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Sudan Poised Between Peace and Civil War
www.newsweek.com-August 30, 2010
Sudan, for so long the focus of the world's humanitarian attention, is back in the news. Violent deaths continue to mount, the country is splitting in two, and foreign workers are being kidnapped with alarming regularity. It remains to be seen whether the stricken East African nation can somehow reconcile chaos and brutal militias with untapped oil wealth and hope for the future.
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Somali militants grow more brazen in attack
www.washingtonpost.com-August 29, 2010
Somali militants linked to al-Qaeda briefly asserted control over Mogadishu's most strategic road Saturday, escalating their efforts to overthrow the U.S.-backed transitional government in a region where Islamic radicalism is gaining strength.
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Obama administration intensifies efforts in Sudan
www.washingtonpost.com-August 29, 2010
The Obama administration, which came to office promising stronger leadership on Sudan, is now scrambling to salvage a 2005 U.S.-backed peace accord and prevent Africa's largest nation from sliding back into civil war.
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nsurgents In Somalia Kill At Least 30 In Hotel Attack
www.nytimes.com-August 25, 2010
Somali insurgents disguised in government military uniforms stormed a Mogadishu hotel on Tuesday and killed at least 30 people, including 6 lawmakers, laying bare how vulnerable Somalia’s government is, even in an area it claims to control.
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At Least 33 People Killed in Attack on Somali Hotel
www.nytimes.com-August 24, 2010
Somali insurgents disguised in government military uniforms stormed a Mogadishu hotel on Tuesday and killed at least 30 people, including 6 lawmakers, laying bare how vulnerable the Somali government is, even in an area it claims to control.
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In Kenya's capital, Somali immigrant neighborhood is incubator for jihad
www.washingtonpost.com-August 22, 2010
Behind the blue gates of his Islamic school in Nairobi's Eastleigh neighborhood, Ahmed Awil cannot escape his country's civil war.
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Turning the Corner in Kenya
www.cfr.org-August 11, 2010
Since a disputed election in 2007, Kenya has been plagued by social unrest and political instability. Last week, voters approved a new constitution -- a hopeful sign that the country is heading toward political reconciliation and economic development.
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Amid Rwanda's successes, election raises concerns about suppression of rights
www.washingtonpost.com-August 09, 2010
Ever since Paul Kagame rose to power after the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed 800,000 people, the United States and its allies have embraced him as one of Africa's greatest hopes.
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Al Shabaab's First "News" Video: An Effort to Recruit Westerners and Expel Peacekeepers
www.aei.org-August 05, 2010
The Somali terror group al Shabaab announced the establishment of the al Kata’ib News Channel in a statement posted on jihadist web forums on July 26. The statement acknowledged that “the media war waged by the mujahideen [i.e. militants] is now amidst one of the fiercest battles and most important in [the] war against the infidel Zio-Crusade” and described the objective of the news channel as aiming “to teach, to inform, and to incite.”
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Dozens killed in clashes between Somali government forces and Islamist militants
www.washingtonpost.com-July 21, 2010
Intense clashes between U.S.-backed Somali government forces and Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda killed at least 53 civilians and wounded scores over the past week, a Somali human rights group said Tuesday.
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U.S. financial reform bill also targets 'conflict minerals' from Congo
www.washingtonpost.com-July 21, 2010
The financial regulation bill that President Obama will sign into law on Wednesday is supposed to clean up Wall Street. But an obscure passage buried deep in the 2,300-page legislation aims to transform a very different place -- eastern Congo, labeled the "rape capital of the world."
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The Truth About Africom
wwwforeignpolicy.com-July 21, 2010
I feel fortunate that I can say that I was present at the inception of U.S. Africa Command (Africom), the U.S. military headquarters that oversees and coordinates U.S. military activities in Africa. Starting with just a handful of people sitting around a table nearly four years ago, we built an organization dedicated to the idea that U.S. security interests in Africa are best served by building long-term partnerships with African nations, regional organizations, and the African Union. At the same time, however, there has been a great deal of speculation and concern about Africom. We believe our work and accomplishments will continue to speak for themselves.
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Military Strategy Forum: Gen. William E. Ward, Commander, U.S. Africa Command
www.csis.org-July 20, 2010
Video Highlight: Military Strategy Forum: Gen. William E. Ward, Commander, U.S. Africa Command
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'You Are Killing Me. And They Are Also Killing Me.'
www.washingtonpost.com-July 18, 2010
An African Union peacekeeping force, funded by hundreds of millions of dollars from the United States and its allies, has killed, wounded and displaced hundreds of Somali civilians in a stepped-up campaign against Islamist militants, according to medical officials, human rights activists and victims.
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U.S. Pledges More Support To Battle Somali Rebels
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 16, 2010
The Obama administration on Thursday said it would bolster its support to the African Union troops providing much of the firepower in Somalia's battle against al Shabaab, the Somali militant group that has claimed responsibility for Sunday's deadly blasts in Uganda.
