20 June 2021
War on terror: In this short article, the BBC security correspondent is asking himself whether “the era of big ‘boots-on-the ground’ military deployments to distant warzones (is) coming to an end” the world over. No, he answers, “there is still a substantial commitment to fighting jihadists in the Sahel”. He mentions costs and lives lost – e.g. the more than 50 French soldiers who died in the Sahel over the last 8 years – and reputation endangered when human rights are not respected, all of which make such interventions unpopular and have prompted “a radical rethink in how these missions are conducted”.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57489095
19 June 2021
Ethiopia: If Abiy’s Prosperity Party wins the elections, which is to be expected, it will bestow needed legitimacy on him who was never elected but only took over at the resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn in March 2018. “(A)ll-time high ethnic polarisation and ethnic conflicts” have caused massive internal displacements. The article’s author thinks (or hopes) that “one major consequence of the national elections would be the emergence of a government that has the popular legitimacy to use its power to address lingering political, economic and security challenges.” But he is realistic enough not to expect “that Ethiopia will emerge a fully-fledged democracy after these elections”.
https://theconversation.com/amid-war-and-instability-why-the-ethiopian-election-matters-162939