An article printed in the Jerusalem Post this past week provides an interesting overview of the rising popularity of victims' families filing lawsuits in Israeli courts against the Palestinian Authority since the start of the second intifadah. The Israeli government has openly admitted that it has not only the right, but the obligation, to protect […]
The Thabo Mbeki-Jacob Zuma divide in the party has mainly revealed political, ideological, and personal fissures within the African national Congress. But one area in which Zuma could significantly undermine Mbeki (and in the process do serious harm to the country) could be in the area of foreign policy. Zuma's recent trip to Angola clearly […]
China will be setting up shop in Kathmandu April 25-28, driven by Nepal China Executives Council (NCEC) and the PRC Embassy in Nepal to educate the Nepali people on modern machinery, automobiles, electronics, medical and agricultural instruments, and home appliances. Nepal looks to learn, by China's guidance, how these industries have propelled successes in China's […]
So, how does one assess Jacob Zuma's first 100 days as ANC President? As with so much in politics in South Africa and elsewhere, where one sits determines where one stands on this question. While the general assessment seems to be that he has experienced a stormy first few months, survey data indicates that support […]
For the first time in seven years, Ankara will host a Turkmen head of state, as President Berdymukhamedov visits the nation this March 24, 25. This diplomatic meeting quickly follows Turkey's President Gul's own visit to Ashgabat last December, as Turkey seems to be making an assertive effort to improve its relations with many Central […]
In Part One, I discussed the likelihood of the British contingent staying on in Basra past their pull-out dates because of continuing instability in the province and city. The big parties that are fighting for dominance are the Fadhila party (a smaller Shi’ite party), the Sadrists, and the followers of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council […]
What first caught my eye was an article in the UK Daily Mail yesterday (which I think is little more than a tabloid, but occasionally they have a gem or two) that said in its headline ‘Rocket attacks dent hopes of bringing British troops home from Basra‘. As readers of this blog know, we have […]
The New York Times has posted a searing piece that details the correspondence of dead soldiers. It is painful to read their emails, diary entries, and blog postings knowing that they are not coming home. Charlie Rose of the Huffington Post has conducted a series of interviews for the fifth anniversary of the invasion of […]
Two high school sisters in the Boston area have helped begin a program to bring sturdy, inexpensive laptop computers to underprivileged students in South Africa. What is most remarkable is the way that this small idea is already beginning to grow and how two people have been able to make a difference. Some might argue […]
Last week Roger Cohen wrote a column in The New York Times in which he used his childhood in South Africa as a way to frame his thoughts about Barack Obama's (to my mind pitch-perfect) speech on race last week. I am afraid that in the United States right now we are going to start […]
In five days Zimbabweans who are not too afraid to do so will go to the polls to cast a vote that won't much matter unless the polling goes in President Robert Mugabe's favor in what is almost guaranteed to be, according to the International Crisis Group, a “flawed election.” Mugabe is undeterred by economic […]
On March 2, 2008 Dmitry Medvedev won Russia's presidential election with just over 70% of the vote. He is scheduled to take over the Presidency on May 7, with Russia's current President, Vladimir Putin, taking over as Prime Minister. This new alignment for Russia's government raises many important questions for Central Asia and for the […]
There are those who say that there is no place for politics in sport, or for sport in politics, but such people are knaves or fools. Sports and politics have always been linked, and those who decry the politicization of sport tend to have their own political axes to grind. Opposing the global boycott of […]
I hope every one of you had a wonderful Easter. I especially wished for a safe holiday for my South African readers on this, the most dangerous and deadly weekend every year on the country's roads.
At Pambazuka News Yav Katshung Joseph, a Human Rights lawyer and Lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo has an in-depth article on Truth Commissions and their historical, political, judicial, and cultural purpose. I have written quite a lot on truth commissions, and I believe […]