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Maybe, though I think Gapminder is worth checking out for some contrast before you start descending into Malthusian madness. https://www.gapminder.org/videos/what-stops-population-growth/ Also Nigeria is a tropical country, so ridiculously fertile.
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Oct 15, 2016 02:50
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Grouchio posted:Quick question about neoliberal power: Has the influence of the IMF and/or World Bank been increasing or decreasing since the Great Recession? Because from what I've read they're the reason many developing nations today can't go the democratic-socialist route (like Greece or Venezuela) and instead get royally screwed beyond economic recognition. Nigeria is a pretty big country. Nigeria is about 350,000 square miles. That's roughly the size of the West Coast, California to Washington, in terms of square miles. You can sustain a lot of people in that kind of area if you do it right. Japan sustains 127 million people in an area slightly smaller than California. However, I really strongly doubt that it will be possible to sustain the entirety of the world at the same standard as America, not without some pretty mind boggling advances in consumerism. And I can guarantee the kind of ecological destruction that's already well underway in West Africa is only going to get worse. A Festivus Miracle fucked around with this message at 13:28 on Oct 15, 2016 |
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Oct 15, 2016 13:26
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Ethiopia's state of emergency keeps getting more restrictivequote:Ethiopians who post statuses on Facebook about the country’s growing political unrest could face up to five years in jail, as part of a series of measures under a “state of emergency” that grow more stringent by the day.
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Oct 20, 2016 17:00
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Why are Ethiopia's living standards so low anyways?
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Oct 20, 2016 17:10
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Grouchio posted:Quick question about neoliberal power: Has the influence of the IMF and/or World Bank been increasing or decreasing since the Great Recession? Because from what I've read they're the reason many developing nations today can't go the democratic-socialist route (like Greece or Venezuela) and instead get royally screwed beyond economic recognition. In Greece's case it's a result of the formation of the Troika (European Commission, Bank and IMF) which pretty much exists because the IMF can do stuff that the Commission could never do. It's why they're suddenly strangling first world nations too.
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Oct 20, 2016 17:15
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MiddleOne posted:In Greece's case it's a result of the formation of the Troika (European Commission, Bank and IMF) which pretty much exists because the IMF can do stuff that the Commission could never do. It's why they're suddenly strangling first world nations too.
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Oct 20, 2016 17:57
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Grouchio posted:Why are Ethiopia's living standards so low anyways? 3 generations of totalitarian governments funneling state resources into the nepotistic betterment of their immediate family/somewhat ex-immediate clan members will do that.Also, pissing away millions of dollars to fight Eritrea over a few patches of desert/rock is a great way to not spend that money on anything useful.
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Oct 21, 2016 02:31
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/21/south-africa-to-quit-international-criminal-court-document-shows
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Oct 21, 2016 03:15
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awesmoe posted:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/21/south-africa-to-quit-international-criminal-court-document-shows Ah gently caress it
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Oct 21, 2016 08:26
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Grouchio posted:Shouldn't someone try to put a leash on 'em? Be assured that the Eurogroup would be doing what they do without the IMF if international treaties allowed for it.
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Oct 21, 2016 09:14
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kustomkarkommando posted:Ah gently caress it Still morally better than the USA, but gently caress. gently caress.
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Oct 21, 2016 09:51
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https://twitter.com/eNCA/status/789356377181450241/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Justice department confirmed it now. Doing this without parliamentary approval seems v weird
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Oct 21, 2016 10:21
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kustomkarkommando posted:https://twitter.com/eNCA/status/789356377181450241/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw I dunno, though -- does the South African parliamentary system even provide for asking parliament re: treaties? I kinda agree that it should, but I feel like the laws as they stand may not?
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Oct 21, 2016 10:46
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Lead out in cuffs posted:I dunno, though -- does the South African parliamentary system even provide for asking parliament re: treaties? I kinda agree that it should, but I feel like the laws as they stand may not? Its a bit more than just annulling a treaty, the Rome statue was incorporated into domestic law through the ICC act by parliament so this will need to be repealed. Lodging an instrument of withdrawal and then going to parliament to seek approve to repeal the domestic incorporation of the treaty seems a little bit arse about face
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Oct 21, 2016 11:28
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So I get why Burundi is withdrawing for cynical rear end covering reasons, but why is South Africa? Is Zuma a war criminal and we just don't know it?
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Oct 21, 2016 13:49
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Badger of Basra posted:So I get why Burundi is withdrawing for cynical rear end covering reasons, but why is South Africa? Is Zuma a war criminal and we just don't know it? Quatro camp
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Oct 21, 2016 14:06
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Badger of Basra posted:So I get why Burundi is withdrawing for cynical rear end covering reasons, but why is South Africa? Is Zuma a war criminal and we just don't know it? The government lost the bashir case earlier this year, the failure to arrest Sudan's Bashir when he visited SA last year for the AU summit was held to be a breach of the governments international and domestic legal obligations thanks to the rome statute. Their final appeal to the constitutional court, the very last level of appeal, was due to start in four weeks. Jumping out of the ICC now, and dropping the appeal which they have confirmed they are doing, seems connected.
