When they did, Barrow was declared the winner with 43.3 percent of the vote compared with the incumbent’s 39.6 percent. Taken by surprise — and advised, reportedly by some of his army chiefs, that it was all over — Jammeh bought time by playing the generous loser, all the while plotting his next move.Between this and Korea (http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/12/14/the-real-reason-gambias-president-isnt-stepping-down-yahya-jammeh/) 2016 truly is the year of meme candidates
Exactly what that will be, nobody knows. This, after all, is a man who is said to consult fortunetellers on important matters of state.
More like this is why a newly democratic country should never fucking ever become a presidential democracy. When you've got no strong democratic tradition and you opt for a system where your head of state and head of government are the same person, it shouldn't be a goddamn surprise when they start backsliding towards authoritarianism.This too
The U.S. is really goddamn lucky that our early presidents had enough integrity to avoid concentrating too much power, and that Washington had the foresight to establish the unofficial two term limit.
The Ecowas nations have set an ultimatum for Jammeh to step down as a president and transfer power to the new president.
If he hasn't stepped down on the 19th of januari, an army already assembled from the various Ecowas nations will invade Gambia.
Doubt it. The West wasn't blamed when ECOWAS stationed a peacekeeping force in Liberia, nor was the West blamed when ECOWAS invaded Sierra Leone to reverse a coup.The Ecowas nations have set an ultimatum for Jammeh to step down as a president and transfer power to the new president.
If he hasn't stepped down on the 19th of januari, an army already assembled from the various Ecowas nations will invade Gambia.
Somehow the West will be blamed for that.
The Ecowas nations have set an ultimatum for Jammeh to step down as a president and transfer power to the new president.februari
If he hasn't stepped down on the 19th of januari, an army already assembled from the various Ecowas nations will invade Gambia.
hmm my newspaper says januariThe Ecowas nations have set an ultimatum for Jammeh to step down as a president and transfer power to the new president.februari
If he hasn't stepped down on the 19th of januari, an army already assembled from the various Ecowas nations will invade Gambia.
yeah, but if thei set off in Januari thei won't arrive any earlier than Februari. Given the logistics involved the current president might have until the idis of Mirch to prepare.They have an army ready at the border. Why would it take them a month to arrive?
I think they might be mocking your mispronunciation of the word "January".yeah, but if thei set off in Januari thei won't arrive any earlier than Februari. Given the logistics involved the current president might have until the idis of Mirch to prepare.They have an army ready at the border. Why would it take them a month to arrive?
The Ecowas nations have set an ultimatum for Jammeh to step down as a president and transfer power to the new president.
If he hasn't stepped down on the 19th of januari, an army already assembled from the various Ecowas nations will invade Gambia.
Somehow the West will be blamed for that.
The Ecowas nations have set an ultimatum for Jammeh to step down as a president and transfer power to the new president.
If he hasn't stepped down on the 19th of januari, an army already assembled from the various Ecowas nations will invade Gambia.
Somehow the West will be blamed for that.
Don't think the West will even notice, TBH. Africa 'runs' itself a lot without the West getting involved at all, you just probably only notice when they do on account of being a Westerner. :P
Oh heh. I missed the army of grammar nazys at my own border. My bad.You and your weird dutch spellings.
Oh hey, isn't today the day the glorious African liberators will set free the poor black people from under the yoke of a bloodthirsty maniacal unelected dictator?
ABUJA, NIGERIA–In a historic triumph for Nigeria's African-African community, Bilikisu Adewale, a 49-year-old black man, was elected president Monday.
(Photo: Bilikisu Adewale waves to supporters after becoming the next black man ever to lead Nigeria.)
"Today is a great day for the people of Nigeria," Adewale told a cheering crowd in his 30-minute acceptance speech. "But even more so, today represents a tremendous victory for this nation's black citizens, who came to the polls in full force to put one of their own in power."
"I am overwhelmed," Adewale added. "This is truly precedented."
Addressing the largely black crowd, Adewale, who served as Nigeria's Foreign Minister from 1993 to 1998, pledged to defend the interests of the nation's sizable black community. Among his chief campaign promises was to increase funding for schools in Nigeria's inner cities, outer cities, and middle cities–areas with a high concentration of blacks.
...
"Yes, this election is a great step forward for black Nigerians," Adewale said. "But there is much work to be done: A shocking 50 percent of our nation's blacks earn an income below the national average. The ever-present specter of black-on-black violence continues to loom over our communities. Our prison population is virtually 100 percent black."
http://www.theonion.com/article/nigeria-elects-black-president-446When will people learn the difference between "average" and "median"?!QuoteA shocking 50 percent of our nation's blacks earn an income below the national average.
A shocking 50 percent of our nation's blacks earn an income below the national average.
That's the onionJust because it's satire doesn't mean it should use wrong definitions of the words
Finnish travel agencies are still doing business as usual and haven't said if they're going to cancel reservations or evacuate. They have advised tourists not to stray far from their hotels, however. This is what Finnish media reports on about the crisis: not about the 1,8 million locals, but about the couple hundred tourists.
