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Council on Foreign Relations

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Woman milking a cow in a rural farm setting, emphasizing nutrition and livestock rights.

New UN Declaration Must Protect Rights Of The World’s Poorest To Nutritional Benefits Of Milk And Meat, Say Experts

More than 115 agrifood experts, government advisors and business leaders are calling for animal-source foods to be excluded from a UN declaration to eliminate trans-fatty acids. A draft UN declaration to eliminate trans-fatty acids from global diets risks inadvertently denying the world’s poorest the nutritional benefits of milk and meat, experts have said. A new declaration to […]

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Donald Trump and South African president in a tense discussion at the White House.

Trump’s Confrontation Of South Africa’s President Derails Effort To Cool Tensions

The conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office Wednesday was meant to smooth over tensions between the two leaders’ countries. It appeared to begin cordially enough. Ramaphosa thanked Trump for providing his country with respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic, introduced some of South Africa’s famous golfers, […]

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Armed soldier in a military vehicle patrolling a neighborhood in Africa.

A Political Breakthrough?

Is the nascent consensus on state police in Nigeria a political ruse or a giant step towards true federalism in the country? No matter what happens next, last week’s statement by the Northern States Governors’ Forum expressing “support for the creation of State Police” and calling on “the National Assembly to expedite action on the enactment of […]

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African leaders and US officials at peace talks with flags in background.

Peace Talks In The Era Of Transactionalism

What are the terms of the deal the U.S. is trying to negotiate with the DRC and Rwanda? The Trump administration has made its interest in strengthening critical mineral supply chains clear, and that imperative appears to be central to its emerging approach to Africa. So it comes as no surprise that the Democratic Republic […]

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Child engaging in a mural emphasizing hope and overcoming challenges in Africa.

A Question Of Freedom

President Trump’s controversial decision to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been greeted with widespread condemnation across the aid industry and foreign policy establishment. The condemnation is not unwarranted. While questions regarding the legality of the move remain unresolved (a federal judge has ruled that the president “overstepped his constitutional authority”), even those […]

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Voters wait in line at a polling station during Tanzania’s election process.

Tanzania’s Election Will Deepen Cynicism About Democracy

Just over two years ago, in March 2023, United States Vice President Kamala Harris visited Tanzania. There, she was warmly received by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who had ascended to the presidency after the death of the autocratic John Magufuli. President Samia described the United States as “an important partner in our pursuit for democracy […]

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Soldiers and children in Goma during conflict, showing chaos and displacement.

The Fall Of Goma

By Michelle Gavin As civilians in Goma once again flee chaos, leaders fail to take responsibility for the crisis. Once again, the eastern Congolese city of Goma has fallen to the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. The mayhem is certainly real; the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) displacement crisis is second only to Sudan’s, and many of the roughly 1.5 […]

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Man holding a sign protesting state abductions in Kenya during a public demonstration.

Accountability Gone Missing In Kenya

By Michelle Gavin Amid a spate of abductions and disappearances in Kenya, President Ruto’s government feigns ignorance. In the wake of last year’s Gen Z protests, Kenyan President William Ruto had two choices. He could accept the youthful population’s rejection of business as usual and get serious about cleaning up corruption in government, aiming to ride […]

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Sudanese civilians on a vehicle waving the national flag during a protest.

Sudan’s Civilians Deserve Better

Complexity is no excuse for the world’s continued inaction on the war in Sudan. By Michelle Gavin It is often suggested that the horrific crisis in Sudan garners little international attention because of its complexity, and specifically because “there are no good guys, only bad guys.” It’s true that Sudan’s crisis grows more complicated by the day, […]

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Young man walking past graffiti on wall in Mozambique, highlighting youth activism.

The Problem With Transactionalism

By Michelle Gavin For some, the future of U.S.-Africa policy is looking up. Optimists are trumpeting the virtues of President-elect Trump’s enthusiasm for transactionalism, noting that it could lead to more investment on the continent and less moral posturing. Certainly, those outcomes are desirable, and a more transactional approach could, in some instances, line up U.S. priorities more closely with […]

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