* April 12, 2003 was the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Jan Tinbergen, late of the Board of Directors of ECAAR and winner of the first Nobel Prize in Economics. EVV, ECAAR's Dutch/Flemish affiliate, participated in the celebration of Tinbergenweek at the Erasmus University
Rotterdam. A website offers pictures of the week's activities, papers written for the celebration and more information on his life and works, and honors "Jan Tinbergen as a man of ideas and ideals." Content is available in Dutch or English. www.tinbergenweek.nl

*Currently six of the ECAAR affiliates host their own sites: Chile, Japan, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, and the UK. All can be reached from the ECAAR-US site at http://www.ecaar.org/Affiliates.htm.

*ECAAR-SA is involved in an on going suit against the government of South Africa, claiming that a recent arms deal is unconstitutional. Last week The Guardian reported that BAE Systems, one of the world's three largest defense contractors, has admitted to bribing officials in South Africa,
vindicating ECAAR's claims.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030701-missiles01.htm

*ECAAR-UK held its seventh annual conference on "Economics and Security," this year at a new and very attractive venue, Burwalls Hall at the University of Bristol, June 26-28. The conference started with a lecture by Ron Smith of Birkbeck College on "Valuing Defence." Plenary and workshop topics included conflict and global terrorism, arms trade and industry, military expenditure and procurement, arms races and alliances, technology and offsets, and military expenditure and the economy.

Organized by ECAAR-UK Chair Paul Dunne, the event drew participants from at least 15 countries. This conference is outstanding for its levels of student involvement, its atmosphere of constructive and collegial criticism, the scope and variety of the papers, and the amount of fun had at mealtimes.
Thanks to Paul Dunne for pulling off his usual miracle.

*CALL FOR PAPERS: We are currently soliciting papers for The ECAAR Review 2005, tentatively titled, "Space Weapons and Space Technology." This volume will include both peaceful and military uses of space; we have already several papers on the uses of space for weapons, and are
particularly interested in papers discussing possible peaceful uses for space. Persons interested in submitting work for consideration should contact Kate Cell at katecell@ecaar.org.

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*LINKS*

*The International Action network on Small Arms (IANSA) has recently launched a new website. The site includes an interactive world map at which you can click on the region of your choice to see information, news, contacts and resources on small arms in that region:
http://www.iansa.org/regions/index.htm. The site also has specialist sections devoted to key issues in SALW (Small Arms and Light Weapons) such as Children & Guns, Weapons Collection & Destruction, Women & Small Arms, etc. as well as the latest news headlines on SALW; a section dedicated to the UN Biennial Meeting of States (July 7-11); full coverage of the 2003 Global Week of Action Against Small Arms; the IANSA Newsletter and more. http://www.iansa.org/

* Another excellent website is id21, hosted by the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex in Great Britain. id21 is a fast-track research reporting service funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). It aims to bring UK-based development research findings and policy recommendations to policymakers and development practitioners worldwide. id21 aims to be part of the process of putting policy into practice. Online, in print and through the southern media, id21 showcases recent research findings and policy lessons on major development issues.
http://www.id21.org/

*One article from the id21 website begins: "The human costs of small arms misuse have social and economic consequences also - affecting the opportunities and productivity of poor communities further still. From Latin America and the Caribbean to sub-Saharan Africa, South and South East Asia, research has shown how scarce household resources are being devoted to the treatment and care of the victims of violence, as well as to informal and unregulated forms of security - such as para-militarism and vigilantism. Small arms misuse is also strongly associated with the increasing lethality of criminality, forced migration, the deterioration of investment and trade and the obstruction of aid delivery and assistance. Both directly and indirectly then, small arms misuse undermines the quality and quantity of development in poor countries." http://www.id21.org/id21-media/arms.html

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*IN OTHER NEWS*
*This article by Freeda Berrigan, of the Arms Trade Resource Center, examines the use of depleted uranium weaponry and the resulting sickening of Iraqis and Americans.
http://inthesetimes.com/comments.php?id=253_0_1_0_C

