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Peeling back the skin of 'blood' resources (Part 2)

Continued from: http://hir.harvard.edu/blog/khadija-sharife/peeling-back-the-skin-of-blo...

Take South Africa's coal industry, the primary source of the country's electricity generation. On the surface, South Africa is governed by '"one-man, one-vote" electoral democracy --by the people, for the people.

But dig a little deeper and the nature of agreements reveal much that goes against the public interest, unveiling a web of multinationals aligned with the state.

By Khadija Sharife  |  April 6, 2011
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The Forgotten Crimes

After weeks of foot-dragging, the U.S. and other countries are finally taking decisive action to prevent Muammar Qaddafi from violently crushing the rebellion in Libya. But while the U.S. is taking bold action to defend Libya’s civilians and its democratic uprising, our allies on the Arabian Peninsula are murdering unarmed civilian protestors, with barely a response from America.

By Eoghan Stafford  |  March 22, 2011
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Development
Peeling back the skin of 'blood' resources

Much has been written about conflict—or "blood”—resources such as coltan, a mineral used in the manufacture of electronics, and diamonds, from Zimbabwe to the Democratic Republic of Congo to Sierra Leone. Far less information, however, has been provided about the broader processes that facilitate and finance conflicts in these places. It is rare that the questions "In whose interest?" or "For whose benefit?" are posed.

By Khadija Sharife  |  March 15, 2011
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The Myth of Authoritarian Stability

About a year ago, international relations scholar Charles Kupchan praised the Obama administration in Foreign Affairs for deemphasizing human rights and democracy in its foreign policy. "Obama is fully justified in putting the democratization agenda on the back burner and basing U.S. diplomacy toward other states on their external behavior, not their regime type. Even repressive regimes can be reliably cooperative when it comes to their conduct of foreign policy."

By Eoghan Stafford  |  March 2, 2011
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Why Israel Doesn't Take Us Seriously

And we wonder why Israel doesn’t listen to us anymore. The Obama administration has called on the Israeli government to freeze the construction of settlements in the West Bank. So on Friday, to show we mean business … the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

By Eoghan Stafford  |  February 21, 2011
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Egypt: Getting around the blackout

For net connection from Egypt: traditional phone lines using the following instructions: French ISP FDN to access the Internet anonymously at the following number: 33172890150 with login: toto and password: toto

According to one twitter user (Telecomix Microblogging), "French ISP FDN told us the modem connections being tweeted around were used 1-2 times every 2-3 minutes."

For those unable to access, Al Jazeera writes, "Egypt can call a number to post a "voice tweet" -- Call +16504194196, +390662207294 or +97316199855 to leave a tweet and hear tweets."

By Khadija Sharife  |  February 1, 2011
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Economics, Europe
The Financial Crisis and Social Trust

By Gert Tinggaard Svendsen. Gert Tinggaard Svendsen is Professor of Public Policy, Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, Denmark. He earned his PhD (Econ.) in 1996 and a MSc (Pol.Sci.) in 1991. Director of the Danish Social Capital Project (SoCap) since 2002. Visiting scholar at the University of Maryland, Department of Economics (1994-95) and member of a steering committee on Social Capital in the World Bank (1997-99). Author of seven books and about 50 scientific articles in international refereed journals. Award for Best 2007 JCPA Article

By Guest Blogger  |  January 18, 2011
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Development
South Africa: Economic Apartheid In the Name of the People

When going too far to the right, one often meets the same opportunists (and idiots) coming from the 'left'. Such is the case with ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leader Julius Malema, bent on nationalization of mines, a notion believed to be grounded in the Freedom Charter (1955). The Charter embodies the sacred 'freedom demands' of SA's oppressed, collected by some 50 000 volunteers, during the apartheid era.
Those opposing Malema's statement argue that the Freedom Charter, endorsed by the ANC, never mentions the brand of mines 'nationalization' promoted by Malema.
Instead, it demands that 'national wealth be restored to the people...the mineral wealth beneath the soil, the Banks and monopoly industry shall be transferred to the ownership of the people as a whole.'

By Khadija Sharife  |  December 17, 2010
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Europe
Noisy neighbors? – Europe’s new diplomacy

The new European External Action Service gives the European Union the opportunity to better project its collective voice on the world stage. But it also brings new challenges. The role of the Service in the European ‘neighborhood’ is one of them.

By Guest Blogger  |  December 5, 2010
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Africa
SABMiller: Flying Dutchman?

SABMiller, one of the world’s top five brewing companies, has over 150 brands, including my all time favorite Appletiser and my buddy's most prized beer, Castle Lager, an award-winning concoction introduced to the market over a century ago, in 1895.

The company, which used to benefit from the migrant labor system, received a major boost when the apartheid system formalised racial segregation as a means of cheapening labor and access to South Africa’s vast mineral resources and agricultural land.

By Khadija Sharife  |  November 17, 2010
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