In Kibera, one of the most notorious slums in the world both for its extreme poverty and danger, there is a group of artists who are inspiring tangible change within the community. Based out of Katwo Kera, one of the 14 informal neighborhoods in Kibera, is Jah-Army. While the group started in 2005 with two members, today there are about 15. Each member specializes in a type of art including basket weaving, beadwork, graffiti, film, painting, and...
In January 2012, conflict erupted in northern Mali as an influx of arms from Libya, economic discontent, and longstanding tension between Malian Tuaregs and the rest of Malian society converged. The Malian army attempted to stabilize the rapidly escalating violence, but they were too few, untrained, and poorly equipped, and the lack of order devolved into fierce war between Tuareg separatists and Islamist organizations. Though many militia grou...
Picture a world where the whistle of bullets drowns out the chirping of birds. Where army units patrol violent, poverty-stricken streets. Where farmers walk among fields of poppy, hoping a successful harvest will provide for their families. Where mothers of lost sons gather and pray that each new day may bring a resurrection of peace. This is not a distant snapshot, but a reality close to home. Welcome to the world of narcocultura. Welcome to Me...
...ire foreign support. This is because of three critical elements. The brutal nature of Syria’s military apparatus. While the Egyptian Armed Forces supported the state and the Egyptian people above the ruling family, the Syrian army by strong contrast supports Assad’s regime. Tied to the Alawite party, the Syrian army has proven itself ready and willing to take action against civilians. The forceful action it has taken and the military checkpoints...
...ited behind Capriles, with almost 3 million people mobilizing to vote for him in the opposition primary in February. Can Mr. Capriles beat Hugo Chavez? And, if so, would Mr. Chavez relinquish power? On the latter concern, the army has pledged to remain neutral, though Hugo Chavez has promised “chaos” should he lose. This election will therefore be a true test of Venezuela’s democracy and, for that matter, of the army’s loyalty. Though the army is...
Illustration by Esha Maharishi We have learned by now to expect and to fear the masked army of the internet: Anonymous. It makes the consumer aware of the volatility of his privacy, at a time when our intense networking and the establishment of facial profiling and information databases have made our privacy disappear. By toying with the digital presence of Sony and the CIA, Anon has established the faceless mass as a player, however symbolic,...
photo from Wikimedia Commons It was March 2011 and the Egyptian military had assumed executive power in what was dubbed a democratic transition. As I stood next to a military tank, I saw slogans such as “the people and the army are one hand” and believed that military rule was the best alternative to Mubarak. The tanks indicated the military’s role as protector during the transition to democracy, but the military’s actions since have amounted t...
...ry. With this in mind, the prospects for international cooperation in the Arctic rely on the future of Russian military strategy in the area. Even before his May inauguration, Prime Minister Putin announced the Russian Arctic Army, a fully comprehensive air, ground, and maritime force built thanks to a comprehensive 10-year defense investment program revolving around hard infrastructure, equipment procurement, and technological investments rangin...
From Wikimedia Commons Last week, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Joe Lieberman coauthored an op-ed that advocates that the United States arm Syria’s rebels. They argued that Syria’s rebels are not on a level playing field – al-Assad has a modern army and friends like Russia and China – and that, in the long run, the U.S. is in the best position if it curries favor with rebel groups now. For similar reasons, I agree. The senators coyly point...
...n Benedict, a professor at the Columbia School of Journalism whose book The Lonely Soldier inspired the making of the movie, and Brigadier General Loree K. Sutton, who was the highest ranking psychiatrist in the United States Army before her retirement two years ago. Both participated in the movie, which told the stories of soldiers and how the military dealt and reacted to their sexual assault. The women who reported their sexual assault discuss...
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