Nigar Ahmad – Pakistan

Linked with the AURAT FOUNDATION.

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

An academic and a social activist, she was a brilliant student who came top of her Masters of economics year in Punjab University and went on to study economics at Cambridge University. She was also a Commonwealth Scholar. While pursuing a career in academia she taught economics for 16 years at the faculty of the Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad and was drawn into the struggle of Pakistani women against the anti-women policies of the military dictatorship headed by Zia-ul-Haq. She was a member of the Women’s Action Forum for two years (1983–1985) , the pioneering women’s organization that was formed to protest these political developments … (1000peacewomen 1/2).

Under Nigar’s leadership, the Aurat Foundation has taken up provocative issues, from mobilizing women candidates for local government elections to generating debate on intellectual property rights.

She is named on Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, DEPARTMENT OF ISLAMIC STUDIES.

She is a nominee from Pakistan of the Global Sisterhood-Network.

Find her on inauthor Google-search;

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Sorry, no photo found for Nigar Ahmad – Pakistan

Nigar Ahmad works for the Aurat Foundation: Aurat Foundation is a women’s rights organization based in Islamabad, Pakistan. Aurat Foundation does active lobbying, advocacy on behalf of women. it holds demonstrations and public-awareness campaigns. (wikipedia).

NGOs demand action against rapists: Representatives of NGOs including Ms Katherine of AMEN Society, Bina Qureshi of Hum Log, Nigar Ahmed Aurat Foundation, Farida Shaheed Shirkat Gah, AGHS Shah Taj Qazilbash, Samina Rehman Women Action Forum, Nighat Saeed Asr Resource Centre and Neelum Hussain of C Murgh termed the act ‘the worst of its kind,’ ‘its culprits must not be spared.’ First, they stated, the accused spoiled the honour of the girl and then ruined her life by distorting her face through acid … (full text, Sept. 11, 2008).

1000peacewomen 2/2: Nigar Ahmad (born in 1945) has worked tirelessly for nearly 20 years for the political, social, and economic empowerment of Pakistani women, as executive director of the Aurat Publication and Information Service Foundation. Under her stewardship, the Aurat (woman) Foundation has taken up a range of « provocative » causes, from mobilizing women candidates for local government elections to generating debate across the country about the World Trade Organization and the controversial issue of intellectual property rights …

… Since 1986, Nigar, who now lives in Lahore, has been associated with Aurat, a civil society organization which works for women’s empowerment in tandem with a countrywide of citizens’ groups and civil activists.

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Nani Zulminarni – Indonesia

Linked with PEKKA, with Rumah Olin (mainly in indonesian language – see there photos, music, blog, general online-contact, contact to report an abuse (without registering first), and links), and also linked with her text: A JOURNEY TO THE WORLD WITHOUT HUSBAND.

Nani Zulminarni is a gender and development specialist, facilitator and consultant with an interest in community organizing and economic and political empowerment of women. She is the coordinator of PEKKA, the « Women-Headed Households Empowerment Program ». PEKKA organizes women, helping them build their vision for change, capacity, networking and advocacy skills. PEKKA works in 8 provinces in Indonesia – Aceh, West Java, Central Java, West Kalimantan, NTB, NTT, North Maluku and Southeast Sulawesi, reaching more than 300 poor villages and 10,000 families. Nani is also the chairperson of The Center for Women’s Resources Development (PPSW) and a member of the executive committee of two regional networks – the South East Asia for Popular Communication Program (SEAPCP) and the Asia South Pacific Bureau for Adult Education (ASPBAE). Her main responsibilities in the network are policy development, program planning, monitoring and evaluation, and facilitating workshops and training. (just associates).

She says: « The society only recognizes men, not women, as heads of family ».

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Nani Zulminarni – Indonesia

She works for Program Pemberdayaan Perempuan Kepala Keluarga PEKKA.

