Dialogues: August 2021

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

He is gone, but he lives forever, The "Genius".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQXyK1uxTps

USA Africa Dialogue Series - Narrow Politics and Questions of Democratic Development

Narrow Politics and Questions of Democratic Development

Salihu Moh. Lukman

Progressive Governors Forum

Abuja

The American journalist and historian, Anne Applebaum, in the book, Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism, stressed that 'The jangling, dissonant sound of modern politics; the anger on cable television and the evening news; the fast pace of social media; the headlines that clash with one another when we scroll through them; the dullness, by contrast, of the bureaucracy and the courts; all of this has unnerved that part of the population that prefers unity and homogeneity. Democracy itself has always been loud and raucous, but when its rules are followed, it eventually creates consensus. The modern debate does not. Instead, it inspires in some people the desire to forcibly silence the rest.'

There is no better description of contemporary Nigerian political reality. The avalanche of objectionable news with commentaries that basically conclude everything is bad in the country, is the order of the day. Any attempt to argue to the contrary is condemned and rejected. Both social and conventional media – electronic, print, local, national, and international news about Nigeria are dominated by horrible newsflashes of activities of insurgents, bandits, ethnic and religious mercenaries in the country. It is either report of kidnap, abduction, and killing of innocent Nigerians, or some depressing reports of attacks on security agencies and institutions by bandits and insurgents, or damaging commentaries of so-called failure of political leaders, parties and governments, especially, President Muhammadu Buhari and the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), or court judgements that further exposes the challenges facing Nigerian democracy, or some angry public statements by groups, so-called analysts, experts and political leaders against political establishments in the country, and so on and so forth.

The list is almost endless. For instance, in August 2021, reported incidences of killings in Plateau State, bandit attacks of Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), continued activities of bandits in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger States, Boko Haram – ISWAP clashes and many other criminal activities across the country have dominated national discourses. No doubt these are challenges, which require decisive responses from government. The occurrence and recurrence of these incidences, resulting in loss of lives and property are frightening, which has generated all manner headlines. Politics, which is supposed to provide options to citizens in terms of how to tackle these challenges, unfortunately, there is hardly any options, especially in terms of opposition to APC and its government.

Instead, some unsubstantiated and meaningless allegations dominate political debates in the country, without any specific proposal on how to resolve our national challenges. May be anger has taken the best out of people opposed to the APC and its government to the extent that presentations are reduced to amplifying challenges to demonstrate failure of APC and President Buhari. Wild goose campaign against 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' as Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue would insist or allegations that government, including the presidency are the sponsors of Boko Haram and bandits as Commodore (Rtd) Kunle Olawunmi would want Nigerians to believe are part of major highlight of the campaign by political opposition in the country.

Sensationally, both Governor Ortom and Commodore Olawunmi argued that they have evidence to prove their allegations. Coincidentally, not too long, sometime in September 2020, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria similarly alleged that a serving Northern Governor is the sponsor of Boko Haram. Although while making the allegations, he also claimed to have proof, after interrogation by the security, Dr. Mailafia was reported to backtracked, saying that he 'did not really mean to say that the government was part and parcel of the killings.' Since Commodore Olawumni has already began meeting with the security, hopefully the details of his evidence will come out. On the part of Governor Ortom, he claimed that he has forwarded his evidence to President Buhari and security agencies in the country. But since he feels so strong as to go public with his allegation without waiting for both President Buhari and security agencies to handle the matter, he can as well make the evidence public since he has lost confidence on established processes of managing matters of national security.

Part of the challenge with Nigerian politics is that accountability is almost zero. People could say whatever they want and get away with it. This has entrenched the phenomena whereby the main strategy of so-called opposition to APC is to 'forcibly silence' everyone into believing that President Buhari and APC governments have failed. Even leaders such as Governor Ortom whose constitutional powers to mobilise responses towards resolving challenges, no matter how small, as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution as amended, has become a leading campaigner against what he considers 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' agenda. As far as Governor Ortom is concerned anybody arguing differently must be a supporter of 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' agenda in the country, which according to him is the continuation of the early 19^th Century Fulani Jihad of Usman Danfodio.

