Civil Society - Session 3 - Policy Making and Civil Society - Dec 17, 2008

In Session 3 we discuss the role of various civil society groups in policy making and global governance. These videos showcase various civil society organizations, initiatives and movements that deal with various issues and agenda.

I. Videos and related media

1. International Campaign to Ban Landmines: Save Children from Landmines

This 1997 Nobel Peace Prize winning organization campaign to ban landmines and cluster bombs through promotional videos such as this.

2. Dont Step on Mine

A personal video presentation by a concerned netizen on the issues surrounding land mines and civilians.

3. Ozone agreement reached in Montreal

1987 was the year 24 countries signed the Montreal Protocol that phases out ozone-harming chemicals.

4. Eco-friendly Forest Management in the Amazon (Reuters)

Feb. 18, 2008 - Brazil's government focuses on eco-friendly ways of managing the Amazonian forests. The Forest Stewardship Council estimates that illegal loggers kill 30 to get one usable tree. The new conservation projects protect far more trees than they cut down.

5. War Crimes and the International Criminal Court (ICC) - Fora TV

Judith Armatta discusses War Crimes and the International Criminal Court (ICC) during her adress to the World Affairs Council of Oregon. You may video this video complete with transcripts and outline through this link.

6. Saving the Dugong in Okinawa, Japan 

Animation made for Save the Dugong Campaign Center (SDCC), a Japanese NGO that aims to raise awareness on Dugong Conservation in Japan. You may view the video though this link.

  

Civil Society - Session 2 - NGOs - Dec 10, 2008

Lecture on NGOs and Civil Society - Dec 10, 2008

In Session 2 we defined NGOs and their role in global civil society. Here are several videos featuring various types of NGOs from funding agencies like Oxfam, to respected international NGOs like Human Rights Watch and Doctors Without Borders.

   

I. Videos and Figures

1. Save the Children: "Knit One, Save One" campaign

2. Human Rights Watch: "Congo: The World's Deadliest War"

You may view this interesting video featuring Congo and its unstable democracy through this link.

3. Parallel Summit: 2008 G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Japan (NTDTV)

4. Oxfam: "Canvas for Change" during the 2008 UN Climate Change Conference

5. Better World Books: "Book Drives for Better Lives"

Watch this six-minute video to learn more about Better World Books: how we got started, the non-profit literacy partners we benefit and our book drives at over 1,200 campuses nationwide. You may view this video through this link. 

6. Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders: an Introduction

Civil Society - Session 1b - Lecture on Civil Society - Dec 3, 2008

Introductory Lecture on Civil Society - December 3, 2008

1. Definition of Civil Society

Linz and Stepan (1996) defines Civil Society as follows:

Civil society = that arena of the polity where self-organizing and relatively autonomous groups, movements, and individuals attempt to articulate values, to create associations and solidarities, and to advance their interests.

Civil society can include manifold social movements (e.g., women's groups, neighborhood associations, religious groupings, and intellectual organizations), as well as associations from all social strata (such as trade unions, entrepreneurial groups, and professional associations).

The authors then differentiate civil society from political and economic society which they define as:

Political society = that arena in which political actors compete for the legitimate right to exercise control over public power and the state apparatus

The core institutions of a democratic political society are: political parties, legislatures, elections, electoral rules, political leadership, and interparty alliances.

Economic society = a mixed system of legally crafted and regulated non-state forms of property, production, exchange and consumption.

 

After defining civil society, here are some videos of some known civil society groups and Non-Govermental Organizations (NGO): 

  

2. Green Peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo - Green Peace TV

Greenpeace launches its new office in the Democratic Republic of Congo - the second on the African continent - which will focus on the protection of the Congo Basin rainforest.

View the video through this link.

3. Green Peace blocks EU fisheries meeting - Green Peace TV

Around 200 Greenpeace activists shut down the annual meeting of the EU Fisheries Council.

View the video through this link.

4. Orange Revolution in the Ukraine - BBC

5. Orange Revolution in the Ukraine 02

6. Thailand and the PAD protesters take over the Airports - Channel News Asia (0:00-3:00)

7. Transparency International: Champion for Accountability 

One of the more well known international NGOs, Transparency International's (TI) founder Peter Eigen talks about their organizations thrust on spreading accountability.

8. Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index 2008

One of the more established methods of measuring corruption is TI's annual corruption perception index. 