As a student activist in the early 80s, Nani protested with other young Muslim women for the right to wear head scarves (at the time under Soeharto, these were not allowed). For them, it was a critical struggle to defend their rights, even though the covers led to discrimination in public schools and offices. Her desire to challenge women’s subordinate status led Nani to become a field worker for PPSW, organizing poor rural women … (full text).

Notes from conversation with Nani Zulminarni regarding shared movementbuilding – organizing challenges: 3 pages.

Violence against women is not just a human rights violation. It is also a serious public health problem. It can take the form of psychological, physical, or sexual abuse, and can have serious implications for a woman’s health. What is not commonly recognized is that violence against women has both economic and social costs to individuals, families, and communities. Nani Zulminarni, Chair of Indonesia’s Pusat Pengembangan Sumberdaya Wanita (PPSW) (Center for Women’s Resources Development in Indonesia), struggles on with her mission … (full text).

Find her, the bio and the publications on ashka; on catalogue; on SourceWatch; on book finder; on Google Group-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Blog-search.

… Another peacewomen, Nani Zulminarni also speaks on her experience as the head of PEKKA (women household headed program), a program which support women as head of their households/widow or single mother, in several provinces in Indonesia (including Aceh). She have also works for more then 20 years as an activist. Last but not least, the discussions was moderate by Vivi Zabkie from the News Office of 68H (KBRH 68) … (full text and photos).

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Ruth Manorama – India

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

Ruth Manorama (born 1952) grew up seeing her parents engaged in active social work. She has been consistently associated with a range of issues-the rights of slum dwellers, domestic workers, unorganized labor and Dalits’, and the empowerment of marginalized women. She sees the interconnectedness between these issues, and the common cause that marginalized people share the world over … (1000peacewomen 1/2).

Ruth Manorama (born 1952) is widely known in India for her contributions in mainstreaming Dalit issues, especially the precarious situation of Dalit women in India. Ruth, herself from the Dalit community, calls the women « Dalits among the Dalits ». This has highlighted the plight of Dalit women in the community and the media. Ruth has also contributed enormously to breaking the upper-class, upper-caste image of the women’s movement in India. In 2005, she was one of 1000 nominees for the ‘1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize’ campaign. In 2006 she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award … (full text).

She says: « I have tremendous confidence in the capacity of the poor to transform not only their own lives but also to build a just, humane, and democratic society ».

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Ruth Manorama – India

She works for the National Alliance of Women, for the National Federation of Dalit Women, and for Women’s Voice (there are different groups in many countries under this name).

Recognition for courage and causes.

She received the Right Livelihood Award, 2006 (also known as the Alternative Nobel). She is India’s most effective organiser of and advocate for Dalit women, belonging to the ‘scheduled castes’ sometimes also called ‘untouchables’ … (full text).

Ruth Manorama, voice of Dalits.

… Ruth Manorama , Right Livelihood awardee, said no form of violence is acceptable. She urged the state to provide relief and compensation to victims and book state and non-state perpetrators of violations. Right to employment , food, security and freedom of expression and religion must be protected, she added. (full text, 29 Aug 2008).

Bangalore: Students, Activists, Secular Forces Gather to Protest Orissa Carnage, August 30, 2008.

… Dalit women in India, constituting half of the approximately 200 million dalit population, and 16.3% of the total Indian female population, not only suffer oppression as a result of class and caste, but also from gender inequalities resulting from a patriarchal system. These injustices really make me want to work for their rights and freedom, said Manorama who is involved in several regional and international rights campaigns … (full text).

