Africa
The Dream of a City
Will Neom, the Saudi leadership’s new “city of the future,” become a reality?
Reforming UN Peacekeeping
How Cairo views efforts at reforming United Nations’ peacekeeping, especially in the Middle East and Africa.
Civil Society for the Displaced
To meet the challenges of massive human displacement in the Middle East and North Africa, civil society actors need a common platform where they can advocate. The MENA Civil Society Network for Displacement or CSND sets out to be that.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE look to Africa
By mediating conflicts and combining their assets in the Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are slowly cementing an arc of political influence across the region.
A New Beginning for Yemen?
The strategic role of the United States—and others—in finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen.
The Risks of Hardened Borders in North Africa
Rather than making North Africa safer, securitizing borders has raised the risk of instability along the region’s frontiers, where communities depend on smuggling.
The Global South’s New Migration
The issue of migration cannot, and should not be handled bilaterally between the Global North and Global South. What is needed instead is a focus on South-South relations to improve the lives of all people involved in migration.
Patrons of Peace and Conflict
In Northeast Africa today, Middle Eastern states vie for influence, and African governments accede—with conditions
Pains and Dreams on the Silk Road
Chinese activity in the Middle East has been a lesson in non-involvement and support for local economic projects; yet, as the Belt and Road Initiative kicks off, China’s role in the MENA region will inevitably change.
Freedom without Permission
How can we upturn narratives about the Arab Spring uprisings?
Consuming Snow in Desert Shopping Malls
Mega-mall development in Cairo’s suburbs follows a neoliberal model of consumerism popular across the Middle East.
Libya’s Foreign Militias
The presence of foreign armed groups in Libya’s south poses an increasing threat to local security and regional political ties.
Empowering Women to Ride?
New developments and challenges for women riders and drivers in the Ride-hailing industry.
Breaking North Africa’s Border Security Conundrum
Although Maghreb states have tended to pursue border security unilaterally, increased transnational coordination at the local level offers a more sustainable approach.
Morocco’s Difficult Path to ECOWAS Membership
Although Morocco is aiming to diversify its trade relations into West Africa, political and social opposition within ECOWAS raises questions about its real intentions.
Failure of the International Security System
Since its inception, the United Nations Security Council has been paralyzed by the political agendas of the great powers. If the Council is to achieve its main goal of maintaining peace and security, the international community must reconsider the veto power and its impact on the Council’s effectiveness.
2030 Agenda: Prerequisites for Success in Africa
If African countries are to achieve their Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, major changes are needed in the fields of funding, allocation of resources, and developing the necessary institutions.
The Forgotten Maghreb-Sahel Nexus
In confronting the Sahel’s transnational security challenges, international actors would benefit from giving Maghreb states a role in stabilization and development.
Will Trump Help South Sudan?
Resolving the conflict in Africa’s youngest country brings to the fore contradictions in President Trump’s foreign policy.
Acts of Annihilation
Perceptions of the Islamic State’s attack on the Yazidis focus on the enslavement of women and girls, but the barbarous gender-based assaults on women as well as men are an integral part of the group’s campaign of genocide to eradicate a religious minority.
International Law Works Best When Applied Consistently
This week, three very different cases converge on whether legal codes, restrictions, and punishments will be applied consistently to all countries and individuals, or will be applied selectively on the basis of political alliances and self-interest.
North Africa’s New Directions
Unsteady leadership in the Maghreb could lead to new problems, both on a local and regional level.
Libya’s Political Stalemate
Despite apparent progress toward a power-sharing agreement, Libya’s governing bodies still face problems of neutrality and representation that will hamper their ability to govern effectively.
Listen Carefully to Pope Francis’ ‘Colonialism’ Warnings
Those around the world who wonder why domestic and international terrorism, corruption, and illegal migration are on the rise everywhere ought listen to Pope Francis’ message about “new forms of colonialism.”
The State of Alliances in Egypt’s Parliamentary Elections
Smaller secular parties are missing out on the advantages of electoral alliances, driven by divisions over party domineering and finances.
Turning Somalia Around
The rise of the jihadist Al-Shabab group has compounded Somalia’s problems with internal warlords and regional rivalries. Will a new constitution and elections in 2016 finally bring hope to this “failed state?”
Oriental Hall, etc.
Happenings, speakers, and events at the American University in Cairo.
Chasing Chaos
The not-so-humane aspect of humanitarian aid.
Mad Cartographers
Government bulldozers flattened the Badia East squatter district in Lagos earlier this year. Suppose its nine thousand residents had drawn maps, kept records, and documented their community’s dynamism over the past thirty years. Would it have been quite so easy to evict them?