The top ten countries with best marks were:

Denmark

New Zealand

Sweden

Singapore

Finland

Switzerland

Iceland

Netherlands

Australia

Canada

The lowest ten meanwhile were:

Somalia

Myanmar

Iraq

Haiti

Afghanistan

Sudan

Guinea

Chad

Equatorial Guinea

Congo, Democratic Republic

You may view the most recent ranking of your country through this link. 

   
9. Battle for Seattle movie trailer

Battle in Seattle is the story of the 1999 WTO Protest that took place on the streets of Seattle. The movie was written and directed by Stuart Townsend. The official Battle in Seattle movie premiere date is September 19, 2008. This is the official movie trailer for Battle in Seattle. 

10. Seattle Docu

From the WTO protests in Seattle, 1999.

We will be posting the syllabus and links for the readings soon. 

You may also photocopy for yourself a hard copy version of our readings at room 3K 205. Remember to return the master copies promptly.

Civil Society - Session 1a - Introduction - Dec 3, 2008

Dear Students,

Welcome to the class blog for Prof. Quimpo's course on "Studies on Civil Society". This blog will be used to post announcements, show videos used during the lectures and links for the required readings. 

For today's entry, we will be posting the guidelines for your NGO fieldwork visit, and how to write your research report based on your field work. We will post the syllabus and videos used during the 1st lecture soon.

Guidelines for your NGO visit

1. Before making your NGO visit, make sure to prepare well. Search the internet for as much information about the NGO that you can gather. This will help you in asking questions that are more informed and that go deeper. Prepare your key interview questions in advance, but you must also be able to formulate good follow-up questions on the spot.

 

2. Set appointment/s with the persons you wish to interview by phone or e-mail. It would be best to interview at least two persons: 1) someone who can give a good overview of the NGO; and 2) someone who can explain a particular project that you find most noteworthy or interesting. 

 

3. All members of the group should participate in doing the interview. If the person you are interviewing cannot speak English, then let the Japanese member/s of your group translate what he or she is saying. 

 

4. It would be good to use a tape recorder. But ask the permission of the person you are interviewing beforehand if it is all right with him/her that you tape the interview. It may also be good for your powerpoint presentations to take photos. 

 

5. It will be up to you what kind of questions you will pose to the people you interview at the NGO office. The important point is that on the basis of your interviews, you should be able to answer all the questions in the attached guidelines for making the report on your NGO visit.

 

6. When asking about the successes and failures/shortcomings of the NGO, don't ask about the failures/shortcoming too early in the interview. Ask about these later in the interview, perhaps after asking about the NGO's problems.  

 

If there are things that still need to be clarified, feel free to e-mail Prof. Quimpo.

Guidelines for Making the Report on Your NGO Visit

I. Introduction

1. Name of NGO

2. Type of NGO

     a. Focus (human rights, environmental, women’s issues, or some other)

     b. Scope (international, national or local)

3. Names of persons interviewed and their positions in the organization

(Suggestion: During the interview, ask for their business cards or meishi.)

4. Address of the Japanese office of the NGO 

5. Date/s of your visit

II. Description of the NGO 

1. What are the objectives of the NGO?

2. Give a brief history of the NGO.

3. What have been the main achievements or victories as well as main failures or shortcomings of the NGO?  

(Note: If the NGO is international, focus on the achievements or failures of the Japanese section or branch.) 

4. What are major projects, campaigns and activities that the NGO is currently undertaking? Why has the NGO embarked on these projects or activities?

(Note: If the NGO is international, focus on the major projects, campaigns and activities of the Japanese section or branch.) 

5. What are the major problems that the NGO has encountered in doing its work in Japan? 

6. How does one become a member of the NGO? What are criteria or requirements for membership? What kinds of people in Japan have become active in the NGO? Why have they joined the NGO?

7. How does the NGO help bring about social and/or political change (for example, promoting or improving democracy) in the country/countries it operates in or supports?

8. Discuss a particular project of the NGO that you find most noteworthy or interesting. Why do you find this project most noteworthy or interesting?

III. Your Opinion of the NGO

1. What are your impressions of the NGO? Do you think it is performing a significant and positive role in Japanese civil society?

2. Would you be interested in joining the NGO (in Japan or in your country) now or in the future? Why or why not? Would you encourage some of your relatives and friends to join the NGO? Why or why not? 