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Neal Ascherson – England

Charles Neal Ascherson (born October 5, 1932), is a Scottish journalist. He was born in Edinburgh and educated at Eton and King’s College, Cambridge, where he read history. He was described by the historian, Eric Hobsbawm, as « perhaps the most brilliant student I ever had. I didn’t really teach him much, I just let him get on with it. » After graduating with a triple starred First,  he declined offers to pursue an academic career. Instead, he chose a career in journalism, first at the Manchester Guardian and then at The Scotsman (1959-1960), The Observer (1960-1990) and the Independent on Sunday (1990-1998). He contributed scripts for the 1974 documentary series World at War and the 1998 series The Cold War. In recent years, he has also been a regular contributor to the London Review of Books.He has lectured and written extensively about Polish and Eastern Europe affairs. As of 2008 Ascherson is a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. He has been editor of Public Archaeology, an academic journal associated with UCL devoted to CRM and public archaeology issues and developments, since its inception in 1999. Neal Ascherson is married to fellow journalist, Isabel Hilton. They currently live in London with their two children, Iona and Alexander. (wikipedia).

Neal Ascherson is a journalist and writer. He was for many years a foreign correspondent for the (London) Observer. Among his books are The King Incorporated: Leopold the Second and the Congo (1963; Granta, 1999), The Struggles for Poland (Random House, 1988), Black Sea (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1996; reprinted 2007), and Stone Voices: the Search for Scotland (Granta, 2003). (openDemocracy).

His Bio on Spartacus Schoolnet.

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Neal Ascherson – England

The Black Sea, Chapter 10.

May 3 elections: A disaster and a mystery – After a farce of spoiled ballots and confused voters, Scotland awakes to a new political landscape … (full text).

He says (about freedom gained): « The new right for which I am most grateful has to be visa-free travel. A right still limited to certain parts of the world. But the knowledge that, within a few hours of an impulse, I can be not just in a capital city (Prague, Warsaw, Berlin) but wandering down Piotrkowska Street in Lodz, or standing on the cobbles of an East Bohemian village inhaling its scent of pork chops and cabbage, or buying the real original Weihnachtsstollen at the Christmas Fair in Dresden — that’s still miraculous. Do I regret the long waits at frontier stations, the sound of jackboots slowly moving along the corridor from compartment to compartment? No, it’s all been perfectly preserved in novels. And if you still hanker for that paranoia kick, just put on a burqa for your return journey to Britain ». (full text).

His statement: If the West had learnt the lessons of the past, it would now be supporting even the smallest countries’ dreams of freedom, August 17, 2008.

I returned from our last trip desiring to read more about Scotland. I was especially pleased with Longitude’s list. One title I’m particularly looking forward to reading is Stone Voices: The Search for Scotland, by Neal Ascherson. With some books, the introduction/foreward/preface alone is worth the price of admission. To wit, this passage from the opening of the Preface to Stone Voices: “Some countries are tidy with their past. Until recently, English historiography resembled the work of a landscape gardener at a stately home: vistas of Saxon lawn and Norman shrubbery led up past Tudor and Hanoverian flowerbeds to the terrace of the present, where the proprietor sat contentedly surveying his estate … (full text, October 27, 2007).

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Marcel Votlucka – USA

Linked with Let the House of Cards Tumble.

Marcel Votlucka is a writer living and working in New York City (yes another one). His work has appeared in the Stony Brook Press, the Stony Brook Independent, the Suffolk Standard, and Strike the Root. As you might’ve guessed, he’s a graduate of Stony Brook University. His passions include writing (duh!), Japanese language and culture, and cooking. Most of the articles and essays on here focus on politics and society, but also LGBTQ issues. You’ll also find the occasional bit of satire, as well as some fiction. Neverland: Voices from the Holocaust was part of a project started several years ago in the wake of 9/11. It’s been long discontinued in favor of other ventures, but some of the completed chapters are available on the site. Eventually we’ll get around to putting some more cool (IMHO) stuff in the Extras section … (full text on his homepage).

He writes: The hegemonic powers that be hate, above all else, the following question: « Why? »  And we the people are more than happy to avoid asking it.  For that dangerous question is often the first step toward any positive personal, political, or social transformative process … (full text, July 22, 2008).

His Homepage.

