Two Sudans, One Pessimistic Future

 

Two Sudans, for Better or Worse?

On Thursday evening, the Humanitarian Working Group at Columbia University's SIPA hosted a panel discussion on the future of Sudan and South Sudan, entitled: "Two Sudans, For Better or Worse?" The mini-conference brought together six speakers to discuss what we can expect in the near future for the region.The speakers represented activists, scholars, and a former Sudanese government official. Despite their different occupations and angles of perception of the crises in Sudan, all shared a pessimistic view of the region's future.
The talk was moderated by Dirk Salomons, director of SIPA's Program for Humanitarian Affairs and a long-time professional in post-conflict areas. He split the speakers into two panels of three, giving each a chance to speak on his or her own area of interest. The first panel consisted of Luka Biong Deng, Tanya L. Domi, and Huda Shafiq Ali.

Luka Biong Deng: the dangers of Political Islam in Sudan

Mr. Deng, a former Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Sudan and a Minister of Presidential Affairs for Southern Sudan and now Executive Director of KUSH Inc., led off the night by issuing a warning: both Sudans are in critical danger unless action is taken immediately. Mr. Deng worked as part of the Sudanese government only to resign in May 2011 invasion of the Abyei area. Having witnessed the extremes of Sudan's government, Mr. Deng felt the international community needs to strengthen its sanctions and pressure on Sudan, while also increasing support to South Sudan. He emphasized the moral imperative to bring the indicted criminals in Sudan (especially President Omar al-Bashir) to justice before the ICC. Mr. Deng closed by focusing on the dangers of Political Islam in Sudan, noting that while the religion itself is not dangerous, "the practice of (Political) Islam is so inconsistent with the actual teaching" that it the number one threat to the two Sudans right now

Tanya Domi: Genocide must be stopped

The panel then moved on to Tanya Domi, a former US Amry soldier and officer who now chairs the board for Our Humanity in the Balance. She was direct in her assertions that advocacy alone will not stop genocide. She described herself as becoming very radicalized "by witnessing genocide over, and over, and over..." In order to stop genocide in Sudan, Ms. Domi described the need for civilians to go to the disputed areas and record the violence that is occurring. She said that "petitions don't work any more" and witnesses were needed to inform the international community.

Huda Shafiq Ali: Sudan needs to engage women at all levels

This need for international activists prepared the way for the Sudanese gender activist, Huda Shafiq Ali, the vice president of Gesr Center for Development. She spoke of the need to involve women in every level of government and reform. She reminded us, "Women are always there in the peace process, but are no where when there is 'peace.'" Despite the challenges facing women and youth in Sudan, she was probably the most optimistic, perhaps because of her organization's successes in promoting human rights and civic education among young Sudanese.

Kenny Gluck: Mediation will further entrench al-Bashir

The second panel of three included Kenny Gluck, Ahmed Adam Hussein, and John Prendergast. Mr. Gluck, former Chief of Staff for the AU-UN Mediation Support Team as well as the former Director of Operations at Medecins Sans Frontiers, was realistic (and pessimistic) about the chances of peace and justice in Sudan. He pointed out that currently the international community is focused on mediation, which always looks for "mutually beneficial solutions." This may not sound bad, but it means that any solution reached by mediation would further entrench the ruling Sudanese party because they would only agree to something that was at least as beneficial to them as it was to the opposition. Also, it is difficult to negotiate any peace when all interested parties have allied rebel groups to keep happy. The complex web of militias keep changing, with many militias fighting at different times for more than one side. Furthermore, the different forms of incentives for rebel groups to support a particular side means there is little cohesion and makes negotiation even more difficult, as any concessions by one side can lead to dangerous fragmentation. Rebel groups often have an incentive to keep fighting beyond a negotiated peace.

Ahmed Adam Hussein: al-Bashir must go

Mr. Gluck's pessimism was echoed by Sudanese/Darfurian activist Ahmed Adam Hussein. Mr. Hussein said bluntly that "the situation on the ground in Darfur is NOT getting better, rather it is catastrophic!" Sudan and South Sudan has seen too much violence under too many pretenses, with massacres in South Sudan due to religion and massacres in Darfur due to race and ethnicity. Mr. Hussein continued that the problem with having peace keepers in Sudan is that there is no peace to keep! He closed with an impassioned plea for Sudan's future, saying, "If Bashir remains in power, Sudan will never know peace! It is time for him to go!"

