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582. World Cup Dreams Shape Africa’s National Narratives
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Since Egypt’s appearance in the inaugural 1930 World Cup, African countries’ performance in the tournament has been a source of pride and national identity.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Africa
583. A Vision of Africa's Future
- Author:
- Giovanni Carbone
- Publication Date:
- 10-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)
- Abstract:
- Africa is a fast-changing continent and an area of rising global relevance, where major transformation processes are currently underway, from demographic expansion to economic development, from social progress to environmental challenges, from technological innovation to continental integration, from political change to migratory pressures. How will these complex transformations shape the Africa of tomorrow? This Report sets out a vision for Africa’s future based on five key traits: an archipelago of heterogeneous growth trajectories; the revolutionary impact of technological leapfrogging; regional integration and the growing role of sub-regional processes; the clustering of instability mainly around the core of the region; and the migration movements that originate from – but also predominantly remain within – the African continent.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Global Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Africa
584. Dilemmas and Experiences of International Support for Inclusive Peacebuilding
- Author:
- Clare Castillejo
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution
- Abstract:
- The issue of inclusive peacebuilding has moved up the international agenda in recent years. There is now unprecedented policy-level commitment among the international community to promote inclusion in conflict-affected contexts; growing evidence of the importance of inclusion for sustainable peace and development; emerging lessons on best approaches for promoting inclusion; and a recognition among international actors of the need to learn from past weaknesses in this area. This report examines the current policy context for providing international support to inclusive peacebuilding. It identifies how international actors can strengthen their efforts to promote inclusion by learning from previous experience and drawing on new knowledge and approaches. It goes on to look at how international actors have supported inclusion in three very different conflict-affected contexts, Afghanistan, Somalia and Nepal, and asks how international actors have engaged on issues of inclusion in these contexts, what factors shaped this engagement, and what the results have been.
- Topic:
- Diplomacy, International Cooperation, Conflict, and Peace
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Nepal, and Somalia
585. President el-Sisi's Second Term: The Challenge of Legitimacy
- Author:
- Ofir Winter and Khander Sawaed
- Publication Date:
- 05-2018
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
- Abstract:
- As expected, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was reelected Egyptian president in late March 2018, this time, with 97.08 percent of the vote. More than affording an electoral mandate, the recent elections highlighted the incumbent president's challenge of legitimacy, which is reflected in two spheres. The first is the exacerbation of the internal splits within the ruling military establishment. The second is growing alienation between the ruling establishment and the general Egyptian public and civilian elements. The precarious state of the regime's legitimacy is a cause for regional and international concern. It may detract from the regime's ability to carry out the next stages of the economic reform sponsored by the International Monetary Fund, and will complicate efforts to obtain the cooperation in the war against terrorism by the local civilian population in the Sinai Peninsula. In the medium and long terms, the enhanced internal friction in the military and tension between the ruling establishment and civilian forces may jeopardize the country's stability. The legitimacy challenge also affects Egypt's relations with Israel. The regime needs broad public legitimacy in order to incur political risks, such as controversial decisions in favor of bilateral or regional cooperation with Israel. In addition, a regime with unsteady legitimacy might be tempted to adopt a populist anti-Israel line in order to strengthen its public standing. At the same time, the political situation in Egypt also provides an opportunity for increasing bilateral cooperation with Israel in areas contributing to the regime's legitimacy: the economy, security, energy, water, agriculture, and tourism.
- Topic:
- Elections, Democracy, Legitimacy, and IMF
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Middle East, Israel, and Egypt
586. Regional Director on “The Elections We Want” in Africa
- Author:
- Rushdi Nackerdien
- Publication Date:
- 01-2018
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Foundation for Electoral Systems
- Abstract:
- As part of its annual report, the Wilson Center Africa Program asked IFES Regional Director for Africa Rushdi Nackerdien to contribute an essay on recent African elections. His piece, “The Elections We Want,” covered 2017 elections in Angola, Rwanda, Liberia, Senegal, the Gambia, and Kenya, and their implications for election practitioners moving forward.
- Topic:
- Elections, Election watch, and Voting
- Political Geography:
- Kenya, Africa, Liberia, Senegal, Rwanda, Angola, and Gambia
587. Political Participation of Women and Men with Disabilities in Tunisia: An IFES Assessment
- Author:
- Ambar Zobairi and Virginia Atkinson
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Foundation for Electoral Systems
- Abstract:
- On May 6, 2018, Tunisia held the first municipal elections since the 2011 popular uprising that ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a critical step in the country’s democratic transition and implementation of the system of decentralization enshrined in the 2014 Constitution. The elections were the first time an innovative new disability quota was implemented for candidate lists, resulting in 144 people with disabilities being elected. The large number of newly elected councilors with disabilities provides a unique opportunity to demonstrate positive political leadership of people with disabilities and empower other people with disabilities to participate in political life. Over a two-week period around the elections, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) conducted a disability rights assessment mission to look at the barriers and opportunities related to political participation of women and men with disabilities, focusing primarily on the preparations for and conduct of the elections.
