Here is a very well written article by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) dealing with the current situation in Mozambique in preparation for the national elections in October 2014. It summarises succinctly the relations between FRELIMO and RENAMO and the changes made to the composition and operations of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), amongst others.
Full article: http://www.issafrica.org/iss-today/mozambican-elections-what-to-make-of-dhlakamas-intention-to-run-for-president
The Brics summit in Durban was deemed a success by the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said “phenomenal progress” had been made in reaching an agreement to establish the New Development Bank. He could not say how long it would take to establish, but that it would be within 10 years.
Pacts signed on Wednesday included a “Multilateral agreement on Infrastructure Co-financing for Africa” and a “Multilateral Agreement on Green Economy Co-operation Co-Financing.”
A Brics Business Council was also formed and billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe has been appointed to chair it.
China’s president Xi Jinping called on Brics countries to support Africa for stronger growth: “We should not only seek our own development, but seek the development of all countries”.
The Democratic Alliance welcomed the Brics Business Council, saying that the council could become a platform to trade and develop commerce worldwide, and an axis of influence which could alter the traditional distribution of economic power in the world.
Full article: http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Brics-sign-pact-as-summit-ends-20130327
Video: http://www.fin24.com/Multimedia/Brics-wrangle-over-new-development-bank-20130327-2
(See also post of 13 May on the subject)
Everyone is talking about Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday. Really good stuff! Here is the full speech: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dnc-2012-bill-clintons-speech-at-the-democratic-national-convention-excerpt/2012/09/05/f208865e-f7a4-11e1-8253-3f495ae70650_story.html
The following day (well done!), Sam Harrison (author, speaker and workshop leader) published an analysis of Clinton’s three main techniques, all very useful: http://www.fastcompany.com/3001087/3-techniques-bill-clinton-uses-wow-audience?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company%29
It’s about time people start analysing this!
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe has said he has “serious grievances” with BEE focusing on shareholding rather helping beneficiaries gain a deeper understanding of business on Tuesday. He was addressing analysts as part of the ANC’s programme to speak to various sectors in South Africa.
Mantashe said the ANC would meet the Black Business Council (BBC) to discuss the strengths and failures of black economic empowerment (BEE) and the role of state procurement in transformation of the economy. A representative from the BBC had complained that the government’s procurement policy had gone wrong.
Various delegates raised questions about the effectiveness of BEE policies. Mantashe responded that he had a problem with the idea of BEE. “I have a serious grievance with BEE… focusing on shareholding with beneficiaries not being operational.” He said if the beneficiaries of BEE deals were not part of operations, they were not gaining a deeper understanding of the business in order to grow. “Operational exposure, to me, is more powerful than just ownership…”
He commended Exxaro Coal’s South African CEO Sipho Nkosi for not being a “window-shopping CEO”. “Sipho Nkosi is not a big shareholder, but he is very operational… he knows mining. To me, that is how we are going to transform the economy.”
Black business should deliver affordable, quality products and services if it wants government contracts, Mantashe said. “As we support black business, black business must bring a commitment of delivery, cost-competitive and quality of items that are procured,” he told analysts and business people in Soweto.
Mantashe said the primary outcome of the ANC lekgotla in July was that the government needed to drop the system of tenders. It needed to move away from giving business to black companies, and then afterwards arguing about quality and cost. “Don’t undermine this question of people delivering bridges that get eroded with the first rainfall. It can’t continue. It just can’t continue. It is wrong. It is wrong.”
Full article:
The EU and Angola: Making Up for Lost Time?
By Pedro Seabra, Portuguese Institute of International Relations and Security (IPRIS)
On April 19-21, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso paid a long awaited three-day visit to Angola, with one simple stated goal: catching up. Catching up to the time and opportunities lost in a relationship that has been neglected or poorly nurtured over the years, especially in comparison with other international suitors like China or Brazil, who have persistently wooed Angola in the hopes of figuring among its top foreign relations priorities.
