SÖDERUT SÖDERTÖRN UNIVERSITY ASSOCIATION ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS MAGAZINE N°2 2014
focus:
BELOW THE SURFACE
HOW DOES ISIS
LEGITIMIZE
THE OCCUPATION?
WESTERN SAHARA AFRICAS LAST
COLONY?
NEXT EUROPEAN CRISIS WHAT COMES AFTER UKRAINE?
MARTIN SCHIBBYE:
“I feel like the essential of journalism is to give a voice to those who doesn’t have one.” –1–
NEW FOCUS in Söderut Those of you that have followed Söderut through out the years will probably notice one big change in this issue: we changed language. After discussions our new editorial team made the choice to publish this, and hopefully the coming issues in english. Not only do we want to reach all the exchange students at Södertörn, but with our effort to publish ourselves online we are striving to reach out to a broader audience. With an aim to make some sort of sense out of the world and its international relations we figured it was about time that we also made sense to the world. So, to all of you newcomers, as well as to all of you that have been around for a while, welcome to the new Söderut Magazine!
EDITORIAL MEMBERS
Moa Ferm, Editor in cheif
Saga Palmér, Editor
Erica Jimenez
Christoffer Andres Jonsson
Emilie Kindvall
Numan Sewika Semsuri
Frida Suter
Mariola Stanio
Emma Kujansuu
Jonas Westling
Jesper Hagel, Photo
Johan Rosén, Layout & illustration
Johan Blomberg, web, layout & illustration
JOIN THE TEAM!
D o yo u w a nt to b e p a r t o f t h e n ex t i s s u e o f S ö d e r u t ? We a re a l w a y s l o o k i n g fo r n e w w r i te r s , p h oto g ra p h e r s a n d d e s i g n e r s . I f yo u ’ re i nte re s te d to g et i nvo l ve d , o r i f yo u h a ve a ny q u e s t i o n s : fe e l f re e to c o nta c t u s o n re d a k t i o n @ s o d e r u t. c o m a n d l i ke S ö d e r u t Ma g a z i n e o n Fa c e b o o k to g et t h e l a te s t n e w s o n w h a t ’s g o i n g o n .
RIGHT NOW WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN EDITOR!
ON THE COVER
Martin Schibbye Photo: Jesper Hagel Cover design: Moa Ferm
SÖDERUT IS A POLITICALLY AND RELIGIOUSLY INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE CREATED AND MANAGED BY MEMBERS OF SÖDERTÖRNS STUDENT ASSOCIATION OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. OUR AMBITION IS TO CREATE AWARENESS OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS. OUR AIM IS TO TREAT EVERY MATTER OBJECTIVE AND TO RATHER STIMULATE, THAN INFLUENCE, THE DEBATE. THIS MATERIAL IS FINANCED BY SIDA, A SWEDISH GOVERNMENT AGENCY WORKING ON BEHALF OF THE SWEDISH GOVERNMENT, WITH THE MISSION TO REDUCE POVERTY IN THE WORLD. EACH WRITER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ARTICLE AND THE OPINIONS IT MAY EXPRESS. DETTA MATERIAL ÄR HELT ELLER DELVIS FINANSIERAT AV SIDA, STYRELSEN FÖR INTERNATIONELLT UTVECKLINGSARBETE. SIDA DELAR INTE NÖDVÄNDIGTVIS DE ÅSIKTER SOM HÄR FRAMFÖRS. ANSVARET FÖR INNEHÅLLET ÄR UTESLUTANDE TIDNINGENS. DE ÅSIKTER SOM FÖRS FRAM I RESPEKTIVE ARTIKEL ANSVARAR RESPEKTIVE SKRIBENT FÖR. –2–
SÖDERUT GOES BELOW THE SURFACE There are many stories that never reaches past the gate keepers
“With this focus, we try to create a deeper understanding of the world.”
of the news agencies and out in the news feed. There are places in the world where reporters never go. There are many voices that are kept silent. In this issue of Söderut we aim to go below the surface, to give some of those people, conflicts, epidemics, the voice they deserve. I met the freelance journalist Martin Schibbye in a local library in Farsta where he explained how he went from understanding the importance of the freedom of expression in theory, to actually feel what it’s like to loose his voice in practice. Reed more about Martins experiences in an Ethiopian prison, why he feel a responsibility to report from places where people are told not to go, and how the the freedom of expression is feeling in Ethiopia today. I don’t know if it requires 238 days in an Ethiopian prison to get there, but with this focus, we try to create a deeper understanding of the world. Our reporter Jonas Westling has talked to Julia Finér, the president of Emmaus, about what is often referred to as Africas last colony, Western Sahara, and why that is a conflict kept in silence. On page 20 Frida Suter tries, together with professors and experts, to get a deeper understanding of the terror group ISIS. It is a topic far from silent but who talks about ISIS motives with its occupation? What is it that they want and what are the reasons behind their actions? Are we getting the whole picture or are we brainwashed through westernized media? Nevertheless it gave me some perspective. Apart from that we also go to Västerås for a world wide event gathering Colombians in exile, we shine light on some of the neglected tropical diseases, we try to figure out what is next up after Ukraine in the postmodern war. And we also go back in history to unravel what role the CIA really played in Poland after the terror attacks on September 11th 2001.
Enjoy! Moa Ferm Editor in Cheif, Söderut
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OFSÖDERUTMAGAZINE,2014
CONTENT
2
N°
6 Western Sahara - Africas last colony? Text: Jonas Westling Julia Finér, president of Emmaus, is working to raise awareness of Moroccos occupation of Western Sahara. A conflict often referred to as both silent and forgotten. 13 Neglected tropical diseases Text: Emilie Kindvall 14 Söderut at gathering for Colombians in exile Text: Erica Jimenez Erica reflects about the country her father once fled from and report from Västerås, one of the 20 cities in 15 different countries where Colombians in exile met on September 13th. 16 Transnistria - the next European crisis? Text: Christoffer Andres Jonsson What happens after Ukraine in the postmodern war? 18 The CIA in Poland Text: Mariola Stanio What role did the CIA play in Poland the years after the terror attacks 2001 and what are the Polish governments responsibilities? 20 The motives behind IS Text: Frida Suter Can we understand occupation and violence, or are we only open to one side of the story? Read about how ISIS may legitimize it’s occupation. 22 Culture! Text: Emma Kujansuu & Emilie Kindvall Book, film AND game - follow Emma & Emilies tips and get a new favorite time-waster. 23 Column, Numan Sewika Semsuri: “Why are we allowed to love, but not to hate?”
8 Söderut Profile: Martin Schibbye - too restless not to travel Text: Moa Ferm He is the freelance journalist who feels an obligation to report from places you are recommended to stay away from. That motivation got him locked up in Kality prison in Ethiopia. Now he is back in Sweden sharing his plans for the future. 12 Prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia Text: Moa Ferm Martin Schibbye gives his take on how the prisoners of conscience in Kality prison, Ethiopia.
focus: BELOW THE SURFACE
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Mother and young rhino killed for their horns in South Africa.
