Topic: Somalia

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Briefing
Top 3 reasons why Al Qaeda is more dangerous than ever

On the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, defense analysts say that there are plenty of reasons to think that a resurgence of the perniciously resourceful Al Qaeda is not out of the question.
Somalia: A timeline of change in a troubled country

Here is a timeline of changes, intervention, and mediation in 5 bite-sized bits.
5 ways Americans and Iranians are surprisingly similar

Despite escalating US-Iran tensions, remarkable similarities between their peoples have prompted some to suggest that the US and Iran could one day be powerful ‘natural’ allies.
Pentagon budget: top 3 winners and losers

In Pentagon parlance, the word “cut” is a relative term. The Defense Department’s base budget decreases from $553 billion this year to $525 billion in 2013, but it rebounds steadily to $567 billion in 2017. With this in mind, here are the top three winners and losers:
Famous US Special Forces operations

Here are six of the most famous successful American special operations missions in recent memory.

All Content

Next pirate hot spot: the Gulf of Guinea

The Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of West Africa, is a significant source of US oil. Rising piracy here could mean rising prices at the pump.
Costa cruise ship stranded in pirate waters near the Seychelles

Costa Allegra, a cruise ship with 1,000 people on board, had a fire in the engine room. The cruise ship, stranded in Somali pirate waters, is now being towed to the Seychelles.
In Nigeria, Somalia, and Afghanistan: what is a foreign fighter?

In countries where colonial borders don't reflect ethnic or family ties, it's not as easy to decide who is a foreigner. Yet Nigeria has deported 11,000 foreigners in the past six months on suspicion of Islamist sympathies.
Somalia: A timeline of change in a troubled country

Here is a timeline of changes, intervention, and mediation in 5 bite-sized bits.
'Act of Valor': Does Navy SEAL film reveal too many secrets?

'Act of Valor' is a fictional account of a potential terrorist attack on American soil. The film uses 'real-life' active duty US Navy SEALs. Critics warn the film may give away sensitive intel.
African droughts: Could insurance schemes help out?

Aid groups are appealing for proactive action, as Horn of Africa drought persists. Could insurance schemes for poor farmers and drought-prone nations provide the answer?
Chapter & Verse
Encyclopedia of evil: a catalog of history's 100 worst atrocities

Librarian Matthew White discusses 'The Great Big Book of Horrible Things' and his desire to set the record straight. 
Newark Muslims hold protest rally over NYPD spy operation

Newark Muslims plan to rally Friday in protest of a 2007 NYPD spying operation targeting Muslim groups in Newark, N.J. Mayor Bloomberg says the operation was 'constitutional.'
Nations must learn from past mistakes in helping Somalia

This week Britain led another international attempt to help Somalia, a dysfunctional state plagued by piracy and terrorism. Nations must learn from the past that trying to build up a central government in Somalia won't work. It's the regions and sub-clans that need bolstering.
Africa Monitor
Diplomats meet in London to talk Somalia, but where are the women?

If women aren't part of the political process in Somalia, they can't be a part of the outcome, notes guest blogger Jina Moore.
The risks of telling the Syria story

With nine journalists among the roughly 8,000 dead in Syria's uprising, Monitor reporter Scott Peterson explores the soul-searching inside the small community of war correspondents.
Somalia: For once, some optimism

The UN beefs up an African Union-led peacekeeper mission and Ethiopian troops take the town of Baidoa, as delegates at a London conference contemplate the future of Somalia.
Will a London conference help set Somalia on path to peace?

Somalia aid groups and experts welcome renewed international attention, but warn that a focus on either state-building or military action alone could make things worse rather than better.
Islamist attacks draw Nigeria and US military closer

Dealing with Islamist groups such as Nigeria's Boko Haram will require more than a purely military approach, although Nigeria welcomes training from the US military's Africa Command.
Foiled suicide bombing of US Capitol: plot is both familiar and strange

Since 9/11, a series of would-be attackers – many of them 'lone wolves' – have been thwarted by undercover agents posing as collaborators. But an attempted suicide bombing is unusual.
Africa Monitor
Eritrean opposition takes its politics online

Opposition leader Mohammed Ali Ibrahim disappeared this week, and opposition-run websites wasted little time in disseminating information in multiple languages.
Why Ethiopia's authoritarian style gets a Western nod

Ethiopia is a geostrategically important ally in the West's efforts to battle extremism in the Horn of Africa. Western leaders have also emphasized its progress in battling poverty.
Helpers in a hostile world: the risk of aid work grows

Some 242 aid workers were killed in 2010, up from 91 a decade before. Is 'humanitarian space' shrinking, or are aid groups spreading out to more conflict zones than before?
Somalia's Al Shabab launches suicide attack ahead of talks

Car bomb kills 15 in the government-controlled center of Mogadishu just weeks before Somali officials attend a London conference on long-term solutions to country's unrest.
Congo: National elections now only hurt democracy

What the Democratic Republic of Congo needs is not another national election but a rethinking of how the state might be reorganized. In the long run, only a decentralized system of government – or perhaps a partition of the country – is likely to produce accountable leadership.
With oil pipeline attack, Niger Delta rebels announce return

After a year long truce, Niger Delta rebel group MEND launched an attack on an oil pipeline. MEND's attacks come as Nigeria's military is struggling with the Islamist Boko Haram movement in the north.
Carl Levin calls Romney's defense budget criticism "just a political statement"

The chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee and senior Senator from Michigan said even with reduced funding, US military has "shown our capabilities, shown our adeptness."
Famine ends in Somalia, as drought looms in West Africa

Aid groups say that improved harvests and food donations have ended risk of starvation, but warn that ongoing war in Somalia could still reverse gains made.
Africa asks itself: Where is the aid money?

African nations pledged five months ago to do more to help each other when famine and disaster strike. But so far, they haven't come up with the promised cash.
5 ways Americans and Iranians are surprisingly similar

Despite escalating US-Iran tensions, remarkable similarities between their peoples have prompted some to suggest that the US and Iran could one day be powerful ‘natural’ allies.