More Rwanda Links

Here are the links I was talking about in class. Here is Fergal Keane’s BBC report about the Nyarubuye massacre. And here is the story of Gitera Rwamuhuzi, who took part in the attacks. Also, you may recall that in Hotel Rwanda, when Paul is on the phone with the owner of the hotel, he says that the French arm and support the Hutu government. Well, here is a story from 2006 that discusses the subsequent breakdown between France and Rwanda. Oh, and here’s the reference to Plato’s “Leontius,” which Gourevitch made in the excerpt we read.

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Ideas for Blog Posts

Some of you might be interested in doing some research into the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians. It’s worth noting that when reading about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it’s hard to be sure that you’re getting unbiased information. Robert Wright, for example, complains here that mainstream coverage is hopelessly biased against the Palestinian side. (I like Wright’s work, but I’m not sure I agree with this.) In class sometime, I’ll talk about why that is; until then, here are some people who are well-informed and fair-minded. Jeffrey Goldberg, who I’ve linked to before; Walter Russell Mead had what I thought was an interesting analysis of why Americans tend to side with Israel in this conflict, despite what many consider to be a disproportionate response; and Glenn Greenwald complains that although many Americans might want to wash our hands of the conflict, the U.S. is “the central enabling force driving this endless conflict.”

In somewhat related and extremely disturbing news, a right-wing politician in Hungary has encouraged the government to draw up “a list of Jews,” according to Reuters.

Also: Did you know there was a rebellion in the Democratic Republic of Congo? They are apparently backed by Rwanda, and last week they took the city of Goma. There are many interesting opinions on the excellent site AllAfrica.com, including this one, which is critical of the UN’s ineffectiveness:

What is the United Nations doing in DRC if it cannot defend a small African city like Goma, women and children?

UPDATE, 11/29/12: Here’s another story about what’s going on in Goma.

More on Sierra Leone

Two links courtesy of World Humanities students:

CNN spoke to Ishmael Beah this week. Here’s the interview. Thanks to Patrick for this one.

The Gazette profiles Cedar Rapids’ resident Josh Carew. Born in Sierra Leone, he is now returning there… to run for president. Thanks to Zack for bringing this story in.

Ishmael Beah, speaking in 2009

This is the lecture given by Ishmael Beah at the IUPUI campus on March 12, 2009. We watched it in class. Take notes on key ideas and quotes, so that we you might use the ideas from it later on.

Invisible Children

This is the first part of the documentary we watched in class. If you missed it, make sure you watch the whole documentary.

Ten Billion and Counting

Get ready to get a little more crowded.

According to the United Nations, the world’s population is growing ahead of previous projections.

The global population is likely to reach 7 billion in October 2011, not spring 2012. And it may still be rising in 2100 past 10 billion, rather than being flat by then.

Is there room for all of us? The New York Times took up the question this week.

The Economist story linked above includes a fascinating graph, which shows the US population hitting 475 million by 2100, but being far surpassed by India, China, and Nigeria (!).