Morgan Tsvangirai is back in Zimbabwe and is ready to return to work after time spent in South Africa after his wife’s tragic death in a car crash. He returns to some modestly good news. Prices of goods bought in the US dollar, newly established as the formal currency, actually dropped in January for the first time in ages.
The global economic crisis is being felt in Zambia’s copper mines. It seems reasonable to extrapolate that the mining industry across the continent will suffer from the economic meltdown. Naturally the multinational companies that run the mines will tighten their belts with the local workers the ones who end up getting squeezed out.
China has agreed to replace a Nigerian telecommunications satellite free of charge. The original satellite had been made in China and failed after 18 months. This seemingly routine transaction carries with it all sorts of undercurrents that reveal the increasingly interdependent relationship that has been developing between China and Africa.
Muammar Gaddafi, the chairman of the African Union, wants the AU to lift the sanctions on Mauritius that it placed on the country after its military coup last year. The member states of the AU seem reluctant to comply. If this conflict (independent of the merits of either side) signals that Libya’s strongman will not be allowed free reign, that will be a good thing. It would be an apt irony if Gaddafi’s cartoonish and self-serving vision of Pan Africanism smashed up against the desires and demands of the rest of the continent.
The biggest controversy in South Africa in recent days has involved the ANC government rejecting the Dalai Lama’s visa request and thus preventing him from entering the country for a peace conference that will also promote the 2010 football World Cup. Spokespersons for the ANC maintain that the Dalai lama’s presence would be a distraction that would draw attention from the World Cup. The decision has infuriated many, and has divided the ANC.
Kenya appears to be teetering on the brink of stability again. Pambazuka News has extensive coverage of the state of affairs there.
France wants to reaffirm its role as an important player in African affairs, with a specific eye toward Francophile Central Africa. Greater engagement is always a fraught role for a former colonial power to want to play. Nonetheless, Paris wants to play a greater role in peacekeeping and investment. President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans are meeting with an array of opinions in the French press.
Finally, the political divisions in Madagascar still continue to vex. Ditto Somalia. I would not bank on the status quo in either country changing anytime soon.
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 […]
