The Foreign Service Journal, December 2010

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 11 quelled the insurgency, but failed to re- solve the underlying dispute. Some experts take a much more op- timistic view of the country’s domestic stability, to be sure. On the AllAfrica news site ( www.allafrica.com ) , How- ard Jeter, a former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, and Professor Gwendolyn Mikell of Georgetown University pub- lished a joint September column titled “Nigeria: No North-South Armaged- don Over Elections.” Jeter and Mikell do not deny the high probability of electoral violence and the strain that the upcoming elec- tion will impose on domestic peace. But they criticize those who “reduce Nigeria to two monolithic, antagonistic and inexorably colliding blocs, one northern, the other southern. … The political system has always had to con- tend with potential centrifugal forces, and Nigerians have shown exceptional ingenuity in making those accommo- dations that maintain the unity of the nation. ... When one engages in rigor- ous political analysis, it is clear that Nigeria is not inexorably on the brink of collapse.” One thing all observers agree on is that the run-up to the January election will be critical in addressing a number of questions. Does Yar’Adua’s term, which was shortened by illness, entitle the Muslim north to extra political rul- ing time? Will theMuslimnorth’s lead- ers be able to agree on a single candi- date to run against the southern Chris- tian incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan? And above all, can the civilian govern- ment ensure fair elections, avoid blood- shed and prevent a coup by Nigeria’s powerful military? For those interested in a brief primer on Nigeria’s history and econ- omy, the BBC News Web site ( www. news.bbc.co.uk ) features concise pro- files of every country (and territory) in the world. For a comprehensive look at Nigeria, the CIA World Factbook ( www.cia.gov ) is an excellent and reg- ularly updated resource. —Mohammad Alhinnawi, Editorial Intern UNESCO Does the Right Thing In the September edition of Cyber- notes, we reported on the controversy over whether the United Nations Ed- ucational, Scientific and Cultural Or- ganization would follow through on its initial acceptance of a proposal by Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to establish a $3 million fund to bankroll the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences. Each year the fund would award $300,000 to be shared by up to three laureates, with the goal of recognizing individuals or institutions conducting “scientific research in the life sciences leading to improving the quality of human life.” The prize was scheduled to be awarded for the first time this year, de- spite strong opposition from many quarters. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, author Chinua Achebe and Nobel lau- reate Wole Soyinka are among 125 African scholars and human rights ac- tivists who sent a letter to UNESCO calling for the prize’s abolition. Pre- sumably in response to such appeals, the organization’s executive board de- cided on Oct. 21 to suspend indefinitely implementation of the program ( www. unesco.org/ ) . Although UNESCO Director-Gen- eral Irina Bokova was careful to an- nounce that the board had reached its decision “by consensus and with respect and dignity toward all concerned par- ties,” it seems clear that nearly universal C Y B E R N O T E S