Africa Horn Now

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Africa Horn Now

Archives for August 2015

Open Letter to Gayle Smith, Nominee for USAID Administrator

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Alex de Waal, June 15, 2015, Boston Review Dear Gayle, We have known one another for almost thirty years, and been shaped by the same experiences of war and famine in Africa. We have shared the same commitment to the people of Africa, especially the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, in their times of greatest need. Allow me to contribute a few thoughts now … [Read more...] about Open Letter to Gayle Smith, Nominee for USAID Administrator

50 Years Later, We Still Haven’t Learned From Watts

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JEANNE THEOHARIS, 11 AUG. 2015, THE NEW YORK TIMES ON AUG. 11, 1965, a California highway patrolman in the Watts section of Los Angeles pulled over an African-American man, Marquette Frye, for drunken driving. When another officer began hitting Mr. Frye and his mother, who had rushed to the scene, onlookers started throwing stones and bottles. The unrest escalated to … [Read more...] about 50 Years Later, We Still Haven’t Learned From Watts

Sweden and Ecuador edge closer to end of Julian Assange standoff

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David Crouch and Esther Addley in London, Tuesday 11 August 2015, The Guardian (UK) Swedish government agrees to direct talks with Ecuador which may lead to WikiLeaks founder being interviewed in London Sweden has offered to negotiate an agreement with Ecuador to enable Swedish prosecutors to interview Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, potentially ending the … [Read more...] about Sweden and Ecuador edge closer to end of Julian Assange standoff

Police Shootings Are About Class as Well as Race

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Rev. Jesse Jackson, Founder and president, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, 08/11/2015, The Huffington Post After three days of peaceful demonstrations marking the one year anniversary of Michael Brown's fatal shooting in Ferguson, Mo., yet another African-American man was shot by police there. While the facts are still unclear, the tragedy will surely add to the national protests … [Read more...] about Police Shootings Are About Class as Well as Race

Failure to address first land-grab undermines BEE

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BY PHAKAMISA NDZAMELA, 11 AUGUSTI 2015, BUSINESS DAY (SOUTH AFRICA) THERE are many papers and books on black economic empowerment (BEE), but one has yet to hear of a major deal that has benefited the first people to be dispossessed in SA, the Khoi and San. The failure to address the genesis of colonial theft in this country undermines the BEE project. What it means is … [Read more...] about Failure to address first land-grab undermines BEE

How Namibian charcoal workers pay a high price for the cheap British barbecue

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TOM BAWDEN, Sunday 09 August 2015, THE INDEPENDENT (UK) Britain moves into peak barbecue season this weekend, and the smell of slightly charred burgers, ribs, halloumi and salmon will fill the nation’s gardens, parks and balconies. But many households will be oblivious to the fact that much of the charcoal being used to fire up the grill is produced in Namibia under … [Read more...] about How Namibian charcoal workers pay a high price for the cheap British barbecue

10 truths about Europe’s migrant crisis

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Patrick Kingsley, Monday 10 August 2015, The Guardian (UK) British ministers including Theresa May and Philip Hammond have made hair-raising claims about the dangers of migrants entering the country. But do the facts bear them out? When you’re facing the world’s biggest refugee crisis since the second world war, it helps to have a sober debate about how to respond. … [Read more...] about 10 truths about Europe’s migrant crisis

What President Obama Didn’t Say to the People of Africa

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Stephen Peel, Founder SMP Policy Innovation Limited, 08/04/2015, The Huffington Post With much fanfare, President Obama addressed the African Union last week in Addis Ababa. His speech highlighted that with Africa's population forecast to "double to some two billion people" there is an urgent need for the continent to "generate millions more jobs than it's doing right now." … [Read more...] about What President Obama Didn’t Say to the People of Africa

Scorecard on U.S. Interventionism

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Ivan Eland,  Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Peace & Liberty, 08/10/2015, The Huffington Post Since 9/11, the United States has flailed away and attacked or invaded at least seven Muslim countries. (I say "at least" because, in contravention of the U.S. Constitution, American presidents now run secret overseas conflicts, including the latest drone wars, … [Read more...] about Scorecard on U.S. Interventionism

Learning from the Jungle

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Aug 8th 2015 | CALAIS | THE ECONOMIST The camp at the Channel’s edge is a sideshow in Europe’s migrant crisis, but it offers important lessons A TINY African girl breaks into a jig as an Arabic pop song gives way to the cheerful soul of Pharrell Williams’s “Happy”, scourge of parents everywhere. It is an incongruous sound for the Jungle, a squalid migrant camp on the … [Read more...] about Learning from the Jungle