tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post7069424734308976924..comments2024-02-24T06:10:42.255-08:00Comments on Congo Siasa: What can we expect from Kampala?Jason Stearnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11454449854081540397noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-22567783340262723872013-09-12T12:42:07.184-07:002013-09-12T12:42:07.184-07:00Fantastic post I really like your own write-up; en...Fantastic post I really like your own write-up; enjoy the method that you described as much as possible, your are performing an excellent task the majority of other people as if you through in which style of educational sites produce attention in order to people in connection with several things. My spouse and i understand another intriguing information sites from your internet websites as well as I'm a great deal fascinated along with your blogging skills, My partner and i furthermore began to compose write-up this also type talk definitely support me available. When i witout a doubt book-marked ones webpage and also propagated the web sites to be able to my colleagues not simply myself although every one of them including your current blogging and site-building expertise, trust people create a lot more interesting weblogs this way just one in addition to best of luck for the long term weblogs.<br />jimmy Wilson-<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bourne-Legacy-Black-Leather-Jacket/dp/B00EAZ0D76/" rel="nofollow">Aaron Cross Jacket</a><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02378236444802184226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-71620421332865484102013-03-11T06:10:50.751-07:002013-03-11T06:10:50.751-07:00Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog!
Sma...Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog!<br /><a href="http://www.bestloansforsmallbusinesses.com/" rel="nofollow"> Small Business Loans in New York </a><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08079149773818513237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-63550900934748634542013-02-09T10:14:15.312-08:002013-02-09T10:14:15.312-08:00COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE FPLC/No 001/2013
Ayant susci...COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE FPLC/No 001/2013<br /><br />Ayant suscité l’admiration de tous par son expérience et inspirant confiance pour un avenir national meilleur; <br />ayant jusqu’à présent résisté vaillablement à toutes les manoeuvres de l’ennemi visant son démantèlement ; <br />fidèle en sa Déclaration de Décembre 2009, ses Status et Manifeste ainsi que tous ces textes; <br />déterminé à continuer la guerre jusqu’à l’objectif ultime à savoir l’instauration d’un pouvoir garantissant l’Etat de droit et la Souveraineté nationale; <br />Opposé à toute attitude, action ou discours incendiaire susceptible de briser l’unité nationale; <br />Engagé à tout dialogue franc, respectueux et responsable visant le retour rapide de la paix dans notre pays ainsi que dans toute la sous- région; <br /> le Front Patriotique pour la Libération du Congo ,FPLC en sigle, rappelle à l’opinion nationale et internationale ce qui suit: <br /><br />il reste un et indivisible; <br />il réaffirme son soutien et sa confiance indéfectibles en son Président fondateur et Commandant Suprême de ses armées le Général Gad NGABO; <br />il promet un sort méritoire à tous les ennemis de la paix, détracteurs et traitres obstinés, aussi longtemps que leurs responsabilités auront été établies . <br /> <br /><br /> VIVE LE FPLC<br /><br /> VIVE LA RDC<br /><br /> <br /><br />Fait à Goma, le 07 Février 2013<br /><br />Le Président du FPLC<br /><br />Gad NGABO<br /><br />Sé<br /><br />Général<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00411904304055875640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-35600477922876368712013-01-07T12:47:20.455-08:002013-01-07T12:47:20.455-08:00I've been browsing online more than three hour...I've been browsing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.<br /><a href="http://www.northernvirginiahomeforsale.com/" rel="nofollow"> Northern Virginia Homes for Sale </a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16256842722604060153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-87361211761568711352012-12-26T20:33:30.206-08:002012-12-26T20:33:30.206-08:00i find really Promotion models amazing thingsi find really <a href="http://eventprostrategies.com/services/event-marketing" rel="nofollow">Promotion models</a> amazing thingseventagency11https://www.blogger.com/profile/18053530333706617128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-46416096967103229672012-12-24T13:58:42.066-08:002012-12-24T13:58:42.066-08:00@Jose
