In The News

How African Is the Arab Revolution?

Khaled Diab April 7, 2011
Kenyans closely follow news of the revolts in North Africa, reports journalist Khaled Diab in an essay for the Mail & Guardian, and some question if the unrest could spread to sub-Saharan Africa. Countries across Africa share demographic trends, including masses of young people, high unemployment rates and authoritarian leaders. However, tribal divisions and limits on internet communications...

Libya Exposes Fault Lines in the Mediterranean – Part II

Shashank Joshi March 28, 2011
At the behest of a divided Arab League, NATO forces began enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya. Such unified intervention is rare, not seen since the 1991 coalition that pushed Iraq back after its invasion of Kuwait, explains researcher Shashank Joshi, in the second article of a YaleGlobal series. Support for Libya’s desperate rebels could give the region’s other dictators pause before attacking...

World Water Day Report: African Cities Outgrow Their Water Supplies

March 23, 2011
A limited supply of freshwater could threaten fast economic and population growth for Africa’s cities. Water, so crucial for survival, is taken for granted by many, and March 22 is set aside to mark World Water Day. According to a United Nations assessment, 40 percent of Africa’s 1 billion people live in urban areas with inadequate water supplies and sanitation, reports Environment News Service...

Jasmine, Mideast and Beyond

Nayan Chanda March 22, 2011
Brutal crackdowns on demonstrators in Libya, Yemen and Bahrain may temporarily quiet the protests, but the anger and yearning for rights have not vanished, contends Nayan Chanda, editor of YaleGlobal Online in an essay for the Times of India. He warns, “the mix of combustibles that fuelled the Middle East fire are still smoldering.” Decades of repressive rule, widening income inequality and high...

Different Stories

Dina Ezzat March 22, 2011
The League of Arab States has broad goals – strengthening ties among member states, coordinating policies and promoting common interests. Rarely does the Arab League embrace military action to restrain a member state or intervene directly in uprisings, notes Dina Ezzat for Al-Ahram in an essay that reviews some league responses to historical conflicts or invasions in the region. Libya is an...

Europe's Leaders Fear Libya Could Become Next Afghanistan

March 21, 2011
European nations and the US smoothed relations with Libya and were content to sell weapons to Muammar Gaddafi, who now uses them without restraint against his own people. The West squirms as carnage unfolds. Western officials privately wish for a quick end to the conflict with Gaddafi’s assassination, report Spiegel staff. So far, leaders oppose intervention, even a no-fly zone, worried that a...

Libya: When Bombs Fall and Allies Fall Apart

Dilip Hiro March 21, 2011
Protests in Libya against Muammar Gaddafi, in power for 42 years, began in mid-February. As Gaddafi’s repression turned increasingly brutal, calls emerged within the Middle East, Europe and the US for limited intervention – a no-fly zone to stop his forces from launching aerial attacks against civilians and rebels. Decision-makers were divided: Among the concerns was reinforcing the impression...