"GEN. LAURENT NKUNDA, rebel leader, Eastern Congo -- Nkunda holds the fate of
hundreds of thousands of long-suffering people in Eastern Congo in his hands.
He has been battling the Congolese army for months in the region, forcing some
200,000 people to flee their homes. Nkunda claims he is protecting Tutsis from
Rwandan Hutus who crossed into Congo after the 1994 genocide, but his critics
call him a serial human rights abuser and the Congolese government has a
warrant out for his arrest. Peace talks at the end of December may help end the
fighting at last, but Nkunda has recaptured much of the territory he previously
lost to the Congolese government, and he may be in no mood to negotiate.
Congolese, who have seen no end of war in the last decade, will likely suffer
the most."(COX NEWS SERVICE)
Dear All,
This is very interseting to read that COX NEWS SEVICE has cited General
NKUNDA as one of the INTERNATIONAL FIGURES TO WATCH IN 2008.
One thing COX NEWS SERVICE seem to ignore is that the General has
always been OPEN to negociation for peace in the Congo.COX NEWS should have
mentioned that the actual war in the DRC has been imposed to him.
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/national/story/167060.html
International figures to watch in 2008 By THE FOREIGN STAFF OF COX
NEWS SERVICE
last updated: January 01, 2008 12:26:19 AM
Cox Newspapers' foreign correspondents provided this list of people around
the world worth watching in 2008. Here's their list of notables:
DMITRI MEDVEDEV, prime minister of Russia -- Change in Russia? Probably not.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has endorsed this bookish former academic from
St. Petersburg as his successor. In return, Medvedev has said he would name
Putin as prime minister. In the end, Medvedev may hold the key to just how much
influence Putin continues to yield after his term ends early next year.
Already, Medvedev has said that Russia must continue on the path set by Putin
since he took office in 2000.
NICOLAS SARKOZY, president of France -- Smart and outspoken, Sarkozy was
France's youngest mayor when he took over as leader of Paris' affluent suburb
of Neuilly at the age of 29. He went on to become interior minister before
succeeding Jacques Chirac as president in May. Amid rioting in late 2007, he
has pledged to revive the work ethic and fight intolerance. Known for his
strong stance on law and order, he is expected to continue taking a hard line
against Iran as he pursues closer ties with the United States.
JAVIER BARDEM, Spanish actor -- A sex symbol in his home country, Bardem is
breaking into the Hollywood movie scene in a big way. The former member of the
Spanish rugby team just picked up a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal
of a serial killer in the Coen brothers film "No Country For Old Men." Soon he
will be seen in the film adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez's "Love In The
Time Of Cholera" as well as Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." He's also
set to star in "Nine," a new movie from Rob Marshall.
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, president of Pakistan -- His actions have polarized
Pakistan. The world will be watching this tottering leader of a tottering
nuclear state.
ZHOU XIAOCHUAN, governor of China's central bank -- Called "China's
Greenspan" and "Mr. Renminbi," a reference to China's currency, Zhou wields
enormous power over the world's most rapidly growing economy. Since becoming
head of China's central bank in 2002, he has presided over reforms including
allowing the renminbi to strengthen against the U.S. dollar, a shift that makes
Chinese exports more expensive and could upset China's role as manufacturer to
the world. Top-level politics in China are murky and Zhou could be moved to a
new job soon. But he is certain to remain deeply involved in decisions about
how quickly China's currency should strengthen and how to keep China's red-hot
economy from derailing.
KEVIN RUDD, prime minister of Australia -- After Rudd was sworn in as prime
minister in December, he immediately changed Australia's course by ratifying
the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, leaving the United States as the only
industrialized nation that has refused to do so. While Rudd views Australia's
alliance with the United States as a foreign policy cornerstone, he has
promised to withdraw Australian combat troops from Iraq, possibly next year.
For President Bush -- a longtime friend of former Australian Prime Minister
John Howard -- Rudd's election could shake relations with one of Washington's
closest allies.
RAJENDRA PACHAURI, chairman of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, from New Delhi, India -- Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize this month on
behalf of the IPCC, the U.N. panel that shared this year's prize with Al Gore,
Pachauri called the recognition a "clarion call for the protection of the
earth." Under his watch, the panel brought together thousands of scientists and
largely put an end to scientific debate over whether the world is warming. (A
recent IPCC report called global warming "unequivocal.") In 2008, look for
Pachauri to play a larger role in pushing governments to curb emissions of
carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for rising temperatures.
