The public is wary of the financial industry’s political power in Washington. But is it wary enough? The Baseline Scenario is an engaging blog that breaks down the complexities of the financial disaster for math-challenged readers like me. Begun in 2008, the blog is now being regularly cited by a plethora of major magazines and newspapers. The co-authors’ new book, “13 Bankers, The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown,” is one we should all be reading.

Multimedia Content VIDEO: Bill Moyers Interview VIDEO: Bill Maher Roundtable

Simon Johnson and James Kwak of The Baseline Scenario are leading the charge for financial reform. Their book expresses our public outrage. The disease of Wall Street fraud, spreading hardship and pain worldwide, has so far earned little more than a slap on the wrist. Could it be that the banks are even more powerful than before the disaster hit?! This replay of the early 1930s ain’t over yet. Public figures like Nobel Laureates Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz are calling on government to break up and regulate the big banks, but the undertow is formidable. See Multimedia Content for VIDEOS: Bill Moyer’s eye-opening interview with the authors, and an entertaining Bill Maher roundtable with guests Simon Johnson of Baseline Scenario, Laura Flanders of Grit T.V. and David Remnick of the New York Times.

The book:

Visit this link, and let your voice be heard:

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Shiza Shahid, a 20-year-old Stanford student, took Taliban denial of girls’ education into her own hands last year after the violent insurgents shut down all girls schools in the Swat Valley, Pakistan, only 100 miles away from where she grew up. Shahid’s anger drove her to mobilize assistance to 26 girls, who joined her last summer in Islamabad for workshops and emotional relief. Waves of violence in the Swat Valley had left schools burned, family members abducted and in some cases, murdered. The project, Shajar-e-llm, or Tree of Knowledge, was kept quiet in order to protect the girls from further threat.

Multimedia Content VIDEO: Tree of Life Program VIDEO: A Schoolgirl’s Odessey in Swat

As the din of controversy continues to rage on the question of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and drone operations in the border with Pakistan, we often miss the realities of what families there on the ground actually contend with. See *Multimedia Content* for “A Schoolgirl’s Oddessey,” the New York Times VIDEO featuring a young girl torn from her school in Swat, and forced to journey away from all that she loves.

What are your concerns regarding Afghanistan and Pakistan? Feel free to leave your comments below:

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President Obama is edging closer to a decision on whether to reinforce the 68,000 U.S. troops who will be fighting in Afghanistan by year’s end. Since routing out Al Qaeda and their Taliban hosts in Afghanistan after 9-11, the Taliban has made a steady comeback, fueled by failures of the Bush administration, profits from the opium trade and corruption under the country’s president, Hamid Karzai. Amid accusations of fraud during the August 20th presidential election and a deteriorating internal security situation, the country seems poised on foundations so tenuous that our leaders are in conflict about what to do.

Multimedia Content Artist SLIDESHOW: Recent Tour in Afghanistan Artist SLIDESHOW: Medics on the Front Line

General Stanley McChrystal is calling for 30,000 or more additional US troops. While Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham are in support of the proposal, President Obama seems unconvinced that sending more troops is warrented, and a credible future exit strategy appears elusive at best, given the circumstances.

Author Gordon Goldstein talks with the German news source, Spiegel Online, about the lessons of Viet Nam, in which he sees historical parallels to the current Afghanistan predicament. President Obama asked his security advisors to read Goldstein’s book, “Lessons in Disaster: McGeorge Bundy and the Path to War in Vietnam,” which traces the events that mired the U.S. in a tragic situation. See the INTERVIEW here.

The BBC is posting some remarkable images by artists who have documented the scene in Afghanistan (and elsewhere.) Check out Multimedia Content to see a few samples in this poignant Slideshow series.

Artists and others:
The BBC features some wonderful interactive programming online. Weigh in on Afghanistan or other cutting edge topics by submitting your work:

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Not a day goes by without news that demonstrates the perceptive words of Hindu leader Mahatma Gandhi of India, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” The Charter for Compassion (and Ted Talks) recently assembled an impressive group of current and diverse leaders to convey a core message. Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf has been working to guide American and Muslims toward their shared humanity and moral values. Here, the Imam imparts teachings and stories from the Qur’an, Rumi, Muhammad and Jesus, to illustrate the common call for unity residing in each of the major traditions. He suggests that the door opening beyond ego is accessible to all.