I think it will be to simplistic to state th...@Jose<br />I think it will be to simplistic to state that Congolese are afraid to die for their belief.I think it's more accurate to say that nobody want to die in vain.There have been revolts in the past.People pay it with their life.Like the author you mentioned said, Congolese lack of grassroots organization is one of the problem.<br />The mass doesn't revolt without a goal.We don't have unions to rally the troops,we don't have political parties to rally behind a single slogan.Notice how many towns revolted when Goma failed?<br />Congo is still a vast rural country.Kinshasa alone as 8 millions ppl.After that,Lu'shi as 3 millions,kisangani a little bit less,the rest is 1 millions or less.People are still in the physiological level from Maslow's hierarchy of needs.<br />For revolt to succeed,there must be a coordination, a mot d'ordre. So far the opposition or civil society used methods that will be compelling in a western democracy but are ineffective in a banana republic.<br />i got more reads for you regarding the MO of our foes <br /> http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/ugandaat50/Death-of-Maj--Gen--Rwigyema/-/1370466/1650592/-/cad5po/-/index.html<br /><br />http://www.upcparty.net/obote/genocide.htmblaisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10271081481475980902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-81361954367479770572012-12-24T13:46:05.292-08:002012-12-24T13:46:05.292-08:00@ Barbara Bunfight
That will be easier in the con...@ Barbara Bunfight <br />That will be easier in the context of Rwanda where king macbeth(pres Kagame),killed(virtually,in house arrest) the president and become King.His witches are Clinton,Blair and Museveni.We have general Rwigyema as the dead man and Kayumba as the fugitive general's son.lol<br /><br />If it really has to be Congo, we have a young JKK,just promoted chief of staff, approached by the troika:France,Belgium and USA(witches)with Louis Michel as the spox. He is convinced that he will do a better job than his dad.Got him kill.Assume pres.U got a bunch of runaway general 2 chose from although will be controversial :Bosco,Nkunda,Amisi, that raised armies 2 combat him.<br />just sayingblaisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10271081481475980902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-66686138750305242702012-12-24T04:33:12.843-08:002012-12-24T04:33:12.843-08:00Well, I spend a fair bit of time on this blog read...Well, I spend a fair bit of time on this blog reading the updates and enjoying the battering volleys of the commentators. <br />Jose's references to QE1 have prompted me to introduce myself. <br /><br />I'm a South African playwright/director working on Verdi's opera Macbeth (based on the Shakespeare), which I am setting in a Bisiye Mine-like context in North Kivu, and 'told/performed' by a troupe of refugee performers from that blighted spot. To be staged in Vienna, Paris, London, Rotterdam, Brussels, Hannover etc. in 2014. <br /><br />I battled for some time in the naive belief that I could tell the story - which story? - of the conflict through the plot of the opera. Eventually I realized this would be like trying to squeeze a thousand feet into the delicate glass slipper of the opera, hence my resolve merely to drop the opera into the slippery, shifting quagmire of the situation, and let it squirm there.<br /><br />The most ineffable characters for me are those 3 witches who sow the seeds of destruction at the outset, filling the warlord Macbeth's head with dreams and releasing his bayonet-pointed ambitions. These witches: their strategy is to destabilize the region, turn general against king, and brother against brother. They flood the region with arms, money, Chinese imports, drugs. Their ultimate objective: to get all the riches they can out of those mines...<br /><br />So who are they, these Witches, within the Great Lakes conflict??? Can they be reduced to particular players, or are they seething composite figures, everything from Leopold 2 to Mobutu to M. Kagame to Dan Gertler to JK...?<br />What do you think? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09082693578814637110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-39513663481894050712012-12-23T14:13:30.097-08:002012-12-23T14:13:30.097-08:00@Bruce
Thanks a million. I have been an academic ...@Bruce<br /><br />Thanks a million. I have been an academic in my other lives. So I always thought when I joined the Congo Siasa forum that one will deal with people like you; astute, academically challenging, conceptually anchored and factually based blokes. But then you have to stand propaganda junkies who believe in home-made anti-Congolese prejudices and conspiracy theories. No problem even then, Congolese street fighters like me will deal with all of them one by one.<br /><br />Coming to the ( responsibility to protect) R2P theory. My apologies as I am a mathematician/financier/philosophy amateur by training and not a social researcher “stricto senso” as many of you guys are on this forum. Please correct me any time when I veer off; but I have always had a sense that in social sciences, theories are “a priory mechanisms” employed to initiate or justify “actions”(Cold war,Vietnam-Irak wars, MONUSCO…) by politicians. In other words, here a theory has a “justificative” value.