A callow United States team defeated Bafana Bafana 1-0 today in a friendly at Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium that the South Africans really controlled throughout. I am often asked about what happens if the US faces off against South Africa in soccer or in rugby. In both cases I support South Africa for the […]
“Before you pay to volunteer abroad, think of the harm you might do”, article @http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/nov/14/orphans-cambodia-aids-holidays-madonna
I am not sure if it is just me, but it is dawning on me that the IMF has one standardized economic solution when it comes to tackling Africa’s economic crisis: Cut spending, cut spending, and cut spending! Under the guise of the so-called “fiscal road map” presented in October to the International Monetary Fund (otherwise […]
Salva Kiir, a former rebel leader who leads South Sudan’s semi-autonomous government, has urged his compatriots to register “en masse” for January’s independence referendum. Plans for the vote really do seem to be proceeding slowly but steadily. But one hitch is the fact that Western donors appear to have reneged upon or been slow to […]
Within the next couple of hours preliminary results from Guinea’s election should finally be known. But instead of being a time for celebration tensions have risen to the boiling point. Clashes between protesters and security officials have resulted in at least one death. Politicians have the opportunity to step in and try to quell violence […]
This is happened sometimes in July of this year, but only landed on my desktop now. And I have to say that could not contain my excitement to post it! How many languages does Google speak? Oh wait, to be precise, how many African languages does Google speak? I admit, I don’t know the answer. […]
A super-brief South Africa crime update: Now Verb Free! Good news. Caveat. Context. Much more context.
Brazil, Russia, India, and China, the BRIC countries, exist in a state of ever becoming. All four have massive potential economies, sometimes can play with the big boys (meaning basically the United States and certain of the European Union countries) and want to have a permanent role in the game. South Africa has wanted to […]
My desktop tabs are getting cluttered, so it’s time for a links dump, with brief commentary as applicable: One of the most noxious tendencies in American politics is that conservatives have managed to turn the charge of racism into an offense as terrible as actual racism, which of course provides cover for all sorts of […]
The last Sunday demonstration by Zimbabwean soldiers at a Masvingo shoping center, demanding that President Robert Mugabe rule the country “forever”, should not surprise anyone that uniformed soldiers are openly taking sides in Zimbabwe’s politics. Why? It is obvious that fear of prosecution is what is driving the military’s involvement in politics rather than loyalty […]
I understand that politics and especially international diplomacy are all about tradeoffs. I am not naive nor am I particularly concerned with any sort of purity — ideological, intellectual, or otherwise — when it comes to foreign policy. I recognize the value and necessity of the quid pro quo. But the Obama Administration’s offer to […]
The latest issue of Impumelelo: The Interdisciplinary Electronic Journal of African Sports is now available. It includes a group of brief articles on “FIFA World Cup 2010 Reflections,” including my contribution, “Ayoba!: Reflections From South Africa’s World Cup. “ (As long as I’m engaging in self indulgence anyway, the last issue of Impumelelo included my […]
I am pleased to announce that I have begun a new regular gig writing about African affairs for the Zurich-based International Relations and Security Network (ISN). I will be contributing to their ISN Insights. My first piece for them, which is on the state of the African National Congress, has been posted. [Crossposted at dcat.]
I’m working on a piece on the elections across Africa but here is a quick roundup: After a turning out in record numbers in Ivory Coast’s presidential elections voters will return to the polls on November 28 for a second round of polling after no candidate successfully reached the 50% threshold. The country’s election commission […]
I’m back from my trip to Israel and am pulling together my thoughts. When I do so, I’ll surely write something and will guide you as to where to read them. I plan to resume normal Africa-related posting duties in the next day or so.