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Somalia's Shabab fighters go international with Uganda blasts
www.latimes.com-July 15, 2010
The Shabab militant group widens its reach beyond Somalia, taking responsibility for two bombings in Uganda that killed 76 people.
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Deadly Uganda bombings could indicate new roles for al-Qaeda affiliates
www.washingtonpost.com-July 13, 2010
The bombings orchestrated by Somalia's al-Shabab militia that killed at least 74 people watching the World Cup finals on television Sunday night are the latest sign of the growing ambitions of al-Qaeda's regional affiliates outside the traditional theaters of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.
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In Attack, Al Qaeda-Linked Somali Group Expands Reach
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 13, 2010
In claiming responsibility for Sunday's deadly bombings in Uganda, the Somali group al Shabaab appeared to raise its sights from running large swaths of one of Africa's most lawless countries to embracing al Qaeda's call for global jihad.
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Al Qaeda In Africa
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 13, 2010
Three bombs tore through Uganda's capital of Kampala on Sunday, killing at least 74 people gathered to watch the World Cup championship, including a U.S. aid worker from Delaware. Six missionaries from a Pennsylvania church group were among the hundreds wounded. The Somali terror group al Shabab claimed responsibility yesterday, and the simultaneous attacks reveal the growing security threat of this al Qaeda franchise both to East Africa and the world.
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Twin blasts kill scores of World Cup watchers in Uganda
www.washingtonpost.com-July 12, 2010
Two explosions, minutes apart, tore through two venues in the Ugandan capital where crowds were watching television broadcasts of the World Cup final late Sunday, killing at least 64 and wounding scores, Ugandan police said. At least one American was killed and several wounded, according to the U.S. Embassy in Kampala.
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Bombers Kill More Than 60 in Attacks in Uganda Capital
www.nytimes.com-July 12, 2010
At least 64 people were killed when bombs exploded Sunday in a synchronized attack on large gatherings of World Cup soccer fans watching the televised final on outdoor screens in this normally peaceful capital, police officials said on Monday.
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Are Somali Militants Behind the Uganda Blasts?
www.time.com-July 12, 2010
If, as expected, it turns out to have been Somali Islamic militants who carried out a twin suicide bombing in the Ugandan capital Kampala on Sunday night — killing 64, many as they watched the World Cup final — that will be lethal confirmation of the group's long-threatened ambitions to spread their terror beyond Somalia's borders.
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Taking Stock of the Youth Challenge in the Middle East: New Data and New Questions
www.brookings.edu-June 15, 2010
In an effort to shed light on the challenges that youth continue to face in the Middle East, Samantha Constant and Mary Kraetsch have created an interactive map and corresponding fact sheets that provide key statistics associated with youth issues for all 18 countries in the Middle East. In the accompanying note, they provide an overview of the data and their main findings.
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World Cup and South Africa's Unmet Goals
www.cfr.org-June 07, 2010
Fifteen years ago, South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup. As depicted in the recent movie Invictus, it came in the glow of South Africa's stunningly peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy, with the almost mythical figure of Nelson Mandela, as the recently elected president, deciding to use the sporting event to help mold a new non-racial South Africa.
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Bashir wins Sudan election. Now what?
www.csmonitor.com-April 26, 2010
President Omar al-Bashir has won the first democratic Sudan election in 24 years, closing a chapter on his 22 years as the country’s military ruler and potentially opening the way to new legitimacy as a democratically elected leader.
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The State of Liberal Democracy in Africa: Resurgence or Retreat?
www.cato.org-April 26, 2010
For much of the post-colonial period, Africans tended to live under one-party dictatorships. Today, even the most despotic of African leaders wish to have their leadership affirmed by elections. Democracy is increasingly seen as the only legitimate form of government in Africa, but regular multiparty elections are not synonymous with good government, rule of law, and economic development. Indeed, corruption, repression, and underdevelopment continue to scar much of Africa.
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After a Coup, Niger Resumes Business as Usual With China
www.nytimes.com-April 25, 2010
ust a few months ago, China was widely derided here as the financial backbone propping up an autocratic president, Mamadou Tandja, giving him the confidence to ignore international condemnation as he chopped away at Niger’s democratic institutions
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Obama Backs Down on Sudan
www.nytimes.com-April 21, 2010
Until he reached the White House, Barack Obama repeatedly insisted that the United States apply more pressure on Sudan so as to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur and elsewhere.
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Renewed Conflict in Sudan
www.cfr.org-March 23, 2010
Sudan faces the prospect of renewed violence between north and south over the next twelve to eighteen months. Overwhelmingly in favor of independence, the south will either secede peacefully through a credible referendum process as agreed to in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) or pursue this by force if the CPA should collapse.
