Proxy war between saudi arabia and iran . We will go to yemen for the latest. Then to tunisia. This is a very important day today. This is a symbol of resistance. This shows the whole world that we are on our feet. That nobody, no force in the world, can hurt coulter. Culture in tunisia continues. We are proud of this movement. We have extracted good from evil. Amy a week after gunmen killed 23 people at the bardo museum in tunis, thousands of activists gather in the city for the World Social Forum. We will speak to the pioneering african economist samir amin director of the Third World Forum in dakar. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. A saudiled Bombing Campaign targeting shiite Houthi Rebels has entered its second day in yemen. While the u. S. Is targeting shia rebels, police 39 siblings have been reportedly killed. Amnesty International Said six were children under 10. President hadi has left his residence for saudi arabia. Or after the headlines. Iraqi Officials Say nine of their forces have been killed by accident in an airstrike as part of the u. S. Backed effort to retake the city of tikrit from the selfproclaimed Islamic State. U. S. Led airstrikes began wednesday, prompting thousands of iranianbacked Shiite Militias who had been fighting alongside the iraqis to boycott the battle and retreat. U. S. Army general lloyd austin commander of u. S. Central command, assured lawmakers including senator john mccain, there are no Shiite Militias in tikrit. The folks were supporting are the Shiite Militia still in the fight . No, sir, they are not part of the clearing operations in tikrit. So the airstrikes we are carrying on our only in support of Iraqi Military activities . That is correct, sir. Precondition for us to provide support was the Iraqi Government had to be in charge of this operation. They had we had to know exactly who was on the ground. Amy German Authorities are searching for evidence to explain why the copilot of a germanwings airplane deliberately crashed in the french alps, killing himself and all 149 others on board. Recovered audio shows the 27yearold copilot, andreas lubitz, breathing in the cockpit alone while the planes captain is locked out, pounding on the door to get in. Earlier today, the german newspaper bild reported lubitz had suffered a serious depressive episode six years ago. In a rare bipartisan move, house lawmakers have overwhelmingly passed a bill to overhaul medicares payment system. The measure would increase payments to doctors, passing higher costs on to some recipients in the form of higher premiums. It also keeps in place a Health Insurance program for children. Senate leaders will wait over two weeks to take up the bill. In a report commissioned by the colombian government and farc rebels has concluded u. S. Soldiers and military contractors sexually abused at least 54 children in colombia between 2003 and 2007. The investigator cites one case where 53 girls in the town of melgar were targeted by contractors who filmed the abuse and sold the films as pornography. In another case, a 12yearold girl was allegedly drugged and raped by a u. S. Army sergeant and a contractor. Under immunity agreements, none of the alleged abusers were ever punished. The media group fair notes the story has received no coverage in the u. S. Corporate media. A number of u. S. Outlets have reported on a new Justice Department probe, which concludes u. S. Drug enforcement agents in colombia participated in sex parties with prostitutes hired by colombian drug cartels. Parents of 43 students missing from the mexican state of guerrero marched thursday in mexico city to mark six months since their children disappeared. The parents dispute the governments claim local police gave the students to drug gang members, who killed and incinerated them. Epifanio alvarez, whose son is among the missing, said the spoke at the march. For us to believe, they need to give us an answer and theres been no reply. We are the same as we started. With the government has done is hurt us, the parents, by giving us bad news after bad news without scientific proof. We are united. Years can go by, but we will remain united. Amy a number of the students parents have come to the United States where they are traveling across the country in three caravans to draw attention to the u. S. Role in the drug war. Indiana governor mike pence has signed a religious freedom bill critics say will give businesses license to discriminate against lgbt people. The law prevents state and local governments from imposing a substantial burden on religion unless the government shows a compelling reason. Pence signed the bill at a ceremony, closed to the media and public, amidst a wave of criticism from celebrities and Business Leaders like the ceo of salesforce, who said the firm would dramatically curb business in the state. The measure is similar to one that caused a firestorm in arizona last year, forcing governor jan brewer to veto it. In other news from indiana governor pence has declared a Public Health emergency over a spike in hiv cases in southeastern scott county. The outbreak includes 79 new cases all linked to injection of a potent pharmaceutical painkiller. Governor pence has temporarily allowed a Needle Exchange program to combat the