The pot boils over: development lessons from Tunisia and Egypt | Alasdair McWilliam
February 22, 2011 No Comment
Some of the Middle East’s star performers on development indicators face popular anger and dissatisfaction. So where does that leave development policy? A glance at recent data on development indicators reveals some striking figures about the Middle East. Far from lagging behind, many Middle East countries have made rapid progress on development, especially the broader “human development” areas of health and education. Even more surprising is that the countries making the biggest media splash in recent weeks are, in fact, star performers. A recent initiative gauging progress on the millennium development goals ranks Tunisia as joint first among 137 countries, while Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran are ranked joint third. Similarly, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco score as top movers on the 2010 Human Development Index , a hybrid measure of income, education and health. Significant increases in living standards, as measured by the MDGs and HDI, have not satisfied citizens’ needs and aspirations, and this raises issues on how we conceptualise, measure and promote development. The causes of unrest across Egypt and Tunisia, and the growing trouble in the Arab world, are complex, though observers attribute the situation to two major dynamics – youth unemployment and lack of political voice. But neither of these is included in prominent measures of development such as the MDGs. Unemployment among 15- to 24-year-olds in the Middle East is the highest in the world, at more than 25%. However, about two-thirds of the region’s population is now below 24 years of age. The ever-greater numbers of high school and university graduates are not being absorbed into the economy, while the private sector is not generating enough skilled positions. Employers, meanwhile, complain of poor education quality and low graduate skills. Tertiary enrolment – school leavers going to higher education – in Egypt has risen from 14% to 28% since 1990, and in Tunisia from 8% to 34%. Egyptian high school graduates account for 42% of the workforce, but 80% of the unemployed. According to the global employment trends from the International Labour Organisation , Arab countries need to generate more than 50 million jobs in the next decade just to stabilise employment. These conditions have created a large body of disaffected youth, a boiling pot of frustration that is now spilling over at governments that have failed to provide employment opportunities. The reasons for unrest aren’t all economic. Increases in literacy and education, alongside urbanisation and the expansion of the media, have extended political consciousness and broadened demands for political participation. Despite national increases in living standards, the region’s repressive, authoritarian regimes are often plagued by corruption and nepotism. Dani Rodrik , a development economist, points out that economic growth does not buy stability unless political institutions mature at the same time. This shows that widely used measures of development such as the MDGs and the HDI are, by themselves, insufficient to determine development priorities: much greater attention needs to be played to inequality, but not only inequality of income. Middle Eastern countries have had, at least until recently, one of the most equal income distributions in the world. Egypt, for example, registered a Gini coefficient (a measure of inequality) of 32 in 2005, far lower than the 47 achieved by the US in the same year. This suggests that access to gainful employment and acute inequalities in political power also need to be considered. These issues are not unique to the Middle East. But the histories of countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria demonstrate that as societies transform and urbanise, aspirations grow and people expect more of their governments. However, economic inequalities within, rather than between, countries are becoming more important as the proportion of middle-income countries grow: research from the Institute of Development Studies shows there is a new “bottom billion” of 960 million poor people – 72% of the world’s poor – who live not in low, but in middle-income countries. This is a dramatic change from just two decades ago, when 93% of poor people lived in low-income countries. Such processes also pose challenges for sub-Saharan Africa. About a third of Africans live in urban areas, but by 2030 this will increase to half; and more than 60% of Africa’s population is under 25, and that will rise to 75% by 2015. About 7.2% of the region’s youth is unemployed and an additional 46.9% is either underemployed or inactive. Many African countries have substantially increased access to education, but those economies will need to start generating skilled jobs to absorb this labour. If not, will tomorrow’s educated, African youth, like those in Tunisia and Egypt today, demand resolution to these grievances by force? Millennium development goals Egypt Tunisia Development data Middle East Alasdair McWilliam guardian.co.uk
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The future of Libya appears to be on a knife-edge. The military’s taking on the people in the streets of the capital, Tripoli, and high-level diplomats are deserting the Gaddafi regime. But now the man himself has appeared on national TV to dispel rumours that he’s getting out. And that’s going to make things more difficult for the mounting calls for international action. Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker reports.
