Special Report: Africa

With elections underway or imminent in Ivory Coast, Niger, Tanzania and Guinea, Africa seems to be entering a season of democracy. But it follows a year that saw democratic governments and processes take a hit across the continent. Meanwhile, U.N. peacekeepers have struggled to contain violence in eastern Congo, tensions are rising in Sudan in anticipation of January’s referendum on Southern Sudan’s independence, and power-sharing agreements are being tested in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Hovering in the background, the continent’s regional power, South Africa, struggles to realize the promise of its post-apartheid potential. World Politics Review offers a closer look at the pieces that make up the African whole with this collection of recently published articles.

Below are links to each article in this special report, which subscribers can read in full. Subscribers can also download a .pdf version of this report from our document center. Not a subscriber? Subscribe now , or try our subscription service for free .

Introduction

Beyond Afro-Pessimism
By Michelle Sieff
Jan. 5, 2010

U.N. Peacekeeping

With U.N. Congo Mission at a Crossroads, No Let-Up in Violence
By Jon Rosen
May 13, 2010

Congo Calls for Peacekeepers’ Withdrawal
By David Axe
May 26, 2010

Congo Peacekeepers Always a Step behind LRA
By David Axe
Sept. 22, 2010

U.N. Peacekeepers Build Vital Road in Congo
By David Axe
Sept. 29, 2010

Sudan

Tensions Rise as Voting Looms in Sudan
By Lauren Gelfand
Jan. 13, 2010

Sudan’s Elections: Historic, but Futile?
By Lauren Gelfand
March 17, 2010

U.S. Diplomatic Surge in Southern Sudan ‘Too Much, Too Late’
By Maggie Fick
Sept. 23, 2010

Democracy and Powersharing