- Think Again: Nelson Mandela
Author: John Campbell, Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy
ForeignPolicy.com December 6, 2013
"Mandela's Legacy Is Unblemished."
False. For most of the world, Nelson Mandela is a hero of the struggle against apartheid and for nonracial democracy. The election of Mandela, the father of democratic South Africa, as president in 1994 marked both the end of a racist regime and the country's embrace of racial reconciliation. As such, Mandela was a figure of hope not only for Africa but for the rest of the world -- which was still very much struggling with racism and underdevelopment. Mandela articulated for South Africans of all races his democratic vision and, with then-President F.W. de Klerk, shepherded the country toward nonracial elections and a new constitution.
But there is another side to the story. Most of the commonly accepted narratives about the new South Africa are based on the misconception that apartheid was ended by a "freedom struggle" led by Mandela and his presidential successor, Thabo Mbeki, with international sanctions playing an important role. The less heroic reality is that apartheid's demise was the result of a political deal between advocates of change and the white establishment, led by de Klerk. This deal, enshrining property rights and the rule of law, largely preserved the economic privileges enjoyed by white South Africans. The anti-apartheid resistance, both violent and nonviolent, never posed a serious challenge to the country's security services (though it could make townships ungovernable). As a result, the final bargain reflected that balance of power, and the wholesale reconstruction of the economy to right the wrongs of apartheid was never a realistic option.
2.
How Kim Jong Un purged his uncle
CNN December 10, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Kim Jong Un accused his uncle of betrayal, sent him away and purged all records of him
- Frida Ghitis: This tactic used by Saddam Hussein in consolidating his power
- Ghitis: Kim's uncle is accused of living in depravity; now, the military is in charge
- Kim is sending a brutal message that he will punish any whisper of dissent, Ghitis says
(CNN) -- The chilling images from North Korea brought back memories from one of the most disturbing and important moments of none other than Saddam Hussein's tactics for establishing his iron-clad rule of Iraq. The young North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, it appears, has learned from the most ruthless and long-lasting of modern dictators.
On Monday, North Korea's citizens saw what would have seemed impossible just a few months ago: The man who had stood at Kim's side since he came to power, his uncle Jang Song Thaek, publicly humiliated in a shake-up that signals a fierce power struggle and sends a stern message to the country and the world.
The televised footage showed what unfolded during the meeting of the party's Central Committee, reportedly the day before. In a room of stunned party members, two uniformed soldiers grabbed Jang -- until recently the country's second most powerful man -- and took him away after he was accused of betraying Kim and the revolution.
Decades-old grainy black and white images from Iraq tell a similar story of power and intrigue whose consequences are now well-known.
On July 22, 1979, during a meeting of Iraq's Baath Party, the names of 60 top party leaders labeled traitors were read as, one by one, the terrified men were removed from the hall. That footage was also distributed widely -- a sign to all that Hussein would let no one stand in his way, instilling fear even among the most powerful in the country. It was a moment that as much as any other cemented Hussein's rule for almost a quarter of a century.
In keeping with the totalitarians' textbook, the North Korean regime denounced Kim's uncle in language that would be familiar to those who have lived under the worst dictatorships.
The masterpiece of totalitarian prose, published for all to read in the state media, accuses Jang of leading a "dissolute and depraved life." It condemns him for pretending to support Kim while "dreaming different dreams," and living a life of corruption, ambition, drug use, "wining and dining at back parlors and deluxe restaurants," as well as "gambling in foreign casinos at the party's expense" and being "affected by the capitalist way of living."
3. Amid protests, Thailand's PM Yingluck Shinawatra dissolves parliament
CNN December 9, 2013
- NEW: Elections to be held by February 2, spokesman says
- NEW: He also says it's not certain Yingluck's party will vote for her to run
- Between 100,000 and 150,000 demonstrators rallied in Bangkok
- Protesters were headed toward the PM's office
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra dissolved the nation's parliament Monday and called for new elections. But the move did little to appease anti-government protesters who remained on the streets by the thousands.
Between 100,000 and 150,000 demonstrators rallied in Bangkok, with protest leaders saying their goal Monday is to storm Shinawatra's office, known as Government House.
The country will hold new elections by February 2, but embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra may not be her party's choice to run, a government spokesman told CNN on Monday.
"I don't know whether the Pheu Thai Party will still vote (for) her to run again or not," said spokesman Teerat Ratanasevi, referring to the ruling party.
Yingluck's move Monday comes a day after Thailand's main opposition party, Democrat Party, said its roughly 150 members would resign en masse from parliament because they could no longer work with the government.
Thai protesters stage huge rallies Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters test security forces
"I don't want our country and the Thai people to suffer from more losses," Yingluck said in a televised address.
But opposition party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the massive protests leave the government little choice.
"I think the best way for the Prime Minister to show responsibility is by returning power to the people," he told CNN.
Still, dissolving parliament and calling elections appear unlikely to placate protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister for the Democrat Party. He has called for power to be transferred to an unelected "people's council."
4. Opinion: China strikes balance between sovereignty and stability
CNN November 29, 2013
Vice President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping opn December 4, 2013, during the vice president's trip to Asia. The vice president also spoke to the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing and the U.S.-China Business Council on December 5, 2013.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- President Xi has reshaped China's foreign policy, stressing sovereignty and stability
- Shen Dingli: East China Sea ADIZ looks to be China's latest attempt to stress this approach
- Facing increasing security challenges, Beijing is likely to respond in kind, Shen Dingli says
(CNN) -- Since President Xi Jinping assumed power, he's reshaped China's foreign policy by recalibrating its stresses on sovereignty and stability, what the Chinese call wei quan and wei wen.
On the one hand, China has stepped up its emphasis on sovereignty, especially concerning its territorial dispute with Japan over the Diaoyu Islands (or the Senkakus, as they're known in Japan).
Beijing has streamlined its various maritime agencies to make them more efficient and better coordinated, and it keeps sending government vessels to the area to demonstrate its jurisdiction over this region.
More recently, it announced a new Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea to assure its sovereign security over territory, territorial water and space in the ADIZ.
On the other hand, China has attached more importance to its peripheral stability. Despite its earlier skirmish over Ladakh with India in May, it cut a border defense co-operation agreement with New Delhi, to avoid mutual tailing between their patrols in border areas where there is no common understanding of the line of actual control.
And recently, President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang visited five out of 10 ASEAN countries, and wrapped up a cooperative deal with Vietnam to jointly develop an oil well in the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin. China has also furthered its relations with major powers -- Xi visited Russia and the U.S. within the first three months of coming to power, promoting a "new type of major country relationship."
However, the quest for sovereignty and stability at the same time could prove challenging. China's ADIZ announcement is turning into such a case.
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