"These results have been widely embraced by democracy enthusiasts and seen as a significant milestone in Malawi’s democratization project .... However, a critical review of the overall conduct and handling of the…
Latest posts - Page 49
Essays
Post-M23 Euphoria and the Recurrent Peace Dividends in Eastern DRC
by Christoph Vogel
“The examples of M23 and ADF showcase the positive potential of decisive peace enforcement, but neither the unsatisfactory ‘peace agreement’ following the FARDC-FIB success against M23, nor the atomization of ADF into much less powerful but persistent micro-units, are long-term solutions .... [T]he quest for peace needs to be understood as a molecular process involving at least as much of a bottom-up as a top-down logic.”
Radar
Insurgents and Terror in Jos, Nigeria: Where Next?
by Chris Kwaja
"As national and international attention is mainly focused on Sambisa forest in the search for the girls that were abducted by Boko Haram from Chibok in Borno State, it is important not to overlook the dire fact that other parts of Nigeria are vulnerable to coordinated attacks by Boko Haram. It happened in Kano and Plateau State—but there is no telling where it will happen next."
Essays
A Beleaguered Political Marriage: The Tanganyika-Zanzibar Union and the Constitution Process in Tanzania
Book Reviews
Youth and Revolution in Tunisia, by Alcinda Honwana
by Christopher Caggiano
In her book "Youth and Revolution in Tunisia," author Alcinda Honwana rightly reminds us that the phenomenon of the “Arab Spring”—or as she refers to it, the “African Awakening”—was intimately connected to a globalized trend. From Senegal to Spain to Santiago to Seattle, the voice of a disaffected generation went viral across social media platforms on every continent. She expertly handles the task of deconstructing the roots of the revolution [...]
Elections & Governance
Kenya 2013 Elections: A Reflection
by Njoki Wamai
"The 2013 Kenyan elections should be assessed as a process and not as an event. Although it is not clear what direct impact they had on democracy and peacebuilding in the short term, three factors are identified which seem to have influenced the elections significantly by providing opportunities for democracy and peacebuilding to thrive in the long-term. These three factors are: the legacy of Agenda Four; vigilance by Kenyan civil society, the media, and social media; and the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC)."
Essays
Replacing Boko Haram with an “Attractive Revolution”
by Bill Knight
"Restarting this process of building mass literacy could be a good way to revitalize all of NEAZDP’s components, rebuild trust, resurrect peace, and open the door to other community-driven integrated development initiatives .... Carried out by and for the people, such initiatives would replace the slogan 'education is bad' with 'education is good,' and thereby begin to address the integrated problems of generations going back to the 1970s."
Essays
Post-Amnesty Reintegration and Peacebuilding Challenges in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region: The Way Forward
by Oluwatoyin O. Oluwaniyi
“Policies that are implemented for reintegration, if they are to be truly successful, must be linked to the security and human development of oil-based communities, which have suffered untold hardships and borne the major burdens of exploration, exploitation, and violence. Effectively and efficiently rehabilitating all ex-militants and fulfilling their specific needs without turning them into a privileged group within their communities remains a considerable challenge.”