Perfect sandstorm? High stakes in the Sahel
There is only one region in which Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and ISIS have all emerged as major threats – the Sahel. United Nations secretary-general Ban… Read more »
Category: Africa
Deciphering Nigerian president’s legacy
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization forged in the fires of the U.S. civil rights movement, has honored former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan for his contributions to human rights and freedom, Global… Read more »
Why the U.N. fails
I have worked for the United Nations for most of the last three decades, says a United Nations assistant secretary general for field support until this month. I was a… Read more »
CAR communal solidarity against violent extremists
In a starling display of communal reconciliation in the Central African Republic, Muslim and non-Muslim communities in Bangui marched between two rival neighborhoods in an “inter-community tour” organized by… Read more »
Money and media problems marred elections in 2015
Flawed and failed elections around the world last year were manipulated through vote rigging and corruption, intimidation, and violence, according to new evidence from the Electoral Integrity Project: Political… Read more »
Exploiting Disorder: al-Qaeda and the Islamic State
A purely military approach to countering violent jihadist extremism risks entrenching the resentment and victimization of Sunnis and deepening chaos, according to a new report from the International Crisis Group (ICG). The… Read more »
Angola facing political watershed
The announcement by Angola’s President José Eduardo dos Santos that he will step down and leave politics in 2018 after almost four decades in power is a watershed − ending… Read more »
What Works in Preventing Election Violence
Targeted peacebuilding efforts are frequently used to prevent election violence, notes Jonas Claes (right), a senior program officer at the U.S. Institute of Peace, conducting research and analysis on the prevention… Read more »
Zimbabwean state actors harass civil society
Democracy advocates have strongly condemned the targeted harassment of a leading civil society organization, Institute for Young Women Development (IYWD), by Zimbabwean state actors. On March 4, just days before… Read more »
World’s most fragile states threaten global stability
The states of Libya and Syria have deteriorated the most over the last decade, posing the greatest threats to global stability, according to the Fragile States Index. “Reflective of… Read more »