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Somalia A New Approach
www.cfr.org-March 10, 2010
Even among failed states—those countries unable to exercise authority over their territory and provide the most basic services to their people—Somalia stands apart. A country of some nine million, it has lacked a central government since the fall of Mohamed Siad Barre’s regime in 1991. Poverty and insecurity are endemic. Less than 40 percent of Somalis are literate, more than one in ten children dies before turning five, and a person born in Somalia today cannot assume with any confidence that he or she will reach the age of fifty.
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The Violence in Nigeria: What's Behind the Conflict? Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1971010,00.html#ixzz0hoOAWbDd
www.time.com-March 10, 2010
The hundreds of villagers killed with machetes near the central Nigerian city of Jos on Sunday have thrown the sectarian problems of Africa's most populous nation into the spotlight again. Nigerian officials claim the latest bloodshed — most victims were Christians, many of them women and children — was retaliation for clashes in the same city in Jan. In that massacre, Christian attackers killed 300 Muslims.
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Report: Half of food aid to Somalia diverted
www.msnbc.com-March 08, 2010
As much as half the food aid sent to Somalia is diverted from needy people to a web of corrupt contractors, radical Islamist militants and local United Nations staff, according to a new Security Council report.
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U.S. Aiding Somalia in Its Plan to Retake Its Capital
www.nytimes.com-March 06, 2010
The Somali government is preparing a major offensive to take back this capital block by crumbling block, and it takes just a listen to the low growl of a small surveillance plane circling in the night sky overhead to know who is surreptitiously backing that effort.
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A Counter-Coup in Niger
www.csis.org-February 23, 2010
The president of Niger, Mamadou Tandja, was toppled in a military coup d’état on February 18. Soldiers led by a little-known commander, Salou Djibo, pounced as the president held a cabinet meeting and placed him under house arrest in the capital, Niamey. The military junta, which calls itself the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy, said it had been compelled to act because of the president’s unconstitutional rule.
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HIV/AIDS in South Africa: Improved Prognosis
www.cfr.org-February 22, 2010
On February 11, South African President Jacob Zuma delivered his State of the Nation speech, twenty years to the day after Nelson Mandela's release from Robben Island prison. Zuma recommitted his administration to building a better future for all South Africans and noted that improving the country's health was fundamental to this effort.
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After 37 Years, the U.S. Arrives to Do Business in Libya
www.time.com-February 22, 2010
Six months after the Lockerbie bomber flew home from a Scottish jail to a rapturous Tripoli welcome, a very different reception is taking place in the Libyan capital this week: the first U.S. government-sponsored trade mission to this country in some 37 years.
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Niger Capital Is Calm After Coup
www.nytimes.com-February 19, 2010
A day after soldiers in Niger overthrew President Mamadou Tandja, the military junta on Friday identified its chief as Squadron Leader Salou Djibo and said civil servants would run ministries and regions until a new government was formed, news reports said.
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Ending Eastern Congo's Misery
www.cfr.org-February 19, 2010
Deaths from violence, hunger, and disease in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the past dozen years now likely exceed six million, with no end in sight. Violence against civilians in the region has persisted since 1998, with the outbreak of fighting in the Congo involving numerous states and agendas.
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African Conflicts and U.S. Diplomacy
www.csis.org-January 15, 2010
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the American Academy of Diplomacy (AAD) cohosted a conference on October 29, 2009, to examine the role of diplomacy in U.S. relations with Africa. Discussions were grounded in the belief that as U.S. interests and engagement in Africa expand, U.S. diplomatic capacities must expand accordingly.
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Kenya Trip Report
www.csis.org-January 15, 2010
Members of the CSIS Commission on Smart Global Health Policy, led by commission cochairs Helene Gayle (president and CEO of CARE) and Admiral William Fallon (USN ret.), traveled to Kenya for a three-day mission, in partnership with CARE, from August 8–12, 2009. The delegation focused on a core set of questions, ultimately intended to inform commission recommendations to U.S. policymakers in forging a long-term, strategic, and sustainable approach to global health investments in the developing world. This report summarizes the delegation’s findings.
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Somalis fleeing to Yemen prompt new worries in fight against al-Qaeda
www.washingtonpsot.com-January 12, 2010
Thousands of Somali boys and teenagers fleeing war and chaos at home are sailing to Yemen, where officials who have long welcomed Somali refugees now worry that the new arrivals could become the next generation of al-Qaeda fighters.
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Islamic Extremism in Nigeria
www.csis.org-January 07, 2010
The attempted bombing of a transatlantic airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day has shone an unwelcome spotlight on Nigeria and the problem of Islamic extremism within its borders. The suspected bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is a 23-year-old Nigerian Muslim from a prominent family who, it is claimed, picked up his explosives in Yemen before trying to detonate them as the plane began its descent into the United States.
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Incident Sparks Concerns About Terror in Nigeria
http://online.wsjcom-December 28, 2009
A Nigerian student's attempt to bring down a Detroit-bound jet raises concern over possible extremist Islamic activity in Nigeria and West Africa, a corner of the continent where al Qaeda so far hasn't put down significant roots.
