Africa
Africa
Fair Observer provides insightful and informed analysis of important issues, events and trends on the African continent.
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360° Analysis / Africa / Barack Obama / crisis / DRC / Mali / obama / Politics / Rwanda / United States / US / AfricaObama's second term in office will see new challenges in US' involvement with Africa. However, a major tactic switch seems unlikely. High hopes were held across the African continent when Barack Obama, the first US president with Kenyan roots, came into office for the first time in 2009. However, four years in office have significantly lowered expectations to a more realistic level. This may explain why most Africans greeted the president's second electoral victory with far less fervour. It is clear from the president's electoral campaign that this term, US domestic issues will trump foreign affairs, which includes US relations with Sub-Saharan Africa. This will come to no...
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United States / Europe / Focus Article / BRIC / Middle East / Americas / Africa / Asia / Oceania / Environment & SustainabilityIn the past few years, the political map of Antarctica, a region rich in mineral-fuel resources, has changed immensely. How can the ongoing geopolitical polarization in this region have unfavourable global effects in the long run? Even after 50 years of peaceful multilateral research initiatives, various nations would still like to seize Antarctica. Although annexation of the continent is now difficult, ongoing geopolitics might disable the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) after it expires in 2048, or even before that date. If Antarctica is seized, either by force or deception, this can lead to a global conflict. The ATS refers to extensive multilateral accords which came into force in 1961....
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360° Analysis / constitution / Egypt / Morsi / Politics / Middle East / AfricaBy Mina MonirA new phase of political conflict between the Islamist-bloc and the pro-civil state bloc has been launched in Egypt. The emergence of this phase is based on the results of the battles in the street, polling stations and in political headquarters; the result will be decisive for all parties. After the constitutional referendum battle between the adherents of the Islamist and the civil state blocs, much of what political analysts thought to be facts about the Egyptian political scene are subject to reconsideration. Some expectations were confirmed, others were deemed to be speculations. Egypt Demythologized If a phrase should be chosen for the recent political unrest in Egypt, it should be...
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Tontines in Cameroon are an important part of the informal financial sector that provides individuals who are unable to access money from formal financial sectors with cash. Although this has fostered development and helped individuals overcome extreme poverty, the IFS is yet to address macroeconomic problems. What is the Informal Financial Sector? The Informal Financial Sector (IFS) is a local traditional banking system. The IFS is a practice that is widely known in the majority of francophone Africa as Tontines, which derives from the name of Lorenzo Tonti who vulgarized a similar but not identical practice in France in 1653. In the IFS, individuals with a common social link gather...
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Chagos Islands / European Court of Human Rights / Politics / United Kingdom / Europe / Focus Article / AfricaBy James Wan Former residents of the Chagos Islands have lost their latest legal bid for the right to return following a European ruling. What next for the islanders? Former residents of the Chagos Islands, located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, have lost their latest legal bid for their right to return home. The islanders’ fight to go back to the archipelago – from which they were brutally and illegally deported by the British government in the late-1960s – has been long and Sisyphean. Following battles in the UK High Court – which the islanders won – and the House of Lords – which they lost – the latest chapter saw the appeal go to the...
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The Central African Republic may come to serve as a spark for what may yet become the "African Spring." Daniel Wagner and Giorgio Cafiero analyze the implications of political change in the country. As was the case in Mali, recent events in the Central African Republic (CAR) have the potential to profoundly impact the dynamics of political change in Africa, where the plethora of failed or failing states provides a ripe breeding ground for extremists to assume power. The CAR's location, being landlocked and surrounded by the failed states of Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan, make it vulnerable and beholden to its neighbors. Being mineral rich makes it ripe for...
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360° Analysis / Arab Spring / Arab Uprisings / Islamism / Islamists / Politics / Middle East / AfricaThe following is the first of a series of excerpts that Fair Observer will be featuring from its first book — The Arab Uprisings: An Introduction. The Arab Uprisings are the most significant events to occur in the Middle East and North Africa over the past few decades. So far, the change that young protestors called for has been slow to materialize. Either new elites have acquired political power or old regimes still survive. A report by the London School of Economics and Political Science concluded, “Uprisings across the Middle East have not led to any significant shifts towards permanent democracy even where they have toppled dictators.” There are a number of new...
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After months of effort, we are proud to announce the publication of our first book, The Arab Uprisings: An Introduction. At times the ground beneath our feet shakes and the world as we know it changes forever. These are such times and the Arab Uprisings will mark the start of a new era in world history. For years, Arab regimes have expropriated power and wealth from their people. In the age of the Internet, exploding populations and greater aspirations, these regimes have been increasingly incongruous. People, regardless of their race, religion, gender or culture, do not want to live in fear. They do not want a midnight knock on their door. They want basic freedoms, education for their...
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360° Analysis / Arab Spring / Arab Uprisings / Egypt / Politics / Syria / Tunisia / Middle East / AfricaThe Arab people have breathed the air of freedom and have decided that they will not agree to be in shackles again, argues Anas Altikriti. Once the Syrian Revolution achieves its objectives, the next phase of the Arab Uprisings will be ready to commence. If 2011 was the year that shook the world and saw one Arab regime after another tumble and fall, then 2012 was the year when the Arab people grappled with the challenges, strains and opportunities of their newly attained freedoms. Seldom in recent history has change happened so suddenly, dramatically, and comprehensively. Never has it taken place with the eyes of the world following every detail. Not only were Arab countries changing and...