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Mes 2006 |
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Expatriate Journal - The Red and the Blue in Old Peru:
Both our countries will have had general elections in 2004. Canada's close vote is now behind us; America's is two months away. Many commentators have said these November elections will be the most divisive since the American Civil War. Pundits have redrawn the states in Red (for Bush) and Blue (for Kerry). Opinion polls are close and unchanging because experts believe the population is so polarized that minds are already made up. Certainly not since Nixon's first victory during the Vietnam Era has foreign policy been at the forefront of a US campaign. And American expats feel they're on the frontlines of their government's policies. But it's not just America. The British, Spanish, Italian and many others have profound questions about the failure of the intelligence, international law and the resulting invasion of Iraq. Certainly all countries have an interest (if not much say) in the most powerful office in the world. Out of this intense interest, three months ago, grew an initiative by some expats here to have a forum to discuss, argue and organize. They started the Impolitic email listserver to discuss politics, development and just about anything else. The list is intended to complement (and grew out of) the existing “Expatriate” internet mailing list, which is seen more for announcements than discussions. Unlike the original list, Impolitic has no moderator and so discussion is immediate and lively. The list started with the charter: “expat impolitic” is the ugly stepsister of the Expatriate List. The purpose is to provide a space where list members may discuss world politics and development or any other subject they choose within the confines of mutual respect. Those who sign up should be as willing to learn as they are to teach but never lecture or dictate. There is only one rule which must be abided by all listers or they'll be fined and thrown off the list: no rules! In what has become an electronic town hall meeting, recent discussions have run the gamut from the voter fraud in Florida to the Israel/Palestine conflict to Peruvian taxi scams. The list also has a US embassy-approved doctor to field medical questions and hopes to become a clearinghouse for nonprofit organizations involved in development here in Peru. Discussion starts many ways. Often a provocative article is shared that starts a 'thread' of back and forth debate. Other times, it grows out of someone's written opinion. This can go on for a few minutes of rushed one-liners or days of long thoughtful discourse. It's been a free flow of ideas, news and views since. While it can get hairy, the participants of various political, ideological, national and religious backgrounds have made remarkable progress towards consensus on various subjects that started with great contention. All discussions have ended with some degree of agreement and plenty of mind-opening. The group also meets in person with a provocative film, presentation or open debate as the theme. They've scheduled a party for the November 2 election results which will be broadcast on a big screen. If you would like to join the list or for more information, send a mail with no text in the body to expatimpolitic-subscribe@topica.com or visit http://lists.topica.com/lists/expatimpolitic |
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Av. Angamos Oeste 1155 Miraflores, Lima 18.
Tel 222-6359 • Fax 441-4545.
Email office@acap-peru.org
Office Hours: Monday - Friday: From 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
