Analysis: Here is a summary of significant articles published on ForeignAffairs.co.nz on July 1, 2025.
MIL-OSI Submissions: Funding terror: how west Africa’s deadly jihadists get the money they need to survive
Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Egodi Uchendu, Professor (of History and International Studies), University of Nigeria The west Africa–Sahel region has seen a proliferation of militant Islamist groups since the 1990s. One of the most vicious groups operating in the region is Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (Support Group for Islam and Muslims). […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Colonial-era borders create conflict in Africa’s oceans – how to resolve them
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood, Lecturer in Sustainable Futures, University of St Andrews Africa has 38 coastal and island nations. Their maritime industries – including energy, tourism, maritime transport, shipping and fishing – play a crucial role in developing these nations. Key to harnessing these resources are Africa’s maritime boundaries – […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Trump’s Afrikaners are South African opportunists, not refugees: what’s behind the US move
Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Roger Southall, Professor of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand South Africans are wearily attuned to governments’ Orwellian misuse of language. After all, South Africa is a country where a one-time government passed a law (the Natives Abolition of Passes and Coordination of Documents Act of 1952) which […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: South African companies aren’t innovating enough: why support during tough economic times matters
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amy Kahn, Research Specialist at the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, Human Sciences Research Council South Africa’s innovation fund, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in the 2025 state of the nation address, was a response to the country’s urgent need for inclusive and sustainable economic growth. […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Armed groups are invading Benin’s forest reserves. Why and what to do about it
Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Papa Sow, Senior Researcher, The Nordic Africa Institute Benin’s Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, also called Pendjari National Park, and its surroundings have been targeted by non-state armed groups since 2019. Pendjari National Park, which covers approximately 4,800km², is one of five protected areas in Benin and is one […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Terrorists use food as a weapon: how Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab exploit hunger
Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Simone Papale, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Parma Women receive food aid in Somalia. Terrorism creates food disruptions, undermining production systems and supply routes. Tobin Jones/Wikimedia Commons Over the last decade, there has been growing international focus on the role of food in conflict, particularly in Africa. […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: What causes inequality in African countries? New book traces a vicious cycle
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Murray Leibbrandt, UCT Chair in Poverty and Inequality Research; Director of ARUA’s African Centre of Excellence for Inequality Resaearch with the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit., University of Cape Town Inequality is a problem that exists in various forms in sub-Saharan Africa. Inequality is created by, […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: G20 is too elite. There’s a way to fix that though – economists
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Danny Bradlow, Professor/Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria The G20 claims to be “the premier forum for international economic cooperation”. But is it? As scholars of global economic governance, we are sceptical of this claim. Here are our main reasons. The G20 is […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Lagos slum evictions don’t work: 6 ways city planners can actually help the poor
Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Oluwaseyi Omowunmi Popogbe, Lecturer, Crawford University Millions of people in Lagos live in slums. Slums typically have poor housing infrastructure and sanitation, and limited access to education, health facilities and clean drinking water. These challenges make the people who live in slums vulnerable to health crises, high […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gabriele Cosentino, Assistant Professor, American University in Cairo After being released from detention in 2011, Egyptian engineer and activist Wael Ghonim told the media: If you want to liberate a society, all you need is the internet. He’d been taken into custody for his role in the revolution […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Valentin-Yves Mudimbe: the philosopher who reshaped how the world thinks about Africa
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Christophe Premat, Associate Professor in French Studies (cultural studies), head of the Centre for Canadian Studies, Stockholm University Valentin-Yves Mudimbe. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Congolese thinker, philosopher and linguist Valentin-Yves Mudimbe died on 21 April 2025 at the age of 83. He was in the US, where he […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Sugary drinks are a killer: a 20% tax would save lives and rands in South Africa
Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Susan Goldstein, Associate Professor and Director of the SAMRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science – PRICELESS SA (Priority Cost Effective Lessons in Systems Strengthening South Africa), University of the Witwatersrand Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular conditions account for over 70% of global […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Reform or retreat? The Catholic church in Africa after Pope Francis
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Stan Chu Ilo, Research Professor, World Christianity and African Studies, DePaul University The Catholic church faces a fundamental question as it prepares to elect a new pope. That is, whether to go back to a monarchical papacy with its pomp and pageantry, or to build on the momentum […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Vaping hits alarming levels among South African teens – new study of fee-paying schools
Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Sam Filby, Research Officer, Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products, University of Cape Town It’s become common to see kids, some in their school uniforms, puffing on a vape. The World Health Organization points to the enticing flavours and targeted marketing to young people as […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Zimbabwe’s house of stone: the gallery that showcases a famous sculpture tradition
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Research Associate, University of Oxford Zimbabwe is the house of stone, both literally and figuratively, with its very name derived from the ancient stone city of Great Zimbabwe. Stone is more than just a material here – it’s the totem pole of the country’s identity, shaping […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Pepfar funding to fight HIV/Aids has saved 26 million lives since 2003: how cutting it will hurt Africa
Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Eric Friedman, Researcher, Georgetown University The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has been a cornerstone of global HIV/Aids prevention, care and treatment for over two decades. Pepfar has enjoyed broad bipartisan support in the US, but its future is now uncertain. Public health scholars Eric […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Beyond de-extinction and dire wolves, gene editing can help today’s endangered species
Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Alex Erwin, Assistant Professor of Law, Florida International University Only a few hundred red wolves still exist, most in captivity. JeffGoulden/E+ via Getty Images Have you been hearing about the dire wolf lately? Maybe you saw a massive white wolf on the cover of Time magazine or […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Who’s my dad? In South Africa that’s a complex question – report tracks the rise of ‘social fathers’
Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Wessel Van Den Berg, Research fellow, Stellenbosch University The State of South Africa’s Fathers 2024 report is published by the new Tataokhona project at Stellenbosch University. The project focuses on research and interventions related to fathers and fatherhood. This is the third edition of this report, and […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: How Trump’s ‘gold standard’ politicizes federal science
Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By H. Christopher Frey, Glenn E. Futrell Distinguished University Professor of Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University President Donald Trump holds up an executive order promoting coal production, with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, left, and the secretaries of Interior and Energy behind him. AP Photo/Evan Vucci […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: How your electric bill may be paying for big data centers’ energy use
Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Ari Peskoe, Lecturer on Law, Harvard University Your power bill may be hiding something. photoschmidt/iStock/Getty Images Plus In the race to develop artificial intelligence, large technology companies such as Google and Meta are trying to secure massive amounts of electricity to power new data centers. Electric utilities […]