Mediaboss Marketing

In the late 1990s, the issue of the encroachment of Kalapani by India had roiled national politics with the communist parties spearheading protests. That included a somewhat foolhardy, and fortunately not fully realised, attempt to physically dislodge Indian troops from Kalapani with a march by the youth brigade of the CPN-UML to the area. It was around that time that the late Harka Gurung had observed in a keynote address the apparent paradox that our communist parties, the fount of our fabled nationalism consisting mainly of bashing our southern neighbour, were all born in India. Resorting to his well-known sardonic wit, Gurung did not fail to point out the exception of the Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party, which he said had entered via Kodari highway.

The corollary to this paradox is the blind allegiance of our communist parties to China, or rather to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). By no stretch of imagination can the CCP still be called a communist party wedded to Marxism-Leninism-Maoism principles. Regardless of its ideological acrobatics to justify the adoption of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China has become more like a run-of-the-mill one-party state as existed, say in Indonesia under Suharto and Iraq under Saddam Hussein, and even present-day Vietnam whereby party membership becomes a prerequisite for personal advancement rather than a means to further the common good.

This presumed affinity with the CCP has left many in the political left paranoid about both the imperialist West and expansionist India. An example of this fear psychosis was on full display when the Maoists were on a roll in the late 1990s and early 2000s; many leftist intellectuals sincerely believed the insurgency to be a CIA plot, with Indian connivance, to foment instability in Chinas weak underbelly of Tibet. It mattered nought to them that, at the same time, the ill-informed Indian intelligentsia believed the Maoist movement to be just a proxy battle being waged by China to gain a foothold in South Asia.

It is thus not surprising that the ongoing protests against the proposed Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant should come primarily from the left since it is seen as part of a larger strategy by the West led by the United States to encircle China. While it is beyond doubt any attempt by any other country to use Nepal for aggression against any other nation should be opposed, especially when it concerns either of our two neighbours, what beats reason is why our communist parties feel the need to protect China at the cost of our own national interest.

Indo-Pacific Strategy

There are several questions raised about the MCC grant. There is no reason to rehash those arguments since far better and wiser minds have been engaged in deconstructing the agreement. The main question is whether there lurks any sinister design behind the American largesse with Nepal being willy-nilly dragged into what the US has called its Indo-Pacific Strategy. If we go by the MCCs clarifications to some of the objections raised here in Nepal, it has categorically stated that the MCC Nepal Compact is not an agreement under the Indo-Pacific StrategyThe strong relationship between the United States and Nepal long pre-dates the Indo-Pacific Strategy Any decision by Nepal regarding the Indo-Pacific Strategy is separate and independent from the MCC Nepal Compact.

That may very well be the case in principle, except that anyone cognisant of how international affairs are conducted knows that there are usually strategic reasons behind the doling out of foreign aid. American interest in Nepal has always been driven by the spectre of communist China to our north. That was the time the US was principally engaged in preventing what it believed would be the domino effect of Asian countries falling to communism one by one. Thus, at one end, it found itself ensnared in Vietnam for years, while in places like Nepal, it encouraged policies like land reforms as a hedge against the landless peasantry taking up arms in the name of communism.

The 21st century has proved little different except that it is not communism that is giving the US the funk but an ascendant China now claiming parity with it on the global stage. Hence, the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS), which, incidentally, is the formulation increasingly being adopted by others, including the European Union, Australia and Japan, with the common aim of furthering partnerships in the region to counter the rise of China.

As for any connection that may exist between the IPS and the MCC, one only has to go through the 2019 US government publication, A Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Advancing a Shared Vision, to find the following: [T]he inaugural Indo-Pacific Business Forum in July 2018launched new initiatives to catalyse private sector investment in Indo-Pacific infrastructure, energy markets, and the digital economy. To date, support has included $2.9 billion through the Department of State and USAID for the economic pillar of the Indo-Pacific strategy, and hundreds of millions more through other agencies, including the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).

Nowhere does it say that the MCC is part of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, but one need not even read between the lines to conclude that these are different arms of the US government working to achieve the overall American foreign policy goals. Lest we had any doubt about our place in the IPS, it would be immediately put to rest by the image in the same publication of our then foreign minister, Pradeep Gyawali, smilingly locked in a handshake with his American counterpart.