John Prendergast: Still hop

Finally, we arrived at the last speaker, who may be the best known to an international audience: John Prendergast. You may know him from his books, his advocacy with the Enough Project, or the Satellite Sentinel Project to use satellite imagery to track violence in Sudan (as a nascent crisis mapper myself, I find that last project particularly interesting). He is often seen alongside another famous advocate for the region, George Clooney (in fact you can read their Time Magazine article on Famine as a weapon of war here). This particular evening, Dr. Prendergast tried to spin much of the pessimism of the other speakers into some semblance of hope. While noting his own reservations, he emphasized that within danger there is opportunity. In fact, in the context of Sudan, there are ten opportunities facing the world. These opportunities were collated shortly before the panel, so some need refinement or are repetitive. Nevertheless, here are John Prendergast's 10 opportunities in Sudan (paraphrased as best as I could!) :

-The ICC's recent arrest warrant for Sudan's Defense Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein means that, along with President Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's civilian leadership is finally being held accountable for its crimes in Darfur and other parts of Sudan.

-China, long Sudan's biggest defender, now has to change its policy because much of China's largest interest in the region (oil) now resides in South Sudan. This means China will have to "play both sides of the fence" and can no longer blindly support Sudan.

-The regional context of the Arab Spring has to frighten al-Bashir. Sudan's neighbors have shown what happens to authoritarian rulers oppressing their own people.

-The formation of the opposition coalition, Sudan Revolutionary Front, may finally bring some semblance of coherence to and unity to the opponents of al-Bashir.

-For years, Sudan used the southern part of the country as a crutch for avoiding complaints of other parts of the country. Sudan had to deal with the issues in the south before it could turn attention to other problems. Now that South Sudan is its own country, Sudan no longer has this crutch and will have to face up to the rest of the country's problems and complaints.

-The United States government increasingly recognizes that the central problem in Sudan is the abuse of power at the country's core.

-Now is a true "Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Moment." If the international community really believes in this new responsibility (exhibited in the creation of South Sudan, the support for Libyan rebels, and elsewhere this past year), it will have to respond to the crises in Sudan.

-The demise of the Darfur Peace Process means the international community can abandon (and should abandon) similar piece-meal deals. Now is the time to focus on an over-arching treaty that addresses the central issues at the heart of Sudan's humanitarian crises: the central government.

-Evidence of the atrocities in Sudan continue to accumulate, thanks to innovative new technologies (digital cameras, cell phones, satellite imagery, etc.)

-If famine does occur in parts of Sudan (Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile areas), the visuals reported by the media will be horrific and induce the international community to act.

What to make of all of this? The rockstar of the group is definitely Prendergast, who has a lot of experience in encouraging the international community to act. His potential opportunities, however, were not very convincing. For instance, I think the ICC's warrants will just increase the ruling party's desire to maintain power, knowing the doom that awaits them once they step down. That is not to say they should not be held accountable for crimes against humanity, just that it is a disincentive to relinquish power. Also, images of starving children may induce the international community to act, but will these images induce it to address the core problems? If the Horn of Africa is any indication, then No.
I was impressed by Ahmed Adam Hussein, an impassioned and eloquent advocate for his country and region. But his strong words will not be enough to change the future of Sudan, nor will the monitoring of Prendergast's satellite imagery or records of Domi's witnesses. The future appears gloomy for Sudan and South Sudan, unless the international community heeds the advice of these panel members and acts in decisive fashion.

