PBS: Escaping Eritrea … [Read More...] about ካብ ውሽጢ ቤት ማእሰርታት ኤርትራ
Archives for January 2016
Sudan cosies up to Saudi Arabia and turns its back on longtime ally Iran
Khalid Abdelaziz and Lin Noueihed | 13 January 2016 | BUSINESS DAY KHARTOUM — When Saudi Arabia executed a leading Shiite cleric and protesters responded by torching the Saudi embassy in Tehran, Sudan was one of only three countries to sever ties with Iran in solidarity with Riyadh. The January 4 move cemented a dramatic political shift: in the past two years, Sudan … [Read more...] about Sudan cosies up to Saudi Arabia and turns its back on longtime ally Iran
Allies silent on Djibouti human rights abuses
Geoff Hill | 08 Jan 2016 | MAIL & GUARDIAN Western nations won't intervene lest they upset a strategic partnership or usher in another despot. At least half a dozen African countries have leaders intent on clinging to power, with the African Union seemingly moribund on the issue. In Zimbabwe, 91-year-old President Robert Mugabe has indicated his willingness to stand … [Read more...] about Allies silent on Djibouti human rights abuses
How Refugee Council’s therapy services for children supported a young Eritrean
Sarah Temple-Smith | Tuesday 12 January 2016 | THE GUARDIAN Desta left Eritrea at four and endured years of cruel treatment in her journey to the UK. The Refugee Council’s My View project has helped her turn her life around One of the most important services provided for refugee children arriving in the UK by the Refugee Council, one of the six charities … [Read more...] about How Refugee Council’s therapy services for children supported a young Eritrean
Empire Strikes Back
Emanuele Saccarelli and Latha Varadarajan | 17 December 2015 | FOREIGN AFFAIRS Imperialism, Past and Present In 2010, a disturbing report made its entry into an already upsetting news cycle. Members of a U.S. Army brigade, assembled into a self-proclaimed “kill team,” had indiscriminately targeted civilians in southern Afghanistan. As trophies for their deeds, the … [Read more...] about Empire Strikes Back
Winning Hearts, Minds, and Independence
Herman J. Cohen | 4 January 2016 | FOREIGN AFFAIRS How the United States Approached Post-Colonial Africa It was midnight on October 9, 1962, in Kampala, Uganda—the former British colony at the source of the White Nile on the shores of Lake Victoria. The Namboole National Stadium was full. Katharine, Duchess of Kent, represented the British Crown and … [Read more...] about Winning Hearts, Minds, and Independence
This Politician’s Philosophy: No Perks For You
Gregory Warner | 6 January 2016 | NPR Listen to the Story It's a hard life for Tanzanian public officials these days.No more driving your limousine to villages. No more flying first class to meetings in Europe. You can't even send Christmas cards on the taxpayer's dime. President John Magufuli, elected in October, has banned these things. He canceled … [Read more...] about This Politician’s Philosophy: No Perks For You
The Wall Dancer
Nick Paumgartren | January 11, 2016 Issue | THE NEW YORKER Ashima Shiraishi’s route to the top. The mother and father of Ashima Shiraishi, a fourteen-year-old New Yorker who has been called the most talented rock climber in the world, met in fashion school, in Tokyo, in the early seventies. Hisatoshi Shiraishi, the father, was from the southern island of Shikoku, and … [Read more...] about The Wall Dancer
Saudi Arabia’s Last-Ditch Effort to Stop America’s Pivot to Iran
Dan De Luce | 5 January 2016 | FOREIGN POLICY Did Riyadh execute Nimr to show the West that Tehran is still a loose cannon? Saudi Arabia’s escalating diplomatic war with Iran is part of a new attempt to derail what Riyadh sees as a clear American shift towards Tehran. Unfortunately for the kingdom, it probably won’t work. That’s because the Obama administration has … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia’s Last-Ditch Effort to Stop America’s Pivot to Iran
As New Threats Emerge, U.S. Closes Drone Base in Ethiopia
John Hudson | 4 January 2016 | FOREIGN POLICY The United States is pulling the plug on its drone operations in southern Ethiopia as demands on its fleet of unmanned aircraft expand elsewhere across the continent with the rise of the Islamic State in Libya, and extremist militants in Nigeria, Mali, Chad and Cameroon. Since 2011, the U.S. had been using the air base in … [Read more...] about As New Threats Emerge, U.S. Closes Drone Base in Ethiopia
How Relations Between Saudi Arabia And Iran Reached A Breaking Point
Jessica Schulberg Foreign Affairs Reporter | 5 January 2016 | THE HUFFINGTON POST The two countries have never been friends, but the increased tensions in recent months have a lot to do with the United States. WASHINGTON -- Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have always been tense at best, with the two countries constantly competing for influence in the Middle … [Read more...] about How Relations Between Saudi Arabia And Iran Reached A Breaking Point