We can debate all we want whether or not we want to or should be part of the IPS. The truth is the USA has already included Nepal along with 23 other countries within its Indo-Pacific Strategy. A Free and Open Indo-Pacific touts the support it has provided to Nepal: i) become more effective in UN peacekeeping; ii) strengthen the legal and regulatory framework for infrastructure; iii) increase capacity for cross-border electricity trade; iv) draft Nepals Energy Regulatory Commission Act; and v) strengthen civil society in contributing to the drafting of legislation. Every assistance from Washington DC would hence be mediated by where we stand apropos the IPS. Is it any wonder that a State Department official (reportedly) hinted at revisiting Nepal-US ties should we find the temerity to reject the MCC grant?

Diversity Visa

Unless we are willing the accept the price of firmly attaching ourselves to China a la North Korea, we have no choice but to continue with our strict policy of equidistance from all. That means the pragmatic adaptation of our vision of the national interest to an ever-changing world instead of being stuck in the mindset from the 1950s and 1960s, and being open to help from every possible source.

Besides the unparalleled clout, the US carries in the world, that it is our largest bilateral donor has been repeatedly mentioned. At a more mundane level though it is also the country to which a huge number of Nepalis aspire to migrate. Nepal consistently features among the top five or six countries with the highest number of applicants for the Diversity Visa lottery. Sadly, there were sure to have been quite a few of the latter hurling stones during the anti-MCC protestsjust because their leaders told them to.

See the original post here:
MCC and the communists - The Kathmandu Post

Alexander Herbert, who the library lists as a member, posted a video of the encounter on Twitter.

Warning: Video includes graphic language

On Tuesday afternoon, Herbert announced plans to host an emergency community forum on Zoom to brainstorm ideas to improve safety at the venue. The meeting will be held Feb. 26 at 11 p.m. It is open to all community members. Guests can register online.

Get Rhode MapA weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State.

According to a Providence Police report, officers were informed that neo-Nazis would be at the Red Ink Community Library, 130 Camp St., to interrupt individuals who were inside attending a reading. Dispatchers alerted responding officers that they received calls for a disturbance.

The first officers to arrive said they observed 15-20 individuals, from the neo-Nazi group, standing outside striking the window of the library with their hands, the police report states. Police arrived with emergency lights on and the crowd began to disperse.

Officers did not find any damage to the building. Law enforcement remained on the scene until 8:15 p.m.

Library Executive Director David Raileanu said six or seven people attended the event in person, while another 10 participated online. They were surprised by banging on the exterior windows of the former police substation in the Mount Hope neighborhood.

Initially, it was terrifying, Raileanu said. It was a very stark display of terror and hatred and violence. And the fact that we were in a small enclosed space, and clearly outnumbered, felt like violence was potentially inevitable at that point. It was a difficult emotion to process at that time.

Raileanu estimates 30 people were gathered outside. All of them wore masks, some with skeletons and the numbers 131 printed on them.

At least two library guests spoke back to the crowd. The incident was cleared at approximately 7:15 p.m., Raileanu said.

We did have a chance as a group to talk about what we heard, he said. And we had a quick debrief of what happened. There was a spectrum of emotions. There was fear and anxiety. There were a couple of members who were fired up about confronting these disruptors. There was a range of emotions on how best to address and confront situations like this in the future.

The approximately 500-square-foot space is built against the side of a hill and has one exit.

As a person whose family history goes back over 100 years in the Jewish community of Providence, I was particularly affected, Raileanu said. I know the Mount Hope community and Camp Street has worked diligently over the years to reduce violence in the community. Thats what we hoped to be part of when we moved in.

To be a party to a situation where there was violence on Camp Street, we regret our part in it. We arent going to take responsibility for the actions of violent thugs but we are going to do everything we can to minimize this happening again.

A video of the incident was posted on Twitter by @guateguanaco, who stated that the protesters blocked off the librarys entrance and demanded to be let inside.

He said those inside were outnumbered 5:1.

Politicians and candidates for public office came forward to condemn the neo-Nazi group.

There is no place for hate in our communities or our state, Governor Dam McKee said. The video showing a group waving Nazi flags last night in Providence is unacceptable and disgusting. I stand with those condemning last nights acts.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Mayor Jorge Elorza said, Providence is home to diverse people, cultures, and ideas and our city has no room for hate-filled actions mean to intimidate and cause fear. My administration is committed to making every resident feel safe and protecting the rights of people who are gathering peacefully.

He said anyone with information about the incident involving a swastika flag is encouraged to call the police.

In an emailed statement Congressman David N. Cicilline said, I am absolutely sickened by the image of the swastika waving in the streets of Providence. Hate groups like neo-Nazis and white supremacists have no place in our city.

Groups like these and the hatred they spew have too often led to terrible violence. The rise of neo-Nazis, white supremacy and antisemitism in our country is not something we can afford to ignore. This hatred and last nights attack are a scourge on our community, and we must all condemn it in the strongest terms.

