Article about Jonas Staal in Syria
Closing ceremony of the New World Summit in Derik, Syria I published this article in the December 2015 edition of The Art Newspaper – with first a ‘news’ story on page 3, and then a feature on pages...
View ArticleRaqqa DeZ peace conference – role playing simulation
This simulation of a peace conference is the final class of my Lessons (Not) Learnt in Afghanistan course at the Paris School of International Affairs. I will be tweeting about the results in live,...
View ArticleNo time for the Blues
Trump’s victory at the polls makes me feel optimistic. The wake-up call can no longer be ignored, now that a beast has ascended the throne of world power. It is time to act. I’m not worried that this...
View ArticleSurprise in Somalia! The perplexity of an analyst
Today, on February 8, 2017, the most corrupt and least democratic polls I’ve ever witnessed unexpectedly delivered victory to the least corrupt and most popular presidential candidate in the race:...
View ArticleReview of Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Noah Harari: Homo Deus, 2016 Harari asks important questions about the future of humankind and, for this alone, I’d recommend this book. But he brushes away some important issues that may force...
View ArticleHomo Deus Part 2: counterproposal
Yes, I agree with Prof. Harari that the human race must seek to become divine (see my previous post, a review of his book). Like him, I also think that the key lies in developing our power. But unlike...
View ArticleClan Cleansing in Somalia by Lidwien Kapteijns
Published in 2013, Kapteijn’s book (available online here) about the period of intense clan conflict in Somalia (1980s to 1993) refreshingly first approaches these bloody events through the lens of...
View ArticleLessons from Somaliland for Kurds and Catalans
The Kurds and the Catalans are voting for self-determination. It seems nothing can stop a people who have decided to vote for self-determination, although it seems not a single state is ready to accept...
View ArticleSomaliland gearing up for elections
Democratic elections may be most interesting at the fringes of the democratic world. Whereas elections in Europe only become slightly exciting when lunatics or dangerous nationalistic movements...
View ArticleSomaliland votes for Stability – Personal Observation
Nov 13, 2017, from an independent observer The elections today in Somaliland were remarkably peaceful and orderly. Observers hardly remarked any irregularity. Participation rates seem to be high. In...
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