In The News

Christopher Jasparro April 6, 2009
Contrary to common perception, the swift and coordinated international response to piracy off Somalia’s coast has been less of a success than reports make it out to be. In fact, it masks deeper problems of unfairness in international economic order and local governance. Somalia’s pirates are a motley crew: some are fishermen defending their turf, while others are guns for hire. And the...
Celia W. Dugger March 24, 2009
By discouraging visits from the Dalai Lama, China and the nations that comply have attracted attention to the schedule of the Nobel Peace Prize recipient. South Africa has barred the Dalai Lama from attending a peace conference intended to promote the 2010 World Cup, reports Celia Dugger for the New York Times. “China has accused him of pursuing independence for Tibet, while he maintains that he...
Andrei Chang February 6, 2009
All over the continent, African nations stock up on a wide range of Chinese-made military weapons, vehicles and aircraft in exchange for oil, mineral and fishing rights – and other nations are closely monitoring the sales. “Analysts from the African military industry believe that China has fitted Russian Krasnopol semi-active laser-guided gun launch projectiles on its 155-mm howitzers,” reports...
Eric Reeves January 14, 2009
The seventh year of cruelties are underway in Darfur, the most protested and well documented case of genocide in history, reports author Eric Reeves for Dissent. The International Criminal Court filed formal charges of genocide in July 2008, yet Western countries hesitate to take action, and China, Russia and other nations continue to provide military equipment and economic investment that aids...
David Smith January 9, 2009
The African Medical and Research Foundation (Amref) and its partner Farm-Africa in Katine has developed a strategy that aims to empower the farmers of Katine in northeast Uganda by providing them with cell phones. Although cell-phone growth has exceeded initial estimates, Uganda still lags behind the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo where mobile subscriptions far exceed fixed-line...
Lydia Polgreen December 29, 2008
Africa's natural resources – oil, diamonds and now uranium – immediately invite conflict among factions. Increased energy needs of emerging economic giants like China and India, as well as the rising interest in nuclear power as an alternative energy source due to climate change, increase global demand for uranium. On paper, increased trade profits would seem a huge benefit to Niger, one of...
Vera Kwakofi December 12, 2008
About two thirds of Africa’s people lack electric power. Eager to secure electric power that would help struggling economies, African nations must decide on an energy source and are inpatient about waiting for alternative sources like solar power. South Africa once produced enough power to share with neighbors like Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, but now finds itself in short supply. “Now, the...