By Michael D. Driessen. “This is among the most important recent books on religion and democracy. Michael Driessen insightfully and…
Browsing: Current Affairs
By Anthony Atkinson. Reviewed by Tom Clark. “You say you want a revolution,” sang John Lennon, before adding a characteristic…
When the novel coronavirus and its disease, COVID-19, first spread in China, Taiwan was regarded as the next country most likely to be affected, due to its close geographic and economic ties with China. However, by mid-July 2020, after more than six months of rapidly growing COVID-19 cases around the world, Taiwan still counted substantially fewer cases than most countries. The worldwide news media have noted Taiwan’s initial success story, attributing it to Taiwan’s resilience, pervasive national health system, central command structure, rapid medical equipment build up, early prevention and transparent information sharing, as well as other factors. While these factors surely have played important roles in contributing to this initial success, it is too soon to tell whether that success will continue.
As the Covid-19 pandemic in sub-Sharan African countries conveyed a sense of existential urgency in March, 2020, African governments, with the aid of international organizations and rich western countries, surprised many with swift implementations of public safety measures recommended by the World health Organization (WHO). These measures included mandatory mask wearing, social distancing, the use of hand-sanitizers, and, as a measure of last resort, closed their borders and limited domestic travels. For a sustained period, these measures, while not fully observed by the public, limited the spread of Covid-19.
Reviewed by M. Krul. “Poverty Traps” is a collection of research papers on the subject of, well, poverty traps, edited…
BY Steve Langdon, Archibald R.M. Ritter, Yiagadeesen Samy. Sub-Saharan Africa is at a turning point. The barriers to economic growth…
The massive devaluation of the Naira by the CBN has left Nigerians scratching their heads and each others head. As they ponder the fate of the Naira, and why so many on fixed income see a rapid erosion of their purchasing power, the Council now feels compelled to provide elucidation. While this effort may not provide any relief of collective anxiety, it should provide a sense of direction.
The African media has closely followed the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States, almost always in solidarity with the protesters. Especially among African human rights groups, the American focus on police brutality resonates strongly.
Reviewed by Martin Meeùs. Terrorism and other forms of political violence are more present than ever in modern societies but…
On October 31, 2020, the US State Department confirmed that an American who had been taken hostage in Niger was rescued by US Special forces in Nigeria. As reported by New York Times Pulitzer Price winning journalist, Eric Schmitt, the kidnapped victim, Mr. Walton, was held for a one-million-dollar ransom almost a week ago, a practice that has become all too familiar in the region.