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. Army general -- He's not from the Middle East, but
perhaps no other human being in 2008 will have as much influence on events
there. Since he became commander of the Multi-National Forces in Iraq in
February, Petraeus has redefined the U.S.-led mission and produced results.
Peace is still a distant goal, but -- contrary to some forecasts when he took
command -- Petraeus has not failed. Aside from bombs and bullets, he will have
to continue to contend with election-year politics in the United States and
continuing sectarian political discord in Iraq.
EHUD BARAK, Israeli defense minister -- The former prime minister (1999-2001)
is once again angling for the top job after taking over as chairman of the
Labor Party and being appointed minister of defense in Ehud Olmert's government
in 2007. Some Israelis fear that his determination to prove his muscle,
however, may lead in 2008 to costly military incursions into the Gaza Strip,
which is currently controlled by the radical Islamic movement Hamas, and a
refusal to loosen the Israeli army's control of the West Bank, thus undermining
the Bush administration's declared hopes for a settlement of the long-running
Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the time Bush leaves office.
SHEIK MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL-MAKTOUM, ruler of Dubai -- Simmering labor
troubles notwithstanding, there is no reason to think that the architect of the
economic dynamo that is Dubai, one of seven sheikdoms that make up the United
Arab Emirates, will lose his touch in 2008. In the past quarter alone, the
investment firm owned by his Dubai government has bought a "substantial stake"
in Sony and state-run Dubai World has purchased a 9.5 percent share in the Las
Vegas-based casino firm MGM Mirage. He also oversees the world's most expensive
collection of racehorses and has an interest in buildings: He is likely to be
on hand when his brainchild, the Burj Dubai, is topped off in late 2008 at
2,625 feet, thus becoming the tallest freestanding structure in the world.
MOHAMMAD BAQER QALIBAF, Mayor of Tehran -- Qalibaf is considered a top
contender to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president of Iran. Elections are
scheduled for early 2009, but his supporters see this spring's parliamentary
race as a bellwether of his chances. Qalibaf, who lost to Ahmadinejad in
presidential balloting two years ago, is allied with a coalition of political
parties intent on winning back parliament from the president's hard-line bloc.
A former commander of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Air Force
and Iran's former top cop, Qalibaf has strong conservative credentials but also
appeals to Iran's reform- minded younger generation. As mayor, Qalibaf oversees
Iran's largest daily newspaper, a platform he has used to criticize
Ahmadinejad's nuclear policies and to bolster his populist résumé.
HUGO CHÁVEZ, president of Venezuela -- After nearly a decade of triumphs, the
firebrand socialist Chávez suffered his first serious political defeat in late
2007 when voters narrowly rejected his proposed laundry list of constitutional
changes. The persistent U.S. critic had hoped to win approval for measures that
would've enabled him to continue running for re-election for life. Despite the
stinging defeat, Chávez remains immensely popular among Venezuela's poor
majority, and the opposition has yet to unite behind a single leader. Look for
him to continue blasting U.S. "imperialism" in 2008, cementing his role as heir
to Fidel Castro as the hemisphere's chief U.S. critic. He'll also continue
doling out Venezuela's oil billions to foreign leftists and his own poor
supporters, aiming to build an anti-U.S. bloc among emerging nations.
EVO MORALES, president of Bolivia -- Bolivia's president hasn't grabbed as
many headlines as Chávez in neighboring Venezuela. Yet he's been pushing his
own socialist reforms that have created no less of a stir within this Andean
nation of 9 million. Morales, a former coca farmer elected in 2005 as the
nation's first indigenous president, surprised many by bringing stability
during his first year in office. But he has been creating controversy in recent
months with his push to create a new "Magna Carta" in Bolivia. A constitutional
assembly recently approved his reforms, which now must be approved by voters in
a referendum. The proposed changes, which would affect large landholdings and
indigenous rights, have been sparking protests and deepening divides in the
country.
CRISTINA FERNÁNDEZ DE KIRCHNER, president of Argentina -- Endlessly compared
to Hillary Clinton, Fernández de Kirchner will be closely watched as
Argentina's first elected female president. The former first lady and senator
was sworn in this month while her husband, outgoing President Nestor Kirchner,
looked on. Observers have expected her to raise Argentina's international
profile and warm frosty relations with the United States. But earlier this
month, after U.S. prosecutors accused the Venezuelan government of trying to
smuggle money into Argentina to contribute secretly to her campaign, she
derided the U.S. claims as "garbage in international politics."
