Monday 22 February The Enough Project: “South Sudan’s Central Bank Demands Accountability for U.S. Dollar Auction” VICE In Photos: “The Children Fighting For an Education in South Sudan” Tuesday 23 February International Crisis Group: “South Sudan’s Peace Needs More than Tents and Generators” South Sudan’s warring parties have agreed on a security arrangement that allows… Read more »
Is Apple the New Global Dictator?
Apple, CISCO and Microsoft rule the world, and intend to do so.
The Apple Store in New York City.
Imagine if CISCO or Apple held a general election. Billboards with potential board members smiling at us with an apple in one hand and a ballot in the other. Anyone who owns a computer or an iPad or a smartphone would be legitimate voters in the election. The ballot boxes would probably be flash and fancy. No paper involved. We would cast our ballots by pushing a button or using just our fingerprint or perhaps another way of casting a ballot that as of 2016 is not yet invented.
Big issues would be at stake in the election. We would vote for the presidency of these companies. And the composition of board. We would vote for gender balance. For composite boards that are not only white, but Afro-American, Hispanic, perhaps even Chinese. We would want the elderly to be heard, not to forget the youngsters. We would want the board to represent us. After all, the point in any election is to have our voices heard.
Far-fetched? Yes, a little. But only a little. Last week’s Apple-FBI showdown made it clear that tech-companies such as Apple are so much more than merely producers of gadgets that potentially change our lives and form our future. Read More
Ceasefire as a Fig Leaf for Carnage and Confusion
Cemetery in Aleppo hit by bombs.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Aleppo was seen as a crucial battlefield in the Syrian civil war and was compared with Sarajevo as a tragedy of intolerable proportions not only by hard-hitting journalists but also by such responsible politicians as Michael Fallon, UK Defence Secretary. Yet presently, this devastated city is portrayed as the main beneficiary of the ceasefire deal negotiated by US State Secretary John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and announced with due solemnity by President Vladimir Putin. The proposals for enforcing a no-fly zone and for punishing Russia with more sanctions appear to be overtaken by the fortunate turn of events. In fact, however, this idea may turn out to be too soft – and at the same time quite irrelevant for the US policy of containing the Syrian catastrophe. It certainly takes two for this awkward tango, but the partners have very different plans for further pirouettes.
New Developments in Drone Proliferation: How Africa was Deployed to Rescue Drones
Photo: Google project X
Debates on global drone proliferation tend to assume that adoption and adaptation of drones follow a universal logic and that the drone industry is a singular thing, geographically concentrated in the Global North. In this blog post I argue that these assumptions make it difficult to critically assess the growth in drone use across Africa. I suggest that one way to think about African drone proliferation is by considering the way drones and Africa are being construed as solutions to each other’s problems: drones are seen as a game changer for development and security, while in return Africa inspire new and innovative use of drones. The perception of Africa as being in need of external drone intervention dovetails with the drone industry’s efforts to identify and promote good uses for drones — efforts that are central to increasing the legitimacy of drones in the eyes of a skeptical global public. Here I want to highlight three key issues related to drone proliferation in Africa.
This Week in South Sudan – Week 7
Monday 15 February A least five people were killed and several houses burned in Wau County, Western Bahr al Ghazal State, during clashes between government forces and armed men at Bisselia area. The SPLA allegedly closed the supply route between the Malakal Protection of Civilian (PoC) site and Wau Shilluk on the opposite bank of… Read more »
With Russia overextended elsewhere, Arctic cooperation gets a new chance
Can the United States and Russia actually cooperate in the Arctic? It might seem like wishful thinking, given that Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev asserted that there is in fact a “New Cold War” between the two countries in a speech at the Munich Security Conference. Many people—at that conference and elsewhere—see the idea as far-fetched. Sure, Russia is… Read more »
The Iranian Nuclear Issue
I have been tracking the Iranian nuclear issue for about ten years. Important in its own right, this issue also has significant implications for the international agenda on nuclear weapons disarmament.
Let it be noted at the outset that the expression in question – “Iranian Nuclear Issue” – is a freighted one; it suggests the problem rested squarely with Iran, that the other countries involved (the P5 + 1 or more accurately the E3+3) were responding to a problem of Iranian making.
Things were never so simple, as the issue was as much or perhaps even more a European and especially a US problem with Iran, namely a set of perceptions about the intentions of the Iranian leadership regarding its nuclear enrichment program.
Iran nuclear deal: agreement in Vienna, July 2015. From left to right: Foreign ministers/secretaries of state Wang Yi (China), Laurent Fabius (France), Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Germany), Federica Mogherini (EU), Mohammad Javad Zarif (Iran), Philip Hammond (UK), John Kerry (USA). Foto: Dragan Tatic for Bundesministerium für Europa.
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This Week in South Sudan – Week 6
Tuesday 9 February People in Boro Medina in Western Bahr el Ghazal State have confirmed sightings of elements from the Lord’s Resistance Army out in the bush. The SPLM/A (IO) accused the government of military build-up in Jonglei State. Foreign Policy: ‘After Madaya, Will the World Watch South Sudan Starve Too?’ Wednesday 10 February So… Read more »
The Women, Peace and Security Agenda – 15 Years On
The Global Study on the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
Members of the UN Security Council adopt a new resolution on Women and peace and security in October 2015. UN Photo
In the context of the UN and global governance, 2015 was truly ‘a year of reviews’. The Global Study on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325) was one of three major peace and security reviews completed last year, the other two being the reviews on UN peace operations and UN peacebuilding architecture. This policy brief summarizes some of the main findings and recommendations of the Global Study, and points to some key areas of concern regarding the next phase of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda.Read More
This Week in South Sudan – Week 5
Monday 1 February The situation in South Sudan is worsening according to a new African Union The report blames both the SPLA and the SPLA (IO) for the declining humanitarian situation. Government forces and the SPLA (IO) traded accusations over new clashes in Mundri, Western Equatoria State. The government welcomed IGAD’s call to form a… Read more »