crisisgroup: Mali: No Quick Fixes for a Complex Crisis | allAfrica By Gilles Yabi The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has agreed on a revised concept of operations for the deployment of an international military force of 3,300 soldiers to help the Malian state wrest control of the northern part of the country from Islamist fighters. This step, taken on November 11 following a collective effort by regional and international partners, is welcome. But military intervention alone cannot solve the country’s deep crisis. The situation in Mali is desperately fractious. A military coup toppled the government in March, while separatists and al-Qaeda-linked fundamentalists took over the northern half of the country. Mali is now divided geographically, politically, militarily and religiously. FULL ARTICLE (allAfrica) Photo: Magharebia/Flickr   High-res

crisisgroup:

Mali: No Quick Fixes for a Complex Crisis | allAfrica

By Gilles Yabi

The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has agreed on a revised concept of operations for the deployment of an international military force of 3,300 soldiers to help the Malian state wrest control of the northern part of the country from Islamist fighters.

This step, taken on November 11 following a collective effort by regional and international partners, is welcome. But military intervention alone cannot solve the country’s deep crisis.

The situation in Mali is desperately fractious. A military coup toppled the government in March, while separatists and al-Qaeda-linked fundamentalists took over the northern half of the country. Mali is now divided geographically, politically, militarily and religiously.

FULL ARTICLE (allAfrica)

Photo: Magharebia/Flickr  

While I do not fully agree with the comment being made here, this critique of government and its supposed treatment of “the poor” and “freedom” is great to unpack under political and visual sociology. Who are “the poor” represented in this picture? What “freedom” is being referenced? What’s the link between poverty and freedom and the role of government in-between the two? I love this street art for the many conversations it opens up. Source: The Real Art of Street Art. High-res

While I do not fully agree with the comment being made here, this critique of government and its supposed treatment of “the poor” and “freedom” is great to unpack under political and visual sociology. Who are “the poor” represented in this picture? What “freedom” is being referenced? What’s the link between poverty and freedom and the role of government in-between the two? I love this street art for the many conversations it opens up.

Source: The Real Art of Street Art.

A more ironic or parody government, a logocracy is a government ruling through words. Described in Washington Irving’s 1807 work, Salmagundi, a logocracy is a government that uses tricky wording to control its people. The Soviet Union has been accused of being a logocracy, citing that its language was a “”stereotyped jargon consisting of formulas and empty slogans, whose purpose was to prevent people from thinking outside the boundaries of collective thought”. George Orwell’s 1984 is a good example of a logocracy, and used the Soviet Union’s “Neo-language” as the basis for its Newspeak. (via Listverse 10 Lesser Known or Used Forms of Government)

A more ironic or parody government, a logocracy is a government ruling through words. Described in Washington Irving’s 1807 work, Salmagundi, a logocracy is a government that uses tricky wording to control its people. The Soviet Union has been accused of being a logocracy, citing that its language was a “”stereotyped jargon consisting of formulas and empty slogans, whose purpose was to prevent people from thinking outside the boundaries of collective thought”. George Orwell’s 1984 is a good example of a logocracy, and used the Soviet Union’s “Neo-language” as the basis for its Newspeak.

(via Listverse 10 Lesser Known or Used Forms of Government)

“

When you’re scientifically literate, the world looks different to you. It’s a particular way of questioning what you see and hear. When empowered by this state of mind, objective realities matter. These are the truths of the world that exist outside of whatever your belief system tells you.

One objective reality is that our government doesn’t work, not because we have dysfunctional politicians, but because we have dysfunctional voters. As a scientist and educator, my goal, then, is not to become President and lead a dysfunctional electorate, but to enlighten the electorate so they might choose the right leaders in the first place.

”

If I Were President… - Neil deGrasse Tyson    (via)

(via curiositycounts)

phototropix: AINAK-6420.jpg by jeromestarkey on Flickr. The Chinese state owned mining company MCC have built a camp at Mes Ainak, 35km south of Kabul, while archeologists are racing to excavate a series of ancient Buddhist monasteries before the bulldozers roll in. The Afghan government is desperate for the copper royalites, once mining starts, but officials familiar with the deal said the Chinise, having secured the rights to the deposit, appear to be in no hurry to start exploiting it. They are supposed to build a railway and a power station, but have not started either. High-res

phototropix:

AINAK-6420.jpg by jeromestarkey on Flickr.

The Chinese state owned mining company MCC have built a camp at Mes Ainak, 35km south of Kabul, while archeologists are racing to excavate a series of ancient Buddhist monasteries before the bulldozers roll in. The Afghan government is desperate for the copper royalites, once mining starts, but officials familiar with the deal said the Chinise, having secured the rights to the deposit, appear to be in no hurry to start exploiting it. They are supposed to build a railway and a power station, but have not started either.