OLD STRATEGIES IN THE CONTEMPORARY COLD WAR: Vladimir Putin, Bashar-al-Assad, Tayyip Erdogan vs. NATO/USA

Rwandan American lawyer and former National University of Rwanda professor Dr. Charles Kambanda

Whether one calls it "another round of the cold war" or "a continuum of the cold war", the NATO/US vs China/Russia axis relationship bears all the chilly characteristics the cold war. The most bloody cold war front line so far is Syria, not to ignore Burundi.

December 2015, Turkey conspired with its NATO allies to down Russia's fighter jet. It's not in dispute now that Turkey downed the Russian fighter jet from Syria as Russia was fighting to " liberate" Syria from NATO and their proxy Syrian " rebels". President Vladimir Putin responded to Turkey's act of downing the Russian fighter jet by (a) imposing punitive economic sanctions against Turkey and (b) promising that Turkey and its European allies would pay the price for downing the Russian fighter jet. That was then!

Today, Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan met his counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, in what many analysts rightly call a diplomatic reset. The two leaders met to " talk business" after Erdogan apologized to Putin for the NATO/US wrong advice that led Turkey to down Russia's fighter jet. Putin accepted the apology "for the good of the two nations"; Turkey and Russia.

Erdogan believes that while he was working with NATO/US for regime change in Syria, NATO/US were planning his own downfall through a Coup which Erdogan claims to have defeated.
Turkey is strategic for NATO/US cold warfare. Analysts argue that without Turkey's full cooperation, given Germany's cold feet in the current cold war, NATO cannot do much. The war in Syria stands in a balance for NATO and the US. If Turkey joins Russia, Syria could as well fall to Russia. Whether Russia can keep both Bashar-al-Assad ( Syria) and Tayyip Erdogab ( Turkey) in power against NATO/US interests is another complex issue which dwells mostly on strategies and tactics the major cold war protagonists contemplate.

If Russia consolidated power in Turkey and Syria, thereby defeating NATO /US in Syria, would NATO /US concede defeats in Syria and talk peace with Assad? If NATO/US talked peace with Assad, what would be the fate for NATO/US sponsored rebels in Syrian? Would sending the NATO/US sponsored rebels to the International Criminal Court be one of the possibilities if NATO/US struck a deal with Assad? If NATO/US chose to fight on, would NATO/US consider supporting " rebels" in Turkey thereby opening another cold war front line; taking on Putin and Erdogan even before NATO/US are done with Putin and Assad in Syria? Will Turkey pull out of NATO? What's the future of NATO as a cold war mentality " union"?

On June 7th, 2016, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the world by surprise when he " commended" President Putin's efforts to bring peace in Syria. Netanyahu's shocking comments came shortly before he visited President Putin for a third time in less that a year. Will Israel be a spectator in this crazy regional " re-positioning" game? Would Israel strike an independent deal with Putin, Erdogan and Assad ? Where would such a deal leave Israel/NATO/US relationship?

Will the cold war battle in Africa - Burundi - intensify or the superpowers will abandon the Burundi front line for future complex cold war tactics and strategies? Do the ordinary people who perish and/or bear the inhumane effects of these senseless wars between superpowers matter ?

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Kwezi - Africa's Cartoon Superhero

Most comic book superheroes are Europeans or white Americans but one artist in South Africa has been trying to change that.
"Kwezi" (star in Xhosa and Zulu) is the brainchild of Loyiso Mkize, who describes it as a coming-of-age story about finding one's heritage.
He's been speaking to the BBC about his work in visual art and why he feels Africa needs to have its own superheroes.

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But Kigali is the safest city in Africa! Why all the security?

Roads closed, security tight as Netanyahu lands in Rwanda

Major roads linking Rwanda's capital Kigali to the 10km main road from the airport have been blocked off as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the country for a one day visit.

The Israeli Premier is in Rwanda for few hours during which he has visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre at Gisozi and is expected to hold talks with President Paul Kagame at Village Urugwiro.

Upon arrival, he was welcomed by Mr Kagame at the airport where he inspected a Guard of Honour before proceeding to the memorial centre where he was taken around the museum which contains records of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

President Paul Kagame (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inspecting a guard of honour shortly after he arrived in Rwanda on July 6, 2016. PHOTO | URUGWIRO VILLAGE

The two leaders will address the press before concluding the visit.

The road from Kigali International Airport (KIA) to Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre remained sealed off as motorists and pedestrians were asked to use alternative routes.

Adjoining roads to the main road which link to the main administrative and commercial parts of the city were closed off as stranded motorists parked in wait.

“We don’t know when we will be released to go. We are just waiting. It is a huge inconvenience,” a motorist who spoke to The EastAfrican said.
Rwanda National Police Traffic Department spokesperson, Jean Marie Vianney Ndushabandi, however said only one road was closed off to allow safe passage for the visiting leader.

“The other roads are open. There are alternative roads people can use,” he said briefly on phone. However, motorists and pedestrians said that alternative roads were not communicated.

The two countries share a similar history with regard to the Tutsi Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust.

Ties between the two countries have been strengthened in recent years, with Rwanda opening a diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv in March 2015.
They also have in place trade and investment partnership agreements with the Israel pledging to support Rwanda in sectors such as ICT, agriculture and defence among others.

Last year, Rwanda appointed Col Joseph Rutabana as the country’s Ambassador to Israel.
However, some of Rwanda’s dealings with Israel are not without controversy.

Last year, it emerged that Rwanda had signed a pact with Israel to take some unwanted immigrants from different African countries in return for favourable deals. Uganda is also involved in the deal and has come under scrutiny.
The agreement, which has come under scrutiny by human rights organisations, allows Israel to deport hundreds of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum-seekers to both Rwanda and Uganda in return for favourable deals that include millions of dollars in grants.
Addressing a press conference in Kigali last year, President Kagame acknowledged that discussions between Rwanda and Israel were ongoing.

“On Rwanda and Israel, yes, I know there has been this discussion and it has been a debate in Israel about these Africans who have migrated to Israel as they do to other European countries. Some of them are either there illegally or with different status,” President Kagame said at the time.

Earlier this year, it emerged that Israel had sold arms to Rwanda during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, but the Israeli government said it would keep the details of the arms deal confidential.
From Rwanda, Netanyahu will head to Ethiopia as he concludes an eastern Africa tour which also covered Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.

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