*An interview with Ken Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, in which he discusses the war on terrorism, the Patriot Acts, and the potential costs, in terms of treasure and lives lost.
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/newsmakers/nwsmkr.jhtml?id=36500031

* From Alertnet, sponsored by the Reuters Foundation, Sidney Jones, Indonesia project director of Brussels-based analysts International Crisis Group, suggests that the Jakarta government has an electoral interest in stirring up a nationalist backlash against foreign involvement in peace talks with separatists in Aceh. She argues that Indonesia's hard-line military operations will alienate civilians in the troubled province and push them towards the guerrillas.
http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/ICGacehview.htm

*Several articles on the toxic dangers of living on or near military bases came out this month. In one, a small group of Native Alaskans is fighting to get the Air Force to come back and clean up the nine square miles contaminated by 220,000 gallons of spilled fuel plus unknown quantities of solvents, asbestos, heavy metals, and PCBs left behind when the bases were shut down in the early 1970s. One barrel dump contains more than 29,000 drums, some leaking unknown fluids. The inhabitants of St. Lawrence Island, the Yup'ik Eskimos whose tribe has lived there for more than two thousand
years, depend on local animals and plants for their survival: walrus, seals, bowhead whales, fish, crab, waterfowl and seabirds, reindeer, berries, roots, greens. But within ten years of the establishment of military bases there during the Cold War, people started noticing increased incidences of cancer and birth defects. For the full story see http://www.oriononline.org/pages/om/03-4om/Sherwonit.html

A similar story, "There's No Base Like Home," tells about families who lived at Fort Bragg, in North Carolina, in the 1950s and 1960s, the health problems they have encountered, and the lack of responsiveness of the Army.
http://www.gristmagazine.com/maindish/scheck070303.asp?source=mailify

* Two articles from the UN HCR speak about women in combat zones: "In the north-east part of [Somalia] called Puntland, Hawa is fighting to improve the very low status of women in Somali society. Ironically, since civil war broke out in the country following the overthrow of Mohamed Siad
Barre in 1991, women have become the chief breadwinners of their families, but their economic, social and political standing remains low."
http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news/+OwwBme6_iqCwwwwrwwwwwwwhFqnN0bIt
FqnDni5zFqnN0bIAFqnN0bIDzmxwwwwwww1FqnN0bI/opendoc.htm

According to a report by Save the Children released May 6, "Men may be the combatants, but women and children endure a torturous existence, and not enough is being done to protect them from war-related violence, exploitation and abuse."
http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news/+iwwBmeZ0DuKwwwwnwwwwwwwmFqnN0bIh
FqnN0bItFqnDni5zFqnN0bIAFqnN0bIDzmqwwwwwwwGFqewSarnwB1GneuGYrdGa5dMnaIdMwcoa
idMnDadppd5oDtatnDoBwcaM1BocwBodDarw5awapGoqn1FqnN0bI/opendoc.htm

* From Slate, a news service by MSN, "The Bush administration is finally facing tough questions about its selective use of intelligence in selling war with Iraq. But Americans shouldn't just be skeptical of what the president says about WMD. They should be skeptical of what he says about
GDP. In economic policy even more than in war policy, the Bushies have successfully suppressed, manipulated, and withheld evidence to serve their policy purposes." http://slate.msn.com/id/2085481/

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*FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES*

*The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation offers several funding opportunities for economists and those interested in issues of military spending and conflict resolution. Among their programs are the
Sloan Research Fellowships http://www.sloan.org/programs/scitech_fellowships.shtml These awards are intended to enhance the careers of the very best young faculty members in specified fields of science. Currently 116 fellowships are awarded annually in seven fields: chemistry, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics,
neuroscience, and physics.

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*ECAAR PUBLICATIONS*

* The ECAAR Review 2003. This year's edition is titled, "Conflict or
Development?" and has a regional focus on Africa, the site of most of the
world's current armed conflicts. In its pages some of the leading
economists of the day analyze and reflect on the relationships among
military spending, domestic and foreign policy, security, and human welfare.
Features include country studies and sections on business and conflict and
"Trends in World Military Expenditure." Written in clear English, with
informative maps, tables, and graphs, the series is designed to inform the
debate among policymakers, activists, journalists, academics, students, and
citizens worldwide.

