Internet Infrastructure in Africa: Status and Opportunities
There is a major information gap in Africa, where access to information is structurally disabled.This study was conducted taking the University of Dodoma in Tanzania as a case study. The causes for poor internet access were identified as: Lack of alignment between last-mile, middle-mile, and long-range network infrastructure; Tyranny of bad on-premises network design; Up to 15 network hops just to leave on-premises network architecture; Lack of best-practice templates and benchmarks for on-premises, middle-mile and national backbone network architecture in emerging and developing markets; and local operators charging exorbitant bandwidth prices. The US Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) definition of broadband is 25 Mbps per host. The World Bank defines broadband as 12 Mbps per hundred consumers.According to the United Nations, broadband is a basic human right and an absolute necessity for productivity and sustainable growth
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Internet, Infrastructure, Africa, Bandwidth, University
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(1) Muhammad Tehsin
Assistant Professor, Department of Defence % Strategic Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Muhammad Muntazir Mehdi
Works at Microsoft.
Views: 603 · Downloads: 3
Socio-Political and Socio-Economic Perspectives of Sudan with Special Reference to Darfur Conflict
The Darfur conflict exists across the westward region in Sudan, though an emergent domestic conflict, however, aimed at socio-political and socio-economic unrest beyond borders. Following 2003 happenings in Sudan, the problem in Darfur province has been stated interrupted or voyaged, affording the center case before the international community than the United Nations, denoting genocide. While ascertaining the insurgence particularities, the issues of the Darfur area have largely discoursed as ethnic-cultural conflicts among Afro-Arab tribal populaces across Sudan. Thus, an explanation appears abortive to explain the complexed state of affairs contradicting the inconsistent conditions. Therefore, such a particular research article is expected to investigate the existing gap formulating explanation over the issue by considering two foremost contributive characters - the socio-political and socio-economic explanations aimed at overall unrest in Sudan with special reference to the Darfur conflict. Furthermost significantly, in realist's exploration approach and descriptive analysis methodology of the problems in Darfur, drive and conclude beyond an ethnocultural explanation, thus, appeared credible to unearth the problems, in particular socio-political and socio-economic reasons, thus, imperious to consider the concerns so as to achieve stability in Darfur and permanency in Sudan. Thus, this research piece endeavor to analyze a precise setting of socio-political and socio-economic perspectives in Sudan's unrest with special reference to the Darfur conflict.
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Africa, Sudan, Darfur Conflict, Socio-Political, Socio-Economic, Ethno-Cultural
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(1) Assad Mehmood Khan
PhD Scholar, Department of Political Science & IR, Qurtuba University of Science & IT, Peshawar, KP, Pakistan.
(2) Nazim Rahim
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science & IR, Qurtuba University of Science & IT, Peshawar, KP, Pakistan.
(3) Muhammad Javed
PhD Scholar, Department of Political Science & IR, Qurtuba University of Science & IT, Peshawar, KP, Pakistan.
Views: 562 · Downloads: 5
China's Grand Strategic Response over Global Unipolarity
The USA, the victor of the Cold War, became supper power in 1992 and started to exercise its hegemony in the world. China, a Cold War ally of the US, became a stronger economy and came forward to encounter the Primacy of the US in Asia. In the name of peaceful development and cooperation, China has become the supreme exporter of the world and the second economy of the world. The advancement PRC has made in the arena of technology, military, space technology, its engagements in different regions, its soft balancing strategy in the world displays that China wants to perform as a forthcoming hegemon of the world. This paper analyze both the soft and hard balancing tactics of China to counter the omnipotence of the US in different regions of the world. The strategies of China illustrates that it is searching for a multipolar world.