In a statement, The Black Lives Matter RI PAC said: There is no greater threat to Rhode Island than nazism and white supremacy. Yesterday evening, an organized group of Neo-Nazis that have established themselves throughout Rhode Island terrorized Red Ink Community Library in Providence Ward 3.

Adam Greenman, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, said he woke up to text messages from a concerned community.

The Jewish Community Center is located less than a mile from the Red Ink Community Library.

Anytime we see this kind of demonstration by Neo-Nazis, its concerning to us whether it happens in Providence or anywhere in the state, Greenman said. Every community needs to condemn this. This rise in hate is happening more and more often across the country. We are seeing more of this locally than we have seen in years.

We have to stand up and fight it, he added.

On Jan. 15, the FBI killed a man who took four hostages at Congregation Beth Israel, a Jewish synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. The hostages escaped.

Greenman said Jewish synagogues statewide have doubled efforts to keep temples safe since the attack.

The fact acts of hate havent been condemned every single time it happens is one of the things that leads to folks being emboldened and demonstrating in this way, he said. We want to say very loudly and clearly, there shouldnt be any place for this in Rhode Island, a state founded by religious freedom.

Greenman said even though his community wasnt threatened, they need to be prepared.

I would much rather be bringing people together for celebrations or times of joy, he said. The unfortunate reality is that in this day and age we have to come together when incidents like this happen.

The Red Ink Community Library described the group as a crowd of fascists and Nazis and said that the disruption was noticed by several community members who yelled at the group to go home.

One post said, The Nazis continued to put on their show until Providence Police asked them to leave. While we didnt ask for help from the police, it was only the threat of state violence that ended this disruption.

The Red Ink Community Library invited the public to an in-person and live stream reading and discussion of the manifesto on Feb. 13. The reading was to take place beginning at 6 p.m. on Feb. 21, the 174th anniversary of the publishing of the book that spells out Communisms goals, and formed the basis for the modern communist movement as we know it, arguing that capitalism would inevitably self-destruct, to be replaced by socialism and ultimately communism, according to The British Library.

Red Books Day is celebrated by thousands of people around the globe, and commemorates the publication of the book on Feb. 21, 1848.

The library provided free copies of the manifesto to anyone who signed up for the event.

A group outside the library threatened to knock out those inside and began chanting one three one, scumbags, communists, and profanities targeting guests and a female reader.

At least one guest inside the library responded to the grouop, who were on the other side of a glass door. Others recorded the incident on their phones.

The chant one three one could be a reference to the New England-based neo-Nazi group, Nationalist Social Club, which uses the number 131 on its banner.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the NSC New England group in 2021 claimed a six-state geographic region that includes New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut, and Vermont.

After a woman finished reading a passage from The Communist Manifesto, the man who was to read next said, Thank you, everyone, for joining us. Fifty Nazis just descended outside so were going to finish this with a discussion afterward.

He read a short excerpt and the video feed was cut off.

The Red Ink Community Library on Cypress Street has been open since Sept. 4, 2021, and is dedicated to developing, informing and empowering a prominent and energetic working class, according to its website. It is not government-affiliated and accepts no funding from government organizations.

According to Raileanu, the library is a venue that hosts book presentations, film screenings, informational meetings, and light-hearted events like Halloween movie nights and plays. They are also an organizing space that shares space with local political organizations and facilities conversations.

While we knew of and wanted to highlight the relevance and importance of the Manifesto today, we did not want it to be so stark, so ugly, the library said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Carlos Muoz can be reached at carlos.munoz@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @ReadCarlos and on Instagram @Carlosbrknews.

More here:
Providence library booking reading of 'The Communist Manifesto' interrupted by group with Nazi flag - The Boston Globe

A bill that proposes public school students observe Victims of Communism Day and learn about the suffering under communist rule is heading to a final committee hearing in the Senate after getting a committee nod Wednesday.

Republican Sen. Manny Diaz is sponsoring the legislation (SB 268) that would have students start observing the day on Nov. 7, 2023. Similar legislation (HB 395) is also headed to its third hearing in the House.

Starting in the 2023-24 school year, high school students in American government class would receive at least 45 minutes of instruction on the movement that has killed more than 100 million people, according to a bill the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education approved Wednesday.

Cubas Fidel Castro, Russias Vladimir Leninand Joseph Stalin, Venezuelas Nicols Maduro, Cambodias Pol Pot and Chinas Mao Zedongare the figures mentioned in the legislation that aims to ensure students learn, how victims suffered under these regimes through poverty, starvation, migration, systemic lethal violence, and suppression of speech.