virus spread. Kentucky will also let local Health Authorities set up Needle Exchanges as part of its new approach to handling heroin and painkiller addiction. The state will also allow more people to carry naloxone, the antidote to prevent overdose deaths, and will stop charging addicts who survive overdoses. Ohio house lawmakers have passed a bill that would make most abortions a felony offense. The bill would ban abortion after a fetal or embryonic heartbeat is detectable, which happens in the earliest stages of pregnancy when many womens women havent even realized there pregnant. Doctors who violate the law would face up to a year in prison. Ohio state representative teresa fedor rose to denounce the bill, disclosing she had had an abortion after she was raped while serving in the military. What you are doing is so fundamentally unhuman unconstitutional, and i have sat here too long. And i dare everyone of you to judge me because theres only one judge im going to face. You deserve my lecture right now. I dare you to walk in my shoes. Idea you to vote for this idea you to vote for this bill because you know it is fundamentally inhuman for you to do so. Amy earlier this month, another lawmaker in arizona, state representative Victoria Steele disclosed her experience with child sexual abuse during a debate over another antichoice bill. The arizona bill passed and is in the hands of republican governor doug ducey. It bans abortion coverage in health plans purchased through the obamacare exchange, and requires doctors to tell women they can potentially reverse a druginduced abortion, despite a lack of evidence this is possible. Monsanto has agreed to pay a fine for failing to report hundreds of uncontrolled releases of toxic chemicals at a plant in idaho. Monsanto will pay 600,000, a tiny fraction of the more than 240 million in profits from the last quarter alone. Meanwhile, footage has emerged of a lobbyist claiming monsantos roundup weedkiller is safe to drink, but then refusing to drink it. Pat moore, a former greenpeace activist turned corporate lobbyist, made the remarks in an interview for a documentary on french tv. It wont hurt you. You want to drink some . Id be happy to. Not really. I know it wouldnt i have some im not stupid. You know it is dangerous. People have tried to commit suicide with it and failed regularly. It is not dangerous to humans. Are you ready to drink it . Im not an idiot. Interview me about golden rice. The interview is finished. You are a complete jerk. Amy earlier this week, a World Health Organization report found glyphosate, a main ingredient in roundup, likely causes cancer. A member of the Illinois National guard and his cousin have been arrested and accused of plotting to join the selfproclaimed Islamic State in syria or carry out attacks inside the United States. Guardsman Hasan Edmonds allegedly sent messages to an undercover agent saying he would bring the flames of war to the heart of the United States if he couldnt get into syria. His cousin, jonas edmonds, allegedly boasted to an agent he could kill up to 150 people at the illinois military facility where his cousin had trained. An alleged bank robber accused of killing two people, including a state trooper, earlier this week has been identified as a white supremacist with a criminal record. Steven Timothy Snyder died in a shootout with trooper Trevor Casper on tuesday. In the mid1990s, snyder was part of a White Supremacist Group convicted of an attack on a group of African Americans and latinos. Newly released Video Shows Police in the detroit suburb of inkster pummeling and tasing a 57yearold, unarmed africanamerican auto worker. The video shows officer William Melendez approaching floyd dents car with his gun drawn. Another officer pulls dent to the ground, and melendez places him in a chokehold, and pounds him in the head 16 times. Dent said he thought he was going to die. Im lucky to be living. I think they were trying to do they were trying to kill me especially when they choked me. I was on my last breath. I kept telling now for sir please, i cant breathe. Amy police claimed dent threatened and bit them, although they have provided no evidence. They also claim they found crack cocaine in his car, but dent says the drugs were planted, and his drug test came back clean. Melendez, the officer who pummeled dent, is nicknamed robocop and has been sued repeatedly for excessive force. During an earlier stint with detroit, he was indicted for leading a ring of corrupt officers who planted evidence, but he was ultimately acquitted. In 1996, he and a partner shot and killed unarmed africanamerican lou adkins in a case detroit paid 1 million to settle. And protesters in ferguson missouri have won a settlement requiring police to restrict their use of tear gas following the militarized response to protests over the Police Shooting of michael brown. St. Louis city and county police, as well as Missouri State highway patrol, all agreed to requirements including clear warnings for tear gas use. A judge will supervise the terms for three years. Attorneys say the st. Louis area will be one of just two Police Jurisdictions in the country with such a policy for tear gas. