My latest piece, “Zimbabwe: New Verse, Same as the First,” has been posted for ISN Insights. Here is the abstract: The renewed crackdown against the political opposition in Zimbabwe sparked by fears of an Arab-style uprising illustrates how the illusion of a power-sharing government has merely served as plaster over a gushing wound. I hope […]
Is one of the unintended consequences of the work of western-based non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) that their influence means that the media gives too much attention to bad news out of Africa? That is the brunt of Karen Rothmyer’s article, “Hiding the Real Africa” in the latest Columbia Journalism Review. (By the way — when will […]
So far so good for the Proteas in the ICC Cricket World Cup. They topped Group B, winning 5 of their 6 matches, and have looked dangerous in doing so. They have every reason for optimism as they approach the knockout stages with the Quarterfinals, which start this week. As for the other African entries, […]
The UN Security Council has imposed a no-fly zone over Libya, and has authorized “all necessary measures” to protect civilians. The Arab league, United States, France, and some European nations have been hard at work, putting together contingency plans to intervene if Gaddafi continues to massacre his own people. Missing in action is the African […]
On Monday Namibia turns 21 years old. A lot has changed since this Southern African country gained its independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990. Yet, the country faces a high rate of unemployment rate, corruption is on the rise, and the gap between the rich and the poor remains unchallenged. Why? Although the Namibian […]
If in fact the United Nations is prepared to impose a no-fly, no-drive zone on Libya, Andrew Sullivan asks a lot of pointed questions about what he calls an “imminent war.” The ones I am most interested in seeing answered: If we are prepared to do this in Libya, why not in Congo, where the […]
The world continues to focus on events in the Maghreb and beyond. And while I don’t want to get into any unnecessary hierarchy-of-suffering debates, I will maintain that what is going on in Cote d’Ivoire is every bit as important and more potentially destabilizing than what is going on in Libya. Violence continues to spread […]
Newsy has put together a multi-source video (and a transcript) on the Cote d’Ivoire conflict. Suffice it to say that things continue to not look good.
I am currently on the road in North Carolina where I am spending ten days or so on a travel grant from the John Hope Franklin Research Center at Duke University (though I am spending the weekend at my old stomping grounds in Charlotte.) Thus posting may be light for a while. However, you may […]
The Horn of Africa is one of the most complex and conflicted regions of the world. Each of the countries of the Horn—Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Sudan—suffers from protracted political strife, arising from local and national grievance, identity politics and regional inter-state rivalries. The ongoing crisis in Darfur, the rise of the Union of […]
There are many positive conclusions to draw from the fact that six prominent Kenyans will face charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC) from their roles in fomenting violence during the country’s post election crisis in 2007-2008. Accountability has been all too rare in these sorts of circumstances across the continent, which his given men […]
It was announced today that between 9 and 11 Kenyan’s who have conducted attacks in Kenya have had training within Somalia, a disquieting thought as Harakat al-Shabaab has announced the possibility of more focussed attacks on Kenyan soil in the near future. In the meanwhile, Mustapha Ali, advisor to the UN has warned that the spillover […]
The always-controversial (but undeniably magnetic) head of the ANC Youth League (ANC-YL), Julius Malema, recently spoke at the launch of the ANC’s local government elections manifesto in North West Province. His argument was simple: If you don’t like some of the candidates running on the ANC ticket, vote for them anyway. “Even if you like […]
While for many ordinary Zimbabweans getting Panadol (a pain relief medication), is a luxury they cannot afford, Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe’s ruler for the past 30 years) just in one year managed to fly to Singapore four times for medical check ups. Mugabe’s fourth and recent visit was last Thursday, a visit Mr. Charamba, his spokesperson, […]
Over the past few weeks, we witnessed history in the making in North Africa and the Middle East. The people’s power spreading like a highly contagious flu, forcing out undemocratic regimes across North Africa and the Middle East. It is interesting to see that coordinated efforts were underway in so many nations to call out […]