<br /><br />But in my realm, a “theory” has a much weightier meaning. For one it is always an “explicative paradigm” of the natural world (Newton's Laws of Motion, Einstein theory of general relativity, Darwin’s Evolution theory, Heisenberg & Bohr Uncertainty Principle……). In Mathematics theories are often rationally conclusive/transient/provable assertions that underpin empirical industrial applications (too many to mention from Theory of equations, Automata theory to Quantum theory or Ring theory)<br /><br />In truth, what I mean is that the R2P can not be plausible or even “considerable” if it keeps being disproved on the ground every day. What is the role of countries (DRC) in this theory? Will they be obliterated? Who is to be protected and by whom? I salute Roger Meece but Ban ki Moon is the most useless UN SG in history of UN! Someone prove me wrong please!<br /><br />Sorry I have been all over the place. But I surely appreciate your reflections.<br /> <br />muanacongo<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02679890703198501517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-45757225276984441122012-12-23T14:09:27.217-08:002012-12-23T14:09:27.217-08:00@ jose
I agree with u here ”start producing goods...@ jose<br /><br />I agree with u here ”start producing goods people need instead of things that come out of the ground… build a powerful army”; as JK and Congolese ultimately acknowledge that only a dissuasive and republican army will ensure Congo’s security. <br /><br />But it is funny that you say that “the congolese still don’t seek death to free themselves like others in history”. Wow bro, how many more Congolese should die to see how the Congolese have willed for pece , democracy and prosperity? <br /><br />I put to all that CONGOLESE HAVE BEEN MORE BRAVE THAN ANY OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRY. In the last 50 years rthey have had revolts, revolutions, marches(more than Arab springs),pillages. I mean everything! In the end Congolese have concluded that that only DEMOCRACY, PLURALITY and an OPEN SOCIETY are the only choice left. WE WANT ELECTIONS like ALL CIVILISED PEOPLE in the world including AMERICANS.<br /><br />I assume that you take Kagame’s Rwanda as a “model”. Well, this is still history in the making; this is a marathon not a spring. Don’t draw any conclusion yet. It is contemporaneous history, it ain’t over YET. Please hold your breath , brave Congolese people are only preparing to fight against the enemy. And the enemy is Kagame and no one else as many would want it to be. Be patient please.<br /><br />Take care<br /><br />muanacongo<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02679890703198501517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-85306193852933287432012-12-23T11:57:17.701-08:002012-12-23T11:57:17.701-08:00@mel- thanks for the correction. i was indeed try...@mel- thanks for the correction. i was indeed trying to suggest that Liz I’s legitimacy was in doubt as a result of, well, her very birth. and I agree, to a degree, that part of kabila’s basic problem is lack of confidence in himself. though, i think this stems from the general lack of confidence the congolese have in themselves culture-wide.<br /><br />@ blaise- good to be back! just figured out how to create a google profile! thanks for the link though i had read it earlier in the week. my wife’s relatives in Kamina (katanga province) send me stuff all the time. love pole. one of their top points is the deep lack of confidence the congolese have in themselves to chart their own destiny. i think this is a BIIIIIGGGGGGGGGG problem and very true. i have longed asked myself why the Congolese don’t openly revolt in every city in the country? even if it means a brutal and harsh death? i know jason/others postulate that one needs a strong, unified, civil society to sustain grassroots revolts. well, that’s interesting but i’m fairly confident the congolese, like all people, know when they are being screwed. yet, the congolese still don’t seek death to free themselves like others in history? why? Pole provides some insight i think. <br /><br />@ bruce- hmm. i take some issue with your “international system” argument. personally, i don’t see much of a system out there but, instead, just different masks for the same capitalist masquerade ball. that system is decked against ALL the poor and weak and, as such, there is nothing peculiar or specific about Congolese suffering that stems from it. call me a cynic (really, please!) but until the congolese a) start producing goods people need instead of things that come out of the ground b) use that $$$ lube to build a powerful army they will always and consistently be fucked and really shouldn’t be surprised when, proverbially speaking, it happens without a condom.<br /><br />just my two cents, peeps.<br /><br />joseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-69922584612249505032012-12-22T16:04:21.354-08:002012-12-22T16:04:21.354-08:00We have ours.