Good luck on your preparations!

Session 11 - Finals Exam, Nov 19, 2008

Dear Students,

We will have our exams tomorrow in a different, bigger classroom. 

Kindly proceed to room 3K 102, our exam will be from 3:15-4:30pm.

Good luck on your examinations!

Session 10 - Conflict, Peace and Security, Nov 12, 2008

I. Readings on Conflict, Peace and Security

Rob McRae, “Human Security in a Globalized World,” in Rob McRae and Don Hubert, eds., Human Security and the New Diplomacy: Protecting People, Promoting Peace, Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2001, pp. 14-27. (Hardcopy at 3K205).

Recommended:

Lotta Harbom, Stina Hogbladh and Peter Wallenstein, “Armed Conflicts and Peace Agreements,” Journal of Peace Research, vol. 43, no. 5, pp. 617-631. (Hardcopy at 3K205).

II. Videos on Making Peace, Preventive Diplomacy and Human Security

1. Israel and Palestine: The Challenges of Making Peace (15min) - [How Stuff Works]

View video through this link. 

 

2. Building Political Will for Conflict Resolution (11min) - [EastWest Institute]

View video through this link.

3. Human Security Research [ARCHS -Coventry University]

The Applied Research Centre into Human Security (ARCHS) looks at issues such as climate change, terrorism and sustainability. 

4. David Held on Democracy and Human Security (May 07, 2007)

David Held discusses the challenges and misconceptions surrounding democracy promotion, and Canada`s position as a promoter of democratic governance.

David Held is the Graham Wallace Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics.

III. Review Points

IV. Discussion Questions

Session 9 - Women and War - Nov 5, 2008

I. Readings

Required:

Jennifer Turpin, “Many Faces: Women Confronting War,” in Ann Lorentzen and Jennifer Turpin, eds., The Women and War Reader, New York: New York University Press, 1998, pp. 3-18. (Hardcopy at 3K205).

Recommended:

April Carter, “Should Women Be Soldiers or Pacifists?” in Lorentzen and Turbin, pp. 33-37. (Hardcopy at 3K205).

II. Map of Democratic Republic of Congo

(click links for larger size map)

III. Women and War Videos

1. GI Janes in Combat - Band of Sisters

More female soldiers have died in Iraq than in the Vietnam and Korean Wars and Desert Storm combined. BAND OF SISTERS is a book that details the compelling stories and experiences of 12 extraordinary women fighting in the War on Terror.

2. Female Soldiers in Iraq

From the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror, women have made endless contributions in the U.S. military. SSG David Baez reports from the front lines on the female's role in Iraq.

3. Women Fleeing War: Introduction (ICRC)

View video through this link.

This film tells the story of several women displaced by conflict in Colombia, Liberia and Sudan. Although the contexts are different, the challenges these women face bear striking similarities.
Armed conflict displaces people from their homes and livelihoods. Women often have to cope with the loss of close relatives and find new way to support themselves and their families. 

4. Lofo’s Story (ICRC)

View video through this link.

This film tells the story of five women displaced by conflict in Colombia, Liberia and Sudan. Although the contexts are different, the challenges these women face bear striking similarities.

5. Fatuma’s Story (ICRC)

View video through this link.

This film tells the story of five women displaced by conflict in Colombia, Liberia and Sudan. Although the contexts are different, the challenges these women face bear striking similarities.

6. Mariatu's Story (ICRC) 

View video through this link.

Mariatu copes with disability: the result of a physical attack on her during war. 
Eleven women tell their own individual stories of how their lives have been affected by war. Coping with displacement, physical and sexual violence, missing relatives, widowhood, detention... challenges and difficulties that these and thousands of other women must face in their daily lives.

7.  Rape as a Weapon of War -June 24, 2008 (UNICEF)

GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 24 June 2008 -- In a momentous step forward for the protection of women and girls in DRC and around the world, the UN Security Council has voted unanimously in favour of a resolution classifying rape as a weapon of war. 
Resolution 1820, which passed last week, reiterates the status of sexual violence as a war crime, a crime against humanity, a form of torture and a constituent act of genocide. It also advances efforts to sanction perpetrators and raise the political, military and economic cost of such violence.
"Sexual violence in DRC is on a scale and brutality unparalleled elsewhere in the world," says Child Protection Specialist Pernille Ironside in UNICEF's eastern DRC regional office. "While rape certainly existed prior to the war, the brutal nature of the violations that we see is appalling -- with over 1,000 women and girls raped per month. 

