At an ISSE (International Society for the Study of Egyptomania) a presentation by Arab scholars was made that merged Arab and ancient Egyptian society . An academic objection was raised that this was an example of cultural appropriation and  cultural genocide. This objection was censored on the grounds that it might be found ’offensive’ by the speaker.  So a presentation that supports cultural appropriation and cultural  genocide is not itself ‘offensive’ but anyone criticising it in a purely academic…

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‘Stultum facit Fortuna quem vult perdere’ Fortune makes a fool of him whom she would ruin. Publilius Syrus 1 There is a fundamental problem with Western academic economic theory which reveals a fundamental problem with Western intellectual theory and academia. It is not just political and economic hegemony that the US had, but also academic and intellectual hegemony. Let us look more closely at the tariff issue as an example of this collapse. We have three countries, A,B, and…

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Obama’s behaviour as President is often hard for many people to understand. They think of Obama as someone elected as a change agent and who let everyone down. However when it comes to understanding his motivation no real explanation is given. Obama can be understood better if one appreciates that what motivated him was a deep desire not be the LAST Black President of the US. While everyone was celebrating the FIRST Black President Obama wanted to conduct his…

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There is a reason why the negotiators from the Global South are always failing. Due to the mythology of the Enlightenment, it has been spread throughout the world that states should be rational  and political actors should be rational. When Global South policy makers consider options they come up with scenarios which match mutual interest. Western policy makers also map out the world in terms of actors seeking rational self interest.  Western theorists never address the counterfactual? Why the…

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There is an aspect of the end of the Cold War that is overlooked and which is of great importance. Jack Matlock has clearly detailed how the actual process of ending the Cold War was a negotiated process. What is missing? An understanding of the key strategic changes that made the developments possible. We need to retell a story to reveal this. Step1 was the fact that at the end of WW2  the Soviet Union was a devastated country….

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We read in ‘The Week’: ‘Criminologists identified  a ‘Minneapolis effect’, whereby protests led to both a reduction  in police brutality, as police trod more softly, and a clear spike in crime and homicides (often badly affecting black communities).’ ( The Week 21 June 2025 p.9) https://african-century.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Blmblm_cropped.svg_.png This is a comment of the most vicious and inhumane kind. The author is implying that  as the police ‘trod more softly’ that led to ‘a clear spike in crime’ including homicides. First…

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by Dapo Ladimeji There is a popular image of the Enlightenment reflected by passages such as: ‘What was the Enlightenment? The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that sought to improve society through fact-based reason and inquiry. The Enlightenment brought secular thought to Europe and reshaped the ways people understood issues such as liberty, equality, and individual rights. Today those ideas serve as the cornerstone of the world’s strongest democracies.’1 This above description from…

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Many commentators, including Alastair Crooke whom I respect, review  operations in Ukraine as part of the war with Russia. That war was over a long time ago. What is happening now is post-war planning. Many post-War2 American leaders condemned Britain as leaving behind a mess of ethnic conflicts that could last a  hundred years or more. Many atrocities committed by Ukraine have no military purpose whatsoever. Clearly their intention is to leave hatred and mistrust after the formal ending…

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