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# The Week in 1 Minute: Petroleum, poverty and progress - March 24 – 30 on openDemocracy
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/week-in-1-minute-petroleum-poverty-and-progress-march-24-30-on-opendemocracy/
- Published: 2014-03-30T00:03:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-23T01:38:12.000Z
- Description: The Ukraine conflict continues to dominate headlines. Iryna Solomko says Ukrainians have accepted the loss of Crimea but fears run high that worse is to come. Luca Uberti examines comparisons between Kosovo and Crimea and says the west is delusional to think the recent annexation is exceptional. I
- Author: openDemocracy Supporters
- Tags: The Week in 1 Minute, #Migrated, #en, #Import 2026-04-09 17:46, #appended-excerpt

On more positive notes, Heather McRobie continues our exploration of how [Bosnians](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/89b40c7b67&ref=opendemocracy.net) are trying to rebuild their society from the bottom up and Georgy Borodyansky looks at the [family of reindeer herders](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/c1dabe23c6&ref=opendemocracy.net) **attempting to obstruct Russia’s oil giants**. Concluding the Transformation series on money, Michael Edwards suggest we [put it out if its misery.](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/b8fb1913c4&ref=opendemocracy.net)  
  
In Africa race, gender and sexuality are still the source of much discontent. In Uganda **religious pressure leads to increased persecution of homosexuality** with the passage of some draconian [anti-gay legislation](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/6f51d29e75&ref=opendemocracy.net). In South Africa, is it ok for [Oscar Pistorius](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/bcfbf056cc&ref=opendemocracy.net) to shoot his girlfriend if he believed she was an “imaginary black intruder”? On the security front, Nick Turse [asks just how light](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/f883602e88&ref=opendemocracy.net) is the US military’s “light footprint” in Africa.  
  
David Wearing interviews leading human rights activist Maryam al-Khawaja on [Bahrain](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/c8da9f630e&ref=opendemocracy.net), **ongoing** **government repression and Britain’s role** in the unrest. Avi Mograbi [speaks about his latest film](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/ed21998fa2&ref=opendemocracy.net) as part of a new collaboration between openDemocracy and [Open City Docs Fest](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/ff4bc9c773&ref=opendemocracy.net). Soraya Morayef [reviews a new film, *The Square*](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/907c697607&ref=opendemocracy.net), on the uprisings in Egypt, and asks, ‘but where are the women?’.  
  
Britain’s state of dysfunction and farce continues with Alison Whyte [examining](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/16ceeff0a7&ref=opendemocracy.net) a new BBC documentary **where celebrities come face to face with people who can’t afford food.** Sunder Katwala criticises the [radio debate on the EU](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/a1904982d9&ref=opendemocracy.net) between Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage, and says the pro-EU side are concentrating on reason to the point of irrationality. In media, Brian Winston argues that the [BBC license fee](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/373f6f7c79&ref=opendemocracy.net) levied on the British audience is an essential part of the BBC’s make up as the Corporation’s opponents find new ways to undermine it.  
  
Erin Evers [considers](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/76cda1034e&ref=opendemocracy.net) the situation in Iraq where **sectarian violence may be obscuring issues of deteriorating rights for Iraqi women and girls**. And finally, despite much progress (and funding) towards [Turkey’s membership of the EU](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/303f17b133&ref=opendemocracy.net) there is still much work to be done to secure the human rights that membership requires.  
  
Last but far from least, Fawaz Gerges [sorts](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/4c12659be1&ref=opendemocracy.net) **myth from reality regarding this revolutionary chapter of the Middle East.** 
  
  
**Not to miss:**

- [Journalists under attack from hackers, says Google](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/ddb0117725/irpc=932&ref=opendemocracy.net)
- [Errol Morris on talking to Donald Rumsfeld](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/d23407d6e9&ref=opendemocracy.net)
- [Mother Jones got another speech on tape, this time Cheney, and many US Republicans still have an urge to bomb Iran](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/3a4fe8b18a&ref=opendemocracy.net)

**openDemocracy’s week in 1 minute is emailed to Members, Friends and authors who help pay for and create our great content. Please forward this to any contact you think might be interested and** [**want to join**](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/078a81dbbd/openDemocracy/bb28beb484/946f39415f/51634b1085/openDemocracy/d4022f1a75/TEST/e64101092e&ref=opendemocracy.net) **or email us (**[**supporters@opendemocracy.net**](mailto:supporters@opendemocracy.net)**).**

The Ukraine conflict continues to dominate headlines. Iryna Solomko says Ukrainians have accepted the loss of Crimea but [fears run high](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/5df445b23c&ref=opendemocracy.net) that worse is to come. Luca Uberti examines [comparisons between Kosovo and Crimea](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/3fadc6c370&ref=opendemocracy.net) and says **the west is delusional to think the recent annexation is exceptional**. In a highly contentious piece, Ackerman and Bartkowski argue that the [Crimean referendum was a fraud](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/e28e251caa&ref=opendemocracy.net)and the world has a duty to intervene in whichever ways it deems most useful. Columnist Paul Rogers compares Putin and W. Bush in [a tale of two speeches](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/3d254bda4a/7262321cfa/2361b51766&ref=opendemocracy.net).