The day falls on the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, when Lenin began a revolt against the ruling Russian Parliament, leading his forces into the Russian capital.

An amendment to the original bill adds a date for the State Board of Education to adopt a revised social studies curriculum to comply with the legislation.

Anthony Verdugo, founder and executive director of the Christian Family Coalition, based in Miami, applauded the way the legislation is combatting the collective amnesia about communism he argues is taking hold among younger generations.

It should concern all of us that surveys show that 28 to 33 percent of millennials and Generation Z members actually have a favorable view of communism or Marxism, he said.

Sen. Audrey Gibson said she also hopes a discussion of racial disparities and the horrors of slavery will make it into state statutes the same way as this proposes for communism.

We should expose our students so that they learn the totality of what has happened in the United States, she said.

Post Views:0

Read more here:
Bill increasing school instruction on victims of communism advances - Florida Politics

The Institute for Democracy, Media and Culture NGO launched a petition on Thursday evening in Tirana which will be presented to parliament calling for legislation to curb the enduring influence of dictator Enver Hoxhas former Communist regime.

The petition calls on lawmakers to adopt legislation that prohibits political parties from praising the countrys former Communist dictatorship or glorifying its rhetoric, and to ban the use of symbols of the former regime in public.

The petition says that amendments to the criminal code should follow models established by EU states that have prohibited the glorification of fascist and totalitarian Communist regimes.

It also says that political functionaries and heads of state institutions should be vetted for ties to the former regime, and that the criminal activities of State Security and other institutions under Communism should be fully disclosed to the public.

It further demands that the names of schools, streets, squares and institutions should be reviewed, as should school curriculums.

Albania has already adopted two resolutions on the issue, condemning the crimes of the Communist regime in 2006, and condemning crimes against the clergy in 2016.

But their implementation has been minimal, the Institute for Democracy, Media and Culture told BIRN.

Since the birthday of dictator Hoxha is commemorated with nostalgia by groups that present themselves as veterans, since these groups still use symbols of dictatorship and relativise evil, the petition initiative is necessary, it added.

The initiative was launched as part of a series of events called Memory Days, which run until February 26, exploring issues related to the countrys former Communist dictatorship.

In March last year, Luljeta Bozo, who was at the time an election candidate for the governing Socialist Party, sparked widespread criticism by praising authoritarian ruler Hoxha.

If you put them on a scale, for me he has more positives than negatives, Bozo said after being asked what she thought about Hoxha and the damage he did to the country. She did not apologise despite the criticism.

In November, an MP from the Socialist Party marked the Independence Day by posting a photo of dictator Hoxha in a WhatsApp group, a gesture which was made public by media.

Nostalgia about the Communist era in Albania is not uncommon,and there have been former Communists in the countrys parliament.

Historian Pjerin Mirdita said that the shift from the Communist regime to democracy in the early 1990s was not followed by a decommunisation initiative which was necessary for the Albanian society.

This allowed people who were engaged in the Communist state administration to continue their work and involvement in institutions at all levels in the new system of government without any worries, Mirdita told BIRN.

During these 30 years they have been involved in all the social, institutional and decision-making circles in our country, which has done a lot of harm to the daily lives of Albanians. And today, after all these years, decommunisation is an overly delayed process, and most importantly, state institutions are not taking the initiative on it as they should be, he added.

Continue reading here:
Albania Urged to Ban Glorification of Communist Regime - Balkan Insight

BISHOP GIUSEPPE PASOTTO, A STIGMATINE FATHER FROM ITALY, has been watching over and helping to shape the fortunes of the small Roman Catholic Church in the Caucasus since the fall of the Iron Curtain, first as a missionary, then, since 1996, as Apostolic Administrator and then, since 2000, as bishop. He recently spoke with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)

What did you find when you arrived in Georgia in 1993? After 70 years of Communist rule, what was still left of the Catholic Church in Georgia?It is difficult to describe in just a few words the situation as it was when I arrived here in 1993. Georgia had recently gained independence and Russia had severed all ties, even economic ones. When I arrived, there was still gas, water, and electricity. Just a month and a half later, we were at the point where electricity was available for only two hours a day, we had water only every two days and the gas had been shut off completely. There were very few things to buy at the market.