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Sorry, no photo found for Marcel Votlucka – USA

If Only the Super Bowl Could Replace Politics, February 4, 2008.

… How much blood will continue to be spilt because people refuse to see themselves as individuals first and foremost; because loyalty to their own lives and values, their family, friends and kin is not good enough for them?  How much blood will have to be spilt over feuds between one « team » and another –Muslims, « Westerners, » Tutsi, Hutu, Sunni, Shi’a … How much good comes of this?  Even if your « team » is victorious over the ethnic, political, or religious « opposition, » in a conflict that should never have had to exist in the first place, you’re not free, you’re not liberated; you’re still just a pawn in the machine, a brick in the wall … (full text, February 19, 2008).

My Million-Yen Naoki Prize Money is Taking a Nap, english translation.

Marcel Votlucka understands that the true meaning of the July 4th is the assertion of our unalienable rights, including the right to secession: A recent poll on this site asked if respondents planned to observe (U.S.) Independence Day this year. My belated response is a “yes,” I did observe Independence Day as I always do ­ and not just because I like having a day off from work. I did so because I know what the holiday really means … (full text, July 9, 2008).

I’m an Anarchist, and I Don’t Hate the Troops, Jan 30, 2008.

Marcel Votlucka of SB Independent, a publication of the Stony Brook University chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, offers a good analysis of the Downing Street Memo for students and faculty at the university. The writer noted in a June 18, 2005 post: … (full text).

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Yuri Kochiyama – USA

Linked with The National Women History Project NWHP.

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

A daughter of Japanese immigrants, Yuri Kochiyama (born 1921) grew up in California. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, her life changed dramatically in 1942 when people of Japanese ancestry in the USA were sent to internment camps. After World War II, she joined movements for civil rights and black liberation in New York City; she opposed US imperialism and supported radical grassroots organizations and political prisoners. She has spoken out for racial justice and human rights for over 40 years. (1000Peacewomen).

She says: « Don’t become too narrow. Live fully. Meet all kinds of people. You’ll learn something from everyone. Follow what you feel in your heart ».

Unitarians schedule Labor Day program: … The civil rights activist, feminist, and author Yuri Kochiyama and her family were among the 120,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast who were rounded up and confined in camps in a wave of anti-Japanese hysteria that followed the bombing of Pearl Harbor … (full text, Aug 29, 2008).

BLACK HISTORY MONTH – Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama, Feb 1, 2007.

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Yuri Kochiyama – USA

She works 1) for the Organization for Afro-American Unity (named on AfricanAmericans.com; on wikipedia; on Answers.com; on Britannica online Encyclopedia; on wordpress.com); 2) for the National Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners (mentionned in the NYT), and 3) for Asian Americans for Action (there exist: Asian American Action Fund and its AAA Fund Blog; Media Action Network for Asian Americans; Asian American Action Figure Home Page; Asian American support for affirmative action).

Recognizing APA Community Organizers: … Yuri Kochiyama, Ling-chi Wang, Thomas Abraham, Gloria Caoile and Sandy Dang are just a few of the community organizers who have made a difference in the lives of the APA community over the last thirty years who have never held elective office … (full text, Sept. 10, 2008).

Asian/ APIA Feminism/ Women’s History Month, March 1, 2008.

Find Yuri Kochiyama on video: Freedom Fighters trailer, 6.31 min, added: February 14, 2007; on the blog Learn to question.com; on the blog 100 voices her video as Freedom Fighter, with transcript in japanese; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search.

… “A story Ms. Kochiyama is often asked to retell is how she first met Malcolm X in Harlem. Ms. Kochiyama had been an admirer of Malcolm X for sometime when she happened to see him walk into a courthouse in Brooklyn, where he was instantly surrounded by people shaking his hand. Ms. Kochiyama was shy at first of approaching him amongst all his African followers, but when he met her eyes she found herself asking if she could shake his hand. “What for?” Malcolm had asked, almost suspiciously. When Ms. Kochiyama finally answered, “You’re giving direction [to your people]”, Malcolm strode out of the crowd with a smile, and shook Ms. Kochiyama’s hand” … (full text).

