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Ekkehardt Krippendorff walks the high road of peace research. His book, State and War, is a contribution to the grand task of abolishing war as an institution. He argues that states and the military are twins, created for the same purpose: breeding war and violence against each other's and their own subject populations. This review presents Krippendorff's arguments and extends them, showing how the two ahistorical conclusions that would seem to emerge from such reasoning - namely the anarchist and the pacifist conclusions - can be avoided.

This article reflects on the turmoil in the states of the Levant, particularly seen in the context of broader tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Particular regard is given to the radical challenge of Sunni and largely Salafi jihadism; the disabling of large parts of the Middle East state system in the wake of the Arab Spring; the dramatic fall in global energy prices; the fraying of traditional alliances between Saudi Arabia, the US and other powers. The increase in sectarianism and conflicts over authority in Islam are also discussed. (Asian Aff/GIGA)

The 2017 publication of Betrayal of the Promise, the report that detailed the systematic nature of state capture, marked a key moment in South Africa's most recent struggle for democracy. In the face of growing evidence of corruption and of the weakening of state and democratic institutions, it provided a powerful analysis of events that helped galvanise resistance within the Tripartite Alliance and across civil society. Working often secretly, the authors consolidated large amounts of evidence from a variety of sources. They showed that the Jacob Zuma administration was not simply a criminal network but part of an audacious political project to break the hold of white business on the economy and to create a new class of black industrialists. State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) such as Eskom and Transnet were central to these plans. Shadow State is an updated version of the original, explosive report that changed South Africa's recent history. It introduces a whole new language to discuss state capture, showing how SOEs were 'repurposed', how political power was shifting away from constitutional bodies to 'kitchen cabinets', and how a 'shadow state' at odds with the country's constitutional framework was being built.

Intro -- Title -- Legal Notices -- Preliminary -- Foreword -- Preface -- Summary -- Author -- Dedication -- Bibliography -- From the same author -- 1. African States of the continent and Overseas Territories -- 2. Constitution of the United States of Africa -- ARTICLE ONE -- ARTICLE II -- ARTICLE III -- ARTICLE IV -- ARTICLE V -- ARTICLE VI -- ARTICLE VII -- SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS -- ARTICLE I -- ARTICLE II -- ARTICLE III -- ARTICLE IV -- ARTICLE V -- ARTICLE VI -- ARTICLE VII -- ARTICLE VIII -- ARTICLE IX -- ARTICLE X -- ARTICLE XI -- ARTICLE XII -- ARTICLE XIII -- ARTICLE XIV -- ARTICLE XV -- ARTICLE XVI -- ARTICLE XVII -- ARTICLE XVIII -- ARTICLE XIX -- ARTICLE XX -- ARTICLE XXI -- ARTICLE XXII -- ARTICLE XXIII -- ARTICLE XXIV -- 3. The starry golden spiral, the flag, and its meaning. -- The United States of Africa flag -- This meaning -- 4. The anthem of the Light carriers -- 5. The motto, the seal and the crest of this gathered Africa -- The seal of Union -- the solar seal -- 6. PanAfrican emergencies -- Anticipation -- Anticipation 1: Symbolic creation of the United States of Africa -- Anticipation 2 : Creation of African gold reserves -- Anticipation 3. Dissemination of Knowledge in African languages -- Anticipation 4 and 5. Fresh water and arable Lands resources -- Anticipation 6 -- Anticipation 7 -- 7. Backbone and foundations of the federal state -- 8. Action taken to build the desirable future for Humanity -- Appendix -- 1. Press Release -- 2. The Gold Reserve of Africa Bank, through a call to encourage savings -- 3. The African Fresh Water Project -- 4. The search engine with African content -- 5. The huge energy potential that needs to be promoted -- 6. On-site refining of African minerals -- Rough sketches of blast furnaces to keep in mind -- Operation principle -- Runway light -- 7. The 50,000 km railway system to be built.