Continue reading …Matthews Visibly Angered By Poll Finding Americans Think Reagan Was Greatest President
February 22, 2011 No Comment
A Gallup poll released Friday found Americans are most likely to say Ronald Reagan was the nation's greatest president. On Monday, MSNBC's Chris Matthews was visibly angered about these results and actually insulted those in Reagan's camp as having a “limited memory” (video follows with transcript and commentary): CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well, today's George Washington's birthday, by the way. You can call it President's Day if you're buying a mattress. Otherwise, forget it. A new Gallup poll rates which presidents the American people think are best. By the way, this is a memory quiz more than a historic quiz. At number seven, the current guy in charge, Barack Obama, number seven. Number six, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. At five, George Washington, our first president. Number four, John F. Kennedy. Bill Clinton's number three. He's, by the way, the subject of our big historic documentary tonight at 10:00 Eastern. And Abraham Lincoln at number two. The greatest president in history, according to the American people with their limited memory, is Ronald Reagan. Keep in mind, these are not historian rankings. These are people's. By the way, they should insist before anybody participates in one of these ridiculous polls, “Please list the presidents and then pick the best.” Don't just go with the ones you can remember. It's like the greatest movie of all times was the one I just went to. Isn't it interesting that Matthews had no problem with Obama being listed even though he's been in office for only two years and currently is the only president besides Roosevelt to have an unemployment rate above eight percent for this many months? Beyond this, given the “Hardball” host's adoration for Clinton, would he have groused if one of the two presidents in our history to have been impeached took top honors? As for the memory issue, Matthews must be ignoring the appearance on this list of presidents long gone such as both Roosevelts, Truman, Eisenhower, and especially Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson. Does it really appear folks have memory issues when Abraham Lincoln comes in second in this kind of poll? This seems especially absurd as according to Gallup, “Reagan, Lincoln, or John F. Kennedy has been at the top of this 'greatest president' list each time this question has been asked in eight surveys over the last 12 years.” As such, Matthews' anger has nothing to do with people's memories or their intellectual capacities. He just can't stand the idea that Reagan ever comes in first. Pretty juvenile for a man that hosts an American cable news program, wouldn't you agree?
Continue reading …Genre: Hip Hop Title: My Philosophy Artist: KRS-One Kris Parker, aka KRS-One, is one of those artists who, though excellent at what he did best, was a bit ignored by a larger audience due to, well, changing fads in the genre. Make no mistake, though: The man was, and still is, a giant on the stand. KRS-One faced more adversity than chart success. In 1987, his friend and Boogie Down Productions partner, DJ Scott LaRock, was shot and killed while attempting to negotiate a peace between another BDP member and some local gangstas in the Bronx, which led KRS-One to turn away from the burgeoning gangsta rap scene (for which BDP is often credited as an early pioneer) and form the Stop the Violence Movement . My Philosophy , recorded and released in 1988, stands as a sort mission statement for the Stop the Violence Movement. Parker’s career is still active, and he remains an activist…And his music remains very creative and thoughtful.
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Khaled Al Ga’aeem, under-secretary of Libya’s foreign ministry, phoned Al Jazeera on Monday night. This is a translation of part of the subsequent conversation, which aired live.
Continue reading …Maddow Mocks Wisconsin GOP for Opposing Public-Sector Unions – Which Were Also Opposed By FDR
February 22, 2011 No CommentNormally you'd expect a left-winger like MSNBC's Rachel Maddow to do cartwheels if current-day Republicans agree with opinions held by Franklin Roosevelt during the depths of the Great Depression. This is not one of those times, however, as we are learning during the ongoing battle in Wisconsin over public-sector unions.