8. Four Million Dead, 200,000 Raped Daily in Congo (Democracy Now)

Amy Goodman interviews Christine Schuler Deschryver on Democracy Now, October 8, 2007 who describes the horrors of the ongoing war in Congo which by 2004 had claimed 4 million lives. The interview focuses on the extreme violence against women in Congo. Deschryver is associated with City of Joy, a project of Panzi Hospital in partnership with V-Day and Unicef. City of Joy will be a refuge for healed women, survivors of rape and torture who have been left without family and community. City of Joy will offer a safe haven, providing educational and income-generating opportunities, and support women in becoming the next leaders of the DRC.

9. Women in Congo- Weapon's of War (60 Minutes)

As seen on 60 Minutes: Women for Women International reports from DR Congo in concert with Anderson Cooper's piece for 60 Minutes, "War Against Women" featuring Women for Women International's program in the DR Congo. Also, please watch "The Greatest Silence" trailer and the film which features our Congo program as well. 

10. Women, War and Development (Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria)

This video will discuss women, war and development with Zainab Salbi.

IV. Review Points

V. Discussion Questions

Session 8 - Humanitarian Intervention - Oct 29, 2009

I. Readings for Session 8

Required

1. Scott Straus, “Darfur and the Genocide Debate,” Foreign Affairs, January/February 2005. Access/Download here.

2. Mahmood Mamdani, “The Politics of Naming: Genocide, Civil War, Insurgency,” London Review of Books, 8 March 2007. Access/Download here.

II. Maps of Sudan, Darfur and Chad

(click links for larger size maps)

1. Map of Sudan and its regions

2. Sudan (Darfur) / Chad Border region - Confirmed damaged and destroyed villages

Department of State via USAID August 2, 2004

III. Videos on Humanitarian Intervention

01 Genocide in Darfur -AP (6:37)

02 Darfur Destroyed (6min)

03 Darfur in 10min

04 Jolie in Chad – UNHCR

05 Darfur Now Trailer

 

06 Oil Prospects – oil in Darfur (Al Jazeera) 7min Real Player

Access video through this link. Real Player needed to view video.

07 Sudan slams ICC arrest call (CCTV)

08 Sudan Political Impasse (Al Jazeera) 0:00-2:45

IV. Review Points

V. Discussion Questions

Session 7 - Resource Wars - Oct 22, 2008

I. Readings for Session 7

Required

1. U.S. Agency for International Development, “Minerals and Conflict,” Washington, D.C.: USAID, 2004, pp. 1-15. Access/Download here.

Recommended

2. Michael L. Ross, What Do We Know About Natural Resources and Civil War?”, Journal of Peace Research, vol. 41, no. 3, 2004, pp. 337–356. Access/Download here.

II. Lecture Powerpoint Slides

Click the image below to access slides (in JPG format). You may download and view them as a Slideshow too!

2008 10 22 Resource Wars EDSQuimpo

III. Maps of Conflict Areas over Resources 

(click links for larger size maps)

1. African Political Map 2007

2. Map of Precious Stone Mining in Myanmar / Burma

IV. Videos of Resource Wars

1. Africa's Oil (Business Week)

Author John Ghazvinian discusses how abundant oil has cursed a swath of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, from Angola and Nigeria to Chad and Sudan.

2. Nigeria's Oil: A Curse to Democracy [7:20-10:40] (June 5, 2008)

A documentary on the status of Nigeria's Democracy and how its resource of oil affects it.

3. Conflict over Water Scarcity (UNICEF, June 13, 2006)

UNICEF correspondent Sarah Crowe reports from Somalia on the drought in the Horn of Africa and Somalia's conflict over water.

4. In Focus: Congo's Bloody Coltan (Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Jan 24, 2007)

Produced by the Pulitzer Center, "Congo's Bloody Coltan" is a quick glimpse at coltan's role in Congo's civil war. It was featured on "Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria" in the Fall of 2006. Coltan refers to Columbite-Tantalite, a metallic mineral used for the production of consumer electronics. 

5. Make it Quick - Blood Diamond

This scene highlights how diamonds are considered "lootable" resources, thus affecting the intensity and duration of a conflict. View video through this link. 

