Africa

What does Joe Biden’s presidency mean for America’s role in the world?

What does Joe Biden’s presidency mean for America’s role in the world?

BY: Atlantic Council PEJOURNAL - We finally have a winner. After several days of counting votes, former Vice President Joe Biden has defeated President Donald J. Trump in the US presidential election, after the Associated Press called Pennsylvania for the former vice president on November 7.  While Biden may have to contend with a divided Congress to achieve his many domestic priorities, he will have much more power to shape US foreign policy going forward. “Under a Biden presidency, the United States will shift from a ‘with or without us’ approach to a policy that fundamentally believes the United States can achieve more when we work together with partner nations,” Jason Marczak, director of…
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The pandemic in Africa is not just a crisis of public health or the economy, It’s a political one, too.

The pandemic in Africa is not just a crisis of public health or the economy, It’s a political one, too.

Writing in The Economist, former senior UN official Alan Doss and founder of Celtel Mo Ibrahim argue that the pandemic threatens the democratic progress made in Africa in recent years."Hard times often make people especially vulnerable to the siren song of populists and extremists trading on communal enmities," they write.At least 18 African countries are expected to hold national elections this year. But unless proper laws are in place, suspending elections amid the pandemic could erode democracy.To prevent this from happening, Mr Doss and Mr Ibrahim explain, there are several steps African governments and the public can take
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Libya’s war; Erdogan says ‘agreements’ reached with Trump

Libya’s war; Erdogan says ‘agreements’ reached with Trump

PEJOURNAL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "some agreements" have been reached with his US counterpart Donald Trump that could herald a "new era" in the conflict in Libya. Turkey supports the internationally recognised government of Fayez al-Sarraj, whose forces have in recent weeks driven back an assault on the capital, Tripoli, by the forces of renegade commander Khalifa Haftar. While the US officially supports Libya's UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), Haftar is supported by Washington's allies - Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), France, and Saudi Arabia - as well as Russia. "After our call this evening,…
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Danger of ‘miscalculation’ as global powers scramble for position in Libya

Danger of ‘miscalculation’ as global powers scramble for position in Libya

PEJOURNAL - War-ravaged Libya begins a new phase of armed conflict after forces loyal to the internationally recognised government in Tripoli besieged strongholds of warlord Khalifa Haftar in the country’s centre and south. At least 16,000 civilians were displaced in the recent weeks of fighting in which numerous military facilities, neighbourhoods and towns changed hands in western Libya, according to the United Nations. Now the battle has moved to the coastal city of Sirte, the hometown of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, and the remote airbase in Jufrah, where Russians have quartered a dozen war jets as well as mercenaries of…
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