For the next and final round of presidential elections, Egyptians are being asked to choose between an Islamic or military dictatorship both claiming legitimacy through the ballot box. Egypt may be following one set of democratic procedures, but it is

Read the rest of Egypt elections: Islamic dictatorship or military authoritarianism – By Mariz Tadros »

In 1994, journalist Robert Kaplan wrote a controversial Atlantic article, “The Coming Anarchy,” warning of West Africa’s ungoverned spaces, disease-ridden slums, weak borders, and impoverished masses. Kaplan declared: “we ignore this dying region at our own risk.” In 2004, Douglas

Read the rest of Terrorism in West Africa: The Anarchy That Hasn’t Come – By Charlie Warren »

When you stand on the island of Rukwanzi at the heart of Lake Albert, your first thought, echoing perhaps the casual rhetoric of the region’s oil men, is that you are at the edge of a new frontier. But for

Read the rest of East Africa’s rush for oil and gas – By Taimour Lay »

Michela Wrong once wrote that you can tell a lot about an African country by the way they issue, or refuse you a visa. This remains true, but as African leaders see the benefits of liberalisation (in a variety of

Read the rest of Take a holiday in Somaliland: journey to the state that isn’t – By Magnus Taylor »

RAS Director Richard Dowden interviewed Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles on May 12th 2012. What follows is a selection of quotes from the interview on subjects ranging from democracy to the demise of Muammar Gadaffi and ‘land grabbing.’ To read Richard’s

Read the rest of Meles Zenawi interview excerpts: “Unlike all previous governments our writ runs in every village” – By Richard Dowden »

The recent uproar over Brett Murray’s painting of South African President Jacob Zuma The Spear in his latest exhibition Hail to the Thief II at Johannesburg’s posh Goodman Gallery is simultaneously uplifting and depressing. The painting, which shows a Bolshevik

Read the rest of Murray’s Painting of Zuma has South Africans in a Tizz – By Desné Masie »

For several years, combat along the tense Eritrean-Ethiopian frontier has been entirely rhetorical. This changed on March 16th, 2012 when the Ethiopian government boldly announced that it had crossed into Eritrean territory in an attack on three military installations. Citing

Read the rest of Badme border dispute: Why Ethiopia Won’t back down on Eritrean border – By Michael Woldemariam »

When Joyce Banda was sworn in as president on 7th April, following the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika, she was faced with an uphill struggle.  Her constitutionally-ordained succession had been briefly resisted by several members of Mutharika’s cabinet and

Read the rest of Malawi: Banda brings Malawi back from the brink – By Keith Somerville »

Latest in the Africa Research Institute‘s excellent Counterpoints series is by SOAS lecturer Dr Phil Clark, and deals with Rwanda’s Gacaca courts. INTRO ‘Since 2001, the gacaca community courts have been the centrepiece of Rwanda’s justice and reconciliation process. Nearly

Read the rest of How Rwanda Judged its Genocide – New Africa Research Centre ‘Counterpoint’ by Phil Clark »

Meles Zenawi is the cleverest and most engaging Prime Minister in Africa – at least when he talks to visiting outsiders. When he speaks to his fellow Ethiopians, he is severe and dogmatic. But he entertains western visitors with humour

Read the rest of How Meles Zenawi rules Ethiopia – By Richard Dowden »