Ask the Global Community: Expanding the Peace Corps Debate

Wait a few months, and you are bound to come across a debate on the purpose or continued relevance of the Peace Corps. I first saw this back in 2008 when then-Peace-Corps-critic-extraordinaire, Robert Strauss, came to our Peace Corps Madagascar training. (Google him to see some of his thoughts). Factor in the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps this year, and critics / proponents / improvers / status-quo-ers and others are out in full force. Shortly after beginning my graduate studies at SIPA, I saw an article by another former volunteer that absolutely bashed the organization. To give you an idea of the content, it was titled "Why Peace Corps is an Affront to the Poor." (Give it a read if you like...) Now I have my issues with the Peace Corps, as any former volunteer probably does, but I found the title alone pretty offensive. To say the Peace Corps is ineffective as a development agency is one thing (which I would counter by saying it is NOT a development agency, but rather development is one of three goals of the organization that are all weighted equally), but to call the work done by the numerous dedicated volunteers I have known an "affront to the poor" was too much. I had to respond, which I did here in an article entitled "Peace Corps an Affront to the Poor? Who are we to say?" The main point was that to fully understand the holistic effect of the Peace Corps, we need to talk to the people who have been affected by Peace Corps volunteers. Too often the debate is only amongst Americans (and usually only former Peace Corps volunteers... and congressional budget hawks perhaps). Talk to the people in developing countries who have worked with or met volunteers, and listen to their stance on the organization. My evidence is only anecdotal, but everyone I have spoken to who has known volunteers has believed strongly that Peace Corps has a useful and strong purpose in their country. Of course there are some "bad" volunteers who leave a poor impression of the Peace Corps, but I found in Madagascar that almost all Malagasy had good experiences with the Peace Corps volunteers they knew. In fact, this was true even of those volunteers who thought of themselves as unproductive or ineffective (including this author...)

So, it can be difficult to quantify the effect of the Peace Corps, but when discussing its purpose and effectiveness, it is important to include the international community. And this does not just mean talking with those who have direct experiences with Peace Corps volunteers, but also asking people in other countries how they would respond to Peace Corps in their country. It is at least a discussion worth having, and I do not hear it raised often enough.

A few other Peace Corps tidbits:
-Here is an independent survey of former Peace Corps volunteers and their thoughts on the organization. It includes many misgivings and ways to improve the organization, and continues on the discussion of what the purpose of the Peace Corps is. The pdf is linked in the article. On a very random side note, my cousin Don Gura actually designed the report!
-Here is a nice write-up from my eloquent friend Katie Browne about her view of why the Peace Corps is important.
-My school's Returned Peace Corps Volunteer group, SIPARPCVs, held a panel discussion on the future of the Peace Corps. I don't think there is an article up on it but the talk was interesting, and showed the wide-variety of positive feedback yet also constructive criticism from former volunteers. All of the 40 plus RPCVs were proud to have served (and all said that the minimum of two years of service was sacred and not to be changed!)
-If you are new to this site, and wondering about my experiences in the Peace Corps (and are too lazy to explore the convoluted backlog of this site), here is a little write-up in a local magazine from the summer.

I realize many of these links are old, but that is mostly because I have been way behind on the blog front lately. Hopefully I can post a few more times this week, in spite of my final exams!

Two final, unrelated links:
-I have been getting involved with New Media / Information Technology at school, and specifically Crisis Mapping, so I was very excited to learn about the Malagasy iHub project.
-Here is a really nice post for World AIDS day from my classmate Hongxiang. I am slowly adding my classmates' blogs to the Blog Roll so keep checking back there for some quality reading!

Time to Change the Language of Environmental Debates

A few weeks ago, I heard a presentation from Manuel Rodriguez-Becerra focusing on the crossover of the environment and development. Professor Rodríguez-Becerra, the first Minister of the Environment in Colombia, focused much of his talk on the topics from his article on Greening the Colombian State (pdf). He spoke about the difficulty of crafting, enacting, and enforcing environmental legislation while also dealing with the shifting priorities of politicians. Specifically, presidential will in Colombia shifts from administration to administration, and serious environmental policies enacted by one can be undone by another. In fact, the administration does not even need to change, just the priorities of the president, and environmental protection can be undone.


Professor Rodríguez-Becerra described the dire situation in much of Latin America as a crisis of resources, bemoaning the fact that many politicians would rather utilize natural resources in the present than protect unique ecosystems for future generations. He and others argue that the debate must turn away from simple economic measures, such as GDP growth, to more holistic indicators that include the wide-ranging value of ecosystems (watersheds, plant and animal life, importance to the water cycle, resources, etc.). Other argue that it is time to change the deabte by adding universally-accepted planetary boundaries. 

Quite frankly, I think all of these environmentalists are missing the point. The debate does need to shift, but it needs to shift away from esoteric talk about the environment as a resource to be protected or exploited. Too often the talk of environmental protection is about protecting a "thing," usually defined as an unspoiled forest paradise. As my colleague Ryan mentioned a few months ago, 

This is the conservation myth.

