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Le Monde diplomatique
-----------------------------------------------------
April 2001
LEADER
Britain: a rolling crisis
by IGNACIO RAMONET
<http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/2001/04/01britain>
Translated by Ed Emery
AT A LOSS FOR A STRATEGY
The continuing war in Algeria *
by LAHOUARI ADDI
On an official visit to Germany in early April President Bouteflika
was taken to task about his army's handling of the situation in
Algeria where, according to local press reports alone, 850 people,
including more than 300 civilians, have been killed since the start
of the year. The daily stories of violent incidents reflect the
failure of the so-called Civil Harmony policy and show that, away
from the cameras, the war goes on. Two years after his election,
Bouteflika is at a loss for a strategy. The high command refuses to
confine the army to its barracks or yield any of its power. Yet the
vast majority of Algerians want peace. Bouteflika should be able to
use this aspiration to bring about genuine reconciliation.
Translated by Harry Forster
Truth and justice *
In a report entitled Algeria: Truth and justice obscured by the
shadow of impunity, published in London in November 2000, Amnesty
International detailed its concerns over the human rights situation
in Algeria. The following extracts are taken from the report.
Original text in English
COLONIALISM THROUGH THE SCHOOL BOOKS
The hidden history of the Algerian war *
by MAURICE T MASCHINO
It has taken almost 40 years for France to face the issue of
torture during the war in Algeria (1954-62) and listen to its
victims: the authorities were reluctant to stir up memories of a
conflict buried deep in the past. There is just as little
inclination to throw light on France's broader colonial history and
its many crimes. School textbooks still call it a 'fine
intellectual adventure' with a 'broadly positive outcome'.
Translated by Harry Forster
TOWARDS A 'FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS'
Chasing the holy grail of free trade
by DORVAL BRUNELLE
At the heart of the free-trade doctrine lies the conviction that
exports drive growth. If every country, or group of countries, were
to act in accordance with this belief, the contest would in theory
become a zero-sum game as long as the players had comparable levels
of development. But it is quite another thing when development
levels are unequal. Removing trade barriers means that the strong
get stronger, and drives weaker countries further into dependence,
preventing them from fashioning policies to meet the needs of their
populations, especially in agricultural matters. Such is the logic
of the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas, which will be up
for discussion at the Quebec summit on 20-22 April. The FTAA
proposes to extend throughout the continent the provisions of the
North American Free Trade Agreement, which has already ruined
Mexican agriculture. Backed by Washington, the FTAA is so untenable
for the other nations of the hemisphere that their parliaments were
not even told of its provisions. These countries are now ready to
deliver a resounding 'no' to the FTAA.
<http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/2001/04/05americassummit
>
Translated by Luke Sandford
AFTER GREATER SERBIA, GREATER ALBANIA?
KLA exports Albanian conflict to Macedonia *
by CHRISTOPHE CHICLET
At the end of March the deployment of Yugoslav troops in southern
Serbia and the Macedonian army offensive on the heights of Tetovo
seemed to be forcing the Albanian guerrillas on to the defensive.
But for how long? Defeated in Kosovo, the KLA chose to relaunch its
campaign for a Greater Albania on a regional scale. It found an
echo in the frustrations of the large Albanian minority in
Macedonia, despite their formal equality before the law.
Paradoxically, two years after the war, Nato is counting on the
help of Belgrade and Skopje to contain the KLA.
Translated by Malcolm Greenwood
FOREIGN TROOPS PULL OUT
Congo: a war without victors
by our special correspondent COLETTE BRAECKMAN
Since 1998 the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been
ravaged by war but, with five regional powers involved, no real
winner has emerged. However the assassination of President
Laurent-Désiré Kabila in January seems to have broken the deadlock
in the peace negotiations. As Rwanda and Uganda begin to withdraw
their troops, the new Congolese president is struggling to
consolidate his authority over a fractious army and allies who are
now a liability.
<http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/2001/04/07congo>
Translated by Barry Smerin
How can I forget they killed my whole family? *
ANNE-CÉCILE ROBERT
Translated by Barry Smerin
URGENT REFORMS OF EUROPEAN POLICY
An alternative model for agriculture *
by JACQUES BERTHELOT
Repeated health crises have finally forced debate on the EU's
Common Agricultural Policy among the general public and
agricultural producers alike. However, condemnation of the current
agricultural model's persistent focus on productivity will not be
sufficient. While ostensibly respecting 'green' guidelines,
agricultural policy under the liberal rules of the World Trade
Organisation would result in the disappearance of farmers from
agricultural areas. A third option, one responding to the interests
of family farmers and citizens alike, is the only way to address
concerns relating to the environment, employment, food quality and
solidarity with the nations of the South.
Translated by Luke Sandford
GENOCIDE, A MODERN SICKNESS
Man's inhumanity to man *
by RYSZARD KAPUSCINSKI
The Shoah, the Nazi extermination of the Jews, is the paradigm of
genocide in its scale, its industrial character and its
exploitation of the resources of a totalitarian state. But it was
not the only genocide of the 20th century - witness the fate of the
Armenians, the Cambodians and the Tutsi. In Ryszard Kapuscinski's
view we need to look at other episodes of the same nature to arrive
at a tentative definition of the features these monstrous events
have in common.
Translated by Barbara Wilson
Israel and the memory of the Holocaust
by TOM SEGEV
<http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/2001/04/13eichmann>
Original text in English
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TO IMPROVE THEIR LOT
The struggle for women's rights in Togo *
by FLORENCE SANTOS DA SILVA
In the authoritarian and cheerless world of Gnassingbe Eyadema's
Togo, women are organising to assert their rights and developing
strategies to combat the discrimination they face. But despite some
progress in legislative terms, they still have far to go.
Translated by Luke Sandford
Letter
Depleted uranium: a reply by the World Health Organisation *
_________________________________________________________________
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