To justify a land grab, Delhi has a new enemy—the Maoists.
By Arundhati Roy
The low, flat-topped hills of south Orissa have been home to the Dongria Kondh long before there was a country called India or a state called Orissa. The hills watched over the Kondh. The Kondh watched over the hills and worshipped them as living deities. Now these hills have been sold for the valuable bauxite they contain. For the Kondh it’s as though god had been sold. They ask how much god would go for if the god were Ram or Allah or Jesus Christ. Read the rest of this entry »
By Jiten Yumnam
Transboundary waters tussle and Tipaimukh dam
The world is rife with conflicts over waters, especially over use and management of transboundary waters. Rivers with transboundary nature, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Barak etc are becoming subjects of controversy over the right to manage the waters. Some countries exercise power through military or economic means to weaker countries to justify control of transboundary waters. Read the rest of this entry »
(WSF Report on a Discussion presented by Smitu Kothari in Nepal on February 27, 2009)
Background
The first World Social Forum was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2001. Since then, the WSF has been an yearly event, varying in format and location. In 2004 it took place in Mumbai, for the first time out of Brazil. After being back in Porto Alegre in 2005, in 2006 a polycentric WSF was held, spanning 3 continents (Bamako, Caracas and Karachi). 2007 was the year of the controversial WSF in Nairobi, Kenya, where many felt that large corporate NGOs dominated the event. This was followed by the WSF Global day of Action in 2008. The 9th World Social Forum was held this year in the Amazonian city of Belem, Brazil from January 27 to February 1, 2009, which saw participation of many friends from India as well. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITU KOTHARI & BENNY KURUVILLA
Interview with Egyptian economist Samir Amin.
Samir Amin: “It was the financial corporations that asked the governments to step in and ‘nationalise’ them. The rescue package was drafted by them, and they are in control of most of the bailout money.” Read the rest of this entry »
By Mario Osava*
RIO DE JANEIRO, August 9, 2008 (Tierramérica) – The combined impacts of numerous small hydroelectric dams in one river basin can be at least as harmful as one large dam, warn experts, environmental activists and indigenous groups, who face a flood of new projects along the rivers of the western Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Read the rest of this entry »
