald Trump, who won’t be running in the Republican primaries in 2012. But for diehard Obama skeptics (including a subgroup of Obama-haters) there are other ways "to other" Obama: he’s a socialist, he thinks too much like a European, he doesn’t believe in the American experiment.

My post emphasized that in both the US and Ivory Coast "Birtherism" was a strategy for putting the "not us" label on a political opponent. David Corn’s piece is a swell way to convey to students how birtherism and otherism (regardless of the subjects directed towards) are both "delegitimizing" strategies (see Resources). It also presents a critique of American exceptionalism that is guaranteed to spark discussion.

You will find the Meneimer piece a fascinating unmasking of the WorldNet Daily’s agenda (CAUTION: there is "not-for-the-classroom" language in its quotations). Here you will find a link to the short satire in Esquire that so infuriated WorldNet’s publisher Joseph Farah (see Resources). I wonder, what’s really in store for Jerome Corsi’s book, Where’s the Birth Certificate?

Labeling Obama "not -us" is not a phenomenon limited to white or right-wing critics, however. Cornel West, Princeton’s leading African-American public intellectual, has been stirring up the racial identity cauldron by calling Obama "a white man with black skin." And while West’s disappointment with the Obama presidency is fueled by West’s progressive-cum-populist outlook, he can’t resist framing it in racial terms. For West, Obama isn’t simply a mascot and puppet of the US oligarchy/plutocracy but "a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats" (1). When West explains how Obama’s presidential decisions and policies have betrayed supporters on the left, he is expressing a genuine critique (making points that we should be talking about, whether or not we agree with them).

What is disturbing, however, is West’s resorting to an insidious race card style of "othering." Whether he intend it or not, the message he’s conveying is that Obama just isn’t black enough. While Newt Gingerich might think Obama’s too far out of the American mainstream, Cornel West is saying he’s too far out of the African American mainstream. Doesn’t West realize just how broad that mainstream is? And who is rising to Obama’s defense? None other than Al Sharpton, whose widely quoted statement I repeat here:
  • This is the first time in this country that we have an African American president. He is not the president of African Americans. The problem we’re seeing withtoo many odler-minded people is you don’t want the next generation. You want clones. And people don’t have to be your clone to validate your sacrifice (2).

Activities
READ/DISCUSS: Use the David Corn article to explore the various tactics that politicians (across the spectrum) use "to other" their opponents. Aslo, use this piece to raise issues about American exceptionalism. ASK: Is exceptionalism just plain arrogance? Is there a middle road, such as acknowledging what’s special but stopping short of taking exceptionalism all the way to one end of a continuum? In a World History or Comparative Government class, expand the topic by mvoing on to other cases where exceptionalism is/was a core element of a faction or party’s political ideology.

READ/DISCUSS: The Hedges’s article draws heavily on interview with Cornel West, so it presents a less filtered version of West’s views (see Resources)so it is a good place to start the discussion. The issues may be inflammatory in many classrooms. ASK: What is West’s POV? How does it reflect his identity as an African American? What do you think of West’s criticism of President Obama? Is West’s rhetoric of race justified? Does it draw attention away from his criticism of Obama’s failure to live up to the 2008 campaign’s progressive messages?

Resources

Corn, David. "Birtherism Is Dead. Long Live Otherism." Mother Jones (May 19, 2011): http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/05/birtherism-otherism-romney-gingrich-2012

Meneimer, Stephanie. "WorldNet Daily Can’t Take a Joke." Mother Jones (May 25, 2011): http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/05/worldnet-daily-cant-take-joke

Thompson, Krissah. "Cornel West’s Criticism of Obama Sparks Debate among African Americans." Washington Post (May 18, 2011): http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cornel-wests-criticism-of-obama-sparks-debate-among-african-americans/2011/05/18/AFlGTf6G_story.html

Hedges, Chris. "The Obama Deception: Why Cornel West Went Ballistic." Truthdig (May 16, 2011): http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_obama_deception_why_cornel_west_went_ballistic_20110516
　

Notes

1) Bold emphasis added. As quoted in Chris Hedges (with more context); also quoted in Krissah Thompson; both in Resources. DISCLOSURE: As the mother of two biracial children (and a grandmother) I do react strongly to these issues of identity.

2) Sharpton, as quoted in Krissah Thompson (see Resources) and also widely repeated in the media.


FINLAND AND THE CRISIS IN THE EURO ZONE

See previous post: "Finland: The Mouse That Roared?" (May 4, 2011).
 
"Anybody who is hoping the two sides can come together and work out a plan to control health care costs should plan a lengthy visit to some other country. I hear that Finland is nice."

