Citizen Journalism by Josh Mull

[The following manifesto is reprinted from Small World News]

Award Winning Web Video from Small World News

I’d like to imagine a world where an alternative global video news and documentary network has been established. A network that enables those in the areas most at-risk from human-trafficking, destruction of the environment, availability of deadly weapons worldwide, and internal disputes due to ethnic rivalries, competition for resources, and others. Such a network might have enabled Iraqis to learn from Rwandans and others about the dangers of ethnic conflict, and alternate realities behind its origins. It could enable those at risk from genocide or ethnic cleansing to speak directly to the international community rather than, as in Darfur, forcing refugees to depend on NGOs and States with their own agendas at work.

But the best thing about such a network is that its possible now. The only thing that limits our capability to build such a network is a moderate amount of funding and a vision. With the affordability of DV equipment, and more and more, HD and mpeg4 equipment, a broadcast quality mobile production studio, with archiving capabilities, can be outfitted for well under $10,000.00.

I believe within a few years time we can create an international network, with community video units, aka “bureaus” operating in five regions or more, producing and distributing content for their local community. However, what gets me really excited, is knowing that utilizing the internet we can now broaden the reach of those teams to one that is truly global. We can create a new “60 Minutes” style program, where the stories are defined by those most affected, where using twitter and blog commenting and other outlets the viewers and community members alike can drive the discussion and offer questions and feedback.

But we can also broaden our reach beyond video, utilizing tools such as Utterli to enable members of the community to make radio reports on an individual basis(see our work on Alive in Gaza), or partner with Ushahidi to assist mobile phone users to contribute from areas where a video unit has worked recently or is preparing to travel.

We can utilize video to build a focus, a groundswell of attention, and then broaden to other social media tools that in some communities will be better suited for long-term and regular usage.

Alive in Baghdad, as one of the most award-winning, though arguably one of the least-funded, web video projects, has shown the viability, the strength of this medium. We can distribute the stories of individuals and communities in crisis across not only their community, country, or continent, but the globe. In so doing, we may be able to curb many of the great intractable issues of our day.

All we need to accomplish this is possess the will to do it and, as always, a little funding.

We need your support to make this happen. If you’re a grant writer, or you know grant writers, please write.

If you have suggestions about funding sources, or locations you’d like to see us put this model into action, please write.

If you have resources, whether funds, equipment, skills or otherwise that you’d like to contribute, please write.

Comment below or email us at smallworldnews at Gmail dot com, and let us know how you can help or give us your own testaments about our work.

Together we can imagine a world of many voices, a big world made small. Together we can build Small World News.

On behalf of my colleagues worldwide, from Kenya to Iraq, Mexico to Afghanistan, I look forward to working with you in the future,

Brian Conley

Director, Small World News

Popularity: 5% [?]

[The following is a clip from "Space War: Russia and US in Satellite Shoot-out?" for Enduring America]

Experts, policy makers, and academics have been talking about hypothetical military combat in space for decades, particularly during the 1980s with the introduction of President Reagan’s so-called “Star Wars” program to shoot down Soviet nuclear missiles. However, there’s evidence to suggest that warfare in Earth’s orbit is very quickly accelerating from merely hypothetical to a strategic reality.

This week Russian Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Valentin Popovkin revealed that his country has been developing Anti-Satellite weapons technology, particularly “basic, key elements” needed to shoot down a satellite in near earth orbit. Regarding similar programs by the Americans and Chinese, Popovkin said, “We can’t sit back and quietly watch others doing…such work.”

Of course the Russians would have to emulate any military program that both the US and China have, but this isn’t your everyday imperial arms race. They think the US already shot down one of their satellites.

Read the Whole Article

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From FreeTibet2008.org

Beijing – Brian Conley, creator of the well-known videoblog, Alive in Baghdad,
was detained with his friend, Jeffrey Rae, early Tuesday, August 19th
in Beijing. Their detention appears to have taken place at the same
time as that of international artist James Powderly, whose detention
was reported Tuesday. Three other bloggers and activists, Jeff Goldin,
Michael Liss, and Tom Grant, have also been missing since Tuesday
morning. Conley, 28, Rae, 28, Goldin, 40, Liss, 35, Grant, 39 are all
American citizens.

