Kagame Goes After Opponents

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

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in a fashion that can only make our own kamwana drool with jealousy.  Imagine if he could lock up Raila, Ida, Raila jr etc, for insurrection.  The problem with people like Kagame is they either can't see life beyond their tenure or they don't give a fuck what happens when they are gone.

Former Rwanda presidential candidate Diane Rwigara is denying charges of insurrection and forgery that she says are linked to her criticism of the government's human rights record.

Rwigara appeared in court Wednesday in the capital, Kigali. She and some family members were detained late last month. Her mother, Adeline, and sister Anne have been charged with incitement and "discrimination and sectarianism."

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rwanda-presidential-candidate-denies-insurrection-charge-50414833

[Nefertiti]

Rwanda and Ethiopia are more like China. Kenya, SA, Nigeria etc have taken the western democratic model. Going by empirical history, no system is better than the other.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

Rwanda and Ethiopia are more like China. Kenya, SA, Nigeria etc have taken the western democratic model. Going by empirical history, no system is better than the other.

Actually there are major differences IMO.  SA might still have some semblance of institutional stability - but ANC is making an impressive effort to kill them.  China definitely has institutional stability, even though it is undemocratic; I agree Ethiopia might be similar to China..  Not sure where to place Nigeria, but it seems a largely stable mess - like it will limp along like that without collapsing for a long time; the only autocracy possible there is military rule.   Kenya just can't seem to avoid courting trouble every five years.

[MOON Ki]

Rwanda and Ethiopia are more like China. Kenya, SA, Nigeria etc have taken the western democratic model. Going by empirical history, no system is better than the other.

Interesting view.   When I have some time I will list the successful countries under each "model" and see which list is longer in the "empirical history".

I would also distinguish between the nominal "model" and the "model" in practice.   The "autocratic" model has been well tried in Africa---most of post-independence history---even when the countries in question were supposedly working with  the "western democratic model".   It has always ended in blood and tears.   Countries like Kenya are simply working, somewhat haphazardly, at returning to what they (as in their "leaders") rejected for many years.   

And in comparing some African countries with China, I would also note this: China's leaders serve "fixed" terms; new leaders and new ideas come in at regular intervals.  No "president-for-life" and all that goes with it.

[Globalcitizen12]

Kagame has no out. He knows tustis will be slaughtered again once he is out..his game is stay till lord or another gunman stops him..he should find a way of bring a critical mass of hutus on his side that way they will protect his people

[RV Pundit]

Tutsi have sat on Hutus for 500 yrs so maybe it possible to keep this going on and with the banning of tribes - maybe in the a generation one or two - the lines will blurred. And really the fight was about the diminishing opportunities - land - Rwanda is one of africa most densely populated country - so maybe availing more opportunities for rwandese will change their fortune - compared to kenya.

Kagame has no out. He knows tustis will be slaughtered again once he is out..his game is stay till lord or another gunman stops him..he should find a way of bring a critical mass of hutus on his side that way they will protect his people

[RV Pundit]

Wrong analogy. China is more like North Korea or most middle east countries - homogeneous dictatorship - can last for generation, decades and centuries. Rwanda and Ethiopia are ruled by tiny minority - and therefore their model of democracy is not sustainable. Kenya, SA, Nigeria and many countries that have adopted democracy have realized it not enough - you need to have deep federalism, regionalism and devolution if country is divided- like US or Germany or UK. Of course mature democracies like most of europe have through many years unified and became homogeneous..so whatever system they adopt..they will survive.

Rwanda is trying to force homogeneity so it's dictatorship can survive like China - where 95% of country is one tribe -Hans.

Rwanda and Ethiopia are more like China. Kenya, SA, Nigeria etc have taken the western democratic model. Going by empirical history, no system is better than the other.

[Nefertiti]

Pundit - Ethiopia is already federal and ruled by a big Kanu-style coalition but still faces ethnic divisions. Yet they have thrived for centuries as Abyssinia empire. I think they have discovered democracy is no recipe and are opting for unipolar leadership to grow.

[Globalcitizen12]

Tutsi have sat on Hutus for 500 yrs so maybe it possible to keep this going on and with the banning of tribes - maybe in the a generation one or two - the lines will blurred. And really the fight was about the diminishing opportunities - land - Rwanda is one of africa most densely populated country - so maybe availing more opportunities for rwandese will change their fortune - compared to kenya.

Kagame has no out. He knows tustis will be slaughtered again once he is out..his game is stay till lord or another gunman stops him..he should find a way of bring a critical mass of hutus on his side that way they will protect his people

Do you know the reason they genocide was so effective is beacuse both tribes live together share land..the picture I got from reading left to die book is that these two have historical lived together..Kenya is unique because each tirbe has it's Homeland

[MOON Ki]

Pundit - Ethiopia is already federal and ruled by a big Kanu-style coalition but still faces ethnic divisions. Yet they have thrived for centuries as Abyssinia empire. I think they have discovered democracy is no recipe and are opting for unipolar leadership to grow.

I am not very up-to-date on Ethiopian happenings ... during which period would you say they had a democratic system and in that time "discovered democracy is no recipe"?

[Nefertiti]

Pundit - Ethiopia is already federal and ruled by a big Kanu-style coalition but still faces ethnic divisions. Yet they have thrived for centuries as Abyssinia empire. I think they have discovered democracy is no recipe and are opting for unipolar leadership to grow.

I am not very up-to-date on Ethiopian happenings ... during which period would you say they had a democratic system and in that time "discovered democracy is no recipe"?

They glanced over at Kenya and TZ and made the discovery. I support their path given the progress they are making.