Three stories caught my eye this morning, all of which fall into the category of disappointing, but not surprising.
1) The power-sharing talks over Zimbabwe have broken down over the question of what role Morgan Tsvangirai will play. The sides appear to have rather different conceptions of the role the Movement for Democratric Change leader will have in any new government. Mugabe's people want him shuffled off to the post of third vice president, a post about as useful as teats on a bull. Tsvangirai wants to be the country's Prime Minister with considerable powers. This news should come as a shock to absolutely no one. Mugabe does not want to share leadership. And without being forced to do so, he surely sees these negotiations as just another way to buy time and apply window dressing without actually yielding an inch on issues that matter.
2) In Uganda, the Baganda people are growing increasingly discontented with the rule of President Yoweri Museveni. Tired of feeling marginalised, the people of the ancient kingdom, and now state, of Buganda have a long list of grievances, beginning with seemingly ubiquitous contestations over land. Museveni needs to find a way to compromise and to reach out to the Baganda, or else the stability of his country, not to mention his leadership, are in jeopardy.
3) The precarious health of Zambia's President Levy Mwanawasa has led to fears of a power vacuum emerging in that country. Mwanawasa, who recently suffered a stroke, and whose rumors of death were premature but very real across Africa, has been silent and absent for more than a month, leading to unseemly but very real struggles for leadership in Zambia.
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 […]
