Saving Ethiopians in Libya: Egyptian humanitarianism or politics?

Some analysts attributed the Egyptian state’s alleged reluctance to save the Copts to its desire to find a strong justification for striking ISIS inside Libya. (File photo: AFP) By Sonia Farid | Al Arabiya News Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was at Cairo International Airport to welcome 27 Ethiopians who were abducted by militants in Libya…

As Ethiopia votes, what’s ‘free and fair’ got to do with it?

By Terrence Lyons, The Washington Post Ethiopian journalist Simegnish “Lily” Mengesha (R) sits with President Obama during a round table with persecuted journalist for World Press Freedom Day at the White House in Washington, DC, May 1, 2015. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images Ethiopia, Washington’s security partner and Africa’s second most populous country, is scheduled to hold national…

How Will We Know When China is Number One?

A look back a mere hundred years ago may give us some answers.  By Peter Harris, The National Interest It has been conventional wisdom for well over a decade that China is a rising power. The statistics on China’s current size and projections about its future growth have become such clichés that they scarcely warrant repeating. Suffice…

The World’s Top 10 Militaries

DAVID NYE, WE ARE THE MIGHTY It’s always fun to sit around and war-game which country could beat up which, and it’s even better when you have hard facts to back up your arguments. Below is a summary of the top ten militaries in the world, according to Global Firepower, which tracks military power through publicly-available sources.…

Analysis: Why The Yemen Conflict Matters For Africa

By SIMON ALLISON, Daily Maverick You might think Africa has enough conflicts of its own to deal with, without having to worry about those on other continents. Yemen, however, is fast becoming an African war too – which means we all need to pay attention. By SIMON ALLISON. On Tuesday, just hours before a proposed humanitarian…

The Limits Of The New “Nile Agreement”

Brookings, By Mwangi S. Kimenyi and John Mukum Mbaku On Monday, March 23, 2015, leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan met in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to sign an agreement that is expected to resolve various issues arising out of the decision by Ethiopia to construct a dam on the Blue Nile. The Khartoum declaration, which…

China ‘Negotiates Military Base’ in Djibouti

Beijing’s presence “welcomed”, raising prospect of US and Chinese bases side-by-side in tiny Horn of Africa nation. Guellah has “welcomed” China’s plan to “protect its interests” in Djibouti [AFP] China is negotiating a military base in a strategic port of Djibouti, the president said, according to the AFP news agency. The move raises the prospect of…