PBS: Escaping Eritrea … [Read More...] about ካብ ውሽጢ ቤት ማእሰርታት ኤርትራ
UPFRONT
China’s embrace of harmony makes it a good African fit
George Rautenbach | May 06 2016 | Business Day WITH the spate of negative publicity China has endured over time, it seems appropriate to try to reframe our understanding and thinking about East Asian culture. Having had the opportunity to work directly under C-level East Asian leadership in the past eight years in Africa, I have come to learn a lot more about their … [Read more...] about China’s embrace of harmony makes it a good African fit
He once tried to fix failing D.C. schools. Now he’s trying to fix Somalia.
Kevin Sieff | 26 April 2016 | The Washington Post MOGADISHU, Somalia — Fifteen years ago, he was working for the mayor of Washington, trying to turn around crime-ridden neighborhoods and a failing school system. Now, Abdusalam Omer is trying to turn around a failed state. The former D.C. bureaucrat known as Dr. O has a new title: foreign minister of … [Read more...] about He once tried to fix failing D.C. schools. Now he’s trying to fix Somalia.
What the Reappraisal of Soviet Russia’s Top Agricultural Mastermind Says About Putin’s Russia
Loren R. Graham | April 29, 2016 | Foreign Affairs The discredited Soviet scientist Trofim Lysenko is enjoying a reappraisal in Russia these days. Lysenko was once the Soviet Union’s top agricultural mastermind, supported by Joseph Stalin himself. Even at the height of his power, however, Lysenko’s controversial theories on how plants and animals genetically adapt to … [Read more...] about What the Reappraisal of Soviet Russia’s Top Agricultural Mastermind Says About Putin’s Russia
How Warren Buffett’s Son Would Feed the World
Nina Munk | May 2016 Issue | The Atlantic Howard G. Buffett has spent most of his life as a farmer, with little financial support from his father—until recently. Now he runs a multibillion-dollar foundation dedicated to ending global hunger. When his three children were young, Warren Buffett installed a dime slot machine on the third floor of the family’s house, in … [Read more...] about How Warren Buffett’s Son Would Feed the World
Abuse of power: African leaders and their flying machines
Leela Jacinto | 2016-04-23 | France24 Presidential planes are one of the perks of holding a country’s top post. In Africa, the relationship between some leaders and their aerial fleets can serve as a manual on how power is wielded – and often abused. The US president has “Air Force One” – or more specifically, two customised Boeing 747-200B aircraft fitted with secure … [Read more...] about Abuse of power: African leaders and their flying machines
Towards another resource curse? Remittances and support for democracy in Africa
Maty Konte | June 8, 2015 | The Conversation Much has been written about the impact of remittance inflows on economic and social outcomes, including economic development, inequality and poverty. But little is known about the effect they have on the attitude of remittance recipients to democracy in sub-Saharan Africa. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have … [Read more...] about Towards another resource curse? Remittances and support for democracy in Africa
Are poor societies stuck with dictators?
Pippa Norris | April 11, 2016 The Conversation Africans recently went to the polls in Benin, Cape Verde, the Republic of Congo, Niger and Zanzibar. The outcome was decidedly mixed. In Congo, riot police used tear gas in the capital to disperse dozens of opposition supporters who alleged vote irregularities. But incumbent President Denis Sassou Nguesso won … [Read more...] about Are poor societies stuck with dictators?
How southern African liberators turn into oppressors
Henning Melber | 11 Apr 2016 | Mail & Guardian It is normal for resistance movements to adopt rough survival strategies, unfortunately that culture takes root and is permanently nurtured. Since coming to political power, the anticolonial movements of Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa have remained in control of the former settler colonies’ … [Read more...] about How southern African liberators turn into oppressors
Africa’s $30 Billion Rail Renaissance Holds Ticket for Trade
Liezel Hill | April 8, 2016 | Bloomberg Railway will link Mombasa port to landlocked Uganda, Rwanda Enough track to connect Cape Town with Copenhagen are planned On a sweltering Kenyan morning on the outskirts of a national wildlife park, Chinese and local workers maneuver a massive concrete rail-bridge structure onto towering support piers. In the … [Read more...] about Africa’s $30 Billion Rail Renaissance Holds Ticket for Trade
‘There Will Be Bloodshed if He Comes Here’
Bel Trew | April 8, 2016 | Foreign Policy Can the world’s hand-picked prime minister for Libya survive long enough to put the country back together? TRIPOLI, Libya — It was an absurd entrance, befitting the chaos of Libya’s civil war. The man the world hoped would unite the country, having been blocked from Tripoli at every turn by hostile militias, gallantly sailed into … [Read more...] about ‘There Will Be Bloodshed if He Comes Here’