The Yale Globalist Blog

I came to Nigeria in the morning, before the sun had risen, and when the haze still gathers over the covered hills. It’s the kind of haze that the occasional palm tree can break, between the shadows of rolling ups and downs in the earth. The airport was quiet, but not in a way that matches the skies. The airport is quiet in an empty way—the way that guards are kept late into the night and the customs officials are scraping the sleep off their eyes as they hassle the incoming passengers.

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What can we learn about another region by reading their newspapers and watching their TV? It’s a question I’ve become interested in as I learn Arabic and have started to consume Arab media.

Much is not surprising. For example, during the Israeli incursions in the Palestine over the past few weeks, al-Jazeera reported that “martyrs were martyred” (istshhada shaheedan) rather than “civilians were killed” (qutila muwatinin).

The political cartoons are more blunt. The views expressed are typical of the “Arab street”: America sucks, Israel sucks, etc. But the visual language is fascinating.

A sheikh uses the American flag as a prayer mat. The flag reads, loosely translated, “Submission–not hunger!” The young Palestinian freedom fighter’s sign reads “Hunger–not submission!”

After the jump: a selection of more Arab political cartoons.
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Today, after waking up, I checked the news from back home, El Salvador. On the front cover on massive bold letters, the headlines read “Muere Numero Dos de las FARC” (Number Two FARC leader dies). I was shocked. This is something of great consequences in Latin American politics not just because this will change the rules of the game between the Colombian Government and the FARC - potentially affecting the liberation of hostages and peace negotiations - but also because of the reaction of Colombia’s neighbors.

Image details: Colombian President Pastrana Visits Former FARC Enclave served by picapp.com

Hugo Chavez, as always, has made a scandal out of this, going to the extreme of closing the Venezuelan embassy in Bogota and recalling all of Venezuela’s functionaries. Rafael Correa, president of Ecuador, is outraged because he claims that the military operation that ended in the FARC leader’s death was a violation to his nations sovereignty as it took place on Ecuadorian territory. And Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega criticized the Colombian government for killing this guerrilla leader. Both Venezuela and Ecuador have sent troops to their border with Colombia. Continue Reading »