It has been a good weekend for South African sport. The Springboks took on England and after a slow first half — they actually trailed 17-19 at the break — came on strong in the second and pounded England again, 55-22. Bryan Habana and Pierre Spies, both stars for the Northern Bulls, scored two tries on […]
I was, to be honest, prepared to be defensive about a recent Mail & Guardian article titled “Can 'someone in a Hotel Room’ Report on All of Africa.” After all, I think it is perfectly possible for someone to engage in commentary if they have the background and intelligence and understanding even if they are […]
Dear Readers, It's only three months, and I promise never to do this again: this somewhat self-indulgent summation. But after over 100 posts and 150 comments, who knew the great people I would meet who talk and write about Central Asia? I only know you by your writing, your comments and letters, the quality of your analysis […]
Morgenie Pillay, the Andrew Mellon lecturer in the department of politics and international studies at one of my old stomping grounds, Rhodes University, and a visiting doctoral research scholar at the London School of Economics asks (and tries to answer) an important question in The Mail & Guardian: “Why are there so few up-and-coming new […]
Liberia's former President, Charles Taylor, one of Africa's most ruthless thugs (a bold claim, to be sure) will go on trial at a UN-backed Special Court at the Haguie next week. He will face war crimes charges stemming back to his years as Liberia's Big Man. A couple of colorful quotations reveal the loathing that […]
The United States has announced that it will increase sanctions on Khartoum as part of President Bush's much ballyhooed “Plan B” to deal with the human rights catastrophe that is Darfur. Smith College's Eric Reeves, one of the most perspicacious Sudan observers, argues that sanctions will prove useless and that they represent “nothing more than […]
A Zimbabwe's inflation rate, which long ago reached the status of being the worst in the world, doubles and trebles, the country's humanitarian crisis worsens. Thabo Mbeki continues to try to facilitate dialogue between Robert Mugabe's thugocracy and the opposition, most notably the Movement for Democratic Change, as per his mandate from SADC, but the […]
The Eighth Session of the EurASec Interparliamentary Assembly met yesterday in St. Petersburg to discuss further economic cooperation, education, and coordinated anti-terrorist activities, particularly in regard to terrorist finance. EurASec is an economic collective security joined by Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The IPA is the legislative arm of EurASec, designed to help the passage of common legal […]
The Republic of Iran and the Republic of Tajikistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding in regard to increased direct investment in the Tajik Republic. What's upcoming: facilitation of Iranian business investment; the reconstruction of one cement plant and the construction of another; some large-scale construction projects; and the development of an auto plant. This last […]
Every year, a new typhoid epidemic: The most famous one in 2003, during the Central Asian Games, hosted in Dushanbe. Officials made one public service announcement, while residents and visitors continued to get sick. Tajikistan does better with this obligation now, because they are reporting that: Right now, in Kulyab, Tajikistan, there are 62 confirmed cases of […]
As highlighted recently in the newspapers El Financiero and Milenio.com, new studies show that community forest management in Mexico has reduced poverty and social inequity while conserving natural resources. Over 2,300 forest communities in Mexico have been given “forest use permission,” resulting not only in effective conservation, but also in economic growth within the communities. […]
Okay, it's not Friday, it's Wednesday. That should be your first hint. At Registan.net, they’ve been discussing how ridiculous things get in a hurry when news analysts get dramatic. This is particularly related to new developments in the Nazarbaev – Aliev controversy now spinning out. This is my mostly non-verbal warning for all Central Asia […]
For the first time, Mongolia's representative (Nyamaa Enkhbold) attended the EU-based Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), which is held every two years. Benito Ferrero-Waldner praised Mongolia's progress. New aid in the amount of Euro 17 million (USD 23 million) over the next three years almost doubles the earlier annual aid levels of Euro 3 million. In addition, Mongolia will enjoy […]
Today in the Wall Street Journal, the President of the Uyghur-American Association and World Uyghur Congress writes about the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang province. Ms. Kadeer was jailed for five years in China for her activities. Photo: Chinapage
A while back the Sunday New York Times had a front-page article (now archived, so you may need to pay to read it) on some remarkable successes that farmers in the Niger Delta have enjoyed. Chido Makunine of the African News Network provided a perceptive summary and assessment of the piece soon after it appeared. I particularly agree with […]