Tunisia continues to serve as a bell weather for the Arab world. Many Tunisian youth are apparently attracted to radicalism because of the disillusionment that set in after all the twists and turns in Arab politics since 2011. The fundamental catalyst seems to be a sense among Tunisian young people that there really is no advantage in playing by the rules of the current system. The issue is not necessarily poverty, although that is a serious matter. The issue seems to be that even getting an advanced degree is no guarantee of getting a good job, and that political connections are more important.
RT is reporting that up to 120 US military personnel are operating in Somalia trying to maintain active drone strikes against al-Shabab radicals. Al-Shabab has been responsible for many terror attacks, including some particularly gruesome attacks against civilians in Kenya. Interestingly, these US forces are working with the African Union’s Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), but the US itself admits only a small number of Special Operations forces in the country.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has called for an end to child, early, and forced marriages. About 15 million girls are married every year in circumstances that deny them a voice in the arrangement, and the UN wants to label such practices as a violation of fundamental human rights. These practices are embedded in cultural mores that are difficult to change, but the UN makes the argument that denying girls control over the lives limits the development prospects of a society and reinforces patterns of poverty.
I am going to take a vacation from the blog until Monday. By then we will know the results of the Greek election and who knows what else will happen. But I am going to disengage for a few days.
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