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Week of December 2, 2013

#1 Mandela Taught a Continent to Forgive
by John Dramani Mahama

How a revolutionary became a man of peace.

NEW YORK TIMES


#2 How Mandela Changed African Politics
by Charles D. Ellison

His style of leadership, often overlooked, was a game-changer for the continent and black rule.

THE ROOT


#3 Don’t Sanitize Nelson Mandela: He’s Honored Now, But Was Hated Then
by Peter Beinart

The ANC was a Soviet-backed, communist-influenced organization... and it still lead a movement for freedom.

THE DAILY BEAST


#4 Nelson Mandela Was Undeniably Great But He Doesn’t Need a Halo
by Michael Moynihan

For a man imprisoned for his political beliefs, he had a weakness for those who did the very same thing to their ideological opponents.

THE DAILY BEAST


#5 The Character of Nelson Mandela
by Max Boot

Mandela belongs to the same pantheon of insurgents as George Washington, Michael Collins, and David Ben-Gurion.

COMMENTARY MAGAZINE


#6 The Surprising Republican Civil War That Erupted Over Nelson Mandela and Apartheid
by Sagar Jethani

Ronald Reagan vetoed efforts to pass sanctions against apartheid South Africa.

POLICYMIC


#7 Fight the Right-Washing of Nelson Mandela’s Legacy
by Joan Walsh

Many conservatives supported the apartheid regime to the bitter end.

SALON


#8 We Cold Warriors Were Wrong About Mandela
by Deroy Murdock

We thought Nelson Mandela was just another Fidel Castro or a Pol Pot, but he was actually one of the century's great moral leaders.

NATIONAL REVIEW


#9 The Contradictions of Mandela
by Zakes Mda

He was avuncular, but disciplined, a disciple of Marx and Lenin but deeply traditionalist. He was above all a human being.

NEW YORK TIMES


#10 Nelson Mandela was a Secular Saint for the Whole World
by Timothy Stanley

Mandela was a rare example of a lion who lay down with the lambs.

THE TELEGRAPH