Land Destroyer: The Libyan Election Farce

Land Destroyer: The Libyan Election Farce: All candidates are neo-imperial candidates - Wall Street proxy Jibril of "National Forces Alliance" presumed winner. by Tony Cartalucci ...

Lubanga given a 14 year jail term

Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga has been sentenced to 14 years in jail for recruiting and using child soldiers in his rebel army in 2002 and 2003. The trial has taken exactly 10 years!
See the k=link for more info.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18779726

"Free, free, totally free"-Hugo Chavez on his Cancer

By Press TV

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has declared that he has overcome his illness, dismissing allegations that any physical ailment will affect his campaigning for the country's upcoming elections.

"Free, free, totally free," Chavez told reporters at a four-hour press conference on Monday when asked if he was still afflicted with cancer. 

“Thanks to God, I am here and every day I feel [I am] in [a] better physical condition, and I really don't think this expression 'physical restrictions'... will be a factor in the campaign," he told the conference.

Chavez, who has been in power since 1999, launched his re-election bid for the October 7 presidential polls on June 11.

Since June 2011, the Venezuelan president has undergone surgeries in Cuba to remove cancerous tumors from his pelvic region.

He also promised to resume his presidential campaigning from Thursday, saying "Now is when I'm stepping into the action. Our offensive begins right now."

"Chavez is back in the street, the Bolivarian hurricane!" he said, referring to Simon Bolivar, the country’s independence hero.

Opinion polls show Chavez, who is seeking his third term in office, leading his 39-year-old rival Henrique Capriles.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/10/250168/my-disease-is-no-more-chavez/ 

ICC Trials for Kenyan Case to Commence on April 10

The Trial Chamber V of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued scheduling orders setting the dates for the commencement of the trials in the two Kenyan cases, The Prosecutor v. William Samoei Ruto and Joshua Arap Sang and The Prosecutor v. Francis Kirimi Muthaura and Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, respectively on 10 and 11 April 2013, establishing a time table for the various procedural steps required to be undertaken before the opening of the trials to guarantee the fairness of the procedures.

http://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/exeres/F328B652-6F28-4538-8A2C-8A5DD625105F.htm 

"US is Backing Gangs in Syria"-Assad

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says Washington plays a role in the turmoil in Syria by supporting the armed gangs to destabilize the country. Assad says that the United States is “part of the conflict,” and that “they offer the umbrella and political support to those gangs to… destabilize Syria.”

“As long as you offer any kind of support to terrorists, you are partner. Whether you send them armaments or money or public support, political support in the United Nations, anywhere,” Assad said.

“The president should not run away from challenge and we have a national challenge now in Syria,” Assad said.  

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/08/249968/us-part-of-syria-conflict-assad/ 

ICC is not Targeting African States

The post-colonial and neo-colonial complexities and the nuances surrounding the workings of the ICC in Africa have reached crescendo levels. The debate on the ICC versus Africa, which the New African carried as its headline, with a supportive phrase of ‘The scales of Injustice’ indicate the levels of antipathy and blatant disregard for international justice. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the inception of this international tribunal. The ICC has been labeled as a colonial tool, in the same brackets as the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) like World Bank, IMF, and the World Trade Organization (WTO). My reading into the contributions in the March, 2012 issue of the New African suggests that the African continent is not ready to grapple with issues of ending impunity and the largesse of colonial mentality. My emphasis is on the post-colonial discourse in Africa. African philosophy has often been disregarded because of its reactionary critical nature of the Western philosophy. This has hampered the development of unique African thinking and led to the incessant questioning and counter questioning of Western ideals without necessarily reformulating and constructing unique African line of intellectuarism. We end up blaming everything and nothing. African countries and civil societies were heavily involved in the formation of the ICC in Rome. Africa is the continent with the highest number of state parties to the Rome Statute that created the ICC in terms of signatures and ratifications. It is thus surprising that African states mock an institution that they participated in its formation. I understand that the Court has opened cases exclusively in African States. The African States should not hide under the pretentious pretext that the ICC is undermining their sovereignty. They should understand that the ICC is more concerned about the individuals who commit international crimes and not the state per se. Most of the African States are plagued with incessant internal conflicts. The ramifications of these conflicts result in the wanton destruction of human lives, property, societal values and so on. A number of these countries also lack functioning courts of law or political will necessary for holding to justice for crimes of international concern such as crimes against humanity. This is coupled with the culture of impunity brought about by poor national legislative bodies which leave room for international justice to fill the vacuum. The African States should therefore understand that the ICC is not targeting them, but rather, is trying to deal with the culture of impunity and guaranteeing lasting respect for and the enforcement of international justice.

Happy Independence South Sudan

Nicodemus M. Minde
South Sudan today marks one year since it attained political independence. The people of South Sudan have a reason to celebrate despite the myriad of challenges. The people of South Sudan anticipated the January 2011 independence referendum which they voted by landslide to secede. July 9^th 2012 marked an important phase of the South’s history when they attained their independence. The occasion was colorful and filled with glamor. The world and moreso, the people of South Sudan were filled with optimism for a new phase of history. But despite all this, South Sudan is still a fragile rentier state. For it to flourish and grow steadily, South Sudan needs to strategically transform itself from a fragile rentier state to a functional rentier base of economic success. Quality leadership remains as the backbone of getting it right in South Sudan. This can be done through a modern type of liberal democracy, respect for laws, accountability and good governance. These factors have been lacking in most African states, and South Sudan can take positive lessons from there.

Happy Independence South Sudan.