In The News

Africa's Hungry Are Fed Bad Policies

Paul Kwengwere December 30, 2004
Amidst plagues of war and disease, hunger remains one of Sub-Saharan Africa's most devastating afflictions. Developed countries have responded with aid, relief efforts, and policy interventions to help the region's struggling farmers. But, as Paul Kwengwere writes, behind the gratitude for this assistance looms a debate regarding the long-term value of the terms involved. IMF loan...

African Renaissance

Gamal Nkrumah December 17, 2004
When the Egyptian and Nigerian presidents met recently to discuss bilateral and trans-African issues, top items on their agenda included economic cooperation, and most importantly and urgently, the Sudanese peace process. For both leaders, this process is both a crisis and an opportunity: If solved successfully, it will help enhance African-Arab cooperation. African leaders are more interested...

On AIDS, Avoid Acting Too Late

Solomon Sacco December 1, 2004
This World AIDS Day brings with it greatly advanced knowledge about combating the deadly illness, but also concerns for regions where the risk is silently increasing. Many observers fear that, much like sub-Saharan Africa in the 1990s, Middle East and North African nations will not confront the threat of AIDS until it is too late. Although infection rates in the Middle East are much lower than in...

US Election and the World – Part IV

Zubeida Jaffer November 15, 2004
In the aftermath of the greatly anticipated US elections, observers worldwide are assessing the consequences of George W. Bush's reelection. Concluding its multi-part series, YaleGlobal gauges the African reaction to the landmark political event. Political analyst and journalist Zubeida Jaffer reports that most Africans are disappointed by the Republican triumph, but remain willing to...

Bridging the Mediterranean

Ayman El-Amir November 15, 2004
The Euro-Mediterranean region has historically been a culturally diverse area with European, African, and Middle Eastern influences. The Byzantine, Roman, and Prussian empires have all taken foot-hold in this region, creating a cycle of "conquest, counter-conquest, competition, and colonialism," according to the Al-Ahram Weekly. When the Arabs extended their regional influence, they...

French Attack Sparks Riots in Ivory Coast

Rory Carroll November 8, 2004
Even after attaining independence from French colonial control, many West African states maintain strong and sometimes dependent relationships with their former imperial rulers. The Ivory Coast is no exception. Since the 2002 outbreak of civil war, the French military has policed a delicate ceasefire between the two sides. Last week, Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo broke the ceasefire by bombing...

Spend $150 Billion Per Year to Cure World Poverty

Daphne Eviatar November 7, 2004
In 2000, the United Nations Millennium Summit laid out its ambitious plans for global development, pledging to drastically reduce poverty by 2015. Economist Jeffrey Sachs was one of the leading strategists behind these goals. A former champion of free-trade, Sachs has since adopted an agenda at odds with the economist orthodoxy. Instead of preaching the merits of busting into poor economies with...