Amandla

An African Opportunity? (August 2009)
Ending his three-nation African tour, World Bank president Robert Zoellick urged innovation in agriculture, infrastructure and regional integration as vital to the continent's growth.

Commission on Employment Equity Report 2008/9 (August 2009)
Working under the auspices of the Department of Labour, the Commission on Employment Equity reports on the slow progress towards racial diversity in South Africa's labour market.

Getting Away with Torture: Command Responsibility for the US Abuse of Detainees (August 2009)
This report from Human Rights Watch presents substantial evidence warranting criminal investigations of top US government and military leaders.

Somalia: Half the Population in Humanitarian Crisis Amid An Escalating Civil War (August 2009)
The Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Somalia confirms that the humanitarian crisis in Somalia is widespread and severe, with one-half of the population in need of humanitarian assistance.

GLOBAL ACCOUNT
What kind of economy do you want? There is a desperate need for a public discussion on South Africa’s future growth path. It requires that we draw on our collective imagination as a nation. We have to start thinking about the type of country we want and the economic and...

INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES
South Africa - Angola: A New Era of Hegemonic Cooperation or a Dangerous Precedence for Africa? In a highly strategic move, President Jacob Zuma paid a high-profile state visit to Angola, the first since his inauguration as South Africa's head of state, with the aim of securing economic and political cooperation with Africa's second largest...

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Term limits – who needs them? President Mamadou Tandja of Niger has joined the club of leaders who have overturned constitutions to overstay their welcome in recent years. Following victory in the referendum held on 4 August, he is the twelfth African leader in a decade to...

INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES
Will Elections in Sudan Mirror Peace or Provide New Grounds for Conflict? After two decades of civil war between the Sudanese People's Army/Movement (SPLA/M) of the south and the government of Sudan, the parties signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 in Naivasha, Kenya. In summing up the achievement of six...

Does al-Qaida articulate a consistent strategy? A study of al-Qaida Leadership Statements, 2001-2009

This site provides free access to a paper by Dr Brynja, to be presented at the International Studies Association's 50th Annual Convention, New York City, NY, USA, February 15-18, 2009. It was published in 2009 by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment // Forsvarets Forskningsinstitutt. The 31 page paper critically examines statements made by the leadership of Al-Qaeda between 2001-2009, focusing in particular on the rhetoric used. Issued covered include 'who is regarded as the enemy', attitudes towards America and the West and incitements to terrorism. http://www.humansecuritygateway.info/documents/NDRE_DoesAlQaidaArticulateConsist    From Intute.ac.uk

The United Nations Secretary General has issued the 7th consolidated report on New Partnership for African Development . This report (A/64/204)highlights the policy measures taken by African countries and organizations in implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the response of the international community and the support of the United Nations system during the past year.

UN Pulse: Permanent Link: NEPAD'S 7th Consolidated Report

The interview with Dean Karlan is very good. The research paper on impact measurements can be found here. Over at the BBC (via Innovations for Poverty Action):

Academics have been trying to work out from the evidence whether microcredit does actually raise people's incomes.

But it's been hard to do a proper scientific survey, since you need to compare those who do get a loan with a control group of similar people who don't.

Dean Karlan, professor of economics at Yale University, has managed to do it - with a control group - in the Philippines. His results raise some serious questions about the effectiveness of microcredit in reducing poverty.

There is an embedded audio link, but it didn't work. Celia

FROM: http://www.3quarksdaily.com/

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched a new climate change web site, www.undpcc.org.  The site is a knowledge database for information on key climate change issues, with a focus on analyses of international climate negotiations as well as the economic and policy implications of climate change.

Key features of the web site include:

• Publications database, which contains over 600 documents on climate change in different languages
• Periodic summaries of the UNFCCC negotiations leading to the 15th Conference of the Parties which will take place in Copenhagen in December 2009.
• Project materials, including national issues papers on key sectors, reports from national inter-ministerial dialogues on climate change and a UNDP user guidebook for assessing investment and financial flows.
• Public and private thematic and country groups where members can participate in discussions as well as post documents, questions or comments to obtain feedback from other group members.