Photo: Hein waschefort
POACHING - A WAR BETWEEN HUMANS AND ANIMALS Poaching is today one of the world’s most profitable organized crime, after drug dealing, human trafficking and illegal trade of weapon. The crime use to consist of killing animals in order to get tigerskin, horns or ivory, but the concept of poaching is expanding and includes nowadays armed groups, corruption within government, smuggling and the financial profit is expanding. TEXT: ALEXANDRA LARSSON SKÖLD NEVER BEFORE HAS the illegal wildlife trade of rhino horns been this comprehensive. It’s the greatest threat to the global wildlife, and rhinos that have been walking on this planet for almost 60 million years is today facing a threat that can end their existence. The slaughter of the animals is often brutal, grotesque and painful and the price of their horns is increasing and is more expensive than gold and cocaine. South Africa is the centre of rhino poaching in Africa and under 2013 was 1,090 rhino’s killed in the area, which unfortunately is a world record. The massive increase of the poaching rhinos is a rumour that their horns can cure cancer and are often used in Asia for natural medicine. TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is reporting corruptions in the private sector and government, where they are trying to make it easier to smuggle the rhino horns, ivory and tigerskin out of Africa. Because of this, it´s very complicated to get to the originally source of the order to preform the killing acts. As horrible as the crime may seem there are other aspect of poaching. The dangerous situation that sometimes occur when park rangers, who are
trained to protect the animals in Africa´s national parks, confronts the poachers who are often armed and have orders from powerful men to deliver a product. According to TRAFFIC International´s Dr. Richard Thomas there are not a typically stereotype of the poachers. – Those who actually poach the animals are mainly poor, disadvanaged villagers who hope to make some money out of poaching. However, those who really control the trade - i.e. the distribution and end-selling are organized criminal syndicates. They have sophisticated distribution techniques, use mules to smuggle the goods to Asia and then distribute and sell the horn. – Catching and convicting the kingpins who operate these networks is essential to stop their activities. Every poacher on the ground caught will soon be replaced, TRAFFIC International´s Dr. Richard Thomas says. THIS SHOW GREED and disrespect for not only animal life but also human life, the money and wealth are the number one priority. United Nation’s Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, presented in May 2013 a report where links between illegal ivory trade and –5–
armed groups, including Lord´s Resistance Army, could be seen. These armed groups are being identified as terrorist groups, like al-Shabab, al-Qaida and Lord´s Resistance Army. al-Shabab is the group that was responsible for the attack against civilians in Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in September 2013. In comparison to Ki-moon, Dr. Thomas, are more careful about this subject. – There are very firm evidence that organized criminal syndicates are running poaching operations. The possible link of poaching to terrorism is far less clear-cut - there has been much media speculation, and some statements from senior public figures, but very little actual hard evidence of a link to terrorist activities, at least in the public domain. Even if the terrorist groups aren´t behind the poaching activity, there is an on-going war between humans, but also between humans and animals. And that war is brutal, bloody and filthy. n
Picture of a Western Saharan refugee camp in Smara, Algeria.
Photo: Emmaus Stockholm
Julia is working to raise awareness of “Africa’s last colony”
TEXT: JONAS WESTLING
Western Sahara is often called the last colony of Africa. The country has been occupied by Morocco for almost 40 years and is on the UN:s list of countries to be decolonized. But the situation is also referred to as one of the silent and forgotten conflicts of the world.
SINCE 1975 BIG parts of Western Sahara has been
occupied by Morocco, having earlier been occupied by Spain. The occupation was followed by years of war between Morocco and the Western Sahara independence movement Polisario. In 1991 an armistice was finally realized through UN lead negotiations. A decision was made to give the Western Saharan people a free election to decide their future. However, this has never been realized by Morocco who still claims its right to the territory. The situation in Western Sahara has caused floods of refugees, of which many live in refugee camps in Algeria today. Human rights organizations have reported about oppression of the Western Saharan people by Morocco. In 2010 a big protest for independence was held in Western Sahara with violent outcome. –It’s a difficult situation for the Western Saharan people and they need to know they’re not forgotten, says Julia Finér, president of Emmaus Stockholm, an organiza-
tion working to raise awareness of the conflict. THE UN HAS made attempts to solve the situation without success. A big reason as to why Morocco is unwilling to let the territory go is economic interest. The area consists of rich fishing waters as well as one of the world’s largest phosphate resources. Phosphate is a key ingredient in artificial manure, which is crucial for most of the agriculture in the world. In a world of many conflicts this one is often referred to as silent. Julia Finér mentions two reasons for this. – One reason is that it’s been a non-violent struggle since 1991. That doesn’t draw as much attention as other conflicts. Another is that the media is not permitted into the territory by Morocco, she says.
AS FOR SWEDEN’S stance, the parliament voted for recognizing Western Sahara as an independent state in 2012. But the decision was never
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FACTS WESTERN SAHARA Size: 266 000 km2 (Sweden 450 295 km2) Population: 554 795 (2013) Language: Arabic REFERENCE: WORLD FACT BOOK
REPORT
Julia Finér (in the middle) together with members of a Western Saharan network in Algeria.
realized by the Swedish government. – I really hope that the new government will recognize Western Sahara, Julia Finér says. IN GENERAL, Julia Finér thinks that the knowledge of the situation in Western Sahara is pretty low in Sweden. By the end of October, she is holding a seminar in Stockholm on a report Emmaus Stockholm has made on how the Western Sahara conflict is taken up in the Swedish high school education. According to her, the information given in text books is often inadequate or even inaccurate. – Western Sahara is often described as a disputed area in the books, although the UN has demanded it to be decolonized, Julia Finér says. BUT ALL IN ALL, she thinks that the silence around the conflict perhaps is starting to break a little. – I think that the media is reporting more often about it and also that people are showing more interest when we are out informing about it, so that’s good, Julia Finér says. n
ILLUSTRATION: JOHAN ROSÉN
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Photo: Emmaus Stockholm
–8–
PROFILE:
MARTIN SCHIBBYE “Martin, Martin. Tell the world what you have seen.” He made a promise to his fellow prisoner, to show the world what he had seen during his 438 days in Kality prison, and that is exactly what freelance journalist Martin Schibbye is doing. Söderut met him to talk about his experiences in an Ethipian prison, and why he chooses to focus on giving a voice to those who don’t have one.
>>>>
TEXT: MOA FERM
PHOTO: JESPER HAGEL
–9–
>>>> IT’S A TYPICAL SWEDISH mid October evening. The few people moving around the centre of Farsta, south of Stockholm, are avoiding getting wet by walking determined in their direction, with heads down, under the roof of the mall framing a small square. A group of 15 people have gathered in the local library café. Chairs have been placed in a half circle facing a small podium. It’s 6 pm on this rainy Thursday night and the people’s eyes are now and again falling on a man drinking coffee at one of the tables. In 30 minutes he will take a final sip from his cup and leave it to enter the podium and the room will then be filled with people all glancing his way. His name is Martin Schibbye, a name today known by most Swedes as the journalist who survived 438 days in an Ethiopian prison, released after being forced to ask the regime for mercy and thus admit the crime he, and his partner photographer Johan Persson, were accused of: terrorism.
– I have some kind of restlessness inside me that leads me out in the world, even before I became a journalist I traveled a lot. The choice to travel and work as a freelance journalist came natural to Martin. – There is no news agency that will say: okay now you can spend two years of your life working on Ogaden (the area in Ethiopia where he got arrested), he laughs. And I like to let my work take time. MARTIN STRIVES TO put his focus on reporting from
“
WHEN HE STEPS up on the podium the murmuring from the audience stops, they put down their tea-cups and all eyes are on Martin. The room is completely quiet for a second and the anticipation is in the air. – I do these kind of talks because I need to keep the question alive. Our colleagues are still in prison and the situation in Ethiopia didn’t resolve itself with me and Johan being released, Martin explains as we sit down to talk after the seminar. The audience is a mixture of students in their twenties, seniors and all ages in between. A man nods in agreement while chewing on a bun from the café when Martin talks about why he chose to enter Ethiopia to begin with. MARTIN GREW UP in Boden, in the north of Sweden,
and he describes his childhood as taken from a fairytale. His father was a writer and spent a lot of time with him. – My dad was always at home and my childhood brought me a lot of imagination but also a view on the importance of justice. Parts of his childhood he also spent in Botswana, Africa, where he got to see all the injustices during Apartheid from an early age. – My childhood helped me very much when I was locked up in isolation. I would close my eyes and remember the summers with my family. It gave me a lot of strength. HE IS NOW 34 and has, apart from spending 438
days in prison and writing a book about it, studied and worked a lot. He has a Bachelor in political science and a masters in economic history and it was only during his masters thesis, when he wrote about Swedish slave trade, that he found that journalism was the way to go. He then did a year of journalistic studies at Stockholm University and started to travel and write. He now sees the world as his workplace.
the perspective of those being affected and stories outside the traditional media attention. – I want to use my feet more than Google and go to those places that refugees flee from, not settle with one side of the story. I want to see with my own eyes who talks the truth and who is lying in a conflict. The way Martin sees it, it is the democratic role of the freelance journalist to cover the conflicts that the established news agencies do not report on. – I feel like the essential of journalism is to give a voice to those who doesn’t have one.
I want to use my feet more than Google A GIRL COMES rushing in, a few minutes late, and
manage to find herself a seat in the already pretty crowded couch in the back of the room. She takes out her glasses from a small case, puts them on and in a second she, like the rest of the audience, is caught up in Martins story as he talks about the trick to walk in the patterns of eights and the importance of knowing poems by heart, when locked up in a cell all by yourself. – That’s the type of knowledge they should teach the journalist students. When he talks about his experience in Kality prison and explains that he had to lay on his side in the prison to get a spot on the floor at night, no one in the audience even blinks. But he continues to explain that the worst part was not that the place was crowded or that it lacked sanitary ware. – The worst thing with being imprisoned was to lose my freedom of expression. As the preacher in the prison said: “As long as we have the word, we are free. The word is stronger than the oppression of Ethiopia.”
