How Africa’s ordinary souls ascend to power, then embrace ‘semi-divine’ tag to stifle political competition
When long-serving, neo-patrimonial leaders in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Zimbabwe and Sudan were forced to step down because of popular and youthful protests in recent years, the era of “presidents for life” in Africa seemed to be ending. Yet, for every such leader who has been forced from power, new ones...
Putin: South Africa faces stern test of arresting sitting president as required by international law
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an international arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes regarding the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. Such acts are war crimes under two articles of the Rome Statute, which established the court. ICC arrest warrants against...
Ukrainian revolution put Russian president in crosshairs as he resisted ‘colour-revolution’ scenarios
In 2014 Ukraine’s “revolution of dignity” culminated in the ouster of a Russian-friendly president, Viktor Yanukovych, and this created fear in Moscow. For Russian President Vladimir Putin the revolt in Ukraine hit too close to home. He reacted by annexing Crimea (after a referendum that violated Ukraine’s constitution), while working...
War of Surprises: Ukrainian resistance to Russian invasion has confounded military mavens world over
Some wars acquire names that stick. The Lancaster and York clans fought the War of the Roses from 1455-1485 to claim the British throne. The Hundred Years’ War pitted England against France from 1337-1453. In the Thirty Years’ War, 1618-1648, many European countries clashed, while Britain and France waged the...
Fed up with being sermonised over online security, China’s TikTok CEO blasts US firms for failing to safeguard Americans’ data
Media coverage United States governments’ policies and political pronouncements point to rising abuse of power, including attacks on democracy, civil liberties and use of mass surveillance. Tell Media and The Defender, Big Brother NewsWatch and NewsGuard bring the latest political and health coverage via excerpts from other news sources. The...
Is Uganda’s ‘President for Life’ remotely preparing country for his imminent exit or just playing games with son?
On Twitter, the Ugandan president’s son has mused about invading neighbouring Kenya, praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and offered cattle for the Italian prime minister’s hand in marriage. Pointedly, when he declared his presidential ambitions Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, slammed the old generation of leaders, including his father, President Yoweri Museveni...
Eyes on how Nigeria’s President-elect Bola Tinubu will deal with Boko Haram insurgency
By the time he is sworn in on May 29, President-elect Bola Tinubu should be fully aware that the Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria presents an immense challenge to his government. After being declared winner of the February 25 presidential election, he has likely started working on the transition, including...
Ukraine war: There’s good reason to worry ugly history is repeating itself today in Eastern Europe
For nearly a decade in the 1980s, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and the newly founded Islamic Republic of Iran waged a merciless war against each other. The fighting saw the return of World War I-style human-wave offensives, trench warfare, and chemical weapons attacks. Although it dragged on for years, the Iran-Iraq...
Somalia’s new strategy to cripple Al Shabaab: Weaken insurgents militarily, undermine its philosophy and operational efficiency
Three months after reclaiming the presidential office, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud resolved to root out al-Shabaab from Somalia. The new administration formed a unified front comprising local players, federal member states, religious leaders and external actors to confront al-Shabaab on military, religious and financial grounds. This coalition put al-Shabaab on the...
Hazy US, Nato policy on Ukraine war sets stage for disruption of world economies and security
One of the most striking aspects about the past year is how little debate we’ve seen over US and Nato policy on Russian-Ukraine war. This is not to say that there is only one right position on Ukraine. Nor does it mean that there are not some deranged people who...
