Content

New Atlanticist

May 7, 2012

In Sudan, Give War a Chance

By Gerard Prunier

Less than a year after South Sudan declared its independence, it appears headed for war once again with its northern neighbor, Sudan. At the same time, marginalized northerners are rebelling against the government of Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. The international community has called for a cease-fire and peace talks, but the return of violence […]

East Africa Sudan

New Atlanticist

Apr 20, 2012

The EU’s Misguided Move to Fight Pirates Onshore

By James Bridger

When confronting the crisis of Somali piracy, the preferred strategy of the international community has been to deploy naval vessels to protect vulnerable ships and deter and disrupt pirate attacks. The refrain that ‘the solution to piracy lies onshore’ is oft heard, but counter-piracy actors, including the US, the EU, and NATO, have been slow […]

European Union International Organizations

External

Apr 20, 2012

IntelBrief: Somalia – The Next Chapter in an Endless War

By Bronwyn Bruton

In the second of the new series of “IntelBriefs” on African security issues being produced by the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center in partnership with the Soufan Group, an international strategic consultancy, Ansari Center deputy director Bronwyn Bruton notes that while life has been improving for the residents of Mogadishu after five years of war and […]

East Africa
Briefing and Discussion on Somali Piracy and Militancy with Stig Jarle Hansen

Event Recap

Apr 6, 2012

Briefing and Discussion on Somali Piracy and Militancy with Stig Jarle Hansen

By Adrienne Chuck

The Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted a breakfast briefing and discussion today on Somali piracy and militancy with noted expert Stig Jarle Hansen, Head of the International Relations Program at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) in Ås.

Maritime Security Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Feb 22, 2012

The Wrong Somalia Conference

By Peter Pham

British Prime Minister David Cameron is hosting a major international conference tomorrow involving senior representatives of some forty countries and multilateral organizations. The agenda that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has laid out for the conferees is ambitious, to say the least: the mandarins of Whitehall are giving themselves all of five hours to get […]

Somalia

New Atlanticist

Feb 22, 2012

Al Qaeda’s Divisive Alliance

By Bronwyn Bruton

In a videotaped announcement released earlier this month by the Al Qaeda chief, Ayman al-Zawahri, the group officially endorsed the struggling rebel group Shabab, which has been fighting the Western-backed transitional government and African Union peacekeepers in Somalia since 2007.

Somalia

Event Recap

Feb 15, 2012

Pre-London Conference Briefing on Somalia

By Adrienne Chuck

The Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted diplomats from the embassies of several of the European countries taking part in the upcoming London Conference on Somalia for an in-depth briefing on the troubled East African country.

Somalia

New Atlanticist

Dec 22, 2011

A (Slightly) Merrier Christmas in Mogadishu

By Peter Pham

While billions of people around the world join in Christmas celebrations this weekend, there will be few outward signs of holiday cheer, religious or otherwise, in the onetime Somali capital of Mogadishu.  

Somalia
Briefing and Discussion with Sheikh Hersi Mohamed Hilowle

Event Recap

Dec 16, 2011

Briefing and Discussion with Sheikh Hersi Mohamed Hilowle

By Adrienne Chuck

The Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted an off-the-record briefing and discussion for US government officials and academic experts working on Somalia with Sheikh Hersi Mohamud Hilowle “Laba-Garre,” chairman of Ahlu Sunna wal Jama’a (ASWJ), a Somali military and political group with a strong following among the country’s Sufis.

Somalia
Famine in the Horn: Assessing the US Response

Event Recap

Oct 27, 2011

Famine in the Horn: Assessing the US Response

By Adrienne Chuck

On October 27, the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted a discussion on the US response to the devastating famine in the Horn of Africa, featuring remarks by Nancy Lindborg, assistant administrator for democracy, conflict, and humanitarian assistance at the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

East Africa

Experts