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Rodrigue Tremblay – Canada

Linked with The U.S. 2008 Presidential Election: An Evaluation. Find him also on our website on December 04, 2007.

Rodrigue Tremblay (born October 13, 1939) is a Canadian-born economist, humanist and political figure. He teaches economics at the Université de Montréal. He specializes in macroeconomics, and international trade and finance, and public finance. He is a prolific author of books in economics. Born in Matane, Québec, Canada, he has a B.A. from the Université Laval (1961), a B.Sc. in Economics from the Université de Montréal (1963). Tremblay did his graduate work at Stanford University where he obtained a M.A. in Economics (1965) and a Ph.D. in Economics (1968). He has been a professor of economics at the Université de Montréal since 1967. He is professor emeritus since 2002 … (full text, last modified on 22 July 2008).

He says: « One of the greatest benefits of a well functioning democracy is its capacity to bring about change: change of government, change of policies, change in the distribution of income and wealth … etc., and avoid stagnation and immobilism » … and: « The world should take notice when someone with a fanatic mind and with powerful means, receives his marching orders from Heaven » … (full text quotations).

Visit:his blog site, and its archives (in many languages ); Author’s Website; the book The New American Empire; Check Dr. Tremblay’s coming book The Code for Global Ethics: The central message of the book is that it is not necessary to be very religious to act morally, and that on the contrary, when people are religious to the point of fanaticism, they become immoral … (full text).

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Rodrigue Tremblay – Canada

Géopolitique et stratégie: Why Not Simply Abolish NATO?  Aug 19, 2008 / Pourquoi ne pas abolir l’OTAN, tout simplement? Aout 26, 2008.

The US Economy and Bad Government Policies, 31 Jul 2008.

America The Plutocracy, August 14, 2008.

Candidate McCain: A Risky Choice, June 3, 2008.

He says also: « It would be nothing less than scandalous for the United States, which was founded on humanistic and democratic principles, to attempt to replace the old empires of the past and to deny the fundamental democratic right of other peoples and other nations to self-determination » … (full text quotations).

Find him and his publications on the University of Montreal; on wikipedia with published books, and Contributions to economics, and Contributions to politics; on Global Research.ca; on amazon; on Google Video-search; on inauthor Google-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Blog-search.

And he says: « An incompetent politician who surrounds himself with competent people can pull it off. However, if he is dumb enough to surround himself with like-minded people, failure becomes a certainty » … and: « The two biggest curses of humanity have been religions and wars, and both are often intertwined » … (full text quotations).

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Rafil A. Dhafir – Iraq and USA

Dr. Rafil A. Dhafir is an American Iraqi-born physician, who was sentenced on October 28, 2005, to 22 years in prison for violating the Iraqi sanctions by sending money to Iraq through his charity front Help the Needy, (disambiguation), and for fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, and a variety of other nonviolent crimes. Five other people, including his wife, had already pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the case. Dr. Dhafir is believed to the only U.S. citizen ever to be held in prison for violating the sanctions on Iraq. His attorney filed a motion to dismiss as he accused the U.S. government of selective prosecuting Dhafir by singling him out because of his race, religion and cultural background. In February 2005 Dhafir was convicted of 59 out of 60 charges. Dhafir had run an unregistered (and unaudited) charity, « Help the Needy », and most of those charges were related to that charity. The 59 convictions included:

  • not recording the $400,000 of his own money that he contributed to the fund;
  • using a portion of the funds he collected to aid needy for his own benefit;
  • circumventing the laws against sending funds to Iraq, without a license;
  • defrauding Medicare.

In one of his few interview from prison Dhafir told the New Standard website, « This is part of a campaign against Muslims and Arabs » … (full long text wikipedia, last modified on 10 September 2008).