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Flight 253 and Nigeria's Troubling Trends
www.cfr.org-December 28, 2009
The arrest of a 23-year-old Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, on charges of trying to destroy a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day with explosives strapped to his body has triggered a round of new questions on airport security and terrorism. Equally troubling are the signals the incident sends about radicalism and Nigeria's Muslims.
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Radical Islam meets a buffer in West Africa
www.washingtonpost.com-December 21, 2009
The Saharan sands stretching north from this fabled outpost have long been a trade route and cultural crossroads, and this past year has brought worrying signs that the desert might also help bring a violent brand of Islam to moderate parts of West Africa.
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Reforming the Rogue: Lessons from the U.S.-Libyan Rapprochement
www.washingtoninstitute.org-December 04, 2009
In December 2003, Libya agreed to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, a key precondition for resumed relations with the United States. This decision set the stage for a new U.S.-Libyan rapport, and despite Libya's failure to adequately meet several other conditions, the United States considered the agreement a success.
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Ethiopia seeks urgent food aid for 6 million
www.msnbc.com-October 22, 2009
Ethiopia said Thursday it needs emergency food aid for 6.2 million people, an appeal that comes 25 years after a devastating famine compounded by communist policies killed 1 million and prompted one of the largest charity campaigns in history.
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New U.S. Sudan Policy a 'Positive Development'
www.cfr.org-October 21, 2009
The Obama administration's new strategy for dealing with Sudan will offer what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called a "menu of incentives and disincentives" (LAT) to convince the Sudanese government to cooperate on issues like stopping human rights violations in Darfur and implementing the conditions of the 2005 cease-fire agreement that ended the country's civil war.
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The Obama Administration’s Sudan Strategy
www.csis.org-October 21, 2009
After months of internal debate, mounting impatience among U.S. activist groups, and rapidly approaching deadlines in the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the Obama administration yesterday unveiled its strategy toward Sudan, calling for frank dialogue with the government in Khartoum and promising “calibrated steps to bolster support for positive change and to discourage backsliding.”
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In Shift for Obama, U.S. Settles On Modulated Policy for Sudan
www.washingtonpost.com-October 17, 2009
After lengthy debate, the Obama administration has settled on a policy toward Sudan that offers a dramatically softer approach than the president had advocated on the campaign trail -- but steers clear of the conciliatory tone advocated by his special envoy to the country.
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Africa at the UN General Assembly
www.csis.org-September 18, 2009
The 64th UN General Assembly meeting is under way in New York, with its centerpiece event, the ministerial session, due to begin on Wednesday, September 23. African leaders are filing into Washington, D.C., and New York City over the coming days in preparation for the annual flurry of diplomatic activity and their chance to address world leaders at UN headquarters.
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U.S. Careful Of Civilians In Somalia Raid, Official Says
www.latimes.com-September 16, 2009
U.S. special forces had tracked a militant wanted in connection with attacks in East Africa for some time, waiting until he moved away from a populated area before killing him, the official said.
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Somali rebels slam U.S. killing of al Qaeda suspect
www.reuters.com-September 15, 2009
Somalia's al Shabaab insurgents denounced a U.S. commando raid that killed one of Africa's most wanted al Qaeda suspects and vowed on Tuesday to continue their fight against Western nations.
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U.S. Kills Top Qaeda Leader In Southern Somalia
www.nytimes.com-September 15, 2009
American commandos killed one of the most wanted Islamic militants in Africa in a daylight raid in southern Somalia on Monday, according to American and Somali officials, an indication of the Obama administration’s willingness to use combat troops strategically against Al Qaeda’s growing influence in the region.
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Congo's shame: Rape used as tool of war
www.washingtontimes.com-September 08, 2009
Rape has been a tool of war throughout human history, but rarely in modern times have its practitioners been so cruel, indiscriminate or pervasive.
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Lockerbie bomber 'set free for oil'
www.online.timesonline.co.uk-August 30, 2009
The British government decided it was “in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom” to make Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, eligible for return to Libya, leaked ministerial letters reveal.
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Qadhafi's Time in the Limelight: Impact on U.S. Interests
www.washingtoninstitute.org-August 28, 2009
Numerous celebrations in Libya this week will mark the fortieth anniversary of the September 1 revolution spearheaded by Muammar Qadhafi. For the Great Leader, these events are an opportunity to demonstrate the achievements of the Jamahiriyya and to further legitimize his rule. At the same time, the release and triumphant reception of terminally ill Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, convicted of murder for the Lockerbie air disaster, as well as the recent crisis in Swiss-Libyan relations, serve as a warning about Libya's leveraging of its hydrocarbon riches to achieve policy goals.
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Anger Grows Over Hero’s Welcome for Libyan Convict
www.nytimes.com-August 21, 2009
British and Scottish officials joined the United States on Friday in criticizing the hero’s welcome Libya choreographed for Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, after the Scottish government ordered his early release from prison a day earlier on compassionate grounds.
