Africa

May 2009
Civil-Military Power Struggles: The Case of Mauritania
by Dafna Hochman
“Is it possible for a civilian president to manage a pluralistic parliamentary democracy, particularly one open to populist Islamist parties, while, under the watchful eye of a strong military, also countering terrorism?”

May 2009
Somali Piracy: A Nasty Problem, a Web of Responses
by James Kraska and Brian Wilson
“In a surprising way, piracy provides an opportunity to harness the collective strength of states. . . .”

May 2009
Perspective: Africa’s Leadership Vacuum
by Phillip Van Niekerk
Muammar el-Qaddafi, the African Union’s new chairman, and Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s incoming president, aren’t worried about a leadership deficit on the continent. But others are.

May 2009
Book Reviews: Hearts of Darkness
by William W. Finan Jr.
Gérard Prunier in a new book searches for the catalyst that helped ignite eastern Congo’s terrible violence. He finds the culprit in Rwanda’s legacy of genocide.

May 2009
The Month in Review
by the editors of Current History
March 2009

May 2009
Map Of Africa
by the editors of Current History
Map of Africa

May 2009
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May 2008
The US and Africa: Prisoners of a Paradigm
by Greg Mills
"Africa needs more investment and economic growth. It needs less theater and, certainly, no more pity."

April 2008
Will the Kenyan Settlement Hold?
by Joel D. Barkan
"It is possible that in 10 years' time Kenyans will look back on the current crisis as the turning point at which the country came close to political disintegration, but drew back and established a long-term framework for democratic consolidation."

April 2008
Ethiopia’s Convergence of Crises
by Terrence Lyons
"If the growing regional and internal pressures on Addis Ababa destabilize the regime, an uncontrolled and potentially very violent transition is possible."

April 2008
South Africa After the Age of Heroes
by Jeffrey Herbst
"The silver lining accompanying the anc's premature display of elite instability is that the country's democracy, just 14 years old, is itself demonstrating new maturity."

April 2008
Nigeria Confronts Obasanjo’s Legacy
by Richard Joseph and Darren Kew
"Yar'Adua, though he came to power under a cloud, has won plaudits for his . . . accommodating approach (so different from Obasanjo's autocratic style)."

April 2008
Algeria in Limbo: Stable Now, but Still Underperforming
by William B. Quandt
"Most Algerians seem fed up with the violence that has plagued their country and have little use for those who try to keep the flame of insurgency alive."

April 2008
Africa’s Religious Resurgence and the Politics of Good and Evil
by Stephen Ellis and Gerrie ter Haar
"At a time when 'development'—the notion that bureaucratic, secular government will lead to unprecedented prosperity—has for many lost its appeal, religion provides alternative ways of organizing society and politics and of thinking about the world."

April 2008
The Problem with Peacekeeping
by François Grignon and Daniela Kroslak
The Problem with Peacekeeping

May 2007
The Somali Catastrophe: Bigger Than the Horn—and Not Over Yet
by Kenneth J. Menkhaus
"All indications point to the Mogadishu insurgency growing more violent and uncontrolled."

May 2007
Congo’s Peace: Miracle or Mirage?
by Jason K. Stearns
"Impunity has been to some extent the glue of the peace process. This fact could undermine the country's fragile stability."

May 2007
A Continent Embraces the Cell Phone
by Brian J. Hesse
"The mobile phone holds the promise of being a tool for widespread, sustained economic development from the grassroots level up."

May 2007
China in Africa: A Mixed Blessing?
by Alex Vines
"The challenge is to find openings to engage China, to ensure that past mistakes of postcolonial development and investment in Africa are not repeated. . . ."

May 2007
Africa’s Restless Youth
by Michelle Gavin
"People interested in Africa's future ought to concern themselves not just with potential conflict, but also potential political change. Youth populations are at the heart of these possibilities."