Several Moroccan-American grassroots organizations such as the Moroccan American Coalition (MAC) and the Moroccan Congress of USA (MCU) have expressed their displeasure with this decision and have urged those who have made it to consider that Ms. Haidar enjoys the freedom of travel in and out of morocco and has recently accepted a large amount of money from the Moroccan government as restitution and compensation but she still has not renounced violence and continues to incite violent actsLater, Morocco Board complains that choosing this wild-eyed terrorist will embolden Polisario and sabotage the next round of Manhasset talks. That's absurd in two ways: everyone who knows her story realizes Haidar is about as non-violent as activists come, and Manhasset is dead in the water, RFK award or no.
Polisario Confidential, the anti-Western Sahara blog run by a Moroccan spy agency, is finally paying me back for all the love I've shown them. They used the above picture in a post (translated) about SADR president Mohammed Abdelaziz meeting image consultants in New York City.Q:Where can we find a picture of Abdelaziz with a white guy?The whole thing's a treat, and I have to thank Polisario Confidential for brightening my day.
A: One Hump or Two!
“The RFK Human Rights Award not only recognizes a courageous human rights defender but marks the beginning of the RFK Center’s long-term partnership with Ms. Haidar and our commitment to work closely with her to realize the right to self-determination for the Sahrawi people,” said Monika Kalra Varma, Director of the RFK Memorial Center for Human Rights.Getting a first family of American politics behind self-determination? That's a pretty good deal. There's a reception in November, so if I go to that we'll get pictures and, fingers-crossed, video.
Whatever Morocco is paying the spies who run Polisario Confidential, it's too much. The site's first big scoop was Polisario's hiring of Independent Diplomat, something most people following the Front knew about months before. Polisario Confidential's new big story comes courtesy of unnamed sources, so you know it's heavy stuff: Christopher WS Ross is the new Western Sahara mediator:According to Polisario-Confidential sources and less than three weeks after the departure of UN secretary-General’s Personal Envoy to the Western Sahara, Mr. Peter Van Walsum, it seems that Christopher Ross will be his successor as mediator in the Sahara issue.Emphasis mine. Polisario Confidential must be sharing sources with Agence France-Presse, but no matter--they know the next president of Afghanistan.
The very skilful ambassador of the United States to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad probable candidate to the presidency… of Afghanistan, has led the negotiations between Morocco and Algeria and tried to identify a new envoy on what the parties could agree on.Morocco could enjoy these Keystone Cops shenanigans, but there's a boom in underage marriages to avert.
Emphasis mine. Winning would mean not only better attention for Haidar and Sahrawi human rights, but another third party interested in protecting Haidar from Moroccan attacks.
The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award was established in 1984 by his eldest child, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, to honor courageous and innovative individuals striving for social justice throughout the world. Each year, the Memorial awards an individual whose courageous activism is at the heart of the human rights movement and in the spirit of Robert F. Kennedy’s vision and legacy. The Human Rights Award winners or "Laureates" have made significant contributions to their countries through years of dedicated work....The Memorial offers not only a monetary contribution to their cause, but a partnership, through RFK Center, in the fight against human rights violations.
The momentum of change in the Middle East has been in the right direction. From Morocco to the Gulf States, the overall trend has been toward cooperation and social and economic development, especially with regard to the rights of women. We acknowledge the substantial assistance the U.S. has received from most governments in the region in the war on terror.This might be only a rhetorical flourish, but singling out Morocco for its enlightened government (changes Sahrawi beat them to) while it continues to oppress Western Sahara means a tacit endorsement of the occupation. The Democrats are just as bad at ignoring Western Sahara, but at least they aren't giving Morocco pats on the back.
A tragedy for Mauritanian democracy, on the one hand, but that didn't stand much of a chance anyway; but more importantly, a giant setback for the country's broader chances of political development. While President Abdellahi and his cronies aren't exactly angels, Generals Ghazouani and Abdelaziz represent the very worst military-parasitic element of the Mauritanian regime, and their refusal to let the civilian side of the regime settle down in power threatens to undo it completely in the long run.Emphasis and paragraphing mine. Military coups of this sort--friction between civilian and military leaders, civilians try to take out the military, military responds with a coup--are much scarcer today than in 1960's Africa. It's too bad Mauritania had to suffer one.
