Hoisted by their own petard. I love that phrase and I think that’s what the Democrats are unfortunately being forced to do.
In Africa and other newer societies the body of law is less than in our “ancient” country (as one African commentator recently called us). That means two things: there’s less to consider and less to interpret.
It’s very hard to write about Africa when America is in such crisis. But there’s one topic that stitches the two together perfectly: corruption.
Corruption is at the heart of America’s disintegration, today. And corruption was always pervasive in Africa until just recently. But it’s not an exaggeration to say that corruption in America, today, is greater than it was ever anywhere in Africa that I can remember.
A few days ago in New York I sat down with someone deeply involved in The Sudan’s American diaspora, and I was stopped in my tracks when he affirmed with facile certainty that the diaspora thinks the current revolution will succeed.
But what do you think he said when I asked him to predict if Trump would be defeated next year?
OK, buckle up. I’m going to show how last night’s democratic debate explains this week’s Tunisian presidential election.
Right. Do all those dem candidates even know where Tunisia is? (Do you?)
A moment of peace in a world of war. The Nobel Peace Prize correctly heralds the young democratic Ethiopian leader, Abiy Ahmed Ali, for his efforts “to achieve peace and international cooperation, [specifically] to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea.”
But forgive my refrain, the absence of western diplomacy from “Trump” risks obliterating all the good that’s been done.
The shakeup of democracy felt round the world is causing tremors right into the judiciary.
In South Africa attempts to purify a corrupt judiciary have begun. Previously the exclusive purvey of the “Judicial Services Commission (JSC)” – a 23-person panel of mostly political appointees plus several high court judges, Parliament has indicated concern that multiple JSC commissioners have criminal convictions or outstanding indictments with too many conflicts of interest.
And must be removed from the bench.
When’s the last time that you unpacked your cart as the check-out teller balled you out for buying plastic bags for clogging up the environment?
We just experienced a similar thing in Botswana. Not with plastic bags but with elephants.
A “parliamentary driven democracy as opposed to presidential… is the only system which [can] shield the country from biased or unsuitable leaders.”
So ascribes Kenya’s current president together with his principal rival who were on opposite sides of the mini civil war of 2008. While America languishes in anguished reflection regarding what to do with something like Trump, Kenya has a plan. They intend to change their constitution.
Trevor Noah isn’t so funny, anymore, and I find it kind of weird saying so. He’s a Sowetean comic in the United States and I’m an American blogger of South Africa.
We came to blows after his recent rendition of the South African election and one candidate in particular:
Change is on the way but it’s a long way ‘comin.
That’s what the South Africa election tells us and not only about South Africa but for all the world’s democracies.
So far no surprises in the South African elections and quite possibly an affirmation that pre-election polling was correct.
Actual results won’t be known until tomorrow but there is incredible news: once again, nearly 70% of voting age South Africans actually voted. This is a vibrant democracy and it gives Americans pause to rethink exactly what we are.
I regularly answer pollsters who call uninvited the exact opposite of what I believe. This isn’t because I advocate lying. In fact whenever a pollster as has happened asks if I’m certain, or telling the truth, I own up to my facade. Rather, it’s to participate in how inaccurate polling is.
Remember the polls for the last couple elections? Well just as a week-from-tomorrow’s grand election in South Africa is an absolute marker for what may happen in 2020 here in America, let’s now start gauging their polls. Perhaps that, too, can be a marker for America.
So let’s say you’re running for national office. And let’s say you’re an incredible progressive promoting aggressive implementation of climate change remedies and reforms including a moratorium on any new development of fossil fuels.
And then let’s say that less than a few months before the election an oil-equivalent billion barrels of gas are discovered in your country. What do you do? This is exactly what’s happened in South Africa, elections on May 8.
Elections, 0. Popular Uprisings, 3 (or more). Are we experiencing a new Arab Spring? Or better, a new Human Spring?
Popular uprisings in The Sudan, Algeria and South Africa are creating governments that align with the will of the people. Elections in the UK failed to achieve Brexit and so misconstrued the will of the Britts that it’s comic. Elections in the U.S. were called not by a majority vote; so they were never democratic to begin with. Elections in Israel reaffirmed the power of one of the vilest men ever to run a country. Democracy as it’s been known for a century or more is failing. Street protests, especially in Africa, are succeeding.
Africa as my lifeway’s platform for roughly 5 months annually during the troubled times of the last few years has radically changed my view of democracy.
Last week Rwanda celebrated the first quarter century in possibly a thousand years without a mass genocide. The Sudanese Army fired on the Sudanese secret service last night to protect opponents of the government.
The avowed communist state of Ethiopia last year implemented a series of human rights protections that may be the most progressive on earth. All of these stellar human rights’ accomplishments were in totally undemocratic regimes.