They have theirs.We have ours.<br /><br />They have theirs.Fowl Ideashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02667279541680008202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-27272504451119902182012-12-21T07:00:13.913-08:002012-12-21T07:00:13.913-08:00@ muanacongo
I believe we should be moving toward...@ muanacongo<br /><br />I believe we should be moving towards a more rules-based international system; when international relations theorists talk about hegemony, what they mean is leading by example, building consensus, adhering to norms and accepted rules of behavior. Critical theorists tend to think of hegemony in terms of asymmetric distributions of power and structures of oppression - and the need to emancipate oppressed groups (women, minorities etc.).<br /><br />I believe in the doctrine of R2P responsibility to protect...that it should be an accepted norm. It is a controversial idea because it can clash with the long-accepted institution of national sovereignty. One can imagine that China might have serious reservations about R2P.<br /><br />Barack Obama is surrounded by people who accept R2P in principle (including Samantha Power and Susan Rice). Right now, R2P is being tested in the DRC - the results indicate that it has not yet achieved the status of an accepted norm.<br /><br />The Congolese state has the primary responsibility to protect its own citizens, but MONUSCO has been given a mandate to protect Congolese, and the greater international community has a moral obligation to be constructively engaged.<br /><br />So far the Congolese people have been failed at every level of the international system.<br /><br />Brucebfhendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08346405979512004758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-55839654467762676202012-12-21T03:25:47.497-08:002012-12-21T03:25:47.497-08:00@Bruce and Mel
Those are are interesting consider...@Bruce and Mel<br /><br />Those are are interesting considerations you guys have about Republicans vs Democrats dispositions towards DRC tragedy. I am afraid you both have got a point. But to be honest, who cares now? It is about humanity now, its about saving lives now. In Congo we say “Mobali ya Maman nde Papa”. That is “he who weds my mother is my father”. In other words, democrats are in power now. So we can only deal with democrats (the African Obama) to end the tragedy in the Kivus. <br /><br />PS <br />Does anyone see just how these Rwandan M23 terrorists get ever confused by the day? They multiply tricks to hamper the so-called Kampala negotiations. Now, they want cease-fire. Wow! That’s what happens when you wage wars at Kagame’s behest for fun as a routine or the way of life. <br /><br />Congo shall prevail!<br /><br />muanacongo<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02679890703198501517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-3218977255181037602012-12-20T07:47:56.561-08:002012-12-20T07:47:56.561-08:00@Jose,
welcome back. Great parallel abt Liz.