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U.S. Boots On Congo Ground
www.washingtonpost.com-August 14, 2009
When Hillary Clinton visited eastern Congo this week, she stepped into a land of fairy-tale beauty and incredible potential. I remember vividly the day in 1982 when my incoming "class" of Peace Corps volunteers made the same trip. Eastern Congo may be the most magical place on the planet; I remember thinking it did not even belong on this planet, so surreal were its mountains, lakes, volcanoes, and lush forests and farmland
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Obama's Food Security Initiative in Africa
www.cfr.org-August 12, 2009
At the G8 Summit in July, President Barack Obama announced a multibillion dollar initiative to assist with agriculture development and food security in Africa.
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China’s New Security Strategy for Africa
www.carlisle.army.mil-August 10, 2009
In December 2008, the Chinese Navy deployed three warships into the Gulf of Aden. This operation is not just a key moment in the development
of China’s blue-water navy, but also demonstrates China’s growing
willingness to secure its economic interests in Africa.
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Is Somalia the new Afghanistan?
www.timesonline.co.uk-August 09, 2009
The wartorn nation is acting as a dangerous new magnet for terror
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U.S. Policy Shift Needed in the Horn of Africa
www.cfr.org-August 06, 2009
U.S. strategic interests in the Horn of Africa center on preventing Somalia from becoming a safe haven for al-Qaeda or other transnational jihadist groups. In pursuing its counterterror strategy, the United States has found common cause with Ethiopia.
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African Growth and Opportunity Act: A Case of Vanishing Benefits
www.brookings.edu-July 30, 2009
On August 4, 2009 high-level delegations of government, private sector and civil society representatives from the United States and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will meet in Nairobi for the 8th annual African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum.
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Africa Trip Highlights Obama's Challenges
http://online.wsj.com-July 11, 2009
President Barack Obama arrived here late Friday for his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office, and was greeted by crowds Saturday. Also greeting him will be high expectations -- and a host of diplomatic and security challenges that have long bedeviled U.S. policy makers on the continent.
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Ghana: Obama Visits a Hopeful Nation on a Troubled Continent
www.brookings.edu-July 08, 2009
There is perhaps no region in the world in which there is a greater gap between the high expectations of an Obama presidency and knowledge of his administration's intended policies than in sub-Saharan Africa. That gap should narrow when President Obama makes a fleeting visit to Ghana on July 10 and 11.
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How to end the Genocide in Darfur nad Why it Won't Happen
http://usacac.army.mil-July 05, 2009
ON 25 APRIL 2003, two rebel groups, the Sudanese Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, attacked the El Fasher airport in Darfur, Sudan, killing 75 Sudanese government troops and destroying seven government aircraft.1 In response, the Sudanese government in Khartoum began a counterinsurgency campaign to end the rebellion in western Darfur by using proxy militias with the support of government air and ground forces.
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General, On Tour, Says AFRICOM Does Not Look To Dominate
www.stripes.com-May 17, 2009
During a question-and-answer session with Gen. William "Kip" Ward, the Portuguese-speaking Maputo resident let loose on his theories about the United States and its intentions with U.S. Africa Command. AFRICOM isn’t about building partnerships, but rather another means for U.S. to achieve global domination, Prista argued.
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Is the Darfur bloodshed genocide? Opinions differ
www.latimes.com-May 04, 2009
What if the conflict many call the "first genocide of the 21st century" weren't one at all?
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Somali Pirate Arrives in U.S. to Face Charges
http://online.wsj.com-April 21, 2009
The sole surviving Somali pirate from the hostage-taking of an American ship captain arrived in New York, smiling for a gaggle of cameras and reporters as federal agents led him into custody to face charges in the attack at a court hearing Tuesday.
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U.S. Weighs Changes In Strategy To Fight Pirates
http://online.wsj.com-April 18, 2009
Senior Pentagon planners are debating a shift in military strategy to crack down on piracy off the coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden.
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Options for Combating Piracy in Somalia
www.heritage.org-April 15, 2009
When Somali pirates seized the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, taking the ship's captain hostage, resulting news coverage focused U.S. public attention on piracy and lawlessness in Somalia.
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Somalia Says: Let Us Handle The Pirates
www.latimes.com-April 15, 2009
With foreign warships looming off its shores and a worldwide debate raging over how to defeat piracy, leaders in this seaside Somali capital say there's a solution that could be fast, simple and relatively cheap: the Somalis themselves.
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US food aid ship escapes new Somali pirate attack; Hero captain's reunion with crew thwarted
www.chicagotribune.com-April 15, 2009
Somali pirates fired grenades and automatic weapons at an American freighter loaded with food aid but the ship managed to escape the attack and was heading Wednesday to Kenya under U.S. Navy escort, officials said.
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Obama Signals More Active Response To Piracy
www.nytimes.com-April 14, 2009
President Obama vowed Monday to “halt the rise of piracy” off the coast of Africa following the dramatic rescue of an American merchant captain, foreshadowing a longer and potentially more treacherous struggle ahead as he weighs a series of problematic options.
