Veteran Envoy Calls South Africa’s Reputation for Instability “Fake”
The new Fund for Peace 2017 Fragile States Index (FSI) shows South Africa as increasingly unstable, ranking third in stability for Africa, behind Botswana and […] More
Africa
Peacekeeping Cuts Jeopardize Central African Republic
BANGUI, Central African Republic – Since May 8, fighting in the southeastern city of Bangassou, the southern town of Alindao and the central mining town […] More
U.S., China, Others Build Bases in Djibouti – What Could Go Wrong?
The small East African country of Djibouti – which sits on the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a gateway to the Suez Canal and a shipping chokepoint in […] More
Djibouti Wins Jackpot – Renting Out Desert for Military Bases
China is constructing its first overseas military base just a few miles from one of the United States’ largest and most important foreign bases — […] More
Djibouti Keeps Wary Eye on Eritrea, Somali Pirates, Al Shabaab
U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis made a trip to Djibouti in April in a show of friendship with the small East African country, at […] More
Is Sudan Still a State Sponsor of Terror?
Sudan, along with Iran and Syria, remains one of three countries listed as a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. State Department. However, after […] More
Sudan Has Improved, but Is it Enough?
The Cipher Brief’s Bennett Seftel spoke with retired Ambassador Phil Carter, former Senior Advisor, Acting Assistant Secretary, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the State […] More
The Timing is Right, Finally, for Sudan
As with comedy, timing is everything for the politics of being a state sponsor of terrorism. Political considerations, as much as supposed improvements in counterterrorism […] More
A Tale of Three Libyas
To put it mildly, circumstances on the ground in Libya are complicated. Mired in a state of conflict since former head of state Muammar Gaddafi […] More
Algeria Takes the Lead in Libya
That Libya is a mess is beyond doubt, but who is actually trying to resolve the conflict is a harder question to answer. U.S. President […] More
Nobody is in Charge in Libya
The Cipher Brief’s Bennett Seftel sat down with Mohamed Eljarh, former political consultant to the Libyan Mission to the European Union, to discuss the ongoing […] More
Dispelling Myths About Chinese Investment in Africa
Investment priorities and trends have changed as China’s economy and those of its African partners continue to develop. Chinese firms see an opportunity for lucrative, […] More
China’s Evolving Security Interests in Africa
As China’s economic interests in Africa have expanded, its security interests have kept pace, to protect Chinese nationals and assets across the continent. To that […] More
Chinese Firms Surge into Africa in Search of Customers, Contracts, Jobs
China Merchants Port Holdings has invested $400 million to build China’s first port in Africa. The massive project, now under construction in Djibouti, will serve […] More
China Expands Investments Across Africa
Decades ago, China saw economic partnerships with African nations as a means of securing political support. As China’s economy has evolved towards export manufacture, its […] More
The EU’s Strategy for Sahel Security
The security of the Sahel is crucial for the European Union. The Sahel region of Africa is plagued by poor governance, extreme poverty, frequent famine […] More
EU Economic and Military Investments in Africa Increase
Africa faces a number of security challenges, from terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and al Shabaab, to civil wars and violent conflicts in South […] More
Migration Spurs EU Investment in Africa
Recent heavy migration from Africa to Europe has renewed the European Union’s focus on maintaining stability and contributing to the economic development of its southern […] More