Calendar Archives: 2004

The Cafés Diplomatiques (Café Diplo)
Cumulative Archive of Cafe Topics for the year 2004

Entrance fee: £3
(£2 concessions) FREE TO MEMBERS

Sat 24 Jan: “THE TERRORIST MONEY TRAIL”
- with Loretta Napoleoni

Dr. Napoleoni traces the ‘economy of terror’ world-wide, and maps out a 1.5 trillion dollar economic system feeding illegal organisations from Al Quaeda to the Contras. This circuit comprises illegal businesses such as arms and narcotics, oil and diamond smuggling, and includes charitable donations in an intricate system of finance, revealing the inter-dependency between economics run by armed groups and western economies. Dr. Napoleoni is the first author to tackle the issues raised by September 11th from a specifically economic perspective. Shifting the focus away from religion and culture, Napoleoni assesses the role of the West in the development of armed organisations. She is an economist and an expert on terrorism. Her book “Modern Jihad, the New Economy of Terror” is published by Pluto Press.

Sat 7 Feb: "HAITI: FIRST INDEPENDENT BLACK REPUBLIC"
- with Rod Prince

This year marks the 200th Anniversary of Haitian indepedence, and Rod Prince, a retired journalist who has specialised in Caribbean matters since 1980, will sketch the background of this fascinating country, consistently ignored by the media. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere; having fought off three world empires, it is in danger of succumbing to neo- liberal policies and ending up as a dumping ground for goods from its rich neighbour to the north.. Rod Prince has worked for Peace News, Agence France-Presse, Latin America Newsletters and Carribean Insight. His book on the Duvaliers “Haiti: Family Business” was published by the Latin American Bureau in 1985 (LAB).
Links: See reference to Latin American issues in the Anti-Corruption Ring Online

Sat 21 Feb: WHO PROFITS FROM FAMINE?
- with Peter Griffiths

Why do World Bank and IMF staff members push policies that will cause a famine? Why do aid workers, civil servants, and politicians endorse them? Peter Griffiths looks at the case where the World Bank forced a reform programme on Sierra Leone, privatizing food imports. This created a famine situation. Paul Griffiths is an insider: an economist who has worked freelance for the World Bank, FAO, UN Development Project and other aid organisations, and as a civil servant in several Third World countries. His recent book: “The Economist’s Tale: A Consultant Encounters Hunger and the World Bank” is published by Zed Books (see AMAZON).

Sat 6 March: WHERE IS LIBERALISATION TAKING THE BRITISH MEDIA? - with Des Freedman

In an overview of recent policy developments both domestic and international, Dr. Freedman will consider the impact of GATS on the freedom of the press. Dr. Des Freedman teaches Media studies at Goldsmith College and is author of "TV Policies of the Labour Party" and editor of "War and the Media," published by Sage.

Sat 20 March: "CONTEMPORARY FORMS OF SLAVERY: A POLITICAL ECONOMY" - with Christien van den Anker

A look at contemporary forms of slavery, including debt bondage, child labour, trafficking and abuse of migrant domestic workers, with case studies in four continents. Suggested possible action includes prevention and reparation, taxation and trade measures. Dr Van Den Anker is a Lecturer at the Centre for the Study of Global Ethics, Univ. of Birmingham, and convenor of the British International Studies Association’s Working Group on Global Ethics. Her Book “The political Economy of slavery” is published by Palgrave Macmillan (order online 1), and she is currently preparing a book on Global Social Justice. www.globalethics.ac.uk

Sat 3 April: "HOW UK FOREIGN INVESTMENT CREATES REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS" - with Nicolas Hildyard

Nicholas Hildyard is active in the Ilisu Dam Campaign, and a founding member of The Refugee Project. The Refugee Project is a coalition of refugee communities and concerned organisations that was created to address the role that UK foreign investment has to play in forcing people to flee their countries. He works for The Corner House, a UK NGO that focuses on human rights, the environment and development. He has been active for the past two decades in analysing the political economy of development and globalisation. In recent years, he has focused on the impact of large-scale infrastructure projects on forced migration. He will be joined by a Kurdish refugee singer and musician in exile and a contributor to the book, “Listen to the Refugee's Story: How UK Foreign Investment Creates Refugees and Asylum Seekers”.

Sat 17 April: "THE TOBIN TAX REVITALISED"
- with Sony Kapoor

The Tobin Tax was originally conceived as a small tax on global currency transactions which now total more than $300 trillion per annum. The proposal has recently been expanded. This tax proposal has recently been expanded into a two-tier model that includes a surcharge to be triggered during periods of exchange rate turbulence. In addition to raising funds for poverty reduction, the financial stability this will generate is now attracting interest and support from governments and businesses world wide. Sony Kapoor explains this exciting development and the benefits that will accrue to the developing world. He has a background in International Finance and Banking and is now the Policy and Advocacy Advisor to the Tobin Tax Network.

Sat 8th May: "CHECHNYA AND THE WAR ON TERROR"
- with Anne Le Tallec

Anne Le Tellac, an assistant of the Paris based human rights organisation, offers an in-depth analysis of Chechnya and how it has been affected by the West’s “War on Terror”. She will argue that the conflict in Chechnya has been through a three stage period, which has dramatically worsened after September 11th. Anne has visited the country several times and has recently published a report outlining the deteriorating situation. The report will be available at the café.