When will people learn the difference between "average" and "median"?!
A single number that represents a set of numbers. Means, medians, and modes are kinds of averages; usually, however, the term average refers to a mean.
Really? Well, I guess it's different for you, because in Russian language, "average" and "mean" are literally the same word. For instance, last time I"ve heard, "average salaries" in my university are on the level of 140 000 commiebucks, while the median ones are about... 15 000-20 000 or so.http://www.theonion.com/article/nigeria-elects-black-president-446When will people learn the difference between "average" and "median"?!QuoteA shocking 50 percent of our nation's blacks earn an income below the national average.
but you got that wrong. Median and average are synonyms. It's only in colloquial use that average means "mean".
1) A number expressing the central or typical value in a set of data, in particular the mode, median, or (most commonly) the mean, which is calculated by dividing the sum of the values in the set by their number.
Definition of average
1a) : a single value (such as a mean, mode, or median) that summarizes or represents the general significance of a set of unequal values
In colloquial language, an average is the sum of a list of numbers divided by the number of numbers in the list. In mathematics and statistics, this would be called the arithmetic mean. In statistics, mean, median, and mode are all known as measures of central tendency.
That's the onionQuoteA shocking 50 percent of our nation's blacks earn an income below the national average.OHHH NO! That is... surprisingly normal.
The point of irony is that you are using words to mean something that they are notThat's the onionJust because it's satire doesn't mean it should use wrong definitions of the words
Ok Ok I am intentionally misinterpreting. Since a lot of people intentionally misinterpret averages all the time to mean a perfectly spread out array (Like IQ often is interpreted to mean). So what you would likely want it something like 20 percent below, 60 percent on or close to average, and 20 percent above.Did you really not blink an eye at winning the African-African vote
Their report is technically fully factually correct, if you assume that "average" means "median". I know that some people currently like to write outrageous lies and then call it "satire" to cover their asses from libel law, but I thought that you, as a supposedly highly cultured British person, would know the difference between the low-class humour and the high-class sensible chuckle.The point of irony is that you are using words to mean something that they are notThat's the onionJust because it's satire doesn't mean it should use wrong definitions of the words
It's the onion
It's satire. It's supposed to make people look stupid.That's the onionJust because it's satire doesn't mean it should use wrong definitions of the words
All very interesting, but none of it to do with Africa.
<snip>
<snip>Ewoks are invading Gambia?
Their report is technically fully factually correct, if you assume that "average" means "median". I know that some people currently like to write outrageous lies and then call it "satire" to cover their asses from libel law, but I thought that you, as a supposedly highly cultured British person, would know the difference between the low-class humour and the high-class sensible chuckle.It's the onion
...I'm really not sure how to take that.Fortune changes like the turning of hands
After two extended deadlines, Jammeh held a speech announcing he will step down, and saying no blood needs to be shed. He's most likely going into exile in Mauritania.
An army of slaves < an army of FREE AFRICAN PEOPLE(in Valyrian)Tell Sergarr that an eunuch who is cut young will never have the brute strength of one of your Druzhina cavalry, this is true. A bull is strong as well, but bulls die every day in the fighting pits. A girl of nine killed one not three days past in Jothiel's Pit. The Unsullied have something better than strength, tell him. They have discipline. We fight in the fashion of the Old Empire, yes. They are the lockstep legions of Old Ghis come again, absolutely obedient, absolutely loyal, and utterly without fear.
Using the tramp freighter Toscana, of course. [/semiobscure]
It wasn't a typo exactly ... that's how the Dutch spell January.Even better then. Its like honour.
Bah. The proper way of spelling it is januari, obviously. Down with the capital class!januarI?
No, no. "januar I", as in: a regnal name.Bah. The proper way of spelling it is januari, obviously. Down with the capital class!januarI?
PTW.
In an interview last week, the ruling party’s national youth leader, Kudzai Chipanga, declared that Mugabe’s birthday, which falls on February 21, should not be treated like an ordinary day, but given the same status as Christmas Day, which is celebrated annually by Christians as Jesus Christ’s birthday.Needless to say, the country was once regarded as a bastion of progress and civilization, before Mugabe n Co took over and gradually ran it into the ground. If you recognize the name, it's probably from the fiasco they had few years ago where inflation rendered their currency worthless. Several times in a row. And then again after they slashed several zeros off to try again.
“To us, February 21 is not just a day. To us, it is a special day we treat in the same manner Christians treat December 25, the birthday of Jesus Christ. I don’t want to be blasphemous, but in my humble view, President Mugabe is second to Jesus Christ. He is our saviour, so his birthday means a lot for us the youths of Zimbabwe,” he said.
Chipanga went into overdrive, saying Mugabe, approaching 93, was also blessed with divine wisdom and was the only person capable of steering Zimbabwe from its current economic mess.
“We will not allow those plotting to take over his post, saying he is old to do so. Look, this is not an age contest that we have at hand, but dealing with wisdom, not just wisdom, divine wisdom for that matter,” he said.
