I will try to paint a full picture of China’s roles in Sudan tomorrow night: from its involvement in development projects and contributions to peacekeeping forces to the criticisms that many have of its support for a regime considered complicit in genocidal activities.
http://wesleying.org/2009/12/01/westand-presents-arms-dams-oil-chinas-role-in-sudan
As the Financial Times reports, President Yar’Adua’s health has been in question before. It looks like he should be OK this time. But this raises questions about his potential for re-election and about likely successors. In many respects Yar’Adua has been just what Nigeria needs–a leader who unites more than he divides.
Nigerian leader in hospital
By William Wallis, Africa Editor
Published: November 27 2009 01:53 | Last updated: November 27 2009 01:53
Umaru Yar’Adua, Nigeria’s president, is suffering from acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the heart, according to an unusually frank statement issued by his personal physician on Thursday.
Mr Yar’Adua was rushed to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment earlier this week, fuelling fresh speculation about his health in the Nigerian press and prompting questions from opposition groups over whether he is fit enough to remain in office.
…
Doctors at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, confirmed an initial diagnosis of acute pericarditis, a condition that normally takes one to three weeks to treat but in extreme cases requires surgery.
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In the lead-up to Copenhagen, it makes sense that climate issues will be linked to all the evil in the world. Still, the concern about linkages between weather and conflict are not new in African studies. Ted Miguel’s work has linked rainfall (via the economic shocks associated with it) to conflict in Africa and the murder of witches in Tanzania. Some consider it at the root of the conflict in Darfur. Still, a number of researchers have pointed out that the link between climate change and conflict is — at a minimum — not very simple and perhaps very problematic (see here and here, for instance). Much as Thad Dunning has demonstrated in Crude Democracy that oil need not be the curse we make it out to be, we should be careful to understand the conditions under which climate change may (or may not) impact the likelihood of conflicts in Africa.
Climate ‘is a major cause’ of conflict in Africa
Climate has been cited as a factor behind civil conflict in DarfurClimate has been a major driver of armed conflict in Africa, research shows – and future warming is likely to increase the number of deaths from war.
US researchers found that across the continent, conflict was about 50% more likely in unusually warm years.
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Last weekend was the annual meeting of the African Studies Association, held this year in New Orleans. Despite the awful timing (why would anyone ever choose to have a conference right before Thanksgiving?), I definitely enjoyed it. It is a great opportunity to get input on one’s own work from disciplines as far afield as history and anthropology. I find that such feedback can greatly encourage lateral thinking. For instance, I had the opportunity to go to Stephanie Rupp’s talk on Saturday on Ghanaian attitudes towards China’s increasing involvement in infrastructure development. In that talk she discusses China’s involvement in constructing the Bui Dam in Ghana, a subject I am studying as well. But the neat thing is that she does this from an anthropological perspective, drawing on survey research.
One of the highlights of a conference like this, especially for young faculty such as myself, is getting to know others who are doing work in similar areas. Since my graduate student days, I have found participating with the African Politics Conference Group to be a great way to meet a lot of these people. One of their more interesting upcoming projects is a mentorship program for graduate students. Much of the time, there is only one Africanist teaching in any given graduate program. The idea here is to create a pool of Africanist professors that graduate students could call on when their own research interests/needs cannot be met within their own department. I also think this could be an excellent way for those of us teaching at liberal arts colleges to have occasional engagement with graduate students. Sandra Joireman (Wheaton) is one of the current organizers of this initiative.
The BBC reports today how humanitarian aid was used to facilitate military action in the DRC. Doctors without Borders (MSF) is one of the bravest and most savvy of aid organizations. If they ever choose to leave the region, many will be worse off.
DR Congo army ‘used aid as bait’
The Congolese army operations in the area have been suspendedThe Democratic Republic of Congo army has used vaccination clinics as “bait” to attack civilians, says aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
Thousands of Hutu civilians were targeted when they visited sites set up to combat a measles epidemic, in areas controlled by the rebels, MSF said.
It denounced the attacks in North Kivu as “an abuse of humanitarian action”.
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My students are doing a fantastic job in our current Introduction to International Politics.
One of their assignments for the term is to post on the course blog reactions to readings and recent news events, relevant to the course. Here are links to a few of the highlights so far this semester:
Readings Blog Post – International History, 1900 – 1990
Anarchy is what States Make of it
MS. PAPE – “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism”
Israel and Iran: Not very friendly towards each other.
Czech Sovereignty vs. EU Lisbon Treaty
Britain to send 500 more troops to Afghanistan–if certain conditions are met
Blogging and parenthood has not been a successful combination lately. I have basically put the blog on hold because I felt something had to give. But now I hope to gradually increase my blogging. Why? Well, I think Chris Blattman suggests a number of reasons why blogging has been useful for him (see “Is this my final blog post?”). Below are some of his highlights, mixed with my own views about why this is useful. It quickly becomes clear that blogging is both a public service and a selfish activity:
1. It is an efficient way to share information (e.g. provide general advice to students)
2. Regular writing is a great opportunity for critical reflection on current research projects, teaching, and everything we read.