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US weighs tough action on pirates Critics urge broader Somalia approach
www.boston.com-April 14, 2009
A day after the dramatic rescue of an American sea captain held captive by Somali pirates, US officials said yesterday that they are considering launching attacks on the staging areas from which pirates have hijacked a rising number of international merchant vessels.
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A Solution for Somalia What it will take to stop the threats of piracy and terrorism
www.washingtonpost.com-April 14, 2009
SKILLFUL SHOOTING by U.S. snipers rescued an American ship captain from Somali pirates Sunday -- along with an Obama administration facing its first foreign emergency. Unfortunately, no silver bullets are available for the growing threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean or the toxic anarchy that has spawned it.
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Negotiations Break Down in Standoff With Pirates
www.nytimes.com-April 13, 2009
Negotiations over the American captain taken hostage by Somali pirates broke down on Saturday, according to Somali officials, after American officials insisted that the pirates be arrested and a group of elders representing the pirates refused.
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Hijacked U.S. ship safely reaches Kenya
www.washingtontimes.com-April 12, 2009
The crew of the Maersk Alabama reluctantly left the ship's captain - still held hostage in a small lifeboat by Somali pirates - hundreds of miles away, as the U.S. cargo ship docked at a Kenyan port Saturday evening.
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Obama Team Mulls Aims Of Somali Extremists Seeing Potential Terror Threat, Officials Debate Their Options
www.washingtonpost.com-April 12, 2009
Senior Obama administration officials are debating how to address a potential terrorist threat to U.S. interests from a Somali extremist group, with some in the military advocating strikes against its training camps. But many officials maintain that uncertainty about the intentions of the al-Shabab organization dictates a more patient, nonmilitary approach.
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What's The Big Idea?
www.washingtonpost.com-April 12, 2009
After Somali pirates tried to commandeer a U.S.-operated container ship in the Indian Ocean last week and captured its American captain, the United States dispatched a Navy destroyer to the scene, creating a showdown between a massive warship and a tiny lifeboat on which the pirates held their hostage.
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U.S. Navy rescues captain held by pirates Three of the Somali captors were killed and one was in custody
www.msnbc.com-April 12, 2009
The U.S. Navy has rescued the American sea captain held by Somali pirates.
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U.S. Ship Captain Rescued From Pirates by Navy Seals
www.washingtonpost.com-April 12, 2009
An American captain being held by Somali pirates was freed unharmed Sunday in an operation carried out by U.S. Navy Seals, U.S. military officials said. Three of the pirates were killed and the fourth was captured.
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Pirates, navies maneuver for advantage U.S. merchant captain fails in attempt to escape
www.washingtontimes.com-April 11, 2009
Somali pirates freed a Norwegian tanker Friday, succumbed to the French navy in another seajacking incident and raced reinforcements to the scene of a standoff with the U.S. Navy over an American merchant captain held hostage in a drifting lifeboat.
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American Captain Tries to Escape From Sea Pirates
www.http://online.wsj.com-April 11, 2009
The American sea captain held hostage by Somali pirates tried to escape Friday and was recaptured, a U.S. official said, with no action from the U.S. Navy destroyer monitoring the situation from nearby in the Indian Ocean.
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US ships block help for pirates holding US captain hostage; US crew heads for Kenyan port
www.latimes.com-April 11, 2009
U.S. warships are trying to stop Somali pirates from sending reinforcements to a lifeboat where an American captain is being held hostage as the high-seas standoff off Africa's eastern coast entered a fourth day Saturday.
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Standoff With Pirates Shows U.S. Power Has Limits
www.nytimes.com-April 10, 2009
The Indian Ocean standoff between an $800 million United States Navy destroyer and four pirates bobbing in a lifeboat showed the limits of the world’s most powerful military as it faces a booming pirate economy in a treacherous patch of international waters.
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Pirates Hold Captain Hostage As U.S. Ship Sails Away
www.latimes.com-April 10, 2009
As a freed U.S.-flagged freighter cruised out of Somalia's crime-infested waters Thursday, a tense standoff continued for a second day between a U.S. warship and a tiny lifeboat, adrift with four stranded pirates and the American captain they were holding hostage.
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Somali Pirates Capture American Sea Captain
www.washingtonpost.com-April 09, 2009
An American warship early Thursday reached the scene of a Somali pirate attack on a U.S.-operated container ship, according to U.S. officials, who said the pirates fled with the captain while the unarmed American crew regained control of its ship.
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U.S. military already prepared with battle plans for Somalia pirates, say intelligence sources
www.nydailynews.com-April 09, 2009
U.S. military commanders have already prepared battle plans for ending the scourge of piracy on the high seas off Somalia if President Obama pulls the trigger, sources told the Daily News Wednesday.
