Search: “Africa”

I have already blogged about the use of fear by the governing Conservatives in the most recent Canadian federal election.  Voters were showered with warnings that the Islamic State was everywhere (and may be coming to a bedroom near you) and that only by returning Mr, Harper and his crew would Canadians truly be safe. […]

I hate saying I told you so, but… Remember my post on Egypt a month ago (When will Egypt learn?)?  In it I wrote that the Sisi government appears to be making the same mistakes that the Sadat and Mubarak governments before him had committed.  In the face of a very real threat from a […]

When we talk of terrorism we often tiptoe around terminology.  Even the word “terrorism” itself has caused some angst: witness the debate back and forth over what to call the killing of three US Muslims in North Carolina a few months ago by a crazed neighbour and the more recent slaughter of nine African Americans […]

Sometimes you come across a quote that really strikes you as profound.  Here’s one that remains relevant after all these years.  It comes from a 2002 issue of Foreign Affairs and was penned by Paris-based researcher Grenville Buford: “Wars have typically been fought against proper nouns (Germany, say) for the good reason that proper nouns […]

In the wake of the horrific killings at an African American church in South Carolina, the old argument was again raised: was this an act of terrorism?  Many criticised the media and government for hesitating to use the term and some concluded that terrorism only seemed to apply when the perpetrators were Muslim and not white. […]

Remember when we were all inspired by the grassroots efforts made across North Africa and the Middle East in the name of freedom and democracy?  And how these movements were going to change the region and the world? Without wanting to denigrate the sacrifices made by millions, I think we can conclude that – for […]