Tonight we a have packed program for you. We begin with a discussion of the present political situation in Somalia. Since Somalia’s Transitional Government, backed by Ethiopian troops toppled the Union of Islamic Courts, violence has spiked in most of the country. Find out what are Somali’s in the US doing about it. We will talk with Khadija Ali former member of the Somali Transitional National Parliament and a minister of state at the Transitional National Government from 2000 to 2002, presently a PHD student at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, just recently returned from the North-American Somali Diaspora Conference.
Then, two years after the US-backed coup of Aristide in Haiti, and a year on from the election, the country has a new president, Rene Gracia Preval. Yet the UN troop force remains in Haiti. Joining us to discuss the role of the UN troops and the present political situation, Eugenia Charles and Pierre Labossiere. Check out a great piece by Jacques Depelchin in this week’s issue of Pambazuka (“In Solidarity with Cite Soleil”) .
Guests: Khadija Ali
Eugenia Charles
Pierre Labossiere
Music:
Categories: Haiti · Past Shows · Somalia
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For the past four years, Iraq has been the primary focus of the Bush Administration’s “Global War on Terror,” but hidden components of this strategy can be found all over the world, in arms sales, in the expansion of military bases, in the training of surrogate armies, in covert, and overt support for dictators. Africa, of course, has not been exempt from this trend, as evidenced by the recent military excursion by Ethiopia into Somalia and the continued stalling on a resolution to urgent crisis in Darfur. This evening we will take a deeper look at the impact of US militarism in Africa.
Guests:
Bal Pinquel – Bal is on the Steering Committee of (UFPJ), otherwise known United for Peace with Justice. A long-time peace activist and former political prisoner during the Marcos regime in the Philippines, he is currently a staff member at the American Friends Service Committee.
Dan Volman – Dan is an activist scholar, the Director of the African Security Research Project, a member of the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars, an Adjunct Professor at the American University and the author of numerous articles on Africa and U.S. security interests.
Categories: Militarism · Somalia
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Segment 1: War in Somalia. Today on Africa Now, an indepth look at the on going war in Somalia. What are the ramifications of the Ethiopian troops on the ground in Somalia? What justification does the U.S. have for bombing strikes on the east African nation? And where will Somali refugees seek help now that Kenya has closed its borders? We will speak with Nii Akuetteh, the Executive Director of Africa Action.
Segment 2: Africa’s “Debt“. We will also have a conversation with Debayani Karr of the Jubilee USA Network about international debt, the roots of poverty in Africa, and movements for economic justice. Every day, African nations pay out millions of dollars to institutions like the World Bank or IMF or to wealthy governments—money that could be used to lift peoples standard of living. Debi will help us move past some of the simplistic rhetoric to understand the impact of Debt on the lives of people in Africa.
Categories: Debt · Past Shows · Somalia · World Bank & IMf
