The western-led military intervention has suffered defeat. Opinion pieces in various German media keep reiterating that it was a mistake to try to build a modern democracy in a society which is, the authors state, marked by “mediaeval traditions” and “tribal attitudes”. This narrative is self-serving because it avoids even mentioning the serious flaws that marked western engagement in Afghanistan. It is also condescending because it blames failure on the victims, the Afghan people. As editor-in-chief, Hans Dembowski has been observing the conflict for two decades and he now concedes that two crucial issues are still not well understood in western countries.

To claim world leadership, the G7 must do more than what its members agreed in Carbis Bay.

Jeffrey Moyo regularly writes contributions for D+C Development and Cooperation. He was arrested in Harare, where he lives, on Wednesday, and then transferred to Bulawayo. As we learned today, he is still being denied bail.

The debate on whether intellectual-property (IP) rights regarding Covid-19 vaccines should be waived has been gaining steam in the past few days. The situation is awkward in several ways. It shows that not only rich nations have failed in recent years.