The African National Congress (ANC) and the ANC Youth League have clashed over the issue of, of all things, politics in Botswana. Basically, the Youth League has called for political change in Botswana, supporting the the Botswana National Front, (BNF) which the Youth League calls its “ally,” instead of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). The ANC is understandably peeved about what it sees as the Youth League’s foray into foreign affairs that are rightfully the ANC’s ambit.
I would suspect that lots of folks even within the ANC hierarchy would be happy to see the BNF supplant President Ian Khama’s BDP. But given Botswana’s stability and general reputation in the region it is untoward for a faction in South Africa’s ruling party to seem to be taking sides. It would be bizarre in some ways for Botswana to become the big flash point between the ANC and the Youth League given the various shenanigans and machinations of the latter. At the same point, were it not this it seemed almost destined to be something else. The Youth League seems to fancy itself the latest incarnation of the Young Turks who shook up the ANC hierarchy in the 194os, bringing Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, and others to the fore. I’ll let you decide whether or not Julius Malema, ANCYL secretary general Sindiso Magaqa, and others in the current Youth League hierarchy warrant the mantel of Mandela, Sisulu, and Tambo.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
