China in Africa: Security Implications

The American Foreign Policy Council published in December 2019 its Defense Dossier, which contains a short piece I did on China in Africa. The focus is on security implications for Africa, China, and the United States.

This issue of Defense Dossier contains the following additional contributions:

The Kremlin Eyes Africa by Greg Mills and Jaco-Louis du Plessis
The Challenge of North African Salafism by Emily Estelle
The Promise and Peril of Africa's Cities by Jacob McCarty
Competing for Africa: A Strategy for Partnerships against Predators by Blaise Misztal

Somalia: Crisis in South West State

The International Crisis Group published on 24 December 2018 a commentary titled "Somalia's South West State: A New President Installed, a Crisis Inflamed."

The Federal Government of Somalia had Ethiopian forces arrest popular Muktar Robow and former al-Shabaab official and installed its own candidate as leader of South West State. This creates a new crisis for stability in the region.

Islamist Extremism in East Africa

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 9 August 2016 a study titled "Islamic Extremism in East Africa" by Abdisaid M. Ali. The author concludes that militant Islamist ideology has recently expanded throughout the East African region.

Is Somaliland Still a Good News Story?

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) published on 28 October 2015 an analysis titled "Think Again: Is Somaliland Still a Good News Story?" by Simon Allison, ISS consultant.  The author suggests that Somaliland is flashing some yellow warning flags.

East Africa's Sufi Path to Countering Violent Extremism

The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 15 September 2015 a commentary titled "East Africa's Sufi Path to Countering Violent Extremism" by Rashid Abdi, Horn of Africa analyst with the ICG.  He argues that the wholesale demonization of Salafism by Sufi groups is not helpful.  Rather, Sufis should reach out and engage those Salifis who oppose violence. 

Militant Islam in Somalia and Kenya

The Rift Valley Institute ran on 7 October 2014 a ten minute video interview between Rashid Abdi and Nimo-Ilhan Ali on militant Islam in Somalia and northern Kenya.  It discusses traditional moderate Sufi Islam in Somalia and the rise of Wahhabism and Arab influences in Somalia and Kenya. 

AQIM's Strategy in Tunisia

While I normally do not cover North Africa in this blog except as it relates directly to East Africa and the Horn, I call your attention to a particularly good article titled "Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb's Tunisia Strategy" in the 23 July 2013 issue of West Point's CTC Sentinel.

CTC Sentinel

The authors are Aaron Y. Zelin, a fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; and Andrew Lebovich, a Washington-based analyst for North Africa and the Sahel.

The article analyzes how al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), viewing events in Tunisia through its strategic lens, has responded to that country's revolution. It concludes that AQIM has tried to insert itself into Ansar al-Shari'a in Tunisia's (AST) relationship with the Tunisian state. AQIM has urged AST to be patient to prevent the Tunisian government from cracking down on its activities. At the same time, AQIM's rhetoric toward the Tunisian state has become sharper, opening the possibility of an increase in AQIM-related violence in Tunisia.