Africa

Sean McFate

Erin Drankoski — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:55:00 -0400

Schwartz Fellow

African Taiban Terrorizes Nigeria

Erin Drankoski — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:26:00 -0400

Under Hillary Clinton's watch, the State Department has called Nigeria "probably the most important country in Africa." Why? Three words: light, sweet, crude. Nigeria is one of America's largest oil producers, and poised to become even a bigger one. It is also Africa's most populous country—one in six Africans comes from Nigeria—and one of the continent's richest and most corrupt democracies.

Hillary's Gutsy Mission

Cecille Isidro — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 07:49:00 -0400

There's a cynical kind of math that comes along with reporting on Africa. Forget positive, or complex coverage; the bottom line is death tolls have to be high for anyone to care at all, or for any news outfit to foot the bill on a given story.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 11-day trip to Africa is a promising indication that may be changing. First, it's the longest venture she's taken out of the country thus far. Second, it comes on the heels of her boss' trip to Ghana three weeks ago. Such heavy hitters so early on in Africa? It's unheard of.

A Somali Surprise? | Foreign Policy

Cecille Isidro — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:37:00 -0400

U.S. terrorism experts agree that al Qaeda has suffered setbacks, at least in some parts of the world. Peter Bergen, a CNN analyst and senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a Washington think tank, said the "net effect of the drone attacks" along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, for instance, "has been devastating to their planning and training." Polling data also show a loss of public support for al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan, Bergen said.

Clinton Vows US Help in War on Al Qaeda in Somalia | CNN

Cecille Isidro — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:06:00 -0400

Somalia is not new territory for al Qaeda, according to CNN's terrorism analyst Peter Bergen. "Al Qaeda was running training camps in Somalia in the early ...

Obama at Ghana's Door of No Return

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 07:50:00 -0400

President Obama's visit to Ghana this month was downright biblical.

Ghana, but Not Forgotten | Politico

Cecille Isidro — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:44:00 -0400

Clinton's speechwriter that day, Ted Widmer, recalled a feeling of sensory overload.

"It was surreal in many ways - just one sensation after the next," he said. "Sweat was pouring out of every pore in my body. ... I was seeing these people do a lion dance with deafening drums. ... I've been at plenty of unmemorable political speeches. This one was carnival-esque and fun."

What Iran Can Learn from South Africa

Cecille Isidro — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:49:00 -0400

A generation of American activists was inspired by the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, which promised moral clarity amid the cruel compromises of the cold war. As Barack Obama vividly explained in Dreams from My Father, he was one of them. Given the foreign policy dilemmas that the president will face in the years ahead, it's worth thinking through the lessons of the South African transition.

US Providing Weapons to Somali Government, Officials Say | CNN International

Cecille Isidro — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:48:00 -0400

Somalia is not new territory for al Qaeda, according to CNN's terrorism analyst Peter Bergen.

"Al Qaeda was running training camps in Somalia in the early and mid-1990s," he said. "If this is now coming back, this is something that al Qaeda has already done and it's worrisome for the future...

Better Aid, Not 'Dead Aid,' for Africa

Cecille Isidro — Wed, 06 May 2009 10:17:00 -0400

Dambisa Moyo's new book, "Dead Aid ," is a prime example of an old idea wrapped up in new packaging. As a Harvard-educated child of Africa (Zambia), with stints at Goldman Sachs and the World Bank, Moyo makes for an appealing messenger. However, the idea on which her book is based -- that foreign assistance for Africa hasn't worked -- is hardly an original one to most aid practitioners.