Beyond academic and diplomatic circles, many have not heard of the International Crisis Group or Crisis Group. The Brussels-based non-governmental organization, tracks and warns of the potential of conflict in nations around the world. The group is highly respected and often quoted in news reports due to their thorough research. Just before the Arab Spring…
As Barack Obama wraps up his time as president of the United States, we are looking back at the relations he forged with the African continent and what was achieved during the last eight years. A few months ago, we looked at what U.S. official trips to Africa can tell us about U.S.-Africa relations, especially during…
As Donald Trump prepares to assume the U.S. presidency, we are continuing to look back at the important legacy of Barack Obama and his administration vis-à-vis the African continent. On November 8, 2016, the election of Trump as the 45th president of the United States shook the world. Many people from the African continent who…
Earlier during the U.S. primary elections, a prelude to the general election process, I said that with Donald Trump, the U.S. may be experiencing the bitter taste of its own democracy medicine. As you may know, with that democracy comes freedom of expression, freedom of choice, and assembly, all ingredients that make for a free…
As Colorado’s African community grows, the needs of the community have increased as well. It may be time for an African Radio in Colorado, focused on the needs of the community. We’ve seen how American local governments, city councils, and municipalities around the area address these challenges of growth, from boosting road infrastructure expenditures to…
As U.S. President Barack Obama’s presidency winds down, we at Africa Agenda feel it is important to look back at what he and his administration did — or didn’t do— for the African continent over the past 8 years or so. Obama himself is half African; born to a Kenyan father and an American mother. It…
The idea of being one another’s keeper, which many Democrats talked about during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia, PA leads me to Cory Booker. The senator from New Jersey received lots of praise after he spoke so eloquently during the event. He is often considered a star in the Democratic Party. He was a…
The Republican (GOP) and Democratic national political conventions were interesting. Of equal interest was the near absence of anything African in them. More broadly—while the conventions illuminated the vast differences between Democrats and Republicans in America, at least with an unusual nominee on the GOP side, they spelled out where both parties would like to take…
For the seven years or so that he’s been in office, U.S. President, Barack Obama has focused on the African continent. This is something that is not talked about much, despite such accomplishments as holding the first US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in 2014. Before him, President George W. Bush was praised for his Africa policy. Since the…
The very brutal politics to elect the next U.S. president has left millions of people in the U.S. and around the world spelled bound. It’s been especially rough on the battlefield where the Republicans (GOP), and Democrats to a lesser extent, are waging a new kind of politics. Also, it’s been said that this is…