… In Barroso’s own words, it “would be a mistake, it would be short-sighted for Europe not to be more present in the development tasks ahead of Angola”.
…The instrument chosen to achieve such a goal was the so-called Joint Way Forward (JWF) mechanism that the EU has used in the past to promote its relations with countries that have not yet reached the ‘strategic partnership’ level but are considered important enough to receive considerable official attention. In the case of Angola, negotiations towards the final approval of the JWF have been taking place for years now and many assumed that a final agreement would remain difficult to achieve.
… Nevertheless, despite Barroso’s own admission that the process hasn’t gone as smoothly as the EU had hoped, significant advancements have apparently been reached and Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos was even invited to visit Brussels to personally sign the final agreement, thus “elevating to a superior level the relations between the EU and Angola”.
… Auspicious expectations aside, EU officials tread a fine line when it comes to the upcoming parliamentary elections in Angola, expected to be held in the second quarter of 2012. Unlike UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon when he recently travelled to Luanda, Barroso actually met with Angolan opposition leaders and civil society leaders, seeking to highlight the efforts made by all Angolans towards preserving national peace and stability while granting nearly €1.2 million for electoral support to local movements. That did not mean, however, that he backed down from the previous announcement that the EU would not send electoral observers this time, despite the insistent requests from opposition parties.
Full article: IPRIS Viewpoints 94 www.ipris.org/php/download.php?fid=721
Everyone knew that, sooner or later, the president and the ruling party would have to start giving some answers to the people, especially the questioning youth, about the past 35 years and the future of Angola. Here is a good update of the situation in that country by the Institute for Security Studies:
Political Upheaval in Angola Ahead of 2012 Polls
Angola is due to hold presidential and parliamentary elections next year, and all indications are that tensions are mounting amidst varied incidents of political upheaval ahead of the polls. Both the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the opposition National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) are facing internal friction and possible leadership changes; while on the streets Angolans have been demonstrating with repeated fervor.
There are several points of contention that have sparked the recurrent demonstrations seen in Luanda since March this year. The major gripe is the excessive political power that resides in the presidency of Eduardo dos Santos that has resulted in poor levels of agency of the citizens of Angola by limiting their involvement in domestic political processes. Moreover, many Angolans decry their economic and political marginalisation, which has become evident in the low level of socio-economic development. Despite the strong economic growth that has taken place on the back of the oil industry, Angola still has some of the worst socio-economic indicators in Sub-Saharan Africa.
President dos Santos has announced his successor to be Sonangol chief Manuel Vicente due to, it is speculated, the aforementioned demonstrations as well as internal debates surrounding succession in the party. Commentators suspect that this move is Dos Santos testing the waters and appeasing unhappy factions, yet doubt remains as to how certain succession will be and whether Vicente will thus be presented as the presidential candidate.
In spite of the many decades that Angola has enjoyed independence, the country has not yet been metamorphosed into that which was envisioned for the country at its birth. With the country being notoriously underdeveloped, without the liberty of the citizens to engage in political processes, it is clear that a close eye will need to be kept on developments in Angola in the coming months.
Full article by Lisa Otto, ISS: http://www.issafrica.org/iss_today.php?ID=1372
Why China Wants a G-3 World
“Of all the formulations deployed in recent years to describe the emerging world order, G-2 is probably the worst and most dangerous. Americans don’t like the idea of another rival so quickly achieving strategic parity and influence, and the Chinese are uncomfortable with such a high-level responsibility commensurate with their weight. (…) In fact, we live in a “G-3” world — one that combines U.S. military power and consumption, Chinese capital and labor, and European rules and technology.
The United States, the European Union and China are the three largest actors in the world, together representing approximately 60 percent of the world economy — with the E.U. being the largest of the three. (…) What is more, the triangular relationship between these three countries is crucial to the world.
