Crazy few weeks

Some friends have been concerned that I haven't been blogging for a while, actually I've been doing 3-5 posts a day, but over on here. I haven't had time to do any personal musings because it's been such a crazy busy interesting couple of weeks. Somehow the world is still turning in spite of the second Bush term.

We've had an Iraqi economist working for Jubilee Iraq since mid-October, and he's done amazing work informing key people about the threat to Iraq's future posed by Saddam's debts and the machinations of the creditors. He's been braving the mean streets (I can often hear gunfire over the phone line when we talk) to build a coalition against the odious debt. And we're getting a strong response at last, we've even got a blessing from Grand Ayatollah Sistani. Just in time too with the Paris Club ruling last Sunday threatening to enslave Iraq to an IMF economic program.

I was over in Norway & Sweden on a mini speaking tour last week, which was a real pleasure, then in Paris on Wednesday for the first day of Paris Club talks. We held a demonstration outside the French Treasury and managed to get an audience with Paris Club officials inside the belly of the beast. The dorky photo below is taken in the Club's inner sanctum during their lunch break. We were actually left alone in there for a few minutes, and my Iraqi colleague, having been treated very rudely by the Paris Club President, mused that we could have easily brought spray cans with us and covered the room with justice slogans before anyone noticed! Next time ;-)

I somehow found time during my 24hrs in Paris to wander the streets and bars a fair bit, and was caught off guard as I found myself falling for the city. I think a genetically ingrained francophobia is one of the most conscious prejudices, and it was wonderful to start shedding the spirit of Agincourt and sampling a little of the charm of La Plus Belle Ville. One of my good friends has just moved over there, so I'm hoping to find more excuses to visit in the future.

A highlight of recent weeks has been spending time with Canadian activist Naomi Klein, who gave a tremendous lecture [there will be a link here when we get a video/transcript of the talk sorted out] with us to raise funds for the Fallujah Human Rights Centre and the Southern Oil Company Trade Union. I had the privilege of sitting in on some of her media interviews and hanging out with her for a couple of days. I've learnt a tremendous amount from her about the economic occupation of Iraq, the one subject I'd thought (due to obsession) that I was something of an expert on, as well hearing many new things about Argentina and other subjects. I learnt, for example, that the IMF's post-Soviet economic shock therapy program was created using a "find and replace" of the South Korean one, and in places they forgot to take out Korean references! I should have got in touch with her months ago about Jubilee Iraq, but I guess was shy of the whole celebrity status. Mistakenly of course, as she is not in the slightest bit affected by her global brand-name and willing to make time even for the little people like me. I've been greatly inspired and challenged to emulate a little of her passion, analysis and clarity of expression.

I'm beginning to get some concrete plans for the new year, though only the first steps. I've just been accepted to do the Christian Peacemaker Teams training in Chicago in January, with a view to joining the team out in Iraq (providing they judge it safe enough to remain there) soon afterwards. I still need to pray over this and talk it through with my parents a bit, but it's now looking like the most likely next season in my life.

Naomi Klein talk in London

If you want to hear what the second Bush term will mean for Iraq and the rest of the world, come along to hear Naomi Klein (author of no logo) in London on 24th November. This is an event I've been involved in organising in aid of Iraqi NGOs. Please come along and reserve your place here.

Time to learn Farsi?

It feels like the worst hangover in history, though i didn't drink anything. I went to bed at 2am GMT with the exit poll figures on the net showing a reasonably Kerry lead in most of the swing states and woke up to the horrific news that Bush is almost certainly the winner. There is the thinest sliver of hope (bouyed slightly by Kerry just winning Wisconsin) that Iowa and NM could go to Kerry in the next few hours and then if he gets about 65% of the absentee and provisional ballots he could still pull back the 120,000 or so votes needed for victory. But realistically speaking that's unlikely and could take weeks to emerge. (full data from CNN).

As I listened to the results last night I was filling in an application form for something which is now more relevant than ever, in the face of another four years of neo-con aggression. I was applying to join Christian Peacemaker Teams, an organisation which is genuinely pro-life in that it works to prevent violent conflict (I cannot get my head around the mentality of people who oppose abortion (like me) but at the same time enthusiastically support the death penalty and the massacres of thousands of foreign civilians).

I have spent time with their team in Baghdad and, if I am accepted, hope to join them in Feburary after doing a month of intensive training in Chicago. I'll be committing to at least three years service, and with Bush in power there will, unfortunately, be plenty of work to do both in Iraq and who knows where else (it is perhaps time to start learning Farsi and Korean). The latest email from my friend Matt, who is out there now, says there is substantial interest among Iraqis in forming a sister Muslim Peacemaker Team group, and that is a development I've been praying for for many years and I'd love to be involved with helping get that up and running.

Urgent: Pray for Fallujah

The situation in Iraq continues to get worse. I was talking with a friend in Baghdad this morning and I could hear the sound of battle in the street outside his home. I've just heard the dreadful news that the Deputy Governor of Baghdad has been assassinated, I'm particularly worried as one of my dearest friends had recently started working for him (after years of unemployment) and I don't yet know if he was caught in the attack or not.

The worst place of all is Fallujah, which Bush seems to be gearing up to attack in a cynical attempt to win votes tomorrow. I've just been chatting with a brave friend who has remained in the city, he writes: "NOW THE AIREPLANS IS OVER Fallujah and befor one hour attacks with tanks some houses in side fallujah but we thank for god that houses without any peoples. I am sure your prayers it will protect me and my peoples. yes, most of the peoples such womens and children are left fallujah but the large number of men and youth is stay to defince and protect my town. I hope to hear your voice again." So please pray for my friend's safety and for all the innocent people in Iraq.