Nelson Mandela Is Dead

Nelson Mandela, who struggled
with illness for several months, has died at age 95, CNN
reports:

Nelson Mandela, the revered statesman who emerged from prison
after 27 years to lead South Africa out of decades of apartheid,
has died, South African President Jacob Zuma announced late
Thursday.

Mandela was 95.

“He is now resting. He is now at peace,” Zuma said. “Our nation
has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father.”

“What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him
human,” the president said in his late-night address. “We saw in
him what we seek in ourselves.”

Mandela will have a state funeral. Zuma ordered all flags in the
nation to be flown at half-staff from Friday through that
funeral.

President Barack Obama will reportedly make a statement at 5:20
p.m. Eastern time.

Mandela was most recently referenced here at Reason just this
morning, as Nick Gillespie highlighted a New York Times
story about the
International Criminal Court, wondering if it would have
charged Nelson Mandela with crimes during the struggle to recover
from apartheid had it been around.

In 2010, Jesse Walker explored whether the armed struggle or
peaceful civil disobedience played a larger role in ending
apartheid.