WG: February 2000

with kind regards

Arno Tausch

> ----------
> Von:  Le Monde diplomatique[SMTP:dispatch@london.monde-diplomatique.fr]
> Gesendet:     Freitag, 18. Februar 2000 20:12
> An:   dispatch@london.monde-diplomatique.fr
> Betreff:      February 2000
> 
> 
>    Le Monde diplomatique 
>    -----------------------------------------------------
>    
>    
>                                February 2000
>                                       
>      
> LEADER
> 
> Chechnya in chaos *
> 
> by IGNACIO RAMONET
> 
>            <http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/2000/02/01ramonet>
>      
>                                                   Translated by Ed Emery
>      
>      
> AOL-TIME WARNER MERGER
> 
> Internet feeding frenzy
> 
> by DAN SCHILLER
> 
>      Hype about the wonders of the "new economy" is flooding Europe from
>      the United States. This is supposed to break down social barriers
>      and change the status quo. Yet inequality is greater than ever. It
>      is the rich that are mainly profiting from expansion and the most
>      powerful economic groups that dominate. The AOL-Time Warner merger
>      is confirmation of this trend, aiming to turn the web into a giant
>      virtual supermarket in an endless pursuit of customers. The deal
>      threatens to erode the internet and, with it, the multiplicity and
>      independence of information sources.
>      
>                                                 Original text in English
>      
> Poacher turned gamekeeper
> 
> by IBRAHIM WARDE
> 
>                                              Translated by Harry Forster
>      
> The cyberdamned *
> 
> by SERGE HALIMI
> 
>            <http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/2000/02/04halimi>
>      
>                                              Translated by Harry Forster
>      
>      
> MILOSEVIC STILL IN THE SADDLE
> 
> West thwarts Serbian opposition *
> 
> by CATHERINE SAMARY
> 
>      On 10 January the main Serbian opposition groups reached an
>      agreement to hold joint demonstrations, starting in March, in
>      favour of an early general election. In the event of victory, they
>      intend to form a coalition government committed to mending fences
>      with the West, ensuring equality between Serbia and Montenegro in
>      the Yugoslav Federation, restoring the rights of the national
>      communities and implementing the reforms required by the Balkan
>      stability pact. In Kosovo, the opposition's declared aim is ethnic
>      reconciliation, but it is demanding the return of the Yugoslav army
>      to the province. Nato's war has provoked a widespread "Iraqi
>      syndrome" in Serbia and it is by no means certain that the
>      opposition's new-found unity will suffice to topple Slobodan
>      Milosevic.
>      
>            <http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/2000/02/05samary>
>      
>                                               Translated by Barry Smerin
>      
> The real agenda for Kosovo
> 
> C. S.
> 
>      Appendix B to the Rambouillet agreement has been much debated. It
>      gave Nato forces an unrestricted right of passage throughout the
>      territory of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Yet this was not
>      the clause Belgrade cited to justify its rejection of the
>      agreement. How come?
>      
>                                               Translated by Barry Smerin
>      
>      
> ROYAL ACTIVISM, IMMOBILE GOVERNMENT
> 
> Is Morocco really changing?
> 
> by ZAKYA DAOUD and KADER ABDERRAHIM
> 
>      Doubts are beginning to be voiced about the changes that have
>      occurred in Morocco since the death of King Hassan II last July.
>      His successor, Mohammed VI, continues to stress his desire for
>      change and has initiated numerous reforms. But he has retained and
>      consolidated the crown's decisive role in management of the
>      country's affairs. In a constitutional monarchy this role should
>      belong to the government, currently led by the socialist
>      Abderrahmane Youssoufi. The situation is attracting more and more
>      criticism.
> 
>                                              Translated by Harry Forster
>      
>      
> WATER DISPUTES UNDERMINE PEACE TALKS
> 
> Drought in the Middle East
> 
> by CHRISTIAN CHESNOT
> 
>      Negotiations between Israel and Syria have hit their first crisis.
>      Meanwhile, the Palestinians and Israelis continue to discuss
>      matters outstanding from the interim period (redeployment of
>      occupying forces, a second route between the Gaza Strip and the
>      West Bank, release of prisoners, etc.), with a view to reaching a
>      final settlement. The aim is to have a peace agreement in place by
>      13 September. But there are still many obstacles to be overcome,
>      notably the frequently underestimated factor of water.
>      
>                                             Translated by Barbara Wilson
>      
>      
> A COMMUNITY IN SEARCH OF ITS IDENTITY
> 
> Timid revival of Polish Jewry 
> 
> by CÉCILE LIÈGE
> 
