PBS: Escaping Eritrea … [Read More...] about ካብ ውሽጢ ቤት ማእሰርታት ኤርትራ
UPFRONT
The Wheat Disease Threatening Asia’s Food Supply
Farmers are struggling to control a deadly fungus that jumped two oceans and now has U.S. scientists on guard. Aaron Levin | Aug 4, 2017 | The Atlantic Alone in a field of deep green, the bleached yellow head of a single winter wheat plant jarred the experienced eye of an agronomist walking through a test plot in Princeton, Kentucky in May 2011. DNA … [Read more...] about The Wheat Disease Threatening Asia’s Food Supply
In Ethiopia, drought shoves the ordinary – even marriage – just out of reach
Ryan Lenora Brown, Correspondent | JULY 5, 2017 | Christian Science Monitor Failed rains have disrupted life here in ways seismic enough to register – if barely – on the Richter scale of global disasters. The government estimates that nearly 8 million people are in urgent need of assistance. But at close range, drought does even more than leave people hungry or far from … [Read more...] about In Ethiopia, drought shoves the ordinary – even marriage – just out of reach
The Danger of Picking Sides in the Qatar Crisis
For better or worse, all the Gulf nations remain vital allies for the U.S. [and for that matter Eritrea] in the fight against terrorism. Jordan's King Abdullah II, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, U.S. President Donald Trump, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani pose for a photo … [Read more...] about The Danger of Picking Sides in the Qatar Crisis
How to Hate Each Other Peacefully in a Democracy “Designing” better political systems can only take you so far. At some point, parties and politicians must work in good faith.
SHADI HAMID | 11 June 2017 | The Atlantic “Designing” better political systems can only take you so far. At some point, parties and politicians must work in good faith. It is difficult to imagine it now, but continental Europe struggled with foundational divides—with periodic warnings of civil war—as recently as the 1950s. Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and the … [Read more...] about How to Hate Each Other Peacefully in a Democracy “Designing” better political systems can only take you so far. At some point, parties and politicians must work in good faith.
Democracy is taking root in Africa. But that doesn’t mean it works all the time
Nic Cheeseman | May 24, 2017 | THE CONVERSATION The questions that I get asked most often by students, policy makers and political leaders are: “can democracy work in Africa?” and “is Africa becoming more democratic?”. As we celebrate Africa Day and reflect on how far the continent has come since the Organisation of African Unity was founded in 1963, it seems like a … [Read more...] about Democracy is taking root in Africa. But that doesn’t mean it works all the time
The Deadly Mediterranean RouteEU Seeks to Ward Off New Refugee Crisis
Christiane Hoffmann, Walter Mayr, Peter Müller, Christoph Schult and Wolf Wiedmann-Schmidt | May 04, 2017 | SPIEGEL INTERNATIONAL The number of migrants crossing the dangerous Mediterranean route has risen significantly since the beginning of the year. European officials fear the situation could further deteriorate. So far, though, Brussels hasn't been able to agree on a … [Read more...] about The Deadly Mediterranean RouteEU Seeks to Ward Off New Refugee Crisis
Congo’s pricey passport scheme sends millions of dollars offshore
David Lewis | April 13, 2017 | REUTERS The impoverished Democratic Republic of Congo has introduced biometric passports costing $185 apiece. But most of that money does not go to the state. Instead millions of dollars go to a private company in the Gulf - and sources say it is owned by a relative of President Joseph Kabila. KINSHASA - One day in November 2015, President … [Read more...] about Congo’s pricey passport scheme sends millions of dollars offshore
Africa’s ‘Leaders for Life’ Syndrome
Claire Felter | April 10, 2017 | Council on Foreign Relations Introduction Sub-Saharan Africa is home to many of the world’s longest-ruling heads of state. Some leaders in the 1960s and 1970s sought to become “president for life,” with several postcolonial leaders managing to remain in power for three or more terms. By the turn of the twenty-first century, the trend of … [Read more...] about Africa’s ‘Leaders for Life’ Syndrome
Can the relationship between Europe and Africa stand the test of time?
John Kotsopoulos | March 29, 2017 | The Conversation The signing of the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community (EEC) 60 years ago in March 1957, came at a tumultuous time in relations between Europe and Africa. Just weeks earlier Kwame Nkrumah had declared Ghana a republic, an event which was a turning point in the decolonisation of … [Read more...] about Can the relationship between Europe and Africa stand the test of time?
Tortoise v hare: Is China challenging the United States for global leadership?
Apr 1st 2017| BEIJING | THE ECONOMIST Xi Jinping talks of a “China solution”, without specifying what that means AS DONALD TRUMP prepares to welcome Xi Jinping next week for the two men’s first face-to-face encounter, both countries are reassessing their place in the world. They are looking in opposite directions: America away from shouldering global responsibilities, China … [Read more...] about Tortoise v hare: Is China challenging the United States for global leadership?