It was the American linguist and philosopher, Noam Chomsky, in his recent book, The Precipice who lamented about how 'the "political landscape" is indeed ominous. While today's political and social circumstances are much less dire, still they do call to mind Antonio Gramsci's warning …about the severe crisis …which "consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born [and] in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear."' When a retired public servant of the status of Dr. Mailafia and a retired military officer, Commodore Olawunmi can go on air on national television to allege that people in government, including a serving Governor are the sponsors insurgency and banditry in the country and the issues are reduced to media debates, it highlights how low we have descended as a nation. Such weighty allegations should be matters of judicial investigation and once proved, all identified culprits should face the full wrath of the law.

It is more worrisome when a serving Governor could attempt to substantiate allegations of complicity against political leaders, especially President Buhari with argument about 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' agenda in the country. What does 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' of Nigeria mean? Although it is possible to convert people from other religions to Islam, could anyone who is not a Fulani be conscripted to become Fulani? Maybe it means that every Nigerian will be forced to have a Fulani tribal mark. What will be such a mark? In addition, Fulfude may become the lingua franca of Nigeria.

With respect to so-called 'islamisation', is it possible to force everybody in Nigeria to convert to islam? Maybe 'islamisation' means that shari'a law will be imposed on the country. Will that be possible. Often those who campaign based on narrow agenda have short memory. As recent as 2000, when Zamfara State under Ahmed Sani Yerima, made a questionable political declaration adopting shari'a law, thereby triggering a campaign in many parts of the North to make similar declaration for shari'a law. How many states in the North succeeded in making such a shari'a declaration? In Kaduna State, it was resisted, which led to a big crisis that consume many lives. If it wasn't successful in Kaduna, how can it succeed in Nigeria? Even as tales by moonlight, how conceivable could Governor Ortom's alleged 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' agenda be?

If a primary school pupil talks like the way all the diehard opposition campaigners in the country campaigning against so-called 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' agenda, one can excuse it because at that level of innocence, everything could appear possible. But for a public servant as highly placed as that of a Governor, retire public servant, retire security personnel, etc. it portends a big danger, which if overlooked can produce a cult mentality in the country with all the ethnic and religious hatred associated with it. Being Governor, retired public servants, retired military personnel, with all the knowledge and experiences they have but decided to adopt the imaginary notion that a country as diverse as Nigeria can be taken over by any ethnic or religious group, is the highest manifestation of morbid symptom of attempt to block any possibility that a new society can be born out of the dying culture of corruption, greed and lawlessness, which was the hallmark of PDP's sixteen year tenure.

The debate about whether PDP and APC are the same and why some mischievously argue that they have both failed was substantially treated in the presentation Nigerian Politics and Fallacy of PDP – APC Semblance. Those who wish to block initiatives to produce a new Nigeria can continue to dismiss the rebuilding work of APC government under President Buhari. However, to accuse APC and President Buhari of promoting 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' will be taking politics beneath the realm of logical reasoning. Ideally, knowledgeable and experienced people, especially public servants should not suffer from any problem that can exhibit 'morbid symptoms.' But, sadly, as a nation, we are having knowledgeable and experienced people with manifestations of 'morbid symptoms.'

The fact that a serving Governor is one of those exhibiting manifestations of 'morbid symptoms' calls for urgent review of leadership recruitment processes in the country. This should not be a partisan matter. All the parties in the country should take this very seriously. As part of that reality, the case of wild goose allegations of 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' agenda, should be a challenge, which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should take over and make it an important priority. There is no reason why for instance Governor Ortom should not disclose the full details of the APC and President Buhari's 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' agenda. The proof should be a major campaign advantage for the PDP. Inability of the PDP to take over the campaign against 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' may simply confirm the lack of evidence. To achieve that makes it obligatory for the PDP to call Governor Ortom to order by demanding for all the proof at his disposal. The consequences of allowing Governor Ortom to continue with a so-called campaign against 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' without proof will confirm that the campaign is nothing but to promote ethnic and religious hatred in the country, which is dangerous.