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The West Should Focus on North Africa
www.washingtoninstitute.org-April 06, 2009
For North Africa, 2009 is a year of elections. Regrettably, these elections -- this week's presidential elections in Algeria, Tunisia's presidential and legislative elections in October, and Morocco's local council elections in June -- attest not to the vibrancy of democracy in the region, but rather to its lingering authoritarianism
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Elections in Algeria: Bouteflika Wins, Legitimacy Loses
www.washingtoninstitute.org-April 03, 2009
On April 9, Algerians go to the polls to elect a head of state. A constitutional amendment engineered by two-term President Abdulaziz Bouteflika in November 2008 allows the septuagenarian to vie for a third term. Running with no credible opponents -- and unopposed by the military and security services (DRS) -- there is little doubt he will be reelected. Although Bouteflika's ongoing tenure represents continuity in Algiers, it will not enhance the country's stability. Instead, for a largely disaffected burgeoning youth, the nature of this election will further erode confidence in an already shaky system, a development that could impact local U.S. business interests and strengthen al-Qaeda's presence in the Maghreb (northwest Africa).
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Madagascar nears brink of civil war
www.washingtonpost.com-April 02, 2009
Six weeks of violent protests in which Madagascar's elected president, Marc Ravalomanana, was forced to resign have pushed the huge island nation to the brink of civil war.
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Despite Patrols, Somalia's Pirates Are Busier Than Ever
www.time.com-March 31, 2009
Just when shipping companies thought it was safe to go back in the water — off the Horn of Africa in particular — Somali pirates last week nabbed two large chemical tankers within 24 hours, despite the presence of a bevy of Western and other navies prowling in search of the buccaneers.
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A Sovereign State of Evil
www.cato.org-March 23, 2009
Though Sudan's ruthless president, Gen. Omar Hassan al-Bashir, is now subject to arrest by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, he defiantly intends to continue traveling to friendly Arab and African countries and China.
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US Army Africa: Smart Power in Action
http://smallwarsjournal.com-March 15, 2009
Secretary of State Clinton’s use of the term “Smart Power” has stirred the proverbial pundit pot. A surge of talk show commentaries, opinion-editorials, and blog spots have questioned the wisdom of smart power, some going so far as to calling the idea “just plain dumb.” Secretary Clinton’s evocation of the “full range” of power tools was likely informed by a Center for Strategic and International Studies commission study headed by Richard Armitage and Joseph Nye.
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The Most Dangerous Place in the World
www.foreignpolicy.com-March 14, 2009
Somalia is a state governed only by anarchy. A graveyard of foreign-policy failures, it has known just six months of peace in the past two decades. Now, as the country’s endless chaos threatens to engulf an entire region, the world again simply watches it burn.
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Hijacked Super Tanker Exposes Vulnerability of Energy Supplies
www.nationaldefensemagaqzine.org-March 11, 2009
The hijacking on the high seas by Somali pirates of a super tanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil destined for the United States created many troubling precedents and makes the vulnerability of energy supplies quite clear.
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Building Blocks for Citizenship and a Peaceful Transition in Sudan
www.usip.org-March 11, 2009
Sudan’s upcoming elections in 2009 raise hopes and concerns for the country’s future. According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in 2005 between the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Sudan is scheduled to hold national and state level elections in 2009.
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Al-Shabaab
www.cfr.org-February 27, 2009
Al-Shabaab (aka the Harakat Shabaab al-Mujahidin, al-Shabab, Shabaab, the Youth, Mujahidin al-Shabaab Movement, Mujahideen Youth Movement, Mujahidin Youth Movement), is an Islamic organization that controls much of southern Somalia, excluding the capital, Mogadishu.
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The President of Africa
www.washingtoninstitute.org-February 18, 2009
With
his flamboyant fashion sense and Amazonian female bodyguards, it is
sometimes difficult to take Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi seriously on the
world stage. Yet the Libyan strongman's recent selection as chairman of
the African Union, which caps a lengthy diplomatic push on the
continent, demonstrates that his country's international rehabilitation
has been very effective indeed.
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Closing Recommendations A chapter in the forthcoming CSIS Africa Program report: Africa Policy in the George W. Bush Years: Recommendations for the Obama Administration
www.csis.org-February 02, 2009
Represent
a comprehensive and balanced effort to capture key aspects of the
Africa policy legacy of the 2001-2008 years. The purpose of these
concluding pages is not to summarize the preceding material, which
contains a wide range of analyses and recommendations for future
policy. Rather, the aim is to capture from the perspective of a former
Africa policymaker some possible guideposts for the Obama
administration’s policy people—both those charged with full-time Africa
responsibilities and those with a broader focus.
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Europe steps up piracy controls
www.armedforcesjournal.com-February 01, 2009
The
European Union launched its first naval operation to combat piracy off
the Somali coast, dubbed “Operation Atalanta,” on Dec 8. Its one-year
mission is to “take the necessary measures, including the use of force,
to deter, prevent and intervene” to end acts of piracy and armed
robbery in an area up to 1,000 kilometers off the coasts of Somalia,
Kenya and Tanzania, and in the Gulf of Aden.
