Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for July 1st, 2009

Connections

Posted in Africa, Francophonie, Maghreb, Mauritania, Senegal, Third World on 1 July, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Note that as the recent political settlement takes effect in Mauritania, the junta has cracked down on media figures whilst the sanctions evaporate. These are closely related: the desired order is taking shape, there is a new degree of comfort. Will comment more extensively soon.

Read Full Post »

The Arabist writes well

Posted in Arabs, Egypt, Geopolitics, Muslims, Obama, idealism on 1 July, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

From the first of a series of posts on Obama’s policy, post-Sermon on the Nile:
But one thing it’s not is a principled foreign policy, and one thing Barack Obama is not is a holier-than-thou president. So let’s stop treating him as the second coming.

Read Full Post »

Serial rapist charged

Posted in Africa, Algeria, US on 1 July, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Following up on the CIA officer (Andrew Warren) known to have raped at least two women during his time in the Algerian capital:
The CIA’s former top officer in Algeria has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge that he sexually assaulted a woman in the North African country last year.
Andrew Warren, 41, [...]

Read Full Post »

Starting from the wrong premise

Posted in AQIM, Africa, Algeria, Islamism, Maghreb, Third World, politics on 1 July, 2009 | 3 Comments »

The nonsensical trope that Algeria is “losing” its “war on terror” has become a popular line on some editorial pages and blogs. A spat of recent terrorist attacks aimed primarily at government targets has caused some to worry that the government has lost the support of its population in the fight against the re-branded remnants [...]

Read Full Post »