Apr 1, 2012

10th anniversary of the ICC

Winston Churchill said, “History is written by the victors,” but justice may be decided that way, too. In the 10 years since its inception, the International Criminal Court has found detractors who claim the court is biased. Supporters of the court argue that a ...

Feb 18, 2012

Religion an increasing source of strife in Africa

by Gwynne Dyer

Sudan was bombing South Sudan again last week, only a couple of months after the two countries split apart. Sudan is mostly Muslim, and South Sudan is predominantly Christian, but the quarrel is about oil, not religion. And yet, it is really about religion ...

Jan 30, 2012

A countdown in Nigeria

Awave of bombings in Nigeria has highlighted the fissures that threaten to fracture Africa’s most populous nation. The violence has been launched by an Islamic militia, but it has inflamed already widespread economic and political discontent. President Goodluck Jonathan has called for a security ...

Jan 12, 2012

U.S. overlooks the true tolls of its wars

by John Tirman

As the United States officially ended the war in Iraq last month, President Barack Obama spoke eloquently at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, lauding troops for “your patriotism, your commitment to fulfill your mission, your abiding commitment to one another,” and offering words of grief ...

Jan 6, 2012

SDF mission in South Sudan

The government on Dec. 20 adopted an action plan to send Ground Self-Defense Force engineers in 2012 as part of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), in which some 5,500 people from 59 countries are taking part. This is ...

Dec 19, 2010

Pernicious 'rogue' offers of aid

by Kevin Rafferty

HONG KONG — China found itself in the unwelcome WikiLeaks spotlight the week before last with sweeping claims against its “aggressive” policies in giving aid to Africa. Johnnie Carson, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Africa, called China “a pernicious economic competitor with ...