If the last coup, in August 2005, could be met with cautious understanding by the international community, having unseated President ould Tayaa, and eventually with praise as it led to a real transformation, this time around it is different. What happened in 2005 was that a military-personal-tribal dictatorship was overthrown and the chance arrived to replace it with a civilian semi-authoritarian structure that respected most democratic norms most of the time, and which made sensible moves towards national reconciliation, refugee return and economic development; not heaven, but infinitely better.
This change is now being reversed. The putschists -- even though they are some of the same people as acted in 2005 -- must be condemned and the result of the coup overturned if possible; Mauritania had a golden opportunity to break its vicious circle, and it is now slipping away.
Cahiers du Sahara has more (translation) on Tuesday's attack on Sahrawi fishermen. 42 people were injured, shops were burned, and one person is still missing.Yesterday afternoon, hundreds of Moroccans, mostly engaged in fishing, attacked in the town of Itereft, 100 kilometers from the city of Dajla, Western Sahara, fishermen and fish traders established Saharans in the area, causing dozens of injuries.Emphasis mine. The article says the attack was meant to dislodge Sahrawis from Dakhla's fishery industry, and speculates that the two missing Sahrawis might have been thrown into the ocean.
So far it is 57 wounded, five of them extremely serious, and two of those still missing are unaware of the whereabouts, said the chairman of the Committee Against Torture Dajla, El Mami Amar Salem, the Communication Service Saharawi in the Canary Islands (SCSC), through a note sent to afrol News.
...
The Moroccans, "thousands", according to witnesses, attacked the fishermen and traders Saharans with sticks, knives, diesel and even several axes, burning at least seven vehicle.
Situated on the western half of the island of New Guinea (Papua New Guinea is the other half), West Papua has been in a struggle for self-determination even longer than the Sahrawis have. Under colonialism, Papua was divided between British, Dutch, and German spheres of influence, but like Spanish Sahara, the process of colonization was altogether light and did not destroy the indigenous culture – to this day, over 900 languages are spoken on the island.
As World War II ended, it became evident that Britain's empire could not hold and the Dutch were not interested in maintaining a presence half-way across the globe. The eastern half of the island achieved independence in phases from Australia and the United Kingdom through 1975. The western half of the island, however, was targeted by the nascent Republic of Indonesia, who threatened the Dutch with military action if Papua was not ceded to them.In 1959, the Netherlands allowed for the first instruments of self-rule on the island: local elections and the creation of national symbols such as a flag. Indonesia, watching its chance for a new possession slip away, invaded in 1962.
By the end of that year, the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority became the first UN agency to administer a territory and was tasked with organizing a referendum to gauge the will of the Papuans. Unable and unwilling to force out the invading Indonesians, the "referendum" devolved into a tribal council of slightly more than 1,000 tribal elders who voted unanimously for integration with Indonesia.
An indigenous movement – the Organisasi Papua Merdeka (Free Papua Movement or OPM) waged an armed struggle against the Indonesian power, but disarmed in 2006. As a product of the democratization of Indonesia and the disastrous razing of Timor-Leste, Papua was granted autonomy in 2000.To learn more about the conflict in West Papua:
It is via Sidi Omar, the representative of the Front in England and Ireland that the contact with this lobbying group was made for, according to the contract terms which offers counseling and support to the Front to enhance its international diplomacy, such as helping draft letters to the Security Council.Shocking! There's more:
The classic formula “refunding of expenses” was put in the contract in order to hide the actual “Independent Diplomat Inc” fees.
In fact and as revealed on several occasions by “polisario-confidential.org”, the Polisario Front regularly uses lobbying companies which would be, according to experts in international relations, paid for by Algeria.
UN-managed talks between the Polisario Front, the government-in-exile of the Saharawis, and Morocco began in the summer of 2007. Independent Diplomat is advising the Polisario on its objective of securing self-determination for the Saharawi people – in the face of strong international backing for Morocco on the Western Sahara for unrelated geo-political reasons.Wait, I mixed that up. That last quote is actually from Independent Diplomat's website, only two clicks away from the company's homepage. Huh.
While many people are happy that blog mavens Global Voices started covering Western Sahara, some in Morocco aren't. A blog about Moroccan blogs grumbles (translation from a pal):The event went unnoticed in the Moroccan blogosphere but as of JulyI'm the listed "bloggers of the Polisario separatists"! Cool. Anyway, this site and any other Moroccans who take issue should realize that Global Voices bases what countries they cover on a list that they don't control.
