by K. Riva Levinson

February 11, 2020

Just when you think that Washington D.C. is wholly broken, that bipartisanship is dead-on-arrival, and good policy comes secondary to politics, something surprises you. So it did for me last week as I watched the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional push-back in reaction to press reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper was weighing proposals for a major reduction — or even a complete pullout — of U.S. forces from Africa. The articles asserted that intelligence assets and U.S. defense attachés could also be pulled, leaving America with a weakened ability to stop terrorist threats.

by K. Riva Levinson

January 21, 2020

Just when you think that Washington D.C. is wholly broken, that bipartisanship is dead-on-arrival, and good policy comes secondary to politics, something surprises you. So it did for me last week as I watched the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional push-back in reaction to press reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper was weighing proposals for a major reduction — or even a complete pullout — of U.S. forces from Africa. The articles asserted that intelligence assets and U.S. defense attachés could also be pulled, leaving America with a weakened ability to stop terrorist threats.

by K. Riva Levinson

December 31, 2019

2019 was notable year for Africa — politically, economically, culturally, and for the coming of age of its technological revolution. Some of the year’s advancements were cyclical, but others were historic, unprecedented, and could propel a continent of largely young people forward in a region on track to overtake central and south Asia as the most populous in the coming decades. Meeting the needs of Africa’s youthful population will be one of the defining global challenges of our time.

Here are my top three change-making events for Africa’s notable year:

by K. Riva Levinson

November 05, 2019

When Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last month for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation and his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea, I knew the celebrations would be short-lived.

The Nobel Committee said in its citation: “He spent his first 100 days as Prime Minister lifting the country’s state of emergency, granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, discontinuing media censorship, legalizing outlawed opposition groups, dismissing military and civilian leaders who were suspected of corruption, and significantly increasing the influence of women in Ethiopian political and community life.”

by K. Riva Levinson

October 10, 2019

When National Security Advisor John Bolton unveiled the Trump administration’s Africa policy nearly a year ago in a speech at the Heritage Foundation, he invoked dark and foreboding language reminiscent of the Cold War: “The predatory practices pursued by China and Russia stunt economic growth in Africa; threaten the financial independence of African nations; inhibit opportunities for U.S. investment; interfere with U.S. military operations and pose a significant threat to U.S. national security interests.”