Links from Bergonia
Micronations on the Web
Visions of better ways of life.
Struggles around the World
| Fighting Oppression: | |
 | Let's help a country that tried to follow its own non-materialist path-- Tibet. When Saddam invaded and occupied Kuwait, the USA went speedily to the rescue, but the USA has all but explicitly endorsed the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Can anyone say "oil"? A list of Tibetan Political Links and Resources |
| Tibet Society | a British organization dedicated to the Tibetan people's continuing struggle to regain control of their homeland. |
| International Campaign for Tibet | a leading organization in the fight for liberation of Tibet. |
 | China has tortured and killed thousands of Tibetan women and children. It thrives on forced labor, refuses any form of workers rights, despoils its own environment, and even executes prisoners to harvest their kidneys for sale overseas. It oppresses all free expression of religion. Tienamen square is still stained with martyrs' blood. Presidents Bush & Clinton have drunk toasts with the butchers. This regime deserves our condemnation at every turn. Better yet-- let's support Democracy in China and boycott Chinese goods. Let's not feed the beast! |
| Kick the PLA out of the USA | The Peoples Liberation Army functions like an independent country inside China, with its own industrial sector. The USA stupidly imports goods made by the PLA, thus directly subsidizing the world's largest standing army, which is sure to be the biggest threat to USA national security in the 21st Century. This site is run by several American labor unions. Fortunately, some liberal, labor-allied Democrats are sponsoring some legislation to end this situation. |
| Falun Gong | Actually called "Falun Dafa," this neo-Buddhist group claims millions of followers. They have displayed great courage in the face of continued persecution by the thug regime in Beijing. Their resistance echoes what the early Christians suffered under Roman persecution. This site focuses on the persecution. For information on Falun Dafa's doctrine & practice, try Falun Dafa |
 | The Zapatistas continue to resist Mexico's authoritarian kleptocracy. The Zapatistas, Chiapas & the "Irish Mexican Group" -- a very big and informative site put together by an Irish anarchist group. See Revolt-- their other page devoted to links to all manner of Irish & international anarchist and liberation struggles. |
| Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan is a political organization of women struggling for peace, freedom, democracy women's rights against the Taliban in Afghanistan. | |
| Cultural Oppression | |
| The average American, safely insulated from the world's reality by our trivia-driven media, has no idea that hundreds of indigenous cultures around the world still struggle to resist encroaching Westernism-- they don't want to become like us! Why should we make them? | |
| Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization | A federated organization that represents minority nations and ethnic groups around the world that suffer oppression by national governments. |
| Cultural Survival | An organization that advances the cause of indigenous and tribal peoples against development. |
| The Power of Culture | A sit that discusses economic development and local cultures. |
| Human Rights | |
| A long list of links to human rights organizations around the world. | |
| Freedom Forum | A watchdog organization that monitors the state of the press and media around the world. If you want to learn which countries harass and oppress reporters and journalists, check here. |
| Opposing Globalism | |
| Globalism apparently means "World Government of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations." The history of Globalism parallels the history of slavery in the USA: first whites blatantly enslaved blacks, but after "freeing" them Southern whites relegated blacks to sharecropper status. Sharecroppers had nominal liberty, but "Massah" still dictated the economic terms of that liberty, and Debt Slavery resulted. Likewise the colonial powers gave independence to the Third World nations, but now enslaves them with debt. | |
| Z-Net's resource page on globalization | Z-Net, created by Z magazine, maintains this valuable page with all manner of links concerning global economics and trade. Most of the links take you to articles previously published by Z, but links also take you to articles written my many different folks. |
| Global Trade Links | A short list of links to groups raising concerns about globalization, maintained on an AOL members homepage by "American participants" in Peoples Global Action. |
| International Forum on Globalization | Founded in 1994 in response to NAFTA, the IFG conducts analysis of globalization issues. See IFG's fine list of publications. IFG describes its purpose as "twofold: (1) Expose the multiple effects of economic globalization in order to stimulate debate, and (2) Seek to reverse the globalization process by encouraging ideas and activities which revitalize local economies and communities, and ensure long term ecological stability." |
| Jubilee 2000 | The rich nations of the west should lift the yoke of debt off the Third World. In the 1800's Americans freed their slaves and then placed them under a slightly more subtle form of control-- debt. In the middle of this century the West granted independence to its Third World "colonies" (thus ostensibly ending "imperialism"), but the West now controls these "sharecropper" nations through debt. With the World Bank and the IMF, the West effectively dictates economic and social policy in all these countries. Jubilee 2000 would end this subtle form of imperialism. |
| Alternative Trade and Economy: | |
| International Federation of Alternative Trade | IFAT is an organization of Third World producers marketing their goods directly to consumers in the rich nations. They define Fair Trade as "a trading partnership which aims at sustainable development for excluded and disadvantaged producers... by awareness raising and... campaigning." (sic) |
| Fair Trade Federation | An association of "fair trade wholesalers, retailers, and producers whose members are committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide." This group directly links low-income producers with consumer markets. FTF tries to educate consumers in the rich countries about the importance of buying goods manufactured within a context of economic justice (our term, not theirs), and also acts as an information clearinghouse for information and provides resources and networking opportunities for its members. |
| Ten Thousand Villages | Ten Thousand Villages (formerly SELFHELP Crafts, founded in 1946) has built a network providing "vital, fair income to Third World people by selling their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America." Volunteers in Canada and the USA work with Ten Thousand Villages in their home communities. Ten Thousand Villages is a program of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in North America. |
| SERRV | In SERRV's on-line catalog, you will find the finest work of designers and craftspeople from developing nations using traditional materials and techniques. SERRV imports these products directly from community-based artisan partner organizations. |
| Equal Exchange Online | At this site you can order coffee grown by agricultural cooperatives. |
| Alternative Gifts International | A non-profit interfaith agency offering a place where you can shop and help Third World communities directly: "Gifts that empower people in crisis and protect our planet, presents to honor your family and friends that also build peace in our global village." |
Do you know of a web site we should list? Let us know. Send us suggestions.