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Oct 21, 2016 14:17
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A peek at the reasoning here: https://mobile.twitter.com/SAgovnews/status/789381149797724162 The supreme court of appeal in the bashir case found that the powers created by ICC Act effectively removed sovereign immunity not only from Bashir (arguably the UN referral to the ICC did that anyway and that has always been at the crux of the argument) but from any head of state accused of a war crime due to its wording. Rather than say amend the ICC Act to finesse the wording the government has decided to go full idiot and just leave the ICC.
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Oct 21, 2016 18:42
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Is the "racist ICC out to get African leaders" viewpoint common in South Africa/among the ANC?
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Oct 21, 2016 21:21
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Badger of Basra posted:Is the "racist ICC out to get African leaders" viewpoint common in South Africa/among the ANC? Zuma has a pretty tight control over ANC apparatchiks' viewpoints. I don't know how easy it would be to figure that one out accurately. Obviously Zuma has other reasons to be opposed to the ICC.
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Oct 22, 2016 08:46
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Meanwhile, this happened: http://mg.co.za/article/2016-10-20-cops-who-shot-shaeera-kalla-to-be-subject-of-investigation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DMtllDXZpE (Read the comments if you want to lose faith in humanity. Or I guess just get angry at a bunch of racist white asshats.) At least the cops in question are under investigation, and there's clear video evidence.
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Oct 23, 2016 06:45
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Grouchio posted:Quick question about neoliberal power: Has the influence of the IMF and/or World Bank been increasing or decreasing since the Great Recession? Because from what I've read they're the reason many developing nations today can't go the democratic-socialist route (like Greece or Venezuela) and instead get royally screwed beyond economic recognition. The IMF is a lender of last resort; countries only turn to them when their credit is so bad they're literally unable to get loans from anyone else. By the time you're making deals with the IMF your country is already so hosed fiscally that were it not for the IMF your country would default. Countries only get bailed out by the IMF because the alternative is at least slightly worse. In Greece's case Syriza was elected claiming to be able to get a deal without austerity, which was politically impossible for the rest of the EU governments, even if they were willing. Venezuela's collapse has nothing to do with the IMF, they're still getting bailed out by the Chinese (probably not for much longer). Venezuela's case has more to do with a combination of graft, mismanagement, Dutch Disease, and being a petrostate in a world where oil is <$50 a barrel.
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Oct 23, 2016 12:57
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People REALLY need to stop bringing out Greece and Venezuela as comparisons. Greece is in its situation because it has little to no control over its own currency. Venezuela is in its situation due to betting their world on oil while they enacted risky and straight up backwards policy from their rigid ideology. If you changed those factors the two countries wouldn't have had a smooth sailing to a socialist utopia, but they definitely wouldn't be the basketcases they are today.
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Oct 26, 2016 19:56
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punk rebel ecks posted:Also I really wish people would comment about Sankara's rule on Burkina Faso. My brother came back from Ouaga, and he's a bit too tired right now to talk a lot, but: Thomas Sankara worship: confirmed.
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Nov 13, 2016 17:45
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Cat Mattress posted:My brother came back from Ouaga, and he's a bit too tired right now to talk a lot, but: Thomas Sankara worship: confirmed. That's comforting. I was worried that he was being held up as another Che Gueverra.
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Nov 13, 2016 20:04
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What's the latest in South Africa? I heard a story on NPR the other day with some ANC MPs saying "oh yeah Zuma should totally resign, this is a disaster." Is there any chance he will resign or be forced out a la Mbeki, or is the apparatus of the party still behind him, against all good sense?
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Nov 17, 2016 02:38
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Badger of Basra posted:What's the latest in South Africa? I heard a story on NPR the other day with some ANC MPs saying "oh yeah Zuma should totally resign, this is a disaster." Is there any chance he will resign or be forced out a la Mbeki, or is the apparatus of the party still behind him, against all good sense? http://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-zuma-insight-idUSKCN0XV1RB Zuma has done a number on the party apparatus, so most ANC officials are understandably slow to come out against him. That said, it's looking increasingly like the writing may be on the wall (not least of all with the reinstatement of the 2009 corruption charges). It's also worth noting that he may fight to the last, since the moment he loses control of the ANC and/or the presidency, he loses a lot of the political influence to avoid prosecution. In other news, #FeesMustFall has quietened down, although a few weeks ago there was liberal use of rubber bullets and arrests against non-violent student protesters by the police (but where doesn't this happen?)
