I don’t like the word democracy. It is one of those words that is used to mean all kinds of things, and it is interpreted in all kinds of ways. Democracy is not the world’s saviour… and neither is the blind belief in human progress. Here we are in 2010 and despite our progress, governments still kill their own citizens. [...]

Burma (also known as the Union of Myanmar) is a country we hear little about. Under military rule since 1962, the country is dominated by an oppressive regime resulting in a State of fear. Democratic elections have been planned for 2010, but they are a farce, or – as described by the US government – a mockery.  The leader of [...]

Here in Aotearoa (NZ) there has been a campaign to put advertising on the sides of buses that says “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy life.” It’s commonly known as the Atheist Bus Campaign and follows on the heels of the same campaign in the U.K. It has garnered a lot of support and raised the funds [...]

Every year TEAR Fund’s Christmas Focus appeal focuses on a particularly needy area of the world.  In 2007 the focus was Darfur.  Last year it was Nepal with a particular emphasis on slave trafficking.  This year it’s Zimbabwe – which on the failed states index – runs a close second to Somalia as the most crippled country in the world.

I am a fan of the United Nations or at least, the concept of it. I believe the idea is good – a majority of the nations of the world coming together to dialogue and trying to forge paths forward for humanity in order to avoid the catastrophic mistakes we have made in the past with the two world wars [...]

On July 25th, thousands of people all around the world united at demonstrations to show their support for the current political struggle in Iran and those opposed to the current theocratic government. Rallies were held in about 100 cities around the globe. I happened to be in San Francisco as the event unfolded. At the time I was completely unaware [...]

I live in a safe country where I can openly use blogging as a platform to offer challenges and critique of whatever I wish without fear of violent reprisal from a state authority. This is one of the things I love about democracy – the freedom to speak and voice one’s opinion. Such safety is not the case for all [...]

The current situation we have been putting a spotlight on with NZAid and Murray McCully has been a revealing issue. What it has revealed relates to the fragility of democracy, the reality of political speak and the danger of preconceived agendas. I did not vote for either of our major parties here in Aotearoa/New Zealand, but in my role as [...]

Current exit polls in Venezuela for Hugo Chavez’ referendum on whether to scrap term limits for elected officials are coming out in favour of doing away with the limits. This would mean that officials, including Chavez, could pursue re-election indefinitely. Currently the President may only serve two terms (much like the U.S) and Chavez’ term would end in 2013. This [...]