Needless to say, the country was once regarded as a bastion of progress and civilization, before Mugabe n Co took over and gradually ran it into the ground. If you recognize the name, it's probably from the fiasco they had few years ago where inflation rendered their currency worthless. Several times in a row. And then again after they slashed several zeros off to try again.
Data is always your friend as well
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/zimbabwe/gdp-growth-annual
If you set it to "max" years you can see 1961 - 2017. You'll note that other than the recession in 2002, the growth rate since Mugabe has been about the same as before him.
For example, in 2010-2012, Zimbabwe's economy grew at over 10% per annum for a full three years in a row, outstripping China's growth in a relative sense. And if you take 2009-2014, Zimbabwe's relative growth outstripped USA's for a full 6 years straight. It's the kind of stuff they're never going to mention when they do the "media narrative" on a country.
But things like infant mortality are a better yardstick for overall wellbeing than an artificial money comparison.
Also, the media isolates specific nations even if worse things are happening in a nation they don't care about e.g. if you look at zimbabwe's change in life expectancy, you can see it dropped then rose again, but so did at least three other reference nations that Google brings up on the chart. In fact Botswana's life expectancy nose-dived at the same time as Zimbabwe's but didn't recover. nobody is reporting that.
the North Korean wonThe North Korean ALWAYS wins
Rhodesia was the breadbasket of Africa. Zimbabwe is not, to put things very lightly.
Just look at the case of Zimbabwe. European colonists colonized Zimbabwe calling it Rhodesia, and it was the breadbasket of Africa, producing everything from cereals to maize and even cash crops like tobacco. Mugabe comes along and fucks all their shit up; some people talk about how his persecution of white farmers fucked up Rhodesia (http://[url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/oct/23/mugabe-white-african-documentary) but he could've (or rather, someone competent) could've done land reform successfully. The goal was to take away economic dominance of Zimbabwe's industry from the white minority and give it back to the black majority, however this was not what completely fucked up Zimbabwe's agriculture. Sure agriculture would've taken a dive with the loss of wealthy and skilled supervisors but in the long term Zimbabwe had good options. Zimbabwe had a whole class of educated black citizens who were the ones who worked on the very self-same farms that the whites profited from under colonial rule; obviously these citizens weren't in need of European education or high-tech equipment, they had all they needed to take over agriculture successfully. Problem is Mugabe was a paranoid git more concerned with his own power than his nation, and like Stalin did to Kulaks, for the imagined treason of supporting this guy democratically (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Tsvangirai), got fucked over. Kidnappings, expulsions, torture by the green bombers under the banner that they were supporting whites, loads of educated black farmers got wrecked, whilst their farms were given over to loyal soldiers, officials, friends and family members who saw the farms as prestige items but otherwise had no idea how to run a farm. Starving to death his opponents is as much a deliberate strategy as a result of incompetence and corruption (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-37306514).I made a thing on this
Compare the failures of Zimbabwe with the success of Nigeria. Whilst Nigeria has problems with corruption (and princes), it is not nearly the same level as with Zimbabwe, and its government is relatively stable with rule of law at the very least not impeding farmers, and instead, the state helping them. So you see stuff where Nigeria reduced their tariff rate on agricultural machinery to 0% to increase foreign imports of commercial farming machines, government subsidized rice mills, government subsidized fertilizer for poor farmers, road, rail and port development so farmers have better access to markets and the national bank reserving capital for agricultural loans with interest rates at half the commercial rate so even poor Nigerian farmers have access to capital needed to run a large farm. I'm not saying Nigeria's at the point where it's a proper garden of eden without criticisms to mention, but it's certainly the case that in the near-future it could become a net exporter of food and set an example of how to put the sheer mass of arable land (http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/05/14/in-nigeria-agriculture-is-the-new-oil/#4d0404084517) it has at its disposal to efficient and sustainable use:Quote from: http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/06/how-africa-could-feed-the-world/Consider, for example, Africa’s agricultural land. According to an influential recent analysis, Africa has around 600 million hectares of uncultivated arable land, roughly 60 percent of the global total.It may not be the case that Africa is overpopulated, rather, that its land is underutilized
South Africa will amend its laws to allow expropriation of land without compensation for owners as it tries to speed up the redistribution of land to its black majority, President Jacob Zuma said on Friday.
Expropriation without compensation would mark a radical policy departure for Zuma's ruling African National Congress (ANC), shifting from a willing buyer-willing seller approach to more radical alternatives.
Most of South Africa's land remains in white hands over two decades after the end of apartheid.
"We need to take bold steps that will transform our economy, including land ownership, very fast," Zuma said in a speech outlining agricultural policy.
"We are busy amending (laws) to enable faster land reform, including land expropriation without compensation as provided for in the constitution."
Zuma referred a bill allowing state expropriation of land back to parliament last week because lawmakers failed to facilitate adequate public participation.
That bill enabled the state to acquire land without the owners' consent by paying an amount determined by the office of the Valuer-General.
Analysts say the ruling party's new, more hardline approach is in response to calls for the seizure of white-owned land by the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party. It is also a way to shore up support in the ANC's rural political base ahead of internal party elections in December.
