Geopolitics / Africa

Apr 24, 2013 at 16:06 | Daniel J. Graeber

A U.S. report on the 2012 attacks in Benghazi highlighted longstanding concerns about the threat level in Libya. The interim report from the House of Representatives followed an attack this…

Apr 19, 2013 at 14:11 | Editorial Dept

Bottom Line: Yemen is offering up new oil exploration licenses citing a great interest by foreign oil companies, but the truth is that this venue presents THE HIGHEST political risk…

Apr 18, 2013 at 17:03 | Charles Kennedy

Recent significant offshore oil discoveries in Ghana will catapult the nation into Africa’s major producers club, but it will also be a boon for piracy on the high seas, which…

Apr 02, 2013 at 18:00 | Claude Salhani

Egypt’s economy is in rather bad shape; practically in a shambles. Unemployment is officially placed at 13 percent, though the reality is certainly much higher. Inflation has almost doubled since…

Apr 01, 2013 at 11:20 | Editorial Dept

I’ve been skeptical about investing in either of the two Sudans without an oil and border security deal in place. That said, recent developments remove a lot of the political…

Apr 01, 2013 at 11:03 | Editorial Dept

Bottom Line: A new leadership is emerging for this resource-rich country after Seleka rebels seized the presidential palace in Bangui and forced CAR President Francois Bozize to flee, while French…

Mar 25, 2013 at 18:35 | Geopolitical Monitor

South Sudan may have taken most of Sudan’s known energy reserves with it when it voted for independence in 2011, but that doesn’t mean Khartoum has given up on keeping…

Mar 22, 2013 at 15:45 | Editorial Dept

Bottom Line: As the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) escalates, the surrender to international authorities of a key Congolese general linked to M23 rebels will reshape the…

Mar 21, 2013 at 18:16 | John Daly

Africa is undergoing the great scrabble for its resources since Europeans carved up the Dark Continent in the 19th century.The latest to enter the fray for Africa’s energy…

Mar 15, 2013 at 14:07 | Editorial Dept

Bottom Line: Kenya’s new president-elect has scratched by with a very narrow victory that is likely to be challenged by his key opponent, but the public has indicated—through non-violence—that it…

Mar 15, 2013 at 13:56 | Editorial Dept

Bottom Line: The kidnapping and apparent execution of 7 hostages (European nationals and Middle Eastern nationals) by Ansaru is a significant cause for concern for foreign companies operating in Northern…

Mar 01, 2013 at 09:40 | Editorial Dept

Bottom Line: The kidnapping of seven French nationals in Cameroon, near the border with Nigeria, is only the start of what will be a wave of kidnappings across the region—and…

Mar 01, 2013 at 09:26 | Editorial Dept

Bottom Line: The Islamic insurgents (from three different groups) have demonstrated that they are capable of holding back French and Malian forces in Mali’s north. When the French gain ground,…

Feb 21, 2013 at 17:00 | John Daly

Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda are burying their nationalism to cooperate on upgrading their energy infrastructure.Tanzania has natural gas and coal, Kenya is a potential dynamo of geothermal…

Feb 14, 2013 at 14:41 | Editorial Dept

Bottom Line: While the oil-rich Benghazi region has been in a critical security state for some time, the capital Tripoli should be considered a top threat. Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines…

Feb 08, 2013 at 14:20 | Editorial Dept

Bottom Line: The assassination on 6 February of opposition politician Chokri Belaid, a notable opponent of the Islamist-led government, is the trigger that will push the ongoing political crisis and…

Feb 06, 2013 at 17:23 | John Daly

First, the good news.Piracy off Somalia is down. In 2012, there were 297 piracy attacks and 28 hijackings worldwide, according to the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting…

Feb 06, 2013 at 17:21 | Charles Kennedy

Egypt is not only hungry for energy—it’s starving, and this starvation will play a role in the underlying revolutionary instability that has foreign investors asking whether the other boot is…

Feb 05, 2013 at 16:52 | Gregory R. Copley

The Mali War will be neither simple nor quick, ‘though the players all wish it so.  Timboctou, almost a year in the hands of militants, had fallen to…

Feb 01, 2013 at 14:20 | Editorial Dept

In April, Egypt will hold crucial parliamentary elections. Preparations for this are being undertaken against an extremely volatile backdrop of violent protests, a state of emergency in three key provinces,…