My last IUSY congress..

This congress of IUSY was the last one for me. After two years of work within IUSY as coordinator for social movements and GPYF, the congress took a decision. The vote was clear. My organization and me do not share the same vision of a political youth movement with the majority of IUSY organizations (at least the ones that were at the congress). We fought since years for an international movement of young socialists more involved with the social movements, active within the social forum, with the trade unions, with the NGOs that have a real impact at the international level. We are not living in a bubble and our candidature was a clear message for a more open IUSY, open towards the international movement, towards a more active IUSY at the international level. It is what we tried to do in the past two years, with my involvement within the Decent Work - Decent Life campaign steering group, with the ITUC, with ActionAid on the fight against EPAs. We tried to develop concepts of actions and to give a real frame for action at the international level. But sometimes, the principle of political responsibility doesn’t seem to be the top priority of our movement. I don't have to hide what I did or what I did not in the past two years. It was the basis for future actions but the direction chosen by IUSY is the opposite one. Some will argue that they agree with us on this vision even though we disagreed on the vote. From our side, we never make a distinction between the political line and the strategic positions.

I am worried about an organization that cares more about its internal struggles and subtle balances than about the political goals we have outside the organization. IUSY can be much more than a playground for young leaders that want to practice their strategic skills.

I sincerely wish good luck to Jacinda Arden, the newly elected president. I wish all the best to Zita who is now responsible for social movements and GPYF, and to Kati as a feminist coordinator. I congratulate the newly elected presidium. All of them. Lots of them are friends. I am really happy for Judicael (Benin), for Silje (Norway), for Daniel (Chile), Uri (Israel), Pavel (Mexico) and some others. I'm sure they will make a great work within this presidium. I thank all the comrades with whom I have worked during these years of involvement at the international level. Don't worry, MJS France and its international team lead by Benoit Curinier will continue the fight for a certain vision of international activism. :-)

For me, I will continue my involvement at the international level through different ways, through the work of Fondation Jean Jaures and other think-tanks at the international level, through my work of development economist at university... I never saw the participation in the IUSY presidium as a goal as such, as an accomplishment to add one line to my CV. My organization and I wanted to bring something to IUSY. But it is still possible to be active and to make a difference outside of this international platform...

IUSY congress in Santo Domingo

Here we are! I arrived on tuesday night in Santo Domingo for the IUSY congress. The presidium meeting started yesterday and is continuing today. Tonight, we have a public meeting with the candidate for the presidential elections of the PRD. I'll keep you updated later!

Bye bye Tony Blair!

As a French Socialist and PES activist, i was astonished by the participation of the former English prime minister Tony Blair to the national council of the right-wing party UMP, together with Nicolas Sarkozy. I thought that the UK Labour party was a sister party, member of the PES and the SI... At least, it is clear. Politically, it means something. It is true that Sarkozy and Blair share some points of view on the role of EU in the World and the relation with the United States. But it is also a challenge for the Party of European Socialist to be politically coherent. The drafting of the 2009 manifesto can be an opportunity to clarify our common visions based on a clear Left point of view.

Behind the participation of Tony Blair to the UMP national council, we have the candidature of the former British PM to the presidency of the European Union, supported by Nicolas Sarkozy. Clearly, this candidature can't be the one of the European Socialists. Last week-end, Tony Blair showed he was closer to the European Right-wing parties, and he won't be the candidate of a more social, federal and democratic Europe. The PES has to think on what would be his position regarding this election of a president of the EU and a possible alternative to the candidate of a neo-liberal and pro-NATO Europe. In France, this possible candidature was strongly critized within the Left (Pierre Moscovisci said he can't be the candidate of the Socialists) and the Right. Edouard Balladur and Valery Giscard D'Estaing said the next EU president should come for a country fully integrated in the EU (Euro, Schengen zone and Charter of Fundamental Rights). Well, it seems it will difficult for Tony!

Read the analysis of Jon Worth, and the one of Jean Quatremer (Coulisses de Bruxelles).