Multimedia Content Robert Wright VIDEO on scientific aspects of compassion See the Charter for Compassion Project

Bio: (Charter for Compassion):
In 2003, Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf founded the Cordoba Initiative, a non-partisan and international organization that works to provide innovative solutions to conflict between Muslim and Western communities. In 1997, he started the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), a group that brings American Muslims and non-Muslims together through programs in policy, current affairs and culture. Imam Rauf regularly attends the Council on Foreign Relations and the World Economic Forum (both Davos and Dead Sea) and has written three books: Islam: A Search for Meaning; Islam: A Sacred Law; and What’s Right With Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West. He continues to balance his mission of creating peace with his regular duties as Imam of Masjid al-Farah, a mosque twelve blocks from Ground Zero in New York City, that he has led for 25 years.

If universal compassion seems like a castle in the sky, author and specialist in evolutionary biology, Robert Wright, takes a glance at compassion through the lens of science. His is a fascinating, earthbound perspective that supports the notion that we are hard-wired for reciprocal altruism. See Multimedia Contentto watch the VIDEO.

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Members Advocate for Peaceful Means
The Alliance of Nations was established in 2005, at the initiative of the Governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations. The program seeks to counter extremism through action based upon cross-cultural dialogue and interfaith cooperation. 20 individuals from a wide array of countries and disciplines were chosen by then Secretary General Kofi Anan to forge new partnerships and generate ideas aimed at building trust, while under no pressure to represent a state or national interest.

These distinguished members have much to share. Those from China and Senegal share long histories in which harmonious co-existence was achieved among citizens of divergent nationalities and religions. Perhaps most importantly, the Alliance exposes the “war of civilizations” to be a sort of mirage or even delusion. In watching member interviews (see Multimedia Content) we are reminded that clashing economic and political interests are the true drivers of conflict, forming a vortex into which religions are often secondarily swept, to devastating effect.

All religious traditions are vulnerable to the pitfalls of extremism. Groups who adopt extremist views that lead to violence are few, but their actions are potent and widely publicized. The Alliance strives to turn up the volume on moderate voices–particularly Muslim–which represent a vast majority of the Muslim world. The members have come together to clarify complex underlying causes, to create a written report, and to make their recommendations actionable, all with the understanding that equality, liberty and democracy are universal concepts, non-exclusive to any one system or region of the world.

See Multimedia Content below for Alliance of Civilizations VIDEO interviews, including members from Spain, Egypt, Tunisia, South Africa and Morocco. Watch inspiring members from other countries as well, including Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, China, Russia, North America, Uruguay and Brazil. See also the remarkable VIDEO of President Obama’s speech from Cairo Egypt, where he acknowledges the work of the Alliance of Nations, and articulates how the creative core of our American founding principles tie with the values of others around the world.

Multimedia Content Alliance of Civilizations Video Obama Cairo Speech Video

Brief on Favorite Alliance Interviews:

Federico Mayor, Spain
Solve poverty: choose diplomacy over force:
Co-Spoonsor, Alliance of Civilizations; President, Foundation for Culture of Peace

Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Egypt
On re-capturing the spirit of the ancient world’s first library:
North Africa Director of the Library of Alexandria

Dr. Mohamed Charfi, Tunisia, North Africa
On common principles shared by all branches of the Abrahamic religious traditions:
Former Education Minister of Tunisia, Law Professor, Human Rights Expert

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South Africa
On the enrichment of coming to know the other:
The Rt. Hon. Archbishop of Cape Town

Ms. Shobana Bhartia, India
On media self-regulating for balanced perspectives on culturally sensitive issues:
Managing Director of the Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Mr. André Azoulay, Morocco, North Africa
On changing hearts and minds through cultural exchange:
Adviser to His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco

See this VIDEO of President Obama’s speech to the Muslim World, delivered recently in Cairo, Egypt. Or watch the speech through Multimedia Content above.

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photo by: Anthony Dahl Wheeler

A cross-section of American leaders met recently via the U.S. Muslim Engagement Project in order to address the underlying causes of terrorism, and to help set a new course of action in relations with the Middle East. Terrorism measurements are difficult to pin down. But most intelligence data suggest linkage between the “war on terror” and significant increases in terrorism worldwide. The Iraq war has emboldened Iran with greater influence in the Middle East, and the radical groups Hamas and Hizbullah–primarily sponsored by Iran– have gained ground in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Extremists on both sides are in control of the region, and increasing violence dims the prospects for compromise. (See Action Opportunities below for more on the U.S. Muslim Engagement Project.)