3. Blogs serve as a repository for our ideas. Chris cites Dani Rodrik who apparently calls his blog his academic memory.
4. It is a way to connect with a broader intellectual community. Chris notes that he regularly gets information about interesting things to read, funding opportunities, research opportunities…
Now, I have barely started blogging, but incredibly it has led to small, but interesting research and work opportunities and intellectual connections. Even with just a few posts. Generally, the come in the form of emails rather than comments on the blog itself. But still, this has been a great.
And so, the blogging will continue…
My first day of classes back at Wesleyan is done. I was a little worried about my energy levels when my daughter, Sophie, woke me up this morning at 3:45 am! But the natural energy that comes with the onset of a new semester more than carried me through!
As usual, I’m very impressed by the Wesleyan undergrads. My intro to IR course this afternoon was attended by a number of students who had lived abroad. And more than a handful of those had lived abroad for more than five years! Such real-life experiences really enrich class discussions.
Some of the great news stories on Africa over the past 24 hours:
The Southern African Development Community is set for new talks on Zimbabwe.
Ghana has qualified for the World Cup!
Unfortunately, former UN employee Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein Hussein was jailed for wearing trousers in Sudan. Apparently, she is now free after the country’s journalist union paid her fine.
Madagascar’s new government still isn’t getting recognition from southern Africa.
And floods in West Africa have killed at least 159 people.
Yesterday was the first day of my fall semester. They gathered us faculty together to advise us on how to advise the incoming freshmen.
This is a new experience for me. I myself was never really advised during my own college experience. I have a faint memory of advisors being available for us during my undergraduate years at UC San Diego. But I don’t remember it ever being a requirement that we sit down with them. And I know for certain that my course scheduling was completely up to me.
So this is a new experience. Here at Wesleyan, faculty are responsible for approving the course plans of individual students each semester. And I can see some of the advantages and disadvantages inherent in such a system. I’ll restrain myself from mentioning any possible disadvantages until I’ve had a bit more experience. But some of the advantages are clear. Definitely at an institution that emphasizes a four-year timetable (students at UCs regularly take more than 4 years and occasionally as much as 7 or 8 years to graduate), it is useful to have advisors managing student course plans. But the best advantage I can see so far, and I’m still very new to this, is that it provides an immediate link between students and faculty, encouraging the development of community on the campus.
Advice for incoming students
Following the practice of other faculty, I’d like to offer a bit of public advice to those starting college this fall:
1. Ask questions. It is actually a very smart thing to realize that you don’t know the answer to something. So ask questions. Lots of them. And definitely do not be afraid to ask your professors any questions you might have. I’m a professor. I hang out with other professors. And I can’t remember any of them telling me they wish a student hadn’t asked them a question. But I do remember them saying they wish the students would ask more questions, come to office hours, etc.
1a. Just to stress things here. Talk to your professors. That’s what we are here for. And your access to us at a place like Wesleyan is one of the things that makes Wesleyan great. Take advantage of it.
2. Focus on learning how to learn. We will try to cram your head full of stuff while you are here. But the most important stuff that can help you most in the long-term, is learning the skills that are necessary to keep learning throughout your life.
3. Learn skills, especially writing and quantitative reasoning. OK, so I have a bias here as a political scientist. Maybe you are an artist and these particular skills don’t seem overly useful. But I think for most people, these are two of the most important skills you can learn in college. Also, don’t be afraid to tackle skills that you are uncomfortable with. Which brings me to my next point…
4. Challenge yourself. Push yourself in new directions. If you don’t like speaking in public, find courses that will push you to do just that. And don’t just play to your own preconceived notions of what you like and what your good at. If you come out of high school not liking science, try a science course here.You might surprise yourself with what you find.
5. Get involved in university life, but not over-involved! Many students here at Wesleyan don’t need to be told to get involved. But, nonetheless, it is important advice. Equally important, however, is that it is a good idea not to stretch yourself too thin. Consider doing a couple things very well, rather than many things not so well.
6. Consider study abroad. It may be too early to make solid plans for this, but — if you can make it work — this can be an extremely rewarding part of your college experience.
7. Connect… with students, staff, faculty… This is a time when many of you will form lasting relationships with people (I met my wife as a freshman in college). So, even if you are shy, make an effort to know others here.
I’m sure there is much more that can be said. But for most of you, this is a good start.
BBC NEWS | Africa | Nigerian ‘trained in Afghanistan’.
Nigerian ‘trained in Afghanistan’
Abdulrasheed Abubakar was paraded by police to make his statement
A member of the Nigerian Islamist sect behind a deadly uprising in July has confessed to receiving military training in Afghanistan, police say.
The member of the sect known locally as Boko Haram and Taliban said he had been paid $5,000 (£3,000) to do the training and promised $30,000 on his return.
The uprising in northern Nigeria left some 700 people dead, mostly militants.
If confirmed it would be the first proven link between Islamists in the oil-rich country and Afghanistan.
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Michael Nelson 