Sat 22nd May: "HOW ENLARGEMENT WILL TRANSFORM THE EUROPEAN UNION" - with Dr. Heather Grabbe

Dr Grabbe is deputy director of the Centre for European Reform (CER) which is a think tank devoted to improving the quality of the debate on the future of European Union. Eastward enlargement is the European Union`s greatest contribution to security and stability in the 21st century. The benefits are huge but the integration of 10 new members will also put a strain on the Union`s institutions and change the way in which they currently function while transforming the face of the European Union in the process. Dr. Grabbe`s book “`The constellations of Europe: How Enlargement will Transform the European Union”` will be published later this year by CER

Sat 5th June: "OIL IN THE CAUCASUS - SOWING THE SEEDS OF CONFLICT " - with speakers from “Platform” campaign group

James Marriott and Greg Muttitt who work at PLATFORM, an interdisciplinary organisation, will be addressing issues of social and environmental justice. Since 1996, they have been studying the systemic impacts of oil corporations, and the nature of the corporate structure behind them. Since 2001, they have focussed on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, working with a coalition of civil society groups in the UK and internationally, as well as in the three host countries. They co-wrote the book “Some Common Concerns - Imagining BP's Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey Pipelines System” the group’s website is www.platformlondon.org

Sat 19th June: "PLAYING BY THE RULES? - GUANTANAMO, IRAQ AND THE FUTURE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW" - with Philippe Sands QC.

What are the implications of the incarceration of combatants by the Bush administration? Philippe Sands, a professor of laws at University College London discusses this and other challenges to human rights and internationally agreed legal principles. He is also a practising barrister and his book on the Bush presidency and international law entitled- "Playing by the Rules?" -. is to be published later this year.

Sat 18th Sept: "ONE STATE IN PALESTINE: WHO`S AFRAID OF DEMOCRACY?" - A talk by AHMAD SAMIH KHALIDI

Ahmad Samih Khalidi is a Palestinian from an old Jerusalem family and a Senior Associate Member at St. Antony`s College, Oxford who served as an advisor to the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid-Washington peace talks in 1991-1993 and a senior advisor on security affairs to the Cairo-Taba PLO-Israel peace talks in 1993.

He has written widely on Middle Eastern political and security affairs in English and Arabic and has been active in Middle East peace-making for over two decades. He is co-author of `Syria and Iran`: Rivalry and Cooperation` (Royal Institute of International Affairs, London, 1995) and of `Track-2 Diplomacy: The Middle East and Beyond` (MIT Press, Cambridge Mass, 2004) and a forthcoming work on Palestinian security concerns`

He will use his expertise to discuss the theme in depth at the cafe. There will be plenty of time afterwards for questions.

Sat 2nd Oct: “SALE OF THE CENTURY”
- with BEVERLY DUCKWORTH

Beverley Duckworth, Head of Campaigns for the World Development Movement (WDM), a pressure group campaigning for the rights of developing countries, exposes how basic services in poor countries are under threat from western governments and big business. She explains how, through the WTO, rich countries are aggressively pushing binding rules which pose a real and serious threat to people's access to basic services, the world over, under an international treaty called the General Agreement in Trades and Services (GATS). She also explains what we can do to halt the process.

Sat 30th Oct: "ROSIA MONTANA: MINING FOR GOLD IN THE 21ST CENTURY" - with SHERBAN CANTACUZINO

The gold used for the treasures found at Mycenae almost certainly came from the Apuseni Mountains in Western Romania. At Rosia Montana, a Canadian mining company, with the connivance of the Romanian government, is proposing to blow up five mountains in order to remove, by open-cast mining, what remains of the gold. In the process, Roman archaelogical remains, part of a common European heritage, and some of the most beautiful landscape in Europe will be destroyed. Sherban Cantacuzino, born in Romania and a graduate of Magdalene College, Cambridge where he read architecture, is the founder and president of Pro-Patrimonio which was set up to preserve Romania`s natural and built heritage.`

Sat 13th Nov: "ECOLOGICAL DEBT - WHAT FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN?" - with Andrew Simms

For decades people have worked to cancel unpayable poor country debt, but Andrew Simms explains that there is a larger, different problem - the ecological debt crisis of rich countries that now threatens the international community. He argues that this ecological debt provides the essential paradigm to analyse the predicament of the global economy. Andrew Simms is the Policy Director of nef (the new economics foundation) and heads its programme on Climate Change. His recent reports include 'The End of Development? Global warming, disasters and the greeat reversal of human progress' and 'Environmental Refugees - the case for recognition'.

Sat 27th Nov: "THE PERSONAL AND POLITICAL IMAGINATION"
- with Jonathan Robinson and Katy Marks

Sat 11th Dec: "CAN THE UN SURVIVE THE 21ST CENTURY?"
- with Sir Richard Jolly

What can the UN do, if anything, to preserve peace and security on an international scale, in the light of the so-called 'war on terror'? Can this be done in a way which complements, or corrects America's role as international policeman? As a former Assistant Secretary General of the UN, Sir Richard Jolly will discuss “What role remains for the UN in preserving peace and security, and furthering development?" He was Deputy Executive Director in UNICEF overseeing their programmes in 130 countries and pioneering UNICEF’s work on debt reduction. From 1996-2000 he co-authored the widely acclaimed Human Development Report. He has produced numerous publications including “Development and Adjustment with a Human Face." And at City University, New York, he is co-director of a history of the UN’s contribution to economic and social development.

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