www.euobserver.com BRUNO KAUFMANN - In order to be ready for such windows of opportunities in transnational politics we have to be ready to go beyond the surface of politics offered to us by "our leaders", political parties and much of the media.

EUOBSERVER / SALT&PEPPER - With just a days and hours before - as US President announced on the Azores yesterday - "the End of Diplomacy and the Start of the first War in the 21st Century" it is time to reflect on the state of Global and European politics. The announced war in the Gulf region is the expression of a of a very big problem: too much of brachial power (weapons and finances) are gathered in too few hands. Finally this has also been realized on the other side of the Atlantic. "What really has the insiders panicked", comments the Herald Tribune on the weekend, "is the irresponsibility of Bush and his team, their almost childish unwillingness to face up to problems that they don't feel like dealing like now".

Fast food politics But "Bush and his team" is of course not alone. Independently of the stand you may take, the War politics "on Terrorism" offers a big dose of black-and-white, good-and-bad, we-and-them ingredients. Ingredients, which in a world of superficial, fast-food politics and media are essential. What seems to work on a world stage can also be seen on a European level and in the political debates of many countries.

I want to give you an example from country, in which I spent the last couples of days: Finland. Here the citizens elected yesterday a new countrywide parliament. Out of this 200-seat-assembly a new government will be elected next week. A government, which will have an important voice and vote in the next Intergovernmental conference of the EU on the Constitution. Similar to Bush, who yesterday underlined "the importance of the UN for world peace", the Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen stated on Sunday the "need for a broad citizens debate on the European constitution". But as little Bush have done for the empowerment of the UN, Lipponen seems willing to give his citizens a say on the future of Europe.

In the campaign up to yesterday’s vote Lipponen never addressed the big European challenges coming up, nor did his main opponent of the Centre party, Anneli Jääteenmäki (her party became the biggest on Sunday) indicate anything about her preferences or goals in European politics. Both Lipponen and Jääteenmäki underlined instead that the elections were about "choosing the leader" and giving them an open mandate to do what she or her is the "morally right thing" - as Tony Blair would express it.

It is not enough to just elect leaders Both Bush and Lipponen shows us: it is not enough to elect leaders. And it is not enough to have an international "community", which is based on international governmental cooperation. What we have to work for is to establish democratic structures on a trans-national level too. Developing and agreeing (by referendums in all member states) on a European constitution is a necessary but not sufficient step. We need further a truly reformed UN in which small and big states have an equal say and which also the peoples of our world are represented by a directly elected assembly.

Days or just hours before another "Bush War" all this goals seems to be light years away. However, it could be that when a few try to force the many to follow their will, the many will not accept this longer - and changes are coming faster than we may believe today. In order to be ready for such windows of opportunities in trans-national politics we have to be ready to go beyond the surface of politics offered to us by "our leaders", political parties and much of the media. What politicians like Bush, Blair or even Lipponen are offering and delivering is by far not enough, not seldom even counter productive - it is now time to become "producers" of politics ourselves!

Join the debate

BRUNO KAUFMANN - is a peace- and conflict researcher, radio journalist and president of the Initiative & Referendum Institute Europe in Amsterdam. Website: www.iri-europe.org.

Website Initiative and Referendum Institute Europe

Written by Bruno Kaufmann Edited by Honor Mahony

www.proveo.org

Propuesta de programa de restructuracion nacional

Bosquejo del programa:

1. Reforzar la seguridad personal y comunitaria a nivel nacional. Reorganizacion inmediata de los cuerpos policiales y fuerza Militar.

2. Despolitizacion de las instituciones nacionales ( sistema juridico y legal, electoral, educacion, salud, DIEX, etc.)

3. Erradicar de forma inmediata y definitiva los grupos armados de civiles al servicio del ejecutivo. Extraditar los grupos infiltrados en los organismos del estado, traidos del exterior para tales fines.

