An ill-advised American-supported Ethiopian invasion transformed Al-Shabab from a marginal player into a major force.
Kenya’s Sorrow and How the U.S. Fueled Al-Shabab in Somalia
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Kenya
Kenya’s Garissa Attack Wasn’t Just a Tragedy. It Was Blowback.
Sadly, innocent Kenyans are paying the price for their government’s actions in Somalia.
China, America, and a New Cold War in Africa?
Is the conflict in South Sudan the opening salvo in the battle for a continent?
It’s Not Just Uganda: Behind the Christian Right’s Onslaught in Africa
For years now, evangelical activists from the United States have been speaking out against homosexuality and cheering on antigay legislation all over Africa.
Art and Activism at the Global Intersections: A Dialogue with Shailja Patel
A conversation with poet-activist Shailja Patel about art, identity, and Kenya’s ICC Witness Project.
South Sudan: Colonialism’s Dead Hand
A studied refusal to pay attention to South Sudan’s colonial history helped ignite the current crisis.
Increased American Military Presence May Undermine Good Governance Efforts in Africa
Last weekend, Kenya’s preeminent newspaper The Nation, reported that CCTV footage showed Kenyan soldiers looting during the terrorist attack in Westgate Mall. The “Shame of Soldiers Looting Westgate,” as The Nation dubbed the footage, may be allegorical for increased...
Perilous Times for Kenya’s Somalis
In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent fell victim to a wave of racially and religiously motivated hate crimes in the United States. In one of the most egregious cases, a Sikh man in Mesa, Arizona—who was neither Muslim nor...
Did Kenyan Army Use Shock Doctrine in Nairobi Mall Attack?
It’s bad enough that the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya, site of the vicious Al Shabab attack last month, has reduced to ruins, but it’s been looted to within a month of its life, too. The New York Times reports: Witnesses said that the most they saw militants loot...
No “Cake Walk” for Kenya in Somalia
When Kenya invaded Somalia in October 2011, it overturned a wise, 48-year-old policy of not involving itself in the armed conflicts of its neighbors—and Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia have all had times of conflict. In the best cases—as with South...