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Archives for October 2018
African praise of Saudi Arabia highlights diplomatic pressures
Sam Mednick, Elias Meseret, and Ahmed Mohamed Salem Associated Press | October 24, 2018 | Christian Science Monitor In the weeks after Jamal Khashoggi's murder, five African nations made statements in support of Saudi Arabia. The statements are an example of how foreign aid may influence diplomatic decisions, particularly in the horn of Africa. Addis Ababa - As … [Read more...] about African praise of Saudi Arabia highlights diplomatic pressures
Fresh Prince: The Schemes and Dreams of Saudi Arabia’s Next King
F. Gregory Gause III | May/June 2018 Issue | Foreign Affairs It is not often that a Ritz-Carlton becomes a detention facility. But last November, when a large slice of the Saudi elite was arrested on accusations of corruption, the luxury hotel in Riyadh became a gilded prison for hundreds of princes, billionaires, and high-ranking government officials. Behind this … [Read more...] about Fresh Prince: The Schemes and Dreams of Saudi Arabia’s Next King
Mo Ibrahim: Africa’s decade of ‘lost opportunity’
Simon Allison | 30 Oct 2018 | Mail & Guardian The 2018 African governance index was released this week. It’s not good news. The Ibrahim Index of African Governance, now in its 11th iteration, is the most comprehensive measure of governance on the African continent. It makes for thoroughly depressing reading. “Public governance progress in Africa is lagging … [Read more...] about Mo Ibrahim: Africa’s decade of ‘lost opportunity’
Villagers win landmark case against mining company
Allan Seccombe | 25 October 2018 | Business Day Constitutional Court judgment sets precedent for how mining companies should deal with land owners A group of 38 villagers won an important victory in the Constitutional Court against their own community mining company and set a precedent for how land owners should be dealt with by mining companies. In a ruling that … [Read more...] about Villagers win landmark case against mining company
Ethiopia gets female president as it commits to reforms
George Obulutsa | 25 October 2018 | Business Day Primer Minister Abiy Ahmed reshuffled cabinet has 10 female ministers Addis Ababa — Ethiopia’s parliament has approved senior diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s first female president, proceedings on state television showed, cementing another shift in the country's political system from Prime Minister Abiy … [Read more...] about Ethiopia gets female president as it commits to reforms
Cameroon’s Paul Biya Gives a Master Class in Fake Democracy
Jefcoate O'Donnell, Robbie Gramer | October 22, 2018 | Foreign Policy One of the world’s most experienced autocrats has clinched another seven-year term by bending the rules of the game in his direction in ways both old and new. It’s no accident that Paul Biya is the second-longest-ruling head of state in the world who isn’t a monarch. Nor that Cameroon’s constitutional … [Read more...] about Cameroon’s Paul Biya Gives a Master Class in Fake Democracy
DP World eyes Eritrean ports in region strategy
Agency Staff | 22 October 2018 | Business Day Addis Ababa — The Red Sea state of Eritrea may play a key role in DP World’s plans in the Horn of Africa, where a dozen ports could be needed to service the region, CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said. The Dubai-based state-controlled harbour operator is evaluating its strategy in the region after having its stake in a port … [Read more...] about DP World eyes Eritrean ports in region strategy
When Ye met Yoweri, and worlds collided
Simon Allison | 18 Oct 2018 | Mail & Guardian In a world where power is measured in Instagram likes, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian-West are royalty. They are celebrity supernovas blazing a trail through the social media firmament, demanding our attention and sucking us into their capricious orbit. Love them or hate them, you can’t avoid them. Donald Trump, the … [Read more...] about When Ye met Yoweri, and worlds collided
Abiy Ahmed’s Ethiopian exceptionalism
Simon Allison | 19 Oct 2018 | Mail & Guardian Ethiopia’s new prime minister is trying to do things differently. If he succeeds, the consequences will be felt beyond his borders Autocracy is trending around the world. From Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Jair Bolsonaro, Rodrigo Duterte and Mohammed Bin Salman, a populist, … [Read more...] about Abiy Ahmed’s Ethiopian exceptionalism
The Next Arab Uprising: The Collapse of Authoritarianism in the Middle East
Marwan Muasher | November/December 2018 Issue | Foreign Affairs Two perfect storms have struck the Arab world in the past decade. In 2011, in what was at first optimistically called “the Arab Spring,” popular uprisings unseated autocrats across the region. Hopes ran high that these peaceful protest movements would usher in a new era of democracy in the Middle East. But … [Read more...] about The Next Arab Uprising: The Collapse of Authoritarianism in the Middle East