I believe it was Ferris Bueller that once said: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” With North Africa on fire, Cote d’Ivoire in shambles, Nigeria bracing for electoral bloodshed, Swaziland in revolt, I’m not sure truer words could be applied to Africa these days.
With that in mind, I thought I would share a few topical articles about Africa, both news and notes, which have come across my desk the past few weeks.
Paul-Simon Handy, the Director of Research at the ISS, wrote an interesting ISS Today in the beginning of April about the deteriorating situation in Cote d’Ivoire. His article, Cote d’Ivoire: The War is on, Let’s Give it a Chance?, was written before Ouattra’s forces captured Gbagbo, so it’s a little out-dated at this point, but he makes a good case against what he calls “dogmatic pacifism” that enraptures the African political establishment.
Although the Ivory Coast is the sexy story out of West Africa at the moment, it is important to keep tabs on Liberia and Sierra Leone. Nigeria is also a hot spot, with Goodluck Jonathan poised to win tomorrow’s elections.
On the sort-of-related-to-Africa front, there was a great profile of the odd couple in Libya, which is Obama and Sarkozy (aka Sarko l’Américain), in the NY Times this past week.
South Africa is not immune to the acid winds that too often blow through the continent. This week Julius Malema, the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League President, made his way to court flanked by (illegally) heavily-armed bodyguards. To be honest, it looked like a scene out of a Tarintino movie. He’s on trial for hate-speech because at his youth rallies he likes to break into song, a song entitled “Kill the Boer.”
Then of course any article I’m quoted in is ok in my book: http://mg.co.za/article/2011-04-13-sa-joins-brics-club-to-punch-above-its-weight
All of the highlighted parts are hyperlinks, so you should be able to click on them and go right to the articles. I’m hoping that everyone will at least read one article that is of interest. Happy Reading!
It is a strange feeling to say that I can agree with something such as "there are sometimes better reasons to opt for a war in order to preserve peace and, paradoxically, save civilian lives, which would have otherwise been sacrificed if nothing were done". Excellent perspective and as always look forward to the next post.
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