FIDEL AND RAUL CASTRO, leaders of Cuba -- Cuba's lingering state of limbo may
continue or instead might finally give way to a new era in 2008. It all depends
on the health of the communist island's longtime strongman, Fidel Castro, who
has not been seen in public since July 2006, when he underwent emergency
surgery for a life- threatening stomach bleeding ailment. Castro's brother,
Raul, has ruled in his absence, but the question of whether he has complete
power is still unclear.
MARCELO EBRARD, mayor of Mexico City -- Ebrard, the bespectacled, bookish,
and let's face it, nerdish mayor of sprawling Mexico City, seemed like an
unlikely candidate to make a splash in his first year in office. Instead,
Ebrard made headlines for nearly 12 months: he brought the world's biggest ice
rink to the city's Zocalo plaza, built urban beaches in rough neighborhoods,
kicked out some 15,000 street vendors from Mexico City's historic downtown,
supported the city's groundbreaking legalization of abortion and ordered
government bureaucrats to bike to work one day a month. Detractors say Ebrard
prefers hype to substance and should concentrate more on the city's vast
infrastructure challenges and widespread poverty. But the left-leaning mayor
looks to be taking the long view, perhaps preparing a run for the presidency in
2012.
JACOB ZUMA, leader of the African National Congress -- A former
anti-apartheid guerrilla fighter who has tried to shatter the staid, secretive
image of the African National Congress, Jacob Zuma is considered a favorite to
become South Africa's third post- apartheid president in 2009. His rise seemed
doomed after he was accused but later acquitted of rape and was fired as deputy
ANC president over corruption charges. Now the ANC has appointed him its
leader, and he will bring a more bombastic, populist image than those
cultivated by his predecessors, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. The only hitch:
new graft charges could come soon, and a conviction would rule out a
presidential run.
BINYAVANGA WAINAINA, magazine editor, Kenya -- Wainaina, editor of the Kenyan
literary magazine Kwani? (So What?), is the most famous of a batch of young
Kenyan writers who are unafraid to challenge both foreign and home-grown
perceptions of their country. A writer-in residence at Union College in
Schenectady, N.Y., he gained renown with an essay in Granta magazine, "How To
Write About Africa," which ridiculed white foreigners' treatment of African
themes. "In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country," he wrote.
"Africa is to be pitied, worshiped or dominated. Whichever angle you take, be
sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your
important book, Africa is doomed."
NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA, World Bank managing director, living in Lagos, Nigeria
-- The first woman to hold the post of finance and foreign minister in Nigeria,
Okonjo-Iweala was recently appointed a managing director at the World Bank.
Educated at Harvard and MIT, she gained the nickname "Trouble Woman" for her
drive to fight corruption in her homeland, one of the most corrupt nations on
the planet. Okonjo-Iweala is a fellow at the Brookings Institution and a
co-founder of the Makeda Fund, which invests in African women entrepreneurs.
"When it comes to doing my job, I keep my ego in my handbag," she once told
Britain's Guardian newspaper. Among the inflated egos of the World Bank, that
attitude could prove useful.
GEN. LAURENT NKUNDA, rebel leader, Eastern Congo -- Nkunda holds the fate of
hundreds of thousands of long-suffering people in Eastern Congo in his hands.
He has been battling the Congolese army for months in the region, forcing some
200,000 people to flee their homes. Nkunda claims he is protecting Tutsis from
Rwandan Hutus who crossed into Congo after the 1994 genocide, but his critics
call him a serial human rights abuser and the Congolese government has a
warrant out for his arrest. Peace talks at the end of December may help end the
fighting at last, but Nkunda has recaptured much of the territory he previously
lost to the Congolese government, and he may be in no mood to negotiate.
Congolese, who have seen no end of war in the last decade, will likely suffer
the most.
Compiled from reports by Shelley Emling in London, Craig Simons in Beijing,
Margaret Coker and Craig Nelson in Jerusalem, Jeremy Schwartz in Mexico City,
Mike Williams in Miami and special correspondents Andrew Marra in Buenos Aires
and Nick Wadhams in Nairobi.
RWANDA RAVE REVIEWS
Sharangabo Rufagari
Montreal
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