Already, it is arguably very clear that Governor Ortom's passion for the so-called campaign against 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' is not about developing the country or even Bunue State. Without going into the politics of Benue State, which the citizens of that state are very competent to handle, Governor Ortom's campaign mode is based on ultra-right-wing politics, which is neo-fascist and neo-Nazist. Being neo-fascist, in our context, the politics is anchored on ethnic supremacy, which is the source of Governor Ortom's so-called campaign against 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' agenda. As far as Governor Ortom is concerned, fulanis are the source of all his problems, by extension, the problem of Benue State and that of Nigeria as a whole. The bigger danger is that having identified the so-called problem, he is beginning to develop an ideology of hatred around it, which sadly is winning all manner of converts.

The only reason why such a campaign is attractive today is because President Buhari who is a Fulani man is in power. If President Buhari, a Fulani man and a Muslim being in power confirms the existence of 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation, does that suggest that when his tenure ends in May 2023, less than two years away, he will succeed in imposing another Fulani, Muslim to take over from him? Could it be part of President Buhari's strategy to impose a Fulani Muslim, that many PDP leaders are already campaigning that a PDP Presidential candidate for 2023 should come from the North? We can choose to dismiss or take for granted all the warning signs about the appearance of ultra-right-wing leadership in the country. Once the issue of leadership recruitment in the country maintained a blind eye to this reality, the potential of producing people with such ideological mindset in leadership position of Governors or even President is high. If United State could produce a Donald Trump as President, activities of people like Governor Ortom, Dr. Mailafia and Commodore Olawunmi will prepare the stage for ultra-right-wing elements to assume leadership positions in the country.

Again, if today, ultra-right wingers can conveniently moblise hatred against Fulani Muslims, it will just be a matter of time before they shift focus to other groups. Any group that can potentially block or weaken its power base, it will mobilise hatred against such a group. Given Nigerian reality, depending on who will be the major contenders in both PDP and APC, campaign against so-called 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' will mutate against both Yorubas, Igbos, Ijaws, Ishekiris, etc. Based on short-term calculations, it may choose to contract fluid partnership with the aim of blocking emerging candidates even within PDP. Therefore, as we move closer to 2023, the pangs of ethnic and religious hatred will have its strong manifestation inside PDP. Once the PDP is not able to moderate campaign of ethnic and religious hatred of so-called 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation', it will be weak in controlling how it manifest itself internally in PDP.

There is therefore the urgent need for political parties in Nigeria to take steps to discourage ethnic and religious campaign of hatred. The hard truth is that to be able to discourage ethnic and religious campaign of hatred in the country would require that parties put in place internal code of conducts – byelaws, beyond what is provided in their constitution. Parties, as they are today, are weak in regulating the conducts of political leaders and elected representatives. If Nigerian democracy is to develop and become the facilitator for national unity and political development in the country, regulating the conduct of political leaders and elected representatives cannot be left to chance. In the circumstance, as things are today, so-called campaign against 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' is more a danger to PDP than it is to APC.

In fact, it more a danger to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, former Governor Sule Lamido, etc. than it is a danger to President Muhammadu Buhari or any potential APC Presidential candidate from the North. It is also potentially a danger against the emergence of any possible Presidential candidate in PDP from the South-West, South-East or South-South than it is to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Governor Kayode Fayemi, former Governor Ibikunle Amosun of APC from the South-West; or former Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole from the South-South; or former Governor Rochas Okorocha and any other contender from the South-East.

Narrow politics can misrepresent ultra-right-wing politics based on partisan coloration. The biggest danger of ultra-right-wing politics is more manifest in the host party. PDP leaders would need to understudy what became of the US Republican Party after President Donald Trump to appreciate the dangers of so-called 'fulanisation' and 'islamisation' campaign of promoting ethnic and religious hatred to PDP's electoral fortune. Already, PDP is faced with enough challenges. It must not allow the seed of right-wing politics to grow within its leadership. Once that happens, its capacity to put up any strong electoral contest in the country will be eroded.

This position does not represent the view of any APC Governor or the Progressive Governors Forum

Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - A Speculative Question on Colonialism and Western Contact with Africa

And what would the West be without Africa?