Nov. 3, 2005 – The Central New York physician who founded and ran an unregistered charity for Iraqis suffering under UN sanctions and the rule of Saddam Hussein was sentenced last week to 22 years for a series of white collar crimes including fraud, money laundering, tax evasion and violations of the US law enforcing the Iraq sanctions … (full text).

Free Rafil Dhafir.

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The video: Dealing with Non-Muslims, Shaikh Rafil Dhafir explains on dealing with non Muslims, 3.23 min, June 25, 2008.

Memo To Obama And McCain: Add To Your To-Do List, Aug 05, 2008.

Syracuse oncologist Rafil A. Dhafir – Iraq and USA. (He) was arrested 19 months ago by the Justice Department and was described by Attorney General John D. Ashcroft as a terrorism supporter. But no terrorism-related charges were filed against him. (Operation Free Dhafir).

FREE DR RAFI DHAFIR … (Press Release:), Aug 28, 2008: Appeal for Syracuse Doctor Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Helping Iraqi People … (Cleveland Indy Media Center).

Muslim doctor gets 22 years for filtering donations to Iraq.

News of Reckoning August 2008, by day-of-reckoning  « Dr Rafil Dhafir, a Syracuse oncologist who helped raise almost $5 million in humanitarian supplies for the Iraqi people, » is appealing a conviction for wire fraud and other charges connected to his efforts to help Iraqis … (full text).

Campaign in his favour: We ask for your aid in helping free Dr. Rafil Dhafir, a 56-year old oncologist of Arab descent who was arrested February 26, 2003, for breaking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (Iraqi Sanctions) in Syracuse, NY by sending humanitarian assistance to Iraq. He is believed to be the only person ever to be jailed for sending humanitarian aid to Iraq … (full text, Feb 11, 2005).

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Donald Rayfield – England

MARCCH.org – Medical Aid and Relief for the Children of Chechnya.

Donald Rayfield is emeritus professor of the school of modern languages, Queen Mary University of London. Among his books is Stalin and his Hangmen (Random House, 2005), which has appeared in five other languages. He is editor-in-chief of the Comprehensive Georgian-English Dictionary (Garnett Press, 2006), a work of 1,440,000 entries and nearly 1,800 pages in two volumes. (openDemocracy).

Donald Rayfield (born 1942) is professor of Russian and Georgian at the University of London. He is an author of books about Russian and Georgian literature, and about Joseph Stalin and his secret police. He is also a series editor for books about Russian writers and intelligentsia. (wikipedia).

He writes: It is a bold historian who writes a history of the Caucasus, as events of the past week have made all too clear. The region may not be much bigger than England and Wales, but its history involves three unrelated indigenous groups of people – the Abkhaz and Circassians in the north-west, the Chechens, Ingush and Dagestanis in the north-east, the Kartvelians (Georgians, Mingrelians and Svans) in the south – and representatives of many Eurasian groups (Iranian, Turkic, Armenian, Semitic, Russian) who have settled there over the past 2,000 years … (full text).

The Georgia-Russia conflict: lost territory, found nation, 18 August 2008.

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He says: « An intimate past and bitter present make it hard for Russians and Georgians to live as neighbours but impossible to separate completely ». (live journal).

Solzhenitsyn’s literary career spans more than 60 years, from verse he composed and memorised in prison and the camps before Stalin’s death, to the handful of short stories and novellas (A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Matriona’s Yard) of the 1960s which propelled him to fame, together with Khrushchev’s de-Stalinisation, and the major novels, In the First Circle and Cancer Ward (both 1968), composed simultaneously with the monumental historical documentation of Stalin’s political penal system The Gulag Archipelago (1973-8) … (full text).

He has just been awarded an OBE for Chekhov: A Life and for his work on Russian history.