While incredibly beneficial to the conservation cause, it does have a darker side. In the midst of climate change and prevalent extinctions, it is easy to see why rainforests, are beneficial. But this story homogenizes those rainforests, it takes away the voices of the people who have always used those forests...

People live in these forests. People live on the outskirts of these forests. People live downstream of these forests. People live in the fertile areas whose rainfall patterns are dependent on these forests. These forests are important not only as the habitat of a rare species of bird or as the source of a potentially-beneficial medicinal herb; they are important as sources of water, fuel, and food for the people inhabiting the forest and its surrounding land. These forests are critical to the livelihoods of the people living in its proximity.

When the environmental debate focuses on forests and other ecosystems as resources, it is easy for politicians to say to voters that the short-term benefits of exploiting these resources (via mining, timber production, etc.) greatly outweighs the long-term benefits of conserving these lands. Voters hear of this exploitation and think "money" and "now." If the debate was over people, however, it would be much harder for politicians (who are against environmental protection) to spin. Advocates of the environment should not be claiming that forests are "virgin forests," because politicians can spin this to voters as: "These forests are empty, who needs 'em! Pave the way for progress and economic development!" Instead, advocates for the environment should be totaling the number of people directly dependent on these forests. If you could counter a politician's claims with "x number of people live in this forest, y number of people derive their living from it, z number of people depend on its water, and q tons of agricultural productivity will be lost, equating in p number of people succumbing to food insecurity and malnutrition." It is much harder to convince voters to side against people than it is to convince them to side against trees and animals. 


In addition to Ryan's article mentioned above, I also recommend this article on indigenous rights in development in Indonesia

Catching Up

I finally got through a major backlog of posts in my google reader, and wanted to share some of the most-interesting links here. The video and interactive map, in particular, make for a nice study break / procrastination tool if you, like me, are in the middle of midterms...

-I love maps. Especially interactive maps. Check out this map of migration, where you can select a country and see the migration patterns.

-The Clinton Global Initiative celebrities poke fun at themselves courtesy of Funny or Die (h/t A View From the Cave)

-I've been working on a couple of projects on Malawi, and Ken Opalo has some good links on the encroaching dictatorship of President Mutharika

-Jeffrey Sachs defends (and clarifies) the Millennium Villages Project, as an additional $72 million is committed to the project (full disclosure: my program is very closely associated with MVP, and if I survive these midterms there is a good chance I will be working in one of these villages next summer)

-Kenya at War - the Kenyan military has crossed into Somalia to combat Al-Shabab

-Why is the US sending troops to hunt down the LRA? It is something an old college comrade has been advocating for for years, but why now? Danger Room notes that it could be to stop a massive new assault by the LRA on civilians

-2 posts on working on-the-ground in aid/development: Tales from the Hood and WhyDev

-In general, I love A Window to Ghana and Africa, but this post in particular struck me. Maybe it was this line:

And finally, I’d advise you hang out with passionate people, if you can’t find any, may be, you can start with cutting out negative people. The people who have a million reasons why it can’t be done. Or who understand all the challenges there on the way and so advise you to take it easy. Once you cut them off, you can see more clearly.

What we need to succeed is not OUT there. It is IN us. You need to block out all the noise and passionately follow where your heart leads you.

LIVE NOW.

I've said it before, but it is such passionate people that is making my graduate school experience special.


-Finally... I've mentioned this before, but if you are interested in development issues you need to be checking Poverty Matters regularly. If climate change is more your style, be sure to check out the Earth Institute's blogs.

Lots of Links (Video- and Madagascar-Heavy)

I am way behind on a number of interesting links that I wanted to share. So let's just jump right in:

Tea Party vs. Madagascar's Forests - an interesting article about the US Tea Party movement coming down on the side of Gibson guitars against US government regulation, yet the regulation stems (no pun intended) from Gibson's use of illegally-harvested hardwoods from Madagascar's protected forests. (on a personal note, I have never been to that part of Madagascar but the photo at the top is so universal of the rural areas that I thought at first glance I recognized the family).

