In The News

Ebola’s Escape From Africa Unlikely Though Not Impossible

Simeon Bennett and Marie French July 30, 2014
The Ebola outbreak in Africa is terrifying: Flu-like symptoms appear two days to three weeks after infection; about half of the people who contract the disease die, though early treatment could reduce the fatality rate. There is no cure, and Ebola is spread by direct contact with infected person’s bodily fluids: “While an infected person who sneezes or coughs directly in another person’s face...

South Africa’s World Cup Advice to Brazil

Andrew Harding July 2, 2014
Ahead of the 2010 World Cup, FIFA made enticing promises to the locals in South Africa. Four years later, many locals found the $2 billion dollars in infrastructure investment did not benefit South Africans. Construction was accelerated on the Gautrain train¬ – a high speed railway connecting Johannesburg and Pretoria – but its prices are out of reach for most South Africans. “Following the...

UN: Surging Environmental Crime Funds Conflicts, Hurts Growth

June 27, 2014
Rising wealth for middle classes around the world drives demand for status symbols, in turn spurring environmental crime. Illegal logging, elephant and rhino hunting for ivory and horns, among other practices have created instability in many countries. According to the United Nations and Interpol, illegal practices help fund armed conflicts, militias and insurgents and curtail international aid...

Severity of Crisis in Maghreb/Sahel Regions Intensifies: MEA-Risk

Arezki Daoud June 12, 2014
The Northern African region faces new security challenges of terrorism, separatism and organized crime that stem from regional conflicts, political persecution, poverty, inequality and mobility. The North Africa Journal and its sister company MEA–Risk detail the risks for the nations of North Africa. Libya, after international intervention that led to the downfall of longtime dictator Muammar...

Boko Haram Beyond Nigeria: Girls' Education Under Threat

Bina Shah June 11, 2014
Many are quick to blame Islam in the aftermath of Boko Haram’s kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria.. The real danger is not the religion, but rather fundamentalists’ beliefs that girls should not be educated, argues Bina Shah in an article for Al Jazeera. Directing anger at all Muslims is another form of extremism, she suggests, and the more pressing and solvable issue is that...

How Egyptian Elections Alter Regional Balance

Abdullah Kamal May 30, 2014
Egypt, long considered a center of the Muslim world, has been in turmoil since the Arab Spring and the ouster of two presidents, dictator Hosni Mubarak and democratically elected Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president after barring the political party associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, which won the only real democratic vote in Egypt’s history....

Why There Is No Stopping Boko Haram

Gayatri Chandrasekaran May 12, 2014
Law-abiding citizens are frustrated about extremism and acts of terrorism – including Boko Haram’s kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in northern Nigeria as well as their violent attacks on towns and markets. The group’s aim is to establish a religious state in Nigeria and impose archaic rules. “A world that had become accustomed to news of the usual manifestations of terror from groups...