Conservatives
Where Are We Now?
It’s been a while since I wrote anything for the blog for various reasons, but I was determined to, as the saying goes, squeeze one out. Last time I wrote I think Boris was PM [more…]
War
Authoritarianism
A View From The Greenhouse; A War To End All Wars?
The summer, what little we’ve seen of it since the heady days of the June “heatwave”, moves along bringing with it dire warnings of the upcoming conflagration about to be unleashed on us all, not [more…]
21st Century
African Regime Gone Bad: The Bad Lads Club Impunity
Whatever crimes the RPF had or hadn’t committed inside Rwanda, its interventions in DRC and meddling in neighbouring states (Uganda and Burundi) had exposed a casualness to human life, cavalier ruthlessness, and shocking levels of [more…]
20th Century
African Regime Gone Bad: The Result
Rwanda’s “story” had the international community so thoroughly by the emotional and intellectual throat, it could not now, wrest free. Some elements of the stranglehold were self-serving. Rwanda’s most prize 21st-century export was not coffee [more…]
20th Century
African Regime Gone Bad, Part Eleven
Having humiliated the Ugandan Army (UPDF), the RPF and the RCD in December crushed the remnants of the Congolese army and its Zimbabwean allies in Pweto, southeastern Congo. On 16th January 2001, Kabila was sitting [more…]
20th Century
Africa Regime Gone Bad, Pilato Climbs the Ladder
In March 1997, in his usual dubious and manipulative way, Kagame “assumed” the chairmanship of the RPF (the ruling party) from Colonel Alexis Kanyarengwe. After protesting army massacres of Hutus in his home province of [more…]
Geology
Elementary, my dear Watson – S Sulphur
In this series, we’ve taken a wander through the marvels of the Periodic Table (a.k.a. the Periodic Table of the Elements) and become familiar with some fundamental chemistry principles. We have explored: Hydrogen, Carbon, Mercury, [more…]
20th Century
African Regime Gone Bad, Zaire Invasion
If “keep us safe” was the RPF’s public driving mantra, it was easier said than done. Having taken a generation for Uganda refugee camps to produce a rebel force capable of threatening Rwanda’s national security, [more…]
20th Century
African Regime Gone Bad, Part Eight
While continued attempts to persuade Hutu officials to return, the RPF pressed for its own list of candidates for the posts of bourgmestres to be appointed. At grassroots level, the power-sharing principles of the Arusha [more…]