PBS: Escaping Eritrea … [Read More...] about ካብ ውሽጢ ቤት ማእሰርታት ኤርትራ
UPFRONT
Decay of the Dictatorships
Muhammad Mansour | February 2, 2016 | FOREIGN AFFAIRS Why the Arab Spring Will Survive Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Arab Spring, Egyptian strongman Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrested dozens of activists and journalists in an extension of a broader crackdown begun when the military took over the country in 2013. Sisi’s repression has left civil society groups … [Read more...] about Decay of the Dictatorships
The Elephant in the Room
Alexander Betts | February 2, 2016 | FOREIGN AFFAIRS Islam and the Crisis of Liberal Values in Europe Europe is still struggling to cope with a massive influx of refugees, with over a million asylum seekers arriving across the Mediterranean Sea. Nearly all of them are Muslims. This fact has shaped public and political opinion but has rarely been openly and honestly … [Read more...] about The Elephant in the Room
If Russia Started a War in the Baltics, NATO Would Lose — Quickly
Dan De Luce | February 3, 2016 | FOREIGN POLICY War games show NATO’s eastern flank is vulnerable. To deter Moscow, the United States will need to deploy heavy armor on a large scale, a new study says. If Russian tanks and troops rolled into the Baltics tomorrow, outgunned and outnumbered NATO forces would be overrun in under three days. That’s the sobering … [Read more...] about If Russia Started a War in the Baltics, NATO Would Lose — Quickly
Morocco Unveils A Massive Solar Power Plant In The Sahara
Camila Domonoske | February 4, 2016 | NPR Morocco has officially turned on a massive solar power plant in the Sahara Desert, kicking off the first phase of a planned project to provide renewable energy to more than a million Moroccans. The Noor I power plant is located near the town of Ouarzazate, on the edge of the Sahara. It's capable of generating up to 160 … [Read more...] about Morocco Unveils A Massive Solar Power Plant In The Sahara
The Iran-Saudi-US Balancing Act — and Israel: Something Must Give
Paul Scham | 01/29/2016 | THE HUFFINGTON POST The first milestone in implementing the Iran nuclear deal has come and gone. As the agreement's proponents expected and opponents denied would happen, Iran has poured cement in its Arak reactor and rendered it unusable. More unexpected was the prisoner exchange that accompanied it, with Iran releasing four Americans … [Read more...] about The Iran-Saudi-US Balancing Act — and Israel: Something Must Give
How to See a Famine Before It Starts
Robinson Meyer | Feb 3, 2016 | THE ATLANTIC The U.S. government can predict food insecurity before it occurs. But the warnings aren’t always heeded. Thanks to El Niño, some parts of Ethiopia are currently facing the worst drought in 30 years. More than 10 million people in the country will likely need food aid this year. Over the weekend, UN Secretary … [Read more...] about How to See a Famine Before It Starts
More Putin than Putin
Alexander Baunov | February 2, 2016 | FOREIGN AFFAIRS Ramzan Kadyrov Tries to Take Center Stage Ramzan Kadyrov, Russia's most controversial and outspoken politician, could no longer be quiet. In a series of statements just days into the New Year, Kadyrov and members of his inner circle viciously denounced members of Russia’s pro-Western opposition. In … [Read more...] about More Putin than Putin
Climate change could devastate Africa. It’s already hurting this Kenyan town.
Abigail Higgins | January 30, 2016 | WASHINGTON POST KALOKOL, Kenya — The lake that Philip Tioko relies on for survival is a fine turquoise strip that seems to recede farther into the distance each day. His fishing village once hugged the shore, but now it is 800 feet away, and everything — food, water and employment — is drying up. Tioko, 46, remembers when fish … [Read more...] about Climate change could devastate Africa. It’s already hurting this Kenyan town.
African Union hobbled by vested interests
Liesl Louw-Vaudran | 29 Jan 2016 | MAIL & GUARDIAN Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has tried to improve it, but the AU is saddled with systemic problems. In her opening address to women ahead of the 26th African Union summit that takes place in Addis Ababa this weekend, African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma told the delegates … [Read more...] about African Union hobbled by vested interests
Is America Great?
Edward Alden and Rebecca Strauss | February 1, 2016 | FOREIGN POLICY How the United States Stacks Up Deafeat in Iowa aside, whether or not Donald Trump secures the Republican presidential nomination, his campaign has certainly captured the deep disillusionment among many voters about America’s place in the world. “This country is in big trouble,” he said in the first … [Read more...] about Is America Great?