Last week in an op-ed in The Washington Post Rwandan President Paul Kagame put forward an argument as to why the United States and Africa need one another. It’s a compelling argument, one that many of us have been making for years yet has not gained all that much traction.
At the FPA’s Human Rights Blog Kimberly Curtis has a great post on how recent comments by Gambian President Yahaya Jammeh threaten human rights not only in in his country but regionally.
My travel continues with a trek to LA tomorrow to play the role of talking head for a documentary that you may see on PBS someday soon. In the meantime, you might want to check out this article in The Economist arguing that Jacob Zuma is confounding some of his most concerned critics by not […]
Sorry for the silence. The perfect storm of family, travel, and work has buried me. Tomorrow I head to New Hampshire for a wedding and a couple of days in the old hometown. Hopefully these links will keep you off the streets: The debate continues as to whether this is the greatest Springbok side ever. […]
The ANC’s week of recriminations and bad news continues. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has lashed out at both President Zuma and National Planning Commission (NPC) head and Minister of the President Trevor Manuel for alleged transgressions against the union movement, which is angry at not having the power it expected to […]
The movie version of JM Coetzee’s Booker Prize winning novel Disgrace is now out in limited release in the United States. It is hard to imagine that this grim reflection of contemporary South Africa will gain much traction with the masses, but if the review in The New York Times is any indication, readers of […]
No one in the last decade has gotten rich betting that stability would come to Somalia or that all the fractured country needs is the right leader to emerge. So I’d be cautious in the message I draw from Jeffrey Gettleman’s New York Times profile of President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed. Sheik Sharif might warrant […]
The election of Barack Obama captured the imagination of many around the world, nowhere more than in Africa. And now many across the continent, and especially in Kenya, hope that Obama’s Presidency will result in concrete economic benefits. But expectations are outpacing reality and probably will for some time, if not for the duration of […]
Chester Crocker, who was Ronald Reagan’s Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, has an op-ed piece advising President Obama on the idea of “engagement” with Iran and, presumably, others. Crocker’s article itself is not bad (nor is it earth-shatteringly good) but perhaps we should consider the source. Crocker is an incredibly smart and talented […]
The Eastern Cape ANC is struggling financially as a result of the one-two punch of the economy and the inroads that the Congress of the People (COPE) has made in the region. The Eastern Cape is a historical stronghold for the ANC, so COPE’s inroads have to be particularly worrisome. Um, COPE? I’d wipe that […]
Two years is a long time in the world of sports and is forever in international rugby. So Springbok fans might want to temper their enthusiasm over the green and gold’s status as favorites to win the next World Cup (which will be held in New Zealand — a relevant fact, no?). That said, amabokoboko […]
There is a legitimate debate to be had about sanctions against Zimbabwe. My own view is that relaxing the sanctions is the only way to give Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) the space to operate and to ensure that the unity government has a chance to […]
After a 32-29 victory over the All Blacks the Springboks stand supreme as 2009 Tri-Nations champions. (Photo by Gallo Images) Today’s victory marked the first time since 1949 that the Boks had beaten the mighty All Blacks three times in a season. Between decisively winning the Tri-Nations, the premier non-World Cup international competition and their victory over the […]
Stories worth reading as you head into the weekend: Is there instability among the destabilizers? It appears so in the southern Somalian port city of Kismayo where there are serious divisions between armed Islamist factions. From South Africa: “This week, a South African call-center business, frustrated by persistently slow Internet speeds, decided to use a […]
Today’s links-heavy quick hits from across Africa: The United Nations Development Policy and Analysis Division’s World Economic and Social Survey (WESS) has devoted its entire 2009 edition to the issue of climate change. IRIN has a nice summary. Treveor Manuel, South Africa’s former Finance Minister, who now carries the cryptic title of “Minister to the […]