HIS EXPERIENCE IN Kality prison has changed some of his views both on his work as well as on his life. The fear of saying the wrong thing, or something bad about the regime, still lingers on today. He describes the fear of talking freely and how he still wakes up in cold sweats thinking “did I say something bad about the regime?” – Even though I’m free today my body has not fully understood that. One way in which his body and mind still remembers the lack of freedom appears in stressful situations where he has to multitask. – When you’ve been locked up for that long in a situation where nothing happens but anything could happen and you’re constantly on the alert... It takes time for the body to fully understand that you’re free. For a second he can be back in prison and ready to flee or fight for his life. Those feelings are easily triggered by stress. – I can’t handle stressful situations at all like I did before. If the phone is ringing and I got three deadlines for example... Then I just need to calm down. I think I will have to live with that for a while. It might take a few years, but it will go away, at least that’s what the experts tell me, he says with a smile. Apart from that he describes that he now has a deeper understanding on a practical and not only theoretical level about for example the importance of freedom of speech. – I have felt the fear of talking and writing under my skin. I have always been a strong defender of the freedom of speech but now I know how it feels to not be able to speak my mind. HE DESCRIBES IT as going from being an observer to a participant. This understanding of how statistics feel in reality has changed his views quite a bit. – I feel like I’m better at my job now. Before Ethiopia I would do my interviews, go to a hotel full of journalists, have a beer and catch a flight home. If I interviewed someone in Kality I would also spoon them on a cement floor for over 400 days. His experiences were rough but they have given him new perspectives on things like suffering, vulnerability and lawlessness, he claims. – I would not want to be without those experiences. On a personal level Martin is now more than ever convinced that this kind of journalism, to actually go to the places where people wouldn’t normally go, is his responsibility as a journalist. He feels the need to report from those places, put a light on those conflicts and give people there a voice. HE TAKES OUT the book he placed in front of him
on the podium and starts reading. “Hello
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AS SOON AS he finishes and the applauses start to fade there are many hands in the air eager to ask questions. A woman asks with a concerned expression how Martin was able to get the picture from the dormitory where they slept which he had showed earlier, with the prohibition of personal belongings, especially cameras, in mind. Martin answers with a grin. – If I tell you, I will have to kill you. The audience twists in discomfort. – The importance is that the picture is here, and I’m able to show it to you, he continues. HIS EXPERIENCE CLEARLY has not frightened him, but
rather stimulated the importance of what he
does. He is now on parental leave but this fall Martin will continue his reporting around the world. The restlessness he explained as the key reason for his travelling is apparent and he is already planning his next trip. – We are actually going on vacation the three of us (wife and kid) to Burma and Thailand, a perfect combination of writing and vacation, he says. But east Africa is not on the family’s list of places to visit. If he goes back he will most likely be locked up in prison once more. – That is a risk I won’t take. But I studied French in prison so western Africa maybe? Martin explains that he would very much like
MARTIN SCHIBBYE Swedish freelance journalist based in Stockholm. Known after being arrested and sentenced to prison for terrorism in Ogaden, Ethiopia, when trying to report on the oil industry in the area. After their release Martin has written the book “438 days” together with the photagrapher Johan Persson about their experiences in the Ethiopian Prison, Kality. Founder of the Kality Foundation. http://kalityfonden.se/en/
to go back to South and Southeast Asia where he worked a lot before. – I’m looking forward to working in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. HE DESCRIBES WRITING the book 438 days as a
terrible experience where he had to relive all those days in prison. – It was like waking up every day and being back in Kality. It was impossible to live a normal life. As soon as the book was published Martin could relax. – I was happier that day than the day we were released. It was like a final test as a journalist.
We finally got a story. The book makes me able to put everything behind me and say: that was then and now is now. Even though the book release made him put the past behind him in some sense Ethiopia is still a big part of his life today. – The work on Ethiopia started the day we passed the border and will continue for the rest of our lives. Or maybe the day when our book is found in a library in Kality prison, maybe then, I can let go of Ethiopia. But until that day I will keep on talking about it.
Martin Schibbye in Farsta library. Photo: Moa Ferm
MARTIN EXPLAINS THAT one of the reasons, aside from his obligation as a journalist, is to keep this story alive and talk about it to people, as on this Thursday night in Farsta, is a promise he made the day he and Johan were released from Kality prison in September 2012. He describes how, on their way out, a fellow prisoner comes up to him and whispers in his ear “Martin, Martin. Please tell the world. Tell the world what’s going on here in Kality. Tell the world what you have seen.” – And that is a promise I intend to keep, he says in a serious tone. n
TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN SCHIBBYE VISIT WWW.SODERUT.COM – 11 –
PROFILE Martin Schibbye
Martin and Johan…”. The letter is written by a fellow prisoner, the Ethiopian journalist Reeyot Alemu, branded as a “messenger of terrorism” for reporting on and defending free speech in Ethiopia. Reeyout Alemus letter changed the situation for Martin and Johan. They realized their fellow prisoners were, like them, defenders of freedom of expression – journalists and politicians. When Martin continues to read his voice crack and he is silent for a few seconds. – When we realized who our neighbors were, our perspective on being imprisoned changed. We started thinking about this as another day at the office. It was time to start working.
PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE IN ETHIOPIA The situation for journalists and the freedom of expression in Ethiopia is worse today compared to 2 years ago when the Swedish journalist and photographer Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson were arrested. Martin Schibbye claims that the world can do more to support the prisoners of conscience. – Start by learning their names, and then read their work, he says.
TEXT: MOA FERM
ONE PRISONER THAT Amnesty International has
focused on is the Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega who is serving an 18-year sentence for terrorism after criticizing the government. He is, Martin Schibbye claims, held isolated in Kality prison. – They created a prison inside the prison for him. Another Ethiopian journalist that Martin and Johan exchanged letters with in prison is Reeyot Alemu. Martin tells us that she is now suffering from breast cancer and that she does not get adequate medical treatments in Kality.
ACCORDING TO MARTIN the first thing people around the world, and especially politicians, can do to
“To be forgotten WRITE FOR RIGHTS is worse than dying. As long as they know people care about them they will have a reason to fight.” Write for rights is part of Amnesty Internationals
established
work
with
letter writing. They describe it as the worlds largest grassroot human rights movement. Each year Amnesty International look at
help prisoners of conscience is to learn their name and not just talk about human rights violations or lack of freedom of press. – These prisoners are people of human flesh and blood, they are real. We need to talk about them. IF POLITICIANS FOR example would learn the prisoners names and learn about their stories they can, according to Martin, when in contact with Ethiopian leaders and people with power, ask about them. – If the conversation held between politicians only raises big issues and words like “you have a problem with freedom of press in your country” it’s easier for the regime to get away with it than when asked straight forward: “Why is Reeyot Alemu imprisoned?” The biggest fear for prisoners of conscience Martin thinks is to be forgotten. – To be forgotten is worse than dying. As long as they know people care about them they will have a reason to fight. That’s why it’s so important that we learn their names, read their work and write letters. n
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their global portfolio of cases including prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, torture survivors and communities at risk. They then choose 10 cases that they think global activism can have a big impact on, to be part of the campaign. In 2013 three of the featured prisoners of conscience were released and 143 counties participated in the global actions. Want to be part of this years write for rights, to host a writing event or write letters on your own? Sign up here: http://write.amnestyusa.org and learn more about the cases here: http://write.amnestyusa.org/cases/
ILLUSTRATION: LISA DAHLGREN
WHEN MARTIN SCHIBBYE and Johan Persson got released from Kality prison in Ethiopia there were 7 journalists imprisoned. Today that number is 17 and that’s partly because a group called “zone 9 bloggers” (referring to Ethiopia as the 9th zone of prison, Kality has 8 different zones) were arrested this spring and are now accused of terrorism. Martin still has contact with his old fellow prisoners via their families and through the Kality Foundation, which he started together with Johan after their release to support their colleagues in Kality. Apart from helping the prisoners on a financial basis he talks about the importance of letting them know that you care. – The most important thing that we can do for prisoners of conscience is to write to them. Even if they don’t get to read the letter, they will find out and it will make their day to know someone is thinking about them. 10 SEK from every sold copy of their book 438 Days goes to the foundation, and it is a tool to make sure that the prisoners in Kality have for example food and money to cover legal expenses. – The journalists in Kality are being treated as war criminals and through the foundation we are trying to uphold their fighting spirit, Martin Schibbye says.
