Written by: Peter LaBelle On the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in response to Russia’s recognition of the “People’s Republics” in Luhansk and Donetsk, Kenya’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN) addressed the UN Security Council. Martin Kimani asked the Russians to pursue a diplomatic solution to the crisis, not an irredentist war in…
Tag: Peter LaBelle
Corruption Underlies Vaccine Hesitancy in Eastern Europe
Written by: Peter LaBelle A glance at world COVID vaccination rates reveals a curious pattern. As one would expect, the percentage of a given country which has been vaccinated largely correlates with its wealth, with the highest percentages of the population vaccinated in Europe, North America, and parts of East Asia; reasonably high levels of…
Stalled EU Accession Threatens Future Prosperity in Balkans
Written by: Peter LaBelle For the Republic of North Macedonia, there must currently be a strong feeling of déjà vu. Almost three years ago, the Prespa Agreement ended the country’s long-running dispute with Greece over its name. This deal saw Macedonia change its name to North Macedonia, a change demanded by Greece on the grounds…
Ecuador’s New President Faces Compromise with Rising Indigenous Party
Written by: Peter LaBelle On April 10, Ecuador held the second round of its presidential election, which delivered a surprise victory to the conservative former banker Guillermo Lasso over the leftist Andres Arauz. Though Lasso had only narrowly made it into the runoff over another leftist candidate, Arauz may have been harmed at the polls…
Islamic Insurgency in Mozambique Requires Nuanced Response
Written by: Peter LaBelle A long-running conflict in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado escalated at the end of last month as Islamic insurgents belonging to the extremist group ‘Al-Shabaab’ invaded the town of Palma. The town is a strategically important one in the far north of the state and houses a project by French…
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