Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir might be loathed and excoriated throughout most of the world and in vast swaths of his own country, but because his tenure has seen the country hit unprecedented heights of economic growth, he is reaping many of the political benefits of prosperity: According to the International Monetary Fund, Sudan’s gross domestic […]
Tired of politics and crises and stories of greed and corruption? Sit back, relax, and imagine a little vacation in Mauritius.
This Friday, April 23, at 3:30 I will be giving a talk, “Stopped at the Try Line: Rugby, Race, and Nationalism in the New South Africa,” as part of the Newberry Library’s Seminar on Sport & Culture. The seminar is co-sponsored by Northeastern Illinois University and the Dr. Wm. M. Scholl Center for American History […]
At Pambazuka News Briggs Bomba and William Minter question the purpose and efficacy of imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe, and their larger implications certainly extend beyond Zim. From the article abstract: In debates about Zimbabwe’s political crisis and the role of the international community, it is difficult to sort out reality from rhetorical smoke and mirrors, […]
A few years ago a new music group swept over South Africa, taking over the pop charts and representing a high point in the vaunted but only episodically uplifting process of reconciliation. Freshlyground (whose biggest hit remains the catchy “Doo Bee Doo”) represents an optimistic multi-racial South Africa that so many have hoped for after […]
I cannot possibly add anything to this: “Somalia’s Al Qaeda-linked militia on Thursday banned the ringing of bells in schools because Christian churches also sound bells.”
Recent scuttlebutt around Zimbabwe had the government abandoning its ill-conceived recent laws demanding that at least 51% of all businesses in the country be owned by Zimbabweans. From whence did the scuttlebutt come? A spokesman for Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. On Wednesday that rumor was squashed. Who did the squashing? President Robert Mugabe. This tells […]
Two recent news stories out of Nigeria continue to keep me on edge about the near future of that country. First, the United States has called for the removal of Independent National Election Commission (INEC) chairman Maurice Iwu. Basically, the Obama administration thinks Iwu is incompetent. But more to the point, they worry that he […]
The African National Congress continues to meet with coalition partners the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), to try to smooth over some rough edges revealed in a series of techy exchanges last month. It sure seems as if the ANC and COSATU are in a permanent state of assessing the status of their […]
Sudan’s elections have apparently not gotten off to a good start. I’m just returning from a week in Washington, DC where I had remarkably scarce internet access. I’ll be back to full posting soon.
It is easy for naysayers to envision the apocalyptic impending race war that is around the corner in South Africa (and has been, in their mind, since at least 1990 or so). But a couple of recent events have certainly fueled the fire. ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema (of course) is at the center […]
In an interview at the Council on Foreign Relations Bronwyn Bruton argues for a change in United States policy toward Somalia. She calls her proposal “constructive disengagement.” Her phrase is of course a clever play on words on the loathsome “constructive engagement” policy with Apartheid South Africa popularized by Chester Crocker.
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