Tuesday 28 December 2010

Andre Agassi: Sport in print.

Over the past few years the internet and increasingly tablets/kindles are revolutionising the way we read books and the choice on the market. The sports book genre has expanded hugely. Twenty years ago, one could only find annuals like Match or the Wisden Almanack, but now it can dominate a whole section. There are books on sporting philosophy, history, theory and of course the autobiography.

Sporting books have launched the literary careers of authors like Nick Hornby, whilstothers have sprawled massive charitable campaigns. Anyone who has read Lance Armstrong’s It’s not about the bike’ would find it hard not to commend the inexorable determination of the man and his route to success.

The genre's evolution over the past twenty years even saw a dedicated prize established. So why else would be people want to read their stories and prose? There is a stereotype to suggest that sportsmen and women aren’t intellectual and therefore, why would we want to read their musings? The drivel delivered during press conferences or post-match interviews would highlight such drollness. Some athletes have signed multi-book deals worth millions of pound, even though they are still in their early twenties! Yet people still buy them.

Perhaps it is the fact that sport is about real life, the highs and lows. The lives of actors is purely fictional and doesn’t have the human drama that we can associate in sporting events. Athletes are mortals. They can tell their stories about overcoming failures.How triumph and defeat become blurred.

Reading the autobiography of Andre Agassi, it is surreal to see the life of a high profile name in such perspective. The pressure from parents and school, the fear of losing and the inability to succeed. The honesty and realities is often lost on the spectator and we only learn of the inner most thoughts after such battles have been fought. Life could be compared to a tennis match or an athletics race. It is often only through these athletes, who have dedicated their lives to one dream or target, that their outlook can teach us what events mean and we can take from them. The best books tell us about life itself.

Sunday 19 December 2010

Sudan: Snow or blood in Africa?

Time is a healer, but in history and diplomacy it is more subjective. In 2011 it is likely that Africa will have another country: South Sudan. Up until 2005, the country had suffered almost six continuous decades of civil war and now with the prospect of secession in the South, the future is blurred. Could it lead to more bloodshed within Africa’s biggest country.

Historically, the conflict existed between the mainly black African Christians in the south, who felt subjugated by the Arab Muslim in the north. Since the beginning of the civil wars, over two million people have died and over four million people have become displaced.

The peace process began in 1993, culminating in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. This officially ended the conflict and gave the South a future referendum on independence. In January 2011, the people of South Sudan will determine their future.

Over the past ten years, the west of the country has made all the international headlines. Violent ambushes in the Darfur region has created another humanitarian crisis, spilling across the region. The US has labelled these crimes as genocide .

Many of today’s problems could have been resolved by Britain in two earlier historical incidents. In 1898, the Fashoda incident nearly led to a war between Britain and France. It could have separated Muslim North from Christian African immediately, rather than retain the lines on the colonial map drawing.

When independence came in the early 1950s, the British who handed over the administration to the northerners in Khartoum. The British Empire favoured indirect rule from London and left power with local chiefs. The experience of British India saw power fall into the hands local Muslim Emirs.The self-interest of the northerners and neglect of the south became the tinder for war that destroyed the lives of millions for decades to come.

Hope is a wonderful thing, but it can also be short-sighted. When the Baltic and Balkan states broke up in the 1990s, there was a degree of stability and an infrastructure of support to ensure their institutions flourished.

Perhaps the problem for a newly formed South Sudan is that it creates more questions that are unanticipated. What about the oil wealth? What role will the diaspora play? Many countries including the US and Britain back statehood, but is this a ploy to punish the current Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir. Al-Bashir is accused of arming the genocide in Darfur and wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. He is also alleged to have supported the Lord’s Resistance Army, a mercenary organisation in Central Africa that has displaced and murdered thousands in the last twenty years.

South Sudan’s economy relies heavily on agriculture and the land. Yet oil could be the biggest problem if independence goes ahead. The oil fields are in the south, but the pipelines run through the north. As one of the Chinese biggest clients, how is this to be resolved.

Questions must also be asked of the leadership. It seems certain that the whole administration will be full of former rebels from the Sudanese Peoples’ Liberation Army (SPLA). Sudan has an Arab majority in the north and black Christians in the south, but it also has the hundreds of tribes embroiled in the fighting. Many questions are being asked of what will happen to those on the border and the migrant population in the north. After so many years of hardship, it is not a question of whether they are ready to govern – because clearly they are – it is more whether they have the experience to do so. For so long these people have been fighting, but are there plans to ensure everything is taken into perspective.

The countries surrounding Sudan endured their own struggles: Eritrea’s independence, Ethiopia and Uganda’s bloody dictatorships and the Rwandan genocide. These states are not flagships of good governance, but perhaps the lessons of Africa’s recent past has shown that to develop the economies and increase trade, then it is essential to have stability. Maybe Africa is waking up to the fact that continuous war doesn’t gain anything. 

Friday 10 December 2010

Tuition Fees: This is Government

So the vote for tuition fees went the way of the Coalition Government. From 2013, students in England could potentially be paying up to £9,000 per year. Ignoring the anger on the streets and the mindless acts of violence by the protesters, the political games were extremely engaging and provoking. The Liberal Democrats, the junior partner within the coalition, abandoned their election pledge not to increase tuition fees.

Many will argue that free higher education should be a right and that society gains as a whole from having highly-skilled graduates. Yet, it is unaffordable and by having more and more students entering further education, it is causing a greater strain for the state to burden.

Perhaps this is what the Liberal Democrats have come to realise. From a party that within the past twenty years has been well-liked and input many policy pledges, it is learning that Government is far from comfortable and idealistic. Yes, it is difficult not to sympathise with the MPs who abstained or voted against the legislation, but we must commend the members that voted with the Government. Nick Clegg, who is sure to face criticism from party members. He has shouldered a massive amount of pressure for the coalition and David Cameron should be acknowledging.

It is obvious the policy will not always please everyone, particularly if Welsh and Scottish students are unaffected. But perhaps the leadership shown by Mr Clegg will be a realisation to Liberal Democrat members what politics is about and that the next few years will be tough.

Monday 6 December 2010

Wikileaks: The medium is the message.

This week, most people are talking about FIFA and England's unsuccessful World Cup bid. Yet, the other story dominating the news are the leaked US Diplomatic cables published by the website Wikileaks and various news organisations throughout the world.

The story surrounds a member of the US security services who sent a file with over 250,000 documents containing confidential information relating to the State Department's view on foreign policy. The scope is enormous and potentially damaging; but it is interesting to read the thoughts of diplomats and US policy.

As well as the information, the nature of the journalism is interesting, and becoming more prevalent. Instead of Wikileaks just releasing the information straight on to the internet, it gave various news gathering organisations a chance to report on the leaks. The Guardian has apparently spent weeks using journalists and various experts to decipher the best news stories and the implications of various comments. It is similar to the Daily Telegraph's reportage on MPs’ Expenses scandal in 2009.

Many say that such leaks could have political and personal consequences to those involved. Though the newspapers will argue that much of it is in the public interest.

Some have also added that if the Americans are so hurt by the stories, then why was it accessible to thousands of security personnel. Many of the stories are not particularly sensationalist but purely uncloak the perspectives of mandarins and politicians. Perhaps we should be entitled hear them.

It could as a consequence lead to further so called 'post-it-note government', where civil servants prefer righting things down on disposable paper rather than send it by email.

It does ultimately show how powerful modern day communications are and how we no longer have to rely on journalists.
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