Why would South Africa be starving in 5-10 years just because more landowners are suddenly black? Makes no logical sense to me. Arguably mismanagement maybe, but I'm sure they can find qualified people if they look hard enough.Private property is sacrosanct for a reason. Forceful expropriation of land with no compensation by the state always ends up in famine and starvation, or at least a severe loss in agricultural sector resulting in its inability to feed the people of the country by itself. That's what happened in USSR, that's what happened in Zimbabwe, that's what is going to happen in South Africa.
Why would South Africa be starving in 5-10 years just because more landowners are black? Makes no logical sense to me. Arguably mismanagement maybe, but I'm sure they can find qualified people if they look hard enough.
So you're telling us that taking farms away from people who knew how to farm and giving it to people who had no idea what they were doing caused no problems at all.First, we have no idea if the people getting that land do or don't have any experience at farming.
Please excuse me if I find that extremely hard to believe.
South Africa does have price controls on "coal, petroleum and petroleum products, and utilities". (http://www.heritage.org/index/country/southafrica) So it wouldn't be unprecedented for the idiots in charge to start expanding them to food, as well, "for the good of the people".Maybe. Or maybe it will actually be for the good of the people. Problem is that, from what I've gathered from other posts by you, is that you only see things from what I interpret as a neo-liberal capitalist viewpoint. It's not that you shouldn't view things from that perspective, but that you should also look at issues from many perspectives.
So you're telling us that taking farms away from people who knew how to farm and giving it to people who had no idea what they were doing caused no problems at all.
Please excuse me if I find that extremely hard to believe.
So you're telling us that taking farms away from people who knew how to farm and giving it to people who had no idea what they were doing caused no problems at all.
Please excuse me if I find that extremely hard to believe.
I was talking about what happened in Zimbabwe, in response to Reelya.
No, they did take away farms, and there were some problems obviously. But it's not the cause of the crisis that Zimbabwe went through, that's very strongly related to the attempt to control inflation through price controls. Because the exact same thing has happened in many different places that did price controls throughout the 20th century, of all political stripes.Price controls are traditionally associated with socialist/communist regimes because all countries of this evil block have done those. Subsequently, any country that enacts price controls is likely to be moving towards socialism/communism. It's not a big secret, then, why people blame communism directly.
Price controls is the common factor to those cases. "Handing over farmland to black folks" is common to exactly one place that had the hyperinflation-related shortages. Occam's Razor suggests the Price Controls were the real culprit.
And the fact is famines do not cause hyperinflation. They never do. So a mere decline in agricultural output is not a cause of hyperinflation, which was the main problem in Zimbabwe. Agricultural declines only cause imports to skyrocket, i.e. a one-off price spike, not a runaway process.
The reason that you never hear about this is that there's little political mileage in merely pointing out than a known mechanism caused the problems, they always want to blame some nebulous political concept instead of well-known economic principles.
I'm seeing things from the perspective that has shown significantly bigger accuracy in predictions over all other perspectives. I don't see value in looking at issues from perspectives other that this perspective of most likely truth.South Africa does have price controls on "coal, petroleum and petroleum products, and utilities". (http://www.heritage.org/index/country/southafrica) So it wouldn't be unprecedented for the idiots in charge to start expanding them to food, as well, "for the good of the people".Maybe. Or maybe it will actually be for the good of the people. Problem is that, from what I've gathered from other posts by you, is that you only see things from what I interpret as a neo-liberal capitalist viewpoint. It's not that you shouldn't view things from that perspective, but that you should also look at issues from many perspectives.
btw, the main reason for the decline in food crops in Zimbabwe was actually price controls not handing farms to black folks:Even this source claims land redistribution was responsible for the country's "economic malaise" down at the bottom. If you want to argue the country should be miserably poor but well-fed by the existence of black farmers, this is a good article. If you want to argue South Africa will definitely not collapse into ruin and decay within a few years after implementing black farmers, you have chosen the wrong article to illustrate that.
http://www.irinnews.org/news/2010/08/10/more-food-production-not-enough
The "more recent decline is due to the structural change precipitated by land tenure policies, lack of investment funds domestically and externally in agriculture sector, and overriding economic deterioration.""Structural change precipitated by land tenure policies" might not explicitly mean grabbing more white land, but it sounds an awful lot like the government mucking about in land ownership/renting. It also mentions economic deterioration, so even "poor but fat" doesn't work so great as an argument anymore.
Price controls are also responsible for:Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe may have been caused in part by all manner of things, but its absolutely absurd heights were caused by the government having no self control whatsoever. A quick glance at wikipedia places its estimated height at 79.6 billion percent in one month. I would love to see what kind of price controls can accomplish a meaningful chunk of that.
- hyperinflation in Zimbabwe
I sent the Land Expropriation Act back to parliament for further consideration, in particular to enable more public participation.
Two months later‚ Zuma put the brakes on the Bill after he received petitions about the process followed by Parliament.