report
Neglected tropical diseases While the world continues their attempts to reduce the spreading of HIV, AIDS and Ebola, who pays attention to the not publicly acclaimed diseases that continue to cause a great deal of morbidity and mortality worldwide?
text: emilie Kindvall
Photo: US Army Africa
Neglected tropical diseases (Ntds) are identified as parasitic and bacterial diseases, typically spread by vectors - mosquitoes, ticks and flies for instance - or through contaminated water and soil. These diseases cause widespread infections for more than one billion people worldwide, half of which are children. NTDs are estimated to kill at least 534,000 people, almost exclusively from the world’s poorest population, living in rural areas or urban slums of low-income countries. Although these diseases are diverse, most of them share a common feature; while contributing to a great number of the morbidity and mortality worldwide, they still manage to get little or no attention from the unaffected regions of the world. doctors Without Borders (MsF) refers NTDs as “the
perfect recipe for disaster” and points out that a reason for them to be classified as neglected is that “pharmaceutical companies are less interested in creating new drugs for the poor and the governments have not done enough to tackle the problem.”
a FeW exaMples of NTDs would be Guinea Worm Disease (Dracunculiasis), Schistosomiasis, or Trachoma. Since the eradication program of Guinea Worm was put in action, the number of cases has radically decreased from 20 infected countries with nearly 3.5 million cases to four infected countries (Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, and South Sudan) with 148 cases. Guinea Worm is thus a neglected disease showing what a proper eradication program and increased attention can do. poverty is oNe key factor for these diseases since
they flourish in places with limited access to clean water and sanitation and without protection from disease vectors. Neglected tropical diseases are causing damage to both the physical and cognitive development of the world’s poorest population. NTDs also obstruct those affected from pursuing their farm work, or other
ways of livelihood, and limits economic productivity. It also hinders school enrollment and makes a lot of affected children miss out on their education. NTDs thus traps the poor in an endless cycle of poverty and disease which continues generation after generation. According to sources such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the cost for mass drug administration programs to treat most of these NTDs goes for less than half a USD per person and year. However, not all neglected diseases are considered as easily treatable, and have methods both outdated and demands equipment unsuitable for remote areas. as doctors Without Borders states, “Neglect can be
overcome and millions of people saved.” The question remains if increased knowledge of these tropical diseases will increase the will of governments, pharmaceutical companies, and individual donors to join in on the fight against them, or if they are destined to be just that neglected. n
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Neglected Tropical Diseases are typically spread by vectors such as the kissing bug in South America.
The
forgoTTen
voices in exile
On September 13th, Colombians met in 20 cities and in over 15 countries worldwide, in order to connect and talk. This was mainly an attempt to be seen, to recognize each other and for once to be protagonists. Those who participated at the forum were those who had been victims of various types of violence, victims of the armed conflict, gender violence, by sexual orientation, environmental conflicts and displaced by economic, social and cultural conflicts. text and Photo: erica Jimenez
I, myself, partIcIpated in one of these meetings in Västerås, and for all present and for me it felt like a calling on responsibility and especially a way to contribute and give back to the country we once had to flee from, but that one bears in the heart with pride. The purpose was to contribute to the Colombian migration and to the process of negotiation in Havana between the Colombian government and FARC. There have been many attempts between the government and the insurgents, social processes and initiatives to pull the country out of war and injustice. The forum addressed law number 1448 of 2011 (The Victims Act). This law is a set of legal, social, administrative and economic measures. Its prolongation is June 10th 2011 and has a term of 10 years. This law states in Article 3 that those who can be identified as victims are those who have received damage as a consequence of breaches of the international humanitarian law, or due to severe and grave violations to the international standards of human rights that occurred on the occasion of the internal armed conflict violations. The Colombian state has not taken into account that people who left the country to live in exile also have to be considered as victims and should therefore receive rights under this law. For people who wish to return, the government should guarantee a decent return and socioeconomic compensation. Those unwilling to return are of course entitled to this, but there must be conditions if so desired. the InternatIonal forum was opened with a greet-
ing to all the participants, and then a presentation with its scope, objectives and procedures.
Jose Gamboa, professor at Umeå University makes the presentation and explains that today the Colombian exile migration is close to 6 million and that the main objective of this meeting is for the Colombian exile and migration to exercise and reconstruct trust in order to consolidate a great movement from outside for a better country with social justice. present at thIs meeting was psychologist Javier
Charry, he presented a study that gave a brief contextualization of the Colombian diaspora in Sweden; he explains that before the 70’s there is no specific Colombian migrations register. According to testimonies of those who came in the 60s, there was already a group of Colombians that came for work reasons in the late 50s. It’s during the 1980-1990 a forced migration takes place with a considerable amount of refugees many of which obtained humanitarian refuge, and with them came family members and others for family reunification. At the same time during the decades of the 80s and 90s the adoption of Colombian children increased in the former and then decreased in the latter. In 1997 it was demanded that Colombians presented a visa in order to enter Sweden and other countries according to Schengen. A general and very brief conclusion of Charrys study shows that 30% of the Colombian population is consisting of migrant workers, students and individuals that have come for family reunification, 30% consist of adopted children and around 40% corresponds to refugees and their families. Refugees because of political, humanitarian and a small group because of persecution due to their sexual orientation.
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colombIa Is the fourth largest country in South America and one of the continent’s most populous nations with as significant natural resources, and its diverse culture reflects the indigenous Indian, Spanish and African origins of its people. The country has been ravaged for over 40 years by a violent conflict between the Colombian government guerilla groups such as las FARC and ELN, paramilitaries and narco-traffickers. Although since 2002, the country has made some progress towards improving security. GuIllermo baquero walks towards the table, sits down, greets everyone and introduces himself.
– Where I come from? I am from the north, Caribbean, proudly Caribbean. From that part of Colombia abandoned, stripped, beaten by centralism and mafias. Guillermo is from La Guajira, a department of Colombia located in the northeastern regions of the country. – I was raised with “guerrilla rations”. Guillermo smiles and explains what that is and we smile because it’s familiar. – A portion of lentils, rice, oil, and sardines. Not just any kind of sardines, the big pack, the one the guerrilla carried in their backpack. Guillermo has a typical farmer’s hat on and he puts on a pair of glasses.
the republic of colombia has suffered from armed conflict since the 1960s. an estimated number spanning from 50,000 to 200,000 colombians have lost their lives in consequence of the struggles between the colombian government and guerilla groups such as the Farc and eLn and, in addition, millions of colombians have also been displaced. there are currently 3.5 million displaced persons inside colombia as well as 500,000 - 750,000 that are seeking refuge in countries surrounding colombia as stated by the United nations high commissioner for refugees (Unhcr). these numbers amounts to the largest displacement crisis in the americas and constitutes the seventh largest refugee population in the entire world. Source: United States conference of catholic Bishops »colombian refugees/ no Solutions in Sight« (http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/migrants-refugees-and-travelers/columbianrefugees.cfm)
I visit my country and I get to fall for its charm as well as its beautiful people. Although it is not in my plans for now to someday return, that possibility fills me with hope. It is a bittersweet feeling. I am very proud to be a Colombian and Swedish citizen. I have been fortunate enough to come to this country and to obtain its opportunities and rights. Thoughts of returning to Colombia; that has always been in my family’s mind, the doors have always been open to that possibility. It is a nostalgic dream many refugees live with. the new country has given security and opportu-
– This is my father’s glasses, the ones my father used to wear every night to read his books he says proudly. His dad and his uncle were members of EPL. epl stands for Ejército Popular de Liberación
meaning Popular Liberation Army. Is a Colombian guerrilla group created in 1967. Most of its former members demobilized in 1991. The EPL was founded by the communist party of Colombia (Marxist-Leninist) – My father was a part of the sector belonging to Oscar William Calvo who surrendered their weapons in 1991. I am 33 years old to this day, one year older than my uncle was when he got killed by FARC on July 22 in 1998 and 5 years younger than my father when he got killed by F2 in the year of 1994. I was 13 years old when they killed my father. On December 31 in 1994 I turned 30 years, yes such is war, I had to grow up fast. And Guillermo looks down, tries to maintain composure and it shows that what he is about to tell us is something that is not easy to talk about. He manages to continue by telling us how he had to pick up his father with his mother and brothers and bury him on the 31st of December.