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Fighting piracy, International coordination is key to countering modern-day freebooters
www.armedforcesjournal.com-February 01, 2009
Maritime
piracy is experiencing a renaissance not seen since the period of the
Barbary pirates. Last year, 111 ships were attacked off the dangerous
waters of Somalia: 42 were hijacked, 815 mariners were taken hostage
and the ransom paid for the release of some vessels fetched several
million dollars. In response, a combination of coalition naval power
and statecraft is creating new international authorities to address
piracy, but after the talking is over, concrete steps must be taken to
implement and sustain the new initiatives.
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The North African Military Balance Force Developments in the Maghreb
www.csis.org-January 28, 2009
There
is no military balance in North Africa in the classic sense of the
term. Although rivalries and tensions persist among Algeria, Libya,
Morocco, and Tunisia, no state in the Maghreb now actively prepares for
war with its neighbors, and the prospects of such conflicts are limited
at best.
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Africa’s Looming Mega-Challenges A chapter in the forthcoming CSIS Africa Program report: Africa Policy in the George W. Bush Years: Recommendations for the Obama Administration
www.csis.org-January 26, 2009
Successive
administrations have been hard pressed to tackle long-term, sweeping
challenges in Africa, with breaking developments and crises on the
continent too often threatening to consume more resources and attention
than are typically available.
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Pursuing U.S. Energy Security Interests in Africa A chapter in the forthcoming CSIS Africa Program report: Africa Policy in the George W. Bush Years: Recommendations for the Obama Administration
www.csis.org-January 23, 2009
Africa
plays a strategic role in U.S. and global energy security. It is a
critical supplier of new source production to global and U.S. oil
supply. It is a natural gas supplier, with enormous potential to meet
increased future demand in a carbon constrained world.
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Making Better Sense of U.S. Security Engagement in Africa A chapter in the forthcoming CSIS Africa Program report: Africa Policy in the George W. Bush Years: Recommendations for the Obama Administration
www.csis.org-January 23, 2009
A
significant development in Africa over the past decade has been the
generalized lessening of violent conflict. Revitalized, expanded
international peacekeeping, bolstered by the African Union’s
newly-launched determination to tackle security challenges, has
reinforced this trend.
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China’s Engagement in Africa A chapter in the forthcoming CSIS Africa Program report: Africa Policy in the George W. Bush Years: Recommendations for the Obama Administration
www.csis.org-January 23, 2009
The
end of Cold War interests in Africa and more recently a predominant
U.S. focus on counterterrorism and humanitarian assistance have led to
a decline in U.S. influence on the continent. At the same time, the
dramatic expansion of China’s economy in recent decades has resulted in
a huge increase of imported raw materials, especially oil, from Africa
and a more vigorous and complex engagement between Beijing and various
African capitals.
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Advancing Democratization in Africa A chapter in the forthcoming CSIS Africa Program report: Africa Policy in the George W. Bush Years: Recommendations for the Obama Administration
www.csis.org-January 23, 2009
The
advancement of democracy worldwide has been a continuous and defining
theme of U.S. statecraft since the presidency of Woodrow Wilson nearly
a century ago. At the same time, democracy promotion has invariably
competed with and been trumped by the advancement of other foreign
policy objectives, particularly U.S. security and economic interests.
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A Smarter U.S. Approach to Africa Opening chapter in the forthcoming CSIS Africa Program report: Africa Policy in the George W. Bush Years: Recommendations for the Obama Administration
www.csis.org-January 23, 2009
During
President George W. Bush’s eight-year tenure, U.S. policy towards
Africa underwent a dramatic enlargement, marked by an expansion of U.S.
interests, a high-level diplomatic push on Sudan, unprecedented
resource flows, and the establishment of several historic initiatives.
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Rebuilding U.S.-Libyan Relations Twenty Years after Lockerbie
www.washingtoninstitute.org-November 25, 2008
Nearly
twenty years ago, on December 21, 1988, PanAm Flight 103 from London to
New York exploded in midair over the Scottish town of Lockerbie,
killing all 259 people on board. Last weekend, according to an
unconfirmed report in the International Herald Tribune, Musa Kusa, the
Libyan intelligence chief widely believed to have planned the terror
attack, visited Washington for talks with intelligence and military
officials.
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USCENTCOM and the Future Establishing the Right Strategic Priorities
www.csis.org-November 18, 2008
The
US must do more than find solutions to dealing with its withdrawal from
Iraq, and finding ways to reverse the course of the Afghan conflict. It
needs to rethink the overall structure of its military posture and
strategy in the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. This
requires the US to address is diplomatic and aid efforts as part of a
broad approach to the region, but it also requires a new focus for
USCENTCOM and significant changes in the way the US approaches the
entire area of operations.
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