The New York Times has a very good background piece on the violence in South Sudan. South Sudan is the world’s newest nation-state (it was created on 9 July 2011), and it was forged because of long-standing disputes between its residents and those of the Sudan, from which it broke away. Nonetheless, there were cleavages within South Sudan that were never resolved. Some of these were ethnically defined–the relationship between the Nuer and the Dinka tribes was a well-defined problem. Some of the cleavages were personal, as manifest in the difficult relationship between Riek Machar and the current President, Salva Kiir. As always, the cleavages are simply a way to articulate the sides in a struggle for power.
The Iraqi government is reeling under threats by Sunni members of Parliament to resign. The ongoing violence in Anbar Province, where a majority of Sunni Iraqis live, has been fostered by an al-Qaeda related group, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. The Shia majority government, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, has been unable to contain the violence. Indeed, al-Maliki has asked the US for military assistance to contain the rebels. The US has refused, believing that it would be a serious mistake to help arm an Iranian ally.
I am always in pursuit of new music, and, while I’m not a fan of heavy metal (I tend toward the blues), I am more intrigued by how music cultures fuse. ArmadurA is a heavy metal band from Bolivia, and it is amazing how it has integrated traditional Bolivian instruments (like the Zampona) into the genre. If you like heavy metal, turn your speakers up. The title of the song is from an old Inca phrase: “Don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t be lazy.”
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