Africa

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Piracy and Washington: The Somalia Crossroads

William Minter and Daniel Volman July 13, 2009 William Minter and Daniel Volman

In October 2008, Human Rights Watch rated Somalia the most ignored tragedy in the world. Almost 1.5 million Somalis are internally displaced, and an additional half million are refugees. Two decades of instability, including a U.S.-backed intervention by Ethiopian troops in December 2006, have failed to put Somalia on the map. If the American public has thought about Somalia at all this decade, it was as the setting of the popular 2001 movie Blackhawk Down, based on the October 1993 battle in Mogadishu between U.S. troops and Somali militia, rather than as a real place where Washington's policies were fueling conflict and prolonging suffering.

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A Dieu, Albert Bongo: Africa’s Longest-Serving President Moves On

Rene Wadlow June 10, 2009 Rene Wadlow

Albert Bongo
Omar Bongo, President of Gabon since 1967, died on June 8, 2009 in a hospital in Barcelona, Spain.  I had known him in 1966 when I was working in Gabon, and he was the 'directeur de cabinet' - chief administrative officer - of the first President of Gabon, Leon Mba.  I was told by a French friend who was an advisor to the President that Bongo was the man to watch and that his power was growing.

Photo from Wikipedia

Popular Abroad, Kenyan Nobel Laureate Maathai Faces Challenges at Home

Tabitha Nderitu May 14, 2009 Tabitha Nderitu

Wangari Maathai
Nairobi, Kenya - Though her status as the first and only woman from Africa to be awarded with the prestigious Noble Peace Prize offered the opportunity for a promising political career, the indomitable Professor Wangari Maathai has seen her grand plans falter. Maathai's ambitions to ascend to high political office continue to be challenged by a patriarchal society and populace that doesn't support her, believing she in not in touch with the everyday realities of Kenyan life.

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Root Causes of Somali Piracy: Nuclear Dumping and Seafood Looting

Toward Freedom and Various Authors April 14, 2009 Toward Freedom and Various Authors

Somali Pirates Board Ship
There has been a lot of discussion in the media about how to address piracy off the coast of Somalia. Much less attention has been given to the complex sources of political turmoil, poverty and pollution that have led many Somalis into piracy. In order to prevent more violent hijackings, Washington needs to understand the root causes of piracy. For years, foreign shipping companies have been dumping nuclear waste off the coast of Somalia and looting the country's fishing industry. Many of Somalia's "pirates" initially organized to defend their coast against this pollution and robbery.

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The Global Financial Crisis: Lessons and Responses From Africa

Demba Moussa Dembele March 31, 2009 Demba Moussa Dembele

The international financial crisis reflects the collapse of laissez-faire economics and the growing discredit of market fundamentalism. What was being hailed yesterday as the only road to 'growth and prosperity' is now under fierce attack by the same countries and institutions that promoted it for years. In leading developed countries, states have drawn up massive rescue plans to bail out industries or nationalise banks and financial institutions.