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Debt : The Greeks and Debtocracy
by
Aldous
18 March 2012
A documentary film entitled Debtocracy – Chréokratia (Chréos is the Greek word meaning “debt”) has become wildly popular in Greece since that country has been systematically drained while in the clutches of the IMF. Here is a translation of the film which explains the mechanisms for subjugating a country by what economists call “Odious Debt”.
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Debt, Dictatorship, and Democratization
by
Robert Howse,
Ruti Teitel
20 April 2011
NEW YORK – After Saddam Hussein’s fall, the United States successfully pressed creditors to write off much of Iraq’s external debt. Senior American officials, including Paul Wolfowitz, later President of the World Bank, argued that the Iraqi people should not be saddled with obligations that the dictator contracted in order to enrich himself and oppress his subjects. Citing a long-standing doctrine in international law, advocates of a write-off claimed that Iraq’s debt was “odious.” As a (...)
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Before and after the quake
The incapacitation of Haiti
by
Ashley Smith
17 January 2010
A devastating earthquake, the worst in 200 years, struck Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, laying waste to the city and killing untold numbers of people. The quake measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, and detonated more than 30 aftershocks, all more than 4.5 in magnitude, through the night and into Wednesday morning. The earthquake toppled poorly constructed houses, hotels, hospitals and even the capital city’s main political buildings, including the presidential palace. The collapse of so many (...)
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Seminar on the topic of “Rising Debt of Pakistan and Role of IFIs” in Lahore on 14 Oct 09
Reckless borrowing from IMF-a perfect recipe of disaster
by
Abdul Khaliq
29 October 2009
Speakers at CADTM seminar urge Pakistan to refuse payment of odious debt In connection with Global week of Action (12-18 Oct 09) against debts, Campaign for Abolition of Third World Debt (CADTM) Pakistan and Action Aid Pakistan jointly organized a seminar on the topic of “Rising Debt of Pakistan and Role of IFIs” in Lahore on 14 Oct 09 at local press club. Over 70 representatives of various civil society organizations and groups, activists, academics, students, lawyers and journalists (...)
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Experts on Zimbabwe’s external debt
by
Simbiso Marimbe Marasha
9 July 2009
Stakeholders met last week in Harare to discuss Zimbabwe’s external debt, which threatens the welfare of its citizens who have been ravaged by a deep social, economic and political crisis. The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd), a coalition of institutions and individuals focusing on social and economic justice, convened the meeting under the theme "The Economy in Transition Dialogue Conference: Towards a Sustainable Public Debt for Zimbabwe". The main objective of this (...)
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International Campaign on Illegitimate Debt
Resolution of support for Ecuadorian Debt Audit
19 September 2008
The undersigned participants in the First South-North Study and Strategy Meeting of the International Campaign on Illegitimate Debt, representing 50 global and regional networks and organizations from 36 countries from throughout the world, meeting in Quito, Ecuador, on September 9 – 15, 2008, CONSIDERING 1.That the people of Ecuador have been demanding that their government fulfill its right and obligation to take necessary measures in the face of the debt claimed illegitimately of their (...)
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Topicality of the odious debt doctrine
by
CADTM international
8 August 2008
The odious debt doctrine is not dead and buried, whatever some would like to believe. The US stampede retreat on Irak’s odious debt in 2003, and more recently a WB report that vainly attempted to question its validity both show how significant a stake it is for both debtors and creditors. The present document aims at reopening the debate on odious debts, and more generally on illegitimate debts, so that governments can use these legal arguments to stop paying undue debts. 1. The doctrine (...)
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Illegitimate Debt: The Topicality of the Odious Debt Doctrine CADTM Position
by
CADTM
7 August 2008
See the complete version at http://www.cadtm.org/spip.php?artic... Executive summary The odious debt doctrine is regularly called upon in debates around the debt issue in countries of the South. Yet the argument is just as regularly ignored or discredited by creditors and their partisans. The latest attempt in this line came from the World Bank when in its report Odious Debt: some considerations it questioned the validity and applicability of the doctrine and tried to bring the debate to a (...)
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Odious debt roundtable report
by
Eurodad
4 August 2008
The World Bank and Eurodad have published the outcome report of the recent round-table on odious debt and responsible lending. The round-table represented the first open dialogue on the issue of illegitimate debt between CSOs and the World Bank. It also involved inputs from creditor and debtor governments, academics and other experts. The report covers some of the main discussions and debates on the definition of illegitimate and odious debt, proposals for how the issue could be tackled, (...)
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Topicality of the odious debt doctrine
by
CADTM Belgique
4 July 2008
On April 14, 2008 a roundtable dedicated to the doctrine of odious debt was held in Washington. The meeting brought together representatives of the World Bank, the IMF, the African Development Bank, governments of the North and South, civil society organisations and some academics. The day of discussions was organised by the World Bank, at the request of some non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which had criticised its September 2007 report, “Odious Debt: some considerations.” Indeed, this (...)