A New York Times column about the Central African Republic (CAR), “Conflict is More Powerful Than Peace”, from two-time Pulitzer winner Nick Kristof, is a big deal. The African nation’s ongoing conflicts constitute one of the least-known political crises of our time. The only substantial coverage CAR received before Kristof’s article was ongoing allegations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers that came to light in 2015. The article has come under fire from commentators for its portrayal of the country, but, despite some egregious errors, Kristof got more right than wrong about the Central African Republic.
Among the many unexpected shifts in American foreign policy is the recent rapprochement with Sudan, where longstanding economic sanctions on the regime are being reduced in exchange for half-measures and promises of good behavior. Lifting the sanctions leaves the Trump administration without the leverage it needs to ensure Sudan’s half-hearted commitment to its end of the agreement, and allows the regime to go on destabilizing a region in which the U.S. and its allies are elsewhere spending billions to fight extremism.
The Obama administration laid the groundwork for the détente in 2015, when it was decided that the existing sanctions…
After largely withdrawing from Africa in the wake of the Soviet collapse, Russia is starting to return to the continent in surprising ways. Since December, Moscow has struck major deals in the Central African Republic (CAR) with the government and rebel leaders, raising questions about its intentions in the troubled African nation.
In December, Russia asked the U.N. Security Council to let it supply weapons to CAR’s new EU-trained army. After some objections by France, Russia secured an exception to the U.N.arms embargo, and began shipping weapons in January. …
The war against al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Africa is a frequently-overlooked part of America’s counterterrorism effort.
Although the deaths of four Americans in Niger on October 4 brought America’s presence in Africa to the forefront of the national consciousness, the response to the tragic experience does not address the fundamental shortcomings of U.S. engagement in the Sahel region. Rather than rely on counterterrorism operations, policymakers must formulate a regional approach to contend with the political and economic roots of the conflict.
American policymakers fail to see the Sahel outside the lens of counterterrorism. Even those who are…
Citizens of Chad can now legally enter the United States after President Trump lifted the travel restrictions last week. Ending the travel ban on Chad came just as suddenly as the African nation’s inclusion on the list six months ago. The reason for the reversal is straightforward: Trump has no discernible reason to push the country away, and every reason to strengthen the partnership between the U.S. and Chad.
While many Americans would struggle to find Chad on a map, the country has a security relationship with the U.S. going back to the 1980s, when the U.S. and France supported…
Southern Africa’s string of leadership changes over the last year was met with elation from the domestic and international press. In Angola, long-serving leader Jose Eduardo dos Santos transitioned power to a new president for the first time in 38 years. A few months later Robert Mugabe, then-dictator of Zimbabwe, was removed from power in a coup led by the military. To complete the triumvirate of retirees, South African President Jacob Zuma was ousted by his party in December after a number of corruption scandals dating before and during his presidency. …
The Trump administration is hardly the first to give Africa short shrift in its national security considerations. The continent received a measly three paragraphs in the 2015 National Security Strategy, mostly concerning epidemic diseases and intrastate conflict, with bare mentions of economic and political engagement. But the stakes are higher now. China is spreading its economic influence across the continent, and securing the production of minerals key to modern electronics. The Africa-sized gap in U.S. strategic thinking must be closed with comprehensive policy before it threatens the interests of Americans and Africans alike.
