Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak travelled to Washington this week to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama to discuss the Israel-Arab peace process, Palestinian faction reconciliation, and attempts to secure the release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Preceding the meeting, Mubarak granted numerous interviews with the U.S. media, most notably with PBS anchor Charlie Rose. Mubarak’s talks with Obama are significant because […]
This month, both the Canadian government and military are ramping up their activities in the Arctic. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has embarked on his official visit to the Canadian High North, with his first stop in Iqaluit, Nunavat. He has taken a trip to the region every summer since he first became prime minister in […]
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/DigrJOaQ0EI” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Looks like a documentary worth watching on Iran. The film unfortunately has not come out on netflix, but hopefully one of these days.
These are trying, heady times in Afghanistan. We are nearly on the eve of the nation’s second presidential election since the overthrow of the Taliban and much is at stake. The Afghan government has ordered a halt to reports of violence, the Taliban have made sure there has been violence to report, and the candidates […]
After yesterday’s arrests of nine men off Sir Creek, the Gujarat coast is now reported to be on high alert for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) activity. Villages and towns north of Mandvi and Koteshwar ports are particularly being watched by Indian security and intelligence personnel. The LeT, in an act of desperation, has also reportedly asked the […]
All five Larijani brothers have made a mark in the Iranian politics. In Will Iran’s ‘Kennedys’ Challenge Ahmadinejad?, Robin Wright writes: Over the past 30 years, the five sons of a senior cleric have been a major force in Iran’s power structure, either serving in or running for positions including the presidency and various diplomatic […]
My blogging colleague Lisa Gambone has been doing fine work over at the FPA War Crimes Blog where African affairs cross her transom quite regularly. Please check out her work.
Just a couple of loose ends from Hillary Clinton’s just-completed Africa trip: The Washington Post’s Mary Beth Sheridan sheds a spotlight on how women’s issues were central to the Secretary of State’s mission: “Clinton’s just-concluded 11-day trip to Africa has sent the clearest signal yet that she intends to make women’s rights one of her […]
This IRIN report on the lack of enforcement of laws that are on the books serves as a pretty good reminder that the rule of law is contingent upon both the existence of the laws but also the will and the infrastructure to enforce that law. One of the ironies of Apartheid-era South Africa is […]
After nearly twenty recession-free years, South Africa’s economy just experienced its third quarter of negative growth. Still, given that South Africa was late to feel the global economic crunch and that the contractions have been somewhat modest compared to what some might have expected, hopefully South Africa will benefit from recovery soon. The country certainly […]
I have not yet seen District 9 but I am excited to see what by all accounts is a pretty good sci-fi thriller with serious metaphorical Apartheid overtones and real South Africa connections. I would welcome any opinions in the comments and will write a review when I do catch it.
Land reform is a problematic issue in southern Africa’s formerly white-dominated settler colonies. On the one hand, reform is clearly necessary and justified. On the other hand, well, look at Zimbabwe as a case study of how not to handle land redistribution. For years Robert Mugabe used the threat of land reform as a cudgel […]
It has been a tough couple of days for NGO’s in Mauritania and Somalia. In Mauritania the Peace Corps has withdrawn its volunteers after an uptick in violence in the West African nation. In southern Somalia still-unidentified gunmen attacked a World Food Program headquarters at Wajid district in the Bakool region. Al-Shabab Islamists are suspected […]
The latest news in Iraq so far this week: Iraqis will have the opportunity to voice their opinion on how well the U.S. has adhered to its compromise on troop withdrawal. Reuters reported yesterday that the Iraq Cabinet approved the vote and slated it for January 16, the same time as the Parliamentary vote. If […]