Check...@Jose,<br />welcome back. Great parallel abt Liz.<br />Check out this perspective from those on the ground http://www.pole-institute.org/documents/declaration_in_English.pdfblaisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10271081481475980902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-44928998771231074112012-12-19T03:50:54.368-08:002012-12-19T03:50:54.368-08:00This blog related information is a interested.Good...This blog related information is a interested.Good job.Thanks for sharing this blog.<br />Thank you....<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rutujacreation.com/" rel="nofollow">Wordpress Development</a><br /><br /><a href="http://rutujacreation.com/open-source-development/custom-wordpress-development.html" rel="nofollow">Wordpress application development</a>Rutuja Creationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01535168351391576942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-62283062671241848452012-12-18T08:15:33.351-08:002012-12-18T08:15:33.351-08:00Mel,I had no idea, lol! Yes, I'm also nervous ...Mel,I had no idea, lol! Yes, I'm also nervous about the "Republicans are better thesis." We Democrats tend to favor American hegemony; our Republican friends tend to favor American imperialism - this is not just a difference in sematics. Bill Clinton summed up along the lines of...we Democrats favor acting multilaterally in terms of global affairs - but we will act unilaterally when we deem it necessary; Republicans tend to prefer to act unilterally whenever possible (in terms of American national security interests), but will form coalitions of the willing when unavoidable.<br /><br />I don't blame Congolese when they reason that Colin Powell and Condi Rice robustly quashed reckless military adventurism in eastern Congo before it got out of hand on their watch.<br /><br />By contrast, we Democrats have to address the fact that Paul Kagame can count on luminaries like Bill Clinton and Tony Blair among his most ardent advocates. When Barack Obama inclduded Samantha Powers and Susan Rice in his inner circle...you know, it isn't difficult to follow Kagame's temptation to miscalculate.<br /><br />And make no mistake, I think he has miscalculated...but I could be proven wrong. I remain hopeful that President Obama will forge a solution that addresses the legitimate grievances that many Congolese feel in terms of a weak state structure - without imposing another inequitable "solution" on the Kabila government that seems to favor armed insurrection.<br /><br />Brucebfhendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08346405979512004758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-34791219391689433602012-12-18T08:13:41.011-08:002012-12-18T08:13:41.011-08:00Interesting take, Jose. I agree with all the opti...Interesting take, Jose. I agree with all the options at the moment and likely believe Mel's "status quo" option seems the most realistic.<br /><br />In terms of Kabila "pulling an Elizabeth", I seriously doubt this will happen. Elizabeth, from what I know of her, made the choice that Kabila has refused to make- namely, building a power base from the people and NOT the powerful. She did so to secure her authority given all the threats to it externally and internally. <br /><br />Kabila choose the powerful, not the people, as his base like virtually every other Congolese leader before him- save Lumumba and Kasa Vubu-and our nation is suffering as a result. <br /><br />I could be wrong in this assessment but after 10 years watching this fool, I doubt that he even spends the time- as Elizabeth and other great leaders do- reading about other leaders who faced the constraints that Kabila faces internally and abroad. Indeed, one reason Shakespeare created the historical plays he did was to encourage Elizabeth and her court to think deeply about their actions and to see England in context of history. <br /><br />Kabila is not a patron of the arts or ideas- indeed, he jails artists and journalists for engaging in thoughtful examinations of the Congo.<br /><br />In short, Kabila's greatest fault as a leader has been his unwilligness to confront and reform Congo's corrupt political system. He decided, on his own accord, to benefit from the system instead of changing it. One could argue that this was a logical thing to do given how entrenched our "pigs at the trough" system is and the dangers to him personally- and by extension the stability of the nation- by attempting to reform it. <br /><br />But if we cannot call on our leaders to be courageous and LEAD what good are they? <br />Kongo in NYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01894096606797552149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-45756774584164425212012-12-17T20:50:14.787-08:002012-12-17T20:50:14.787-08:00Interesting, Jose. Kabila as Gloriana? Well, I ...Interesting, Jose. Kabila as Gloriana? Well, I guess time will tell. <br /><br />I just wanted to make one correction to your otherwise fine rendering of 17th century English history.