Dean in Sarajevo... "things no country should do" (Abu Ghraib)

[madfloridian]

Howard Dean in Sarajevo

http://www.fena.ba/uk/vijest.html?fena_id=FSA291786&rubrika=ES
"The United States, just like any other country, should respect the Geneva Convention and all other conventions on treating prisoners of war, former US Democratic Presidential Candidate, Mr. Howard Dean, said in Sarajevo on Wednesday at the “Pathways to Reconciliation and Global Human Rights” conference.

As a representative of an opposition party Dean said that the Democrats are extremely worried and interested in what is happening in the Guantanamo prison. He reminded of evidence of events in the Abu Gharib prison in Iraq and stressed that these are things that no country should do. "

From the same article, Benjamin Barber makes a statement about Guantanamo.
BARBER: GUANTANAMO IS ILLEGAL AND SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY CLOSED

More about Benjamin Barber

http://www.kevincmurphy.com/barber.html

"Barber's best work is An Aristocracy of Everyone, in which he makes a solid argument for public schooling. Schools are the font of citizenship, he argues, and thus we should teach the skills we desire in our citizenry to our children in the public arena. This means not only learning to deliberate with other, diverse members of one's community, but also learning the skills necessary to take an active role in all aspects of one's communal life, from jury duty to roadside cleanups. In the meantime, he makes a compelling case for a college community service requirement."

One of Barber's more recent books, "Jihad vs. McWorld", traces the erosive nature of both ethnic tribalism and global consumerism on the foundations of the nation-state, the "only guarantor of the conditions that democracy needs to flourish."

From Yahoo:
Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek (R) speaks with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean (L) of the U.S. during his one day long visit to castle Brdo in Slovenia August 16, 2005. REUTERS/Srdjan Zivulovic

[madfloridian]

1. More on this topic....ABC

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1046830&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina Aug 17, 2005 — "An international conference on conflict resolution, reconciliation and human rights began Tuesday in Sarajevo, the United Nations Development Program said.

The four-day meeting offers academics, politicians and activists a chance to discuss theories and experiences in establishing stability in post-conflict countries.

This year's participants included U.S. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, head of the Society for Threatened People, Tilman Zuelch, political theorist Benjamin Barber and University of Pennsylvania Professor of Political Science Brendan O' Leary.

Participants will discuss different ways countries have responded to conflict and tried to reconcile post-conflict grievances, organizers said. Among the cases being evaluated this year were Northern Ireland's peace process and the former Indonesian province of East Timor."

Here is page of speakers, with a very nice tribute to Susam Sontag who was scheduled earlier, but passed late last year.

http://www.sourcesofinsecurity.org/events/speakers.html

"We sadly observe the passing of Susan Sontag, who was to participate at the conference with the speakers listed above.

Ms. Sontag died of leukaemia in New York on December 29, 2004 at the age of 71. An obituary in The Financial Times described her as "one of America's most influential intellectuals, internationally renowned for the passionate engagement and breadth of her critical intelligence and her ardent activism in the cause of human rights." (The Financial Times, Dec. 30)

In a letter printed in the Boston Globe, on January 2nd, 2005 the following remarks were made regarding Ms. Sontag's commitment to drawing international attention to and ending the injustices of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina:

"I always will remember her personal acts and not just her words. Now that she has passed on, she should not be eulogized only as a great writer and thinker, but also as a doer of remarkably courageous deeds, as a true advocate for justice in a troubled world who was compelled to speak out and put her life on the line for others when it mattered." (The Boston Globe, Jan. 2)

[ZombieNixon]

2. Why is the chairman of the DNC in a foreign country?

Not that he shouldn't be there, but why is the leader of a US political party in Yugoslavia?

[madfloridian]

3. Why not? It is a conference about peace and unifying in the world.

He went to Rome last year for the Interdependence conference.

[ZombieNixon]

4. D'oh! I missed the part mentioning that it was a conference.

:spank:

I thought he was just there giving a speech, which didn't make sense, as Yugoslavians can't vote for American Democrats.