Global Voices is an international site visited by tens of thousands of Internet users each day and covers countries and their blogospheres around the world, and offers translations of blog content.
After three articles devoted to this "new country," the bloggers of the Polisario separatists have welcomed with grand fanfare the consideration of "their country" as an independent entitty within Harvard's site
The ASDR has to focus its attention towards the Latin American realm. Having seen that the Organization of the African Unity is unable to provide both in the United Nations and in its own summits a common voice towards the Saharawi conflict, the only Arab country Spanish speaking has to swing its strategy towards its west. Ahmed Bukhari the Polisario delegate in the United Nations already stated in the Mexican upper congressional house, the Parliament, that from now on the ASDR will try hardly to gather all Latin American countries into the Saharawi cause and certainly it seems to be one of the few open doors for rekindling the hopes of the 200.000 saharawi refugees awaiting good news in westernmost Algeria.Western Sahara's linguistic link to Spanish-seeking countries in the Americas isn't something that's often discussed, besides the Cuba thing. I'm glad bringing it up.
Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis
The cheese stands aloneHowever, he then went on to say (I’m paraphrasing, but this is a pretty faithful rendition) “You’re talking about the ‘Liberated Territories’ - this is a myth. Polisario has never liberated any of this land. It is a buffer zone set up by Morocco.” Needless to say I pointed out to him that I run a research project in these very territories, and work with the Polisario in this context. Having travelled extensively in the Polisario-controlled areas (Lajuad, Mijek, Tifariti, Zug, you name it), I’m fully aware that the “buffer zone” is a face-saving Moroccan flim-flam, a story concocted to conceal the reality that Western Sahara is in fact already partitioned between the two warring parties.The author gave Nick a copy of the book, so we can all look forward to a review (my attempt ata review copy has been ignored). Nick also found out that the Moroccan embassy is familiar with his blog--good deal! Why can't those embassy personnel be bothered to comment on blogs in response?
In 1992, as head of Philip Morris’s lobbying group, she was deposed in a lawsuit against B.J. Reynolds Tobacco (KUEPER v. R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO CO). Sourcewatch, a project of the Center for Media and Democracy, comments about her deposition: “…Linehan indicated that she was involved in lobbying against the banning of smoking on commercial aircraft, and that she does not consider the health consequences of the product she is lobbying (cigarettes).” And at another deposition in 1995, Sourcewatch adds that “Linehan stated that she did not believe that cigarette smoking is addictive."It's sweet when two people with so much in common can find each other. For bonus Ed Gabriel fun, check out the foreign lobbyist registration form (PDF) his company, the Gabriel Company LLC, filed to work for Morocco. The surprise is that Gabriel doesn't get paid:
Registrant will provide advice on an informal unpaid basis to Morocco. Registrant will be reimbursed by foreign principal for out-of-pocket expenses.Huh. Maybe he's doing his high school service project.
Looks like the Moroccan American Center for Policy is for anyone but Obama. Executive Director (and Tindouf Challenge winner) Robert Holley donated $1,000 to Hillary Clinton's campaign, and MACP employee Paul Jordan kicked the maximum amount of $2,300 to John McCain. This makes me feel better about Obama because the MACP has a history of backing losers--Holley gave money to Wesley Clark's failed 2004 primary campaign, and they support an endless occupation of Western Sahara.
Darn right. He said it in an interview with bold Moroccan magazines Nichane and Tel Quel:"The Polisario is convinced that there can be no military solution to this conflict," head of the group Mohamed Abdelaziz said in an interview published by the weekly publications Nichane and Tel Quel.Hopefully this will put a rest to threats of war coming from Polisario and blog commenters. What do you think about the possibilities of Polisario ending the ceasefire, and what effect would that have on Western Sahara? I feel like the international community would get mad at Algeria for letting the war erupt again.
"A conflict of this kind, that has lasted for so many years, can only be resolved around the negotiating table," said Abdelaziz, adding that the Polisario had never said it wanted to solve the problem militarily.
Meanwhile, the head of the Consulative Council on Human Rights, which wanted publication to stop, was pleased with the verdict. He said the publications would leave the testimonies for examination by historians, not journalists hustling for scoops. If you forgot your government-stooge to English translator at home, he means that he wants to hide the testimony until everyone accused in it is dead."The verdict shows that press freedom has moved backwards," he told AFP.
