After launching a counteroffensive against Islamist forces in Mali earlier this year, French President François Hollande is eager to transfer ownership of the mission to the African International Support Mission (AFISMA) under the direction of the United Nations. While the United States should continue to support French efforts to stabilize Mali, history shows that the…
At a May 2011 conference on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) held at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson spoke about ways to increase trade between the U.S. and Africa. His take on AGOA was characteristically interesting and thoughtful. One point he made, however, exposed a fundamental problem…
Since its infancy, America has been getting in and out of the African continent. Africa was the site of our fledgling nation's first foreign military success -- and shame. After winning independence, the United States no longer enjoyed the protection of the British flag. Washington soon realized it would have to build its own navy to protect the American merchant fleet…
Following President Obama’s inauguration, the Senate will hold confirmation hearings for three key Administration positions: Senator John Kerry (D–MA) for Secretary of State, former Senator Chuck Hagel (R–NE) for Secretary of Defense, and White House chief counterterrorism advisor John Brennan for director of the CIA. These nominees have strongly supported President…
The United States Senate will soon hold confirmation hearings for the Obama Administration’s nominees for three key positions: Senator John Kerry (D–MA) for Secretary of State, former Senator Chuck Hagel (R–NE) for Secretary of Defense, and White House Chief Counterterrorism Advisor John Brennan for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The confirmation…
Yesterday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the deployment of an African-led military force to rebuild Mali’s military and support the recovery of northern Mali, currently controlled by terrorist and extremist entities. Permitting the use of force against Mali’s occupiers will result in an unnecessary delay in the…
Abstract: In 2011 and 2012, a wave of popular uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East shook the region’s autocratic regimes, prompting euphoric reactions in the West about an “Arab Spring” and a supposed new age of democracy. While the overthrow of authoritarian regimes can give democracy a chance to bloom, it has also created opportunities for a wide spectrum of…
Testimony before the Committee on Armed Services United States House of Representatives December 19, 2012 My name is James Jay Carafano. I am the Vice President of Foreign Policy and Defense Studies and the Director of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies at The Heritage Foundation. The views I express in this testimony are my own, and…
The recent occupation and subsequent retreat by the rebel group M23 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) city of Goma is the latest episode of the country's instability. Though M23 is just the newest rebel group among many, it is emblematic of the failure by the Congolese government and the international community to address the development and governance…
When the Libyan regime of Colonel Muammar Qadhafi fell last year, its weapon stockpiles were looted and dispersed throughout Libya and beyond. Of the thousands of arms the regime stored, approximately 10,000 man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) are still unaccounted for. MANPADS have the capacity to down commercial jetliners, are easily concealed, and, if…
Nigeria is a case study in oil-based wealth being squandered by poor governance and internal strife. Instability in Nigeria merits U.S. attention because it is a major non-Middle Eastern oil producer (accounting for 3 percent of global oil production in 2001) and was America's fifth largest (9.6 percent) source of crude oil imports in 2003. Moreover,…
Amid festering concerns about China's burgeoning global power, Beijing has set its sights on expanding its influence in Africa. In a throwback to the Maoist revolutionary days of the 1960s and '70s, Beijing has once again identified the 53-nation African continent as an area of strategic interest. But this time it's not interested in exporting communism. Instead, it's…
Under the repressive regime of President Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe--once one of southern Africa's more stable and wealthy economies--has fallen into economic crisis and political chaos. As the U.S. Department of State noted in a February 16 press release, the government has "harassed the judiciary while tacitly encouraging or condoning violence against its political…
Delivered on February 9, 2007 Amid festering concerns about China's burgeoning global power, Beijing has firmly set its sights on expanding its influence in Africa. In a throwback to the Maoist revolutionary days of the 1960s and 1970s and the Cold War, Beijing has once again identified the African continent as an area of strategic interest. But this time, the…
The eruption of the “Arab Spring” nearly two years ago created a number of unintended consequences for the region. As the proliferation of terrorist activity rippled across North Africa and into Africa’s Sahel region, it manifested itself in northern Mali. As Mali struggles to regain its occupied territory, the priority of interim leaders should be the stabilization…
Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travels to South Sudan as part of her two-week tour of Africa. During her visit she will meet with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and discuss the country’s ongoing crisis with Sudan. Clinton’s visit takes place a day after the two countries failed to meet the deadline imposed by the United Nations Security Council Resolution…
For the African Union (AU) Commission, the election earlier this month of South Africa’s Home Affairs minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, as chair offers a chance to address issues that have hindered the organization’s image and its impact on the continent. The new leader should provide leadership in pressing the organization to respond more effectively to the…
News has leaked that U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) uses China’s APSTAR-7 satellite for transmitting some of its...…
The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved a United Nations peacekeeping force to Mali, the Multidimensional...…
Asked about the attack last fall on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, President Obama asserted, “our job with respect to...…
It has been announced that U.S. Marines will soon be arriving at a small American air base in Spain to form a U.S....…
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) recently informed its workforce about sequestration cuts to Voice of...…
European troops have begun training Malian forces to help ensure security and stability following a planned French...…
There is more the President could do during his Middle East trip to improve the stability in the region: He should...…
On March 12 the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released a report on the “Worldwide Threat Assessment of the...…
In his State of the Union address, President Obama showed a stunning lack of reality on terrorism and the Arab Spring....…
President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious agenda last night. Here are some highlights of our experts’ analysis of...…
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