Madagascar "transitional" President finally got a chance to speak at the UN General Assembly this year. He spoke about the importance of international mediation in resolving conflicts. He then tried to justify his power-taking (what most would call a coup d'etat) by citing human rights abuses and poverty, both of which have persisted under his watch and in the case of abuses potentially increased (though I am quick to point out the departure of international aid as a main reason for at least the poverty-worsening). He entered to what sounds like dead silence, which I thought was telling, but then I realized people were probably clapping but the audio is that of the translator. Check out TGV here:



Nice wrap-up of Rajoelina's visit to the UN. The article calls out the UN Secretary-General for meeting with him despite claiming it was "unofficial," and emphasizes the fact that the return of ex-President Marc Ravalomanana that sealed the deal is not going to happen, with many in the current government saying once again that they will arrest him (even claiming they will go to South Africa to arrest him in exile - the ex-President's host, the South Africa government, will never let this happen, though).

Here is video of the Peace Corps bike tour for AIDS awareness (the Fety Ribà Mena) we put on last year in the Lac Alaotra region. You may recall me talking about it a lot last summer (search the blog for details), now you can see some footage of our project... and far too much footage of me dancing...


A few blogs written by friends/colleagues worth checking out:
-I have mentioned Salama Madagascar! many times, but the last few posts have been great. I plan to write more about the environmantal/ conservation movement soon, and link particularly to Ryan's article on virgin forests / the Conservation myth.
-Beerconomist by fellow MDP student Holly. The blog title is great and the development insight is even better.
-International Agriculture and Development by fellow MDP student Rafael. This blog focuses on agriculture, and has been especially good at pointing out useful resources for development practitioners.

Speaking of the MDP program, which I have written about before really starting (and am currently enjoying the heavy workload of), here are some informational links... first, a video about the program:


Also, this pdf details the program further:

And of course you can visit the website itself to learn more (and apply, for all you Mada RPCVs or soon-to-be RPCVs.... manasa! Even better - Malagasy students should apply too!)

Paternalism

One ethical issue I have been struggling with for a long time is paternalism. This word may not be the best description of the following thoughts (ramblings), but it was the first that came to mind. Specifically, how to avoid the perception that the outsider, in this case a development practitioner, knows better than the people in the community where he or she works? This is especially a challenge for those of us coming from foreign countries, but for development practitioners working in their native country it is also an issue because they will still be working in communities where they are the outsider.

                To show up in a community and pretend like you know everything is ridiculous. There are numerous historical, cultural, and technical issues that you do not know about. A major part of studying development practice is learning to understand your own limitations. But despite your best efforts to create an inclusive program that works with the community and includes local leaders, the perception that “the outsider knows best” or that “the outsider, who just showed up, thinks he knows better than us, who have lived here forever” can persist. Many developing countries and regions have seen development practitioners and experts come and go for decades, telling the people, “if you just do X, Y and Z, your community will be ‘developed.’” It is a difficult trap to escape. Either the community listens only to the practitioner’s advice and local problem-solving is sacrificed or the practitioner becomes resented by the community as an intruder.

                On the one hand, I feel a strong ethical sense to be involved in development. On the other hand, who am I to tell an old rice farmer how to transplant his crop? (a fellow PCV’s father, while visiting Madagascar, once likened it to a Japanese practitioner showing up in Nebraska and telling a farmer how to grow corn). I like to think that I have skills to offer communities where I have worked and will work. But I am also fully aware that my role is to encourage local participation and assist the community in discovering its own solutions. If I allow the outsider-as-expert mentality to take hold, I am doing damage where I want to be providing assistance.

                This mentality was especially prevalent in Madagascar. The Malagasy often defer to authority of any sort, but especially to foreigners. They looked at me as an American and knew I had the right answers. My attempts to create community-inspired solutions often met with confusion, as everyone was just waiting for me to tell them what to do. The best thing I could do was try to convince people that they could solve their own problems, and my role was a facilitator in helping them accomplish this. But it is easier said than done.

                In a sense, this is the major ethical issue of international development to me (indeed, I think the entire idea of foreign countries providing assistance to developing countries runs the danger of falling into this perception). I do not have an answer of course (once again I am trying to underplay the “development practitioner knows best” angle). It is merely something that troubles me when I stop to think about it, or when I am interacting with fellow practitioners, or when I was in Madagascar. I would love to hear some others’ thoughts on this, and appreciate any feedback.

