Diplomatic Pouch
After the political dust-up in Libya: deepening the Europe-Africa dialogue
On the eve of the first year anniversary of the Arab uprisings, it is useful to reflect on the state of EU-Africa relations, particularly in the aftermath of the prominent role played by key EU member states in Libya. Under the weight of United Nations Security Resolution 1973, which validated an intervention led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Colonel Muammar Gaddafi met his death brutally on 20 October 2011 at the hands of his fellow citizens. This marked the end of Gaddafi's tempestuous relationship with the West, oscillating through various cycles - from a dangerous bogeyman in the 1980s, to ally from the late 1990s, and ultimately to the default mode of 'supreme leader' and dictator in 2011, capable of inflicting a large scale massacre on fellow Libyans in Benghazi. If Gaddafi was a pantomime villain leader in much of the West and generally unwelcome in many Arab states, public opinion in Sub-Saharan Africa showed a mixture of solidarity and compassion for Gaddafi's Libya.
more>African Solutions and Twitter Revolutions
The Arab Spring brought about regime change in three African states – Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Popular uprisings in other states — Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Morocco and Swaziland — underscored growing public dissatisfaction about the state of governance in their countries. These events served as a re-confirmation that African citizens will not tolerate oppressive and authoritarian rule. However, short of taking to the streets, when societies believe that the ballot box will serve to subvert rather than validate their concerns, does Africa have other tools to advance governance reforms in the region, hold politicians accountable and entrench democracy?
South Africa’s development partnership agency: A burden or blessing?
Sub-Saharan Africa needs to step up and move with the times
Fresh from attending the World Economic Forum’s summer Davos in Dalian, China, I feel relatively good to be African. Our traditional European trading partners are undergoing sweeping economic changes and the prospect of sustained declines in standards of living. The US may be on the cusp of a double-dip recession and is mired in a destructive ideological fight over budgets, debt and more. New centres of economic power are engaging with us through trade and investment. Growth in sub-Saharan Africa is rapid in many countries, and likely to be sustained. Yet we cannot be complacent. Two broad, contradictory trends are at work in the global economy.
more>Latest Publications
African Solutions: Best Practices from the African Peer Review Mechanism
A new book released by the South African Institute of International Affairs and published by Jacana Media examines the governance success stories of a number of African states. Entitled "African Solutions: Best Practices from the African Peer Review Mechanism", the book is the outcome of research into the policies, programmes and experiences identified as "best practices" from the first 12 countries that published Country Review Reports (CRRs) under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). These countries are Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda. The APRM was conceived as a voluntary mechanism and, in the absence of 'hard pressure' for compliance, incentives - rather than sanctions - could be the way to strengthen governance on the continent.
Implementing the APRM: Views from Civil Society
During the 17th African Union Summit in tropical Malabo, Equatorial Guinea from 23 June to 1 July 2011, governance will once again come under the spotlight. On 29 June, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Forum of Heads of State and Government convene, where Zambia is set to become the 15th country to be peer reviewed, a revised APRM Questionnaire is being considered, and many states will report on implementing their National Programmes of Action. Governance gaps will also be considered in Midrand, South Africa on 28 June, when the APRM Monitoring Project (AMP) – run jointly by SAIIA, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) and the Africa Governance, Monitoring and Advocacy Project (AfriMAP)– will launch its independent assessment of governance in South Africa entitled “Implementing the APRM: Views from Civil Society”.
Research Reports
‘Troubled Waters’ Sustaining Uganda’s Lake Victoria Nile Perch Fishery
by Alex Benkenstein
SAIIA Research Report No 9, October 2011
Download - English [.pdf]
Trade in Financial Services in Southern Africa: What Room for Negotiators post-2008 Financial Crisis?
by Rosalind Thomas
SAIIA Research Report No 8, February 2011
Download - English [.pdf]