Gail Collins, New York Times (May 26, 2011)

　
 For a few years now my sister and I have been joking about how we’d like to move to Finland (or Norway or Sweden or Denmark) to escape from the craziness of US politics. So I read, with more than a few chuckles, Anu Partanen’s fine op-ed piece about her Finnish compatriots, desperate for visas to America (see Resources). After living in Brooklyn (New York City) for two years, she returned home to discover that her boring homeland had been transformed by the run-up to, and startling results of, Finland’s recent election. Guess her friends haven’t heard much about the Tea Party (or Newt Gingrich or Sarah Palin)!

BREAKING NEWS: Yesterday (May 25) the Finnish Parliament, after a lively debate, voted 137-49 to approve the Portugal bailout. Four members of the True Finn Party broke ranks with their leader and abstained. Soini had argued that the bailout would benefit primarily German and French banks. Since Finland’s approval was required for the bailout to to go ahead, this news should make the G-8 meeting in Deauville, France, a little less gloomy. (For sources see note 1.)

The larger context of my post on the Finnish election was its possible impact on the viability of the euro as a common currency and thus the future of the euro zone (perhaps even the European Union)--with implications for economies of nations across European. Another part of the picture is the increasing popularity of right-wing parties, such as the True Finns, how worries over immigration are shaping politics and parliaments in several countries.
With the G-8 meeting this week (May,26-27), and the ongoing European economic crisis having a negative impact on the US stock markets, Americans need clear explanations about what’s at stake. Right now the debts and budget deficits of Europe’s PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain) are a much more immediate threat to the global economy–and hence to the US economy--than our own short-term budgetary quandaries.

A good resource for teaching this topic is Paul Solman’s "Making Sen$e" (part of the PBS Newshour web site--see Resources). His overview of economies of eight countries--the PIIGS plus Germany, England, and Poland (with links to segments on France)–is an excellent place to send students (see "Obama’s European Trip" in Resources).

　
Activities

READ/DISCUSS: Anu Partanen’s "A True Finnish Spring" is a short, clearly presented POV on Finnish politics and Finland’s place in the world. ASK: Why do Anu’s friends want to escape to America? How do you think living in America has changed Anu’s POV?

LANGUAGE ARTS: Analyze "A True Finnish Spring" as a highly effective piece of writing. ASK: Why do the images in her intro (and elsewhere) draw the reader in? How has she woven otherwise blunt "facts" into her essay?

VIEW/REACT: Students watch the PBS NewsHour segment (May 23), take notes and/or review transcript. ASK: What do you think the Europeans can or should do to help other Europeans? What should the US do (or not do) about Europe’s economic crisis? DISCUSS: How are the Irish and Spanish perspectives and government responses different? What accounts for these differences?

RESEARCH: Post the first comment to the PBS segment and use it as a research prompt. Students search online to find out more: What are economists saying about Europe’s austerity budgets? Individual students may focus on the policies and consequences in particular countries.

READING/NOTE-TAKING: Students read "Euro Crisis Looms for Group fo 8" (online or printed copies) and list the issues on the agenda at the G-meeting in Deauville, France, on Thursday and Friday (May 26-27). EXPAND this lesson, if time permits, to a follow-up search of what actually happened at the meeting. What issues, among those reported as significant, did press coverage of the meeting pay most attention to? (Subsitute any similar preview article from your preferred national or international news source.)

Resources

Partanan, Anu. "A True Finnish Spring." New York Times (May 13, 2011): http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/14/opinion/14Partanen.html?_r=1&ref=finland

Making Sen$e: PBS Newshour:  http://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/makingsense/
  • Paul Solman’s explanations of economist’s concepts and theories are "super-accessible" and thus constitute a great resource for social studies classes (not just high school or college Economics 101).
  • Scroll down left-side to access items specific to the world’s regions.

Solman, Paul. "Obama's European Trip: Comparing Countries' Debt Troubles." PBS NewsHour (May 25, 2011: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/05/obamas-european-trip-comparing-countries-debt-troubles.html

VIDEO: "As Obama Kicks Off Trip, How Far-Reaching Is Europe's Economic Crisis?". PBS NewsHour (May 23, 2011): http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june11/europe_05-23.html
  • Jeffrey Brown discusses Europe's continued financial struggles with the Financial Times' Gillian Tett and Harvard University's Kenneth Rogoff.
  • Transcript available just below the video box.
  • Use the comment by OLYCJ as a writing/research prompt.
Erlanger, Steven, and Liz Alderman. "Euro Crisis Looms for Group of 8." New York Times (May 26, 2011): http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/world/europe/27g8.html?scp=1&sq=erlanger+euro+crisis&st=nyt

Note

1) "Finnish Parliament Backs Portugal Bailout," Financial Times (May 25, 2011):
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6855ade6-86db-11e0-9d41-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1NT7KcTtu. For more details about the debate see "Parliament Passes Portugal Bailout Package 137-49," Helsingin Sanomat (May 26, 2011): http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Parliament+passes+Portugal+bailout+package+137-49/1135266412585
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