Last night President Obama gave his State of the Union Address. It was a fine speech as far as such things go. It came as no surprise that domestic affairs dominated the speech given the nature of the economy in the United States and the general stalemate over a range of domestic politics that has […]
Well, a country’s gotta have role models, right? It appears that the opposition leader in Gabon, Andre Mba Obame, decided that Ivory Coast’s Laurent Gbagbo provides a model for all aspiring leaders and declared himself president today. This despite the fact that (admittedly disputed) official election results in August 2009 went to Ali Bongo, son […]
Allegations are flying that Ebrahim Rasool, former Premier of the Western Cape, lost his post because the ANC is concerned about Muslims having too much interest in politics. The allegation, from Rasool himself, was uncovered through Wikileaks. This one does not pass the smell test. For one thing, Rasool is now the South African Ambassador […]
Last week Adam Hochschild reminded us that one of the great “what ifs” in post-World War II history is what might have happened had Patrice Lumumba lived to lead the newly independent Belgian Congo. Instead, he was killed by his rivals who took control, and were eventually supplanted in another coup four years later and […]
People in South Sudan continue to celebrate the recent vote that apparently is running 99-1 for secession. But the vote and the concomitant celebrations should be seen as a beginning point and not an endpoint. Nothing from here on out will be quite so morally or politically simple as the act of going to the […]
My colleagues over at the Global Food Security blog write today about a new African Union initiative known as the “African Food Basket” that aims to make African countries food secure five years from now. The author of the post points out that achieving food security has been difficult in recent years, with drought and economic […]
South Africa plans to launch its own developmental aid agency this year, The South African Development Partnership Agency. Maybe some of my readers who are more directly involved in development can give some of their perspectives, but this seems like both a good (if imperfect) and a savvy idea. If the ideal aid involves local […]
My editor here at the Foreign Policy Association has written a fine book for the FPA “Headline Series,” The Quest for African Unity: 50 Years of Independence and Interdependence. You should track down a copy and visit his African Union blog here at FPA.
Words are out that on the behalf of the South African President Jacob Zuma, the principal mediator representing SADC, envoys arrived in Zimbabwe to patch up a way forward. All bluff making it as if something is being done, but in reality nothing is happening! Neither is the Southern Africa regional bloc’s strategy of appointing […]
Just days after a Nigerian court cleared President Goodluck Jonathan to run for a second term as his party’s candidate, a controversial circumstance because of his Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) policy of rotating its candidates between the North and South, he won the PDP primary and thus the party’s nomination to stand in April’s national […]
Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali is reported to have fled the country, a country he ruled for 23 years, amid anti-govt riots over soaring unemployment and corruption. His whereabouts is still unknown, but (as usual) I am suspecting that he may be headed for Europe. Ordinarily I am not a fan of this […]
Stalemate and tension continue to characterize the situation in Cote d’Ivoire, where incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo has been unyielding in holding power despite a near-universal belief that his opponent, Alassane Ouattara, won the 28 November election. Gbagbo has access to and the loyalty of men with guns, who are working to isolate and seal off […]
Voting is ongoing in the South Sudanese referendum to determine whether the region will separate to form its own country. Thus far the voting process itself has been by-and-large peaceful, with an almost festive atmosphere prevailing in some circles, but there have been intermittent violent clashes pitting militias against civilians along the North-South border and […]
As the oil-rich Southern region of Sudan votes on a referendum for independence, George Clooney, Google, the United Nations, and the Harvard Human Initiative have jointly launched a Satellite Sentinel Project to watch the border area that splits north and south Sudan. According to a press release, the aim of the Satellite Sentinel Project is […]
I took a bit of a break over the last twelve days or so for some traveling, including to the American Historical Association’s annual meeting. regular posting will resume soon, especially with today’s referendum in Sudan. I wish you all a happy New Year and hope for the best for all of us in 2011.