 

6. The Real Blood Diamond in Sierra Leone (National Geographic)

The Hollywood movie is set around actual historic events. See the reality: problems with diamond prospecting and diamond smuggling plagued the Western Africa nation of Sierra Leone, even after its civil war ended.

7. Myanmar's Deadly Ruby Trade (CNN, Sept 28, 2008)

A year after Myanmar's saffron revolution was crushed, CNN's Dan Rivers reports how rubies are propping up the junta.

8. Jewels of the Junta (Oct 2007)

Most of the world's finished rubies originate in Burma.
It is well known how the proceeds from sales of diamonds or oil can subsidize civil war and corrupt regimes, but less well known is how the international ruby trade sustains the Burmese junta. 

9. NGO Perspective on Mining and Community Development 

Karen Hayes, program director for Pact Democratic Republic of Congo, takes a new perspective on extractive industries and building partnerships to do development at the community level for collective impact.
Visit their website at www.pactworld.org for more. 

10. Carmen de la Frontera Community Referendum 01

Documentary videospot to support the referendum, which will be held on 16th of september in the districts Carmen de la frontera and Ayabaca to give the people a chance to decide wheater they want a model of development based on mining.

11. Carmen de la Frontera Community Referendum 02

Community referendum held on September 16th, 2007 in the city of Sapalache, province of Carmen de la Frontera in the state of Piura, northern Peru.

The referendum was organized by the municipality in the hopes of peacefully resolving the conflict between the community and the Majaz mining company. The company plans to construct a massive copper mine in a fragile cloud forest that supplies water to the entire region.

12. Wangari Maathai - Resources and Conflict  (Fora TV, Oct 30, 2006)

Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai speaks on the relationship between scarce natural resources and global conflict. 

Wangari Maathai on "Unbowed: A Memoir" Wangari Maathai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, is the founder of the Green Belt Movement in her home country of Kenya, an environmental group that has restored indigenous forests and assisted rural women by paying them to plant trees in their communities. Since 1977, it has planted more than 30 million trees in Kenya and has been replicated in dozens of other African countries. 

For more info and to view full video, go to this link. 

V. Review Points

Define the following terms:

• Resource Curse
  
• Resource War
  
• Dutch Disease
  

VI. Discussion Questions

• What are the three primary ways that valuable minerals are linked to violent conflict?
• What are some lessons learned and policy recommendations given by the "Minerals and Conflict"USAID report? 
• Discuss the role of Civil Society organizations such as NGOs in your home country that works for community issues dealing with environment damages, mining and chemical poisoning, etc. 
  

Session 3 - Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka - Sept 17, 2008

I. Maps of South Asia and Sri Lanka

(click links to download maps)

1. Asia

2. South Asia

3. Sri Lanka 

4. Tamil Eelam

5. Tamil Nadu

II. Videos of Conflict in Sri Lanka

1. Sri Lanka Conflict Documentary - Part 1 (BBC)

2. A World of Conflict: Sri Lanka by Kevin Sites (Yahoo Video)

Kevin Sites covered Sri Lanka as violence erupted between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels, pushing a nation with so much to lose back to the brink of all-out war.

To view video, click this link.  

3. News of Civil War between Sri Lankan Government & the LTTE (CNN)

This is the CNN news coverage on Civil War in Sri Lanka Between Sri Lankan Government and Tamil Tigers.

4. Sri Lanka Conflict 'Coming to an End Soon' (BBC)

Sri Lanka's government says it is winning the fight against Tamil Tigers rebels, after a quarter of a century of conflict.Over the years war has become a way of life for many families in the country. Roland Buerk reports.

To view video, click this link.

5. Bomb Kills Rajiv Gandhi 1991 (BBC)

Rajiv Gandhi, the former Indian prime minister, is assassinated in a bomb attack in Tamil Nadu.

To view video, click this link.

6. Sri Lanka President Kumaratunga interview with Hard Talk 2007 (BBC) 

Chandrika Kumaratunga was the president of Sri Lanka from 1999 to 2005. HardTalk spoke to her less than two months after the September 11 attacks. At the time, the US and its allies were attempting to build a world coalition against terrorism. Tim Sebastian asked Mrs Kumaratunga about Sri Lanka's own efforts to fight terrorism, and the impact that's had on the country's human rights.

To view video, click this link.