Angola has changed its Constitution, and in so doing has transformed the way by which the country will choose its president. The country will no longer hold direct elections for president, instead giving the presidency to the leader of the parliamentary party with the most seats. In theory this is not, as critics claim, anti-democratic. Indeed such an approach is in keeping with parliamentary systems around the world. But it seems anti-democratic, which is, admittedly, a perception problem.
But that problem is made worse by the decision of UNITA, the main opposition party, to boycott the vote. Furthermore, while the new system will grant the president only two five-year terms, that process will not kick in until the 2012 presidential election. The current president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, is Africa’s second longest-serving leader, having been in power since 1979. He will now be able to serve until 2022. Suddenly the concerns of the critics have more heft.
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 […]
