August 22, 2011 – 12:22 pm
Worsening political violence in South Africa suggests the country’s potential fragility. Frustration with an uneven pace of change often ignites into violent protest while elite competition for financial and political resources available through the state also drives violence. South Africans still support the democratic process and view the government as legitimate, but future stability will require breaking up the intertwining of political authority and economic opportunity while improving broad-based socioeconomic performance. Download the article: [PDF]
February 7, 2011 – 5:44 pm
Political instability and violence in Africa are often the products of rumor and misinformation. Biased newspapers and radio programming, for example, are commonplace conduits of politically divisive causes.
September 20, 2010 – 2:24 pm
Recent incidents of systematic rapes in the eastern DRC and continued mass dislocations of populations in Somalia and Sudan have again thrust the issue of civilian protection and the responsibility of international peace operations onto news headlines around the world. Such episodes simultaneously damage the very credibility of peace operations. As home to 40 peace operations in 14 countries since 2000, Africa is at the forefront of grappling with the civilian protection issue.
