North Africa
By Ramzy Baroud When the news circulated that Morocco’s leading political group, the Development and Justice Party (PJD), had been trounced in the latest election, held in September, official media mouthpieces in Egypt celebrated the news as if the PJD’s defeat was, in itself, a blow to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Regionally, political commentators who dedicated much of their time to discredit various Islamic political parties – often on behalf of one Arab government or another – found in the news another supposed proof that political Islam was a failure in both theory and practice. ‘Regionally, the news of…
By Ramzy Baroud There is a real - but largely concealed - war which is taking place throughout the African continent. It involves the United States, an invigorated Russia and a rising China. The outcome of the war is likely to define the future of the continent and its global outlook. It is easy to pin the blame on US President Donald Trump, his erratic agenda and impulsive statements. But the truth is, the current US military expansion in Africa is just another step in the wrong direction. It is part of a strategy that had been implemented a decade…
In a fascinating seminar at the Afro-Middle East Centre, Moroccan academic Maati Monjib focused on two African thinkers-cum-politicians in a discussion of decolonisation and development. Monjib examined the lives and works of Senegalese politician-intellectual Mamadou Moustapha Dia and Moroccan Mehdi Ben Barka who, Monjib argued, played significant roles in decolonial thinking within the context of post-independence Africa. The event, on 16 November 2017, attracted the participation of a number of Middle East and North African diplomats keen to interrogate the notion of decolonisation as presented by a Moroccan intellectual, especially as his country is accused by many Africans of itself…
By Afro-Middle East Centre Tunisia’s parliament last week ratified the cabinet of the prime minister, Habib Essid, in a sign of the country’s preference for consensus building. It points to a desire for democratic consolidation, but could portend trouble for, and even fragmentation of, the ruling Nidaa Tounes party. The cabinet comprises four parties, including the three largest parties in the legislature, Nidaa Tounes (with eighty-six seats), Ennahda (sixty-nine seats) and the Free Patriotic Union (sixteen seats). The ratification of the cabinet was a formality and over seventy-five per cent of voting parliamentarians (166 out of 204) endorsed its formation.…
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By Afro-Middle East Centre Air strikesaimed at the Libya Dawn militia in recent months could further escalate and regionalise the conflict in Libya. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is widely reported as having launched the air strikes, but the bombings seem to be part of increasing intervention in Libya by various regional powers in spite of their calls for non-intervention. If allowed to continue, the involvement of the UAE, Egypt and Qatar, in pursuit of their own interests, could provoke a full-scale civil war in Libya, and prevent Libyans from finding political solutions to the current impasse.
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By Afro-Middle East Centre As Algerians vote for in the third presidential election since incumbent president Abdelaziz Bouteflika was elected 1999, questions abound about the consequences of the poll for the country’s military-civil relations. Its outcome could significantly shape the short- and medium-term futures of Africa’s largest natural gas producer and second largest oil exporter.
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By Al Jazeera Center for Studies Introduction: Deteriorating security The deteriorating security situation currently evident in Libya constitutes the worst failure of the authorities. Despite a steady growth in national security forces, introduced by the Ministry of the Interior, the country has, paradoxically, witnessed further deterioration in security, including bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and smuggling. This is in addition to the extensive clashes occurring between tribes or regions, especially in the western and southern areas of the county.
By Afro-Middle East Centre The no-confidence vote passed by the Libyan General National Congress (GNC) on Tuesday, removing Prime Minister Ali Zeidan from office, is one of many consequences of the country’s gridlocked political system which has rendered the office of the prime minister untenable and ineffective. Elected in July 2012, the GNC too has been ineffectual because of polarisation between Islamists and liberals (or liberal Islamists) belonging to the National Forces Alliances. A previous victim of this polarisation was the former prime minister, Mustafa Abu-Shakour.
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By Fethi Jarray Historians are unanimous that Carthage was a beacon of civilisation. Its constitution, representative institutions and political system in general were cited by Aristotle, who labelled it the best system as the time. In modern Tunisian history, the ‘Fundamental Pact’ is considered a constitutional precedent in the Arab-Muslim world,[1] as it was the first legal document that guaranteed the Tunisian people their political rights to have their lives, property and honour safeguarded, regardless of their religion, race or social class.
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By Afro Middle-East Centre Announced in 2010 to aid Ethiopia’s economic development, and to realise its aspirations to be an energy exporter, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has resulted in friction between the Nile basin’s three strongest military states. The country’s decision to construct the dam and divert the Nile’s flow to aid in its construction was met by strong rhetoric from the former Egyptian administrations of Hosni Mubarak and Mohammed Morsi, including threats of force. However, the status quo is unlikely to be sustainable. Egypt’s dominance over the river is untenable both morally from an international norms perspective,…
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