Burkina Faso: Islamic State and al-Qaeda’s New Sanctuary

by Giorgio Cafiero and Daniel Wagner For many years, violent extremists have exploited the impoverished and lawless Sahel region of Africa. Salafist-jihadist militias have frequently transited through the region’s porous borders, easily taking advantage of local grievances to establish a… Continue Reading  

Protecting Somali Minorities Is Good Military Strategy

by Daniel Van Lehman and Lindsay J. Benstead President Trump—citing national security concerns—signed an executive order in April granting a one-year extension to the mandate of U.S. Special Operations Forces in Somalia. This has led many to question military involvement,… Continue Reading  

What Next for Gabon?

by Giorgio Cafiero Gabon, an oil-rich Central African state located along the equator, is not typically on the international media’s radar. The relative stability that has generally shaped Gabonese politics for decades largely explains the country’s low profile in the… Continue Reading  

Wagner vs. the Russian Media

by David Isenberg Some things don’t go together: water and electricity, science and religion, Donald Trump and basic human decency. The latest entry is journalists and Wagner, the Russian private military company. Wagner is the increasingly prominent Russian private military… Continue Reading  

Ensuring That the ICC Rises to the Challenge

by Kenneth Roth and Salil Shetty Four years ago, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International—joining hundreds of others—urged the United Nations Security Council to send atrocity crimes committed in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution. Then, the… Continue Reading