Things that make you go hmmmm

Cultural imperialism. :-(

I can understand why some retailers do it. Steam and PlayStation obviously have Black Friday sales because of the US market, got a bunch of email notifications with deals for games on my Wishlist. 

Then I got emails from mighty ape in nz. Thought of course they’d kind of have to do a sale to compete with steam and the PS store. 

Like Gay marriage, it is not compulsory to buy anything

The sales are often really good too. So no complaints from me. 

Exactly

Hmm...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/24/meek-mill-jay-z-colin-kaepernick-prison-probation-protest

• Hmm...

And this...

http://www.yellowfever.co.nz/categories/all-whites-and-other-nz-international-teams/topics/all-whites-coaching-angst?page=105#post_1214165

Hmm...

the touchiness of the Chinese state.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42124444

Mnangagwa might fit  the bill.

Mnangagwa was a guerilla leader during the Rhodesian Bush War. After Zimbabwe was recognized in 1980, Mnangagwa held a series of senior cabinet positions under Mugabe, including as minister of state security during the Gukurahundi massacres in which up to 20,000 mainly Ndebele civilians were killed. Mnangagwa blamed the army for the massacres and continued to hold senior cabinet positions, though he is widely believed to be responsible.

He who has the most guns and biggest guns will rule!

It was ethnic cleansing. He is a Shona, which is the largest tribe in Zimbabwe.

Who was it said "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun"?

A former Rhodesian who fought in the bush war and was an avid history buff, once told me that apart from the change in government in South Africa after apartheid ended that no other country in Africa has ever had a democratic change in government.

When power did change it only happened by way of coup or civil war.

Did he/she say at what time they were talking about? As right now that is not the case.

I thought it was just that South Africa was the only country in Africa that had never had a coup.

around eight years ago

They were a bit off the mark. Even at that time quite a few had a few had handed power over 'nicely'.

There's fourteen that haven't. Forty that have. Burkina Faso is about top of the coup table. They've had about ten. 

I find that hard to believe that 14 have not.

South Africa

Malawi

Namibia

Senegal

Mauritius

Cabo Verde

Botswana

South Sudan ( haven't had time yet.)

Western Sahara ( don't say it. )

Swaziland

Mozambique

Tanzania

Zimbabwe ( is what just happened a coup or not?)

Djibouti

Cote d'Ivoire.

He is not called "The Crocodile" for his swimming ability

Interesting that most of the coups have been in French speaking countries.

The fact that the former British colonies generally fared better than French colonies after decolonization has generated a bit of academic interest before. Basically the most popular theory is that the British had a much more hands off approach and governed through local elites and therefore didn't leave as much of a power vacuum when they pulled out. Zimbabwe and South Africa are a but different because they had significant white settler communities, unlike most of Africa

Actually countries like Namibia, Tunisia,Algeria and Libya had more white settlers than Zimbabwe. There were also a lot of Portuguese in Angola and Mozambique.

I was only meaning they had more white settlers than other British colonies, so the "rule through local elites" thing didn't apply. Namibia was governed by South Africa during the colonial era so basically was South Africa until 1990. The other countries you mention weren't British.

Should have been clearer sorry

I would have to do some research on some of those countries but when army go into the street and put the president under house arrest than yes, that's a coup. 

My point however is a democratic change of government. 

Having a crocodile representing the current party in power is not a democratic change of government.

Yep, it's still the same ruling party and it will pursue largely the same policies. In a way it wasn't a coup against Robert Mugabe it was a preemptive coup against Grace Mugabe.

Given the coup is a French word it makes sense really. Former British colonies don't have coups they have a jolly good rumble instead by jeeves

Anyhow it doesn't matter what puppet is put in place to be the leader of Zimbabwe, it's China that is pulling all the strings here as China wants to protect her interests in the country, a country that is rich in many things China wants

Generally perhaps,  but Uganda had more than one and in the 60's there was an attempted coup in Tanganyika 

I know I'm not alone when I say I am very thankful a Western Capitalist Nation would never do such a thing. 

some are calling Chinas expansion into Africa as Africa's second colonisation 

I heard that from someone born in Africa who is visiting NZ at the moment.

Empires come and go, the west is on the way out I believe and China is filling the void.

Uganda have had six.

Hmm...  http://harvardpolitics.com/world/chinas-investment-in-africa-the-new-colonialism/

I'm hoping we're seeing the crumbling of nation states and petty tribalism.

Hmm...

and what will it be replaced with?

Unicorns and rainbows? Pixies spreading faerie dust?

Dream on, the human race is tribal by nature and nothing is going to change that.

Nation states will go. Patterns of migration will make sure of that. We don't  have terrible many 'nation-states' in any case.

'Petty' tribalism could easily go. Surely?

It's human nature but culturally the barriers are breaking down. We've shown time and time again that culture evolves and with it so do we.

At one point it was unthinkable that people of different religions could live together or people of different colours and cultures and while it's not harmonious by any stretch of the world it's light years ahead of where it was even 50 years ago. 

In Europe you had countries that have been at war for generations now part of one super nation. 

The whole concept of nations is something relatively new anyway, we started off with small tribes and our tribes have gotten bigger as we've evolved. It started off as villages, then city states, then countries, then empires, now we're in a situation where multiple distinct countries and cultures fall under the umbrella of a union. It's not far out imagining that the expanding reach of the size of our "tribes" or herds could encompass all of humanity without prejudice or discrimination.

Looking back and thinking how quickly we're evolving generation to generation I'm really looking forwards to seeing what the next fifty years brings to our society.

The next step is utilising technology to have a more direct link with democracy so that we get rid of a lot of the power that we place in politicians.