Africa

Embarrassment of Riches

Natural resources would seem to promise easy money. Welcome to the dark side.

BY PETER PASSELL | FEBRUARY 9, 2012

The Little Economy That Could

If you're looking for an unlikely economic success story, you can hardly do better than Mauritius.

BY JEFFREY FRANKEL | FEBRUARY 2, 2012

The Pop Star and the President

Will West Africa's biggest music star and Senegal's octogenarian president-for-life learn to sing along -- or is the country on the edge of discord?

BY TIM JUDAH | JANUARY 31, 2012

The World in Photos This Week

The Chinese New Year, the anniversary of the Arab Spring, and Angela Merkel's golden goose.

JANUARY 27, 2012

Guns and Butter

Countries around the world are finding that military involvement in private business is a major barrier to reform. But pensioning off CEOs in uniform is easier said than done.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | JANUARY 24, 2012

Soldiers of Conscience

The Egyptian military insists it supports the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. So why are these men still in prison?

BY PATRICK GALEY | JANUARY 24, 2012

Girl Power and the Fragility Trap

Academic economists usually air their new ideas first in working papers. Here, before the work gets dusty, a quick look at transition policy research in progress.

BY PETER PASSELL | JANUARY 20, 2012

Making Up Is Hard to Do

As the Arab Spring countries are about to learn, reconciliation is hard, grinding work.

BY CHARLES VILLA-VICENCIO | JANUARY 17, 2012

South Africa's Awkward Teenage Years

The Rainbow Nation has finally arrived on the world stage -- but did its conscience stay at home?

BY EVE FAIRBANKS | JAN/FEB 2012

In Praise of Brain Drain

Want to help the developing world? Hire away its best minds.

BY ROBERT GUEST | DECEMBER 29, 2011

War Dogs, Boomtowns, and Dead Dictators

Foreign Policy’s most popular photo essays of 2011.

DECEMBER 28, 2011

The Rise of Boko Haram

Why the Christmas Day bombings in Nigeria could be the harbinger of much worse to come.

BY DAVID FRANCIS | DECEMBER 28, 2011

To the Barricades

From Tahrir Square to Wall Street to the Kremlin, 2011 was a year when politics was conducted in the street.

DECEMBER 14, 2011

A Crisis in the Congo

Why is the West so willing to look the other way when it comes to the Democratic Republic of the Congo's clearly flawed election results?

BY MVEMBA PHEZO DIZOLELE | DECEMBER 14, 2011

Next Year, in Review

From the fall of Ahmadinejad, Assad, Castro, and Chavez to the rise of cyberattacks -- the top 13 stories that could dominate the headlines in 2012.

BY DAVID ROTHKOPF | DECEMBER 12, 2011

The Stories You Missed in 2011

10 events and trends that were overlooked this year, but may be leading the headlines in 2012.

BY JOSHUA E. KEATING | DECEMBER 2011

Springtime in Sudan

Omar al-Bashir's many opponents are organizing to end his 22-year rule. But can the Arab Spring reach Khartoum?

BY DAVID OTTAWAY | NOVEMBER 22, 2011

The Second Republic of Tahrir

The ruling military generals in Cairo tried to placate the swelling crowds calling for their ouster today. But as the battles raged, it appears the junta may have already lost the people's trust.

BY ASHRAF KHALIL | NOVEMBER 22, 2011

Mourning in Mogadishu

An exclusive portfolio by photographer Jared P. Moossy of the devastation wrought by famine.

PHOTOS BY JARED P. MOOSSY | NOVEMBER 22, 2011

Head of the Class?

From Harvard to Pacific Western, a look at the sometimes surprising U.S. universities that have educated today’s new crop of world leaders.

BY URI FRIEDMAN, KEDAR PAVGI | NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Once Upon a Time in Mogadishu

A peek into the "pleasant" colonial past of the world's most dangerous city.

BY SOPHIA JONES | NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Zuma's Revenge

Is South Africa's embattled president finally getting tough on corruption? Or just going after his enemies?

BY KAREN LEIGH | NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Ballot Gone Bad

Liberia's peaceful election has descended into chaos, conspiracy, and violence.

BY F. CHARLES YOUNG | NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Holy Days

Muslims around the world celebrate the hajj and Eid al-Adha.

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

The Pharoah's Lawyer

The deposed Egyptian dictator's lawyer explains in an exclusive interview how he plans to defend a man once seen as above the law.

BY MOHAMED FADEL FAHMY | NOVEMBER 2, 2011

A Friend in Need

Can disaster aid actually win hearts and minds?

BY CHARLES KENNY | OCTOBER 31, 2011

America's Unsavory Allies

A look at the some of the bad guys the U.S. still supports.

BY URI FRIEDMAN | OCTOBER 28, 2011

No Apology Necessary

Barack Obama shouldn't have to make excuses for sending troops to Uganda.

BY JAMES TRAUB | OCTOBER 28, 2011

This Week at War: Mowing the Grass

Kenya and Turkey struggle to control the chaos next door.

BY ROBERT HADDICK | OCTOBER 28, 2011

Do Graves of Dictators Really Become Shrines?

A tour of contentious burials from Qaddafi to Hitler.

BY URI FRIEDMAN | OCTOBER 26, 2011