- Topic:
- Gender Issues, Disability, Voting, and Participation
- Political Geography:
- Africa, North Africa, and Tunisia
588. Under the gun: Resource conflicts and embattled traditional authorities in Central Mali
- Author:
- Anca-Elena Ursu
- Publication Date:
- 07-2018
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations
- Abstract:
- In the Mopti region of Mali, the livelihoods of most people depend on agriculture and pastoralism. Here, a variety of socio-professional groups - such as herders, farmers and fishers - coexist amidst the great natural richness of the inner Delta of the river Niger. Over recent years, poor resource management and subsequent conflict over access to these resources has threatened the livelihoods of virtually every community in central Mali. Formal and traditional justice mechanisms have each often proven incapable of mediating conflicts effectively and bringing justice to the victims and disputants. Moreover, the increase in communal conflicts in central Mali has created a fertile breeding ground for radical, armed groups. These groups have become actively involved in the regulation of access to natural resources, as well as in the mediation of related conflicts, to help create local legitimacy for their rule. That these groups could exploit conflicts to consolidate their power demonstrates that fighting them will not be enough to stop destabilisation in the Mopti region. Only solutions that address the underlying drivers of instability will enable sustainable peace to emerge. This report explores the lack of governance as a structural driver of resource conflict in the region and identifies a mix of short- and long-term measures to increase the legitimacy of the Malian state.
- Topic:
- Natural Resources, Non State Actors, Governance, and Conflict
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Mali
589. Multilateral Damage: The impact of EU migration policies on central Saharan routes
- Author:
- Jérôme Tubiana, Clotilde Warin, and Gaffar Mohammud Saeneen
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations
- Abstract:
- This online report studies the effects of EU migration policies and the externalisation of EU border control on Saharan migration routes and on practices in the border regions connecting Niger, Chad, Sudan and Libya. Authors Jérôme Tubiana, Clotilde Warin and Gaffar Mohammud Saeneen find that, in response to the obstacles and opportunities that border externalisation policies present for migrants, migration routes diversify and move to other countries. Beyond the fact that migration is a transnational phenomenon not linked to one particular route or itinerary, this continuous moving of routes is made possible by cross-border Saharan trade and trafficking networks that have put in place the necessary logistics to facilitate migration and which often fall outside government control. Pushed by EU efforts to curtail migration, states such as Niger, Chad and Sudan have shored up border patrols and anti-smuggling operations in the border regions under study here. The report shows that this has been done in a manner that is often not conducive to stability in the region and which contributes to the ‘militia-isation’ – the growing power of militias whose presence undermines the state – of the countries at issue.
- Topic:
- Migration, Border Control, European Union, and Trafficking
- Political Geography:
- Sudan, Libya, Chad, Niger, Sahara, and Africa
590. Innovation in EU migration policy: towards a truly comprehensive approach to migration
- Author:
- Willemijn Tiekstra and Wouter Zweers
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations
- Abstract:
- The increased arrival of refugees and migrants in Italy in 2015 revealed that the EU was not prepared to cope with an increased inflow of refugees and migrants into its territory. In 2015, the year that saw an unprecedented number of irregular migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean, a comprehensive approach to migration was adopted in the Valletta Action Plan, acknowledging that the management of irregular migration is a responsibility for both African and EU leaders. This report holds that, three years after Valletta, serious challenges remain in implementing the building blocks of the EU’s migration approach. Whereas political positions among Member States are converging towards a mode of securitising borders, authors Willemijn Tiekstra and Wouter Zweers argue in their report that a more sustainable and comprehensive approach is needed, taking into account the interests and stability of countries of origin and transit. Based on field research in Senegal, Italy,and Poland, as well as complementary desk research, it seeks to identify best practices from national experiences and bilateral agreements that are feasible within the current European political landscape. Delivering on promised commitments is crucial for all actors involved to make the system work. A failure to implement the comprehensive approach to migration directly affects the EU’s external credibility, endangering the EU’s negotiating position with third countries. Similarly, a failure to resolve deadlock on the internal dimension negatively affects popular support for the EU, putting at risk the European project as a whole.
- Topic:
- Migration, European Union, and Refugees
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Europe