4. Reforma inmediata del Codigo Organico Procesal Penal.

5. Implementacion de un programa de patrullaje y presencia militar constante en las fronteras.

6. Reformular la politica economica, acabando con la politiqueria pseudo-socialista populista. Esta comprobado que dichos programas no han producido ningun resultado positivo en cuanto a la erradicacion de la pobreza en ningun pais del mundo, al contrario han introducido un fenomeno peligroso: la proliferacion de la corrupcion desmesurada en todos los niveles, producto directo del estado todo-poderoso y clientelista.

7. Revisar completa y profundamente todos los programas de educacion y erradicar de ellos, todos los aspectos que se refieran a "catequismo politico", como actualmente sucede. Iniciar una campaña de educacion de facil acceso y comprension para todos los sectores en materia politica, economica e historica.

8. Reconstruir PDVSA, restituyendo en sus funciones a todo el personal tecnico/ejecutivo. Despido inmediato de personeros del gobierno y personas ajenas a la industria.

9. Reactivar y modernizar la economia en base a la libertad absoluta, eliminando el intervencionismo del estado y las leyes de trabajo obsoletas.

10. Reformular la politica exterior. Eliminar relaciones y compromisos que van en detrimento de los intereses de la nacion con paises pronunciadamente marxistas y autoritarios (lease Cuba).

11. Recuperar la confianza y respeto a nivel internacional de aquellos paises amigos que constituyen un ejemplo para la Venezuela democratica. Recuperar la confianza de los inversionistas nacionales e internaciones, ofreciendo un marco legal y juridico que garantize la seguridad y estabilidad de sus inversiones.

12. Implementar un programa de erradicacion de la pobreza y analfabetismo.

13. Enjuiciamiento y prision para los autores de crimenes de lesa humanidad.

14. Eliminar el uso y abuso del nombre de Bolivar y los ideales Bolivarianos que han sido vilmente desvirtuados con fines politicos totalmente opuestos a las enseñanzas del Padre de la Patria.

(Dejo campo para que agreguen mas puntos.)

Silvia Perez.

Esta propuesta fue enviada desde Venezuela por una de esas personas que luchan dia a dia por el pais. Su caracter democratico es evidente, si tienen alguna sugerencia por favor envienla a solution@proveo.org
Nota: Proveo en su afan por promover la busqueda de soluciones y alternativas a la crisis venezolana esta tan solo facilitando la divulgacion de ideas. Todas las ideas son bienvenidas y seran publicadas. Les agradeceria que trataran de mantener sus sugerencias al respecto lo mas concisas posible y que mencionen si desean que sus nombres sean publicados.

dear_raed.blogspot.com

with new BILINGUAL flavour ie. sorry about those wierd characters, but you really should have installed that Arabic OS if you have seen Raed today please tell him Salam Pax is still looking for him.

www.back-to-iraq.com The Pitch Hi there! Thanks for stopping in. I'm Christopher Allbritton, former AP and New York Daily News reporter. This summer I went stumbling around Iraqi Kurdistan, the northern part of Iraq outside Saddam's direct control, looking for stories. (Some might call it "looking for trouble.") Well, now I want to go back in time for the war. So I'm asking your help in supporting independent journalism! Send me back to Iraq to report on what's happening.

blogs.salon.com

Whenever one source tells me something, I just process the information and leave it at that. When two sources tell me the same thing, I begin to wonder and look for confirmation. But when three different and reliable sources give me the same information. I use my long standing argument that I do not believe in coincidences. Well, three different sources have given me, in the last three days, the same information about a conspiray that appears so clever at first sight that it may actually be true. Cesar Gaviria, who has been in Caracas since November,has only left for Christmas and once or twice to attend to his responsabilities as Secretary General of the OAS, but this time has left on purpose. Basically, he believes that his presence in Caracas essentially has stopped the Governemnt from uncontrolled and illegal or undemocratic behavior. This week Gaviria left for one week, reportedly to take care of OAS businesses in Bolivia. Well, what I am being told is that the true reason was to see if in his absence the Chavez administration does something that would allow Gaviria to go on the international offensive against the Chavez administration and help push forward negotiations. I am told that even Colombian President Uribe is part of this convoluted conspiracy to press for a negotiation towards an end to the Venezuelan political crisis. True? False? I simply don't know, but we will se if anything happens in the next few days anyway.