Unrelated postscript: My apologies for the limited posting lately. Grad school has been intense, but also my thoughts have been shared in classroom settings and in an online collaborative forum, which has left me less inclined to write here. But I will make a concerted effort to produce content here as well… stay tuned.

The Earth is Warming, and We're Causing It...

...the rest is figuring out what to do about it.

That was the concluding remark form Jason Smerdon during a panel discussion this weekend called: "Climate Chane & Extreme Weather: Are They Connected?" Dr. Smerdon was one of many climatology researchers on the panel, along with Richard Seager, Suzana Camargo, and Kevin Anchukaitis. This panel took place on Saturday during the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory's (LDEO) Open House event. LDEO is the location of most of the research done by Columbia University's Earth Institute. Once a year, LDEO opens its doors to the public and shares details on its various scientific projects and research. Not only do people with a general interest (of all ages) attend, but the Open House also invited back alumni of LDEO (former students, researchers, and employees of the observatory). For instance, the panel I mentioned was moderated by Heidi Cullen, an alumnus of LDEO as well as the Weather Channel's first on-air climate expert and creator of Forecast Earth.

The panel focused on links between climate change and extreme weather. If you are a climate change doubter and/or think the human effect on climate to be overstated, there would not have been much in the discussion or Q&A for you. The audience focused the questions on hurricanes and droughts, probably due to the recent occurrences of each in the United States. The recent trend for hurricanes that Dr. Camargo described was one of less frequent but more intense hurricanes, and this being due to changing precipitation patterns that are linked to climate change. Drought, on the other hand, was a more local occurrence tied to El Nino / La Nina events mostly. The climatologists predicted that the drought in Texas, for example, would likely continue into next year.

The crowd then moved on to the Big Question: mitigation of global warming. The scientists pointed out that there is no "magic bullet" that will reduce global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. A "transportation" and oil entrepreneur in the audience pointed out that the public often focuses most of its attention on transportation effects on global warming, but in reality the causes are manifold. Sure enough, agriculture, deforestation, energy production, transportation, and many other factors are causing this global warming.

After much discussion, the main takeaways were:
1) the climate is changing, and humans are major contributors to this change
2) scientists unanimously agree on global warming and climate change, but politics has misconstrued their message(s)
3) there is no clear answer on what to do about climate change. Even if we cut emissions to zero, we will be in serious trouble, so sequestering of greenhouse gases may be needed (but this is expensive and again a clear path is missing).

There were plenty of other interesting speakers throughout the day, including Jeffrey Sachs speaking on the lead-up to Rio +20, and a panel discussion on "Mega Quakes." But I did not get to see any of these, as I spent a good portion of the day volunteering at the welcome stand. This was fun and interesting, because while handing out maps and giving directions, I met many interesting people. Many young children arrived with their parents in tow, excited to see the experiments and displays designed for young budding scientists such as trashcan volcanoes and bathtub science. There were adults with an interest in what LDEO was and who just wanted to explore. Also many alumni arrived, LDEO scientists from the 60s and 70s who had incredible stories of rugged Indiana Jones-like science in the field. When I did get some free time, besides the panel and the stories, I wandered around the labs and the displays, where many interesting things caught my eye: a bamboo bicycle, the tree ring lab (where they use tree rings to date past climate fluctuations, droughts, rainfall, etc), and many details of LDEO's fleet of ships and their oceangoing (and mapping) expeditions.

It was an interesting day, and had I been blogging more lately I would have invited you all! The best part of the day, for me, remains the many young people who had a day of getting excited about science. Maybe one or two of them will go into this field, and they will look back on a world-class research institute opening its doors to them (even just for a day) to thank for that.

I've been published! ...in a small-town monthly magazine...

Upon returning from Madagascar, I spent a month and a half in the resort town of Hilton Head, SC. While there, the editor of their area magazine asked me to write something about my Peace Corps experience. I put down some ideas, and it was published this month. I tried to scan the magazine below, but it would probably be easier to read it online (which you can do here). Warning: it is a bit cheesy and contains photos of smiling Malagasy children. In other words: cynics need not apply! Also, I did not suggest the title, nor cause the misprint below...

Rooney Rule for Premiership?