Professor Gloria Emeagwali
History Department, Central Connecticut State University
www.africahistory.net

http://web.ccsu.edu/afstudy/archive.html

Chief Editor- "Africa Update"

www.vimeo.com/gloriaemeagwali

Gloria Emeagwali's Documentaries

2014 Distinguished Research Excellence Award in African Studies

University of Texas at Austin

2019 Distinguished Africanist Award

New York African Studies Association

From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju <toyin.adepoju@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2021 5:47 PM
To: usaafricadialogue <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>
Cc: Naija Observer <naijaobserver@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - A Speculative Question on Colonialism and Western Contact with Africa

Please be cautious: **External Email**

If you had a chance to change history so that Africa did not experience colonisation and so never had any contact with the West at the scale it had, would you do it?

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USA Africa Dialogue Series - The Father of Reggae, Lee Scratch Perry passes on

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ziggy-marley-lee-scratch-perry-tribute-1218986/

Ziggy Marley Pays Tribute to 'Musical Scientist' Lee 'Scratch' Perry - Rolling Stone

Ziggy Marley remembered late reggae and dub great Lee "Scratch" Perry's "genius, uniqueness, courage and freedom," in a tribute following the musician's death Sunday, August 29th, at ...

www.rollingstone.com

Professor Gloria Emeagwali
History Department, Central Connecticut State University
www.africahistory.net

http://web.ccsu.edu/afstudy/archive.html

Chief Editor- "Africa Update"

www.vimeo.com/gloriaemeagwali

Gloria Emeagwali's Documentaries

2014 Distinguished Research Excellence Award in African Studies

University of Texas at Austin

2019 Distinguished Africanist Award

New York African Studies Association

Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Motunrayo Alaka to Interview Omoyele Sowore

Okay.

I hope all these interviews will make a compendium to be published for people to have opportunity to buy in not too far future.

Thanks TF, the Irunmole Iwe.

Segun.

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 31, 2021, at 7:47 PM, Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:

Motunrayo Alaka to Interview Omoyele Sowore

<image001[69].jpg>

Motunrayo Alaka is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism – the organisation that trailblazed the promotion of investigative reporting in Nigeria. She has worked actively to achieve strategic communication projects for development, promote social entrepreneurship, influence inclusive governance, facilitate collaborative journalism, mainstream girls and women issues and promote value-driven leadership over the last 16 years. She led the inauguration of the Nigerian Network for Investigative Journalism in 2011 and has developed programmes, strategies, curriculums and harnessed resources in people, competences and funds for 13 years to train and mentor hundreds of reporters and influence the publication of about 230 human-angle reports on education, oil and gas, electricity, girls and women and COVID-19. She created the Report Women programme and its Female Reporters Leadership Programme initiative to change the status of leadership female persons in the news and newsrooms. Motunrayo Alaka is a graduate of Political Science from the University of Ado-Ekiti and has a Masters in Diplomacy and Strategic Studies, from the University of Lagos. She is a Fellow of the Draper Hills programme and John S. Knight Fellowship, both at Stanford University. She serves on the board of the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, headquartered in the United States of America, amongst other commitments. When she is not working, she enjoys bonding with her big community of family and friends.

Sunday, September 5, 2021

5:00 PM Nigeria

4:00 PM GMT

11:00 AM Austin CST

Register and Watch:

https://www.tfinterviews.com/post/omoyele-sowore

Join via Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82796941660

Watch on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tfinterviews/live

Watch on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2lvX7A2iVndiCq0NfFcb0w/live

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USA Africa Dialogue Series - Motunrayo Alaka to Interview Omoyele Sowore

Motunrayo Alaka to Interview Omoyele Sowore

Motunrayo Alaka is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism – the organisation that trailblazed the promotion of investigative reporting in Nigeria. She has worked actively to achieve strategic communication projects for development, promote social entrepreneurship, influence inclusive governance, facilitate collaborative journalism, mainstream girls and women issues and promote value-driven leadership over the last 16 years. She led the inauguration of the Nigerian Network for Investigative Journalism in 2011 and has developed programmes, strategies, curriculums and harnessed resources in people, competences and funds for 13 years to train and mentor hundreds of reporters and influence the publication of about 230 human-angle reports on education, oil and gas, electricity, girls and women and COVID-19. She created the Report Women programme and its Female Reporters Leadership Programme initiative to change the status of leadership female persons in the news and newsrooms. Motunrayo Alaka is a graduate of Political Science from the University of Ado-Ekiti and has a Masters in Diplomacy and Strategic Studies, from the University of Lagos. She is a Fellow of the Draper Hills programme and John S. Knight Fellowship, both at Stanford University. She serves on the board of the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, headquartered in the United States of America, amongst other commitments. When she is not working, she enjoys bonding with her big community of family and friends.