South Africa does have price controls on "coal, petroleum and petroleum products, and utilities". (http://www.heritage.org/index/country/southafrica) So it wouldn't be unprecedented for the idiots in charge to start expanding them to food, as well, "for the good of the people".
Why would South Africa be starving in 5-10 years just because more landowners are suddenly black? Makes no logical sense to me. Arguably mismanagement maybe, but I'm sure they can find qualified people if they look hard enough.Private property is sacrosanct for a reason. Forceful expropriation of land with no compensation by the state always ends up in famine and starvation, or at least a severe loss in agricultural sector resulting in its inability to feed the people of the country by itself. That's what happened in USSR, that's what happened in Zimbabwe, that's what is going to happen in South Africa.
Why would South Africa be starving in 5-10 years just because more landowners are suddenly black? Makes no logical sense to me. Arguably mismanagement maybe, but I'm sure they can find qualified people if they look hard enough.Private property is sacrosanct for a reason. Forceful expropriation of land with no compensation by the state always ends up in famine and starvation, or at least a severe loss in agricultural sector resulting in its inability to feed the people of the country by itself. That's what happened in USSR, that's what happened in Zimbabwe, that's what is going to happen in South Africa.
That is not so. There's precedent. Early XIX century Spain had a lot of land in the hands of big landowners and the Church, who underutilized it. After expropiating it from them the goverment managed to improve agricultural output, renewed the state's finances, and was even able to renew the army and win a succession war which up to that point had been looking dire for them. I don't know the circumstances of South Africa, but the point is that depending on the circumstances it can be good or bad. There's not a blanket on the matter.
Also: pretty much every country has mechanisms to expropiate private property.
/me animates the threadHow the fuck did I miss this
Migrants are being sold at open slave markets in Libya (http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/migrants-are-being-sold-open-slave-markets-libya-1616492)
Migrants from west Africa being ‘sold in Libyan slave markets’ (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/10/libya-public-slave-auctions-un-migration)
'Old slavery mentality' is making a comeback in lawless Libya, migrants say (http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-libya-migrants-2017-story.html)
Absolutely fantastic. You can just feel the democracy and human rights blossoming with the evil tyrant dictator Gaddafi deposed by light-blessed pro-Western forces of good.
/me animates the thread
Migrants are being sold at open slave markets in Libya (http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/migrants-are-being-sold-open-slave-markets-libya-1616492)
Migrants from west Africa being ‘sold in Libyan slave markets’ (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/10/libya-public-slave-auctions-un-migration)
'Old slavery mentality' is making a comeback in lawless Libya, migrants say (http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-libya-migrants-2017-story.html)
Absolutely fantastic. You can just feel the democracy and human rights blossoming with the evil tyrant dictator Gaddafi deposed by light-blessed pro-Western forces of good.
Well theirs always the, to the shores of Tripoli, option.
Macron seems to be willing to dedicate some political capital to Libya, notably having got both Hafar and the GNA to talk in Paris and having them agree to both a ceasefire and scheduling new elections (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/macron-hails-libya-deal-for-a-ceasefire-and-fresh-elections-v8rpn2twp) (at which Hafar is supposed to stand) next year. Not clear if this is going to go anywhere, but at least this shows there is some will to adress the issue on the north side of the med.
Interesting, though I feel like the typical bar for charity/welfare is so low that any competent implementation is going to look pretty fantastic in comparison, regardless of the particulars. The whole thing is also firmly and admittedly concerned with more efficiently passing out fish rather than training any new fishermen, so it's an attempted refinement of a questionable method in the first place.On the bright side it does place the initiative on the local level, so that ultimately the decision lies with the recipient on whether they need to become a fisherman and not some think tank on the other side of the planet
Like trying to figure out more efficient blood transfusions, even though most blood is eaten by vampires along the way and there's obvious concerns over whether it'd be possible and preferable to patch the wounds or stimulate blood production instead.
Sometimes I wonder if you really can take a lawless state and repair it without a tyrannical dictator being appointed.Yes, but its likely you would need to be rather more authoritarian then some would like for awhile. and that of course is the problem. many never transfer from the emergency dictator to a less powerful role for rather obvious reasons. you need a really genuinely good person who works really hard to not make them self into a permanent powerful figure. the man that's willing to retire to his cabbage fields for the good of the country is unfortuity rather rare in history.
In other news, Kenya had an election and nobody died this time. Yet.Nevermind, situation normal. 24 dead. (http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/africa/kenya-elections-protests/index.html)
The fighting is mostly because colonial powers didn't give a shit about pre-existing borders and cultural rivalries and put minorities in power over the majorities they hated and so on. Resulting is shit like Rwanda.In other news, Kenya had an election and nobody died this time. Yet.Nevermind, situation normal. 24 dead. (http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/africa/kenya-elections-protests/index.html)
And yeah, a great deal of Africa's problems these days are self-inflicted. There are large-scale structural problems which the West rightly bears blame for, especially around finance and the lack of infrastructure, but many parts of Africa aren't doing themselves any favors by fighting to be the king of a very small, very poor, hill.
