Last Updated on October 6, 2013
When UK whistleblower Katherine Gunn exposed the Blair government’s collusion in defrauding the UN Security Council in the run-up to the US/UK invasion of Iraq, the evidence was reviewed by the Office of Serious Fraud, whose name immediately caught my attention. Today, as state legitimacy is being challenged daily on all continents by Occupy, Spring, and other incarnations of social dissatisfaction, serious fraud as an entrenched system of rule deserves further investigation. As we seek a path to more authentic societies worldwide, attacking fraud in governance seems like a good way to go.
While it’s easy to become complacent about such a pervasive corruption of public process, there is no way forward in addressing the myriad crises we face as long as public institutions and private markets respond to all challenges with fraudulent public relations and coverups. As such, the most effective weapon in the pro-democracy arsenal is investigative research, which lays the groundwork for education, organizing and action. Maintaining independence in this effort is the only way to prevent corruption of that process.
Since most states are stuck in a system of serious fraud, coming unstuck is now the task of indigenous nations and civil society networks, whose authenticity serves as a model for democratic renewal.
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
And we don’t answer to advertisers. IC Magazine survives solely because readers like you choose to
support independent Indigenous journalism.
Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
