East Africa

Mr. Trump, Put the Ball in Eritrea’s Court

With the growing threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham in Africa and shifting alliances in the region with the Arab Gulf states and Egypt, it is in the best interest of the incoming US administration to reassess engagement with Eritrea, a country which could play a significant strategic role in countering conflict […]

Rethinking Eritrea

By Africa Center

On Thursday, December 8, the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center launched two new publications on Eritrea. The first, Eritrea’s Economy: Ideology and Opportunity, authored by fragile states expert Seth Kaplan, examines the nexus between the ideology of Eritrea’s leadership and the country’s struggling economy. The second, Eritrea: Coming In from the Cold, authored by Africa Center […]

Eritrea’s economy: Ideology and opportunity

By Seth Kaplan

Eritrea is often in the news for all the wrong reasons: its high rates of migration to Europe (it has sent more refugees to Europe in recent years than any other African nation), its conflicts with neighboring Ethiopia and Djibouti, and controversy over its mandatory and indefinite national service conscription program. Human rights activists, in […]

Eritrea: Coming in from the cold

By Bronwyn Bruton

Eritrea has long been stigmatized as a regional “spoiler” by Washington, and despite little evidence of wrongdoing, the country remains under Security Council sanctions for supporting terrorist groups in Somalia. Now is the time to rethink that relationship, argues Atlantic Council Africa Center Deputy Director Bronwyn Bruton in a new issue brief entitled “Eritrea: Coming […]

A measured US strategy for the new Africa

By Dr. J. Peter Pham

Africa’s story is increasingly one of economic dynamism that is driven, in part, by political reform and improvements in governance. But, there are also very real security, humanitarian, and developmental challenges that remain to be confronted. The United States has a stake in helping to tackle these challenges, not least because it is in its own national interest to do so.

Al-Shabaab’s Media Insurgency

By Africa Center

On Thursday, November 10, in cooperation with Hate Speech International (HSI), the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center hosted a panel discussion on HSI’s newest report, Continuity and Change: The Evolution and Resilience of Al-Shabaab’s Media Insurgency, 2006-2016. Africa Center Deputy Director Bronwyn Bruton welcomed attendees to the event, and Kjetil Stormarck, director of HSI, gave an […]

An Israeli Pivot to Africa

By Liviya David

With increased partnership at the top of the agenda, a September meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and over fifteen African heads of state at the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) marks a critical point in Israel’s recent refocus on Africa. Conventional analysis on recent Israel-Africa relations suggests that Israel’s primary […]