EPAs: "Stop ou encore"

The Economic Partnership aggreements (EPAs) between the EU and the ACP countries shoud have been negociated until 31st of December 2007. But because of a strong opposition of most of African countries, no aggreements were found. The African countries feared the complete liberalization that would have followed the ratification of these aggreements. What are the problems?

• The WTO aggreements ask for the reciprocity of the trade aggreements. If the EU accepts to open its markets to ACP countries, the ACP countries should open their markets to EU products. This is very problematic as the level of infrastructures, the production capacities and development of the countries cannot be compared. More flexibility should be given to this rule of reciprocity, both in the EPAs and at the WTO.
• The WTO allows specific trade arrangements for the developing countries and least advanced countries. The EU initiative "everything but arms" concerned the least advanced countries. But it is not possible to have a specific aggreement for some of the developing countries (the ACP for example). However, we cannot compare the situation of Brazil, India and China from one side and Antigua and Barbuda, Burkina Faso and Lesotho from the other side.
  
• EPAs should promote the regional integration. However, the EU does not let the time to the African countries to strenghten their sub-regional cooperation. Moreover, the EU always refused to involve South Africa in the negotiation (South Africa has a specific trade aggreement with the EU and are not part of the ACP aggreements). How to build a regional integration without South Africa?
• Do the ACP countries need the full liberalization of their market? No. At least, it is not the priority. Lets help to build infrastructure and strenghten their productive capacity first. The problem is the partnership is not clear and ambiguous. The EU make the promise to increase the European Development fund, but the reality of the additional fund have to be proved.
• The agenda was unrealistic. How to ask to ACP countries to fully open their market? It is impossible for some countries to evaluate the impact of these aggreements. First because they don't have yet statistics about their trade. More time is needed anyway.
  

For all that reasons, NGOs, trade unions and African countries are right to oppose these EPAs. (see the press release of ITUC). But the problem is wider. The WTO rules are also questionned and the ACP countries together with the EU should go there and negociate more flexibility on the rule of reciprocity for example. The EU has a lot of things to loose in these negotiations. So we must change urgently the shape of the negotiations.

See my other articles on the EPAs and the action of the GPYF we organized together with Action Aid. For another point of view, read this article "Commerce: Que faire avec l'Afrique" sur Télos.

Back from Baku - situation in Azerbaijan

I did not know very well the political situation in Azerbaijan. But this country plays a strategic role in the region due to its ressources in oil and gaz. The western countries try to use these ressources in order to minimize their energetical dependancies towards Russia. The pipeline BTC (Baku, Tbilissi, Ceyhan) is the longest in the World (1768 km) but transports 1 million of baril each day. When i was in Baku, the Azeri authorities celebrates the first baril of oil exported to the US via Turkey.

Read the article of the newspaper "Monde Diplo" in English (for suscribers) or in French (full version available).

Azerbaijan is also one of the few countries of the region that did not face a "colored revolution" in the last years. And the lack of support from the international community (contrary to the neighbour country Georgia, where the US and western countries strongly supported the so-called "pink revolution") may come from the strategical role of the country. Azerbaijan is far to be a democracy. Freedom of speech is limited and a lot of journalists are in prison (the former SDYO (social-democratic youth organization) chairman is presently in jail. He was journalist in an opposition newspaper). The last elections in 2005 was a joke with massive irregularities (See the report of Human Rights Watch). And following the elections, the opposition went into the streets to ask for free and fair elections. But the repression of these demonstrations were masive without any protest from the international community. Why? Because the western countries need stability, and a "strong" political partner. The president Ilham Aliev presents these guarantees. The cynism of the international community ensures the stability of the regime..

See the article of Monde diplo "Pourquoi l'Azerbaidjan n'a pas basculé"

Next elections will take place in October or November this year. But the comrades are very pessimistic. Most probably, nothing will change and Aliev will win without any difficulties these elections. Azerbaijan is one of the countries with the highest growth in the World (more than 30% of growth last years) due to the energetic ressources. Without a democratic regime, this growth won't be redistributed and massive inequalities are expected. This may become the main "danger" for the sustainability of the regime. But without a clear support from the international community, these evolutions will take time.

