In The News

Obama’s Triumphant Return to Kenya as President

John Githongo July 28, 2015
Kenyans were ecstatic welcoming Barack Obama during his first visit as US president to his father’s homeland. Obama attended the sixth Global Entrepreneurship Summit, a gathering of entrepreneurs at all levels designed to encourage economic growth and innovation. “In general, US foreign policy vis-à-vis Africa has always been transactional,” writes John Githongo, a notable journalist active in...

Ashraf Ghani's Bold Move for Taliban Peace

David Loyn July 10, 2015
The Afghan government and Taliban, accompanied by representatives of the Haqqani network, met for peace talks. The Taliban demand closure of all foreign bases, a prisoner exchange and end to a United Nations blacklist on travel for individuals. The government expects the insurgents to respect women’s rights; all members of the Afghan delegation were male. “The presence of US and Chinese diplomats...

When Violence Undermines Legitimacy

Rami G. Khouri July 7, 2015
The Middle East and Africa offer a full palette of methods for thwarting national interests, undermining international legitimacy and spreading extremism. Rami G. Khouri, writing for the Daily Star in Lebanon, offers a brief outline: US missile strikes in Libya and Yemen target militants; the South African government allowed visiting president of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, to flee after courts...

Challenge of “Recent-ism” in the Middle East

Alexander Evans June 25, 2015
Governments can get caught up in sweeping generalizations about the brutal extremists rampaging through Iraq, Syria and Libya based on the most recent news. ISIL, ISIS, the Islamic State – analysts in and out of governments quarrel over the terrorist group’s name and translation – have slaughtered thousands and may control up to half of Syria and a third of Iraq. The extremists’ hold over any...

Coalition in Turkey Could Alter the Country’s Foreign Policy Direction

Chris Miller June 18, 2015
Turkey’s governing Justice and Development Party, or AK, won the most votes in the June 7 election, but not enough to dodge the need for building a coalition in parliament. The coalition AK builds could swing right or left with implications for foreign policy, explains Chris Miller, a PhD student at Yale University and a research associate with the Hoover Institution. “A right-wing coalition...

Omar Al-Bashir Case Suggests South African Foreign Policy Is Going Rogue

Simon Tisdall June 17, 2015
South Africa’s government allowed the Sudanese president accused of genocide and other war crimes to leave the country – thus weakening the position of the International Criminal Court. “The act of defiance by the president, Jacob Zuma … places him at the head of a growing band of African leaders who argue that the ICC, which issued arrest warrants for Bashir in 2009, is biased against Africa and...

Desperate Millions Flee Poverty, Persecution and Inequality

Joergen Oerstroem Moeller June 11, 2015
The world confronts an immigration challenge as vast numbers flee conflict and religious persecution in the Middle East and South Asia along with stark poverty in Africa and South America. The world has 50 million forcibly displaced people, and millions more leave their homelands in search of opportunity. Widening inequality and demographics, with low fertility rates in wealthy nations and high...