– The images I keep in my memory are pieces of my father’s brains on the street, while my aunt tries to cover it with a blanket so that their children would not see and do not take that last image of him. At this point Guillermo is in tears and ultimately says with humility and with relief – I forgive the murderers of my father and my uncle. I do it because I am the only owner of my forgiveness, not God, nor the state, and to the victims of my father I apologize in his name. I belIeve that this initiative is an important step in order to make the voices of the exiles heard. It’s about making us visible, not only to each other, but to the world. Not least to the Colombian state to recognize us as victims, to recognize our human rights. One of those who participated in the forum on September 13th was my father. He told his story in between tears when he recalled with sadness the reason for which he had to leave everything behind. I had never seen my father cry until that day. It is not easy to be the daughter of a refugee. I too share that nostalgia and that longing for the country I was born in. I live with my country away from it, listening to its music and romantic stories and eating their typical delicious dishes. When
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nities, it is a gratitude that cannot be described. However, the doors should be open to those Colombians who want to return with dignity to the country they were forced to leave behind. One of the speakers on this day was Imelda Daza Cotes and she managed to put words and define what being a refugee means: “Exile is a traumatic experience, it is displacement, it is pain, it is a sharp and radical break, a harsh radical rupture of a life project. No matter the destination, or the social or intellectual condition of exile, it is always facing unthinkable situations, the loss of contact with their close ones, the abandonment of one’s family, work, and cultural space.’’
thIs forum Is not about anything more than an initiative towards social justice and peace; it’s about forgiveness though it is so hard to forget. The Colombian people proclaim it, because in a country so affected by violence as Colombia, what remains is ultimately forgiveness; it has been enough. Those living in exile and those living in the country want peace. It is either now or never. n
feaTure
Background
The NexT
europeaN Crisis
FlashpoiNT TraNsNisTria
The Russian escalation of the Ukrainian conflict took the world with surprise. Six months after the annexation of Crimea, Ukraine are now fighting battle after battle in order to not lose another region. The postmodern war, the hybrid war, is a reality. The issue now is to see what will happen next. The laTe miliTary buildup of the Russian Federation has never been a secret. What we have seen during the last years has rather been a textbook example of realist theory. The security dilemma of Cold War Europe did not disappear just because of the fall of communism. But when the world entered an era of asymmetrical warfare fought on domestic battlefields, the defense doctrines of the Western world seemed to solely leave out the possibility of a rearmed Europe. The world peace did not emerge out of the broken Soviet Union, what the dissolution of the former superpower did leave behind was instead a redrawn map and a heavily wounded Russian bear. Just as with real bears, the Russian one becomes aggressive when it feels threatened. For the Western allies the enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, is an acknowledgement that the outcome of the geopolitical struggle of post World War II indeed was a success. For Russia, it is simply about the West forwarding its military positions, converting former Union Republics into NATO forward operation bases. The general public has, however, tended to live
by Neville Chamberlains infamous words and cogitation; peace in our time. Hence, the general state of shock that affected both the public and the media in the wake of the Russian intervention and invasion of neighbouring Georgia back in 2008. The war came to an end as swiftly as it had started, and rancorous statements about Russia’s unlawful invasion of an innocent state and rapid rearmament were quickly replaced by denial, hence the new Russia rose from a very low level, as the Swedish head of government, Fredrik Reinfeldt, explained to a group of students at a Swedish highschool in Hudiksvall May this year. Six years after the Georgian war, the Ukrainian region of Crimea declared itself independent from Ukraine.
Through an internationally criticized referendum the Republic of Crimea paved the way for a Russian annexation a few days later. Today, anoTher Two Ukrainian regions have be-
come the centre of attention. Terrorists or separatists, depending on who you are asking, are fighting fierce battles against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk – by themselves called Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic. Together they form the Federal State of Novorossiya, however not yet recognized by any other UN member state. During the course of this civil war, fought in Europe, Western governments and media, now in a state of anger, has accused Russia of taking an active, military, part in the battles. Footage of Russian-only main battle tanks on the battlefields have been shown on television around the world and some analysts argue that the anti-government fighters are at least being trained by the Russian army. Also, Russian special operation personnel have been captured by Ukrainian soldiers on Ukrainian territory. A de facto invasion or not, the actions taken by Russia are highly logical. The bear is cornered.
as wiTh The case of Georgia, Ukraine is also a
former Soviet Republic. Both countries were of particular importance for the Soviet security policy during the Cold war, and yet today, Russian maneuverability is threatened without those two on the right side of the modern Berlin Wall, the European Union and NATO. Especially Ukraine, with the possibilities of managing a Black Sea fleet from the shores of Crimea and using the Dnepr River as a natural defensive line, is an important part of Russian security policy. Together with Belarus, Ukraine forms a massive land border between the Russian main land and Europe. During the course of the Ukrainian conflict, Kremlin has
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also directed its attention even further to the west. Another two rivers that effectively divide Ukraine from the rest of Europe are the Prut River and the Dniester River, both located in the small republic of Moldova. The first-mentioned forms a somewhat natural border between NATO member Romania and Moldova and the second flows through Moldova’s eastern part and forms a border between the central government and the breakaway region of Transnistria, or Trans-Dniestr, and its capital Tiraspol. Alongside the separatists in eastern Moldova is also the Russian 14th Army. This has induced analysts to warn that Russia might not stop after a possible advance on the Ukrainian city of Odessa, but continue all the way to Transnistria effectively cutting off Ukraine from the Black Sea and gaining a fully controlled land corridor from Rostov-on-Don, through Sevastopol and all the way to Bender. sandwiched beTween russia and Romania, the region that is today’s Moldova has throughout history always been a site of conflict. Under Soviet rule, Transnistrian territory was administrated by the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldavian ASSR. Today’s Moldova west of Dniester was then a part of Romania. After the Second World War, Soviet incorporated occupied parts of eastern Romania into the Moldavian ASSR and established the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldavian SSR. Simplified, the Moldavian SSR became a Union Republic consisting of two cultures, the Latin Romanian speaking Moldovans to the west of the river and Russian speaking Transnistrians to the east. However, the conflict which ensued the Soviet dissolution was rather historical than ethnic. Although, the conflict has stirred up emotions between the people’s caught within it.
report
- The relationships are not so good. There are problems now, says Marian Amarandei, resident of the region. TransnisTria had never been a natural, nor historic part of Moldova. Had it not been for Soviet mapmaking, resembling the colonialist ditto in Africa, Transnistria had probably stayed souvereign from, at least Moldova, after 1991. Glasnost paved the way for pro-Romanian movements within the Moldavian SSR which concerned the citizens of Transnistria. After a series of local referendums, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Socialist Republic declared itself independent from the Moldavian SSR. In its wake, small clashes broke out between Moldova and Transnistrian separatists. It quickly escalated and evolved into the War of Transnistria of 1992. Along with groups of volunteers from around the region, Russia joined the war on the side of Transnistria during the war’s fourth month, forcing a ceasefire - a ceasefire that still applies ever since. however, TransnisTria never gained its freedom. The
region is still a legal part of Moldova and Tiraspol is only recognized by three other countries; Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh, countries with complex relations to the international community on their own. But with the presence of the Russian motorized battalions and the establishment of its own
armed forces, the government in Chişinău has not been able to practice any form of significant legal power over the almost 500.000 citizens living east of Dniester. This has given the Transnistrians a chance to develop their own currency, industry, postal office and even vehicle registration plates, everything in the name of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. But being outside the international system for more than 22 years does not only bring milk and honey though. Alongside these white activities, a black market of drugs, weapons and even trade in women has emerged, according to a report published by the European Parliament in 2002. In 2005, another report, written by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, was published, saying the Transnistrian media climate is on a level where independent journalists are put under pressure for not following the official line. For the younger, educated, population of the country, exit seems to be the only way since degrees from their own country’s schools are not looked at positively in the rest of the world. Many probably see a future in Moldova and in the European Union.
speak against the alleged motive of Russian expansion. In 2006, a, by the international community badly recognized, referendum showed that a overwhelming majority of the Transnistrian voters were in favour not only of continued independency, but also of a future integration into Russia. Moscow, however, has stated that they have no interest in an assimilation of Transnistria. n
since The signing of the ceasefire in 1992, the con-
flict has been put on hiatus. With the war in eastern Ukraine and the new deal on breakaway states in Europe, this case could change dramatically. Still, there are some aspects that
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text: Christoffer Andres Jonsson
- loyAlTy TowArd An Ally, rATher ThAn lAw And morAlITy prIncIpleS
The SecreT cIA’S prISon In polAnd After the terrorist attacks on the 11th September
2001 in the US, the Central Intelligence Agency organized a number of varying kinds of activities, which aimed to bring to justice those people responsible for this event. Many of these actions were illegal in the light of international law, which, as a good case in point, these secret prisons for interrogation of potential terrorists was. However, it was not the US by themselves but 54 other governments - among them 25 European - which were involved in this illegal process. Yet, it is important to point out that most of these nations allowed only for the transit of the detained persons through their territory while four of them, including Poland granted the Americans permission to create prisons on their territory.
