The facts on the ground show that Western imperialist policies for Africa—if we needed more evidence of this—are inherently violent, have created failed states and are unsustainable. While it is not possible to undo history, it is possible for Africans to make choices that increase their sovereignty instead of undermining it.

After four months of war, some Western leaders seem finally to be waking up to the monstrosity of the horrors Israel has unleashed upon Gaza, in which our governments and civil societies—our corporations, our news organizations, our social media, our educational and cultural institutions—are unarguably complicit.

Julian Assange’s nearly 15-year legal battle began in 2010 when WikiLeaks published classified military files from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He took refuge in London’s Ecuadorian embassy, before being arrested by the Metropolitan Police in 2019 who were permitted by the Ecuadorian embassy to enter and seize him. He has been held for nearly five years in HM Prison Belmarsh.

Canada’s export of military weapons and arms to Israel is fueling one of the deadliest and most destructive wars in modern history. The continuous bombardment of Gaza is a complete and utter injustice and obstructs any possibility of distributing life-saving humanitarian aid. Canada must immediately stop all weapons, parts and ammunition transfers to Israel.

John Shannon Saul, the writer, scholar, and solidarity activist, died in Toronto on September 23, 2023. He leaves behind a rich scholarly and activist legacy, having authored, by a conservative estimate, some 25 books on African history, politics, and society. Saul played a key role in supporting liberation movements in Africa while advancing social change at home.

On January 26, the International Court of Justice delivered an interim ruling in response to South Africa’s charge that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This is a clarifying moment in modern history—the day the “rules-based international order” was given the coup de grâce, not by its enemies but by its authors. The gloves were off and so were the masks.

What will follow this historic ICJ ruling? Unless the US exerts leverage on Israel to rein in its genocidal military campaign against Palestinians, little will happen. While ICJ rulings are legally binding, Israel has never let international law moderate its violence, whether the massacre of civilians or the expansion of illegal settlements.

Statements of political support by the US and Canada that Israel is abiding by the laws of war—contrary to the facts—cannot shield Israel or its allies from their legal obligations under the Genocide Convention. Those obligations—including to prevent genocide—are created via treaty and are interpreted by courts, the highest of which is the International Court of Justice.

The peace in Europe has been lost, decisively and for our generation almost certainly irrevocably, writes political scientist Richard Sakwa. As always, a peace lost here has global consequences. Equally, there was nothing predetermined about its loss. It was the result of decisions and calculations that in the end undermined the underlying rationality.

The fact that Canada has soldiers stationed overseas, in countries including Iraq and Niger, almost never comes up in domestic political discourse. It is rarely covered in Canadian media. It isn’t a topic at debates. No major political party runs on bringing Canadian soldiers home. As Owen Schalk argues, Canadians should start asking why that is.