http://www.rusi.org/ web@rusi.org en-us Copyright 2010 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A4BA0C89D37A04/ A spate of elections and referendums in the Horn of Africa will inevitably add to the already unstable mix of insurgency, potential secession, and militarisation 2010-03-17 12:18:40 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A4BA0C87A64C7C/ Can the growing civilianisation of Nigeria's politics bring greater security in the face of both religious conflict and the potentially fractious 2011 elections? 2010-03-17 12:17:58 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A4B0BC907A26A6/ Kenya and Zimbabwe need to quicken the pace of their reform agendas, or risk new violence in coming elections 2009-11-24 11:52:51 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A4AEB09909F856/ Somalia is once again in turmoil. But the solution may be more obvious than appears 2009-10-30 15:43:14 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A4AB0EA5EBDE73/ Al-Shabaab and its brand of Islamist terror has alarmed observers. The international community would do well to attend to the current blend of jihadist violence, national resistance and vested interests. 2009-09-16 14:39:16 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A4AB0EA3368590/ Obama and Clinton's visit to Africa in July demonstrates the importance of the continent to the current US administration. But the president may yet face challenging hurdles in his dealings with African people and countries. 2009-09-16 14:38:29 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C4A60A1AE6F3F5/ The trial of Charles Taylor is a milestone for justice in Africa; but it also has a global significance. Beyond the penny dreadful, stereotypical media headlines of dictators running for cover, this trial could also have a serious impact on domestic politics and foreign policy in London and Washington. 2009-07-17 17:09:37 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C4A26436289B1F/ Piracy off the cost of Somalia has become an increasingly salient international issue. These questions and answers provide a background understanding of the phenomenon and survey possible responses from the shipping industry and the international community. 2009-06-03 10:44:58 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C49E8541807C15/ Rwanda's programme of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration is distinctive for the minimal involvement of the UN. The programme's success raises important questions about local ownership in peacebuilding efforts. 2009-04-17 11:31:23 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C49A7C35DD8E9A/ Power-sharing government in Zimbabwe will be a difficult balancing act. Competition between the MDC and ZANU-PF as well as intra-party struggles could lead to instability or to dangerous compromises, but for the moment the GNU is Zimbabwe’s one sign of hope. 2009-02-27 10:44:44 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C497F5797BD5F0/ The remarkable alliance between the Rwanda and the Congo governments and the arrest of Laurent Nkunda offers hope for the future, but internationalising the conflict further may prove problematic. 2009-01-27 18:53:46 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C497D7B87E4BF3/ The 44th American president is to be lauded for his commitment to Africa but his plan for more aid to help the continent’s renewal is misguided. 2009-01-26 09:06:29 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C496A0E4B79557/ The year 2009 will start the way 2008 ended; with the Zimbabwe question unresolved. Foreign military intervention is unlikely to take place, and in the present situation a neighbouring country will find it difficult to justify invading Zimbabwe. If the MDC wish to give force to their ultimatum, they should not allow themselves to be steamrollered into joining a Government of National Unity. 2009-01-11 15:22:34 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C49622D9BA891C/ Congo is the third largest country in Africa and possesses vast mineral wealth, but its immense economic potential has never been realised. If Africa is gradually shaking off its image as ‘the hopeless continent’, today the Congo would still epitomise the ‘hopeless country’. 2009-01-05 16:00:07 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C4937CBF5C198D/ Although religious tensions between Christians and Muslims are a major factor in the recent violence in the Nigerian town of Jos, the disturbances there are also symptomatic of wider systemic problems in Nigeria. 2008-12-04 12:27:29 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C49269D338D73D/ The Congo crisis is central Africa’s most complex and destructive conflict, and one for which there is no quick fix. Co-ordinated local, regional and international peace talks and humanitarian interventions are a starting point, but ultimately it is the people of the DRC who will have to resolve their country’s fundamental problems. 2008-11-21 11:42:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:N4926E42ADC55D/ The European Union is set to launch its first naval operation off the coast of Somalia. A number of operational and legal challenges will have to be confronted. 2008-11-21 10:49:15 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C4901F98C2E4DF/ The former UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Sir Kieran Prendergast, opened the Crisis in the Horn of Africa conference on 23 October 2008. This is a summary of his address. 2008-10-24 17:38:08 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C48DCA92EC7DC2/ If the new administration in Pretoria can unshackle itself from the ANC's inhibitive liberation ethos, Mbeki's departure from office could revitalize South Africa's standing in world affairs. 2008-09-25 23:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C48D23787C2A20/ The West may be upset that Mugabe remains, but without its aid, this historic deal will founder 2008-09-18 12:14:36 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C48D8D09B47AD2/ Knox Chitiyo explains what the deal between Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe means for Zimbabweans and the future of their country. 2008-09-12 12:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:C478F2F9354608/ France has announced its willingness to contribute an additional 500 troops and about ten helicopters to the EUFOR Chad/CAR mission. Regardless, logistical issues loom large on the horizon and will provide a critical test for European Security and Defence Policy. 2008-01-17 10:39:43 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A476271C72B571/ The European Union's upcoming military operation in Africa is one of its largest, most ambitious and, hence, most challenging to date. 2007-12-14 12:06:37 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A47626F9975257/ War in Sudan is never straightforward. Multiple and interlocking internal conflicts have drawn in myriad international actors and 'globalized' the violence. 2007-12-14 11:57:16 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A46B7042DF0ADC/ The concept of 'patriotic blackness' is crucial to any understanding of Africa's stance towards Robert Mugabe's regime. 2007-08-06 12:21:39 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A45D999F185CB3/ The multinational (that is, Ethiopian and US) intervention in Somalia has attracted a great deal of comment and criticism. However, despite its flaws, this intervention may yet have a positive impact. The current Somali experiment in power-sharing might just work. 2007-02-19 12:37:10 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f75e332db/ 2004-06-18 12:23:41 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7644e08b/ 2004-06-18 12:23:41 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:P40C8742E99B7C/ Part II – Readiness and the Challenges Ahead. Can the SANDF play its part in democratic South Africa’s ambitious foreign policy schemes for African stability, growth and recovery – what has been coined by Thabo Mbeki as an African renaissance’ 2004-06-10 15:46:06