I came here together with another priest from my small community of Stigmatines, which was founded in Verona. At the time, we experienced the same hardships as the people living hereparticularly the cold and the deprivation. This helped us to love these people even more and to understand the meaning of freedom. Our conversations with young people taught us the importance of suffering for the sake of fundamental values and keeping hope alive. Ultimately, we were able to understand the lives of these people even better by learning the Georgian language, which is not exactly the easiest language, and by doing so with hardly any instructional materials at all. We really had to learn a great deal without paying much attention to the hardships that surrounded us. However, it was providential that we were there to experience these times.

What were the first steps that you and your brothers took to rebuild the Catholic community?The only thing that was left of the Catholic Church was one open place of worship (the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Tbilisi). The communities that were scattered across rural areas had all been abandoned. The first thing we did was re-establish contact and then find additional priests from other countries and local Churches to come and help us. So we gradually began to rebuild the most important structures.

It seems to me that the rosary saved the Catholic faith not only in Georgia, but in all Communist countries. The people came together in homes to pray and the grandmothers were the ones who took responsibility. You did not need a priest or a rosary you could count the Hail Marys on your hands.

The first task that we undertook was the training of catechists. For our first summer study camp, we got about 30 older adolescents and young adults together and trained them for ten very intense days so that they could begin working with children. The first thing that we had printed was the Catechism of the Universal Church.

How did you experience the Russo-Georgian war in 2008?The war began quite unexpectedly. Russia very quickly made it obvious that there was no hope for the Georgian armythe Russian bombing even got quite close to Tbilisi. For the first time in my life, I saw people panicking. We gave refugees from Gori shelter in our assembly room and took care of them for an entire month. They still send me thank you letters on the anniversary of the war today. The Caritas organization in Georgia did a great deal to help the displaced persons by providing meals and assistance. I still remember that, as soon as it was possible, a lorry with food left for Gori. Ours were the first relief goods that made it through. They were delivered to the Orthodox bishop so that he could distribute them where needed.

How did you experience the Russo-Georgian War in 2008? What did the Church do to help in that situation? How did you experience the Russo-Georgian war in 2008?The war began quite unexpectedly. Russia very quickly made it obvious that there was no hope for the Georgian armythe Russian bombing even got quite close to Tbilisi. For the first time in my life, I saw people panicking. We gave refugees from Gori shelter in our assembly room and took care of them for an entire month. They still send me thank you letters on the anniversary of the war today. The Caritas organization in Georgia did a great deal to help the displaced persons by providing meals and assistance. I still remember that, as soon as it was possible, a lorry with food left for Gori. Ours were the first relief goods that made it through. They were delivered to the Orthodox bishop so that he could distribute them where needed.

What are the greatest challenges for the Church in Georgia today? After the many years of missionary work, what is there still left to do?The primary challenge that we must face continues to be ecumenical work. This is our first task, and it is a very difficult one. Due to the legacy of its past, the Orthodox Church still has a hard time being open to this. The Catholics are well aware that they are a minority and often face discrimination and unfair treatment. You just need to remember the six churches that were confiscated and never given back, or the prohibition of interfaith marriages. The ecumenical path requires a great deal of patience and the constant search for new and potential opportunities for establishing relationships that could develop into bridges. Our university, where most of the students are non-Catholics, plays an important role in this.

In my opinion, the second task is educating our faithful to continuously strengthen their faith and make them more secure in it. The priests and religious in the parishes have made this their primary concern. The third task is showing the merciful and loving reflection of God, in particular to those people who are currently facing great difficulties.

We are aware that there are too few of us, also because the spheres of our work are constantly growing and changing in our ever more complex world. Fortunately, there are young people who are preparing for the priesthood and a consecrated life. However, the path of priestly formation is long, which is important because they need a good education. It is difficult to find priests in other countries who are willing to work with us, also because of the language barrier. Learning Georgian requires many years of study and much sacrifice, after which you are only able to use the language here. But the Lord sees and provides.

In your opinion, what does the future hold for the Catholic Church in Georgia and what can ACN do to help it along the way?The support provided by ACN over the last few years has been essential. I can say that many have contributed to keeping our Church going, but ACN has always stood out in its support of centers for evangelization and training. Thanks to ACN, and by extension thousands of benefactors, we have been able to realize pastoral initiatives each year, particularly the summer camps we hold to promote faith formation in children and adolescents. I have always been aware of this, and I am deeply grateful that ACN is accompanying us on our way. We do not see the faces of the benefactors of ACN, but God knows them all: He will bless and reward them. It was always a comfort to me to know that the sister Churches were following the same path and were supporting us. Ultimately, we have always simply been the hands that carry out that which was in the hearts of so many Catholics all over the world.

Kira von Bock-Iwaniuk

Read more:
After communism, rebuilding the Catholic Church in Georgia - - Aid to the Church in Need