When the military mission was unwisely diverted from Afghanistan to Iraq in 2002, the Taliban and al Qaeda terrorist groups began to re-organize. They now operate with impunity along both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border. The annual State Department terrorism report shows that, in Pakistan alone, attacks more than quadrupled between 2006 and 2008, with a sharp increase in “coordination, sophistication and frequency.“ The Taliban and al Qaeda now threaten the fragile governments of both countries, and seek to control Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, a potentially catastrophic scenario for the Western world.

While these developments are not the fault of American policies alone, we unquestionably hold the leading role of responsibility. Most thoughtful people here and across the West are prepared to change course in the Middle East. As recent drone bombings in Pakistan has demonstrated, hard power continues to be not only morally questionable, but packed with unintended consequences. Now obvious to most observers is that violent action, with its attendant peripheral destruction, incites further hatred of America within the general population and serves as a propaganda tool for further terrorist recruitment.

See Multimedia Content for VIDEO of Charlie Rose interview with Juan Cole, author and professor at the University of Michigan. He talks about his book, “Engaging the Muslim World” which encourages productive exchange between the West and the Middle East. See here also President Obama’s Cairo speech to the Muslim World:

The relationship between America and the Muslim world is key to achieving security at home and around the world. The U.S. Muslim Engagement Project was formed to build bridges between our societies, to overcome differences through peaceful means, create improved relations and avoid disaster.

Please visit the Action Opportunities box above to make an inquiry about the Muslim Engagement Project, and email me with other links to similar East-West initiatives. Thank you.

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Youth Inspired by Barack Obama’s Dream
The record crowd of seven million people impelled to Washington D.C. on Inauguration Day included a huge percentage of students.

Nicholas Anderson, 21, who traveled from the University of North Carolina to bunk with friends in Virginia, says he and his friends stepped aboard the metro train January 20th at 3:00 AM, in time to garner a decent view of Barack Obama’s being sworn into office as the 44th President of the United States.

By 4:00 AM, Anderson was surrounded by rush-hour-level crowds heading for the Mall in the bracing, pre-dawn darkness. As the sun rose gracefully over the capitol, he recalled a sense of “Joyous anticipation and also apprehensiveness,” —perhaps born of unprecedented security around the city, and prayers that the day would achieve its exceptional promise, indelible to memory.

Anderson had traveled to some of the poorest areas of the Carolinas during the primaries and the general election, to canvass door-to-door. On Election Day, in a cold and rainy East Durham, North Carolina, he and his friend David worried that the weather might diminish turnout, so they crisscrossed neighborhoods in a last ditch effort to secure voters. Excitement flew on the local air, even among undocumented citizens not qualified to vote. Many residents had already visited the polls. Hold-outs were inspired by the canvassers to get moving. One African American woman was enthusiastic about an Obama presidency for her children’s sake, but lacked transportation. The young men raced to their car and drove the parents to the polling place at the elementary school. “When the couple walked out [of the booths,] they were beaming,” says Anderson. By the end of their long, rain-drenched day, Nicholas and David felt thrilled and rewarded by their contribution.

Looking for more insight into the phenomenal youth movement that coalesced around Mr. Obama during his campaign, I asked Anderson if he detected (within himself or his peers) any cynicism or anger in response to the Bush years. His answer was a qualified “no.” In regard to our national debt, foreign entanglements and declining national reputation, he said, “It’s our generation that will be saddled with the consequences.” But his remarks clearly suggested no interest in wasting time on imbibing the bitter pills. The younger set seems rather unfazed, less backward glancing and more forward looking, as Obama himself advocates in his speeches.

I asked Anderson to name his concerns, as he cast his vote for Barack Obama’s promise of change. The candidate was Anderson’s preferred choice on all fronts, from the Iraq war to education, to the environment, to creating an economic balance between market regulation and dynamism. He was drawn to the candidate’s tone of tolerance, his vision for dissolving the causes of terrorism and reducing reliance on military means. Obama also received high marks on character, perceived as aligning his actions with his professed beliefs.

Anderson is himself a young man acting on his own words. His special interest in the environment motivated him in 2007 to lead a college project in rural Argentina, improving health and quality of life for a village school. His Project Isonza restored a greenhouse and chicken coop for improved nutrition, and installed a solar hot water system for better hygiene, cutting down on transmittable illnesses and infection. Nicholas has worked with UNC and Duke University to design an on-going summer program whereby the project will be continued and developed for lasting impact on a wider scale. He plans to start a solar panel installation business here at home, in a growing renewable energy marketplace under President Obama.