So first off, let me just point out how absolutely pathetic it is that, as I’m sitting down to write on this terrible no-name unpopular zit of a blog, the big time zillion dollar mainstream media CNN is showing Larry King reruns and not bothering at all to cut away to the story of 5 American citizens being arrested by a foreign government. Now, I know Brian Conley. We’re not buddies, we don’t send each other christmas cards or nothin,’ but I have talked to him enough to know the he understands and cares way more about this stuff than any of the blowdried corporate chuckleheads the big networks have covering Beijing.  The fact that my unheard of ass has to blog about this while CNN sits back and runs repeats is absolutely outrageous and a complete and utter disgrace. These cheesy dipshit network goons in Beijing are all drooling and prawning around for the next chance to give Michael Phelps a handjob on live television while the real journalists who came to cover actual important stories are left to rot in a Chinese jail. I could puke.

And here’s the thing: I actually like China! Or at least I did until they threw my friend in jail. But I had their back on Tibet. I looked at it from the point of view of an American. We engaged in all kinds of wickedness and genocide in our quest to conquer North America. I understand that China is absolutely convinced that Tibet belongs to them. It’s “their California,” as so many people are fond of saying. I was willing to be very lenient with them during their growing pains as a superpower.  It doesn’t make it okay for the Chinese since the US did it first, but I was willing to be…patient.

But then I remembered this article I read a while ago about some writer or another visiting and reviewing the Native American museum in Washington, DC. It was in Salon, or Slate, or one of those similar snotty liberal rags that you wind up at on one of those days where you just want to read something you agree with. Anyways, what the reporter found was that the US government was essentially whitewashing the entire native affair. No mention of the forced deportations, the broken treaties, the naked genocide. None of it. The timeline basically went thanksgiving, civil war, casinos, visit the gift shop on your way out. I remember very distinctly sharing the author’s shame with our country’s blatant cover up of crimes against humanity. I remembered that, and that’s when I decided what we can do about our pal Brian.

Even though we can’t stop China, whatever happens, we can’t let China get away with the same cover up we did. The slobbering, snaggletooth old slags who run the Communist Party in China must be exposed, must be laid bare as the vicious, psychopathic war criminals that they are. And how are we going to do that? By supporting independent journalism, of course! Obviously, we can’t count on the prostitutes at the big networks to cover these issues, so we need to make sure people like Brian Conley are completely free to tell the truth about China. Let’s make sure that when Brian gets back to America, he has absolutely nothing to do but kick ass for human rights, independent journalism, and let’s be honest, for us.

To do that, let’s head over to the support page at Brian’s flagship project “Alive in Baghdad.”

Alive in Baghdad was started with money primarily gathered through
grants and donations. Today we are struggling to get by, and have made
it this far on a combination of donations and footage licensing. We
have begun taking voluntary monthly subscriptions, in the hope that our
viewership will step forward and provide financial support for the
Baghdad reports you have come to love. Please make a subscription
pledge today of 5, 10, or 25 dollars. If you don’t feel you can make a
regular commitment, consider donating even a few dollars in a one-time
donation today.

If you go to that link above to the support page, you’ll also notice that you can pick up a copy of the Alive in Baghdad DVD and also some t-shirts and assorted swag and stuff. In fact, if you haven’t been watching AiB, now would be a great time to pick up a copy of the vol. 1 DVD. Iraq will be a major issue in this year’s election, and Alive in Baghdad will teach you everything you need to know about life in Iraq. Grab one for yourself, for somebody else, whatever you want. Besides that, just give whatever you can. It is absolutely critical that we support independent journalists like Brian Conley. If he doesn’t have the funds to keep bringing you the truth about Iraq, China and so many other places, these stories will not get covered, period. Please, give whatever you can so that when Brian gets back he’ll know that even though the Chinese government doesn’t like citizen journalists, the rest of us are hungry for more.

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From Global Security via RFE/RL:

The foreign minister-in-exile of the separatist Chechen government, Akhmed Zakayev, has submitted his resignation.

Zakayev made the announcement amid a growing rift between the parliament-in-exile of the self-declared Chechen Republic Ichkeria (ChRI) and the separatist president and resistance commander, Doku Umarov.

In a video statement received by RFE/RL last month, Umarov declared the existence of a “North Caucasus emirate” and proclaimed himself the emir. That declaration prompted the ChRI parliament to state that Umarov had effectively relinquished his presidential powers, which now devolve to the parliament.

Zakayev told RFE/RL by phone from London today that until the parliament makes a decision on forming a new cabinet and appointing a new prime minister, he is not able to continue as foreign minister. “I think that everything that is happening in the state should have a legitimate foundation; everything should be done in compliance with the law, and in this case, I think that until the parliament forms a new cabinet of ministers, neither I nor the other members of the cabinet can fulfill their duties and professional obligations,” he said.

Zakayev said his resignation should not be viewed “as a departure from the fight for our independence, our freedom, and for the recognition of our state. By no means.”