>      According to popular belief Poland is an antisemitic country purged
>      of Jews. The truth is not so simple. Racism is declining and many
>      Polish Jews are openly reasserting their identity. After the
>      holocaust and the antisemitic campaigns of the communist regime,
>      the revival of Judaism is mainly taking a religious form. But some
>      Jews are looking for a more secular identity.
>      
>                                               Translated by Barry Smerin
>      
>      
> A PARADOXICAL ALLIANCE
> 
> Thailand taps Burma's rivers
> 
> by ANDRÉ and LOUIS BOUCAUD
> 
>      The peaceful issue of the hostage crisis at the Burmese embassy in
>      Bangkok on 2 October outraged the junta in Rangoon, but three
>      months later the land border with Thailand reopened. Its closure,
>      which paralysed part of the Burmese economy, was a further example
>      of the stormy relations between the two neighbours, caught up in
>      increasingly close ties but conflicting economic interests.
>      
>                                              Translated by Harry Forster
>      
>      
> PRIVATISATION BECOMES PILLAGE
> 
> Fishing for gold in Colombia *
> 
> by MAURICE LEMOINE
> 
>      Latin America is rich in examples of corruption associated with the
>      privatisation of the more promising state-run industries. In
>      Colombia it has led, with the active connivance of the politicians,
>      to the biggest white-collar hold-up in the country's history. This
>      has not prevented the International Monetary Fund, called in by
>      Bogota, from dictating a fresh round of restructuring - to be paid
>      for by the people - and recommending further privatisations.
>      
>            <http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/2000/02/11lemoine>
>      
>                                         Translated by Derry Cook-Radmore
>      
>      
> DEMOCRACY IN A STRAITJACKET
> 
> American constitution above debate
> 
> by DANIEL LAZARE
> 
>      In a few weeks the US primaries will have eliminated most of the
>      presidential hopefuls. But money and fame count more than
>      statements of policy. The economy is experiencing the longest
>      period of growth in its history - at the price of an equally
>      historic trade deficit. Yet the basic problems (political
>      corruption, record number of prison sentences and executions,
>      deepening of inequality) are absent from the debate. The
>      constitution, seen as sacred and unchangeable, contributes to the
>      general apathy.
>      
>                                                 Original text in English
>      
>      
> OIL SLICKS AND DIVIDENDS
> 
> The maritime free-for-all
> 
> by LAURENT CARROUÉ
> 
>      The wreck of the oil tanker Erika on 12 December 1999 was not an
>      unfortunate accident. It was entirely to be expected given the
>      ship's age and state of disrepair. The mad scramble for profits and
>      the irresponsibility of world shipping, hiding behind flags of
>      convenience, has created a realm of regulatory, technical and
>      social lawlessness. The abdication of responsibility by the
>      authorities, in particular the EU institutions and member states,
>      is having an intolerable impact on safety and the environment.
>      
>                                          Translated by Malcolm Greenwood
>      
>      
> ASIA IN TRANSITION
> 
> Party versus state in Vietnam
> 
> by PHILIPPE PAPIN
> 
>      While Vietnam has not lost the peace, it has not won it either. The
>      economic change of direction which began to take shape in 1979 and
>      went full throttle in 1986 has not brought any major disruption to
>      production or to the country's political life. It has enabled it to
>      achieve self-sufficiency in food and, since 1989, to redirect its
>      trade flows for greater regional integration. But these relative
>      economic successes have not been matched by political
>      liberalisation, neither have they avoided the development of new
>      social inequalities. Like China, Vietnam must now confront the
>      question of government stability in the face of severe criticism
>      from the Communist Party.
>      
>                                          Translated by Malcolm Greenwood
>      
> A new kind of capitalism
> 
> by MICHEL HERLAND
> 
>                                               Translated by Julie Stoker
>      
>      
> END OF THE ROAD FOR PHOTOJOURNALISM?
> 
> The tarnished image 
> 
> by EDGAR ROSKIS
> 
>      There is a serious crisis for photojournalism: the snapshot is in
>      its death throes, a victim of manipulation by computer technology.
>      It is in danger of disappearing altogether in the flood of images
>      now threatening to engulf us.
>      
>                                               Translated by Barry Smerin
>      
> 
>    
>            English language editorial director: Wendy Kristianasen
> 
>      _________________________________________________________________
> 
>      (*) Star-marked articles are available to every reader. Other
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