At the UN Security Council a resolution on the deferral of the International Criminal Court (ICC) trials of Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto fails to pass when put to the vote.This was one of the major continental shifts of 2013 for Africa.

For the second year running African Arguments is running a competition to determine the most popular article of the last 12 months. We have composed a shortlist of 12 (see below) which you can read and vote on via Survey Monkey.

The shortlist reflects the most read articles, the ones we thought particularly merited recognition and a good spread of commentary across the continent and big Africa news stories in 2013. The author of the winning piece will receive a free individual membership of the RAS for 2014.Voting ends at midnight on Sunday 15th Dec.

Last year the prize was awarded to Gí¼nther von Billerbeck for his: “˜Congo: crisis in East deflects attention from need for reforms from Kinshasa’.

Short-list 2013:

1. “˜Defending’ Zuma: why South Africa remains most attractive place to do business in Africa – Jolyon Ford wonders whether Africa analysts are currently exaggerating the relative downsides of South Africa while overstating the upsides of other African destinations?

2. Central African Republic: President Michel Djotodia and the good little putschist’s tool box – Louisa Lombard introduces us to Michel Djotodia, the latest president of the Central African Republic.

3. DRC/ North Kivu: Waiting for the intervention brigade – Kris Berwouts argues that the new UN intervention brigade in North Kiivu will fundamentally alter the balance of military power in the region. He was right.

4. Kenya transfixed by its illiberal and rightwing gang of eight – Daniel Waweru reports on the first ever televised Presidential debate in Kenya. And is somewhat dispirited by what he sees.

5. Wars do End: why conflict in Africa is falling – Scott Straus argues that contrary to what we might think, Africa is more peaceful now than it has ever been.

6. Framing news in Africa – how journalists approach stories and reinforce stereotypes – Keith Somerville explains how Africa-stories develop a particular identity – primarily by the stereotypical ways in which journalists choose to ‘frame’ them.

7. Mali: Listening without Drones – Gregory Mann and Bruce Whitehouse set out how the international community can effectively work with Mali as it approaches its first post-coup elections.

8. Nigeria: After Baga, JTF lost in a maze of rocks and hard places – Alkasim Abdulkadir looks at the failures of the Nigerian army and government that led to 187 deaths in a fire-fight with militants in the small town of Baga.

9. Somalia: The Godane Coup and the Unravelling of Al-Shabaab – Hassan M. Abukar takes us through the internal politics of East Africa’s most notorious terrorist group.

10. Politically reduced, broke and with no clear vision: Renamo returns to the bush – Joseph Hanlon explains why Renamo’s abandonment of the piece treaty with the government is a sign of poltiical weakness, not strength.

11. Is the International Criminal Court really picking on Africa? – Stephen A. Lamony shows that far from opposing the ICC, most Africans are in favour of the court and were behind its use to prosectute the continent’s most difficult and high-profile cases.

12. I am a self-hating member of the Afro-Diaspora – Anonymous wonders whether poverty can really be solved with JUST A MOBILE PHONE.

Vote here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V9D7523