15 Million USD for the Creation of the Secret Prison
In exchange for 15 million USD, the Polish government at the forefront of President Aleksander Kwasniewski and Prime Minister Leszek Miller made a villa in Stare Kiejkuty located in Lake District in Northeast Poland available for CIA. The Polish facility with codename “Quartz” was the most important in the network of the American so-called “black sites,” which were places where the unacknowledged black projects took place. According to the later investigation, which was
made by the European Council showed that the first flight chartered by the CIA arrived at the airport in Szymanowice on the 5th of
December 2002. On board were Abu Zubaydan and Adb al-Rahim al-Nashiri. Spring 2003 brought Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to Stare Kiejkuty. There were seven flights of this kind and there were at least six prisoners until 22nd September 2003. in the sAid facility the prisoners were exposed
to enhanced interrogation techniques, which according to experts from the US federal executive departments during George W. Bush presidency, could not be counted as torture. Nevertheless, the human rights organizations and international law side have a different opinion about these methods of interrogation. Among diverse kinds of techniques, which were used on prisoners during the interrogation process it can be mentioned that i.e. prisoners were slapped in the face, thrown at walls, sealed in a small box with insects for two hours with limited space for movement, or in a larger box for eighteen hours, where they were kept on their knees with their upper body bent 45 degrees as well as they were exposed to waterboarding, a form of torture where water is poured over a piece of cloth or plastic covering the victims face. Mohammed was water boarded 183 times and Zubaydan 83 times. al-Nashiri was kept in his cell naked with hands and legs tied and with a sack on his head. Moreover al-Nashiri also endured a mock execution when he had a gun and a powerdrill pointed directly at his head.
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“I do not avoid responsibility”
The Polish President A. Kwasniewski was one of the most favoured leaders of George W. Bush. Their first meeting took place in July 2002, which included two hour talks, a joint press conference, a three and a half hour banquet on a state level as well as a flight on Air Force One to Michigan in order to meet the local Polish community. Kwasniewski also visited the US once again six mouths later. When Bush was asked about the grounds for the Polish role, he answered that cooperation with Poland concerns intelligence and police collaboration. KwAsniewsKi ensured during his interview for the Polish television that everything he did during that time was caused by taking into account the utility of Poland and protection of his country from terrorist attacks. Moreover, he wanted Poland to actively contribute to the fight against terrorism. nevertheless, the former president said that nobody from the Polish government knew that this site was used for the torture of prisoners. Moreover, according to Kwasniewski the Polish government did not break the principles of Polish constitution. He said that this kind of cooperation between different secret services is common: it is not any fracture of the law if one secret service allows using some facilities to another secret service in order to carry out training for example.
“I do not avoid responsibility. If I had to take the same decision one more time, I would probably act in a more reasonably way” said Kwasniewski.
Investigation and Judgment
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg took partly into consideration complaints brought by Zubaydan and al-Nashiri. The Court ruled that Poland has to pay damages in the amount of 100 thousand euro to al-Nashiri and 130 thousand euro to Zubaydan.
Between 2002 and 2003 a secret CIA’s prison, the place where Americans from Central Intelligence Agency kept and tortured people suspected for the organization of the terror attack on 11th September existed in Poland. But, the Polish side maintains they did not know about the illegal interrogation techniques used in this place. Nevertheless, the European Court of Human Rights upheld complains of two prisoners and ordered Poland to pay them compensations.
According to their lawyers, Poland violated several articles of the European Human Rights Convention inter alia such as: the right to freedom and personal security, the right to a fair trial and lack of effective remedy. Moreover, they accused Polish government of excessive length and inefficiency in the on-going investigation on this issue in Poland, which started in 2008. nevertheless, the decision of the Tribunal is not
valid and that is why Poland has the possibility to appeal from this judgement. n text: Mariola Stanio
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Photo: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Billings, U.S. Navy
feature
Kwasniewski pointed out that it is not the Poles, who are responsible for what happened in the American base. He said that the Polish government only helped Americans and the world to fight against terrorism, which was a necessity.
The way ISIS legITImIzeS The occupaTIon In media today, we often read reports about ISIS abusing and murdering civilians. These reports are commonly written from a western perspective and we rarely get to read anything that portray their standpoint or relates to their cause. This is a record listing 11 defenses that could perhaps provide furher understanding of ISIS actions.
1. To protect the Muslim world from Western aggression – According to ISIS, The Middle East needs to be protected from imperialist states, says Michael Schulz, associate professor in peace and development studies at Gothenburg University. This decay alone, the West has been attacking a several Muslim countries militarily. Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria are some examples. West’s constant warfare against these states have harvested large quantities of human life. – The US do not seem particularly disturbed by the number of civilian casualties. The US says it wants to be as attentive as possible against civilians, but in reality, 80-90% of the victims of the war are civilians, says Jörgen Johansen. Previously, ISIS collaborated with al-Qaeda, whom they are close to ideologically. In Bin Laden’s text ”A letter to America” he outlined the motives of the 9/11-attack, stated similar arguments as ISIS use today. Here, it was also pointed out how The US indirectly attacked the Muslim word while supporting warfare against Somalia and Palestine.
2. To liberate the Muslim world from Western oppression When the US is a world hegemony in the international system it’s possible for the US, more than for any other country, to ignore international conventions and to consistently violate the international law. An example of this was the Iraq war in 2003, when the US invaded the country without the consent of the UN. Also, the structure of the international institutions favors and are controlled by Western interests. – The West has 80% of the veto power in the Security Council, where no Muslim country is represented. The structure of the world society gives the results that the Christian states are treated more gently. Therefore, their behavior is more often seen as legitimate than the Muslims, Jörgen Johansen says. In “Letter to America” Bin Laden argued that the US require a certain moral, certain principles and values from other states without actually practicing what they preach. It also expresses that the US is selective in condemning states who doesn’t act accordingly to those principles. Bin Laden claimed that Israel had violated UN rules and resolutions for over fifty years, which the US supported economically.
3. To offer an alternative lifestyle – ISIS is a cross between a guerrilla and a terrorist network that also wants to build a state. This is a new sort of group that we haven’t seen before, says Jörgen Johansen. You can see ISIS as an alternative to Western society. One of the main reasons that they went into Iraq was that it opposed the westernization to serve as an ideological counterweight. ISIS argues, just like al-Qaeda, that the westernization is immoral and must be combated. They point to examples of how the sex trade is practiced, directly and indirectly, in the name of art, entertainment, tourism and freedom. ISIS also argue that Western society is unsustainable from an environmental perspective, being built on consumption and growth. Other parts of the western decadence is that ISIS opposes a culture where alcohol and sometimes drugs are allowed. Attention is given to the moral aspect also from a public health perspective. ISIS have expanded territorially the last months and come closer and closer to the vision of establishing an Islamic state. Svante Karlsson, associate professor of sociology, says that it’s essential that ISIS is acting according to Sunni Muslim ideology in order to maintain order in the area. – To maintain order it requires that they are ideologically consistent. As long as that is complied, ISIS is going to be allowed to govern if the people have an equally strong conviction or if the people who support ISIS are a lot stronger ideologically, says Svante Karlsson.
