Citizenreporter.org’s West Africa correspondant isn’t too keen on walking the streets of Abidjan these days and she has to watch what she says, as the country is sharply divided by a political standoff. The standoff is between two presidents and their supporters. One the incumbent with his own dedicated citizenry, the other elected several months ago, internationally certified and recognized. How long can this standoff last? What can be done or is being done to resolve it? In the meantime, what does daily life consist of on the streets of Abidjan as well as for a longtime correspondant in her own neighborhood.
Joining me online from Abidjan, international journalist and prolific West Africa blogger, Pauline Bax.
2011 is the year where many observers and so called experts around the world scramble to understand how it is that so many dictatorships suddenly arrived at a crisis. As people take to the streets and battles take place in city squares throughout the middle east, we discover that in fact many of the dictators of these regions have not been well studied or understood.
Natasha Ezrow, Director of the International Development Studies Program at the University of Essex and author of Dictators & Dictatorships: Understanding Authoritarian Regimes and Their Leaders, has written about the important differences between dictators which we now see being played out by how they handle calls for reform. She also lays out criteria for why types of leaders might flee a country before anyone is harmed, while others would stay til their last breath.
You may think the media and the social networks have told you all that needs to be known about conditions on the ground in Japan, but hearing it first hand gives you a far greater understanding. In the days following the massive earthquake and tsunami, Karamoon contacted me from his home in Tokyo. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could remain in his home, or on the other hand, if he wouldn’t have to stay in doors for two weeks to avoid radioactive winds.
In the following podcast he describes his experience and the concerns going forward. He also goes into details about his survival preparations and options on an island where many people face difficult choices in the aftermath.
And just now I received an update, Tokyo Hacker Space is taking action for quake relief in Northern Japan but they need your help. (link has been down occasionally today)
The EMCDDA is the agency that monitors drugs and drug treatment on the European scale which happens to be based right here in Lisbon, Portugal. Each year they gather information and statistics from all members states and advise the European Union about drug policy in terms of what works, what doesn’t and more.
While here in town I went over to their offices and sat down with Danilo Ballotta, Principal Policy Officer – Epidemiology, Crime, and Markets Unit, to ask him about what the agency does, what the biggest problem areas are for Europe, and what we know works when it comes to drug treatment. We also get into Portugal and how this country has managed to become a world leader in the area of drug treatment.
Temple photo by flickr member: Everything Everywhere
The Preah Vihear temple is piece of world heritage dating back to the 9th century. But the war being fought over who controls it between Combodia and Thailand is going on right now in 2011.
This past month saw more fighting between both nation’s military, with a number of casualties, all despite the fact that there has been an international court of justice ruling on who rightfully controls the temple. Some forces in Thailand see it as a matter of national pride and heritage to hold on to this ancient site, while the Combodian government answers with their own bravado. In the line of fire lay poor people, historical heritage, and a legacy of violence.
My guest is a blogger, author and concerned Khmer-American Sambath Meas who has appealed to the UN and ASEAN to stop the war and mediate a settlement. You can read her letter and more posts related to this conflict on her site, you can also read her book “The Immortal Seeds: Life Goes on for a Khmer Family”
Update: Sambath just posted a followup video to our interview on her site! In my 6+ years of podcasting, she is perhaps the only guest to ever do so!
Restorative Justice (RJ) isn’t a new idea but in the modern day world of criminal justice, few people know about the tremendous impact it is having in different parts of the world. In an era where everyone likes to talk about being tough on crime and locking away or executing the bad guys, RJ is making strides in areas our criminal justice system never could on its own.
The following podcast is to introduce the concept and practice of restorative justice as it is being used to address crime on a individual as well as mass scale. As we watch citizens of nations throughout North Africa and the Middle East, as well as in the United States, rise up and demand justice, it is more important then ever to examine how to best achieve this justice and address the emotion and trauma that comes with it.
My guests are: Les Davey – CEO of the International Institute for Restorative Practice UK
Howard Zehr – Professor of Restorative Justice at Eastern Mennonite University’s graduate Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and is the editor of The Little Books of Justice and Peacemaking series.
2011 is the year where many observers and so called experts around the world scramble to understand how it is that so many dictatorships suddenly arrived at a crisis. As people take to the streets and battles take place in city squares throughout the middle east, we discover that in fact many of the dictators of these regions have not been well studied or understood.
You may think the media and the social networks have told you all that needs to be known about conditions on the ground in Japan, but hearing it first hand gives you a far greater understanding. In the days following the massive earthquake and tsunami, Karamoon contacted me from his home in Tokyo. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could remain in his home, or on the other hand, if he wouldn’t have to stay in doors for two weeks to avoid radioactive winds.
The 
