Ethiopia’s transition: ‘change at the top is not enough’
It has been a whirlwind year for Ethiopia since Abiy Ahmed became prime minister, say analysts Ahmed Soliman and Abel Abate Demissie. He has initiated a raft of reforms to… Read more »
Category: Africa
Mini-Arab Spring? ‘Khashoggi was right: Arabs still want democracy’
Before his death, the late Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was trying to set up several organizations to promote the cause of democracy in the region — particularly one that aimed, among… Read more »
Neighbors’ lesson for Algeria: transitions are uncertain, unpredictable – and reversible
Algeria’s interim leader Abdelkader Bensalah said an election to choose a successor to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will take place on July 4. Bouteflika, in power for twenty years, stepped… Read more »
Is international community ready to support Sudan’s democratization?
After months of protests, President Omar al-Bashir has been forced (HT: Foreign Policy) to step down by the military and is reportedly under house arrest. Bashir has ruled Sudan for 30… Read more »
Ethiopia’s transition hits rough patch: Abiy needs support from abroad
One year ago this month, Dr. Abiy Ahmed was sworn in as prime minister of Ethiopia, Human Rights Watch reports. His first few months in office saw many positive human… Read more »
Arab Spring hopes ‘being revived across North Africa’?
In Sudan, tens of thousands of demonstrators are sitting in to demand the ouster of their longtime ruler. In Algeria, millions of protesters forced out their own octogenarian leader last week…. Read more »
Algeria’s transition scenarios: ‘dreams of democracy tempered by fear of Islamism’?
President Bouteflika’s resignation has left Algeria facing a period of uncertainty replete with hope and fear, The (London) Times reports. The hope is that, at long last, this oil and gas-rich… Read more »
‘Between hope and fear’? Ethiopia’s democratic breakthrough
One year after the inauguration of Abiy Ahmed as Prime Minister, Ethiopia continues to be the world’s most exciting democratic breakthrough. Since his appointment, Prime Minister Abiy has initiated a… Read more »
The future of democracy assistance: a role for the United States?
Differing approaches to foreign policy entail different stances on democracy promotion, observers suggest. For example, the Restraint school of thought advocates for a more “realist” approach to soft power… Read more »
China’s influence in Africa threatens media freedom
The murder in January of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein Suale-Divela in Ghana, one of Africa’s most stable and democratic countries, shocked the country and journalists around the world, the National… Read more »