Continue reading …Walker Paying Back the Koch Brothers in Wisconsin With Union Busting and No-Bid Power Plant Sales
February 22, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media As Think Progress’ Lee Fang discussed with Cenk Uygur today, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is doing more than just busting the unions in his state to help out the Koch brothers. There is also a provision in the budget plan that would allow the state to give no-bid sales state owned of power plants to his corporate donors. Koch Industries Slashed WI Jobs, Helped Elect Scott Walker, Now Orchestrating Pro-Walker Protest : A number of the big business interests standing with Walker are beneficiaries of his administration’s tax giveaways. But the greatest ally to Walker is the dirty energy company Koch Industries. In response to the growing protests in Madison, Koch fronts are busing in Tea Party protesters to support Walker and his union-busting campaign. Last night, MSNBC’s Ed Schultz reported on the involvement of Club for Growth and the Koch-financed Americans for Prosperity in the pro-Walker protest scheduled tomorrow. Koch Industries was one of the biggest contributors to Walker’s gubernatorial campaign, funneling $43,000 over the course of last year. In return, Koch front groups are closely guiding the Walker agenda. The American Legislative Exchange Council, another Koch-funded group, advised Walker and the GOP legislature on its anti-labor legislation and its first corporate tax cuts. According to the EPA, Koch businesses are huge polluters , emitting thousands of pounds of toxic pollutants. As soon as he got into office Walker started cutting environmental regulations and appointed a Republican known for her disregard for environmental regulations to lead the Department of Natural Resources. In addition, Walker has stated his opposition to clean energy jobs policies that might draw workers away from Koch-owned interests. In Budget Bill, Wisconsin Gov. Walker Pushing for No-Bid Sales of State-Owned Power Plants : Andy Stern frames the debate in Wisconsin correctly as a 15-state power grab to take away worker’s rights. Under the cover of a fiscal crisis created by Wall Street and a deep economic recession, right-wing politicians in Wisconsin and elsewhere are trying to pin the blame on public employees and strip them of their bargaining rights. This is a power grab. But this wouldn’t be a Republican power grab without some profit-taking for corporate allies , now, would it? As Mike Konczal explains, this would allow the state to make no-bid sales, overriding public interest concerns, of heating, cooling or power plants. This rider is just an invitation to corruption, and part of a familiar pattern of selling off state-owned property to fill a budget gap in the short term, with disastrous consequences in the long term. See the sale of Chicago’s parking meters . Hat tip to Ed from Ginandtacos on this one, who writes: If this isn’t the best summary of the goals of modern conservatism, I don’t know what is. It’s like a highlight reel of all of the tomahawk dunks of neo-Gilded Age corporatism: privatization, no-bid contracts, deregulation, and naked cronyism. Extra bonus points for the explicit effort to legally redefine the term “public interest” as “whatever the energy industry lobbyists we appoint to these unelected bureaucratic positions say it is.” He rightly connects the Koch Brothers, who have been active in purchasing power plants and who basically funded Scott Walker’s gubernatorial run , to this rider. This is corporate cronyism of the worst order.
Continue reading …You gotta love Colbert’s defense of Clarence Thomas. He explains away his ties to the Koch Brothers, not filing Ginny’s taxes since there’s no box to mark for her 700K income on the tax forms and his vote on the Citizens Untied case. And not speaking for five straight terms is a noble thing for ol’ Clarence. When the Supreme Court hears arguments next week, it will mark the fifth anniversary of Justice Clarence Thomas’s silence during oral argument — unless he chooses to re-enter the give-and-take. We hope he will. This milestone has stirred a wide conversation about his effectiveness as a justice following another about his ethics. They are actually related. How Justice Thomas comports himself on the bench is a matter of ethics and effectiveness, simultaneously. His authority as a justice and the court’s as an institution are at issue… read on And what about Clarence taking a quick trip to the secret Koch Brothers meeting?Conflict of interest you say? Nope. Just a much deserved reward for doing the Koch Brothers bidding. There’s nothing wrong with a Supreme Court judge doing that, now is there?
Continue reading …Wisconsin State Senator Smacks Down Chris Matthews: ‘You’re Completely Uninformed’
February 22, 2011 No Comment
MSNBC's Chris Matthews tried Monday to push the liberal media meme that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker exempted police and firefighters from his budget repair plan because their unions endorsed him in last November's election. “Well one more time you're completely uninformed,” replied Republican State Senator Glenn Grothman who then proceeded to tell the facts to the obviously clueless “Hardball” host (video follows with transcript and commentary): CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Let me go to the Republican, Senator Grothman. My question of course is why does the Governor pick on the unions that didn't endorse him in the last campaign but give a free ride to the firefighters and the cops who did and the localities? Why did they get off and are allowed to continue to negotiate collectively? STATE SENATOR GLENN GROTHMAN (R-WISCONSIN): Well one more time you're completely uninformed. The firemen’s union around this state have campaigned against Republicans, and the statewide police have repeatedly campaigned against Republicans. Governor Walker is doing this out of financial necessity. And out of financial necessity the state with a $3 billion budget deficit has to do something. Governor Walker as well as the cities, counties and schools which all rely on state money can either lay people off or have everybody take a mild