USAID Dismantled and Children Die

 The Associated Press published on 16 May 2025 an article titled "Children Die as USAID Cuts Snap a Lifeline for the World's Most Malnourished" by Taiwo Adebayo.

Drawing on a program implemented by Mercy Corps in Nigeria to feed malnourished children, the article documents the damage caused by dismantling USAID.  It also looks at the closure of global programs administered by Helen Keller International.  

The Digital Silk Road and Digital Repression in the Indo-Pacific

 Article 19, a UK-based international organization with 9 regional offices devoted to freedom of expression, posted on 18 April 2024 a report titled "The Digital Silk Road: China and the Rise of Digital Repression in the Indo-Pacific."

The report examines China's digital infrastructure and governance influence in Cambodia, Malaysia, Nepal, and Thailand.  While the study does not deal with Africa, it offers lessons for China's digital engagement with the continent.

The report argues that assessing China's partnerships and what they mean for rising repression is vital to understanding China's ambitions to rewire the world and rewrite the rules that govern the digital space.  By expanding its authoritarian model, China aims to ultimately supplant the tenets of internet freedom and rights-based principles of global digital governance.  

South Sudan Peacekeeping Commander Fired Following Devastating Report

Foreign Policy published on 1 November 2016 an article titled "U.N. Chief Fires His Top Peacekeeping Commander in South Sudan" by Colum Lynch.

The UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) fell woefully short of its obligation to protect civilians in July 2016 as fighting between government and rebel forces blew up a fragile peace agreement and pitched Juba into chaos for four bloody days. Peacekeepers from several countries abandoned their posts. Ban Ki-moon has replaced the force commander, a lieutenant general from Kenya.

The government of Kenya responded to this action by announcing that it will withdraw its 1,000 troops from UNMISS and will not contribute to a new 4,000 strong civilian protection force in South Sudan. Kenya's Daily Nation covered the story in an article titled "UN Says It Values Kenya's Troop Presence in South Sudan" by Kevin J. Kelly.

China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Sudan and South Sudan

Saferworld, an independent international non-governmental organization based in London, has just released a major study dated January 2012 and titled China and Conflict-affected States: Between Principle and Pragmatism. It is based on case studies in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Sudan and South Sudan. The authors are Ivan Campbell, Thomas Wheeler, Larry Attree, Dell Marie Butler and Bernardo Mariani.

The study concludes that China's priority is generally to maintain stable bilateral relations and it avoids overt engagement on conflict issues, except when vital interests are threatened. China tends to support a top-down model of stability, providing military assistance and arms to host governments. State sovereignty is regarded as sufficient to legitimize the transfer of Chinese arms in most cases. China's diplomatic approach to conflict-related issues in multilateral bodies remains firmly based on the principle of state sovereignty.

State stability is the basis for advancing mutual economic interests. This business-like approach to development often appears to yield quicker results than Western aid. Western policies linking aid to government performance in areas such as governance or human rights will become harder to pursue since China's presence as an alternative financier and diplomatic ally weakens Western leverage. Competition for influence between China and India will have greater significance for peace and stability in some countries than the relationship between China and the West.

You can access an abbreviated version of this report at China and Conflict-affected States: Risks and Opportunities for Building Peace.