The impact of the slave trade on AfricaOn 27 April 1848 Victor Schoelcher, the French under-secretary of state for the colonies, signed a decree abolishing slavery. To force the decision through, he had warned of the danger of a general uprising if nothing was done....
International
Libya: The West’s new client? | by Simon Assaf
The uprising in Libya was inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. But the intervention of Nato forces changed the situation dramatically. Simon Assaf asks if Libya is now destined to become a client state of Western powers or whether its revolution could...
Somalia: Failing Responses to a Failed State | by Hiba Zayadin
Somalis have once again found themselves fleeing starvation, drought, and conflict. Thousands of Somalis with washed-out ribs and blown-up empty bellies roam their country in search of aid. According to the UN, 10 million people are currently on the verge of...
Egypt’s Bloody Sunday | by Mariz Tadros
At first, it looked like a repeat of the worst state brutality during the January 25 uprisings that unseated the ex-president of Egypt, Husni Mubarak: On Sunday, October 9, security forces deployed tear gas, live bullets and armored vehicles in an effort to disperse...
Revolutionary Challenges in Tunisia and Egypt: Generations in Conflict | by Stuart Schaar
The great Syrian poet, Nizar Qabbani (1923-1998) more than four decades ago called on a new Arab generation to break with their dictatorial, bankrupt, and corrupt leaders and their supporters. Qabbani, from his London exile, hoped that young people would transform the...
Why the Middle East Will Never be the Same Again? | by Robert Fisk
The Palestinians won’t get a state this week. But they will prove – if they get enough votes in the General Assembly and if Mahmoud Abbas does not succumb to his characteristic grovelling in the face of US-Israeli power – that they are worthy of statehood. And they...
Mozambique – Can Frelimo remain the predominant party? – by Joe Hanlon
Mozambique seems likely to remain a predominant party state for the foreseeable future. The ruling party Frelimo is still relatively popular and inclusive, while the opposition remains marginal. Frelimo’s power comes from its: •ability to stay united and co-opt...
History in the making – the Arab revolutions and the struggle for democracy | by League for the Fifth International
2011 will undoubtedly be remembered as the year of the Arab Revolution. We have seen an explosion of democratic aspiration and courageous struggle as revolutions spread in a few weeks from Tunisia and Egypt to Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, and Syria. Like all such movements,...
Africa’s Odious Debts | by James K. Boyce and Léonce Ndikumana
One side effect of the American/British occupation of Iraq is that it sparked public debate on a dark secret of international finance: the debts taken on by odious regimes. As Iraq's new rulers debate what to do about the billions of dollars in foreign debts inherited...