<br /> <br />There was nothing “illegitimate” about Henry VIII’s relationship with Anne Boleyn- Elizabeth’s mother. He was, afterall, the sovereign. <br />What was potentially illegitimate was, as I believe you are trying to suggest here, Elizabeth’s claim to the throne as the progeny of this relationship. English nobles at the time were mostly Catholic. Anne was an admitted, if lax, Protestant. So, too, was Elizabeth. Primarily to secure continued Tudor rule over England, Henry sought a male heir as the highest order of state business. So as to secure this, and his own throne amongst far stronger rival nations (France and Spain mostly), he married the heir to the Europe’s most powerful sovereigns’ at the time, Princess Catherine, daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castille and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. <br /><br />Catherine was a Catholic and, therefore, acceptable to English nobles both for this reason and as a means to hold the Spanish at bay. Given she was barren, Henry VIII helped touch of years of conflict- conflict Elizabeth had to resolve- by deciding to annul this marriage- which the Pope forbade- and creating a English Church, now the Anglican Church of England. (Episcopal outside of England) <br /><br />Without going any deeper here, Elizabeth’s illegitimacy was based purely on the fact that she was both a woman and, for Catholic lords throughout Europe at the time, not sufficiently Catholic given both she and her mother refused to submit to the “true faith”- considered heresy at the time. <br /><br />For the Congolese, Kabila’s supposed illegitimacy stems from a belief that his mother is supposedly a Tutsi and that he’s a tool of the international community. Sure, like rumors against Elizabeth, its pretty crazy but, as with the 17th century English, the Congolese have been traumatized over the years by constant foreign meddling in their affairs and internal discord. So, this sentiment about Kabila is understandable. <br /><br />Personally, I think Kabila’s inability to have confidence in his people is largely a result of not having confidence in himself. He’s had 10 years to try a more revolutionary approach and, broadly speaking, he’s totally failed.<br /><br />So, of your options, I think a more realistic one is the one not mentioned: the status quo. <br /><br />Mel<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-11102811876520625052012-12-17T18:46:36.458-08:002012-12-17T18:46:36.458-08:00Ok, that was perhaps a bit more cynical than it ne...Ok, that was perhaps a bit more cynical than it needed to be so let me self-correct and go for some hope. <br /><br />There is a 4th option. I think.<br /><br />The fourth option is that Kabila, a genuinely good guy if perhaps a bit more cynical that would be called for at this juncture in Congolese history, finally decides to look deep into his own soul, to his own sense of his legacy and that of his people, and finally decides to trust his people by loosening the grip and rallying them to defeat M23 and, if necessary, Rwanda itself in battlefield. <br /><br />I have no idea what this would look like but his punchy speech, and this soon-to-be unveiled “initiative” to make peace with the opposition, is a good place to start. <br /><br />Kabila is not the first man in history to face aggressive foreign adversaries, rebels backed by those adversaries, a divided population, and corrupt, power-hungry officials. And he is also not the first leader in history to have ascended- or sought to maintain- the reigns of power via less than legitimate methods. <br /><br />In this respect he resembles quite a few leaders in history but one in particular: Gloriana, or Queen Elizabeth I of England. <br /><br /><br />Elizabeth faced an aggressive and meddling Spain, an expansionist and treacherous France that backed rebellious Scotland to her north, a populace bitterly divided between Protestant and Catholics that threatened England’s very stability, hanger-on’s from daddy’s court that who’s corruption would make any official in Kinshasa blush, and a Vatican that tried- twice- to assassinate her. To top it off, her throne itself was in question given she was the product of an illegitimate affair that ended with her mother being falsely accused for treason and incest-for the pure purposes of allowing her father, Henry VIII, to remarry- which led to her losing her head and her own hard upbringing. <br /><br />Truly, if folks weren’t trying to fuck Elizabeth for her hand in marriage they were plotting against her- often doing both at the same time. <br /><br />Oh and I nearly forgot, she was a woman in a VERY man’s world at the time.<br /><br />But Elizabeth had the foresight of understanding this central truth: if you love and serve the people, they will love and have your back and as a result a leader should fear no one. Thus, she went about healing the religious divide by passing laws protecting both Catholics and Protestants, got rid of dumb and ego-centric advisors who had no faith in England’s potential, reformed the economy and welcomed the middle class into her court to counterbalance traitorous nobles, knocked off her half-sister in Scotland who had plotted against her, and built up England’s naval defenses to such a degree that she handed the Spanish one of the greatest military blows in all history by wiping out its famed Armada. Her greatest feat? Re-opening and patronizing the theatres which both created the fertile ground that gave the world its best dramatist- Shakespeare-and further cemented the bond between herself and her people. <br /><br />If Kabila wants to go into the twilight a defeated man of a defeated nation he can do so. <br />But if he wants to reach for glory- for himself and his people- he’s got a few templates to pick <br />from. <br /><br />But it all must begin with actually coming to love and respect his people. <br /><br />jose<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-2130191025148704282012-12-17T17:37:45.270-08:002012-12-17T17:37:45.270-08:00What can we expect in kampala?
