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Third World resurgence #184 (Dec 2005) This issue’s contents:
WSIS wraps up to mixed emotions By Pablo Accuosto The second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) took place in Tunis from 16 to 18 November 2005. The Tunis Summit was expected to tackle some of the unresolved issues that emerged during the first phase of WSIS held in Geneva in 2003, in particular, the democratisation of Internet governance and the leveraging of funds for the development of information and communications technologies in the South.
By Chantal Peyer WSIS was touted in 2002 as a 'unique opportunity' to bridge the digital divide between the developed and developing countries. Three years on and after two Summits, Chantal Peyer questions whether there is any real commitment on the part of the rich countries, particularly the US, to take concrete action to realise the vision of a more equitable global village.
By Kieren McCarthy At Tunis intense lobbying by the US enabled it to retain its control over the Internet - for at least five years more.
By Kieren McCarthy More than anything else in its intense lobbying effort, it was a letter from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the EU presidency which clinched the issue of Internet governance for the US.
By Willie Currie The interventions of civil society activists made a material difference to the outcomes of WSIS in Tunis, contends Willie Currie. By Meryem Marzouki The paradox of Tunisia, a country with a deplorable human rights record, being selected to be the organiser of a World Summit on the Information Society which entails full freedom of expression and information can only be explained by the WSIS process - a process which has been characterised by the WSIS Civil Society Human Rights Caucus as the 'reign of the arbitrary'.
By CP Chandrasekhar Much has been said about the importance of IT in the development of Third World countries and the case of India is often cited as an example. However, as CP Chandrasekhar points out, while the role of software and IT-enabled services in India's economy is substantial, the fact that a sizeable section of the Indian population lies outside its ambit and an excessive dependence on this sector may be inequalising.
By Daniela Estrada Civil society must lead the democratisation of the media, an issue that was barely touched on at the recent World Summit on the Information Society, said participants at a recent international meeting in the Chilean capital Santiago.
By Anand Parthasarathy A community reporter who addressed WSIS reminded the audience that in the rural areas and small towns that constitute the Third World, there are other effective forms of communication technologies besides the Internet.
Death along the famished road By Sonia Faleiro Sonia Faleiro ventures into the Indian hinterland to discover cataclysmic tales of deprivation and despair wrought by the cultivation of genetically modified Bt cotton.
People with HIV/AIDS lose as drug companies gain By Salih Booker & Ann-Louise Colgan As long as the US and other rich countries insist on promoting the pharmaceutical industry's interests through their stringent policies on intellectual property, the promise of universal access to HIV treatment by 2010 has little hope of being realised.
Egypt: Critical mass and meltdown By Amr El-Choubaki Projected as part of the Egyptian government's commitment to 'reforms', the legislative elections held in November-December, which were marred by violence and vote buying, proved to be a setback for the ruling National Democratic Party and a triumph for the opposition Muslim Brotherhood.
By Thalif Deen Recent attempts by the US to abolish or downsize UN programmes and activities relating to the Palestinians have provoked some strong reactions at the world body.
A highly problematic 'Working Definition of Antisemitism' produced by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia through a process which was clearly non-participative and non-transparent has drawn protests from European Jews. We publish a letter from European Jews for a Just Peace, a federation of Jewish organisations from 10 European countries, challenging the definition and the process by which it was arrived at.
Torture transport By Sarah Whalen If allegations of its complicity in the transport and torture of detainees under the US war on terror are true, then Eastern Europe has made a conscious choice, but one more in line with the post-World War II dictatorships and totalitarian societies.
By Jim Lobe US human rights groups have accused both Brazil, which is in command of the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti, and the US, which has been arming the Haitian National Police, of complicity in dozens of killings since late 2004.
Pitiful heroines of Sri Lanka By Manori Wijesekera The migrant women workers of Sri Lanka, whose remittances help to sustain their domestic households and their national economy, are among the most vulnerable of the country's workers.
Afghanistan: the long march to a narco-state By Jeremy Seabrook Jeremy Seabrook wonders to what further violence Afghanistan will be subjected before it is finally remade in an image acceptable to the dominant powers of the world. For subscription and enquiries: THIRD WORLD NETWORK Tel: 60-4-2266728/2266159; Fax: 60-4-2264505; Email: twnet@po.jaring.my
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