"It is in flagrant contradiction with the spirit of the IER [human rights panel] because it takes away the possibility for citizens to be informed about the leaden years, while the IER wanted precisely the opposite to enable the page to be turned."
Students pointed to red stains on the pavement that they said were blood from three injured students. They said police arrested 10 students, bundling them into vans while still wrapped in blankets. Police took money and mobile phones from students, Slimane added.Emphasis mine. That attack went down at Mohammed V University in Rabat instead of Marrakesh University, the lessons are the same: Morocco is doing a terrible job convincing young Sahrawis they can live peacefully in Morocco.
Police then blockaded an avenue running in front of the housing complex. In mid-morning, around 60 riot police wielding truncheons charged some 50 Saharawi students who had remained at the scene. The students retaliated by throwing stones before scattering as police chased them through university grounds.
From the publisher’s description, it seems pretty clear that this book represents an attempt to give Rabat’s “autonomy plan” some academic legitimacy and produce a “respectable” work to which policy makers can refer when making the case for supporting Morocco’s consolidation, and possible extension, of is occupation of Western Sahara. As such it appears to be part of Morocco’s increasingly sophisticated and well-resourced propaganda and PR campaign (more on this in future posts). One purpose of the book is, no doubt, to give the appearance that “objective” academic analysis favours Morocco’s position.More as this develops. I've requested a review copy from the publisher, so hopefully soon all will be revealed about
"We recognize SADR again? AWESOME."Baby won't you take this magnetNice of Burundi to unfreeze relations, but boy is that a messed-up country. Rwanda gets more press for Hutu-Tutsi trouble, but Burundi has more than its fair share. I bring it up because I was reading in Dangerous Places, my go-to for travel porn, about all Burundi's roving bands of murderers.
Maybe put my picture back on the fridge
I must've been crazy to let you get away like you did
“Women are coming of age in jihad and are entering a world once reserved for men,” said Claude Moniquet, president of the Brussels-based European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center. “Malika is a role model, an icon who is bold enough to identify herself. She plays a very important strategic role as a source of inspiration. She’s very clever — and extremely dangerous.”I bet Claude's heard that Che Guevara's sleeping on her couch. Anyway, this is just a roundabout way of telling you about the most exciting moment in my Western Sahara time, and how it became my most disappointing.
Asfari being led away by police
These guys don't know what to do.
A Jinhui shipping vessel
Muda and her friends, all grandmothers, are keen to show they are still engaged in the struggle. Gathering swathes of red, green, black and white cloth, they stitch together a Polisario flag on their Chinese sewing machine. 'Take this with you when you go to the occupied territory and bury it in the sand of our birthplace,' they request. 'And when you are safely away from the Moroccan oppressors, the east wind will blow away the sand and our flag will be free.'Surprisingly, the writer agrees and takes the flag with him after talking to another elderly Sahrawi:
Shaking hands with the nearly blind septuagenarian, I take my leave from his tent and begin my journey back to the occupied territory. There I will fulfil my promise to the Sahrawi grandmothers and plant their flag in the Western Sahara sands. Who knows where the east wind will take it when freed.That takes guts. Any Moroccan guard who searches the writer's baggage isn't going to be too pleased to find a Polisario flag. It's a good piece and meatier than what usually passes for media coverage of Western Sahara. There's also an unusually good explanation of the beginnings of the Western Sahara conflict.
Who could hate that face?Spectators had thrown items at the singer while on stage and a glass bottle reportedly hit his leg. Khaled thus interrupted his performance but later got back on stage. The act was understood as "a reprisal against the singer who waved the flag of the Western Sahara - occupied by Morocco - in one of his concerts in Spain."
Kudos to the New York Times, which published the most balanced take yet on the Moroccan-American Center for Policy's traveling Sahrawi show (otherwise known as Holley Bonus Pay Tour '08). Compared to the other articles that took the MACP's word as gospel, the Times does something interesting--essentially, writing a story about the human rights violations in Tindouf story.But were the refugees’ depictions of life in the camps overstated, as some human rights workers wonder? And were they brought to the United States to advance a foreign country’s claim on their homeland?I liked that this article, unless the Associated Press's, used persuasive sources to talk about human rights abuses in Western Sahara. There wasn't nearly as much talk about Moroccan human rights
