Opinion

The Hitlerization of Benjamin Netanyahu and the Nazification of his Likud-led coalition government THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda |  After years of frustration, I am finally proud of South Africa. It has restored my faith in the goodness of “man.” It has acquired a soft spot in my heart by doing …

COMMENT | JAPHET ARITHO | As we step into the new year, it’s imperative to reflect on the lessons learned from the past month, a period marked by joyous celebrations but also overshadowed by the grim reality of road accidents in Uganda. The festive season of December 2023, much like …

  COMMENT | IAN BURUMA |  Claudine Gay, Harvard University’s first Black female president, was forced to resign after weeks of pressure to step down. But everyone involved in the controversy that pushed her out looks bad. The ostensible reason for her ouster was sloppy academic writing – mostly the …

COMMENT | JEREMY ADELMAN | Following Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election in 2016, many pundits predicted a worldwide breakdown of democracy, and some warned of civil war. But, aside from Africa’s Sahel region, military coups remain rare, and civil wars rarer still. Instead, democracies have tended to break …

COMMENT | SARAH NEWMAN | When the world leaders gathered in Dubai for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), the United Arab Emirates unveiled the world’s highest-capacity waste-to-energy (WTE) facility. The plant is designed to process two million metric tons of municipal waste annually, producing enough electricity to power 120,000 …

  COMMENT | ANA PALACIO |  It has been an eventful year, to put it mildly. In fact, the world has endured so much war, disruption, tension, and uncertainty that we are left to wonder whether the rules-based global order, which has guided international relations since World War II, will survive …

COMMENT | KAUSHIK BASU | The International Economic Association (IEA) recently concluded its 20th World Congress in Medellín, Colombia. This triennial event brings together scholars from all over the world to share and discuss the latest developments in economic thinking. This year’s edition underscored the urgency of re-evaluating some of the …

COMMENT | DR MARTIN LUKINDU | The World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report 2023, released this month, paints a concerning picture of the global state of malaria in 2022. Despite continued efforts, malaria remains a significant public health challenge, with both malaria incidence and mortality higher now than they were …

COMMENT | CRISPIN KAHERU | The Democratic Republic of Congo’s decision to deny Election Observers from some reputable bodies could have far-reaching consequences, casting a shadow over the transparency and legitimacy of its electoral process. This move not only raises concerns about potential irregularities going unchecked but may also signal a …

Why a two-state solution is anachronistic and a one state solution the most viable solution THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | I argued in this column last week, that arbitrary violence by Hamas has always played right into the hands of hawks in Israel. Today, the forces for peace inside Israel …