Sub-Saharan Africa

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Congo Research Group, Prevention and Peacebuilding

Diplomatic Fallout: For France’s Hollande, African Interventions a Strategic Failure

Is there a lonelier or more poorly understood warrior than Francois Hollande?

Read the full World Politics Review article here.

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Dec 12, 2013
Richard Gowan
Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Crises, United Nations

Events of the Past Year Can Provide Guidance as Peace Operations Enter Uncharted Waters

 In early 2013, peace operations have entered new and uncharted waters that may set the stage for major changes in multilateral conflict management in the years to come.

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Sep 18, 2013
Alischa Kugel
Horn of Africa, Middle East, Syria, Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Crises, Global Governance, International Security, Peace Operations, United Nations

Diplomatic Fallout: Chad’s Military Rise Highlights Africa’s Collective Security Flaws

Lists of African success stories do not tend to include Chad. More than half of the country’s citizens live below the poverty line. Yet this year, Western powers and the U.N. have turned to Chad to help manage new crises in Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Read the full World Politics Review article here

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Nov 12, 2013
Richard Gowan
Sub-Saharan Africa
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Crises

UN Members Elect 5 Countries to Security Council

Five countries have won two-year terms on the U.N. Security Council, including two potentially controversial countries. Chad has faced U.N. scrutiny for its use of child soldiers among the ranks of its military, while Saudi Arabia regularly faces international criticism for the state of human rights, and especially women’s rights, in the oil-rich kingdom.

Read the full Voice of America article here

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Oct 17, 2013
Richard Gowan
Europe, Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa
Prevention and Peacebuilding
United Nations

Diplomatic Fallout: Dangers Await the U.N. in Mali and Syria

The wars in Mali and Syria have followed very different trajectories over the past month. While Syria has become symbolic of international inaction, France’s use of force in Mali has shown that some Western governments are still willing to launch new interventions abroad. And while there have been no dramatic military shifts in Syria, French troops have pushed deep into northern Mali with growing speed.

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Jan 28, 2013
Richard Gowan
Middle East, Syria, Sub-Saharan Africa
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Arab Awakening, Fragile States, Humanitarian Crises, United Nations

Getting Smart and Scaling Up: Responding to the Impact of Organized Crime on Governance in Developing Countries

Organized crime, public and private sector corruption, and the involvement of political actors in criminal activity are all long-standing features of political societies, regardless of country. But for developing countries, addressing these issues takes on heightened urgency and complexity: organized crime can derail development progress and foster broader insecurity. Delinking organized crime from politics while enhancing legitimate governance and the delivery of services will remain the most important challenge for many developing countries.

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Diplomatic Fallout: A Summer of Political Storms Looms for U.N.

Is the United Nations on the verge of a disastrous summer? The organization is always vulnerable to political shocks as it juggles its peacekeeping duties, humanitarian aid and crisis diplomacy. It now faces an especially perilous period as it tries to navigate the wreckage of peacemaking in Syria while launching a potentially flawed peace operation in Mali. U.N. troops are also preparing to mount risky offensives against militias in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). If the U.N.

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Jun 03, 2013
Richard Gowan
Europe, United States, Sub-Saharan Africa
Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies
United Nations

China Offers 500 Troops to UN Mali Force:Envoys

China has offered to send more than 500 soldiers to the UN force seeking to contain Islamist militants in Mali in what would be its biggest contribution to UN peacekeeping. The move could be a bid to overcome tensions with the West over the Syria conflict and to strengthen its relations in Africa, where it is a major buyer of oil and other resources, diplomats and experts said.

Read the full Yahoo! News article here

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May 23, 2013
Richard Gowan
China, Sub-Saharan Africa
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Crises, Fragile States, United Nations

West African Drug Commission Reports

These reports are part of a series of background documents prepared for the Commission on the Impact of Drug Trafficking on Governance, Security and Development in West Africa (WACD). The series editor is CIC Fellow Camino Kavanagh.

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Jan 31, 2013
Kwesi Aning, John Mark Pokoo, Isidore Obot, Camino Kavanagh, Stephen Ellis
Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa
Fragile States, Humanitarian Crises, International Security, Organized Crime
Prevention and Peacebuilding

A New UN Brigade Will Make Combat Moves in Congo

For the first time, the United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution allowing UN troops to go on the offensive in a mission against armed rebels. The combat intervention brigade will operate as part of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Monusco). The force will conduct targeted operations independently and with the Congolese army to neutralize and reduce the threat of armed militias, protect civilians and stabilize the environment.

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Apr 11, 2013
Richard Gowan
Sub-Saharan Africa
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Peace Operations, United Nations