Choked by Dams and Climate Change, the Mekong River Is on ‘Life Support’
Elliot Waldman Friday, March 27, 2020
Trend Lines
Africa Watch
With more than 3,200 cases and 83 deaths now reported across Africa, in 46 different countries, experts are warning the continent’s leaders that they are rapidly running out of time to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. Governments are under pressure to take radical steps to contain the pandemic.
Across Africa, Coronavirus Lockdowns Pose New Risks for the Most Vulnerable
Andrew Green Friday, March 27, 2020
Free Article
As the former director of the British Cabinet Office’s Civil Contingencies Secretariat, Bruce Mann was in charge of Britain’s planning for and response to emergencies and disasters. Mann didn’t pull his punches in an interview with WPR, warning that the coronavirus pandemic has barely begun to unfold.
‘It Was Always Going to Be Horrible.’ Britain’s Former Top Emergency Planner on COVID-19
China Note
Rare public discord between two Chinese officials this week has led observers to question if the spat is a sign of disagreements in Beijing over the party’s messaging, as tensions rise with the U.S.
What’s Behind the Rare Discord Between Two Chinese Diplomats?
Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Refugees Are Being Ignored Amid the COVID-19 Crisis
Prachi Vidwans Friday, March 20, 2020
Africa Watch
After a delayed arrival of the novel coronavirus, there are now more than 720 confirmed COVID-19 cases and at least 20 related deaths across Africa. With the head of the WHO warning the continent to “prepare for the worst,” African leaders are turning to extraordinary measures to try and slow the pandemic.
The Coronavirus Could Ravage Africa’s Already Fragile Health Systems
Andrew Green Friday, March 20, 2020
China Note
As the rate of domestic coronavirus transmission in China continues to fall, the Chinese government said last Thursday that the peak of its COVID-19 outbreak has passed. With the outbreak at home largely under control, Beijing is seeking to reshape the narrative of a pandemic that originated in China.
With Its Own Outbreak Under Control, China Recasts the COVID-19 Narrative
Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Q&A
After months of political turmoil in East Timor following the previous government’s collapse, a new six-party coalition government led by Xanana Gusmao, a former president and independence hero, is set to take office. In an interview, Michael Leach discusses the political outlook in East Timor.
Can Independence Hero Xanana Gusmao Guide East Timor Out of Political Chaos?
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Africa Watch
The EU unveiled a strategy this week for a closer partnership with Africa that looks to move beyond the focus on migration that has dominated Europe’s engagement since 2015. But observers cautioned that migration, rather than climate change or trade, was likely to continue to dictate the EU’s ties with Africa.
The EU’s New ‘Green’ Africa Policy Is Still Fixated on Migration
Andrew Green Friday, March 13, 2020
China Note
Chiang Chi-chen, the new head of the traditionally pro-China Kuomintang party, or KMT, is promising to take a harder line against Beijing’s influence in Taiwan. China’s campaign to bring Taiwan under its control could be dealt another blow if the KMT reconsiders its closer ties to Beijing.
The KMT’s Identity Crisis in Taiwan Is Bad News for Beijing
Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Africa Watch
As a political crisis escalates in Guinea-Bissau over its disputed December presidential vote, ECOWAS is warning the country’s military against intervening. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called on all sides to look to the Supreme Court, not the military, to sort out the chaos.
Guinea-Bissau’s Political Crisis Raises Fears of Another Coup
Andrew Green Friday, March 6, 2020