Perspectives on development in Jamaica

Last month, the UK Foreign Office warned people to stay inside their resorts as military and security officials tackled crime in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Jamaica has many links to the rest of the world through tourism and a large diaspora in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The island nation is largely thought...

Finding the way through famine – Yemen’s food crisis

Cornered by the proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and severely burdened by the activity of the Houthi insurgency group and the Saudi Arabian blockade, Yemen’s food crisis has reached new heights in 2017. With over 18 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and around 63% of children malnourished, it is the Yemeni...

A Victory for the Philippines?

The Philippines is often regarded as an exotic holiday destination by outsiders, with admirable beaches, mountains, rainforests and islands. However, footage of violent warfare on the streets of Marawi may have changed this visual. On 23rd May, insurgency groups took control of parts of Marawi city, the capital of Mindanao’s Lanao del Sur province.  ...

Zimbabwe’s Mugabe: End of an Era?

Once the bread basket of southern Africa and major food exporter, post-independence Zimbabwe now faces significant economic challenges. Nowadays, the impoverished country is suffering from environmental issues such as severe droughts, deforestation and desertification. Amongst these, there are political issues such as lack of rule of law, election rigging and corruption. For nearly four decades,...

South Sudan – when will there be peace?

The current instability of South Sudan is one of, if not the saddest contemporary example of complete war-torn state and very much, a failed state. The current situation is bleak, with no improvements likely in the foreseeable future. Characterised by deep ethnic tensions, a military that is an institutionalized faction of government and a collapsed economy,...

Guatemala on the verge of crisis

Morales, to expel the highly respected and UN-backed anti-corruption chief, Iván Velásquez. Morales made the announcement in August this year via a video uploaded on his Twitter account declaring Velásquez – head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) – non-grata. Morales’s statements were made less than 48 hours after Velásquez and the...

Myanmar’s Rohingya: The worlds most persecuted minority?

  A Muslim-majority ethnic group, the Rohingya people, are known as “the worlds most persecuted minority” facing intense repression from the Buddhist majority in Myanmar. The country holds a population of 1.1 million with the Rohingya people residing predominately in Rakhine state. Amongst the 135 ethnic groups in Myanmar eligible for full citizenship, the Rohingya have...

North Korea – A threat or a bluff?

North Korea, despite its proximity to the United States, continues to challenge the hegemony of the democratic superpower in a particularly aggressive way. The isolated state first carried out nuclear bombs field tests in 2006, but 2016 seems to be the busiest year for tests so far. Ever since, North Koreans have staged marches meant...

Conservatism’s hold over Brazil

Thirty-two years after the fall of Brazil’s military dictatorship, censorship continues to be an important issue in the Lusophone country. In August, the exhibition ‘Queermuseu’ opened at the Santander Bank’s Cultural Centre of Porto Alegre. It included works from well-known Brazilian artists such as Lygia Clark and essentially drew attention to issues of identity and LGBT...

VENEZUELA: from populism to full-blown authoritarianism

  Venezuela, like many countries rich in oil reserves, is suffering from humanitarian crisis – despite economic fortune from oil revenues 82% of its population lives in poverty and suffers from basic goods shortages. The current situation was triggered by the death of Hugo Chavez and with it, the end of his populist regime. His...