Author: M Barbu

The Crisis of African Democracy

Coups Are a Symptom—Not the Cause—of Political Dysfunction

These days, a question crops up when African officials gather to discuss governance: Which president will be ousted by his military next? In the first two decades of this century, 13 successful coups took place in Africa. But from August 2020 to November 2023, seven African leaders were toppled by their own militaries. While these military takeovers have so far primarily occurred in a belt of instability that stretches from Niger to Sudan, the risk of broader contagion is real. In already fragile states, coups tend to reverse economic and political progress, and so stemming their rise may be the most urgent task for Africa in the coming decade.

Hamas nears breaking point in northern Gaza as Israel surrounds strongholds, kills commanders

Hamas is nearing its breaking point in northern Gaza as Israeli forces surround its last two strongholds there and takes out local commanders, Israel said Monday.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed that Israel Defense Forces were “on the verge of dismantling” the remaining Palestinian terror strongholds in Jabalya and Shejaiya after mass surrenders in the area, CNN reports.

Troubled by Hezbollah attacks, northern evacuees may not return

Following the October 7 Hamas attacks, residents along Israel’s northern border grow increasingly anxious over the possibility of a similar assault by Hezbollah.

Gil Sagi is an Israeli dairy farmer living on a kibbutz in northern Israel. Since the beginning of Israel’s war with Hamas, his community, along with others, has been under fire from the Hezbollah terrorist organization. His wife is with him, among the few who stayed on the kibbutz, as many thousands of residents from the area have been evacuated. His three children and two grandchildren left the area a few days after the war began, scattering across Israel to wait for quieter times.

Hamas’s Goal in Gaza

The Strategy That Led to the War—and What It Means for the Future

Among the many striking aspects of Hamas’s October 7 attack against Israel, one that has received relatively little scrutiny is the location. For much of the past decade, the Gaza Strip no longer appeared to be a major battleground for the Palestinian resistance. Recurring incursions by the Israeli army into Gaza, including the nearly two-month Operation “Protective Edge” in 2014, had locked Hamas into a defensive posture. Meanwhile, Israel’s increasingly sophisticated missile defenses had rendered Hamas’s rocket attacks from the strip largely ineffective, and the blockade of Gaza had cut off the territory from the rest of the world.

Aiding Terror: How Terrorists Exploit Humanitarian Organizations

“We built the tunnels to protect ourselves from airplanes … the refugees, the UN is responsible for protecting them.” The now infamous statement by Musa Abu Marzuk of Hamas, in a television interview of October 2023, illustrates a severe problem that has developed in the interplay between humanitarian aid and militant groups in the Middle East. In even the best cases, the aid allows these groups to evade responsibility for civil affairs while pursuing their agenda of mayhem—but in fact, the terrorist groups often go much farther than this, and actually rely on aid streams to fund and equip the gunmen that commit their atrocities. Humanitarian aid has become a lifeline for these groups, enabling their deadly attacks.

Sudan: ICRC Deplores Deliberate and Deadly Attack on its Humanitarian Convoy in Khartoum

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is shocked and appalled by a deliberate attack on its humanitarian convoy in Khartoum on Sunday.

The incident, which occurred in the Al-Shajara neighborhood, claimed the lives of two people and injured seven more including three ICRC staff members. The injured have been rushed to hospital for medical treatment.

Sudan: Al-Burhan, Hemedti Agree to Talks

Sudan’s warring lords General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council of the Republic of Sudan, and his rival Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (aka Hemedti), commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have agreed to hold a face-to-face meeting. IGAD is expected to make preparations and designate a team of senior diplomats and interlocutors for the talks.

Petrodollar Endgame Moves Even Closer

I’ll be the first to admit that two of the main themes on this blog – the United States’ sovereign debt crisis and the deterioration of the petrodollar – have been extraordinarily slow-moving theses.

In both cases, there have been developments that stand at odds with my contentions. For example, US stock indices continue to move higher, despite our economy grinding to a halt, and the BRIC nations have not developed and put forth their own reserve currency to combat the dollar, as I have suggested may happen. They also haven’t backed any of their sovereign currencies with gold, as I have also suggested. While the timing hasn’t proven me right as quickly as I would like, it doesn’t mean that things aren’t ticking forward for both of these forthcoming realities.

The Dark Side Of AI: Israel’s Controversial Use Of Data And Algorithms In Gaza – OpEd

AI is a broad term that refers to the ability of machines or software to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence such as perception, reasoning, learning, decision making and problem solving. AI has many applications and implications for modern warfare, both on and off the battlefield. Here, we will explore how AI helps Israel army select bombing targets in Gaza, and the implications and challenges of using AI in warfare.