D. Marko Cimbaljevich

Articles

❯

China's New Safari into African Development

DEVELOPMENTS Walking the streets of Nairobi, Kenya, many visitors would be shocked by the changing social composition of this bustling capital. A colony of Great Britain until 1963, Kenya has recently opened Chinese schools, restaurants, and direct flights to China in order to capitalize on the nearly 50,000 ethnic Chinese in the country (other sources claim less). This statistic is not only isolated to Kenya. According to Xinhua, China's official news agency, as many as 750,000 Chinese are working and living in Africa.

May 1, 2010
D. Marko Cimbaljevich
May 2010

❯

Migration Island: The Plight of African Refugees in Malta

DEVELOPMENTS As the third most densely-populated nation in the world, the island country of Malta is best known for its pristine beaches, centuries-old temples, and blue lagoons. Centered in the Mediterranean Sea, Malta will be celebrating its sixth anniversary in the EU this year. However, Malta's membership in the Union has been plagued with difficulties. While experiencing a decrease in tourism and a decline in its GDP this year, Malta has experienced a dramatic increase in the amount of migrants seeking refuge. While only 24 individuals came illegally in 2000, Malta has received over 12,500 immigrants since 2002 – thus making Malta the most heavily burdened EU state in per capita asylees. Comprised of 400,000 people in an area twice the size of Washington D.C., Malta has been unable to cope with this surge. With the current legal framework requiring the immigrants be detained on the island– the Maltese have been unable to support these immigrants financially and unwilling to accept them socially. With claims of unparalleled xenophobia and gross infringements of their human rights, these refugees are now seeking refuge out of Malta.

March 31, 2010
D. Marko Cimbaljevich
March 2010

❯

Serbia: The Little Engine that Could

In December 2009, people waved good-bye to family members boarding a morning train from Belgrade, Serbia to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. While the journey on this rickety, three-car, communist-styled train may seem insignificant to most, it is the first train in 18 years to link these two war-torn capitals back together – exemplifying the strides Serbia has taken to overcome its tumultuous past and lay new ‘track work’ toward European integration.

January 23, 2010
D. Marko Cimbaljevich
Hope - January 2010