UN Pulse: Permanent Link: UNDP Climate Change Web Site

Afghanistan elections 2009: BBC

This site was created by the BBC to provide coverage of the 2009 Afghan presidential elections. In addition to news stories and comment from BBC journalists. It also offers free access to background profiles of the candidates, the political situation in Afghanistan and the issues at stake. Other features include film clips from the election and BBC news programmes and comment from the electorate. Copyright and technical information is displayed on the website. From Intute.ac.uk

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8205787.stm

 

Fair and Free Elections Foundation Afghanistan

The Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan is an independent and umbrella organization which has been established by a number of Afghan civil society organizations to ensure free democratic elections in Afghanistan. Its website provides information on its aims, membership and activities. It includes press releases and some full text reports. These include assessments of the state of democracy, extent of political corruption and conduct of parliamentary and presidential elections. From Intute.ac.uk

http://fefa.org.af/index.php

 

 

Mujahedin-e Khalq in Iraq: a policy conundrum

This site provides free access to the full text of a book by Jeremiah Goulka et al which was published by RAND in 2009, ISBN 978-0-8330-4701-4. The 134 monograph contains the results of one of several studies performed for Multi-National Force Iraq, Task Force 134 (Detainee Operations) (TF-134), to provide analytical tools and insights intended to help future field commanders and policymakers design and perform detention operations in military environments. It provides a critical assessment of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MeK), an exiled Iranian dissident group that Saddam Hussein had invited into Iraq to fight on his behalf during the Iran-Iraq War. Issues covered include who they are and how they were handled by coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom.From Intute.ac.uk

 http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG871.pdf

Afghanistan and region: Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination

The Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination is based at Princeton University. It is a specialist research body which explores issues relating to self-determination (including nationalism, demands for independence and political movements for autonomy ) in order to reduce violence. This section provides information on research about the Afghanistan region. It provides free access to information about the work of the institute and its full text publications. Topics covered include security and the rule of law in Afghanistan, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and the fight against terrorism, the international community and relations with Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Analysts Network

The Afghanistan Analysts Network is an independent policy research organisation which specialises in researching security, politics and economic and social developments in Afghanistan. It was launched in 2009 and comprises a small team of researchers with an international advisory board. The website provides free access to information about the aims and activities of the body. It includes press releases, blogs maintained by staff members and full text research reports. Topics covered by these include international security, the security situation in Afghanistan and the 2009 Afghanistan presidential elections.

Afghanistan: Human Security gateway

The Human Security Gateway is a joint project of the Human Security Centre (HSC) Group and Simon Fraser University It aims to provide researchers with a searchable database of links to key websites, full-text reports, journal articles, news items and fact sheets relating to human security worldwide. Human security is defined as the protection of individuals from wars, civil wars and violence. It website enables users to search or browse by country or topic. Each resource has an added description of content. The section on Afghanistan includes coverage of international security, the war against terrorism, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and political violence in the region. Other topics covered include the state of democracy, elections and presidential elections.

Af-Pak Channel

The Af-Pak Channel is a special project of Foreign Policy and the New America Foundation. It was created to monitor issues relating to international security and terrorism in the Pakistan, Afghanistan region. The website includes daily news briefs, twitter postings, blogs, photo essays, articles and comment from Foreign Policy journalists. Topics covered include the Afghanistan presidential elections of 2009, al-Qaeda, the Taliban and jihad political violence and terrorism in the region. The implications for US foreign policy are also discussed. Copyright and technical information is displayed on the website.

Elections 2009:  United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Flickr

This is an interesting use of web 2.0 social networking site Flickr by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. It provides free access to over 500 UN photographs relating to the 2009 provincial council and presidential elections in Afghanistan. They include scenes from UN organised debates and civic education programmes as well as scenes from the campaigns and polling. Descriptions and copyright information is provided.

