PBS: Escaping Eritrea … [Read More...] about ካብ ውሽጢ ቤት ማእሰርታት ኤርትራ
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
At stake in Khashoggi affair: control of the Arab world’s narrative
Taylor Luck Amman, Jordan | October 17, 2018 | The Christian Science Monitor The disappearance and alleged murder of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi has done more than strike fear in the hearts of Arab journalists and intellectuals everywhere. The affair’s outcome, they say, holds in its balance the future of access to information across … [Read more...] about At stake in Khashoggi affair: control of the Arab world’s narrative
Gambia launches truth commission to shed light on Yahya Jammeh’s tortured rule
Agency Staff | 16 October 2018 | Business Day The West African state of The Gambia on Monday launched an 11-member truth commission tasked with shedding light on summary executions, disappearances, torture, rape and other crimes under the regime of ousted Yahya Jammeh. "Today marks … the beginning of the much-anticipated mechanism that is expected to ensure healing, … [Read more...] about Gambia launches truth commission to shed light on Yahya Jammeh’s tortured rule
‘They have taken our beautiful sand from us and left nothing’
Robert Shivambu, David Matsinhe | 17 Oct 2018 | Mail & Guardian It was with a heavy heart that Nassire Omar, a 60-year-old fisherman, moved away from his old home in the coastal village of Nagonha in northern Mozambique last year. He abandoned the village where he had lived since 2004, after it became prone to devastating floods. Altogether, 1 300 residents left … [Read more...] about ‘They have taken our beautiful sand from us and left nothing’
Venezuela’s Suicide: Lessons From a Failed State
Moisés Naím and Francisco Toro | November/December 2018 Issue | Foreign Affairs Consider two Latin American countries. The first is one of the region’s oldest and strongest democracies. It boasts a stronger social safety net than any of its neighbors and is making progress on its promise to deliver free health care and higher education to all its citizens. It is a model … [Read more...] about Venezuela’s Suicide: Lessons From a Failed State
IPCC says limiting global warming to 1.5 °C will require drastic action
Jeff Tollefson | 08 October 2018 | Nature Humanity has a limited window in which it can hope to avoid the worst effects of climate change, according to climate report. Limiting global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels would be a herculean task, involving rapid, dramatic changes in how governments, industries and societies function, according to the … [Read more...] about IPCC says limiting global warming to 1.5 °C will require drastic action