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Juan welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. We turn now to yemen where a saudiled aerial Bombing Campaign has entered its second day. Saudi arabia has targeted houthi shiite rebels. It has been backed by the United States, gulf states, egypt turkey, pakistan and sudan. The saudiled airstrikes are intended to thwart the houthis advance after seizing control of of the capital sanaa last year and deposing president Abdu Rabbu Mansour hadi last month. On thursday, hadi left his refuge in aden for saudi arabia. At least 39 civilians have reportedly been killed so far in the airstrikes. Amnesty International Reports the dead include at least six children under the age of 10. Many analysts fear the yemen crisis could escalate into an allout proxy war between saudi arabia and iran which has backed the houthis. Iran denounced the saudiled assault as an attempt to foment civil war in yemen or disintegrate the country. Amy saudi arabia has reportedly mobilized 150,000 troops near the border. Egypt is saying it is also prepared to send Ground Troops into yemen if necessary. The United States has aided the Bombing Campaign by creating a joint planning cell with saudi arabia to coordinate u. S. Military and intelligence support. Arab Foreign Ministers meeting in sharm el sheikh, egypt, on thursday and endorsed the idea of forming a unified Arab Military force. We go directly to sanaa, the capitol of yemen, to speak with farea almuslimi. He is a visiting scholar at carnegie middle east center. He is based in sanaa, yemen. He recently wrote an oped headlined, welcome to yemen where only violence is a certainty. He last joined us in 2013 when he was in the United States to testify before the Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the u. S. Secret drone program. If you want to know what is going on in yemen, just follow his tweets. I want to welcome you to democracy now , farea almuslimi , talked about what is happening on the ground now in the capital. It is good to be back with you. Sanaa, over the last few days multiple airstrikes led by saudi arabia. A new military operation is backed by saudi arabia and the gulf countries and other regional countries. This comes in response to the houthis seizing power in the capital of yemen. Since last week, the political crisis in the country is entered a new dangerous level in the Yemen Air Force entered the [indiscernible] i think by that point, it was the time when the gulf in the region decided to interfere. Theres been multiple casualties from the strikes, but most of the times airstrikes targeting military bases around the country, which are [indiscernible] accused either region for cooperating in this military coup. Obviously, this comes after four years of poorly aligned political solution in yemen. It was backed by the United Nations and clearly ended up creating more violence than peace in yemen. Juan what about the issue of the outside powers trying to affect deals or arrangements for the internal strife within the country . Say again, please . Juan what about the issue of the outside countries, the United States, the u. N. , saudi arabia, attempting to negotiate deals for how yemen should be run . Obviously, this is an outcome of the way specific model that was enforced by this country for the last four years has ended up failing. But the new part in this is, this has shifted from a political model goes the story about how it should be run into a model of direct front lines for a region war between saudi arabia and the iranians. Obviously, this is a new regional order, you can now say getting making it more than just about yemen. It is a new card being played by the regional states. Obviously, using yemen as fuel [indiscernible] has nothing to do with the yemenis. Amy farea almuslimi, you to do, im a 25yearold yemeni man. Ive seen at least 15 wars in my country, i dont need more. I need some help in a cagey education and economy, not guns. Another tweet, i can sadly promise you it could have saved yemen from this years ago if it was put into the economy. Talk about the situation in sanaa, the bombardment you another yemenis are going through and this connection that you are describing. Obviously, yemen has gone through a lot of conflicts in the past. What i was trying to say in this specific tweet, probably, is that the last thing yemenis at the moment is in intensive military intervention in a country that is only loaded with so much conflict. Over the last three years, has gone through even more conflicts because of how this was run. This is important because even when yemen was being promising a state, according to the u. N. Model, it was not back up with [indiscernible] the commitment to stability was always based on fear from al qaeda, which has ended up in creating more violence. Theres a huge problem in yemen. We are more than half the population right now under need for humanitarian assistance. The economy is dead. Services are already low. Hard to have water. And basic security and safety. There is a problem of [indiscernible] that will not ultimately create peace in yemen. Honestly, a military solution we have tried that many times. There is a problem of this way of handling political problems. In fact, i think we could have stayed away from this chaos. Most importantly, if there is