Opinions

International Women’s Day – March 8, 2011 – is a special day meant to remind everyone that women continue to have particular disadvantages even today, despite general emancipation, owing to the unnecessary restrictions in our male-dominated societies. More than that, womens’ rights continue to be severely curtailed in many places.

The success of popular movements in the Middle East has raised the apprehensions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has been reminded of its own weakness and soft underbelly.
President Hu Jintao has issued orders to party officials to “solve prominent problems which might harm the harmony and stability of the society.”
By Gunjan Singh*

Strange as this may sound, there is a mainstream in the unsanctioned confederacy of dictators. Whether of the present times or from the distant past, the mainstream dictator is usually decidedly understated, more often than not a loner, eccentric in private habits, and almost as a trademark, lives in a complex world of paranoia.
By Eskinder Nega

Latin America is definitely on the move: there are multiple events taking place in political, economic, social, cultural, ethnic, institutional, religious and spiritual fields, showing a new moment.
Here we publish the complete transcription of the lecture given at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem by Tomás Hirsch, humanist Latin American leader.

After arriving in the United States, Espinet continued working with other exiled Siloists from Argentina and Chile in the Universal Humanist movement. He met Trudi at one of their gatherings in 1986, and they spent 25 years together, working and raising their five children, living in San Francisco, Argentina and finally Davis.

This exhibit at the German Historical Museum shows 50 years of history. From 1920 with the appearance of Hitler as the “drummer” announcing the imminent arrival of a saviour to Hitler’s elevation to power in 1933 as the “Fuehrer” to his fiery departure in 1945 and final disappearance with the scattering of his ashes in 1970.

Rafael de la Rubia, spokesperson for last year’s World March for Peace and Nonviolence talks about Egypt, Tunisia and the implications for the Arab world. Highlighting the essential role of nonviolence de la Rubia pays tribute to the young people who drove the process to its conclusion. “They have given the rest of the world a Master Class in non-violent revolution.”

“Getting rid of dictators is not enough. Building a civic participatory society is not easy – Europe’s enlightenment did not come just from removing a few dictators,” a Palestinian friend said to me recently. “People’s expectation raised for change will dash against the reality that it will take decades to create systems of governance, accountability, economic justice…”

Rebellion is in the air. The people of Egypt have given us a shining example of the power of nonviolent protest combined with absolute determination. But theirs is not the only example.
The Egyptian revolt was sparked by one in Tunisia that echoed in Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Yemen. Something is stirring in the Arab world. But that’s not all.

The majority of journalists, media people, commentators and intellectuals from the main broadcasting channels do not seem to be able to perceive in depth what is happening in Egypt. And we must bear in mind that the massive demonstrations or social unrest are only an indication of the “new world which is already arriving”.