Contributed by Rich Basas of FPA's Migration blog: An often unknown issue outside of the local society in any country is the linguistic heritage of the indigenous people of the region. In Latin America these ancient tribal languages take on an added dimension, as many Latin American nations were formed early as independent nations compared […]
Thirty or more pages out of eighty-five in a new report from swisspeace discusses private security contracting in Afghanistan. The report lists its methodologies, which is at least five steps up from the normal analysis. (links below). Due to its extensiveness and care, the report gives some bona-fide examination of the issues in regard to Afghanistan. Paramount to all the contracting arguments […]
Does this news come as a shock to any observer of the situation in Zimbabwe?: Just four months before scheduled elections, and with a breakthrough in talks brokered by President Thabo Mbeki in sight, Zimbabweans are watching in dismay as the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) disintegrates and Zanu-PF tweaks electoral regulations in its […]
At the Mail & Guardian ANC stalwart Pallo Jordan has a discursive, somewhat diffuse cri de couer in which he honors the party's past, defends the party's history of honoring the collective, and gives respect to some of the party's lions, such as Oliver Tambo and Albert Luthuli. In this time of party division and […]
It's always proven remarkably easy for the West to make promises to Africa. It has been in the area of following through on those promises where the outside world has so often fallen short. Thabo Mbeki has identified the crises in Sudan as an area in which promises have been made, and at least to […]
A few months ago, I regretfully removed a Xinjiang news and analysis blog from the blogroll here at FPA Central Asia, as its site had disappeared. I’m happy to note that there is another new news blog for Xinjiang–we’ll be back up to two. The name of the blog is New Dominion, and it's looking good. […]
A number of stories caught my attention this weekend. Here are a few of them, with brief commentary as appropriate: The Makana Football Association, which operated surreptitiously on Robben Island among the political prisoners has achieved recognition from FIFA, the sport's governing body. A feature film, More Than Just a Game, starring Tsotsi's Presley Chweneyagae, […]
The moral high ground Today, the International Crisis Group has sent out a bunch of useful information on Central Asia, and I can't wait to read all of the in-depth work they’ve done on Pakistan. On Turkmenistan, ICG's Mr. Schutte at has also written a new op-ed, featured in the EU Observer, about clarifying the goals, aims, […]
Jacob Zuma twists in the wind, wondering whether the National Prosecuting Authority is going to reinstate corruption charges against him before the ANC's December conference. If the NPA does recharge the embattled but still tremendously popular (in some circles, at least) Zuma, it will almost assuredly scuttle any hopes that he would be able to […]
For those of you and myself, who think I’m getting too much news from Ferghana.ru lately? Well, IWPR is gone now, as well as Mr. Saipov, what else can I do? Little by little, our eyes and ears are closed–the voices of Uzbekistan are silenced. In an earlier post, I said there wasn't much news […]
Recently there has been some new talk of energy cooperation out there in the international discourse: three energy groups, and one forgotten energy group. Stick with me, here: it's all good, and useful stuff for those of us contemplating small loaves of bread, higher gasoline and heating oil prices. International Energy Forum: Yesterday I attended […]
The ANC succession battle continues to emit heat if not light. Zwelinzima Vavi, general-secretary of Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), recently remarked that “Many of the millions who are unemployed, or whose jobs have been casualised, are even worse off than under apartheid: about 20 million of our people are still mired in […]
At least three aspects of life intertwine when discussing recent Uzbekistani news: these would be: a. elections, which are scheduled but we aren't hearing anything new; b. a lack of human rights, media freedoms, and whether or not the West's sanction regime is working; and c. life for Uzbekistanis, which right now seems to be […]
Yesterday and today, President of Turkmenistan Mr. Berdymukhamedov is in the home of the European Union, receiving what RFE/RL calls a “cautiously upbeat welcome“. Due to the uh, recently traditional privacy attendant to Turkmenistani activities, there will be no press conference afterward. This actually works out for the EU as well, since they are still waiting […]
Contributed by Rich Basas of FPA's Migration Blog: The Mexican regions of Tabasco and Chiapas this past weekend suffered from yet another global environmental shock with severe flooding causing major evacuations of nearly 28,000 people from Villahermosa and surrounding cities in the Southern regions of Mexico leaving 800,000 homeless. Local and national police and military […]