CounterCurrents: Time For Saner Voices To Step In In The Indian Sub-Continent, Corporate Takeover Of Climate Change Negotiations: Drawing Inspiration From The Tobacco Industry Precedent

Dear Friend,

Indian sub-continent is simmering after Sunday's Uri army camp attack. War hawks are calling for retalliatory attack. Any escalation could explode into a nuclear war. India on the other hand is threatening to withdraw from the  56-year-old Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan. This can lead to water war and what more?

Fortunate, saner voices are stepping in.  Pakistan- India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) has called for citizen action from both countries to diffuse the tensed situation. 

Admiral L Ramdas, a much respected former chief of Indian Navy also a Magsasay award winner for peace initiatives, writes a letter to Indian Prime Minister pleading to keep the doors open for dialogue "with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as also with Pakistan." At the age of 83 he volunteers for any action that can bring peace to Kashmir and the whole sub-continent. Let's hope that more such saner voices step forward to take peace initiatives forward. 

In the meantime, Kashmir remains shut for the 77th consecutive day. There is curfew like restrictions in the Kashmir valley. How long should Kashmir valley remain a virtual prison?

Winter is coming. The Standing Rock protesters are digging in for the long haul! They need solidarity and support from around the world. 

Commons approach in protecting the forests is winning in Nepal, writes Shrikrishna Upadhyay. "The energies released from this self-governance movement resulted in a powerful expansion of community forests in Nepal, which has directly benefited about 1.7 million households, or about 32 percent of the population, organized into 16,000 community forestry user groups (CFUGs) that manage 1.2 million hectares of land, or about one fourth of Nepal’s forested areas." Good news indeed in the midst of bad news all around! 

Ecological economist, Gandhian thinker and author Mark Lindley says ‘Gandhi Was Perfectly Sensible To Call Industrial Civilisation “A Nine Days Wonder”’. Read an interview with Lindley by Sajai Jose. 

There is a  photo essay from a Yazidi refugee camp in northern Iraq. 

And also more stories from around the world. 

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In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org




Dear PM, The Solution To Kashmir Lies In Peace And Not War
by Admiral L Ramdas 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/23/dear-pm-the-solution-to-kashmir-lies-in-peace-and-not-war/

Regardless of the calibrated response we must make to the impunity of the latest attacks on Uri, we need to keep the doors open for dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as also with Pakistan. Although I am 83 years old, I am still active, and quite ready to volunteer for any such initiative.




Bring Peace To The Sub-Continent Through Dialogue
Pakistan- India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD)

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/23/bring-peace-to-the-sub-continent-through-dialogue/

PIPFPD expresses its concern over the growing tensions between India and Pakistan following militants’ attack on strategically important army base in Uri, Jammu & Kashmir. The leadership of both the countries needs to urgently act towards defusing the tense scenario rather than fuelling it. We appeal to the saner voices of both the countries to play a pro-active role in bringing some sense to the rulers





India’s National Security: Will It Remain A Chimera?
by S G Vombatkere 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/23/indias-national-security-will-it-remain-a-chimera/

If the internal civil unrest with over 70 continuous days of shutdown in Kashmir is to be handled as a political problem (presuming that realization finally dawns on government), the Home Ministry doubtless needs to take the initiative





Controlling Bodies: Italy’s Fertility Campaign
by Dr Binoy Kampmark 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/23/controlling-bodies-italys-fertility-campaign/

When states start to fiddle the demographic picture, unevenness is a standard result.  The other aspect of the fertility coin is restriction and control.  When governments get involved in that field, problems can also arise





The Momentum Of Peace: Reflections Of The Peace Summit
by Nilantha Ilangamuwa 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/23/the-momentum-of-peace-reflections-of-the-peace-summit/

Located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, the War Memorial of Korea is telling the story of the war history in the peninsula with a strong line in the entrance. “They are the true heroes of the republic of Korea who gave their lives for the peace of the homeland”. As the common saying goes – history is written by winners. Therefore, what has written and portraits did not communicate a deep meaning but they showed a pathway to understanding the agony, affliction and throes of our past generations.  Their lives have perished for the sake of nationhood, but what was the compensation for lost lives rather than constructing the monuments around? Can anyone in this world replace the price of another human?





Community Based Forest And Livelihood Management In Nepal
by Shrikrishna Upadhyay 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/23/community-based-forest-and-livelihood-management-in-nepal/

The reintroduction of a multiparty system in Nepal in 1990 after the peaceful revolution against the autocratic Monarchial Panchayat regime1 provided political space for communities to get organized and manage common pool resources, including water and forest. The state established new policies and funding mechanisms to support the evolution of new types of grassroots-based, self-governing institutions. The energies released from this self-governance movement resulted in a powerful expansion of community forests in Nepal, which has directly benefited about 1.7 million households, or about 32 percent of the population, organized into 16,000 community forestry user groups (CFUGs) that manage 1.2 million hectares of land, or about one fourth of Nepal’s forested areas.






Corporate Takeover Of Climate Change Negotiations: Drawing Inspiration From The Tobacco Industry Precedent
by Zeenat Masoodi 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/23/corporate-takeover-of-climate-change-negotiations-drawing-inspiration-from-the-tobacco-industry-precedent/

The key concern that has emerged in the past few years, however, is an increasingly open attempt by the fossil fuel industry to co-opt the negotiation process at the annual UNFCCC COP.         At the 2009 COP 15, in Copenhagen, the fossil fuel industry played a significant role by lobbying against tough emissions cuts. Unsurprisingly, the negotiations failed. The role of the business community was even more prominent at the 2013 COP 19 held at Warsaw, Poland, where representatives of global businesses officially took part as observers and sponsors. ArcelorMittal, BMW and General Motors were some of the major companies present. 






‘Gandhi Was Perfectly Sensible To Call Industrial Civilisation “A Nine Days Wonder”’
by Sajai Jose 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/23/gandhi-was-perfectly-sensible-to-call-industrial-civilisation-a-nine-days-wonder/

Ecological economist, Gandhian thinker and author Mark Lindley has some stark warnings for the future of hi-tech societies, and a few ‘prescriptions’ for India and for economists, who he says vastly underestimate the gravity of the looming environmental crises. Ecologise and Graama Seva Sangha recently organised a lecture series by Lindley in Bangalore. Here is an interview with Mark Lindley






Winter Is Coming – Standing Rock Digs In For The Long Haul
by Theo LeQuesne 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/23/winter-is-coming-standing-rock-digs-in-for-the-long-haul/

“They say that history is written by the victors but how can there be a victor when the war isn’t over? The battle has only just begun and Creator is sending his very best warriors. And this time it isn’t Indians versus Cowboys. No. This time it is all the beautiful races of humanity together on the same side and we are fighting to replace our fear with love. And this time bullets, arrows, and cannon balls won’t save us. The only weapons that are useful in this battle are the weapons of truth, faith, and compassion.”





Yazidi Camp Sharya In Duhok Iraq / Kurdistan Doing Well, But Needs Improvement
by Taiyo Siraj Davis 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/23/yazidi-camp-sharya-in-duhok-iraq-kurdistan-doing-well-but-needs-improvement/

A photo essay