In The News

Harun Hassan August 22, 2006
The hope for stability that came with the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) defeat of warlord militias in the Somali capital of Mogadishu has since dissolved into a division between two centers of power, both claiming to speak for the Somali people. Both are backed by separate outside forces. The interim coalition government, largely confined to the town of Baidoa, has received pledges of support...
Bennnett Akuaku August 17, 2006
Africa is rich with oil, minerals and wildlife, but with adult literacy and child labor rates at just over 50 percent, the continent remains impoverished. By coincidence or not, Africa’s share of worldwide foreign direct investment in 2005 was about 3 percent, and the same percentage of the African population possesses higher education. Globalization places a premium on skills, suggests higher-...
Keith Bradsher August 10, 2006
Winning over of a landlocked, poor and conflict-riddled African nation might not seem like a great victory, but any time a country switches allegiance from Taiwan to the People’s Republic, China regards it as a diplomatic coup. Chad once recognized Taiwan, calling China a “common enemy” because of that country’s alleged support of Sudanese militias and Chadian rebels destabilizing its eastern...
Alan Cowell August 2, 2006
At the 2005 G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, leaders from the world’s most industrialized nations promised increased aid for the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, while African leaders pledged to clean up corruption in government – kicking off the “Make Poverty History” campaign with high hopes. A year later, donor nations have not followed through on their promises, and some charge that...
Mark Mazzetti July 27, 2006
The US government has ended military aid for several African countries with governments that refused to sign an “Article 98 agreement” that exempts American soldiers from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The 2002 “American Servicemembers’ Protection Act” is a keystone of US opposition to the ICC, but the aid cutoffs have angered some military officials who say that...
July 26, 2006
Following the fall of apartheid, South African companies had much catching up to do. The isolation of the 1980s, however, did confer some benefits, including self-sufficiency and internal development. Another result was the creation of local conglomerates focusing on diverse industries, or “business octopuses.” Allowed to do business beyond South Africa’s borders, however, these unwieldy...
Marc Lacey July 19, 2006
In 2004, local investors – carefully chosen to represent the various clans of Somalia – opened a Coca-Cola bottling plant in the capital city of Mogadishu. Since then, Islamic militias have taken control of the government, and Somalia’s investment scene has changed substantially for those who want to sell an American brand of soda. The militias brought unprecedented levels of security, greatly...