The fighting is mostly because colonial powers didn't give a shit about pre-existing borders and cultural rivalries and put minorities in power over the majorities they hated and so on. Resulting is shit like Rwanda.In other news, Kenya had an election and nobody died this time. Yet.Nevermind, situation normal. 24 dead. (http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/africa/kenya-elections-protests/index.html)
And yeah, a great deal of Africa's problems these days are self-inflicted. There are large-scale structural problems which the West rightly bears blame for, especially around finance and the lack of infrastructure, but many parts of Africa aren't doing themselves any favors by fighting to be the king of a very small, very poor, hill.
True, but at some point (and it's been 150-200 years now in many cases) the people themselves have to put that shit aside and say "Ok, sure our great-grandfathers fucking hated each other. But now we're in the same country, so it's time to move on."The fighting is mostly because colonial powers didn't give a shit about pre-existing borders and cultural rivalries and put minorities in power over the majorities they hated and so on. Resulting is shit like Rwanda.In other news, Kenya had an election and nobody died this time. Yet.Nevermind, situation normal. 24 dead. (http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/africa/kenya-elections-protests/index.html)
And yeah, a great deal of Africa's problems these days are self-inflicted. There are large-scale structural problems which the West rightly bears blame for, especially around finance and the lack of infrastructure, but many parts of Africa aren't doing themselves any favors by fighting to be the king of a very small, very poor, hill.
True, but at some point (and it's been 150-200 years now in many cases) the people themselves have to put that shit aside and say "Ok, sure our great-grandfathers fucking hated each other. But now we're in the same country, so it's time to move on."It's more "ok sure, our great-grandfathers fucking hated each other. But now we're in the same country, we can hate Indians instead." Switch Indians for other suitable minorities as per basis
Granted, there are parts of Europe (looking at you, Balkans) and even the United States that are guilty of the same thing.
Sometimes I wonder if you really can take a lawless state and repair it without a tyrannical dictator being appointed.Yes, but its likely you would need to be rather more authoritarian then some would like for awhile. and that of course is the problem. many never transfer from the emergency dictator to a less powerful role for rather obvious reasons. you need a really genuinely good person who works really hard to not make them self into a permanent powerful figure. the man that's willing to retire to his cabbage fields for the good of the country is unfortuity rather rare in history.
Sometimes I wonder if you really can take a lawless state and repair it without a tyrannical dictator being appointed.Yes, but its likely you would need to be rather more authoritarian then some would like for awhile. and that of course is the problem. many never transfer from the emergency dictator to a less powerful role for rather obvious reasons. you need a really genuinely good person who works really hard to not make them self into a permanent powerful figure. the man that's willing to retire to his cabbage fields for the good of the country is unfortuity rather rare in history.
Well you have someone who is willing to use force against their enemies, slaughtering insurgents, cowing opposition... and be doggedly determined to do it.
How many people can do that... while also being the kind of person who would step down for the good of their country?
I am just rather depressed that it seems like one of the required steps of civilization seems to be that one leader rise above all else, wearing an iron glove.
What would even be a normal crime for someone in power?^
What would even be a normal crime for someone in power?Tax evasion & prostitution.
What would even be a normal crime for someone in power?Tax evasion & prostitution.
Fact: Most politicians are prostitutes, they make it illegal so they have no competition on the streets
dohohoho
Didn't Berlusconi get hit for basically that?No he got hit for much more. Berlusconi is an aspirant champion of Tzeetch who created the bunga bunga party (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/8400591/Silvio-Berlusconi-and-the-bunga-bunga-parties-in-pictures.html)
I'm aware of the whole Bunga Bunga thing (and also as a nickname for him), though it seemed like the prostitution with the minor got the, well, loudest, news. At least that's what stood out more to me at the time maybe.Minors
•Child sexual prostitution
I know this is a non-sequitur... but
Wow South Africa is screeeewed!Quote•Child sexual prostitution
How does that happen? Wait... It isn't that he is pimping that would mean is... What a sicko!!!
I actually hope that didn't happen... if only because, well... Think of the children.
Or are you referring to a possible diplomatic riot with Zimbamwe, if for some reason Grace has not fled the country yet and they arrest her?
Where are you reading this, Neo? Because whilst the country isn't in a particularly good shape, it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. You can find otherwise-reasonable seeming sites claiming with a straight face that there's a genocide goign on here, for instance.
No, not headed towards collapse - at least not fast. I live here, I'd notice that kind of thing. Definitely shady stuff going on, but not so the country is going to implode.
No, not headed towards collapse - at least not fast. I live here, I'd notice that kind of thing. Definitely shady stuff going on, but not so the country is going to implode.
At that is the last that was heard of Arx before the Great Collapse of 2017, when South Africa fell in a bottomless pit after violently imploding, leaving a sole remaine a fire-preventing swimming pool floating in the air in an eldricht green glow.
There's legislation restricting how flimsy bags may be over here, to encourage reuse. It doesn't work fantastically.
Good on Kenya.
a sea change
The man reportedly walked onto the stage while a band was performing.
