The Week with IPS 3/21

	Egypt Gets Muscular Over Nile Dam Cam McGrath When Egypt’s then-president Mohamed Morsi said in June 2013 that “all options” including military intervention, were on the table if Ethiopia continued to develop dams on the Nile River, many dismissed it as posturing. But experts claim Cairo is deadly serious about defending its historic water ... MORE > >
	Ethiopia’s Female Fashion Designers Embrace Tradition to Boost Sales James Jeffrey Female fashion designers are drawing on Ethiopia’s rich cultural heritage and adding a modern twist to find success at home and increasingly impress abroad. In fact, fashion design is proving to be one of the most successful Ethiopian sectors for small business and entrepreneurs, generating ... MORE > >
	Russians Stand Strong Against Sanctions Pavol Stracansky As the West imposes what have been called the most comprehensive sanctions on Russia since the end of the Cold War, many ordinary Russians say they have no fear of any economic measures the United States or the European Union may take against their country. Since the Russian invasion of the ... MORE > >
	West Africa’s Refugee and Security Crisis Marc-Andre Boisvert In West Africa, the Malian and Ivorian political crises have resulted in the biggest number of refugees in the region. But brewing insecurity could mean that they will be unable to return home any time soon as armed groups remain a threat to West Africa. In Nigeria, Islamist groups have targeted ... MORE > >
	Amidst the Guns, Free Choice for Crimeans Zack Baddorf Crimean officials have reported that roughly 97 percent of Crimeans voted for independence from Ukraine on Sunday, with a turnout of about 80 percent. Yet the security situation in Crimea has led many to question how free the vote really was. “Leaving the question of the referendum’s legality ... MORE > >
	Fight Brews over Wild vs. Hatchery Salmon in U.S. Northwest Michelle Tolson Built in 1909, Bonneville Fish Hatchery is one of the oldest and largest in the Columbia River Basin, located in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The hatchery annually produces over 11 million young fall Chinook salmon, three million coho eggs and 500,000 young steelhead for a number of rivers in the ... MORE > >
	Cameroon ‘Safe Haven’ Town Strains Under CAR Refugee Influx Monde Kingsley Nfor Abdul Karim arrived in Cameroon’s eastern border town of Garoua-Boula from Central African Republic’s Yaloke district at the end of February as part the largest influx of refugees into Cameroon. In February, some 30,000 refugees — the largest number since the crisis began in CAR last March — ... MORE > >
	Rapping to Uganda’s News Beat Amy Fallon “People in Ukraine took over power. “Celebrated a few days, then the party went sour…” raps Sharon Bwogi, aka Lady Slyke, on NewzBeat, a weekend show that airs on Uganda’s channel NTV in both English and the local language Luganda. It might sound strange — hearing a news item on the ... MORE > >
	Renewing Electricity Across Borders A. D. McKenzie Hervé Gouyet knows firsthand the difference electricity can make in the lives of both isolated rural communities and those who have just suffered a natural disaster. “We’re not talking about just a light bulb,” he says. “We’re talking about people being able to work in the evenings, students ... MORE > >
	Crimea Vote Splits Families Pavol Stracansky As Crimea prepares to become part of Russia following a referendum which much of the international community says has no legitimacy, families on the peninsula are being forced apart by the political upheaval while others are considering leaving the region. Results of the referendum held Sunday ... MORE > >
	Past Crimes Haunt Afghan Progress Giuliano Battiston As Afghanistan heads for presidential elections Apr. 5, people are asking if the country’s massive legacy of human rights violations will be swept under the carpet yet again by the new government. Civil society activists in Bamiyan city - capital of the central province by the same name where ... MORE > >
	Ukraine Gropes for Unity Justin Hyatt Amidst rising tensions within Ukraine, between its government and Russia, and even more between Russia and the West, many are now beginning to fear the beginning of a new Cold War. Talk of sanctions is finding new supporters, and there are proposals to freeze plans for a G8 summit scheduled in ... MORE > >
	Small Argentine Town Becoming Waste Dumping Ground Fabiana Frayssinet While the magnificent samba schools of Brazil were getting ready for the grand carnival in Rio de Janeiro, a modest carnival troupe toured a small Argentine town to draw attention to an urban problem that has brought the central province of Córdoba to the brink of environmental disaster: ... MORE > >
	For Parents of Sick Children, It's Move or Break the Law Matthew Charles Cardinale Beth Collins recently picked up and moved from Virginia to Colorado, but it wasn't for the typical reasons: new job, better schools, nicer weather. Collins' 14-year-old daughter, Jennifer, has intractable epilepsy. Medical cannibis eases her frequent seizures. But it's illegal in their home .