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 Issue: JANUARY 2005. Vol.II. No. 01.

 Monthly e-newsletter from Focus o­n the Global South, India

www.focusweb.org/india/html

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Editorial:

 People across South and South East Asia are still grappling with the tragic events of December 26th 2004. A fortnight later, the situation in most affected coastal areas continues to be grim with relief workers still finding bodies from under the debris. Millions have been rendered homeless and the economic and environmental cost has been staggering. Many believe that there might never be an exact toll of human lives and economic and environmental damage. In several places there has been a remarkable sense of unity and camaraderie resulting in o­ne of the biggest relief efforts in history. In India several activists and environmentalists have focussed their ire o­n the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for its culpable role in the disaster. Expert agencies like the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and NGO's like Kalpavrish (Pune), the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG - Mumbai) and Earth Institute (US) agree that many thousands of lives could have been saved if the ministry had adequately implemented environmental laws like the Coastal Regulation Zone. In its mad rush to attract investment along the coast the ministry turned into a "clearing house" for unsustainable and destructive commercial activities like tourism infrastructure, shrimp farming and industrial development. This resulted in the destruction of natural buffers like coral reefs, mangroves and sand dunes. o­ne hopes that the government will learn from this tragedy and adequately regulate development along the coast and focus o­n regeneration of mangroves and other natural buffers. 

As developed countries promise aid in the relief and rehabilitation process several civil society groups from across the world released a statement saying that o­ne of the key forms of assistance would be complete debt cancellation for the affected countries. The idea was positively received and it remains to be seen if the developed world will walk the talk.

This issue of FOI also contains a statement by Indian groups questioning the World Banks undemocratic and risky decision to lower its safeguards requirements for projects.

Around 400 representatives of progressive political parties, social movements, women's groups and dalit organisations met in Hyderabad o­n Dec 17-19 2004 to strategise to end the occupation of Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan and to globalise the resistance against war and corporate-led globalisation. The Hyderabad declaration calls upon the global anti- war movement to up the ante and shut the US war machine.

Both our articles are strong critiques of US foreign policy. The first by Abhay Mehta, is a scathing indictment of the mightiest military machine the world has ever seen. The second is an insightful interview with a former US agent, John Perkins, who explains how the US uses economic policies to break down third world countries as a part of official policy.

This month Focus staff members will put in their energies towards the 5th World Social Forum at Porto Alegre.  We are organising several events o­n which information will soon be posted o­n our website.  

Best wishes for the year ahead.

 Focus o­n the Global South - India team.

Content Summary:

The re-election of George W Bush was a set-back to the anti- war movement. But it was clear from John Kerry’s often incoherent posturing o­n Iraq that, irrespective of the result of the elections, the occupation of and war against Iraq would continue. In this issue of FOI Walden Bello identifies the renewed challenges before the anti- war movement and makes a strong case for change of tactics from symbolic protests to more direct acts of non-violent civil resistance.

In the south of India groups in Karnataka issued a call to action against the mis-directed policies of International Financial Institutions such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Policy advice and loans from these institutions have crippled the states agricultural sector, weakened local governments and have tied the hands of the state government from implementing policies that reflect the needs of its poorest citizens.

During the National Wildlife Week noted environmental activists came together to question the role of the Ministry of Environment and Forests in pursuing policies that have consistently flouted its own mandate to protect India’s dwindling forest cover.

The Government of India has initiated a process of further amending the 1970 Patents Act to introduce product patent regime as per WTO obligations. The draft Bill for the amendment is currently pending before a Group of Ministers (GoM) at the central level. The GoM refused to invite public comments o­n this issue. The Open letter to the Prime Minister of India submitted by the Affordable Medicines and Treatment campaign questioned the GoM process and called for a broad parliamentary debate o­n the implications of the bill.

Sober reading.

Do get in touch with us if you want to be part of any of these campaigns.

Focus o­n the Global South – India team.

Friends,

The US and its allies are carrying out the most brutal forms of repression including massive aerial bombing of ordinary Iraqis because the resistance to occupation is growing and spreading. After Bush has been reelected, US aggression in Iraq is likely to intensify even further. The Iraqi people today need the widest possible solidarity from progressive people throughout the world. Indeed, such are the stakes that the US is playing for, that it knows a defeat in Iraq and a military-political withdrawal from the country will signal a decisive defeat of its empire-building project in the region. The heroic struggle of the Palestinian people will then receive a tremendous boost just as Israel and a host of US-dependent Arab regimes will be shaken to their roots. All the more reason, therefore, why the US’s imperial designs must be opposed and thwarted.