a way to commit stability and peace, there is a deep need to show that in an economic land [indiscernible] easier for yemeni use to get a job. [indiscernible] the current way how things are run, obviously, is going anyway but peace. Amy farea almuslimi, thank you for being with us a visiting , scholar at carnegie middle east center. We will link to his oped welcome to yemen, where only violence is a certainty. We hope youll join us in the days to come to continue to report on your country. This is democracy now democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. When we come back, we go to london. We will be speaking with iona craig, a journalist who was based in sanaa for four years, and also we will be joined by Brian Whitaker, former middle east editor for the guardian. We will be back in a moment. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. To talk more about yemen and the saudiled Bombing Campaign were joined by iona craig journalist who is based in sanaa for four years, correspondent for the times of london. She was awarded the Martha Gellhorn prize for journalism in 2014. And Brian Whitaker is former middle east editor for the guardian. He now runs the website al bab. Com which covers arab politics and society, and where he wrote a new report, yemen and saudi arabia a Historical Review of relations. Brian, lets begin with you. Can you lay that relationship out . The significance of saudi arabia now bombing yemen with u. S. Supporting saudi arabia. It is a long and complicated relationship really, and we have saudi arabia is a rich, conservative monarchy and on the other side, we have yemen, which is very populous, very poor, and it is republican. In those two are separated by a border of about 1500 miles which is very difficult to police. I think generally among the gulf monarchies, theres a certain level of apprehension about yemen. Partly because it is not like them. And if we look at the relations with saudi arabia, it was created as a state in 1932. Within two years of that, there was a war between the saudis and the yemenis, which resulted in the yemens sitting some ethnically ceding some territory. Her allowed to work on quite generous terms. That led to large numbers of yemenis working in the kingdom and sending remittances back to yemen. In the early 1990s when the saudis did not much like yemens attitude toward saddam hussein, several hundred thousand yemeni workers were expelled from the kingdom. We also had the north yemeni civil war in the 1960s where we saw the saudis intervening on behalf of of the royalists and the egyptians intervening on behalf of of republicans. That was a military struggle. In the mid1990s when north and south yemen became unified, but then a war broke out between the north and the south, the saudis were supporting the southern separatists. West recently, in 2009 when president saleh was having one of his six wars against the houthis, the saudis joined with a Bombing Campaign to help. So there is a long history and also theres a long history of saudi involvement in yemeni politics which is often taken the form of payments to try to bribe politicians and so on. Juan in effect, the yemenis have function almost as a reserve labor force for saudi arabia . You were mentioning they also function that way for other states in the region . And you mentioned the unification of yemen. The for a time, wasnt there a leftwing government and south yemen . Indeed. The marxist government was in the south and the disappeared in 1990 when north and south became unified. The southerners had second thoughts about it and a war broke out in 2004, which lasted a few weeks. Basically, the saudis at that stage were supporting, as they were then, the x marxists. It is a curious relationship because at some time or the other, the saudis have supported most of the different factions within yemen. Amy i iona craig, can you talk about the meeting that took place yesterday, a kind of sunni meeting . I think at the moment in yemen, you have to realize that the situation has got to where it is now largely because of domestic politics as well. People try and frame this as a ran versus saudi iran versus audi battle, but it has been caused by domestic politics. The reason the houthis about to get to where they are today, is because of the support of the former president saleh. At least since 2012, 2013. Although their old enemies, they are now supporting each other in this battle. This came about really because saleh was granted immunity by the gcc and in a deal in 2011, these are the same people bombing him today. Thursday party in the situation going on right now. Although sleh hasnt been doing overtly, it was clear to me when i was on the ground in september that those men that were in plainclothes with houthi stickers were in fact the Republican Guard. They were saying it openly and people recognize them as former Republican Guard soldiers who are under the command of saleh son. Yet to be clear, although you talk about the houthis being supported on iran, theyre actually on the ground being supported by saleh more so than there is evidence being supported by iran at the moment. Juan as the civil strife in yemen grows, do you have any sense of what is going on with the jihadi forces within yemen and