"A left wing Godesberg"

Read this article concerning the new German SPD program adopted in Hambourg: "A left wing Godesberg - the German SPD new Hambourg program" by Detlev Albers

"It is not a backtracking bow to the past that already the introduction follows ‘democratic socialism’s proud tradition. The paragraph on Our Values and Beliefs explicitly states that democratic socialism means nothing less than the programmatic horizon of social democratic objectives for the 21st century – the ‘first real global century’ according to the introductory time analysis."

The end of a tendancy in the European Left? We are far from the Blair-Schroeder message in this program. Read it here.

Nothing to see, but today i'm flying to Azerbaijan where i go on behalf of the Fondation Jean Jaures for a seminar with the youth organization SDYO. Back on monday. See you then!

Clinton is back.. Towards a ticket Obama - Edwards?

Clinton 39%, Obama 36% and Edwards 17%. Obama had 10% more in the polls. How to explain this result? Is it a new evidence of the so-called Bradley effect ("Specifically, there have been instances in which statistically significant numbers of white voters tell pollsters in advance of an election that they are either genuinely undecided, or likely to vote for the non-white candidate, but those voters exhibit a different behavior when actually casting their ballots.")? Difficult to say. Anyway, this second place of Obama is a very good result. And more and more people are pushing for a ticket Obama - Edwards (even if the name of more veterans politicians also emerge like Jack Reeds).

Read the live blogging from Social Europe Blog

General strikes in Guinea

After several weeks of a huge social and political crisis in January, a unity government was formed to solve the crisis. On 3 January, Justin Morel Junior, the Minister for Communication and New Information Technologies, was sacked by the President with no explanation given. Since last week demonstrations have been held in several of the country’s regions. The trade unions of Guinea called for unlimited general strikes starting on January 10th.

"The population is losing patience. The establishment of a transitional government in March 2007 had raised people’s hopes, however the changes awaited since then have been taking a long time to come, whilst living and working conditions have remained precarious. Justice also seems to be taking a long time to be done and the unions are critical of the dismissal for lack of evidence of the case against Mamadou Sylla, whose release sparked off a protest last year.

In a letter (FR - pdf) to the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), the ITUC expressed its profound concern at the deteriorating socio-political situation in Guinea. The ECOWAS played an active role in the establishment of the transitional arrangements in Guinea and its support will be vital for guaranteeing peace, stability and democracy in this West African country."

Press release of ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation)

Communiqué de presse sur la Guinée de la Confédération Syndicale Internationale (en français)
Voir les articles sur ce blog sur la Guinée
Collectif Solidarité Guinée

Why the progressive should support John Edwards

Read the analysis of the comrade Daraka Larimore-Hall, it will become obvious.

"Democrats have three distinct opportunities to make history this year. Unfortunately, we have to choose between them. We could make history by electing the first woman President. We could elect the first black President. Or, we win the election by securing a mandate for truly progressive politics. Any of these would be phenomenal achievements, and they are each worth every ounce of sweat we can muster. It’s the third one, though, that is the most necessary and the most urgent. For this reason, my hopes and prayers are for John Edwards to (...) continue his campaign for the nomination." Daraka Larimore Hall

Read also his analysis after the vote in Iowa, and my blog post in French

Welcome back!

Yes, i had to achieve my Ph-D. Lack of time, very difficult to update this blog. Sorry for this silence but in 2008, i'm coming back! With a blog more focused on international politics with more posts in English. We come back to the original idea of this blog. Let's see...

In 2008, a lot of things to follow at the international level. US elections, Situation in Middle-East (Peace talks in Israel - Palestine and situation in Lebanon), Trade negotiations in Africa, Latin America. The goal is to think and debate: a progressive view of international politics. If you want to contribute to this debate, contact me and we will find a way to publish your point of view.