International Politics
(June 2002)
Bryan Decker, issue editor, writes:
This month we focus on Guild members working on the international stage. While references to the tragic events of September 11 have become ubiquitous, there is no denying that Americans are more aware of the world outside of our borders now than we were last September 10.
Of course, members of the Guild have been involved in international struggles for justice since the Guild’s inception, and the good work of our fellow members continues unabated by the "war on terrorism." Rather than focus on that "war," we instead present articles on the work that our members are doing in other parts of the world, and here at home.
While the African AIDS pandemic has fallen off of the media’s radar screen, longtime member and Northeastern Law Professor Brook Baker has been working on raising awareness of this crisis since 1997. In this issue we present the first installment of what will be a series of articles by Brook discussing, as he aptly describes, "the pre-eminent human rights crisis of our times." Addressing the crisis from both an individual and societal prospective, we hope that Brook’s articles will not only educate, but will also spur us all to action.
Next, New York Guild member Dean Hubbard tells us about the third annual Guild Labor Delegation to Cuba. Over the past three years, the Guild’s Labor and Employment Committee has teamed with the Cuban Workers' Federation (the federation of Cuba’s 19 national unions) to sponsor fact-finding and bridge-building delegations to Cuba. As Dean’s report shows, the trips have not only led to a better understanding of the Cuban Labor Movement, they have also fostered a better relationship between Cuban and US labor activists. I would encourage all of us to seriously consider booking a spot on next year’s delegation.
Of course, it would be impossible to have an "international" issue without addressing the crisis in the Middle East. First, we reprint a recent press release from the National Office of the Guild, entitled "Violating International Law: Israel’s Military Offensive Against Palestinian Towns and Villages." From Massachusetts we present an article from board member Judy Somberg which gives a history of the Guild's involvement with the conflict in the Middle East and its long-standing use of international law to to address the conflict.
