U.S. President Barack Obama’s four-pronged strategy of air strikes, support to local proxies, defense against the Islamic State’s attacks through intelligence and counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance leaves many unanswered questions. It’s hardly a clear articulation of the sort of long-term, holistic strategy needed to deny the Islamic State the fertile ground it needs to thrive. The approach is fraught with trade-offs, risks, and hidden costs that need to be addressed.
Five Hidden Risks of U.S. Action Against the Islamic State – Syria in Crisis – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
September 13, 2014
Uncategorized Conflict, International Security, ISIS, Middle East, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, Syria, USA Leave a comment
ISS Africa | THINK AGAIN: In defence of the African Union
September 10, 2014
African Center for Strategic Studies Africa, Gambia, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment
ISS Africa | THINK AGAIN: In defence of the African Union.
The African Union (AU) gets a lot of flak. Critics often argue that it is slow to respond to security threats; that it prioritises power over justice; and that it fails to adequately represent the needs of this continent’s 1,11 billion citizens.
The continental organisation is often dismissed as a talk shop for tyrants, or depicted as an ineffectual, lumbering bureaucracy that worries more about per diems than it does about Africa’s most pressing political problems.
There is merit to some of these critiques. But they don’t tell the whole story, and they leave out the good bits. It is time to give credit where credit is due, and to recognise that – as imperfect as it may be – Africa is in much better shape with the AU than without it…
Facebook Hits 100M Users In Africa, Half The Continent’s Internet-Connected Population
September 10, 2014
Ebola: Misinformation can spread like virus
September 8, 2014
Uncategorized Africa, Ebola, epidemic, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, Research Leave a comment
Ebola: Misinformation can spread like virus.
Much of the reporting around ebola is rife with rumours and misconceptions. In my experience, there seem to be three main popular misconceptions around the viral outbreak.The first is that it is easy to contract ebola. Due to the gruesome nature in which the virus manifests itself in humans, people are understandably terrified of contracting ebola. Anecdotes abound about how people are scared of being on an airplane in the same confined space as anyone travelling from West Africa. However, ebola is not airborne and cannot be contracted by simply sitting beside someone and breathing the same air. Concern Worldwide have dedicated staff on the ground in both Sierra Leone and Liberia, none of whom have contracted the virus or come even close….
Ebola: Eight facts about American perception and West African reality – The Washington Post
September 8, 2014
Articles on Africa Africa, Ebola, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment
Ebola: Eight facts about American perception and West African reality – The Washington Post.
The Washington Post’s Todd C. Frankel writes about what it takes to leave some West African airports: a normal temperature. The cold calculation of health is many travelers’ ticket out of the Ebola-ravaged region
Here’s more about the epidemic, our perception of Ebola in the United States and the reality abroad:
1. The current Ebola epidemic has claimed more lives than all previous Ebola outbreaks combined.
As of last week, the number of suspected deaths (1,552) surpassed the number of confirmed deaths (1,548) from every outbreak since the disease was discovered in 1976, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Barack Obama enjoys ‘tête-à-tête across the barbed wire’ with family during Stonehenge visit
September 7, 2014
Great Picture.
U.S. and Iran Unlikely Allies in Iraq Battle – NYTimes.com
September 1, 2014
Uncategorized Conflict, International Security, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, US Leave a comment
U.S. and Iran Unlikely Allies in Iraq Battle – NYTimes.com.
BAGHDAD — With American bombs raining down from the sky, Shiite militia fighters aligned with Iran battled Sunni extremists over the weekend, punching through their defenses to break the weekslong siege of Amerli, a cluster of farming villages whose Shiite residents faced possible slaughter.
The fight in northern Iraq appeared to be the first time American warplanes and militias backed by Iran had worked with a common purpose on a battlefield against militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, even though the Obama administration said there was no direct coordination with the militias.
Should such military actions continue, they could signal a dramatic shift for the United States and Iran, which have long vied for control in Iraq. They could also align the interests of the Americans with their longtime sworn enemies in the Shiite militias, whose fighters killed many United States soldiers during the long occupation of Iraq…
Peter "Just Loves Flying" 