well, does nothin...What can we expect in kampala? <br /><br />well, does nothing count? <br /><br />kampala is a whole lot like asking the guy who gave the matches to the arsonist who torched your home to fetch water to douse it out. <br /><br />Honestly, at this point there are only three things that will save the Congolese at this point.<br /><br />1. A domestic, patriotic, rebellion that overthrows the regime and fights that <i>other</i> rebellion.<br /><br />2. Recolonizing- East Timor style- the Congo given its elite has proven that they do not deserve to be treated as sovereigns. <br /><br />3. Obama, throwing caution to the wind now that he doesn’t have to worry about reelection and thus earning a single white vote, actually decides to put some teeth on his Africa policy vs the nice platitudes and band aids that typify it now and starts with the Congo. <br /><br />barring these three things and we can continue to buy popcorn to yet another performance of the Greatest Show On Earth- the difference being, ofcourse, that in this passion play, people actually die.<br /><br />i’m personally pulling for #1 and #3 in that order or, perhaps, #1 which makes #3 more likely. My wife, who is Congolese, prefers #2. <br /><br />jose<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-23135060338492323802012-12-17T12:58:57.899-08:002012-12-17T12:58:57.899-08:00BREAKING:
More US House congressional hearings on...BREAKING:<br /><br />More US House congressional hearings on the crisis in the eastern DRC.<br /><br />This time its the House Committee on Armed Services, chaired by another Californian, Rep Buck McKeon (R-CA). Its a similar format from before- two panels, the first is Administration officials and the second are experts/activists. <br /><br />Panel 1: Ambassador Carson and Pentagon Assistant Secretary Derek Choillet (met Derek once at a Enough gathering, good guy)<br /><br />Panel 2: Jendayi Frazer (yuck), Actor and Oscar Winner, Ben Affleck (yay!), and Dr Jay Carafano of the Heritage Foundation (super yuck).<br /><br />To be clear, this panel and, indeed, the entire Committee skews VERY conservative. Affleck and Carson are the only liberals on this panel. <br /><br />Thus, its possible neo-con views (ie, break up the Congo, support Rwanda at all costs as a client state of the Imperium) might be expressed rather strongly at this hearing.<br /><br />I realize there are some Congolese intellectuals who believe Republicans are "better" when it comes to the Congo. Well, I am going to have to respectfully disagree. Conservatives seek the complete and through domination of the military/industrial complex- both here and abroad-and that generally has meant the subjugation of Africans to our Imperial order. Sure, Democrats are often no better but atleast they try to respect the self-determination of peoples. <br /><br />Anyway, here's the link and if you click on the red, "view live" button you can livestream it.<br /><br />Link: http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=b1e6e7e8-16c5-44b7-82f2-819128243357&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9<br /><br />Also suggest CSAP (www.cspan.org) which tends to have better livestream functionality. <br /><br />MelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-23625071830061803042012-12-17T11:47:40.126-08:002012-12-17T11:47:40.126-08:00Yikes. Sorry for the jumbled post! Not sure how t...Yikes. Sorry for the jumbled post! Not sure how that happened. :) <br /><br />Here's how it should look: <br /><i><br />-----------------<br />As I’ve mentioned before, I really don’t see how Kabila, or our current political framework, survives whatever comes from this crisis- speech or no speech.<br /><br />Kabila clearly believes the world will sour enough on Rwanda, or that M7 will butt enough heads so as to keep the money/investment flowing in the region.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Both are highly tenuous propositions and the proof that he knows that is his acceptance of the remarkably flawed (and slightly farcical) ICGLR process.<br /><br />What leverage does Kabila have at this point?<br /><br />His people do not trust him, his armed forces are a violent joke, his sugar daddy Gertler is increasingly isolated, and Angola and Zimbabwe- his sugar mommas- aren’t willing to lactate any longer either.<br /><br />If Kabila considers himself the keeper of, as Antoine Gizenga once put it, the “leftist nationalist” flame begun by Lumumba, then he should get on with this new “initiative” of his that will begin to resolve a political crisis that is <b>of his own making.