“In order to achieve success and stability in the country [BiH, Bosnia and Herzegovina], a multicultural society needs to be established, but this cannot be done without truth and reconciliation, former US Democratic Presidential Candidate, Mr. Howard Dean said in Sarajevo on Wednesday at the ‘Pathways to Reconciliation and Global Human Rights’ conference.” (FENA)
Dr. Dean, Democratic Nat’l Committee chair, is one of 300 “practitioners and thinkers from around the world to reflect upon, evaluate and advance the global human-rights agenda.”
The global human rights agenda. … Pathways to Reconciliation and Global Human Rights … sponsored by Sources of Insecurity … what foreign concepts in Washington, D.C. I’d be fascinated to learn how Howard Dean was invited to, and attracted to, this conference. But no matter. I’m touched beyond words that he is there with representatives of human rights organizations and NGOs.
He is a keynote speaker with Charles Villa-Vicencio, Exec. Dir., So. Africa’s Institute for Justice & Reconciliation; Olara Otunnu, Undersecretary Gen’l and UN Special Rep. for Children and Armed Conflict; Brendan O’Leary, Dir., Solomon Asch Centre for the Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, Univ. of Penn., and more human rights experts. The speakers page notes, “We sadly observe the passing of Susan Sontag, who was to participate at the conference …” I didn’t spot the names of any Bush administration officials. MORE from Dean below:
“There are no investors who will invest their funds if there is no stability”, Dean said and added that BiH needs to closely analyse what has happened and why it has happed, but that this should also include forgiveness.
The problem BiH is facing is not unique because similar things have happened elsewhere. Dean said that he would speak at the conference about racism and other problems the US had to overcome.
UNDP Acting Head of Mission to BiH Stefan Priesner presented results of a recent poll by UNDP.
According to the results two thirds of BiH citizens have experiences war as a threat to their lives, while half of them have still not overcome the pain caused by war. 20 percent were able to establish a normal course of life, but 70 percent have still not drawn a line and established normal life.
Priesner described as positive the high level of tolerance demonstrated by BiH citizens – 75 percent think that the level of tolerance in BiH is satisfactory, but 25-30 percent believe that war would again break out if international forces left the country.
This has led UNDP to a conclusion that reconciliation is extremely important in BiH and that it needs to be put on the agenda immediately, Priesner said and added that this problem has not been given enough attention during the past ten years.
Priesner said that UNDP would support court at lower levels dealing with an increasing number of cases of war crimes. (FENA)
Special thanks, as always, to Howie Martin for tracking the fascinating journey of Howard Dean’s life.
Dean is in Sarajevo probably because this is a commitment he made before becoming chair of the Dem Party. I don’t think it means anything other than he likes speaking on global topics to foreign audiences. He has done a few of these (Dubai, Rome, etc), and every time he pops up overseas, people take it as a Sign. 🙂
Oh okay — shucks — but it is still so absolutely cool he is doing this … would any Bush-ites would go to something like that?
Well, they would, but only if they could make corporate deals on the side for their Halliburton, etc. buddies…
Howard is in Sarajevo because he think this subject is important, because he needs to make international contacts and this a conference in which he’ll make some good ones with long term input to him, and because he’s now in the statesman class and that’s what states(wo)men do to avoid being narrow.
Susan, thanks for this post… 😉 This is so Howard. I am surprised the DNC “policy people” let him go…
Again, thanks.
Apparently unaware he’s gone. Nothing on the DNC website except the usual BushBash. Brilliant.
well, it just makes me want to draft him for President in ’08 all over again …
There will be a draft Dean in ’08. He’s still the straight, clear, on target candidate. Howard Dean meet Teddy Roosevelt. You two would get on well. Dean/Obama ’08
Benjamin Barber was there also. I have a short summary somewhere that was written up at Danny Schector of News Dissector who was there as well.
I found it…Howard Dean seems like a natural for this type of event.
Danny Schechter’s write-up of the event, a nice one. You need to read the whole thing.
The Interdependence Option
DEAN MADE THE SCENE
“Barber assembled an impressive group of intellectuals and activists including two former Presidents of (Milan Kucan of Slovenia and Ruth Dreifuss of Switzerland) and one wannabe President of the US, Howard Dean. Dean has taken a few days off from campaigning for John Kerry (his aide told me the two talk strategy regularly) I was impressed that Dean rode with us on a rarely on time bus, and listened closely to what others had to say, before speaking lucidly about his hopes for new initiatives from Europe to prod the US towards nuclear disarmament and help the Third World. Dr. Dean showed some of his bedside manner and seems to have lost none of his energy or engagement with political activism or a belief that young people have to be mobilized if the Democrats are to prevail. (Barber had been one of his campaign policy advisors.)
The other participants in the heady event included Carlo De Benedetti, an Italian industrialist and top newspaper publisher, Adam Michnik, a leader of Poland’s Solidarity movement, Andrei Gratchev, a one time Russian aide to Gorbachev, an international lawyer from Brazil, two members of Britain’s House of Lords and an undersecretary of the UN with a statement of support from Kofi Annan.”
Just amazing… good for him.
“these are things that no country should do.”
BARBER: GUANTANAMO IS ILLEGAL AND SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY CLOSED
SARAJEVO, August 17 (FENA) -” 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.
Maryland University Professor Benjamin Barber said that the Guantanamo prison should be immediately closed.
“First of all that prison is not legal and is in violation of American freedoms and the American Constitution. Both innocent and guilty people are in that prison, but the guilty ones cannot be tried because the situation in Guantanamo is not legal”, Professors Barber said.”
Yeeeearrrrrgh. I do admire Howard Dean.