obviously, the United States begins on, the drone strikes that reputedly have been targeted with in yemen by the United States . I think the issue now is it has pretty much vanished in the since the National Security bureau that was really set up by the americans, the yemeni intelligence agency, in order to gather human intelligence to counter al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, is now the hands of the houthis. In addition to that, the counterterrorism troops trained by the americans, that. Last friday when the americans finally left. And now the saudis backed by america, our bombing military bases across the country. It is certainly feasible the counterterrorism troops are going to be impacted by that. As far as what the jihadist groups reactions is to al qaeda certainly, for them, they will be able to take advantage of this kind of mess going on in yemen, whether that means being able to take weapons as military bases are vacated, knowing theyre going to be hit if the houthis have not only taken the weapons themselves but it will be an opportunity particularly as will polarize the society within yemen itself. The securing element will become a self fulfilling prophecy. The sectarian element will become a self fulfilling prophecy. It will drive people into the hands of al qaeda. They may find themselves fighting on the same side of al qaeda in order to defend themselves in their territory. Amy this issue of the u. S. Role with iran in all the different places now. Working with iran, if you will, in iraq although, they kind of denied this working against iran in yemen right now. And negotiating with iran around a nuclear deal. Brian whitaker, can you talk about the significance of this . Obviously, quite a few ironies in that situation. The latest ive seen to date is a ran doesnt seem particularly interested in getting more deeply involved in yemen at the moment. That might be quite a smart move. I think the americans would also be probably leaning on them not to step things up in yemen in order to secure the nuclear deal. I think for the americans, the nuclear deal is probably the priority at the moment. Amy at this point, iona craig what do you feel needs to happen . We have president obama famously recently saying yemen is the one major Success Story in the war against terrorism. What do you think as you listen and im sure you know well farea almuslimi, on the ground in sanaa under the bombardment saying, what our country needs is investment in the economy education, not more bombs . Certainly, most immediately is some sort of political settlement to get out of this current crisis. But by pushing the houthis this far, by deciding to bomb yemen i dont think the indication from the houthis at the moment they are not prepared to back down, which means more bombing and the possibility of even Ground Troops. The houthis have been fighting in yemen for over 10 years now. I think the real risk is if Ground Troops are involved, that this could be a very protracted and long conflict, which is going to impact yemenis massively. What farea almuslimi was saying is depressing, but absolutely true. The economy has all but collapsed. The government there isnt the finances to prop up the Civil Service and definitely, not for many more weeks, you have 16 really people in need of humanitarian aid. And that was before this conflict started. I think for yemenis on the ground at the moment, there is israel risk for them but this becomes a long drawn out process. The saudis are saying it will be a few day oys of military power, but they have been fighting in yemen for 10 years. If the saudis or the egyptians decided take them on on the ground, this could be a very long process. Amy iona craig, thank you for being with us, a journalist who was based in sanaa for four years as the yemen correspondent for the times of london. She was awarded the Martha Gellhorn prize for journalism in 2014. Brian whitaker is former middle east editor for the guardian. He now runs the website al bab. Com which covers arab politics and society, and where he wrote a new report, yemen and saudi arabia a Historical Review of relations. We willing to that. This is democracy now juan we go now to tunisia. The government is organizing a major mark against terrorism. Tens of thousands of activists gathered in the city for the World Social Forum. On tuesday, participants from more than 120 countries opened the forum with a march to the bardo steps. More than 4000 groups are attending the form, which burns together social movements from around the world to discuss grassroots struggles for political change. Were joined by now now by leading African Writer activist, and dissident samir amin considered one of africas leading political economist and one of the pioneers of global history. He is presently director of the Third World Forum in senegal, considered a precursor to the World Social Forum. And since 1997, has been a child chair. Talks he was born in cairo egypt in the 1930s and earned a phd in political economy in paris in 1957. He returned to egypt later that year was subsequently director of the African Institute for Economic Development and planning. He is chair of the center for African American studies. He remains active in political life in egypt. He has