be just

Afghan Peace Talks Widen US-UK Rift on War Policy - by Gareth Porter The beginning of political talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban revealed by press accounts this week is likely to deepen the rift that has just erupted in public between the United States and its British ally over the US commitment to an escalation of the war in Afghanistan. According to a French diplomatic cable that leaked to a French magazine last week, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government is looking for an exit strategy from Afghanistan rather than an endless war, and it sees a US escalation of the war as an alternative to a political settlement rather than as supporting such an outcome.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Hijacked tanks 'for South Sudan' The BBC has seen evidence suggesting that the Ukrainian ship being held by pirates off Somalia is carrying weapons and tanks destined for South Sudan. A copy of the freight manifest appears to show contracts were made by Kenya on behalf of South Sudan's government. Kenya has repeatedly said the weapons on board the MV Faina are for its army. A South Sudanese official said South Sudan had nothing to do with the tanks. The MV Faina is currently surrounded by warships monitoring the situation. Last week, the Somali government said the ship's owners were involved in direct negotiations with the pirates, who are demanding a $20m (£11m) ransom.

allAfrica.com: Ethiopia: Country Falls a Step Back in Governance, As Most in Africa Improve - Survey (Page 1 of 1) Ethiopia's overall score in an Index of African Governance declined to 50.9 out of 100 in between 2005 and 2006, as the country fell one place to rank 31 out of sub-Saharan Africa's 48 countries, the latest Index revealed on Monday. According to the 2008 Ibrahim Index's comprehensive measures of governance performance, Ethiopia's scores have fallen in three out of the five categories; Safety and Security; Rule of Law, Transparency and Corruption; and Participation and Human Rights. The most notable decline was in Participation and Human Rights, in which Ethiopia's score fell by 3.9 points, said the Index The country, however, has improved in the remaining two categories, Sustainable Economic Opportunity and Human Development, according to the Index. Ethiopia's score rose by 1.7 points in Human Development, said the 2008 Ibrahim Index of African Gove...

Iraq too dangerous for many professionals - Los Angeles Times At a time when the Iraqi government is encouraging its citizens to return and the U.S. military is highlighting security gains across Iraq, the Shakirs want out. They see no future here for Iraqis such as themselves: well educated, affluent, secular or non-Muslim. Their imminent departure is a major problem facing Iraq, which has suffered a brain drain in the last five years and is struggling to lure back or hang on to educated professionals. In June, the government raised civil servant salaries 50% to 75% to attract state employees such as teachers and doctors, many of whom were fired after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Iraq's Ministry of Displacement and Migration says tens of thousands of people have returned since last fall. But more than 2.5 million Iraqis have fled, and the exodus continues. Political and business leaders believe it will be many years before the loss of professionals can b...

 Haiti: In Solidarity with its Five Freedoms      : Information Clearing House - ICH : "Today the acid test for all democrats in North and South America is the issue of the military occupation of Haiti ,the economic pillage and denial of elementary political and human rights of the Haitian people. In 2004 a US-led invasion force overthrew the democratically elected government of Jean Bertrand Aristide and subsequently promoted and organized an occupation army. This colonial military force has repeatedly violently repressed popular demonstrations, violently raided the neighborhoods of the poor and killed, wounded and arrested Haitians who were affirming their rights of self-determination and an end to foreign occupation. Since the United States bears major responsibility for the invasion, occupation and subsequent pillage and privatization of essential public services, we have a special responsibility to speak out clearly and forcefully to the United Nations (UN) in support of Hait...

 South Africa: the liberation's betrayal      : Information Clearing House - ICH The political rupture in South Africa is being presented in the outside world as the personal tragedy and humiliation of one man, Thabo Mbeki. It is reminiscent of the beatification of Nelson Mandela at the death of apartheid. This is not to diminish the power of personalities, but their importance is often as a distraction from the historical forces they serve and manage. Frantz Fanon had this in mind when, in The Wretched of the Earth, he described the “historic mission” of much of Africa’s post-colonial ruling class as “that of intermediary [whose] mission has nothing to do with transforming the nation: it consists, prosaically, of being the transmission line between the nation and a capitalism, rampant though camouflaged.” Mbeki’s fall and the collapse of Wall Street are concurrent and related events, as they were predictable. Glimpse back to 1985 when the Johannesburg stock market crashed and the ...

When is a Holocaust Not a Holocaust?      : Information Clearing House - ICH : "Although the 'surge' has failed as policy, it appears to be succeeding as propaganda. It seems to be the only thing that supporters of the war have to point to, and so they point, and they point, and they point. Allow me to point out that while there has been a reduction in violence in Iraq -- now down to a level that virtually any other society in the world would find horrible and intolerable, including Iraqi society before the US invasion and occupation -- we must keep in mind that thanks to this lovely little war more than half the population of Iraq is either dead, crippled, traumatized, confined in overflowing American and Iraqi prisons, internally displaced, or in foreign exile.