Despite his packed agenda, Obama’s trip can’t compete with the media frenzy surrounding the health of South Africa’s 94-year-old former president
Nelson Mandela
As Mandela’s Condition Improves, South Africa’s Anxiety Remains
As Nelson Mandela, 94, spent his fifth day in Pretoria’s Mediclinic Heart Hospital, South Africans’ alarm at his sudden decline has given way to a concern to preserve the dignity of a man who, to so many, represents the best …
Margaret Thatcher’s Foreign Policy: Was the Iron Lady on the Wrong Side of History?
The late British Prime Minister is remembered for having helped the U.S. stare down and defeat the Soviet Union, but her other overseas dealings reflect questionable if not poor judgment
Being Mandela: Nelson Mandela’s Granddaughters Get a Reality-TV Show
Nelson Mandela is a globally recognized activist, former President of South Africa and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He’s now also something entirely unexpected: the grandfather of two reality-television stars
Must-Reads From Around the World, July 18, 2012
Today’s global media stories look at evidence that a pirate leader has been granted diplomatic immunity by the Somali presidency, the defeat of Islamists at Libya’s first elections since the overthrow of Gaddafi and the …
Why South Africa’s Decision to Rebrand Some Israeli Imports Packs a Punch
The international effort to boycott products made in Israeli settlements got a boost recently from a formidable quarter. South Africa announced it would label imports from the West Bank not “Made in Israel” but perhaps …
Vladimir Putin: A Candidate for China’s Version of the Nobel Peace Prize
Last year, a day before the imprisoned Chinese writer Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in absentia in Norway, a group of Chinese scholars with ties to the Chinese Culture Ministry announced the victor in the inaugural Confucius Peace Prize. According to the 100,000-yuan (around $16,130 at today’s exchange rate) …
South Africa: A Loss for the ANC, a Win for Democracy
Early results in South Africa’s local elections suggest gains for the opposition, indicating a gradual but profound shift of power in Africa’s economic and political powerhouse. The ruling African National Congress (ANC), the party that defeated apartheid in 1990 under Nelson Mandela, will remain the ruling force in South Africa. But a …
Mandela: Is This Any Way To Treat an Icon?
South Africa’s local elections has given the world its first glimpse of Nelson Mandela since he was hospitalized in January. It is not a pretty picture. In this short video released by the South African government, a mass of election officials and other staff crowd an all but inert Mandela at his home in Johannesburg and explain – …