The ruins of Zimbabwe
At independence, Zimbabwe was one of the countries in the southern part of Africa with a very solid economic standing. It had the infrastructure and the systems in place for a continued progress of the economy and the country as a whole. Mugabe himself was an acclaimed hero: “the revolutionary leader who had embraced the cause of reconciliation and who now sought a pragmatic way forward.” Western governments were impressed with the transition and flooded Zimbabwe with offers of aid. President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, the late President of Tanzania advised Mugabe at independence that: “You have inherited a jewel. Keep it that way.”
For a number of years Mugabe did indeed take care of the jewel – it was the bread basket of the Southern Africa region and the literacy rate in Zimbabwe rose to 90%. It’s been 28 years since the jewel was placed in Mugabe’s hands and today, it is unrecognizable and Nyerere should be turning in his grave.
Peacekeping and the New World Order
The collapse and disintegration of the Soviet Union fundamentally altered the structure of international relations and the expression of violent conflict. Where war was once considered the business of nation states, non-state actors and intrastate wars have come to the forefront of global security concerns. Givi Amiranashvili analyses the legal and political aspects of UN peacekeeping operations in this new geopolitical landscape.
The Consequences of Failure
Kenya’s choices are simple: life or death, penury or prosperity, a cohesive, well governed nation that counts its diversity as strength or a suspicious, hateful one governed by the cynical and awash in the blood of its young. The leaders too must now decide whether they will be remembered as the men who destroyed a nation or those who rescued it and set it on a glorious path that will be remembered for generations.
Cameroon: Next for the Headlines?
Sleeping on a bed of oil and divorced to multiple colonial powers, Paul Biya, the dictator of 25 years and counting, is one of only a few Cameroon worries. Needless to say, the country has plenty of the right ingredients for mayhem.
Celebrating 44 Years of Cameroon’s Unification: Has it Succeeded?
Celebrating 44 Years of Cameroon’s Unification: Has it Succeeded? Author: Elie Smith Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 06/07/2007 Category: Special Report Cameroon is a West African state, as far as English-speaking Cameroonians are concern, but to their French-speaking counterparts, their country is located in the centre of Africa (1). This squabble over […]
Globalization and Identity Mobilization in Nigeria: Muslim and Christian Youth Violence in the 1990s
Nigerian youth were directly responsible for most of the violent conflicts that straddled the socio-political life of Nigeria in the 90s. This can be partially explained by the argument that the search for economic relevance made Nigerian youth the carriers of violent identities. As such, youth were instruments that were used to transform the social structure from what it was to what it is.
This paper is a discussion of youth and religious identity in Nigeria, and it is premised on the fact that the breakdown of the state and its capacity to arrest the declining fortune of the economy gave rise to a very religious youth who, across religious barriers, saw no other means of becoming politically active than becoming religiously active. For Nigerian youths of the 90s, therefore, there was a close relationship between political and religious processes, ultimately encouraging their participation in the violence of the era.
Hopes and Challenges Facing Emerging Democracies in Africa and Asia
The best hope for a peaceful world where fundamental human
rights are respected is for democracy to ultimately triumph in fractured societies. However, for that to happen, certain
preconditions must be established including the rule of law, an independent judiciary and
media, a culture that begins to ferociously resists corruption and the
establishment of truly independent organs of government that can ensure a fair democratic processes.
It Doesn’t Rain, It Pours
Catherine Cheweza reflects on her experiences as a woman from Malawi travelling to Costa Rica.
It stops with me
It stops with me Author: Sandra Macharia Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 02/06/2008 Category: Comment Since the disputed election in Kenya on 27 December 2007, more than one thousand of my fellow Kenyans have met a violent death and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Life as we have known it has […]
New Anti-corruption Drive Leaves Many Sceptical
New Anti-corruption Drive Leaves Many Sceptical Author: IRIN Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 06/07/2007 Category: Comment The Cameroon government has launched a nationwide campaign to wipe out corruption, but citizens and diplomats are watching with a dubious eye this latest of several endeavours. President Paul Biya’s government launched the anti-corruption drive on […]