Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
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Hollowed out by corruption and mismanagement and buffeted by adverse economic conditions, authoritarian governments in the Middle East are struggling to deliver the socioeconomic benefits that once pacified their publics.
Exactly how far Burhan will have to bend to achieve such a scenario will depend on how enduring are protests inside Sudan and how tough a front is maintained by the United States, the EU, the UN and other bodies, such as the African Union, in demanding a full restoration of civilian government under Hamdok.
Internet shutdowns are not new, but they have become increasingly popular instruments among dictators and autocrats who want to control their citizenry and preempt political threats.
Now that Morocco has regained its seat at the African Union, the Kingdom faces a new context where it must defend its core interests while proving that it is a responsible stakeholder whose membership benefits the AU.
As Sudan drifts again into war, the regional and international community must act quickly to save the lives of hundreds of thousands that are at risk. And political change in Khartoum might have to be part and parcel of a long-term solution.
Darfur is being pushed perilously close to the edge by the Sudanese government. President Obama's biggest test in Africa will not be pirates, but Omar al-Bashir, the first sitting president with a warrant for his arrest.
Africa is now paralyzed by the rise of failed democracies—countries that hold elections but do not develop institutions to support civil society—sparking conflict rather than easing it. The result across broad swaths of the continent has been the concentration of power with the people who make the continent's conflicts worse.
African activists are resisting China’s growing presence in Africa, citing China’s support for autocrats like Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe and importation of Chinese labor as primary concerns. Western concerns about Chinese influence in Africa have nevertheless intensified.
At a time when Islamist movements across the Arab world have chosen to participate in official political processes, grave concerns have arisen over the nature and repercussions of this participation and over whether the Islamists are equipped to rule should they rise to power through democratic means.
Governments are funding and controlling nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), often stealthily. They have become the tool of choice for undemocratic governments to manage their domestic politics while appearing democratic.