He then grabbed a microphone and claimed that he would stop the band unless he got his stolen cellphone back.
When the audience tried to intervene, the man opened fire, randomly shooting eight people.
Wouldn't be surprised if you picked it up from Shakespeare, given that's the source.
As for the whole plastic bag ban stuff, I guess it might be easier to start locally than going straight to nationally. Before California did it recently, several cities and at least one other state were already doing it.
Does this belong on this thread or should I move it elsewhere?This thread is your thread, this thread is my thread/From page one to page thirteen?
More like this is why a newly democratic country should never fucking ever become a presidential democracy. When you've got no strong democratic tradition and you opt for a system where your head of state and head of government are the same person, it shouldn't be a goddamn surprise when they start backsliding towards authoritarianism.
The U.S. is really goddamn lucky that our early presidents had enough integrity to avoid concentrating too much power, and that Washington had the foresight to establish the unofficial two term limit.
More like this is why a newly democratic country should never fucking ever become a presidential democracy. When you've got no strong democratic tradition and you opt for a system where your head of state and head of government are the same person, it shouldn't be a goddamn surprise when they start backsliding towards authoritarianism.
The U.S. is really goddamn lucky that our early presidents had enough integrity to avoid concentrating too much power, and that Washington had the foresight to establish the unofficial two term limit.
This is why a newly democratic country should never fucking ever become a democratic country.
Wait, don't the people have to decide what democracy is?
Wait, don't the people have to decide what democracy is?
Sure, but then they'll pick a dictatorship, which is why you have to groom the process a bit.
Yes, but people being people, they literally never agree.
Ah, but you see, it is the purest form of democracy: one person, one vote. The People's will crystallizes into that one person who casts that one vote in their best interests. /sSure, but then they'll pick a dictatorship, which is why you have to groom the process a bit.Whatever that is, it ain't no democracy.
It's been known since the days of Plato (who published it in The Republic) that democracy is the natural predecessor of tyranny. We now have some refined methods of democracy which delay the inevitable, but that doesn't change that it's inevitable.Wait, don't the people have to decide what democracy is?
Sure, but then they'll pick a dictatorship, which is why you have to groom the process a bit.
In Somalia, a truck loaded with explosives detonated in front of a hotel in the nation's capital, Mogadishu, near a busy crossing with ministries, shops, and restaurants.
At least 230 people were killed, and 275 injured, making it the most lethal terrorist attack in the country so far.
Government has stated that al Shabaab is behind the attacks, and has called upon the people to donate blood at the overcrowded hospitals. The president himself joined the queues to donate blood.
Rescue services have been searching the collapsed debris of buildings all day to find victims buried under them.
Many of the victims can not be identified due to the force of the explosion.
2 hours after the attack, another car bomb went off in the city, but no one was injured despite heavy damage to buildings.
In Somalia, a truck loaded with explosives detonated in front of a hotel in the nation's capital, Mogadishu, near a busy crossing with ministries, shops, and restaurants.What's al Shabaab about? Another heretical islamic cult?
At least 230 people were killed, and 275 injured, making it the most lethal terrorist attack in the country so far.
Government has stated that al Shabaab is behind the attacks, and has called upon the people to donate blood at the overcrowded hospitals. The president himself joined the queues to donate blood.
Rescue services have been searching the collapsed debris of buildings all day to find victims buried under them.
Many of the victims can not be identified due to the force of the explosion.
2 hours after the attack, another car bomb went off in the city, but no one was injured despite heavy damage to buildings.
I wont touch the "heretical" part since that depends on which branch of Islam you believe to be "properly orthodox" and I sure as heck won't poke my nose into that kind of argument, but they're pretty much your standard al-Qaeda-aligned (albeit with the occasional internal strife over degree), Sunni jihadist, Islamist militia. They've been in reported decline for the past...oh, half-decade since they got their noses bloodied in Mogadishu at least, but they do maintain significant influence and outright control as a state actor in significant swaths of rural south Somalia.In Somalia, a truck loaded with explosives detonated in front of a hotel in the nation's capital, Mogadishu, near a busy crossing with ministries, shops, and restaurants.What's al Shabaab about? Another heretical islamic cult?
At least 230 people were killed, and 275 injured, making it the most lethal terrorist attack in the country so far.
Government has stated that al Shabaab is behind the attacks, and has called upon the people to donate blood at the overcrowded hospitals. The president himself joined the queues to donate blood.
Rescue services have been searching the collapsed debris of buildings all day to find victims buried under them.
Many of the victims can not be identified due to the force of the explosion.
2 hours after the attack, another car bomb went off in the city, but no one was injured despite heavy damage to buildings.
Sounds like they need better security aound the capital
Probably checkpoints everywhere. Police/military state when?Sounds like they need better security aound the capital
You know, first world countries can't prevent car bombings. How exactly is a nation crippled by civil war (insurgents still hold territory in parts of rural Somalia [insert "Somalia has non-rural regions?"]) supposed to get "better security around the capital"?