*You can order the Review at http://www.ecaar.org/Review_files/order.htm

*We believe the Review can be a valuable teaching tool in economics,
political science, and international relations courses. If you are
interested in teaching this book, please contact Kate Cell
(Katecell@ecaar.org) for a copy to review.

* "The Full Cost of Ballistic Missile Defense." The study estimates that
the total life-cycle cost for a layered missile defense system could reach
$1.2 trillion through 2035.
*You can order a copy of the report from the
http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/nmd/fullcost.html co-sponsor of the study,
or download a PDF file from http://www.ecaar.org/index.htm.

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*ACTION CORNER*

* An article from the New York Times' Paul Krugman makes a compelling
argument for the need to demand accountability from the current Bush
administration over misleading statements leading up to the Iraq war.
"[L]aunching a war on false pretenses is, to say the least, a breach of
trust. So if you admit to yourself that such a thing happened, you have a
moral obligation to demand accountability - and to do so in the face not
only of a powerful, ruthless political machine but in the face of a country
not yet ready to believe that its leaders have exploited 9/11 for political
gain. It's a scary prospect. Yet if we can't find people willing to take the
risk - to face the truth and act on it - what will happen to our democracy?"
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0624-04.htm

* If you feel moved to speak out on the issue of accountability, you can
contact your Congressional representatives, and ask them to support
legislation to create a commission to investigate possible manipulation and
distortion of evidence by the Executive Branch. Both Rep. Henry Waxman
(D-Calif.) and Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) have introduced legislation
(H.R. 2625 and H. Res. 307 resp.) that addresses some of these concerns.
Each has supported the other's bill, although Tauscher's is stronger in
several regards: it calls for a House Select Committee rather than an
independent commission and it calls for reporting before the election. You
can find your representative at: http://www.house.gov/

*Anyone who would be willing to put an ECAAR flyer up on a departmental
bulletin board or similar venue, please contact Thea Harvey, Development
Manager at theaharvey@ecaar.org.

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We would like News Notes to be a way for ECAAR members and our community to
keep in touch. We will include, if you send them to us, notices on events
and publications that you are involved with.
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*UPCOMING EVENTS*

*July 16, 2003. Fourth Annual General Meeting of the S.A.N.E network, with
a keynote address by Margaret Legum on, "How Can New Economics be Applied in
South Africa Today?" Email sane@iafrica.com for more information.

*August 3 - 9, 2003. The 25th Annual Summer Institute, Smith College Northampton, MA.
The Summer Institute is a weeklong intensive training in economics for
activists, educators, and anyone who wants a better understanding of
economics. We focus on how economic systems impact our lives and work every
day. NO BACKGROUND IN ECONOMICS IS REQUIRED.
Special Track for 2003: "Anti-War Economics for Activists." For info
contact: The Center for Popular Economics, PO Box 785, Amherst, MA 01004
(413) 545-0743
Email: programs@populareconomics.org, website: http://populareconomics.org/

*Sept. 4, 2003. A one-day conference on conflict and development at the
Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. (More information to follow.)

*September 29th and 30th, 2003. ECAAR-Russia hosts a workshop on
"Inequality and Democratic Development" in Moscow. It will be followed by a
conference on "Russia's Long-term Economic Development". Russian and foreign
scholars and representatives of business are expected to participate.

*November 7-10, 2003. European Association for Evolutionary Political
Economy, (EAEPE) Conference 2003, "The Information Society - Understanding
Its Institutions Interdisciplinary." The conference will be held at the
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration & MERIT / Infonomics,
University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands. This conference aims
to analyze the institutions of the information society and welcomes scholars
from all social sciences with an interest in understanding the economic
significance, broadly conceived, of the information society. More
information at http://www.eaepe.infonomics.nl/

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