Strategic Thinking on East Africa

Foreign Policy Outmaneuvered by al-Shabab in Somalia, is the Islamic State gunning for a comeback next door? BY TY MCCORMICK NAIROBI — Kenyan authorities claim to have foiled a “large-scale” biological terrorist plot by militants linked to the Islamic State (IS), raising fears that the Iraq- and Syria-based group may be extending its influence in […]

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Bureau of African Affairs’ Assistant Secretary Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on “Terrorism and Instability in Sub-Saharan Africa” on May 10, 2016.

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New York Times Photo CreditIllustration by Melinda Josie One August afternoon last year, waiting in the polished lobby of the Maan-Soor Hotel in Hargeisa, Somaliland, I wondered if it wasn’t too late to cancel the appointment I had made. I had been returning to the city of my birth regularly for the past eight years, […]

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Congratulations to the Brookings Institution for expanding the “political space” of the prevailing narrative on Ethiopian politics and economy. On April 24th, Brookings hosted a panel discussion, “The security situation in Ethiopia and how it relates to the broader region,” featuring Professor Terrence Lyons and Professor Abye Assefa. While the views of Professor Lyons are […]

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From The Heritage Institute Background International and regional efforts to increase the effective participation of women in peace building and in the reconstruction and development of societies have gained momentum in the past two decades. In 2000, United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 formally addressed the need to change women’s continued exclusion from participation […]

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GILAD SHILOACH The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a terror attack in Somalia—its first-ever attack in the East African nation. In an official statement circulated by the group’s supporters on Twitter and Telegram, ISIS said its fighters detonated a car bomb targeting forces belonging to the African Union Forces—peacekeeping troops—on the outskirts of the capital […]

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OPINION By Hagos Abraha It is not unusual for the Eritrea regime to repeat its make believe claims regarding Ethiopia and the region in general. However, it not always we find respected institutions engaged in such intellectually bankrupt propaganda. Sadly, that was the case with the recent article published by the Nordic Africa Institute. We […]

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From West Point’s Combatting Terrorism Center Author(s): Christopher Anzalone Abstract: In the face of major territorial, military, and economic setbacks, the Somali insurgent-jihadi group al-Shabaab has proven remarkably resilient thanks to pragmatic decision-making and skilled tactical maneuvering. With strong interpersonal ties and a capable internal security network, the group’s senior leadership continues to maintain overall […]

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STR/AFP/Getty by THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D.18 Apr 2016310 More than 400 drowned when a vessel crammed with migrants capsized early Monday morning during an attempt to make the crossing from Egypt to southern Italy across the perilous Strait of Sicily. The migrants were mostly Somalis, along with some fleeing from Ethiopia and Eritrea, and all […]

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Center for Policy Analysis and Research By Abdiwahid Abdullahi* April 12, 2016 Since the awakening of the Somali nationalism in 1945 after the defeat of Dervish warriors in the Godan plains of Nugal, the Somalis were dreaming to settle an old grievance that divided the Somali inhabited territories. The arrival of the Europeans had not […]

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