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Nov 17, 2016 03:20
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Rumble rumble rumbleNews24 posted:President Jacob Zuma’s future as ANC president was left hanging by a thread after Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom stunned Zuma and his backers when he tabled a motion for him to step down at the national executive committee (NEC) meeting yesterday. Meeting being extended to facilitate a fight back? eNCA posted:The ANC’s national executive committee entered a weekend of intense debate, following a week of important meetings for the organisation. Also news circulating that Zuma's fightback against the recommendations of the public prosecutor for an inquiry following the State Capture Report into his relationship with the Gupta family have begun in earnest - news of criminal charges against former public prosecutor Thuli Madonsela for leaking recordings of Zuma being interviewed for the report after he claimed he was never given an opptunity to air his side of the story, that the presidency will officially challenge the recommendations of the report in court and that Zuma is prepping a cabinet reshuffle for the start of next year to move against internal critics. Zuma and the ANC top six have also been holding a series of crisis meetings with 101 ANC veterans who have called for a special early conference citing concerns about the direction of the party under Zuma, there have been some reports that they have called for an early elective conference to replace Zuma but this has been steadfastly denied by the ANC. It's all getting a little bit hairy. kustomkarkommando fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Nov 27, 2016 |
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Nov 27, 2016 19:33
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The independent group are reporting this as a full on revolt with Mantashe at the helm.quote:There was furious jockeying for the upper hand on Monday in Irene, Pretoria, where the ANC NEC was meeting to decide whether Jacob Zuma should be recalled as president of South Africa. http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/pro-zuma-camp-trying-to-avoid-a-vote-at-all-costs---source-2093957
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Nov 28, 2016 18:42
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I wonder if South Africa will face civil war at some point before 2020.
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Nov 28, 2016 19:24
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Grouchio posted:I wonder if South Africa will face civil war at some point before 2020. Uh, probably not As in no
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Nov 28, 2016 21:43
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Grouchio posted:I wonder if South Africa will face civil war at some point before 2020. This is about as likely as the United States facing a civil war before 2020.
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Nov 28, 2016 21:46
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kustomkarkommando posted:Uh, probably not
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Nov 28, 2016 21:49
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Grouchio posted:I wonder if any progress has been made in South Africa this decade in terms of solving it's own problems, because I want them to outperform Nigeria on principle. This is a very weird thing to say, on many levels. It sounds like you want to ask a question of people with some familiarity with the subject. Could you try reformulating it in a way that's more specific (and isn't treating African countries like they're in some weird horse race with each other)?
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Nov 28, 2016 21:58
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The ANC have announced a press conference for tomorrow at 14:00 (12:00 GMT). Looking increasingly likely there was no vote and some compromise measure was put together to prevent such unseemly factionalism! What exactly the compromise is will be interesting. Another commission? Zumexit Dec 2017 with the elective conference?
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Nov 28, 2016 22:15
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https://mobile.twitter.com/MYANC/status/803577026149945344 So basically no change and everything is being kept hush hush for party unity etc. I very much doubt the anti-Zuma faction will vote with the opposition, some chatter about resignations before the inevitable cabinet reshuffle but warnings being put out in advance that the NEC will take a dim view of such a move. This is the most serious challenge to Zuma from within the party yet but it seems to have failed, probably going to shift the anti-zuma factions attention to drumming up support for the 2017 elective conference to choose Zuma:s successor Oh and of course the rand has fallen since the announcement Zuma has survived
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Nov 29, 2016 16:18
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If Zuma hangs on could the ANC actually lose in 2017, or is that still not really possible?
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Nov 29, 2016 17:12
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Badger of Basra posted:If Zuma hangs on could the ANC actually lose in 2017, or is that still not really possible? 2019 is the next general election, and it seems pretty far fetched. They got about 53% at last years locals which was an 8% drop, the great fear is that they dip below 50% at the next general which could leave them the largest party by far but still vulnerable to opposition moves in parliament - an opposition coalition seems pretty unlikely tbh
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Nov 29, 2016 17:19
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2017 is the ANC conference to select the next president of the ANC in December, the winner will then go on to be president after the 2019 election with a brief period of Zuma as president of the republic and another figure as party president. The constitution limits the president to two terms so the ANC needs to shuffle the chairs around in advance to replace Zuma.
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Nov 29, 2016 17:27
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kustomkarkommando posted:2019 is the next general election, and it seems pretty far fetched. They got about 53% at last years locals which was an 8% drop, the great fear is that they dip below 50% at the next general which could leave them the largest party by far but still vulnerable to opposition moves in parliament - an opposition coalition seems pretty unlikely tbh Yep. That said, the idea of the ANC losing the power to rubber stamp every piece of legislation is actually kinda appealing to me. Although ... how Westminster-ish is the SA parliament? In the event of being the party with most votes but fewer than 50%, does the ANC need a coalition to be able to form a government? And who would they possibly form a coalition with? I don't see either the EFF or the DA doing this.
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Nov 29, 2016 19:00
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