Law, order and elections in Afghanistan : NATO Review

This site provides free access to a collection of articles about the 2009 presidential elections in Afghanistan which were published in NATO Review. They discuss the issues at stake in the run up to the polling and the implications for international security and the rule of law in the region.

Afghan women and the elections 2009

This site was created by United Nations organisation UNIFEM to provide coverage of the role and participation of women in the 2009 Afghan presidential elections. It includes some press releases, news stories, statistics and statements on women presidential candidates and women voters.

Afghanistan's elections 2009: Washington Post

This site provides free access to coverage of the 2009 Afghan presidential elections from the Washington Post newspaper. It includes news stories, comment and analysis from journalists as well as background guides to the electoral system, candidates and importance of the elections for security in the region. Other features of the site include galleries of photographs and interactive maps of the electoral districts and scenes of political violence. Copyright and technical information is displayed on the website.

Afghanistan elections: guns and money

This site provides free access to the full text of a report published in 2009 by the International Council on Security and Development, an international policy think tank working to combine grassroots research with policy innovations. It provides assessment of the state of democracy in Afghanistan in the run up to the 2009 presidential elections. It includes some results from field research on the hopes and fears Afghan people had about the elections.

Middle East elections 2009: Lebanon, Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq

This site provides free access to the full text of a 15 page report by Casey L. Addis analyst and Kenneth Katzman which was published as Congressional Research Service report R40586 in early 2009. It provides an overview of 2009 parliamentary and presidential elections in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan discussing their implications for international security and American foreign policy.

Afghanistan elections 2009: Al Jazeera

Free access to a collection of news stories covering the 2009 Afghan presidential elections from the English language version of Al-Jazeera. They include coverage of the candidates, conduct of the elections and state of democracy in the region from an Arabic perspective. Also accessible are video reports from the campaign trial and phootgraphic images. Copyright and technical information is displayed on the website.

Afghanistan elections 2009: FT

This site was created by the Financial Times to provide coverage of the 2009 Afghanistan presidential elections. It offers free access to some articles from the newspaper. These cover news stories and offer analysis of the conduct of elections, the state of democracy in Afghanistan and their impact. Also provided are background facts on the electoral system and profiles of the main candidates.

UNDP/ELECT Afganistan elections project

This site is maintained by UNDP working in association with United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA). It provides access to information about the way in which international organisations (including the United Nations) have supported elections and democratization in Afghanistan since 2004/5. The website includes background information on the aims of the project, its organisation and activities. It includes reports on campaigns and programmes during parliamentary and presidential elections. These include facts about the Afghan electoral system, as well as examples of civic education campaign materials.

The overview of the report on the World Social Situation 2009 has been issued (A/64/158).The report notes that although considerable progress has been made in reducing levels of absolute poverty, overall, the world is not on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals of halving levels of extreme poverty by 2015. UN Pulse: Permanent Link: World Social Situation 2009

Policy, Law, Economics and Politics - Deepening Democracy through Access to Information

The Pikoli interim interdict (August 2009)
The Centre for Constitutional Rights highlights the principles of legality and constitutionality at the heart of the interdict achieved by Advocate Vusi Pikoli against President Jacob Zuma.

Scorecard on the first 100 days of the Zuma Presidency (August 2009)
The Congress of the People gives President Jacob Zuma a rating of 50 out of 100 for his first 100 days in office, and identifies three areas requiring urgent attention: moral leadership, crime and cooperation with opposition parties.

Blade Nzimande's threats of class war (August 2009)
The FW de Klerk Foundation examines recent "provocative" statements by Blade Nzimande in this news alert.

HIV Transmission in Intimate Partner Relationships in Asia (August 2009)
This report from UNAIDS examines the issue of women who are married or in long-term relationships at risk of HIV infection owing to their partners' high-risk behaviours.

