[Zapiro, Mail & Guardian, 4 April 2008] One clear division between Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma (and as stark as the political and personal conflicts are between the two men and their supporters, when it comes to policies and platforms most people could not stake out clear and categorical differences between them) comes on the Zimbabwe […]
Stan Abram's China Heresay blog led me to this James Fallows' article for theAtlantic.com, recounting his personal experience in China with middle school girls, who he describes as "charming" and "open-spirited." A reminder that despite its unfortunate portrayal as a looming military and economic threat, China is doing its best to address domestic concerns, be it managing its massive and […]
It appears that India's engagement with Africa has the potential to yield fruit. Indian officials have announced “duty free preferential market exports” from developing nations, including 34 in Africa. While Africans have every right to be skeptical of any such deals with the outside world, this deal appears to represent a vital moment for African […]
The largest transaction to occur under the auspices of South Africa's Black Economic Empowerment program appears set to go through, and most observers are lavishing praise on the deal and its ramifications. The Economist has the details.
The negotiations in Kenya appear to have reached stalemate, and possibly collapse. One can only hope that the solution still lies in talks and not in a resumption of violence in the streets. But in all likelihood the masses are not going to raise arms over an issue as relatively esoteric (from the vantage point […]
Who benefits from the delays plaguing Zimbabwe's election? The smart money is that Robert Mugabe benefits by being able to consolidate his hold on power and marshal his resources. But what if the time allows certain facts to become clear and gives those Mugabe loyalists who are beginning to stray the impetus to do so? […]
I’m going to quibble here with an article I really enjoyed and found useful. I hope you don't mind. I don't want to leave the impression that it was a bad article. It is one you should read, if you have the time. And time is the most important thing here. The Carnegie Endowment has […]
Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand, left, and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China after the signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (China Daily/Reuters) China and New Zealand have signed a free trade agreement, effective October 1st, marking the first concluded agreement China has signed with a developed country. Talks […]
Stop me if this sounds familiar: Recently prominent South African political leaders met away from the country's major metropolitan areas in order to determine future leadership. The divisions were stark and clear and the leadership campaign tightly contested between two men, both of whom have their supporters and their detractors. Welcome not to Polokwane 2007, […]
Anarchy would seem to be the enemy of autocracy. After all, anarchy implies a lack of control where autocracy embodies control. Nonetheless, the most skilled tyrants know that there are times when unleashing the forces of chaos is a marvelous tool in their arsenal. Anarchy allows for police crackdowns, it allows for score settling, it […]
"Freedom for Uighurs. Freedom for Tibet. We must fight together." Can Asgar, a leader of the Uighur diaspora in Munich In the midst of widespread protests following the Olympic Torch in London and Paris, two other anti-Chinese government demonstrations by Uighurs in China's Xinjiang Province and in Istanbul, Turkey have recently occurred. The first and […]
For all of the talk about China and its potentially deleterious impact on Africa, there is another potential player in African affairs from the east. India may well provide a useful foil to China, and perhaps even will present a somewhat less predatory visage. Having a diversity of options can only help African leaders to […]
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