Andrew Stroehlein
Covering crisis
Journalist Andrew Stroehlein is Director of Media and Information for the International Crisis Group, the conflict resolution organisation, where he promotes responsible coverage of current and potential conflicts and helps draw attention to forgotten wars around the world.
Stable Balkans generating less crime
Author: Andrew Stroehlein
A new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows that, despite its reputation, the Balkans has become a low-crime area. According to UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa, who is launching the report today, The vicious circle of political instability leading to crime, and vice versa, that plagued the Balkans in the 1990s has been broken. It seems to be further welcome news, coming fresh after the study reporting that global terrorism is decreasing, which I blogged last week. See, there are some good news stories out there, even if the usual fare in our line of work is tediously depressing. But before you get too cheery, the new UNODC report, Crime and Its Impact on the Balkans, also points to enduring links between business, politics and organised crime that make the region vulnerable to instability. ...
Author: Andrew Stroehlein
A new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows that, despite its reputation, the Balkans has become a low-crime area. According to UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa, who is launching the report today, The vicious circle of political instability leading to crime, and vice versa, that plagued the Balkans in the 1990s has been broken. It seems to be further welcome news, coming fresh after the study reporting that global terrorism is decreasing, which I blogged last week. See, there are some good news stories out there, even if the usual fare in our line of work is tediously depressing. But before you get too cheery, the new UNODC report, Crime and Its Impact on the Balkans, also points to enduring links between business, politics and organised crime that make the region vulnerable to instability. ...
Global terrorism decreasing
Author: Andrew Stroehlein
Is that grilled Chicken Little I smell? If one new study has it right, then most of the sky-is-falling noise about global terrorism over the last few years looks pretty groundless. The new Human Security Brief 2007, published this week and including a comprehensive review of the statistical data on global terrorism, shows a sharp drop in the incidence of terrorist violence around the world. Deaths from terrorist actions have declined by some 40 percent. ...
Author: Andrew Stroehlein
Is that grilled Chicken Little I smell? If one new study has it right, then most of the sky-is-falling noise about global terrorism over the last few years looks pretty groundless. The new Human Security Brief 2007, published this week and including a comprehensive review of the statistical data on global terrorism, shows a sharp drop in the incidence of terrorist violence around the world. Deaths from terrorist actions have declined by some 40 percent. ...
Even Less Foreign News
Author: Andrew Stroehlein
Last week's announcement that Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was ending its Newsline service is yet another damaging blow to the diversity of foreign news sources in Western Anglophone media. One more informative voice has been silenced. Somehow the idea still persists that with the internet, everyone can get as much news as they want from any part of the world. In reality, as soon as you try to test this optimistic notion on anything other than the one or two big stories of the day, it falls apart. You quickly realise you're looking at the same news agency copy repackaged in outlet after outlet. ...
Author: Andrew Stroehlein
Last week's announcement that Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was ending its Newsline service is yet another damaging blow to the diversity of foreign news sources in Western Anglophone media. One more informative voice has been silenced. Somehow the idea still persists that with the internet, everyone can get as much news as they want from any part of the world. In reality, as soon as you try to test this optimistic notion on anything other than the one or two big stories of the day, it falls apart. You quickly realise you're looking at the same news agency copy repackaged in outlet after outlet. ...
Afghanistan: The Prince and the Press
Author: Andrew Stroehlein
So, Prince Harry has been fighting in Afghanistan for ten weeks, and all the British media knew about it but agreed with the government to keep silent. Now a debate is raging among journalists. Is it unacceptable collusion with the authorities or a responsible approach to journalism in a war zone? The extent of the cooperation between media and government is pretty astounding. As Mark Sweney documents in the Media Guardian, the Ministry of Defence and all the major UK news broadcasters, newspaper publishers and news agencies agreed a deal: a news blackout on Harry's presence on the frontline for six months in exchange for privileged access to a series of interviews and images of him in Afghanistan once his tour was finished. ...
Author: Andrew Stroehlein
So, Prince Harry has been fighting in Afghanistan for ten weeks, and all the British media knew about it but agreed with the government to keep silent. Now a debate is raging among journalists. Is it unacceptable collusion with the authorities or a responsible approach to journalism in a war zone? The extent of the cooperation between media and government is pretty astounding. As Mark Sweney documents in the Media Guardian, the Ministry of Defence and all the major UK news broadcasters, newspaper publishers and news agencies agreed a deal: a news blackout on Harry's presence on the frontline for six months in exchange for privileged access to a series of interviews and images of him in Afghanistan once his tour was finished. ...
Israel threatens holocaust against Gaza?!
Author: Andrew Stroehlein
I am a journalist whos just marked his 40th birthday, so I am officially a cynical old grump who thinks hes seen and heard everything as far as human stupidity is concerned, particularly regarding public statements made by officials and politicians in conflict zones. But even I was shocked and surprised by this story. In a radio interview today, Israels deputy defence minister threatened a holocaust (using the Hebrew word shoah) against Gaza if Palestinian militants stepped-up their rocket fire against Israel. According to Reuters, Deputy Minister Matan Vilnai said: The more Qassam (rocket) fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they (the Palestinians) will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust because we will use all our might to defend ourselves. For those few readers who might not understand how mind-blowingly shocking this is, the article helpfully adds: Holocaust' is a term rarely used in Israel outside discussions of the Nazi genocide during World War Two. Many Israelis are loathe to countenance using the word to describe other contemporary events. If, as a spokesperson for the Israeli government, you had to make a list of words you should never use to define your countrys policy toward the Palestinians, certainly holocaust would be at the top. The ministry has since tried to defend Vilnai, saying he meant shoah in the sense of disaster rather than referring to genocide, but that doesn't explain why someone would use such a hugely loaded and incomparably symbolic word for the current situation. ...
Next entries
Author: Andrew Stroehlein
I am a journalist whos just marked his 40th birthday, so I am officially a cynical old grump who thinks hes seen and heard everything as far as human stupidity is concerned, particularly regarding public statements made by officials and politicians in conflict zones. But even I was shocked and surprised by this story. In a radio interview today, Israels deputy defence minister threatened a holocaust (using the Hebrew word shoah) against Gaza if Palestinian militants stepped-up their rocket fire against Israel. According to Reuters, Deputy Minister Matan Vilnai said: The more Qassam (rocket) fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they (the Palestinians) will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust because we will use all our might to defend ourselves. For those few readers who might not understand how mind-blowingly shocking this is, the article helpfully adds: Holocaust' is a term rarely used in Israel outside discussions of the Nazi genocide during World War Two. Many Israelis are loathe to countenance using the word to describe other contemporary events. If, as a spokesperson for the Israeli government, you had to make a list of words you should never use to define your countrys policy toward the Palestinians, certainly holocaust would be at the top. The ministry has since tried to defend Vilnai, saying he meant shoah in the sense of disaster rather than referring to genocide, but that doesn't explain why someone would use such a hugely loaded and incomparably symbolic word for the current situation. ...