 

ADAM HABIB
South Africa: Conceptualizing a Politics of Human-Oriented Development
 This paper reflects on what needs to be done for a human-oriented development agenda in South Africa? It investigates the broader structural political condition, especially the configuration of power, under which human-oriented development occurs.

INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES
Africa is now officially a zone free of nuclear weapons
Thirteen years after it officially opened for signature, the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Pelindaba) has finally come into force with the twenty-eighth deposit of its ratification instrument by Burundi on 15 July 2009.

INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY IN SOUTH AFRICA
Public servants still profit from State tenders
At what point could corruption become endemic in South Africa? When might it become so systematised that it becomes almost irreversibly ‘the way business is done'?

INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES
Transitional Justice in Kenya:
Government to Deploy Truth Commission and Ordinary Criminal Courts Since the tragic events that followed the disputed presidential elections on 27 December 2007 in Kenya, debate has been raging on what should be done, and what forms of accountability should be imposed on those responsible for the post-election

SA: Nkoana-Mashabane: Speech by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation at the Heads of Missions Conference (13/08/2009)

SA: Motlanthe: Address of the Deputy President of South Africa at the National Council of Provinces Strategic Planning Workshop, Cape Town (13/08/2009)

UP: Chetty: TB Davie Memorial Academic Freedom lecture by Nithaya Chetty (12/08/2009)

SA: Sefularo: Address by the Deputy Minister of Health to the Disease Control Priorities South Africa project workshop, Magaliesburg (11/08/2009)

SA: Molewa: Keynote address by the Minister of Social Development at Kwanda Fundraising Event (11/08/2009)

SA: Motsoaledi: Address by the Minister of Health at a regional conference on pandemic influenza A (H1N1) (11/08/2009)

SA: Zuma: Address by the President of South Africa on the fifyt-third Anniversary of the Women's March to the Union Buildings; Vryheid, National Women's Day (09/08/2009)

This Web page describes a 2008 AHRC-funded workshop series which aimed to explore the inconsistencies between multi-faith, faith-blind modern Western states which yet sponsor, regulate and reflect religious practice. The Web page includes each workshop's programme and a list of participants.From Intute.ac.uk

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/gps/research/projects/ReligionSociety.html

Party system developments and electoral legislation in

This site provides free access to a conference paper by Carlo Fusaro which was delivered at the 2009 Political Studies Association conference, Manchester, April 2009. The 23 page paper analyses the evolution of the political system in Italy, focusing upon the Italian electoral laws in the aftermath of the 1948 constitution.It includes analysis of the 2006, 2008 elections in Italy.From Intute.ac.uk

http://www.psa.ac.uk/journals/pdf/5/2009/Fusaro.pdf

Dictatorship, disorder and decline in Myanmar

This site provides free access to the full text of the book Dictatorship, Disorder and Decline in Myanmar edited by Monique Skidmore and Trevor Wilson which was published by ANU E-press in December 2008, ISBN 9781921536335 (Online). The 240 page book provides a good introduction to the political, economic and social situation in Myanmar Burma) under the military government. It includes coverage of opposition to the government by the National League for Democracy (NLD), the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and human rights abuses. It also assesses the impact of the regime on economic and social development in the region.From Intute.ac.uk

http://epress.anu.edu.au/myanmar02_citation.html

Economic Survey for Latin America and the Caribbean 2008-2009
Source: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN)

The publication of the sixty-first edition of the Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean, corresponding to 2008-2009, comes at a critical point in the economic development of the Latin American and Caribbean region. A growth phase that the region’s recent history cannot equal in nature and duration has come to an end and output is contracting. The toll this state of affairs is taking on the well-being of the population will inevitably be reflected in setbacks in social variables. Two traits set the current situation apart from the many crises that have beset the region in decades past. First, this crisis did not originate in the region or even in another emerging economy, but in the world’s largest economy, whence the effects spread worldwide, albeit with significant differences among countries and regions. Second, since the countries have (albeit with major exceptions) reduced their debt and built up their reserves during the boom years, the region overall is better prepared than in the past, and than other regions this time around, to tackle the crisis. These traits, in turn, have two implications. First, the rate of contraction forecast for 2009 is relatively moderate although, again, with sharp differences among the countries of the region. Second, the recovery depends to a great extent on an upturn in the global economy overall.

