Latest Articles about Africa
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TALIBAN ISSUE STATEMENT ON USE OF CHILD SUICIDE BOMBERS Afghanistan’s Taliban movement is seeking to deflect a wave of criticism surrounding its alleged use of children as suicide bombers following a public appearance by President Hamid Karzai with eight children the president said were recruited... MORE
China’s Uranium Quest Part 2: The Turn to Foreign Markets
On August 24, the head of Kazakhstan’s national nuclear monopoly Kazatomprom announced plans to increase its uranium fuel pellet shipments to China by one hundredfold, from 2 metric tons this year to 200 metric tons in 2013 or 2014 (Bloomberg, August 22). This is welcome... MORE
Boko Haram’s Radical Ideologue: An In-Depth Look At Northern Nigeria’s Abu Shekau
Imam Abu Muhammad Abubakar bin Muhammad Shekau (a.k.a. Abu Shekau) has made clear that he is the sole leader of the northern Nigeria-based Islamist movement called Jama'atu Ahlis Sunnah Lidda'awati w’al Jihad, more commonly referred to as Boko Haram. However, he may be pulling the strings... MORE
A Swan Song in Sudan and Libya for China’s “Non-Interference” Principle
Observers of politics in the Arab world and the broader Middle East continue to scrutinize China’s place in the region. Dissecting the nuances of Chinese diplomacy and foreign policy towards such a large swath of energy-rich territory that is so deeply ensconced in a U.S.-led... MORE
Somalia’s Famine Contributes to Popular Revolt against al-Shabaab Militants
Somalia’s drought and famine have slowed the progress of al-Shabaab operations in Somalia as people continue to flee from areas of southern Somalia under the movement’s control. These areas also happen to be the regions hit hardest by the growing shortages of food and water.... MORE
Under NATO’s Flag: an Interim Assessment of the Mission in Libya (Part Three)
As in Iraq and Afghanistan, a Western coalition intervened in Libya with only a weak grasp of the local society. The coalition underestimated the resilience of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s base of social support in the country’s west. It seemed blindsided by the complexity of tribal... MORE
Under NATO’s Flag: An Interim Assessment of the Mission In Libya (Part Two)
NATO embarked almost haphazardly in March on the Libya mission. The Alliance became the third entrant to this mission in a rapid sequence, after the United States and the Franco-British tandem. The respective leaderships never defined the political, economic, or strategic interests in Libya for... MORE
Under NATO’s Flag: An Interim Assessment of the Mission In Libya (Part One)
NATO is only nominally in charge of the stalemated war in Libya. The Alliance’s leader, the United States, was quick to move to a back seat in this operation after having sparked it. Europe’s residual military powers, France and Britain, are mainly in charge of... MORE
Mauritania Confronts Structural Problems as It Steps Up Counterterrorism Efforts
The past six weeks have seen an escalation of hostilities between Mauritanian troops and the forces of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The first signs of this escalation occurred on June 24, when Mauritanian forces raided, with Malian help, an al-Qaeda camp in the... MORE
Special Commentary from Inside Western Libya– The Nalut Offensive: A View from the Battlefield
Executive Summary:In response to weeks-long GRAD artillery fire aimed at their key supply hub of Nalut, Libya’s western rebels finally launched a large scale, logistically sophisticated offensive against the Qaddafist-held towns of Ghazaya and Takut in recent days. In the weeks leading up to the... MORE