This is off-topic for this blog (actually, what is really ever on-topic here?) but I just heard some interesting news regarding one of my old employers. It seems England's Premier League (and other leagues) are looking at implementing something similar to the Rooney Rule. This is the rule that encouraged hiring of minority coaches in the NFL. In itself, this is a pretty interesting story as English football (soccer?) look for ways to better promote minority candidates for coaching jobs in leagues where minority stars are more and more common. What really caught my eye was that my former boss, Cyrus Mehri, is very involved with this. I worked for Mr. Mehri at the law firm Mehri & Skalet, PLLC. He was the driving force (along with Johnnie Cochran) in advocating for the original Rooney Rule, and manages the Fritz Pollard Alliance to monitor the hiring of minority coaches in the NFL. You can check him out on BBC giving an impassioned speech about the need for a similar rule in English football. Give it a watch, it's pretty cool!

Some readings: Telegraph, ESPN, Guardian...

Links for Weekend Thinks, and Tunes for Weekend Swoons

Ok, here are some links I thought were worth sharing. And then some tunes for the weekend...

Links with some commentary

-Public Health’s “benevolent” dictator? This article points out some of the dangers of the Gates Foundation’s influence in the realm of public health. Despite all the good it has done, some concerns have arisen. For instance, the Foundation’s over-reliance on technological answers often avoids long-term, systemic change:

“It’s easier to develop a diarrhoea vaccine than to get the faeces out of the water supply, but clean water provides benefits far beyond diarrhea prevention.” 

And the Gates Foundation funds nearly everyone in the field (“Gates funds so many players, a common joke runs that it’s easier to list the organizations that Gates doesn’t support.”)… so who is left to offer independent analysis and critique of its programs? Last blurb (check out the article for more context):

“Even the best-intentioned of dictators may find themselves insulated from the objective feedback they need to learn from their mistakes and make essential course corrections.”

I certainly do not agree with all of the gloom-and-doom, but former Aid Watch-er Laura Freschi raises some good points and concerns. (h/t @bill_easterly) 

-Community-managed forests better protected than official reserves? (h/t @ryan_arash) Clicking through to the article, we find a a study showing that the answer to the above question is yes. I only skimmed the article, but it seems like it does touch upon my feeling, which is that this result is due to poor infrastructure at Protected Areas, such as poor pay scales/late pay, corruption, supplies and training... (rather than an especially inherent connection between communities and their forests, which is what is sometimes implied).

-Food security! Tom Murphy links to CGIAR's public meeting on the Horn of Africa famine. To be honest, I scanned the video a bit, looking for Namanga Ngongi (because I am interested in AGRA's work). He had some nice comments about the need to produce better crops (not just research) and find a way for companies to profit from this production/sale and involve the private sector. By the way, Tom often does a nice job of capturing my thoughts, when merely commenting on a video or link. This is true here, in regards to food security/famine/agriculture:

Personally, I am keen on long term solutions. Immediate aid must happen, but discussions about prevention should not be shelved because of the crisis.

-Education but no Jobs? Mmm unintended consequences… Increasing education but not adequately increasing high-skilled jobs. This article is very interesting, particularly the part about students paying increased fees to gain an education but then not being able to recover those costs through higher-end employment. One thing I think the article missed is a corollary of this result:

“The shortage of higher-level jobs has forced many young people to take roles for which they are overqualified. This in turn can create resentment and other forms of alienation.”

I think it is important to remember the snowballing consequences of high-skilled graduates taking low-skilled jobs: it muscles lower-skilled workers out of the job market, often times putting those who could not afford a high-quality education back on the street. They in turn are losing out on any low-skilled job creation, amplifying their poverty.

Quick(...er) Hits
-I am fascinated by what is happening in South Africa. I cannot shake the feeling that something big is happening in the ANC and it will soon pour out into the whole country (at best, something very interesting, at worst, something very dangerous). Speaking of SA, can they implement a development state... and how does one implement a development state?
-I just signed up for a GIS (Geographical Information Systems) class, so this graphical representation of food security caught my eye.
-I linked to this in the blog roll, but if you are interested in any of the following: photography, Ghana, anthropology, writing, etc... then you will love this.
-Blattman links to (and writes a bit about) impact evaluation. I found this Blatt-line interesting:

The short answer: policymakers and donors — don’t do M&E, do R&D. It’s not about the method. Randomized trails are a means to an end. Use them, but wisely and strategically. And don’t outsource your learning agenda to academics.

and check out my classmate Holly's blog for much more detail on the above Blatt-link.