written thousands of Journal Articles and Opinion Pieces as well as over 30 books, with titles such as, imperialism and unequal development, global history a view from the south, and the liberal virus permanent war and the americanization of the world. The scholar Horace Campbell calls samir amin one of the foremost theoreticians of marxism in the 20th century, and the historian ama biney says samir amin is an intellectual titan in the canon of african radical thought. Welcome to democracy now as you join us from the World Social Forum can you share these thoughts, the World Social Forum is a gathering you have attended for many years, been a part of since the beginning. And now you are back in tunis. At the same time the attack took place at the bardo museum, killing 23 people. A major march against terrorism planned for sunday. Your thoughts . Good morning or good afternoon, i dont know. I think it is good morning for you. Thank you for inviting me. I have indeed been associated with the World Social Forum from the very start. The First Social Forum was held in brazil in 2001. The founders of the World Social Forum. We had created in 1997 f used before in cairo, the world forum for alternatives. The organization for security among african and Asian Peoples and with many other organizations around the world, specific in the south. Asia, africa, and latin america. We have organized the first demonstrations political and intellectual demonstration 1999 that is two years before in davos. It was the antidavos in davos. A much wider scale, the World Social Forum. Were in tunis for the second time for a new edition of the World Social Forum. Juan samir amin, i want to ask you, as it is occurring, there is convulsion throughout the arab and muslim world between the west and political islam. You have written extensively about the nature of political islam. We are a World Social Forum therefore, we are dealing with the questions which are of interest for the people all around the world, south and north, east and west. I think it would give my own opinion which is shared with many people. We are believing that the new world order which was established with the programs on one hand and the breakdown of the soviet union of 1990, this new world order is not viable. It is proving that it is not viable. For a long time, in fact, there was a military bipolarity. It was by political and economic and social system of liberalization. We had globalization for long time and perhaps, globalization started with the history of humankind. But anyway, a phase of globalization, which was negotiated one, the western bloc. The United States and Central Europe and japan. Associated also with the military arrangement that was one partner. The United States alone, but the United States with its european and japanese alliance. Under that, we had the soviet union. [indiscernible] china, which had a degree of independence whether its internal choices of development or international politics, that was clear and became more clear and clear along with [indiscernible] no less important, out of the conference in 1955. Celebrating the anniversary this year. Coming out of it, we had the movement of nonaligned countries, which established the one hand, a political [indiscernible] between most nations and states and africa on the one hand, and on the other hand, the reestablishment of the group that was a pattern of globalization. It came for a variety of reasons. Therefore, it created as conditions for what i call a counteroffensive or an offensive of imperialism. That is of the allied western major powers. U. S. , the European Union and japan. Attempt to establish the domination of the whole planet including the socalled socialist country of Eastern Europe the former soviet union and including even china including everybody. As i mentioned before, a pattern of recolonization a new stage of Monroe Doctrine with respect to south america. Nonnegotiable globalization. That is unilaterally imposed globalization. The result of that pattern of globalization was simply a disaster. You can see in greece or spain now, but you can see it everywhere. I think you can see it in the United States. When you have the demonstration in new york, we are the 99 indeed, 99 of humankind did not benefit of that pattern of globalization. Those who benefited of it are perhaps even less than 1 in some cases. But lets say 1 or even 5 . It is more minority. Which is governed, which is managed by oligarchies. You have an oligarchy running the United States, running the European Union, and countries of the European Union will stop you have oligarchies also running the dependent countries for latin america, africa asia everywhere, oligarchies. This is disaster. Of course, in the countries of the south and particularly in countries of africa and asia, the social disaster which was generated by the attempt to impose a globalization to benefit [indiscernible] the triad, the social disaster that led to struggle. The World Social Forum is a form, not a party. It is a place where the social movement and struggle, in most cases, i would not say all cases, struggles for this are that right, against this and that policy. The World Social Forum has been created to that effect. You had some exposures explosions to a