Author Archive | tom-wirth

Image by UNMISS MEDIA

Kabila and the DRC: A Perfect Storm of Problems

The UN Under-Sectretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock, visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this week for the first time. Following meetings with internally displaced persons, Lowcock underscored that the DRC is the site of one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in the world today. A year after his term ended, Congolese […]

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Posted in Africa, Conflict, Refugees, UN, World

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No Cheers Yet for Liberia

The international community has been quick to praise Liberia’s presidential elections as marking the country’s first peaceful transition of power in decades, with former football star George Weah taking an early lead in provisional results. This is indeed a remarkable feat for a country that has been ravaged by two civil wars, unexpected slumps in […]

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Posted in Africa, World

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How to Make PPPs Work for Global Health

Earlier this month, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur announced that it was pulling the plug on its partnership with the US Army to develop two promising new Zika vaccines. A Sanofi representative said they could not continue due to, firstly, a decline in infection rates which reduced the number of people available for clinical trials, and, secondly, […]

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Posted in Africa, Latin America, World

African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Raising the Bar for Collective Action in Africa

While the West seems hell-bent on withdrawing from the global stage and focusing instead on domestic issues, recent developments in Africa point to the continent pulling in the other direction: towards concerted action and deeper integration. The firm response from the Economic Union of West African States (ECOWAS) to the Gambian president’s refusal to accept […]

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Posted in Africa, Security Issues, UN, World

Refugee camp in Dadaab

Out of the Frying Pan: Refugees in Africa

Pegida leader Lutz Bachmann, in a incredibly ironic twist on the idea of poacher turned gamekeeper, has been forced to seek refuge on the Spanish island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands because he and his wife were being “persecuted” in their native Dresden. Bachmann, of course, is the far right leader of the Patriotic […]

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Posted in Africa

PS20 and PS10 - Wikimedia

Climate Goals, Development and The Power of Africa

  Camille van Gestel has an interesting business card: CEO, co-founder and “agent of light.” That last title captures the passion the Dutch entrepreneur and his business partner, Maurits Groen, bring to Waka Waka, the social-impact company they launched after a 2010 trip to South Africa. Since then, the solar-powered Waka Waka lights and mobile […]

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Posted in Africa, World

Fort of Sao Sebastiao, Island of Mozambique. Stig Nygaard - Flickr

The Exploitation Game: Mozambique’s Natural Resource Dilemma

                      Mozambique had the luck of a lottery winner in 2010 when vast gas reserves were discovered offshore in the Rovuma Basin. Amounting to some 85 trillion cubic feet, this is one of the biggest gas discoveries of recent times. If properly harnessed, the discovery […]

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Posted in Africa, World

General Assembly 70th session 12th plenary meeting

H.E. Muhammadu BUHARI
President
THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF
NIGERIA

Nigeria’s Oil Economy Reeling From New Southern Insurgency

Their name may owe something to the caped crusaders loved by comic fans everywhere. However, the activities of a new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, are making them anything but superheroes to most Nigerians given their impact on the country’s economy. They have gained notoriety in the region after claiming responsibility for two attacks in May […]

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Posted in Africa

Image courtesy of United Nations Photo

Impunity in East Africa: Lessons from Djibouti’s Corruption Case

The small coastal country of Djibouti made headlines last month as it was revealed that three-term President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh was scheduled to appear before the British High Court, which would have made him the first ever acting African head of state to do so. While pro-democracy activists in Djibouti and abroad heralded the development […]

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Posted in Africa, US, World

Image by Globovision

Burundi Shows the Corrupting Nature of Power

July’s presidential elections in Burundi have played a pivotal role in the country’s deteriorating political climate. With President Pierre Nkurunziza achieving his questionable third mandate, the country is caught in the throes of a downward spiral of ever-escalating violence. While the security situation has arguably deteriorated in key areas of Burundi, a United Nations (UN) human […]

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Posted in Africa, World

Image by boellstiftung

The weight of history hangs over elections in Nigeria

The upcoming March 28 presidential elections in Nigeria are expected to be the most contested in the nation’s history. As election day approaches, the world is given a revealing look at the challenges facing Africa’s largest country today. The electoral candidates are incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which has been […]

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Posted in Africa, World

Image by Phaga

China’s Expanding African Military Footprint

Sun Tzu, in his seminal book The Art of War, argued that all warfare is fundamentally based on deception. “When able to attack, we must seem unable; When using our forces, we must seem inactive; When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; When far away, we must make […]

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Posted in Africa, Asia, China, Economic Security, Global Economy, Security Issues, World


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