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Showing posts from 2012

Another try at catching up

I haven't really figured out a way to fit regular blogging into my schedule yet, but I'm making another attempt. A quick summary of some interesting events in Africa, by country, over the past year or so: 1. Algeria: Elections were held in May, but the Arab Spring passed Algeria by . According to the NY Times, " Most Algerians — anywhere from 60 percent to 80 percent — boycotted the vote for a legislature that even officials here concede is do-nothing....   the party in power since independence half a century ago, the FLN, or National Liberation Front, consolidated its aging grip, increasing its majority in the new Parliament....  A finely tuned mix of cash and crackdown, money and repression — a mix unique to the region — has muted demands for change and allowed the ruling elite to retain its grip." 2. Angola: The  People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) is still in office after 37 years. " On August 31st Angolans will go to the polls to