reduction in take home pay. Myself with a mild reduction in take home pay is part of that. Now we understand… MATTHEWS: Okay, you just said I’m wildly, once again I’m wildly out of, out of, wrong on the facts. GROTHMAN: Absolutely. MATTHEWS: You’re telling me that there aren't local affiliates, there aren't local union organizations at the county level, municipal level that didn't endorse your governor candidate when he ran. Are you saying they didn't endorse him, the firefighters and the cops? GROTHMAN: I can think of two small locals. The vast majority, the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, the vast majority of firemen's unions worked against Walker in this campaign and to say otherwise is completely to mislead your listening audience. So who's right? Well, as NewsBusters reported Friday, Walker addressed this very question with CBS's Chris Wragge on that morning's “Early Show”: WRAGGE: You say this is a modest request. Now some state workers have been hit harder than others. Your teachers union, which votes Democratic under normal circumstances, hit very hard. Yet your police, state trooper, firemen unions, who all supported and endorsed you, did not get touched in any of this. Why is that? WALKER: Well, Chris – Chris that actually is not true. There are 314 fire and police unions in the state. Four of them endorsed me. All the rest endorsed my opponent. But let's not take his word for it. Let's see what Politifact had to say about this very subject Monday: During the campaign last November, leaders of the Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Association and Milwaukee Police Association appeared in an ad supporting Walker and blasting his opponent, Democrat Tom Barrett. Walker also won endorsements from the West Allis Professional Police Association and the Wisconsin Troopers Association Walker didn’t get the endorsements of two statewide unions, the Wisconsin Professional Police Association and the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, which both backed Barrett. For the record, the governor told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the charge that he was exempting police and firefighters was “ridiculous.” He said he didn't recommend changing the rules for police officers and firefighters because he didn’t want public safety work disrupted. We then contacted the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, the statewide union that endorsed Walker's opponent last year. Executive director Jim Palmer said the statewide organization is much larger than the local Milwaukee police union that endorsed Walker. The state group has approximately 11,000 members versus Milwaukee’s roughly 1,400, he said. Similarly, the state firefighters association has more than 3,000, compared with the Milwaukee union’s 875. In reality, if Matthews or any of his staff knew had to do a Google search, this information is all a few keystrokes away. For instance,” THE WPPA ENDORSES TOM BARRETT FOR GOVERNOR “: Surrounded by law enforcement officers at a May 12th [2010] event, Tom Barrett received the endorsement of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association in his race to become the state’s next governor. The WPPA represents over 11,000 active and retired members from over 375 locals statewide. With over 70 years of service to law enforcement personnel, the WPPA is recognized as the leading law enforcement association in Wisconsin. Or how about ” Wisconsin Professional Fire Fighters endorse Tom Barrett for governor .” Finally, on an even grander scale, ” Barrett endorsed by National Association of Police Officers “: On behalf of the more than 240,000 men and women of law enforcement it represents, the National Association of Police Officers (NAPO) today endorsed Tom Barrett for Wisconsin governor in recognition of his long record of support for and public safety officials and issues. “NAPO is pleased to support your campaign and is confident of your support of Wisconsin’s law enforcement community,” NAPO executive director William J. Johnson wrote in a letter to Tom. NAPO is a coalition of police unions and associations from across the United States that serves to advance the interests of America’s law enforcement through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. Founded in 1978, NAPO now represents more than 1,000 police units and associations, 241,000 sworn law enforcement officers, 11,000 retired officers and more than 100,000 citizens who share a common dedication to fair and effective crime control and law enforcement. As such, this media meme advanced by Matthews Monday is a total fabrication. Either the “Hardball” host and his staff are completely incompetent and are incapable of identifying what is clearly available on the internet, or they are intentionally misinforming their viewers in order to show support for the protesters in Madison. Whatever the answer, the higher-ups at MSNBC should be doing something about this blatant negligence if they want their network to be in any way taken seriously.
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Click here to view this media Good old Hucka-Jesus decided to carry a little water for Wisconsin’s Gov. Scott Walker by bashing the protesters and striking teachers there, of course all under the guise of Huckabee’s “aw shucks”, good old boy shtick he’s down pat. I’m just wondering Huck, how many unions would Jesus want to see busted? Who’s side do you think he’d be on here? The Koch brothers, or the workers? These supposed “good Christians” like Huckabee astound me. Someone needs to remind Huckabee that unions gave us weekends, child labor laws, minimum wage, sick days, vacation, collective bargaining and workers having the ability to earn a living wage. Huckabee and his buddies at Fox want to start a class war between what’s left of our dying middle class and the poor. That seems pretty un-Christ-like to me. Here’s something for Huckabee the next time he’s in the mood to quote scripture while he’s drawing that big paycheck from Fox while trying to turn working people against each other who should be on the same side of this fight. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
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