East Africa

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Snapshot,
Afyare Abdi Elmi and Abdi Aynte

Somalia's government has recently made gains against the militant group al Shabaab. But those will prove fleeting if it does not find a way to address the organization's grievances and bring moderates into the fold.

Snapshot,
Bronwyn Bruton and J. Peter Pham

By some measures, the ad-hoc alliance among Ethiopia, Kenya, and the African Union has come close to defeating the terrorist group al Shabaab. But a military victory could scatter the group's most radical leaders across the Horn of Africa.

Snapshot,
Andrew S. Natsios

In an attempt to one-up Khartoum, the newly independent South Sudan has twisted its oil spigot closed. But a shuttered oil sector is just the beginning of Omar al-Bashir's problems: Juba sees him as weak, a new alliance of fighters in the east is plotting to overthrow him, and Sudan's economy is in tatters.

Snapshot,
Daniel Branch

Nairobi sent troops into Somalia last month ostensibly to root out Islamist militants. But the real reason Kenya went to war has more to do with the restless ambitions of its own military, which is eager to abandon the country's largely peaceful history.

Snapshot,
Mareike Schomerus, Tim Allen, and Koen Vlassenroot

Americans should not have been surprised by Obama's recent announcement that he would send a small number of troops to Uganda. This is only the latest chapter in a feeble, decades-long U.S. attempt to take out Joseph Kony and his militia.

Letter From,
Mwai Kibaki

The president of Kenya argues that, despite the conflict and famine ravaging Somalia, there is an opportunity for East Africa to escape a regional mess.

Snapshot,
Bronwyn Bruton and J. Peter Pham

As the radical group al Shabaab has fled Mogadishu, an array of actors -- governmental entities, regional authorities, clans, and civil society organizations -- can help.

Snapshot,
Ken Menkhaus

The ongoing famine in Somalia has placed millions of lives at risk. To feed its victims and prepare for what comes next, the United States and its allies must expand food aid and ramp up the pressure on al Shabab.

Postscript,
Andrew S. Natsios

Violence in Sudan's disputed region of Abyei threatens to unravel the fragile peace gained from January's secession vote in the south. Before full-scale war erupts, Washington must press Khartoum for restraint and reform -- and fast.

Snapshot,
Alexander Cooley and Daniel H. Nexon

For years, Pentagon officials took comfort in the relative stability of Bahrain, which serves as a major base for the U.S. military. But the protests in the country have raised concerns that it will evict U.S. forces -- part of a broader pattern that is jeopardizing U.S. basing agreements around the world.



This article appears in the Foreign Affairs/CFR eBook, The New Arab Revolt.

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