“Chechnya at present is occupied, but it is not conquered,” he continued. “That’s why people today are waiting for an opportunity, but they haven’t accepted this situation by any means. I am absolutely confident that the Chechen people have good reason to think that soon in the future they will gain independence and live in a free, democratic country.”

It sounds like Zakayev is taking the only reasonable option and folding on his ministerial powers when there’s no constitutional authority. But Zakayev is referring to a separatist constitution – in exile, no less. His actions don’t strengthen the constitution, they effectively help dissolve it. As foreign minister for Chechen separatists, one could presume that Zakayev is neither foolish nor naive. It’s therefore reasonable to presume that Zakayev understands exactly what he’s doing.

The situation in Chechnya has been improving over the last few years, with Grozny airport officially taking flights in late 2006. But even saying that Chechnya is “improving” is a bit like saying Baghdad is better than Mogadishu. You’re dealing with extreme relativities. Make no mistake, Chechnya is still very much a war zone, much to the chagrin of Moscow. However, Zakayev’s resignation gives two major benefits to Moscow’s Chechen file.

First, the split in the separatist government is between secular nationalists and radical islamists. As long as the secular nationalist faction is folding up shop, it frees up Moscow to pursue the remaining Chechen rebels with the kind of brutal vigor only the Kremlin can muster. Russia has found that, post 9/11, the international community tolerates brutal crackdowns on islamist extremists more than it tolerates the same crackdowns on secular nationalists. Incidentally, China is closely emulating this very same technique in East Turkestan, cracking down on the Uieghur minority there.

Second, it very explicitly extends that wait-and-see message to other Chechen separatists. This message is based on the idea that if the separatists simply step back and allow Russia to defeat the muslim extremists, it will bow out quietly and gladly let the Chechens resume their march to independence. Of course, Moscow has no intention of abandoning Chechnya anytime soon, but this paradigm has been extremely effective in pacifying the nationalists. Zakayev’s comments, with his prestige, only strengthens this idea.

The more the US continues its drive towards Russia and Central Asia, the more Chechnya will become important. It’s unfortunate that US assets are so tied up elsewhere, as Chechnya would be an ideal theater for observing Russia’s counter-insurgency tactics and strategies, valuable intelligence for when the US and Russia’s interest in energy reserves inevitably overlap in Central Asia.

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From Intellibriefs via Indo-Asian News Service (subscription):

India appears to have failed in persuading principal military ally Russia to stop China from supplying RD-93 aircraft engines to Pakistan for their Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder programme, a report in Jane’s Defence Weekly says…

Earlier this year, China handed over two JF-17 fighters to Pakistan with the RD-93 engines under the equal partnership agreement between the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. Pakistan plans an initial production schedule of 16 JF-17s.

Russia had contracted to supply China 100 RD-93 engines with an option of providing 400 more that, it now appears, are definitely being transferred to Pakistan as part of Moscow’s overall pressure tactics to keep India within its armaments fold.

What does this have to do with Biden’s Pakistan policy? Watch this video from JoeBiden.com and, at about 2 minutes in, Biden explains his views on US military aid to Pakistan vis a vis India

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRfAjxivRgM]

In other words, China and Russia have seen to it that even if Biden is successful in cutting off strategic aid to Pakistan, it will not have the desired effect of damaging Musharraf’s credibility in the Pakistani military. If the US cuts off strategic aid to Pakistan, the military will still be well supplied with Strategic fighter, bomber, and support aircraft.

The current political situation in Pakistan has revealed that the Pakistani military is actually quite satisfied with Musharraf. If not, they would never have allowed their assets to be used in Musharraf’s coup/crackdown against the media, parliament, and judiciary. With the exception of an increasingly aggressive Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf has relatively few worries about revolution. Even the pro-Taliban elements in the tribal regions have been relatively appeased. As the Pakistani Army has diverted its resources to the crackdown, the Taliban has conquered a lot of new territory.

I personally respect Senator Biden for being the only candidate to take a realistic, nuanced perspective on Pakistan, as opposed to the seemingly hardline wait-and-see attitude of the other Democratic candidates or the Regime-centric policies favored by the current US Administration. This move by China and Russia leaves Biden a little more cornered on Pakistan policy. Does he ignore it, hope the story doesn’t make it into the mainstream press, and continue with his current policy? Does he propose other aid be cut off from Pakistan, aid not used strategically to counter India? Or, and this is the most difficult option, does he decide to take a much harder, and more public, stance against China, Russia, and their enabling of dictators?

For more on Gen. Musharraf: Official website – Wikipedia
For more on Pakistan’s Emergency Rule: BBC – Wikipedia – The Real News
For more on the Pakistan-India Security Strategy: Council on Foreign Relations – Foreign Policy In Focus – Danger Room

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