4. For a more equal society ISIS wants to create a society where human dignity is superior to economic values. They wish to liberate the Muslim world from westernization where capitalism creates large gaps between people in the name of freedom. One can also see that there is an international structure where certain states and lots of people benefit from capitalism, while scores of people are exploited in the name of the free market. ISIS wants the society in the Middle East to be more egalitarian than it is today; both internationally where they want the natural resources to remain in the Arab World, but also nationally where this can be achieved by establishing leveling devices at mosque visit (which they have made mandatory) that, for example, supports families with children by collecting offertory. To stand up for the weak in society is fundamental in Islam. ISIS also argues that gambling for money results in investments and that the criminal are the ones getting rich by that. ISIS believes that
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the liberal economic system is based on human exploitation, for example by allowing usury.
5. To stop the oppression of women ”You are a nation that exploits women like consumer products or advertising tools calling upon customers to purchase them. You use women to serve passengers, visitors, and strangers to increase your profit margins. You then rant that you support the liberation of women”, Bin Laden writes in ”Letter to America”. The Sunnis believe that it is wrong to regard women as objects that can be exhibited for public view. This occurs largely in the West, where they are using beautiful women to sell products and where sex work is permitted in various forms (for example in commercials, prostitution, strip clubs and pornography). According to the Koran we’re all born equal, regardless of sex, ethnicity or age. Though it doesn’t mean you want the sexes to engage in exactly the same tasks since they are considered to be created differently and therefore are best suited to perform different tasks. Opposition on objectification of women in the public sphere is something that lots of Western feminists shares with ISIS.
6. Moral or freedom? ISIS is advocating a particular interpretation of Islam and are keen to undermine all other religious practices within the Islamic state. ISIS interpretation of Islam is thus a forced religion, superior above the individual in society. At the same time, one can see that neither liberalism was established randomly in the West. Ever since World War II, the US and other Western states worked on liberalizing states as a counterweight to other ideologies like socialism or communism. Everything from international institutions to aid assistance were conditioned with liberalization of the West, who serves on the system, politically and economically. There is also a difference in how you look at the concept of freedom. ISIS believes that the concept of freedom is often used by the US to legitimize imperialism and to exploit other states. They also suggest that there are higher, spiritual laws, and that these have a greater value than being able to choose between 30 sorts of shampoo at your local supermarket. One difference is that the global liberalism is justified on economic growth, while the global Islamism is motivated by moral. Assuming that states are different and that they should be sovereign, you could think that the West should keep away from the politics of the Middle East.
For long, the US has obtained the natural resources of the Middle East. There are historical cases, as in Iran 1953, when the CIA conducted coups to unseat the democratic elected government in order to get access to the national oil in the country. This is a pattern that has proceeded. Warfare in the Middle East has been exploited by the West by entrenching into natural resources. This is part of a comprehensive economic exploitation of the Middle East.
8. Support from the people There may well be that a majority of the Iranian/Syrian population do not support ISIS actively. Nevertheless, ISIS have occupied the area for a several months. It’s not likely that a force of 30.000 to 40.000 people would be able to keep such a large area in Iraq and Syria in check if there was an uproar. It can be interpreted as a kind of consent among the population, thus the resistance is not as big as the power. – There have been no support from the states, but among people there is. How else would you be able to control a million state like Mosul? You have to have people that support you. Terror can only control states on short terms, says Svante Karlsson. Of course, a majority of the population in the occupied area could be against ISIS. But that would also show that the resistance is weak ideologically, as the occupying power remain. – Maybe there are 1-5% who support ISIS actively by taking part of the movement. One can compare with how many people that vote for Folkpartiet in Sweden with how many of them that are active. Since there are varying degrees of support, they may find themselves on the margins, says Svante Karlsson.
9. ISIS do have friends How else would ISIS be able to finance their efforts? That individual states condemn ISIS may seem reasonable from a power politics perspective, there is no state which serves to have ISIS as an ally in the current situation. They are designated as terrorist by the Western-dominated Security Council and they are also different from most other organizations though claiming to be a government, movement, and a religion at the same time. Some of the private financiers comes from the Arabian Gulf or from Saudi Arabia. According to Svante Karlsson, parts of the ISIS conceptual world is based in Saudi Arabia and they have many ideological similarities. But they also differ in many ways and there is a threat that the Saudi family would fall if they would state that they did not represent the correct interpretation of Islam. But the decision not to support ISIS officially also has to do with power politics. – From Saudi Arabia’s point of view it is about private interests, actual power ambitions. Their whole influence in the Middle East is based on them being the defender of Islam’s
capitals, says Svante Karlsson. In addition for the income from for example natural resources, there is a rich opposition in Al-Qaeda that wants religion to play a larger role in other Muslim states. ISIS recruitment in social media, like Twitter and Facebook, have especially caught up young men around the world. In Sweden you work preventively against such recruitment. From ISIS point of view, the message is clear: all Muslims are welcome to fight for the establishment of an Islamist state. – They have some global jihadist approach where you want all Muslims to be able to join ISIS, says Michael Schulz.
10. We are all religious ISIS legitimizes war and imperialism in the name of religion. So have the states in the West, such as the US, been doing for a long time. To regard it as if secular states stand against religious would be a simplification: the conflicts is also about religions and religious interpretations that opposite one another. Tony Blair as well as George Bush used religious rhetoric before the invasion of Iraq, 2003. Blair claimed that God would judge him based on his actions in Iraq: “If you believe in God, it’s made by God as well. The only way you can take a decision like that is to try to do the right thing, according to your conscience and for the rest of it you leave it to the judgment that history will make”. US has a history of drawing a parallel between Christianity and liberalism. Before the invasion of Iraq, Bush said “American Should be Placing our confidence in the loving God behind all of life and all of history. May He guide us now.” - These are extremists on both sides, says Jörgen Johansen. It should be said that the secular state is quite a new phenomena in the Middle East. The first time a secular state was established was in Iraq 1932, but also in Catholic countries the idea of the secular state in several places new. – Within Catholicism, the religion is seen as superior to the state and only within the last 30-40 years, has the Christian Democratic parties accepted much of the secular, says Svante Karlsson.
11. Westernized media ISIS execution of the American journalist James Foley provoked a stir in Western media. This was seen as an attack of the press freedom, a liberal idea that the West would like to impose on countries that have not agreed on such laws. Seldom do we see the same sort of standpoints when, say, western military execute Islamist leaders.
where judging and analyzing these movements are based on our conceptual worlds. Thus, we get little opportunity to understand ISIS. Journalists should seek deeper knowledge and to understand the multi-perspective and to see that they are a part of the western power issue and the actual propaganda machines, says Svante Karlsson. – The reporting is on “the powers of evil” and I find it hard to see that the media is trying to create a deeper understanding of how ISIS is thinking. ISIS has often been presented as dangerous and undemocratic. This means that we have less understanding for them while in reality it is not as clear as in black and white. Many Islamists have popular support; it is important to understand their mindset to be able to assess what it is all about. It is difficult to negotiate if you do not understand the counterpart, says Michael Schulz. Another aspect of the distorted media coverage is related to how the parts presents their violence. The US often engage war in the name of freedom, security or justice, and is dependent on how they are perceived by other states and by the public opinion. This is the opposite to ISIS strategy including putting out close-ups of civilian victims on social media. Although ISIS also carries out charity work and other social benefit they don’t put out pictures of it or tweet about it. ISIS is not trying to win public opinion. Instead, they want to win other radical groups admiration and submit fear in the enemy. – The media coverage is lousy, really lousy. ISIS is at close range filming some of the murders that they commit, but in brutality the US is far worse, killing more civilians than ISIS. Media views ISIS as the worst thing that has ever happened, which is bullshit. It is obtained as if they just want to kill civilians, says Jörgen Johansen. When Jörgen Johansen teaches at universities sometimes he asks students if they remember 9/11, which practically all of the students usually does. But when he asks how many of the students that remember the NATO-led attack on the TV-house in Belgrad the students seldom remember. In fact, the two attacks happened around the same time and both harvested about three thousand deaths. – This illustrates how differently the media is highlighting the West’s attacks and East’s attack and it is problematic that people do not remember the terrorist attacks from the West. It’s like brainwashing the people, says Jörgen Johansen. n
It should also be said that Western journalists largely are based on a Western worldview in mediating knowledge. One is often more interested in the arguments of the West than of the Middle East. - Media is based on a western perspective
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TexT: Frida SuTer
report
7. Time to keep the natural resources in the Middle East
EvEryonE plays ! ThaT everyone should be able to join the game is something we learn early in our
lives. At kindergarden and in school, the teachers and parents always tells us the more the merrier. One could think that this great idea would follow us for the rest of our lives, but today’s climate in the gaming community tells us something else. It is a sad and frustrating phenomenon that is occurring for gamers right now. Women are receiving death threats and are being oppressed in every possible way, just for expressing their opinion about games. This has to stop. We should involve everyone in this community and make it a place for everyone to enjoy and find happiness in our shared interested instead of bully our friends. Everyone plays. And everyone should be able to enjoy games, no matter what. The new initiative #everyoneplays or #allaspelar in the gaming industry is therefore the most important trend you could ever follow. From the bottom of my heart; please, fight for everyone’s right to enjoy their own interest without harassments. n text: emma kujansuu
Reviews : Katastrofdoktorn – berättelser från fältet (The disaster doctor – tales from the field) av Johan Von Schreeb, 2013, Bromberg förlag. There are places and situation where the most highly trained humanitarian aid agencies do not dare to put their foot – except for a very few. This is a story about those who went there. And it’s highly recommended. When Johan von schreeb is a newly trained doctor,
he and his girlfriend Susanne makes a decision that will forever change both of their lives: to work as doctors in the middle of the Afghanistan war, without knowing if there will ever be a way out. Years later, Johan Von Schreeb is known in Sweden as the Disaster doctor. This is his story of what it really takes to save lives in the most chaotic events, to serve as a doctor where there may not be any electricity, no proper operation rooms, and the constant burden of knowing that people may die because of the decisions that you have made.
