Africa

The Geopolitics of America’s New Africa Strategy
- December 19, 2018
The Trump administration has not had much to say about Africa, and what little it has said has been mostly nonsense or offensive, or both. First there was the President’s infamous “sx!#hole” comment, then his faint praise for the non-existent …
By Rita Abrahamsen
Africa, China, Russia, USA
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Bulldozing Human Rights in Tanzania
- November 16, 2018
by Dane Degenstein

Tanzania has recently started a campaign to identify, track down, and arrest gay people, an unprecedented move in a previously more tolerant country. The regional governor of Dar es Salaam, Paul Makonda, announced a task force to …
By CIPS
Africa, Gender, Health, Human Rights
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“Lest We Forget”: Remembering Africa’s (Forgotten) Contributions to WWI
- November 12, 2018
The world has marked the 100^th anniversary of Armistice Day, the peace treaty that ended the bloodshed of World War I. In Paris, world leaders gathered to commemorate the day the guns fell silent. At Vimy Ridge and Mons, …
By Rita Abrahamsen
Africa, Europe, International Relations
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Understanding “Ethnic Conflict”
- October 7, 2018
By Marie-Eve Desrosiers and Srdjan Vucetic

“Ethnic conflict” elicits no shortage of strong scholarly opinion and debate. But what exactly is the causal relationship between ethnicity and violence? And what does “causal” mean in this context anyway? Since ethnic conflict …
By Srdjan Vucetic
Africa, Europe, Human Rights, Theory
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Budget 2018: A Bit of Good News for Development
- March 1, 2018
by Stephen Brown and Hunter McGill

If you watched Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s budget speech in the House of Commons yesterday, you had to be paying close attention to catch the one sentence that refers to foreign aid: “We will …
By Stephen Brown
Africa, Canadian Foreign Policy, Gender, Indigenous Peoples, International Development
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The Central African Republic: Forgotten by the World?
- December 18, 2017
By Gino Vlavonou

International news headlines move quickly from one disaster to another. A political crisis in one country is forgotten as turmoil unfolds in the next: Mugabe’s fall from power; a mass shooting in the US; sub-Saharan African …
By CIPS
Africa, Fragile States, Peacekeeping
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Zimbabwe: A Faustian Bargain with a Crocodile?
- November 28, 2017
After 37 years of rule, Robert Mugabe, the world’s oldest leader and one of Africa’s longest serving presidents, has finally lost power. In an unprecedented, unpredictable, and at times unbelievable series of events, the one-time liberation hero was deposed by …
By Rita Abrahamsen
Africa, Democracy, Human Rights
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All the President’s Friends: Adventures in “Nambia”
- September 24, 2017
Every year, I begin my African Politics classes by giving the students a map of Africa with the state borders drawn, but their names missing. Filling in the blanks is a humbling exercise, and most manage only a handful: South …
By Rita Abrahamsen
Africa, United Nations, USA
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Crowded Out by “Big Man” Politics, Kenyan Women Still Struggle in 2017 Elections
- August 21, 2017
by Gabrielle Bardall, PhD, CIPS Research Associate

For all its progressive constitution, high-tech society, and exceptionally resourced Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Kenya is the worst performer in the East African Community (EAC) regarding women in parliament. These failures …
By Gabrielle Bardall
Africa, Democracy, Gender
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In Africa, “America First” Means “Development Last”
- July 9, 2017
By Rita Abrahamsen

Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa

“How much confidence do you have in US President Donald Trump to do the right thing regarding world affairs?” When asked this question in a recent Pew …
By Rita Abrahamsen
Africa, International Development, USA
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The Politics of Border Security in the Sahel
- May 9, 2017
By Philippe M. Frowd

A casual observer of the Sahel could be forgiven for understanding this region of West Africa as a space of threat: radicalization, terrorism, massive population growth, and irregular migration all grab the headlines. …
By CIPS
Africa, International Security, Refugees
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Letter to George Clooney
- September 15, 2016
Dear George,

I’m writing to say that I think you are a great actor! And, of course, handsome beyond belief!! I loved you in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? I laughed my socks off watching you in Burn After Reading…
By Rita Abrahamsen
Africa, International Development
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