Monday 24 August The South Sudanese government admitted that the SPLA (IO) unexpectedly overran the strategic town Lainya, in central Equatoria state on Monday morning. According to a county official, four people were killed and five others seriously wounded following a revenge attack at Ayen cattle camp in Rumbek North county, Lakes state. Tuesday 25… Read more »
Russia’s Arctic illusions
Russia appears firmly set on its course of militarization of the Arctic. In a region where economic activities are mostly declining and where environmental challenges are on the rise, Russia appears to be engaged in a one-sided arms race. It is glaringly obvious to observers outside the Kremlin that Russia’s severe economic recession makes this… Read more »
Small and Far Between: Peacekeeping Economies in South Sudan
New open access article by Øystein H. Rolandsen in Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding. This work was supported by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) under the NORGLOBAL programme. Abstract The massive expenditure on UN peacekeeping missions combined with a significant commitment of personnel and infrastructure creates ‘peacekeeping economies’ within host societies. We need to understand… Read more »
NEWS UPDATE: IGAD+ Peace Agreement – 27.08.15
President Salva Kiir signed the IGAD+ peace agreement 26 August 2015. For further information see a collection of news articles below from various media outlets commenting on the event: International Media: Al Jazeera: ‘South Sudan president signs peace deal with rebels.’ New York Times: ‘South Sudan’s President Signs Peace Deal With Rebels.’ The Guardian: ‘South Sudan’s President… Read more »
Cracking the Glass Ceiling: Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. presidential politics
In a now legendary 2008 Saturday Night Live skit, comedians Amy Poehler and Tina Fey opened the show by imitating Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and unsuccessful Democratic contender for the nomination Hillary Clinton, respectively. The skit could have been a harmless imitation game, with Fey and Poehler simply doing their brilliant impressions of each candidate’s personalities. Instead, it was an extended comment by two female comedians on what they saw as the unacceptable sexism in the 2008 campaign. As Fey wrote in her memoirs Bossypants:
“This sketch easily could have been a dumb catfight between two female candidates. What Seth [Meyers] and Amy [Poehler] wrote, however, was two women speaking out together against sexism in the campaign… you all watched a sketch about feminism and you didn’t even realize it because of all the jokes. […] Suckers!” (2012: 216-17)
That the 2008 presidential cycle was “rife with overt [gender] bias,” as political scientist Jennifer Lawless has written should not be a controversial claim (2009: 71). If you think it is, then I invite you to have a look at this rather shocking compilation of TV clips that the Women’s Media Center made in 2008. The compilation shows established TV news anchors focusing on Hillary Clinton’s clothes, hair and style rather than on her position on the issues.
A caricature of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. PHOTO: CC/Flickr
Return Migration: Pakistan as a Return Migration Destination
Karachi Airport. Photo: Moin via Flickr.
Return migration to Pakistan is diverse. It ranges from return mobilities of naturalized citizens and those born abroad to so-called ‘voluntary assisted returns’ and deportations of migrants without regular status. Pakistan receives returnees from the Middle East, as well as from Europe and North America, which reflects broader Pakistani migration patterns. This policy brief explores the multiplicity of return migration to Pakistan. From a return destination perspective, it presents some of the dilemmas faced when governing return migration.
- Return migration to Pakistan is extremely diverse; legal status and citizenship are important distinctions among returnees.
- Pakistanis abroad account for about 4 per cent of the total Pakistani population of 185 million. Most migrate to the Middle East. Remit-tances are key to migration’s salience as a societal concern in Pakistan.
- Pakistan as a return destination is characterized by instability and socioeconomic stagnation but also future potential.
- The governing of return migration to Pakistan is complicated by the multiplicity of return.
… Read more in a recent Policy Brief from the project ‘Possibilities and Realities of Return Migration’ (PREMIG)
Return Migration: Polish Migrants to Norway
How do Polish Migrants in Norway Consider Return Migration?
Metro in Warsaw. Photo: Giuseppe Milo, via Flickr
After Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004 and the substantial emigration that followed, return migration was an expectation widely shared by observers in Poland and abroad. Return migration has been modest, however, even in the wake of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Due to the post-accession migration wave, Poles comprise the largest immigrant group in Norway. Although Polish migrants in Norway were also expected to stay for short periods of time, they are for the most part not returning to Poland. This Policy Brief explores why, presenting five common perspectives on return migration among Poles in Norway.
- A majority of recent Polish migrants is not returning to Poland any time soon.
- A segment of Polish migrants sustains mobility over time, working in Norway but living in Poland.
- As of 2015, males make up two thirds of Polish migrants in Norway despite the increasing settlement of families.
- Return considerations have changed rapidly, with many migrants postponing return indefinitely and focusing on settlement.
- Not all Polish migrants want to settle permanently; return migration and onward mobility remain as alternatives.
… Read more in a recent Policy Brief from the project ‘Possibilities and Realities of Return Migration’ (PREMIG)
See also: Return Migration: Pakistan as a Return Migration Destination
This Week in South Sudan – Week 34
Monday 17 August President Salva Kiir did not sign the Proposed IGAD+ peace deal in Addis Ababa, requesting a further 15 days for ‘consultations.’ President Salva Kiir made indirect death threats towards journalists ‘working against the country.’ A large force of military police was deployed around the residence of Clement Wani Konga, the recently dismissed… Read more »
This Week in South Sudan – Week 33
Monday 10 August South Sudanese rival forces traded accusations over who initiated recent clashes in Pariang county, Unity state over the weekend. Ethiopia’s prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn travelled to Uganda to attend the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development summit on South Sudan. Riek Machar downplayed the rumoured possibility of disintegration within the SPLM/A (IO)’s leadership. Sudan’s… Read more »
The “Sunnification” of Turkey´s Foreign Policy
Two months is a long time in politics – even more so in Turkish politics. At the beginning of June, the Turkish election brought a wave of hope across the country with results that broke the majoritarian (and authoritarian) rule of the reigning Justice and Development Party (AKP). The pro-Kurdish People´s Democratic Party (HDP), winning 13% of the vote, managed to cross the 10% threshold so gaining representation in mainstream politics for Kurds – as well as liberals desperate for a new democratic force in Turkey´s staid political landscape. It was a political victory that promised a continued normalization in Turkish-Kurdish relations and an opportunity to reinvigorate the stalled peace process of 2012. With cautious optimism (and a solid dose of apprehension), Turks anticipated a long hot summer of political wrangling in the search for a coalition government. However, when a young Kurdish ISIS supporter exploded a bomb in the Turkish border town of Suruç on the 20th of July killing 32 young activists and injuring many more, the summer suddenly became hotter than anticipated.
PHOTO: Ozcan Soysal/AP Photo