The first part of this edition of the Economic Survey looks at the channels through which the crisis is affecting the economies of the region and its impact on variables such as economic growth, employment and external-sector indicators. It also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the countries in dealing with the fallout from the global crisis and the economic policies they have deployed to this end. The analysis covers the performance of the region’s economy in 2008 and the first semester of 2009 and concludes with a discussion of the outlook for the second half of the year. This chapter draws on an extensive statistical appendix.

+ Full Document (PDF; 1 MB)

Via: UN Pulse and Docuticker

Policy, Law, Economics and Politics - Deepening Democracy through Access to Information

 

Report on the current situation in Zimbabwe (August 2009)

In this release, the Democratic Alliance reports on the situation in Zimbabwe and provides recommendations for the South African government on how it can be dealt with.

 

Economic Crisis Response Task Team briefs the President (August 2009)

Released by The Presidency, this briefing outlines the progress of the Framework Response to the Economic Crisis.

 

Human Rights Violations Against Women and Truth Commissions (July 2009)

This report, from the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, looks at how African countries have dealt with human rights violations against women in post conflict situations.

 

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Ratification Campaign (August 2009) 

 

 

INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES

The Enigma of South Africa’s Arms Trade

On Sunday, 2 August, the defence and veterans' affairs spokesperson of the Democratic Alliance (DA), held a media conference in Cape Town in which he suggested that South Africa's arms export control regime was in a state of crisis. He also...

 

GLOBAL ACCOUNT

Gill Marcus and South African economic development 

South Africa will have a new central bank governor before the end of the year. Gill Marcus, chairperson of Absa Group and Absa Bank, will replace the current governor, Tito Mboweni.

 

INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES

The Reasons Behind Service Delivery Protests in South Africa

Over the past few weeks South Africa experienced a wave of protest action across most provinces. According to ANC spokesperson Jesse Duarte there have been protests in ‘only' 14 of the 283 municipalities, but other sources put the figure at more...

 

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Africa: Taking the Gap in Modern Economic Theory

The air is clearing after the spectacular financial crisis, markets are once again picking up, but will it be business as usual? Modern economic theory has been shaken to its roots, and its core assumptions are undergoing serious revision. What...

Highlights from this issue

** PAMBAZUKA ANNUAL BREAK: 10-31 AUGUST **
This week's issue of Pambazuka News (445) will be our last until 3  
September, as we are closing for a short break over the month of  
August. We still very much welcome article submissions during this  
period, but ask prospective contributors to be patient with us, as you  
may not receive a response from the editorial team until after 31  
August.

FEATURES
- Firoze Manji comments on Hilary Clinton's African tour
- Steve Ouma Akoth on what they don't tell you about AGOA
- Wangari Maathai on why you shouldn't be fooled by the Kenyan TJRC
- Chidi Anselm Odinkalu asks how to save international justice in Africa
- Nikolaj Nielsen on why the Sahrawi are still waiting for a referendum
- Patrice Lumumbas's poem, Dawn in the heart of Africa
- William Gumede says sexist leaders are damaging the women's rights  
agenda
- John Quigley on the perils of prosecuting international crimes
- Merrill Smith speaks out against refugee warehousing
- Agustin Velloso on Equatorial Guinea's thirty years with Obiang
- Gerald Caplan on Abousfian Abdelrazik's battle to get off the UN's  
blacklist
- Grace Puliyel says countries can gain from brain drain

COMMENT & ANALYSIS
- Memorable quotations from Mwalimu Nyerere
- Chambi Chachage on Tanzania's tale of two governments
- Paul Mwangi Maina says social networks are a double-edged sword

PAN-AFRICAN POSTCARD
- Khadija Sharife on pirate bankers and shadow economies
- Ama Biney on the return of a stolen king's head to Ghana

ADVOCACY & CAMPAIGNS
- Addressing violence and discrimination against women and girls is  
urgent
- End repressive laws targeting women in Sudan

BOOKS & ARTS
- Simbarashe Mashiri reviews Stanley Makuwe's new play.

