Trend Lines
China Note
A recent report in The New York Times reveals the origins and implementation of China’s mass detention of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, based on 403 pages of internal Chinese government documents. But the documents also expose dissent within the Chinese Communist Party over the Xinjiang crackdown.
Leaked Files Detail Xi’s Crackdown in Xinjiang, and Some Internal Dissent
Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019
Q&A
Can South Africa’s Main Opposition Party Overcome Its Internal Divisions?
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019
South Africa’s largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is in turmoil after a poor showing in elections earlier this year led to several senior black figures leaving the party last month. In an interview, Dirk Kotzé discusses the party’s difficulties in reconciling its internal tensions.
What Will Lula’s Release From Prison Mean for Brazil’s Left?
Laura Weiss Monday, Nov. 18, 2019
Africa Watch
At least three students were killed this week in the latest episodes of ethnic violence in Ethiopia. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been trying to unite the country’s ethnic groups behind a shared political party and a national identity. If he fails, it could portend broader violence across the country.
Ethnic Violence in Ethiopia Is Putting Abiy’s Nationalist Vision to the Test
Andrew Green Friday, Nov. 15, 2019
China Note
“Our society has been pushed to the brink of a total breakdown,” Hong Kong’s senior police superintendent said Tuesday, amid a week of citywide paralysis due to strikes and heightened violence. Neither Hong Kong’s protesters nor Beijing seem willing to budge, setting them on a collision course.
China’s Leaders and Hong Kong’s Protesters Are on a Collision Course
Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019
Africa Watch
Even for a region that has witnessed the growing entrenchment of extremist groups and skyrocketing violence, it was a particularly deadly week in Africa’s Sahel, with major attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso. Amid all the unrest, governments are attempting to reverse a relatively hapless security response.
With Major Attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso, the Sahel Keeps Sliding Toward ‘Chaos’
Andrew Green Friday, Nov. 8, 2019
China Note
European leaders reportedly fear that the anticipated “phase one” trade deal between the U.S. and China will harm EU interests. “We don’t want Europe to be a collateral victim of a U.S.-China trade deal,” a French official said this week, as President Emmanuel Macron traveled to China for a two-day visit.
The EU Worries It Could Be the Collateral Damage of a U.S.-China Trade Deal
Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019
Q&A
A series of recent police raids in Nigeria revealed inhumane and abusive conditions in what news reports called “Islamic schools.” In an interview, Hannah Hoechner and Sadisu Salisu Idris explain why calling these centers “Islamic schools” is misleading, and why the government’s response to the raids is inadequate.
Nigeria’s ‘Islamic Schools’ Crisis Is Actually Masking a Public Health Crisis
Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019
Q&A
Retired law professor Kais Saied won by a landslide in Tunisia’s presidential runoff in mid-October, days after parliamentary elections resulted in a fractured legislature. In an interview, Mohamed-Dhia Hammami explains how the recent elections have reshaped Tunisia’s political landscape.
Will Tunisia’s Popular, Outsider President Be Hobbled by a Divided Parliament?
Friday, Nov. 1, 2019