He writes also: … The third Russian illusion about Georgia is one of patronage, that Moscow can effectively direct Tbilisi’s choice of political leader. The extraordinary antagonism displayed by Vladimir Putin’s officials and army officers towards Georgia can be perhaps explained by their initial support for the « rose revolution » of 2003-04 that brought Mikheil Saakashvili to power: so great was their hatred for Eduard Shevardnadze (Saakashvili’s predecessor as Georgia’s president and the former Soviet foreign minister, whom they blamed for the Soviet system’s demise) that anyone who overthrew him was bound to find some sympathy in Moscow … (full text Russia vs Georgia: a war of perceptions, 24 August 2007).

The two regions at the heart of the Georgia-Russia war of August 2008 must be understood in their own terms if the problem of Georgia – and western illusions about the country – are to be seriously addressed, says Donald Rayfield … (full text).

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Vasanth Kannabiran – India

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

For over 30 years, Vasanth Kannabiran (born 1939) has been closely involved with questions of armed militancy, civil liberties, and the meaning of peace for women in her native state of Andhra Pradesh. She is among the first women in the country to move into feminist activism through the Stree Shakti Sangathana. Ten years ago, she set up a radical women’s collective in Andhra Pradesh called Asmita, which brings diverse groups of women into networks addressing issues spanning conflict, peace, survival, women’s rights, and secularism … For over 30 years, Vasanth Kannabiran has been closely involved with issues of militancy, civil liberties, and the meaning of peace for women in her native Andhra Pradesh state. (1000peacewomen 1/2).

She writes: … The omnipresent phenomenon of globalization has made its impact on women writing as well; with there being some sort of an inverse relationship between the 2: the opening up of the markets has resulted in the closing of individual and cultural spaces. One may argue that women are no more in the ‘clumsy clutches of patriarchy’ and have the freedom to think and do as they please; however in the present times, they will encounter another Hand, ‘not ugly this time, but carefully manicured, that will seat them on cushioned thighs’. Comfortable? It will let them speak out from there; it doesn’t mind that. Lulled by this false sense of security, they might even forget the ever-present grip, but the moment they want to step down, the Hand will ensure they are put back in place … (full text).

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Vasanth Kannabiran – India

She works for the National Alliance for Women NAWO.

Women and words: forging new bonds, with Vasanth Kannabiran, Ritu Menon, Meenakshi Mukherjee and Kalpana Kannabiran.

Comrade Vasanth’s Vision.

The book: Web of Deceit: Devadasi Reform in Colonial India, Kalpana Kannabiran and Vasanth Kannabiran. Reprint. New Delhi, Kali for Women, 2003, x, 217 p., $17. ISBN 81-86706-63-1

Bharati Ray: Women of India … chapter 6: … Citizenship and its Discontents, A Political History of Women in Andhra, by Vasanth Kannabiran and Kalpana Kannabiran … (full text).

… And lastly – the ballet was written by Vasanth Kannabiran – a poet, writer and translator.  Also one of the thousand women world wide nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 … (full text).

India’s intellectual voices condemn Neelan’s assassination … The statement was signed by … Vasanth Kannabiran … (full text).

Find her and her publications on UNjobs.org; on Google Group-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Blog-search.

Vasanth Kannabiran, city-based human rights activist, Mogulamma, a physically challenged woman working for the welfare of the disabled in Kosigi mandal of Mahbubnagar district, and Murari Pramila, a nurse and health worker of Guntur, are among 1,000 women, whose names have been submitted to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee – 2005 … (full text).

(1000peacewomen 2/2) … As a child, Vasanth Kannabiran (born 1939) was taught to question and assert herself, and it is a habit that has stayed with her. Born into a family of first-generation Communist leaders in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Vasanth was an indifferent student but a voracious reader. She secured an M Litt in English Literature from the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages in Hyderabad, the state capital, and went on to teach English at a woman’s college from 1961 to 1985.

Continuer la lecture de « Vasanth Kannabiran – India »