Jamestown has two new pieces on Yemen out today, one by one of America's foremost experts on terrorism, and another by the sharpest young Yemeni scholar out there. The latter, by Gregory Johnsen, analyzes al-Qaeda's new strategy in their attacks. Over the past six months, al-Qaeda in Yemen's strategy has become increasingly clear. It aims […]
The Chronicle Review of the Chronicle of Higher Education has a lengthy feature on Chinua Achebe and his now fifty-year-old classic Things Fall Apart.
The big story out of Iraq this weekend was the admission by the United States that it had killed nine civilians accidentally in an airstrike targeting Al-Qaeda forces in Iskanadariya. The Guardian's piece is quite descriptive, saying that an Iraqi officer described the victims as Sunni members of the Al-Ghrir tribe. What's interesting is the […]
Is there hope for an abatement of political violence in Kenya's ongoing crisis? Despite more deaths in clashes between protesters and police, allegations of banditry, and fears of ethnic cleansing, guarded optimism may be in order as international appeals coupled with Kofi Annan’a active intervention appears to have led to an agreement between President Mwai […]
In a game in which both Bafana Bafana and their Senegalese opponents needed a win (plus some help) to advance in the African Nations Cup, the two teams fought to a 1-1 draw, thus knocking one another out of the tournament. South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has his work cut out for him if […]
According to Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono, Zimbabwe's inflation hit a record 26 470,8% in November 2007. These sorts of numbers defy commentary. They defy understanding.
64 people were killed and over 100 more were wounded when what are believed to be two female suicide bombers detonated their payloads on Friday morning. The first was in a market in central Baghdad, which killed 46 people and wounded 82, and the second detonated in a market in southeastern Baghdad with 18 killed […]
Let's forget, if at all possible, the power outages, political debates, Robert Mugabe's destabilizing jackassery, and all of the other mundane grimness that afflicts South African public life these days. For the world of sport provides two of the saddest stories of all. The first is the fact that Bafana Bafana appears set to bow […]
Of all of Iraq's myriad impossible situations, Kirkuk has America tied into perhaps its tightest Gordian Knot. The Institute for War and Peace Reporting has a good little summary of the mutual frustration between Kurdistan and whatever passes as Iraq's central government. The Kurdish Alliance, the second-largest political bloc in the country, holds 53 of Baghdad […]
For a couple of weeks it looked as if Kenyans has stepped back from the brink and that the worst was over. But such an assessment appears premature. Violence has escalated in recent days. On Tuesday a mob dragged Melitus Mugabe Were from his car and shot him dead. Were was a new member of […]
It almost certainly comes as a shock to absolutely no one that Robert Mugabe has acted in bad faith and announced unilaterally (even as he has been in the midst of negotiations with the factions of the Movement for Democratic Change) that elections will be held on March 2. Now the MDC is scrambling to […]
Monday greeted the reports of five US troops killed in Mosul as a result of a roadside bomb, or IED. For a comprehensive definition of what an IED is, click here for the Globalsecurity.org's explanation (click here for an Iraq specific explanation). The ‘pre-offensive’ is gearing up in Mosul, after Prime Minister Maliki announced the […]
This weekend's New York Times travel section featured Cape Town in it's “36 Hours In . . .” feature. I’ve no idea why anyone traveling to Cape Town would spend so little time there. One can quibble with some of writer Michael Wines’ choices. And his perplexing analogy at the beginning of the piece. (“Cape […]
The Cape Argus on January 23, 2008, republished my latest Foreign Policy Association think piece under the title “Signs of a Magnificent Catastrophe.” (Pdf file) The piece appears smack-dab in the middle of the page. You can also track down a copy of Wednesday's editions as well.
The blackouts plaguing South Africa seem to be getting worse. The finger pointing is getting more intense as most everyone tries to apportion or shed blame. And now Business Report wonders if the recent woes in power delivery don't augur poorly for South Africans when the country hosts the 2010 World Cup. There seem to […]