Africa

The Fall and Rise of Raila Odinga

In Kenya's contested election, the tortured past of family dynasty is alive but not quite well.

BY JAMES VERINI | MARCH 2, 2013

Let Them Eat Subsidies

The Obama administration could revolutionize aid and save billions -- if only Congress would stand up to the farm lobby.

BY JOHN NORRIS | MARCH 1, 2013

The Kenya Puzzle

In Kenya, progress and dysfunction go hand in hand.

BY DANIEL BRANCH | FEBRUARY 28, 2013

Slumdog Politics

Photos from Mathare, one of Nairobi's sprawling slums, where warlords, witches, and drug dealers stump for votes ahead of next month's election.

PHOTOS BY MACKENZIE KNOWLES-COURSIN | FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Vote M for Murder

In Kenya, politics is simply the continuation of war, by other means.

BY JAMES VERINI | FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Uncharitable Organizations

Islamist groups are bankrolling terror groups across the Middle East and pretending it's aid work.

BY DAVEED GARTENSTEIN-ROSS, AARON Y. ZELIN | FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Stand with Rwanda

Now is no time to cut aid to Kigali.

BY TONY BLAIR, HOWARD G. BUFFETT | FEBRUARY 21, 2013

What George W. Bush Did Right

The 43rd president of the United States did a great thing for humankind -- but most Americans have no idea.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Inside the Islamic Emirate of Timbuktu

An exclusive trove of al Qaeda documents found in this fabled city shows a theocracy in the making in Mali.

BY HARALD DOORNBOS, JENAN MOUSSA | FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Cracks at the Core

It's not jihadists who are threatening to destroy Mali -- it's a massive culture of government corruption.

BY TRISTAN MCCONNELL | FEBRUARY 7, 2013

The Other Resource Curse

Moving away from fossil fuels could be devastating for some of the world's poorest countries.

BY MICHAEL LEVI | FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Death Comes Quietly in Mali

It’s not Islamic radicals or war that’s killing the poor people of the Sahel. It’s something far simpler.

BY ANNA BADKHEN | FEBRUARY 5, 2013

On the Warpath with France's Avant-Garde

Following in the footsteps of the French military advance in Mali.

Photographs by FABIO BUCCIARELLI | JANUARY 31, 2013

The First Lab Results Are In

Democracy Lab is celebrating its first anniversary. Here are some of the things we've learned over the past year -- and where we're headed in year two.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | JANUARY 31, 2013

Mali Is Not a Stan

When it comes to covering Africa's latest conflict, it's suddenly amateur hour.

BY LAURA SEAY | JANUARY 30, 2013

La Libération

French-led forces recapture the ancient town of Timbuktu.

JANUARY 29, 2013

Paving the Way for Mandela's Election

Organizing the first post-apartheid election in 1994 took a lot of logistical planning and political inclusion. But it also took a lot of creativity in finding  solutions to the numerous problems that arose.

BY AMY MAWSON | JANUARY 28, 2013

We Have No Idea if Africa Is Rising

Recent FP contributors have said that Africa is and is not rising. They're both wrong because they don't have the numbers to back it up.

BY MORTEN JERVEN | JANUARY 28, 2013

Mali's 2.5 Percent Problem

The real reason the Sahel is awash with terrorists? Rapid population growth.

BY ROGER HOWARD | JANUARY 28, 2013

Continental Shift

Why the Pentagon should pay less attention to Africa.

BY GORDON ADAMS | JANUARY 25, 2013

The Battle for South Kordofan

Will total war in Sudan ever cease?

BY JAMES VERINI | JANUARY 22, 2013

Seizing the Moment

The world’s leading nations are convening a meeting on the fight against corruption. Here’s what they ought to be discussing.

BY LAURENCE COCKCROFT | JANUARY 22, 2013

Beyond Al Qaeda

As Western countries rush into Africa's troubled Sahel region, are we once again forgetting history?

BY HOWARD W. FRENCH | JANUARY 18, 2013

Al Qaeda Is Alive in Africa

A witches' brew of Islamic jihadists is stirring up trouble across the continent. But is that America's problem yet?

BY DANIEL BYMAN | JANUARY 17, 2013

A More Sacred Union

How two words -- forged nearly a century ago -- help explain France's military intervention in Mali.

BY ROBERT ZARETSKY | JANUARY 17, 2013

Al Qaeda Country

Why Mali matters.

BY PETER CHILSON | JANUARY 15, 2013

Avoiding War Number Two in Liberia

A war-torn country is not a broken country. How Liberia pulled off its 2005 election.

BY MICHAEL SCHARFF | JANUARY 11, 2013

Sorry, but Africa's Rise Is Real

Africa growth skeptics have got it wrong. The continent's rise is very real.

BY CHARLES ROBERTSON, MICHAEL MORAN | JANUARY 11, 2013

Poor Choice

The International Finance Corporation responds to Cheryl Strauss Einhorn's investigation into the World Bank's investment arm.

BY BRUCE MOATS | JANUARY 4, 2013

The Myth of Africa's Rise

Why the rumors of Africa's explosive growth have been greatly exaggerated. 

BY RICK ROWDEN | JANUARY 4, 2013