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China, United States, Middle East, Soft Balancing, Africa
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(1) Shabnam Gul
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
(2) Aftab Alam
PhD Scholar, Centre for south Asian studies, University of Punjab, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
(3) Muhammad Faizan Asghar
MPhil, Peace & Counter Terrorism Studies, Minhaj University Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Views: 1,748 · Downloads: 4
Bilateral relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia: Implications for Regional Stability in the Middle East and North Africa
The Middle East's geopolitical terrain has historically been marked by tensions and conflicts, with the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran being one of the most consequential factors. The global powers, particularly the US and China, should mediate the potential rapprochement between these regional powers. A study of the US and China's potential role as facilitators in the Iran-Saudi Arabian reconciliation reveals a complicated web of geopolitical, strategic, and economic variables. The changing global power structure and the possible alteration of regional dynamics are both significant. The paper delves into the changing relationships between Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey in Northeast Africa. It explores the historical connections,recent developments, and each country's motivations in the region. Explaining the future course of Middle Eastern politics and the larger field of international relations requires understanding the subtleties of the policies formulated by the US, China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
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Middle East, North Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Regional Stability.
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(1) Muhammad Tehsin
Assistant Professor, Department of Defense and Strategic Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Views: 150 · Downloads: 6
Understanding the Pan-Africanists in Africa
This paper studies the Pan-Africanists in Africa. The main concern is to identify and draw the difference which exists between the Pan-Africanists of yesterday and those of today in the context of developing Africa. Through a socio-historical perspective, the study agrees that the Pan-Africanists of yesterday were radical and determined about the socio-economic and political progress of Africa because they needed both the liberation and unification of Africa whilst the Pan-Africanists of today are no longer determined about the immediate socio-economic and political progress of Africa, because they lack both the purpose and a revolutionary spirit in the struggle for Pan-Africanism. The paper recommends that Africa needs a new generation of Pan-African Revolutionaries who can have both a revolutionary spirit and a sense of solidarity and unity in the struggle for Pan-Africanism in Africa, as well as a new type of citizen, a dedicated, modest, honest, uncorrupted and informed man.
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Pan-Africanism, Pan-Africanist, Pan-African, Pan-African, Revolutionary
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(1) Brel Grace Mangalala
Department of Foreign and Modern Languages, Faculty of Arts & Humanities, University of Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.
Views: 505 · Downloads: 21
China's Economic Footprint: Blessing or Curse for Angola and Sudan?
This article explores the complexities of China's relations with African countries, especially Angola and Sudan. It explores the large investments that China has made in infrastructure, energy, and natural resource extraction, both the promise of economic growth and the attendant issues of sustainability, debt dependence, and indigenous capacity development. In Sudan, China's economic and military presence showcases the country's strategic interests in stabilizing the area but poses vital questions about governance and human rights. Similarly, Angola's reliance on Chinese loans for infrastructure development illustrates the merits of foreign investment, while the heavy debt burden threatens "debt-trap diplomacy." The research underlines the imperative for both countries to prioritize inclusive development, increase local labor employment, and ensure that investments underpin socio-economic resilience. Finally, the paper argues that mutual gains in Sino-African relations should manifest in tangible improvement of the local people, creating long-term development and economic self-reliance.
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China, Sudan, Angola, Sino-African Relations, Economic Growth, Investment, Infrastructure, Resource Extraction, Debt Dependency
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(1) Iman Fatima
BS Scholar, Department of International Relations, Government College University Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
(2) Imran Wakil
Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Government College University Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
(3) Bilal Bin Liaqat
Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Government College University Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
Views: 16 · Downloads: 7
The Racial and Gender Discrimination in Contemporary Afro-American Novel: A Study of Morrison’s Song of Solomon (1977)
This study focuses on racial and gender discrimination in the contemporary African American world, analyzed through Toni Morrison’s novel Song of Solomon (1977). A feminist theoretical framework has been applied to examine the selected text. The primary aim of this research is to explore the impact of black and white cultural dynamics on African American women in modern society. The study further investigates key issues such as physical violence, the challenges posed by a Eurocentric society, the racial and gender divide faced by black women, the struggle against black male hegemony, the emergence of black female desire, and generational conflicts. Through a thematic analysis, the research critically examines Morrison’s narrative for its realistic portrayal of the lived experiences of black women, shedding light on the complex interplay of race, gender, and power in African American communities.
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Racial and Gender Discrimination, Contemporary African American, Feminist Literary Theory, Cultural Dynamics, Thematic Analysis
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(1) Sonia Gul
Lecturer, Department of English, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Fariha Tariq
Lecturer, Department of English, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Views: 19 · Downloads: 9