Can the thread title get changed? I get an earworm with Shakira's "Waka Waka" song everytime I read "Meanwhile in Africa". I think "African news thread" would be less likely to trigger this earworm.I just listened to the song. I have no clue why the thread title would make you think of that song. I feel for you though, if you get that earwormed, so I'll see what I can do.
I thought we were doing a decent job of putting Toto in his head. At least, it put it in *my* head. Been humming that damn song since yesterday....
With the WaPost etc they are now paywalled after you view only a small number of articles. Including a basic blurb about what the story is would be helpful.
It's part of a government funded program, it seems. How is that odd?Because Africa is a backwards country. /s
Morocco is a modern country. Were it not for oppressing and discriminating against certain ethnic groups, it could almost pass for a European country, like Spain.It's part of a government funded program, it seems. How is that odd?Because Africa is a backwards country. /s
Wait, are actual Catalans being discriminated against? I thought that was a level they had not yet sunk to...
Well, the EU says that this is a Spanish inner affairs problem, so it clearly isnt repression at all (sarcasm mode off)Wait, are actual Catalans being discriminated against? I thought that was a level they had not yet sunk to...
http://www.elnacional.cat/en/news/european-parliament-police-repression-catalonia_198528_102.html
No, they are clearly being treated nicely and fairly, and everyone is just trying to find something to complain about/sarc.
Well, the EU says that this is a Spanish inner affairs problem, so it clearly isnt repression at all (sarcasm mode off)Of course, this shouldn't be too surprising, since the European Union turns 24 this November 1. Obama didn't do anything about Hurricane Katrina, either. :P
For the record, what's happening is a lighter version of what went om in the Basque Country 30 years ago. Back then the EU didnt really say very much about goverment sponsored death squads (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAL_(paramilitary_group)), so I wouldn't hold my breath about them doing anything now
I wonder what the UN will do if Saudi-Arabia doesn't budge and lets millions starve.Given that the Saudis are a US ally and this is to "fight terrorism," I imagine a whole lot of harsh language.
ZIMBABWE’S army says it has President Robert Mugabe and his wife in custody and is securing government offices and patrolling the capital’s streets following a night of unrest that included a military takeover of the state broadcaster. The night’s action triggered speculation of a coup, but the military’s supporters praised it as a “bloodless correction”.
It's certainly coup-like though https://www.vox.com/world/2017/11/15/16654740/zimbabwe-coup-situation-robert-mugabe-house-arrest
Mugabe's 93, he easly to sideline (He could beLatest report I saw was that Jacob Zuma had spoken to him by phone in the last couple of days.imprisoned"resting" with someguards"Helpers".) or if he could just die any day now for old age.
Heck he might be dead allready, has he been seen in public latey?
Sounds like they're just exchanging one dictatorship for another. I looked in the BBC live blog on it a couple min at and they're supposedly getting close to a deal
While I do see some potential for this to end well for Zimbabwe (after all, every democratic regime that exists was derived from a brutal autocracy at one point or another), it's very unfortunate that this is happening while SA is plagued by Zuma.
Wouldn't that be some 2017-level irony? Bastion of progress South Africa falls back into dictatorship while loony-bin Zimbabwe gets free elections.
It seems that the army is pushing the faction lead by Emmerson Mnangagwa, former VP, head of security since the 1980's and general all around violent bad guy. (https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21731449-his-secret-was-talk-eloquently-and-carry-big-stick-how-robert-mugabe-held) Basically, trying to make sure that Grace Mugabe can't take their spot at feeding from the through of corruption. It's hard to see them make next year's elections any fairer than all the previous ones.
Probably not worse than Mugabe, although you never know.I feel like it would take concerted effort to be worse than Mugabe, but we don't really know what part the military has had in ruling Zimbabwe up until now, so it's entirely plausible that it'll be literally the same.
South Africa has gotten themselves involved in this, largely because they're hosting lots of Zimbabwean refufpgees.
Ah, well, RIP the "Mbeki diplomacy" dream. Practically speaking though, it was inevitable - Southern Africa (the region, not the country SA) is decently interconnected. Zim imploding does directly affect us.
But yeah, this is why I've been saying for a while that it's too soon to say "yep, this is a military coup". There's too much bizarre stuff going on that doesn't match historical coups for it to be that cut and dried.
Why would they rename it back to the old colonial name?Because things were nice back then.
Meanwhile, Mnenguneng (sp?? seriously. His nickname is 'crocodile' though.) promised 'jobs, jobs, jobs', which sounds exactly like Trump, though it's a pretty cliche political statement. The guy has a reputation for being brutal (see his nickname, one doesn't get that by being a nice guy), but is claiming that he'll reform things and make things better. Whether he'll allow elections to happen normally remains to be seen, but for now it looks like they're just exchanging one dictator for another.So nothing like Trump in particular.
Why would they rename it back to the old colonial name?Because things were nice back then.
Nicer for who?Economically, everyone. Politically/racially, it's complicated.
Besides, that'd defeat the point of their whole civil war and overthrowing the majority white government.Arguably, so did running the country into the ground and keeping their foot on the pedal.