Everyone knows about the density of economic, security and human links across the Atlantic and the growing importance of the “Chimerican economy.” However, most American analysts have missed the simple fact that the E.U.-China relationship is in many ways as dense as the U.S.-China relationship. (…)
This hints at the importance of shifting toward a G-3 discourse and framework. Europe is perhaps the only power that consistently embraces and advances global norms — and devotes considerable resources to them and demonstrates policy innovation. Without European contributions, there will be little global progress on intelligence sharing, counterterrorism and proliferation, promoting democracy and human rights, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or rebuilding failed states. (…)
If we seek a 21st century of progressive governance rather than another Cold War, more regularly convening a G-3 would be a good place to start.”
Full article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/opinion/08iht-edkhanna08.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2
Here is a good assessment of the current situation, albeit a bit negative, by David Dapice:
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/global-economy-anybody-control
“Around the globe, national leaders show no clue, no confidence, about how to re-engineer job creation or global economic security, contends economist David Dapice. The US has many resources for resolving its large debt, but bickering and stubborn quests for power prevent speedy resolution. Europe’s resistance to enact long-term policies on unequal accrual of debt among its member states and grudging rescue do little to inspire confidence. Debt has weakened once strong economies, leaving them highly vulnerable in the event of unavoidable disasters, as is the case with Japan and its debt/GDP ratio of 200 percent. Emerging economies, so dependent on exports to wealthy nations and natural-resource extraction, offer limited hope. Around the world, the young confront a bleak future with limited job prospects, huge imbalances of all sorts and institutions under strain. National leaders resist efforts to pursue the common good and seek instead the pettiest of political victories. – YaleGlobal”
Follow up on the very “interesting” case of the Arms Deal, by the Institute for Security Studies:
(Anton Kruger, Consultant, Peace Missions Programme, ISS Pretoria Office)
The 11 year controversy surrounding the South African government’s controversial arms deal has once again made news headlines after Swedish defence company SAAB admitted that following its own investigations, it found “supposed” evidence of large scale corruption by British defence company BAE systems. From a purely military perspective, the question that needs to be asked now is whether the decision by the South African government to purchase the hugely expensive Gripen aircraft from BAE was actually warranted in the current low threat environment? Also, does the Gripen actually fulfill the needs of the South African Air Force (SAAF)?
Why did the SAAF want a new fighter aircraft in the first place? The Air Force’s previous fighter platform the Cheetah strike aircraft’s lifetime was coming to an end and the Air Force needed to replace it. Itself being an upgraded version of the vaunted French Mirage 3 that was purchased by the South African Air Force in the 1960’s, it served the country nearly 20 years.
Contrary to popular belief, aircraft such as the Gripen have also been used extensively during peacekeeping and enforcement missions the world over. South Africa is one of Africa’s biggest contributors to peacekeeping operations on the continent and this commitment can only be expected to increase in the future.
In conclusion it can be said that the Gripen was indeed the best aircraft for the SAAF to replace its elderly cheetah fighters and that the government did indeed need to replace it.
Those responsible for corruption and malpractice during the awarding of the arms deal should be severely punished. The scandal surrounding the arms deal has been continuing for far too long now and it is time for it to be brought to a conclusion. It is however also time for the South African public to separate the two issues: there is on the one side the bad practice and corruption, but the needs of the SANDF should also be taken into account.
Full article:
Today I am writing from Swaziland, where I am on an interpreting assignment, and thus it is fitting to share news about this friendly and beautiful country.
Swaziland asks SA for bailout —- Jun 23 2011, Reuters (excerpt)
Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, has asked South Africa for a bailout to remedy a fiscal crisis that has sparked rare political protests. Swazi dissident groups have reported that King Mswati III was looking for a R10bn loan from Pretoria.
Like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), South Africa will also baulk at lending anything to Swaziland, a landlocked nation of 1.4 million people, until the government takes the carving knife to what is Africa’s most bloated bureaucracy. The IMF said last month the country was near financial collapse, with a budget deficit of 14.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) – similar to Greece – and an economy stuck in the doldrums. Swaziland’s public wage bill amounts to 18% of GDP, more than any other country in Africa.
http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Swaziland-asks-SA-for-bailout-20110623
