The dream of an independent Kurdistan, began in the modern era during World War I. The Allies were fighting the Central Powers. In an effort to destabilize this increasingly unsteady military pact, the decision was made by France and the United Kingdom, to hasten the breakup of the more than 600 year old Ottoman Empire. […]
Global Investing Blog
Joseph Kabila Clings To Power In The Congo, As The Economy And Civil Order Collapses
Joseph Kabila has been President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2001. He took office just ten days, after the assassination of his father. Politics is a family affair in Congo. Now seventeen years later, he clings to power as the country plunges into civil war again and the economy slows considerably. Although […]
Namibia: The End Of Rapid Growth Helps Populism To Rise
Namibia had one of the best performing economies in Africa. As late as 2015, growth was still a respectable 5%. Late last year, the economy was growing just barely at 0.1% and has since stalled. This puts the government of the country, in a politically difficult decision. Populism is on the rise, in the ruling […]
Rwanda: Kagame Provides One Man Rule In Exchange For Stability And Growth
Rwanda’s Constitution was amended in 2015, following a referendum, enabling President Kagame to run for yet another term. He remains eligible to also run for fourth term after that, permitting him to stay in office until at least 2034. The latest electoral tally resulted in a vote that was an unbelievable 98.8% in favor […]
Angola: Elections Will Fail To Deliver Needed Change As Dos Santos Era Finally Ends
Since independence from Portugal in 1975, the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) has led the country. Parliamentary elections have consistently delivered large majorities, to the ruling party. After 38 years in power, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is finally leaving office. Yet, the change the country so desperately needs, will remain unlikely. […]
South Africa: Economic And Political Stagnation As President Zuma Clings To Power
Earlier this month, South African President Jacob Zuma survived the eighth attempt by the National Assembly to remove him from power. As head of the African National Congress (ANC), the party that led the country away from apartheid, Zuma was able to win election in both 2009 and 2014. His tenure has been increasingly afflicted […]
Elections in Kenya: Tribalism And Violence Continues To Undermine Democracy
This will be the 6th presidential election for Kenya, since the end of the one party state in 1991. The electorate will also be deciding on a new parliament. The voting results will have a major impact not just domestically, but throughout the region. The country remains both an economic and political leader for East […]
Political Gridlock In The United States Over ObamaCare: Signals The End Of American Financial Supremacy
The inability of the political system in the United States to enact needed reforms in entitlements, is an indication how dire the issue of governmental debt, has become for Americans. The present trajectory in the cost of popular social programs is simply unsustainable, yet political gridlock has become the mainstay of the national government. It […]
Wealthy Qatar Remains Defiant In The Face Of Arab Sanctions
In the beginning of June, the nations of Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates collectively imposed a trade and travel boycott against their neighbor Qatar. Nearly two months later, Qatar remains defiant, in the face of sanctions and has refused to comply to 13 demands, of fellow Arab nations. […]
Montenegro Joins The Western Military Alliance Of NATO Despite Controversy
The last piece of real estate on the Adriatic and the only northern part of the Mediterranean Sea, that did not belong to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was Montenegro. On June 5th, the former Balkan republic of Yugoslavia, became the 29th member of the Western military alliance, over Russian objections and internal political controversy. […]