See Multimedia Content: Project Isonza ***View Page 5*** of Insight Out Magazine for more on Nick’s Argentina project:

Anderson articulated his overarching concern; that America, a land born to foster self-reliance and unlimited dreams, seemed to be reaching a point in which “its government is not as good as its people.” Most of us can relate. We have long experienced disconnection from leaders whom the system has deemed worthy. The grass roots rise of Barack Obama and his team promises a more authentic mirror of the people, deeper investment in the public interest and, daring the optimism, steps toward a more perfect union.

Those of us a bit older might ponder when last we looked in trust to our government for direction rather than in suspicion for its blunders and missteps. Disillusionment was rampant during the 60s and 70s, and the ensuing decades. We might marvel at this younger generation’s relative calm, its departure from the cynicism we have grown used to, like a worn pair of jeans.

There is some comfort in this. The earlier pendulum swung fiercely in opposition–fire fought with fire. This one swings more gently in pro-action–flames casting a wider light. America is 232-years-young. As cynical realism needs its dose of optimism, optimism needs its dose of hard-won realism. The generations have much to share. Historical lessons seem to be merging with a polarity shift toward positive solutions. Is a new consciousness really dawning? Too rosy an outlook, some might say. But what true and lasting change (or art) has ever been born of cynicism?

Anderson says his favorite segment of the inaugural address is the President’s point that our American inheritance issues from those who gave their all to difficult tasks, as in prevailing through the gravest point of the Revolutionary War:

“Let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how
far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest
of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on
the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy
was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment
when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father
of our nation ordered these words to be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when
nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the
country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it.”

The power in those words brings our challenges into perspective. It could be argued that the dramas of our era pale in comparison to George Washington’s, and that unprecedented opportunity is opening its door to invite the next, great generation, in.

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photo by: Racey Tay

Changing the Religious Dialog

In follow-up to my Gateways Action post on September 25th, Scholar Karen Armstrong is leading the call for a “Charter for Compassion” to be created by people all over the world. As every religion has a history of intolerance, so each religion has principles for overcoming intolerance. The Charter aims to shift religious conceptions and relieve polarization. This new collaboration between the world’s religions is being conducted in partnership with the UN Alliance of Civilizations, and other multi-faith initiatives. The project begins with a focus on the Abrahamic faiths, since they account for much of the world’s inter-religious conflict. If they can reach common ground, it would be a huge step. As I understand it, the final Charter would appeal more broadly to include members of any world tradition, plus all people choosing to remain outside the structures of religion. The multimedia links above will take you to Karen Armstrong’s TED wish, and a 3-minute film articulating the aspirations of her Charter for Compassion project.

Pulling at the Roots of Extremism:
Scholar Karen Armstrong articulates an elegant core message of unity among all religions. Having veered sharply away from religion and its dogmatic pitfalls, Ms. Armstrong in later life turned toward literary studies and writing. Along the way, she developed a compelling vision for how the world may join to rescue religion from abusive justification for violent means in the midst of political struggles. She delivers a powerful call, not only to religious leaders, but to media professionals and all of us, to support her vision: Watch here or through Multimedia Content above.

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photo by: Luigi Anzivino

Film by Naomi Wolf Defends Constitution

We are entering a period that promises renewal in our country. Most of us are optimistic that a return to our most deeply held collective values is imminent. If you love the freedoms provided by our American Constitution and believe in our ability to continue realizing its ideals, I ask you to watch this important film in its entirety. Journalist Naomi Wolf, at first, resisted the deeper implications of the last eight years’ “War on Terror.”

Prompted by an insistent German friend, Ms. Wolf finally directed her research to the history of fascism. Her film illustrates the step-by-step breakdown of democracy, using vivid historical parallels. Wolf in not an alarmist. She is a true American patriot, bringing to light this important moment in history, helping us to clarify what has been at stake. This film is about danger, but also hope. It’s a moving tribute to our founders, and a stark reminder that an informed public is the essential safeguard to our inheritance–no matter who occupies the presidency. Visit the multimedia box above for links to Ms. Wolf’s film; also a VIDEO of Al Gore speaking about the balance of powers intended by the constitution. Or watch Ms. Wolf here: (preceded by a short commercial ad):    

 

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photo by: D. Sharon Pruitt

Tribute to the Creative Life of Paul Newman

September brought a sad, sweet farewell to Paul Newman, who died of cancer at the age of 83. Amidst the media gloom and campaign rancor of the season, a glance at his life makes for refreshing fare.