AFRICAN WRITERS? CORNER
- A short story by Karest Lewela

EMERGING POWERS IN AFRICA WATCH
- Lucy Corkin looks at the latest developments in the Macau Hub

African politics web archive

This site contains a database of a small number of archived African politics websites They have been selected by Stanford University and archived by the California Digital Library web archiving service. They include sites from key newspapers and organisations. Each entry has snapshots of the site from different dates which capture news stories. The collection may be searched or browsed. A key topic are elections and politics in Ghana from 2008 onwards. Copyright and technical information is provided on the website.From Intute.ac.uk
http://webarchives.cdlib.org/a/AfricaWebArchive

Malawi elections 2009 final report

This site provides free access to the full text of the report on the 2009 Malawi presidential and parliamentary elections by the Commonwealth Secretariat which was published in July 2009. The 47 page report contains analysis of the political background to the elections, the state of democracy and the electoral system, the conduct of the election campaigns and vote counting.From: Intute.ac.uk

http://www.thecommonwealth.org/document/34293/152078/211206/2009_malawi_election

Down the wrong path? Party reform processes in the institutions of candidate selection and recruitment in the United Kingdom

This site provides free access to a conference paper by Meryl Kenny which was delivered at the 2009 Political Studies Association conference, Manchester, April 2009. The 32 page paper employs a feminist institutional approach to analyse recent changes to political candidate selection by political parties in Scotland. It uses micro level data from an example of a Scottish constituency in the run up to the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections.

http://www.psa.ac.uk/journals/pdf/5/2009/Kenny.pdf
From Intute.ac.uk

Party members, discontent and theories of political participation

This site provides free access to a conference paper by Emilie van Haute which was delivered at the 2009 Political Studies Association conference, Manchester, April 2009. The 16 page paper uses a case study of political parties in Belgium to examine and analyse theories of discontent among party members. It considers the effect upon party activism and political participation.

http://www.psa.ac.uk/journals/pdf/5/2009/van%20Haute.pdf

From Intute.ac.uk

Allegations of UK complicity in torture

This site provides free access to the full text of the report published by the Joint Committee on Human Rights as HL Paper 152 HC 230 in August 2009. The 140 page report analyses allegations that the UK was involved in the torture of alleged terrorist suspects in Pakistan and elsewhere. It includes coverage of obligations to prevent torture in international law and specific case allegations including those of Binyam Mohamed, who was released from Guantanamo Bay. Also covered are issues relating to UK government accountability.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200809/jtselect/jtrights/152/152.pdf

From Intute.ac.uk

This site provides free access to the full text of the report by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee which was published as HC 302 session 2008-9 in August 2009. The 321 page report analyses the security situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan and UK foreign policy towards the region, making critical comment and suggestions for future reform. Topics covered include the role of the international community, the UK mission to Afghanistan; American foreign policy since the election of the new president in 2009 and the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The report also contains a report of the findings of a Foreign Policy Committee visit to the region in April-May 2009.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmfaff/302/302.pdf

From Intute.ac.uk

Five years of illegality: time to dismantle the Wall and respect the rights of Palestinians

This site provides free access to the full text of a pamphlet by Valerie Feron which was published as an Oxfam research report in July 2009. The 32 page report contains case studies of Palestinians interviewed during 2009 about their experiences of living near the 'security wall' barrier erected by Israel. It seeks tom show the hardship and poverty which the constriction of this barrier has caused. The report contains some background history of the 'Wall', including a timeline of key events, map and information on its relation to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Free registration is required to download the document.