</b><br /><br />Perhaps Kabila will surprise us with calling some kind of National Dialogue/Conference that will finally get to the root of our homeland’s many and varied political problems.<br /><br />But, even if that happens, I seriously doubt the ruling elite in Kinshasa will fare well in such a<br />process.<br /><br />I’m beginning to feel that Kabila should simply turn over North and South Kivu over to the UN/AU (we don’t control it now so why continue to put up with the pretense?)to administer, suspend the Constitution (not too much of a problem given he never abides by it), dissolve the Assembly, call up a Transitional government staffed by his majority, the opposition, armed, and unarmed civil society, give this transitional government perhaps 5 years to do a “do over” Constitution, reform the security and state apparatus, call for another constitutional referendum, then a national and local election, and step aside.<br /><br />I really hope he sees the light and does this but I’m fairly confident he won’t and, as a result, more of our people will continue to suffer from this criminal and astonishingly incompetent regime. <br /><br />@Bruce- Mostly agree with your point but, inspite of it, I still believe our nation is at a precipice that not even M7 can hold back.<br /><br />@Blaise- Thanks for the Goma link!<br /><br /></i><br />--------------------Kongo in NYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01894096606797552149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-64030834476430895022012-12-17T11:32:16.739-08:002012-12-17T11:32:16.739-08:00As I’ve mentioned before, I really don’t see how K...As I’ve mentioned before, I really don’t see how Kabila, or our current political framework, survives whatever comes from this crisis- speech or no speech. <br /><br />Kabila clearly believes the world will sour enough on Rwanda, or that M7 will butt enough heads so as to keep the money/investment flowing in the region. <br /><br />@Bruce- Mostly agree with your point but, inspite of it, I still believe our nation is at a precipice that not even M7 can hold back.<br /><br />@Blaise- Thanks for the Goma link!<br /><br />Both are highly tenuous propositions and the proof that he knows that is his acceptance of the remarkably flawed (and slightly farcical) ICGLR process.<br /><br />What leverage does Kabila have at this point? <br /><br />His people do not trust him, his armed forces are a violent joke, his sugar daddy Gertler is increasingly isolated, and Angola and Zimbabwe- his sugar mommas- aren’t willing to lactate any longer either. <br /><br />If Kabila considers himself the keeper of, as Antoine Gizenga once put it, the “leftist nationalist” flame begun by Lumumba, then he should get on with this new “initiative” of his that will begin to resolve a political crisis that is <i> of his own making.</i><br /><br />Perhaps Kabila will surprise us with calling some kind of National Dialogue/Conference that will finally get to the root of our homeland’s many and varied political problems. <br /><br />But, even if that happens, I seriously doubt the ruling elite in Kinshasa will fare well in such a <br />process. <br /><br />I’m beginning to feel that Kabila should simply turn over North and South Kivu over to the UN/AU (we don’t control it now so why continue to put up with the pretense?)to administer, suspend the Constitution (not too much of a problem given he never abides by it), dissolve the Assembly, call up a Transitional government staffed by his majority, the opposition, armed, and unarmed civil society, give this transitional government perhaps 5 years to do a “do over” Constitution, reform the security and state apparatus, call for another constitutional referendum, then a national and local election, and step aside. <br /><br />I really hope he sees the light and does this but I’m fairly confident he won’t and, as a result, more of our people will continue to suffer from this criminal and astonishingly incompetent regime. <br />Kongo in NYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01894096606797552149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-22211582705947334462012-12-17T10:02:05.623-08:002012-12-17T10:02:05.623-08:00Goma perspective http://www.misna.org/en/justice-a...Goma perspective http://www.misna.org/en/justice-and-human-rights/north-kivu-kabilas-speach-disappoints-peace-prayer-in-goma-17-12-2012-813.htmlblaisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10271081481475980902noreply@blogger.com