Africa on the Agenda: Conference on World Affairs in St. Petersburg Initiated by Douglas McElhaney, a former ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2004 to 2007, and hosted at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, the first annual St Petersburg in the World Conference was held from March 28 to 29. The conference brought together… Read more »
Posts By: Salem Solomon
International Women’s Day
In honor of International Women’s Day 2013, I would like to share words of wisdom from CNN’s chief international correspondent and anchor of a nightly foreign affairs program on CNN International Christiane Amanpour. Watch this video and quote of the day: Inspiration for today also comes from a group of African women listed by the Guardian through… Read more »
New Secretary, Same Ole’ Game?
It’s one thing when politicians talk blithely of the consequences of war and another to hear it from someone who has been in a combat position. If there is any politician who is aware of the cost of war, it is John Kerry. During the Vietnam War, he had shrapnel pierce his left arm and left leg and was again wounded in his… Read more »
In Eritrea, What’s Unsaid Is As Important As What’s Said.
In 2003, when the government of Eritrea sent out orders to ban Amharic music in public, there was no official announcement made but simply oral orders passed around in public places such as bars and music shops. The owners of such businesses were told to stop playing music. Of course, that didn’t mean that the government… Read more »
Critical Overview of Current Developments in Eritrea
I was fortunate enough to talk to Al Jazeera today and I tried to give critical overview of current developments in Eritrea. Since it was short notice and I didn’t have enough time and preparation to fit all my notes during live interview, I have decided to post the video and a couple of thought-provoking points worth mentioning in… Read more »
Race and Identity in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Crush-Hopper: Story of a Girl’s Journey Through Post-Apartheid South Africa Crush-Hopper is South African Mandisa Haarhoff’s autobiographical story about a young girl. This is a girl who first learned about beauty by playing with dolls who had long blond hair and blue eyes. She is a giddy and joyful girl who has a soft spot for… Read more »
France’s Mali Military Intervention
The French took the plunge and began attacking Islamist militant groups in Mali this week after regional leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) hesitated for months. The instability in northern Mali dates back nearly a year and yet, until now, no agreement on a foreign intervention strategy could be reached. That stands… Read more »
Africa trade with Tampa businesses matures, potential widens
Terence McCulley, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, and Rebecca Armand, Senior Commercial Officer for the U.S. Mission to Nigeria, spoke to the Tampa Bay area business community on December 12. The event was hosted by the Tampa Port Authority and presented by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The story below is a follow-up and was originally… Read more »
Eritrea: The Fog Over the Red Sea
This article was written by Armin Rosen, the Atlantic‘s International Channel producer and was originally published here. Eritrean information minister Ali Abdu, who is rumored to have defected this past week, helped build one of the world’s strictest systems of media control. Eritrea sits on some of the most important real estate in Africa, occupying a thin… Read more »