http://publications.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam/display.asp?K=e2009070811130755&TAG=&CID=

From Intute.ac.uk

The Pew Global Attitudes Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Centre for the People and the Press which is using public opinion surveys from over 55 nations worldwide to examine trends in public opinion. It is possible to access and download free of charge a large number of the datasets and indicators. Topics cover a wide range of political, economic and social topics. These include Confidence in the U.S. President; opinions and images of specific nations (including the USA, China and Russia, Iran) attitudes towards Islamic extremism / radical Islam; quality of life in individual households and economic globalizations. The website provides information on the methodology and links to associated research reports.  http://pewglobal.org/database/

The Battle Deaths Dataset 2.0 was compiled by the Centre for the Study of Civil War (CSCW) at International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO). It updates an earlier version of the database, details of which are provided on the website. It is possible to download the statistical figures, along with associated codebooks, explanations and documentation. The datasets provides statistics on battle field deaths from 1946-2005. This includes deaths amongst civilians and soldiers. It is possible to identify data by year or geographical region. Details of methodology and copyright is supplied on the website. From Intute.ac.uk   http://www.prio.no/CSCW/Datasets/Armed-Conflict/Battle-Deaths/The-Battle-Deaths-

The authoritative electronic weekly newsletter and platform for social  justice in Africa

CONTENTS: 1. Features, 2. Comment & analysis, 3. Highlights – French edition, 4. Pan-African Postcard, 5. Advocacy & campaigns, 6. Letters & Opinions, 7. Obituaries, 8. African Writers’ Corner, 9. Blogging Africa, 10. Emerging powers in Africa Watch.

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/58070

 

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Highlights from this issue

 

FEATURES

- Maina Kiai on Kenya and the politicisation of ethnicity

- Lydiah Kumento Bosire on the politics of violence and accountability in Kenya

- Onyango Oloo on retrieving Kenya from the power vampires

- Henning Melber remembers Namibia?s forgotten political prisoners

- Wallie Roux on why Namibia shouldn?t sign the interim EPA

- Mphutlane wa Bofelo on the third force behind SA's national protests

- William Gumede says the ANC needs urgent reform to retain popular support

- Jegede Ademola Oluborode asks whether the UNHRC can secure human

rights in Africa

- Khadija Sharife on Nigeria and the road to (S)hell

- Renu Modi on why India may be an ideal partner for Africa

 

COMMENT & ANALYSIS

- Sabella Ogbobode Abidde says the Niger Delta needs equity not an amnesty

- Isaac Newton Kinity on how Moi plunged Kenya into drought

- Thelma Tafadzwa Madondo on the perils of legalising prostitution in SA

- Vincent Nuwagaba says Uganda's institutions are used, misused and abused

 

PAN-AFRICAN POSTCARD

- Khadija Sharife on why dams may cause Africa more problems than they are worth

 

ADVOCACY & CAMPAIGNS

- Kola Ibrahim on the Nigerian university workers? strikes

- South Africa's investment treaties must meet its human rights obligations

- Stakeholder meeting on implementation of women's rights protocol

- Angolan government forcibly evicts thousands

 

LETTERS & OPINIONS

- Bill Rutto is concerned about the scope of Kenya's Truth, Justice

and Reconcilation Commission

- Mutsa Murenje says Mugabe must step down

 

OBITUARIES

- Issa Shivi pays two poetic tributes to the late Professor Haroub Othman

 

AFRICAN WRITERS’ CORNER

- Dreams of my country, dreams of a continent by Mary Kimani

 

BLOGGING AFRICA

- Sokari Ekine on the politics of words, pictures and pineapples

 

EMERGING POWERS IN AFRICA WATCH

- Yves Niyiragira says it is in China's interests for Africa to remain stable

 

PAMBAZUKA NEWS IS TAKING A BREAK IN AUGUST

Next week's issue of Pambazuka News (445) will be our last until 3

September…