John Liebhardt · May, 2008

I am a freelance journalist living in Suva, Fiji.

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Latest posts by John Liebhardt from May, 2008

Africa: Florida is not Zimbabwe

When the US presidential campaign began – sometime shortly following the 2000 election – candidates of all stripes promised a thorough debate on issues, both of national and international importance. Yet, for all the hot air generated by the three remaining contenders from the major U.S. political parties, the subject of Africa (and its people) has most often received short shrift. No longer, writes John Liebhardt, who explains how presidential hopefuls are bringing up Africa in their debates, and how Africans view the US elections on their blogs.

Middle East: Obama’s Man in Gaza

Call him Barack Obama’s man in Gaza. Ibrahim Abu Jayyab, a bookish 23-year-old media studies student, gathers friends to try and rally support for the Democratic candidate by calling U.S. voters from a cybercafé in the Gaza strip. John Liebhardt takes a closer look at why Obama may be ... or may be not ... scoring points with supporters in the Middle East.

Global: For Clinton, a new mandate from the ‘Mountain State'?

For those of you who weren’t aware, West Virginia, the 41st-largest state in the United States, broke away from much larger Virginia in 1861, during the U.S. Civil War. It was in the mountain state Tuesday night, where West Virginia’s voters overwhelmingly supported Hillary Clinton 67 to 26 per cent over Democratic front-runner Barack Obama. John Liebhardt brings us the latest world's reactions to newest face off between the Democrats.

Global: Obama Closes the Deal?

  May 7, 2008

They call it a “big step.” That’s what Barack Obama took Tuesday when he won the North Carolina Democratic Primary hands down and was narrowly defeated in Indiana by Senator Hillary Clinton. John Liebhardt brings us the reactions of bloggers around the world commenting early on the two primaries, who say that the show for the Democratic race is nearly over.