In The News

Reinventing Peace: Lifting Sanctions on Sudan

Alex de Waal October 9, 2017
The United States is following through on longtime commitments to lift sanctions on Sudan, and Alex de Waal of the World Peace Foundation suggests the action is overdue. Sanctions, some in place for more than two decades, did not contribute to human rights, punishing ordinary people rather than the elites and driving too much economic activity underground. They lost credibility after a series of...

Mail & Guardian: Land Reform Is a Broken Ladder

Leslie Bank and Tim Hart September 28, 2017
The rural people of South Africa expect land reform. Land is being redistributed, but the demand for small tracts is not being met, reports the Human Sciences Research Council, “as the state has sought to increase the percentage of land in black hands, it has focused increasingly on transferring large farms, often to established black businesses and commercial operators, rather than on supporting...

The Economist: Muslims in Egypt Are Trying to Preserve Its Jewish Heritage

September 17, 2017
Egypt’s Jewish community, about 80,000 before World War II, has been whittled down to 20 in recent years. The Economist describes an organization made up of Muslims and Jews, Drop of Milk, that is making a concerted effort to “preserve Egypt’s Jewish heritage.” The nation has a contentious past after four devastating wars with Israel, forced conversions and “Jews who worked alongside Egyptians...

BBC News: Namibia's Himba People Caught Between Traditions and Modernity

Pumza Fihlani August 31, 2017
Small rural villages around the world are less isolated, and encroaching modern ways of life divide their people about how quickly to accept another language, women’s rights and family planning, schools and new curricula, or specialized businesses and consumerism. Pumza Fihlani of BBC News write about Namibia’s Himba people. “A steady stream of young men and women has been opting to leave the...

The Economist: Kenya’s New Government Faces Serious Challenges

August 30, 2017
Kenya’s recent presidential elections have come under scrutiny with candidate Raila Odinga calling the incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta’s reelection a “computer-generated fraud.” In Nairobi and in Western Kenya, protestors have “blocked roads and burned tires,” reports the Economist. “The police responded [by] firing tear gas and live rounds into the crowds. After a few days, at least two dozen...

The Economist: Stumped for Words: Language Battle Hampers Algeria’s Development

August 28, 2017
The legacy of the French settler-colonial project continues to impact the politics of education in Algeria. “The republic’s official language is standard Arabic, but few children grow up speaking it, so they often feel lost on their first day of school. Berber, the tongue of perhaps a quarter of Algerians, was officially recognised last year – but no one can agree on which of its six dialects...

Spiegel Online: Libyan Camps for Refugees Are Not the Answer

Florian Gathmann, Walter Mayr, Veit Medick, Peter Müller and Wolf Wiedmann-Schmidt August 18, 2017
Politicians in Europe seek to manage the flow of migrants from Africa and the Middle East. Proposals include funding camps in Libya, managed by EU or UN officials to prevent migrants from undertaking treacherous journeys across the Mediterranean, and “a network of safe places” to reduce human smuggling. Libya’s government and economy are unstable, and officials lack control over much of the...