Richard Downie

When Kenyans vote in the country’s elections March 4, they will have the chance to distance themselves from the traumatic elections of December 2007, when more than 1,000 people were killed. Much has changed since then, a lot of it for the better. But the main causes of the violence remain unaddressed. The 2013 election is thus fraught with hazard, and a mood of trepidation has characterized the campaign period. more

Many Africans had big expectations about the amount of attention they would receive from the U.S. during President Barack Obama’s first term. Yet, the administration’s approach to Africa was relatively low key compared with the Bush presidency’s flurry of big-ticket initiatives. Looking ahead to Obama’s second term, new administration will have to work harder than ever to advance its objectives, and think strategically about what it can offer Africans that others cannot. more