Africa

By Dale Whittington | (The Conversation) | – – The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or GERD, under construction on the Blue Nile near the Ethiopian-Sudanese border, is now approximately 50% complete. Initial filling will start this year and will begin in earnest in 2017. The idea of a dam on the Nile in Ethiopia – […]

Afghanistan

In an Age of Global Terror, do Failed States endanger you, too?

contributors

By Joseph Chamie and Barry Mirkin | (Inter Press Service) | – – NEW YORK, Apr 9 2016 (IPS) – Regardless of whether they are called fragile, failed, or failing states, scores of countries around the globe are plagued by overwhelming problems with few solutions in sight. Moreover, the instability and dire straits of these […]

Islam

Why did Nigerian Military attack Muslim Protest Movement when violent Boko Haram is Still at Large?

Juan Cole

By Allan Christelow | (Informed Comment) | – – On December 12-13, 2015 Nigerian security forces carried out an attack against the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) in the city of Zaria. The movement’s leader, Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenah were both seriously injured by shooting, and then kept in detention. The incident occurred […]

Africa

Kaj Larsen Gives a Debriefing on Boko Haram (Vice)

Nicholas Kolenda

Kaj Larsen gives a view into the workings of the infamous Nigerian Islamist group, Boko Haram

Christianity

Muslims Shield Christians from al-Shabab Terror

contributors

Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video Report) | – – “Al-Shabaab is a terrorist group that operates in Somalia and Kenya. Lately they have been attacking buses full of civilians, particularly non-Muslims. Cenk Uygur, host of the The Young Turks, breaks it down. “Their M.O. is a tried and terrifying one: Launch a raid, […]

Israel/ Palestine

Arrest Warrants for Israeli PM Netanyahu for War Crimes in Spain, South Africa

contributors

IMEMC | – – South Africa issued, on Tuesday, an arrest warrant against four Israeli officials over their role in deadly attacks on pro-Palestinian international activists. Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Against the Israeli occupation in Africa said, in a statement: “South Africa’s Directorate of the Priority Crimes Investigation Unit has issued warrants of arrest against […]

Africa

Nigeria’s Boko Haram is about Vengeance, not Islam

contributors

By Gregory Alonso Pirio | (Informed Comment) | – – So many people are scratching their heads as they search for an explanation for the extreme acts of violence meted out by such groups as the Nigerian jihadist organization, Boko Haram, and its now allied Middle Eastern Islamic State or ISIS. Often in normal conversation, […]

Africa

Obama Walks Fine Line in Kenya on LGBTI Rights

contributors

By Aruna Dutt | (Inter Press Service) | – – UNITED NATIONS, Jul 25 2015 (IPS) – U.S. President Barack Obama spoke in Nairobi at the end of a two-day visit Saturday, focusing on Kenya’s economy and the fight against terrorism, but also briefly touching on gay rights and discrimination. ‘“When you start treating people […]

Barack Obama

Obama in Kenya: Why the Horn of Africa Matters to Geopolitics

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – President Obama’s visit to Kenya is of course personal, though he has been there before both as a civilian and as a senator. But it does also have a geopolitical and economic dimension. Kenya is a country of roughly 46 million people, about the same as […]