Robert Mugabe has appointed Gideon Gono, who heads Zimbabwe’s reserve bank, to another five-year term, which, given what happened to the Zim economy under Gono’s watch, has caused something of an uproar. Gono denies ruining the country’s economy, which is probably true inasmuch as Gono was not solely or even primarily responsible for Zimbabwe’s economic […]
First, it was a dispute on the Gaza War between Israeli President Shimon Peres and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Then, an IDF General rebuked Turkish criticisms of Israel by conjuring images of the Armenian genocide. Now, the Turkish military ousted the IDF from a joint military exercise. But wait, its still going. A new Turkish […]
A lot of international attention has focused on North Korea and Iranian nuclear programs. However, Mark Fitzpatrick has an interesting article in the Japan Times concerning nuclear proliferation in Southeast Asia, specifically as it applies to rumors surrounding Myanmar’s nuclear ambitions. This blog has previously discussed Burmese defectors’ claims that the junta was developing nuclear […]
Forget all of the speculation as to whether South Africa will be able to pull off hosting the World Cup next year (it will). More worrisome to the typical South African football fan is the tattered state of a Bafana Bafana club that is heading in the wrong direction with time running out. Since the […]
I am deeply skeptical of online education, especially as it’s being sold both to the public (cheap college in your pajamas!) and to those of us in academia (students want cheap college in their pajamas! We must give it to them!) But certainly the internet can be a very useful tool for learning. I will […]
Paroxysms of township violence always set off alarms. Sometimes the clashes are the result of ethnic or xenophobic backlash. At other times they mark a political statement, as with the recent protests at Standerton, 90 miles or so Southeast of Johannesburg in Mpumalanga. Often such alarming events represent the various fissures in South Africa’s socio-economic […]
Last week as the world buzzed with discussions about whether President Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Price or not, a grave human rights injustice was taking place in Iran. Three protesters arrested for demonstrating against the disputed June reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been given the death penalty. The Amnesty International has a press […]
This afternoon I watched the half hour preview of PBS Frontline’s ‘Obama’s War’ and it was riveting. The small portion shown focuses on a group of Marines attempting to protect a village of civilians in Helmand Province. Their amazing efforts are awe inspiring to me. My only problem with PBS’s job is the name. The […]
Why is there so much commotion about the attack on the GHQ in Pakistan? Come on, please; did we not know that the Taliban are a threat to everything Pakistan? Regretfully, there is still support for the Taliban in the country. I was watching Ijaz-Ul-Haq, son of Zia, one of the worst dictators in Pakistan’s […]
Here is a roundup of stories accumulating on my desktop, with commentary as applicable: Are American investors missing out on great investment opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa? This opinion piece in The Christian Science Monitor argues as much: “Investment-led growth in Africa will enable that continent to contribute to the recovery from the global recession affecting […]
The War on Terror marks challenging times for Pakistan. With this weeks military incursion into northern areas to combat terrorism, increasing drone attacks, suicide bombings and a crippled economy, cooperation in our war on terror looks increasingly domestic for Pakistan.
Last week The Mail & Guardian published a lengthy article from the respected South African scholar Hermann Giliomee defending Afrikaans-medium instruction at Stellenbosch University. From the concluding paragraphs: The university has made no real progress on transformation and has left the coloured Afrikaans-speaking community in the lurch. It runs the risk of alienating both its […]
The controversial Goldstone report on the Gaza War has ripple effects within Palestinian society, with some groups condemning Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for not taking a tougher, hard-line stance on condemning Israel for the findings in the report. Ghassan Khatib writes in his latest piece about the weight of the report within Palestinian society. […]
Here layeth a great group of Afghan-related works that you should check out: Scott Shane of the New York Times does a quick, yet informative profile of Taliban leader Mullah Omar. Unfortunately, he’s as influential as ever. Staying with the New York Times, Jame Traub has one of the better pieces analyzing Afghanistan’s future and […]
My last blog examined the public opinion in Iran, looking at how the Iranians felt about their nuclear program and their perception about the United States. Continuing with the theme of deciphering public opinion, this blog will examine the American public’s viewpoint. The Pew Center for the People and the Press has released a survey […]