POWER: According to Hannah Arendt, the use of violence, weapons and bombs renders us politically speechless. Can her particular analyzes of power teach us anything about the violence that is being carried out from and in Gaza today?
FRED: 300 activists, politicians and experts from 32 countries gathered this summer in Vienna to discuss the need and methods to restore peace in Ukraine. The Italian peace movement was a model here: in addition to huge demonstrations against militarization in Ukraine, they have carried out five major peace caravans to the country with a total of over 80 vehicles filled with medical equipment, generators, water purification equipment and other essential items.
MODERN TIMES CONVERSATIONS: This time we met a fearless activist and anarchist. After a long life, he summarized a thoughtfulness in the areas of anarchism, minorities, fear/violence – and love. Audun Engh was ill when the conversation took place, and died a few months later.
RECONSTRUCTION: What are the prerequisites for rebuilding better in a way that strengthens Ukraine's ownership of its own development? Is democracy both the means and the end? What can the international community contribute? We have asked six players.
RECONSTRUCTION: During the first year of the war, the damage to Ukrainian homes is estimated at 50 billion dollars, and another 36 billion is damage to other physical infrastructure. How can one kick-start a war-ravaged industry and economy? So far it seems that the EU, the World Bank and the UN are coordinating their own donor systems independently of each other and Ukraine. But what does Norway do?
UKRAINE: Reconstruction costs for Ukraine are estimated by the World Bank at 411 billion dollars. Discussions about the design and reconstruction of Ukrainian cities after the war are in full swing. There are now five pilot projects for Kharkiv: on rivers, industry, cultural heritage, industrial buildings and a science park.
AFTER THE WAR: Ukraine's regions may emerge from the war as economically weak, underpopulated and with limited administrative capacity. The flow of aid money threatens to lead to continued immigration to Kyiv at the expense of the regions.
FOR: The left-wing parties have put aside international work, the press is a microphone stand for NATO, the peace movement has become toothless – and Norwegians are a nation of cold warriors. Therefore a new party is needed!
UKRAINE: Monuments and streets in honor of Nazi collaborators and neo-fascists in Ukraine with money from the US and the EU? For example, in cities all over Ukraine, many monuments have now been erected to Bandera – a Ukrainian Nazi collaborator. Or how about the 'Street of Heroes of the Azov Battalion' – a neo-fascist paramilitary formation? Socialist and communist symbols – from the red flag to the performance of the "Internationale" – are prohibited. So are all left-wing parties.
GHOST? With the renewed threat of nuclear war, MODERN TIMES shines a spotlight on an earlier book. Are nuclear weapons suitable for blackmailing other countries – coercive diplomacy? No, according to these authors.
USA: Hanford is classified as one of America's most toxic sites. The author calls it a ticking bomb à la Chernobyl. This is the most expensive environmental remediation project the world has ever seen, and the most polluted place on the entire planet.
RAPE: Russian soldiers today systematically use sexualized violence. And these abuses are not just due to 'bad discipline' or abuse of power. Commanders can also use sexualized violence as a kind of reward for their soldiers. Internationally, Russian officials categorically deny that soldiers have committed sexual crimes
ADVERTISING: Leaked classified intelligence documents from the White House revealed in April that Ukraine was soon facing a dramatic defeat – quite different from the propaganda we had all long heard. In this essay, our regular writer, John Y. Jones, looks at the many sides of propaganda – as we are today increasingly surrounded by fake news, unsubstantiated claims and politically biased information.
AFRICA: Russia has been very keen on the principle of non-interference and has allowed authoritarian regimes to pursue their own policies without making any political demands for their trade or aid. But they gave debt relief to a number of African countries at the same time as signing several military-technical agreements.