start for a change. It happened with the first election of hugo chavez in venezuela. It happened in brazil. It happened a little later in bolivia, ecuador, and may be elsewhere in america. Moving into a new stage in facing new problems. That is my point. You had also explosions of popular movements in many other places. After all the dictatorships [indiscernible] i should remind, those dictatorships were supported to the end by the United States and the many western allies and japan. [indiscernible] with thousands of People Killed in this dictator was also supported to the end by the western powers. Socalled democracy, summarizing democracy [indiscernible] history has proven that democracy is far more than elections. Amy samir amin, we have to take a break for a moment, but we are going to be back to you in just 60 seconds. Samir amin is renowned scholar activist, dissident samir amin. We will be back with them in tunis, tunisia, in a moment. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. We are spending the rest of the hour with samir amin, the egyptian political economist dissident, activist, director of the Third World Forum and has written over 30 books. His most recently were speaking to him as the World Social Forum, tens of thousands of people gathered in tunis, tunisia. He has been with the World Social Forum and its precursors since the beginning. We are also with him and the aftermath in tunis of the attack on the bardo museum were 23 people, mainly foreigners, were killed. Juan samir amin, i want to ask you about remarks in one of your books. You wrote in that book, i can only conclude that capitalism has entered its declining see now phase. The logic which governs the system is no longer able to assure the simple survivor of half of humanity. Capitalism has become barbaric directly calling for genocide. It is now more necessary than ever to substituted. Other logics of development with superior rationality. Can you expound on that and also, you talked a lot about the impact of imperialism capitalism on africas agricultural population. Yes, i think i think it only have a few minutes now. [indiscernible] this virus, enforcement, many people have been contaminated by it. And not just the leaders of the political system, but the people themselves. Anyway what is needed today is precisely to construct [indiscernible] we start with nations. The war has never been changed by the top, by changing the global order. It is changing at the bottom, which is starting to change the balance of forces. That creates the condition for eventually changing also the global order from unipolar system of domination to a negotiated multipolar globalization. That is what we mean by sovereign project. We should be national in that sense. But in the sense of getting the truth and the peoples of the various nations. [indiscernible] which would ensure the whole of the nation, 100 , since nothing is perfect, lets say at least 80 or 90 of the people benefit from the economy growth. And not only is small minority, the oligarchy of the 1 , or even a wider minority of the middle class of say 5 or 20 . No, [indiscernible] the other pattern is precisely coming in to conflict with the logic of capitalism as it is today. Very different from what it is today. Therefore, we ought to know this is a management of such a project cannot be a management from the top of the means which [indiscernible] democracy. Democracy being understood in that case as a wide concept. Democratization as an endless struggle process [indiscernible] you have multiparties. You have elections. No. As a process of change in the relation between men and women for instance, after all, the two halves of human kind, [indiscernible] the worker and the employer. For the management of the economy, the relation between the citizen and the power system at all levels, and this is a process, a very complex process. This is precisely what we have been discussing. Not to give blueprints to people and say you should do this and that, firstly, the leaders of the world today are doing this in most cases, and quitting the blueprint of the war of the bank of imf, the who, etc. No, not the blueprint for who but for the ways and means to move in the right direction of having [indiscernible] we are bound to live together. But to live together for another only with some degree of respect whether [indiscernible] in order to construct together a universal higher stage of civilization, but which is not just exporting [indiscernible] you have the western pattern and you know it. Amy we have 20 seconds. To the challenge. Thank you. Amy s samir amin, thank you for joining us, first time to democracy now that does it for the show. Very special happy birthday to nermeen shaikh. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. Email your comments to outreach democracynow. Org or mail them to democracy now p. O. Box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now ] ill get that one. Must be careful. Well thats a nice picture. Come on, anna. Ok. Announcer foreclosure doesnt affect just you. It affects your whole family, too. If youve fallen behind on your mortgage, we can help. Call 1888995hope. Because nothing is worse than doing nothing. Annenberg media sia is one of ancient cultures and modern eco