This Week: Somali Refugees, Plumpy’Nut, and NATO
Senior Editor Taylor Owen runs down the week that was on OpenCanada.org.


Founder and Publisher of OpenCanada.org and Assistant Professor of Digital Media and Global Affairs at UBC
This week in the Think Tank, Nicholas Bishop explores rising pre-election tensions in Kenya, where there are over half a million Somali refugees, many of whom are being targeted for relocation and expulsion. In another piece focusing on Africa, Heather Keachie tells the worrying, if fascinating, story of how Plumpy’Nut food aid ends up in markets being sold as candy bars. We are also trying out new formats for our essays, adding full screen images and custom accompanying graphics.
In the Roundtable, Bessma Momani takes a hard look at the latest round of protests in Egypt, the impact of continuing upheaval on Egyptian society and the collective influences of politics and soccer throughout the conflict. Meanwhile, Steve Saideman examines NATO’s staying power and explains why America’s ‘pivot’ towards Asia is an indicator of U.S. faith in the institution’s continuing success.
Safe Haven No More
The Kenyan government is set to impose drastic measures aimed at Somali refugees. Nicholas Bishop considers the ramifications.
The Plumpy’Nut Story
Heather Keachie on how one person’s emergency food aid can become another person’s candy bar.
A Crisis of Confidence
The latest round of protests reveal the continuing fragility of post-Mubarak Egypt, and the increasing frustration of Egyptians with the current regime, writes Bessma Momani.
Reports of NATO’s Demise…
Steve Saideman on why NATO continues to endure, despite endless predictions of its imminent collapse.