Civilians flee from renewed fighting between government soldiers and the Al Shabaab in Somalia's capital Mogadishu May 24, 2011. (Feisal Omar/Courtesy Reuters) On June 20, Foreign Policy published t…

An al-Shabaab soldier carries his gun in southern Mogadishu on January 1, 2011 (Feisal Omar/Courtesy Reuters). When political leaders call for the application of military force, it is a useful to as…

Emmanuel Aziken has written a thoughtful analysis of some of the major political players in his article on December 30 in Vanguard. His pick: President Goodluck Jonathan, speaker of the House of Repr…

There is a lot that seems inexplicable about Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent conduct.  In the last few years, the Turkish prime minister has squandered the good will of many of his citizens and his cou…

This is a guest post by Jim Sanders, a career, now retired, West Africa watcher for various federal agencies. The views expressed below are his personal views and do not reflect those of his former e…