Sunday, September 5, 2021

5:00 PM Nigeria

4:00 PM GMT

11:00 AM Austin CST

Register and Watch:

https://www.tfinterviews.com/post/omoyele-sowore

Join via Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82796941660

Watch on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tfinterviews/live

Watch on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2lvX7A2iVndiCq0NfFcb0w/live

USA Africa Dialogue Series - New Release, 2021: 14: Flavor, Doings

Flavour - Doings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfLiqasATb0

Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Beyond Armchair talk........Understanding the dynamics and context of the Afghan mess: The people of Afghanistan are paying the price for the hatred and regrets of one man

dear oaa

there were other attacks by muslim militants prior to 9/11. an earlier attempt to blow up one of the towers, from the basement, that failed. an attack on an american warship off of yemen. there was also a heightened rhetoric of al qaeda calling for attacks, and those attacks vilified the u.s. but also the saudi royal govt. and of course there was iran and its rhetoric of the great satan. and saddam hussein's enmity had become heightened thanks to bush the father.

9/11 wasn't the beginning of the conflict, but it brought it home to the u.s. which felt invulnerable.

i am answering your points below because i didn't spell this out before, though i thought it was obvious.

we attacked afghanistan in order to get at al qaeda and to kill osama bin laden--in revenge for 9/11. but the larger goal of the hawks was to establish more dominance and control in the middle east, the real goal, which was revealed by bush's turning his crusade to iraq, and his belabored efforts to justify it with a series of lies about nuclear threats, etc. it was transparent, and everyone could see it, unless they didn't care. most americans didn't care and barely heard of saddam hussein, so bush had to mobilize them with the lies and propaganda.

it is probably a mistake to predict the future for afghanistan, or ethiopia, or the congo, or the u.s.a. i can't predict my own future for tomorrow. can you?

nothing precludes the taliban from reasserting sharia law in whatever form they please. they won the war.

the only point you make that i would choose to dispute is your description of previous taliban rule as "primitive."

ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

harrow@msu.edu

From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovdepoju@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2021 5:41 PM
To: usaafricadialogue <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Beyond Armchair talk........Understanding the dynamics and context of the Afghan mess: The people of Afghanistan are paying the price for the hatred and regrets of one man

How could the US Afghan effort "stamp out Muslim opposition that coalesced round 9/11"?

I'm trying to understand the logic represented by that statement.

Afghanistan is only one Muslim country.

Did the US need to attack Afghanistan in order to attack Iraq?

The first Iraq war did not involve an attack on Afghanistan, did it?

Was the search for Bin Laden not part of the reason for the US presence in Afghanistan?

Whatever may have been the full scope of the motives of the US in Afghanistan, the liberal society they were central to enabling and the democratic culture they helped nurture, even if inadequately, means that the country is not likely to be able to return for long, if at all, to it's previous era of primitive Taliban rulership.

Even Taliban seem to have realised this, as evident from their efforts to present themselves as reformed as they seek international recognition.

Thanks

Toyin

On Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 21:55 Harrow, Kenneth <harrow@msu.edu> wrote:

i don't want to get into a whole thing here, but to be precise the u.s. did not go into afghanistan to install democracy, or to free its women. those were the excuses.

they went to stamp out muslim opposition that coalesced around 9/11. people here were outraged, bush helped whip up more outrage, and used his wife to call on the women's issue.

so why did we go to conquer a country, and not simply take revenge? the answer is really obvious. we took on afghanistan to enable our country to overthrow the govt in iraq, and the reasons for that have to do with american and western hegemony in the oil producing region. we joined forces with the saudis and uae etc, to manage the flow of oil to our benefit.

i'm no specialist. it is obvious to anyone.

ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

harrow@msu.edu

From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovdepoju@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2021 1:48 PM
To: usaafricadialogue <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Beyond Armchair talk........Understanding the dynamics and context of the Afghan mess: The people of Afghanistan are paying the price for the hatred and regrets of one man

I wonder if anyone is to blame.

Should the US not have gone to Afghanistan to dislodge Bin Laden?

Should the US have left the Taliban in power after the US is described as smoking him out of there?

Won't the long US presence and the attempt at democracy they sustained make it hard for the Taluban to maintain power if their rule does not try to provide a significant degree of the freedoms represented by US presence?

I get the impression that Afghanistan's future has been empowered by the US, making a return to the earlier primitivity of the Taliban difficult to sustain or even impossible.

Quality of life is likely to be seen by Afghans as superior to human stunting Islamic policies from a sect that represents only one kind of approach to Islam.

Thanks

Toyin

On Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 15:44 msjoe21st via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:

There is no shortage of recrimination, which is only rivaled by playing on the ignorance of the public by pundits and press alike. It is good to read from those who go beyond the shallow banters, histrionics and hysteria.

https://news.yahoo.com/people-afghanistan-paying-price-hatred-120937862.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Note: Zalmay Khalilzad, featured prominently in this report, born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, served as US Ambassador to the UN, Afghanistan and Iran (under George Bush). Reportedly considered for the post of Secretary of State by Trump, he was appointed US Special Envoy to Afghanistan reconciliation at the State Department, and Biden retained him in the position. Khalilzad is an ethnic Pashtun.

"The people of Afghanistan are paying the price for the hatred and regrets of a man who became a US citizen years ago but who, in his soul and heart, continues to harbour the dream of becoming the president of Afghanistan. In the run-up to both the 2009 and 2014 elections, Khalilzad attempted to get support from the influential elders of Afghanistan to back his candidacy for presidency but he got nowhere." Camelia Entekhabifard , editor-in-chief of The Independent Persian

Note: The former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, born in Afghanistan, an ethnic Pashtun, who fled was also an American citizen. He is considered an expert on "failed states." He authored a book or books to that end. This is what is called: the point is academic.

The Taliban is not a monolithic force but overwhelmingly Pashtun.

How any foreign system think it understood the Afghans, intrigues and all, to remake them in the image of America, is another wonder.

China and Russia abstain from the UN vote on "safe harbor."

MsJoe.

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Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
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Monday, August 30, 2021

USA Africa Dialogue Series - Prof. Teodros Kiros in Conversation with Prof. Noam Chomasky

A brilliant interview…too, too good.

https://youtu.be/2IV1NAzD4_w

Allow me to share with you two of the recent publications of Professor Kiros.

https://africaworldpressbooks.com/conversations-with-cornel-west-by-tedros-kiros/

and

https://africaworldpressbooks.com/zara-yacob-rationality-of-the-human-heart-by-teodros-kiros/

Prof. Teodros Kiros is the Professor of Philosophy at Berklee School of Music, the author of over 19 books and the producer of "African Ascent International"

USA Africa Dialogue Series - America Latina Criminologia Interview

Here's the link for you to join my webinar with Latin American Criminologists on September 4, 2021, 05:00 P.M. (Santiago Time is the same as NY Eastern Standard Time Zone):

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85790207807?pwd=WVBoZGtEcTFqZldCeGFoRnNnemVoUT09

Fecha y hora: 4 sept. 2021 05:00 p. m. Santiago
Tema: Biko Agozino en Innova Pública

https://www.linkedin.com/.../carlos-aloisio-6b459333_biko...

LINKEDIN.COM

Carlos Aloisio on LinkedIn:

BIKO AGOZINO EN INNOVA PÚBLICA

Tiene un doctorado en criminología

Carlos Aloisio on LinkedIn: 💡 BIKO AGOZINO EN INNOVA PÚBLICA 💡 Tiene...

💡 BIKO AGOZINO EN INNOVA PÚBLICA 💡 Tiene un doctorado en criminología de la Universidad de Edimburgo. Es pro...

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