-Conservation and Poverty Traps. (h/t again @ryan_arash) I absolutely love this observation (jives perfectly with my thinking, especially in regards to the tired buzzword 'ecotourism') -

Few efforts to achieve “winwin” solutions (e.g., bioprospecting, ecotourism, integrated conservation and development projects, payments for ecosystem services) have fully delivered on their promises

Friday Music Video:
Mahaleo might be the most popular band in Madagascar... ever. I used to liken them to the Beatles, because people of all ages would listen to them, and you would almost always hear their songs (or one of their member's songs) on a bush taxi anywhere in the country. They started in the 70s as students with a social conscience, and have since gone on to all sorts of high-level professions (check out some details here). Even the band's name probably best translates as something like "to overcome." So, after the Health message of last week's video (I am still getting over how awesome the Tana Gospel Choir is in that video), here is an environmental message! This is one of Mahaleo's songs, as performed by bandmember Dama (and popular musician Olombelo Ricky) called "Tsy Miraharaha" which probably best translates to "I don't care" or "It's not my business." It is about the destruction of Madagascar's environment, and the sarcastic response from the average Malagasy that "it is not my problem."
A sampling of the lyrics:
Tanety dorana, tsy miraharaha
Arehitra ny ala, tsy miraharaha

(or, roughly translated)
The hills are burning, I don't care
The forests are aflame, I don't care...



Finally, it appears that this video clip was taken from a larger, very good documentary called Ny Dian'i Mananilatany. It does not appear to be online (after a brief search), and the only copy I have is in Malagasy... but, it is pretty sweet if you come across it...

Why is Madagascar Treated Differently by US State Department?

I recently joined Twitter, and almost immediately got into a potentially interesting discussion with the US Embassy in Madagascar. The new Charge d'Affaires was set to arrive, so the USEmbassy tweeted:

@USMadagascar USEmbassy-Madagascar

The new Chargé d´Affaires of the American Embassy arrives soon - what do you think he should know about #Madagascar?

28 Aug via web

To which I replied:

@ChrisPlanicka Chris Planicka

@USMadagascar Why there is still no US Ambassador to Madagascar. Actually, we all would like to know why...

28 Aug via web

Which led to this:

@USMadagascar USEmbassy-Madagascar

@ChrisPlanicka In order to have an ambassador, we would need to have a recognized government to which we could present their credentials

33 minutes ago via web

Caught up? Now, I should first point out that the American Embassy staff that I met in Madagascar were fantastic and put on some of the best programs in the country. My issue is not with the embassy itself but with the US State Department's stance on Madagascar.

To respond to the USEmbassy's tweet: Of course I know the literal reason there is no current US Ambassador in Madagascar. An unrecognized government's country cannot have an official US Ambassador. But, why are we (the United States) continuing to play out foreign policy idealism in Madagascar while fully utilizing realpolitik in pretty much every other country? The Malagasy people continue to suffer, due in large part to lack of full USAID funding, a partially-functioning US Embassy (with no Ambassador nor related funding programs, like the Self-Help Fund or the Democracy and Human Rights Fund), the removal of the Millennium Challenge Account (of which Madagascar was the first country to qualify for), and most importantly the suspension of AGOA. Many have begun calling for an end to pointless sanctions which are not achieving the political aim of bringing the Rajoelina government to the negotiating table (for an example, see the link in this post under #3).

Now, I am no fan of how Andry Rajoelina came to power, nor am I a supporter of any of his government's actions since taking that power. But, like it or not, he has been in power for two-and-a-half years now. The United States recently recognized the National Transitional Council in Libya as the legitimate government over a month before it took the capital. In fact, the bloody civil war is still continuing. In Somalia, the United States recognizes the Transitional Federal Government, despite their almost complete powerlessness in governing that country. In a closer comparison, US Ambassador Bisa Williams presented her credentials to an interim government months before post-coup elections were held in Niger.

It seems like everywhere else, the United States is utilizing a realpolitik foreign policy. They focus on practical implications in dealing with governments that are in power, no matter the means or extent of this power. But in Madagascar, the US State Department clings to an idealistic belief that all governments it recognizes must come to office via the ballot box. It is time to treat Madagascar as practically as the United States treats everyone else... the Malagasy people deserve it.