Sunday Roundup on Sudan and South Kordofan

When will international community take action? This is the question asked on Twitter by Susan Morgan, co-founder and the Director of Communications for Investors Against Genocide (I mention them here). Many people are asking the same question right now. I wrote many times about #Sudan and #Darfur and I’m glad I could, for over two decades now (since ... More

Sunday Roundup: Bahrain, Sudan, Physics…

The Bahrain Grand Prix will not go ahead. Many concerned people such as #Nicholas Kristof and Kenneth Roth tweeted this week about the upcoming Formula One Grand Prix expected to take place next October in Bahrain. In a post published on Foreign Policy we can read: ‘On Friday, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, the governing body for ... More

Sunday Roundup: Abyei, Ai Weiwei, Artmaking…

U.N. probes absences amid Sudan clashes. Since Northern Sudanese forces seized Abyei, many rightfully think northern and southern fighting over Abyei could reignite a full blown war in #Sudan. And we thought U.N. peacekeepers in Sudan would protect the people of Abyei from the attacks; apparently we were wrong. According to Reuters: ‘U.N. peacekeepers ... More

Dancing with a dictator in Sudan, again.

Northern Sudanese forces seized Abyei, why should we be surprised? It looks like what I wrote almost 4 years ago: Darfur: when History is a never ending story… is still up to date. Since I first wrote about #Sudan in the late 80s (yes, it has been a while), every new event taking place in the country confirms the more we wait, the worse it gets. Twenty ... More

Sunday Roundup: Abyei, WOZA, Rwanda, DSK, Cannes

Today is International Day for Biological Diversity. The UN General Assembly expressed ‘its deep concern about the continuing loss of the world’s biological diversity, and reaffirmed the commitment to the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the ... More

2011: blissful optimism and weariness, Twitter says!

Happy new year everyone! I guess we are going to hear those words many times again in the coming hours, days and weeks. Today is the first day of 2011 and many are already recovering from a bash that lasted until early this morning. Most of the people I know are celebrating, wishing everyone the best for the new year. Me too I hope everything will be better ... More

China’s Fabulous Deals: Curb Your Enthusiasm

I wish I was talking about Larry David’s TV show, but I am not. A few days ago, China’s President Hu Jintao arrived in Paris for a three-day state visit with billions of dollars in deals thrown in. When it comes to make deals during those difficult economic times, France like many other countries, is ready to look away to ... More

Sudan, Burma, Congo… The power of carrot and stick: reductio ad absurdum?

I have expressed my humble opinion about Sudan, Burma, Congo and other issues on many occasions on this blog, looking at the root causes and trying to explain them with simple words. I have close friends working in local organizations in France but also abroad, and it is always rewarding to discuss with experienced people. For the “60 Signers for the 60th ... More

Darfur: a World Wide Role Playing Game

I’m not talking about the Legend of Zelda here or any other MMORPG, but about the much less dreamlike crisis in Darfur in a very specific ‘real life game genre’ I dub World Wide Role Playing Game – WWRPG. Last year I wrote an article titled: ‘Darfur: History, a never ending story’and I was wondering if we could learn from ... More