This book Takes the reader into a semi-chronological journey featuring tales from diverse disaster
areas, for example the Haiti earthquake, the Rwanda genocide, poverty in Cambodia, and how he as part of a small group, brought Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to Sweden and helped to make it the established organization it is today. It is an adventure from page one that both dismay over what people are going through, knowing that a lot of the causes of death could have been prevented if they would have had their medical care in for example Sweden, as well as gratitude over the existence of people like Johan who are not afraid to go there.
unforTunaTely, This book is for now only available in Swedish. For other books in English related to
disasters and poverty, check out for example Haiti: After the earthquake by Paul Farmer, Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo, or Running the rift by Naomi Benaron. emilie kindvall
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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Developed by Monolith Productions, 2014 There have been numerous attempts to make video
game history based on the works of Tolkien, but it haven’t been until now that it may have been successful. Shadow of Mordor mixes features from Assassins Creed, Arkham series and The Elder Scrolls, but it also turns it in to something new with their added nemesis-system. The main story is perhaps nothing exceptional (revenge family, save everyone as a side effect), but the game’s brightest light comes from the view on death and how it can be interpreted in the gameplay. Addicting, and most of all, lot of fun for a Lord of the Rings-fan like myself. emma kujansuu
Diplomatie With Andre Dussollier and Niels Arestrup Directed by Volker Schlöndorff, 2014 diplomaTie, english title Diplomacy, is a film adapted from the play with the same name by Cyril Gely. It is a historical drama about Raoul Nordling, the consul of Sweden, and his attempt to convince the nazi general Cholotitz not to bomb Paris in 1944. The 88 minute long film takes place mostly in the general’s office while the threat of planted bombs under monuments and bridges in Paris constantly put pressure on them both. Armed with nothing but diplomacy and courage, Nordling, portrayed by actor André Dussollier raises this film to astonishing heights. emma kujansuu
Why are We alloWed to love, but not to hate ? Once in a while I think, what if I were Swedish. What if I was allowed to feel as safe as the Swedish people does. But as I am thinking these thoughts, I remind myself that I am as safe as the Swedish, and I do actually live here. But why doesn’t I feel that way, why can I have no peace? It is because I have a responsibility to other people that suffers. To other human beings that lacks the same comforts that we have here in Sweden. For I am a human being and I have feelings. We are human beings and we have feelings. We are able to love and we are able to hate. We can close our eyes or chose to make a change. If we are greeted with kindness we will become happy. If we are greeted with malice and distrust we will get sad. If we are greeted with a smile, it could make us smile back. If we are greeted with jeers, the wrath of our inner selves will surface. If we are met with violence, we will answer with violence. If we are med with peace, we will answer with peaceful means. If we are met with oppression and discrimination, we as individuals will drown in a feeling of being less worthy. If we are given freedom and democracy, we will feel surrounded by an aura of well-being. This will give us the time needed to carry out our everyday life through which we gain inner peace. We can feel free, we can feel harmony. We can feel a balance in our lives and we can feel love for each other. We begin to see good things in everyone. With the well-being we are enjoying, we are able to finally love our neighbors. We can begin to dream about tomorrow, about the life we have been planning – about the better life – within a society without hate, since hate will be a taboo. But the individual suffers from short time memory loss, and he forgets about what he and others close to him have gone through. What they have experienced. The individual is in a state of apathy and he would rather close his eyes than facing the horrible nightmares that is the very life of people just like himself. This he does in fear of losing what he have. The hatred which the other man have to the oppressive one will now appear as odd and abnormal. Out of this, a taboo will emerge, hence we are meant to love each other, not to feel and express hatred. In this very moment, the individual has forgotten about himself having multiple feelings, feelings that can be both love and hate. Because hate is just as normal as love. Especially if the hating individual, along with the rest of his society and nation, lives under an ever-present quilt of discrimination, oppression, torture and the threat of being removed from their homes by force. Through despotism, the state creates hate so strong it rips the love from the sky and has it crashing down in flames. However, we are not lonely islands, but each and every one of us are a part of the mainland of nationality and community. That is why we, through action, are to precede the hate in order to establish a world of love. text: numan sewika semsuri
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Curious about the world around you? Join in and get involved in our many activities including organizing lectures, planning trips and study-visits both locally and abroad. Become one of our members today! www.ufsodertorn.org Or feel free to drop us a line if you wish to engage yourself further in our work. info@ufsodertorn.org Sรถdertรถrn Association of Foreign Affairs was founded at Sรถdertรถrns University in 2000 and we are a students association not bound by any political or religious standpoints and we intend to remain objective in the pursuit of increasing the awareness regarding issues in foreign politics.
We welcome our latest additions to the board of The Södertörn Association of Foreign Affairs The annual board meeting of SAFA, Södertörn Association of foreign affairs were held the 25th of September. We are proud to present two of our new board members in this issue of Söderut.
The new board of Södertörn Asssociation of Foreign Affairs 2014/15 President: Victoria Heiman ordforande@ufsodertorn.org Vice President: Johan Blomberg vice_ordforande@ufsodertorn.org Secretary: Linnea Ehlin sekreterare@ufsodertorn.org Treasurer: Oskar Sundberg kassor@ufsodertorn.org UFS-representative: Linnea Ehlin ufs@ufsodertorn.org Program manager: Victor Holmquist Eprogram@ufsodertorn.org Program manager: Rohina Abdul Khalil program@ufsodertorn.org Communication/ information manager: Saga Palmér info@ufsodertorn.org External business accountant: Mariam Norman
Rohina Abdul Khalil
Victor Holmquist
26 years old and studies a master program in political science at Södertörns University
28 years old and studies a bachelor program in game studies at Södertörns University.
Why do you want to be a member of SAFA?
Why do you want to be a member of SAFA?
- I am a member of SAFA because I have a great interest for foreign politics. I find that the lectures and other activities organized by SAFA is of very high quality and I want to be able to take part of it.
- I want to be a part of SAFA because what happens in other countries and the conditions their exposes what it means to be human.
What are your goals as a member of the board? - As one of two program manager I want to contribute with inviting a lot of interesting speakers that I am interested in and hope that the members will find attractive as well, as well as choose topics thar are up-to-date and stimulating.
Upcoming events! Södertörn Association of Foreign Affairs Södertörn have initiated a cooperation with our collegues at Stockholm University, The Stockholm Association of International Affairs. A pub quiz will be held every other wednesday from 18 pm at Café Bojan at Stockholm University. At the quiz you will be able to find like-minded people with an interest in foreign affairs or just relax with a drink. Don’t forget, entrance is free for all our members! Not a member yet? Become one at the pub quiz evenings! Take a look at our website for upcoming pubquiz wednesdays! www.ufsodertorn.org
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What are your goals as a member of the board? - My goal is that our members will get to know SAFA and that it will develop their understanding of other human beings, and that you are able to help each other.