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Reading of the Week: Journey to Extremism in Africa, Pathways to Recruitment and Disengagement



[ © United Nations Development Programme ]

 The surge in violent extremism in sub-Saharan Africa undermines hard-won development gains and threatens to hold back progress for generations to come. The need to improve understanding of what drives violent extremism in Africa, and what can be done to prevent it, has never been more urgent. Against this backdrop of the surge in violent extremism in sub- Saharan Africa, and the continued prioritization of security-driven responses, UNDP initiated a follow-up study, Journey to Extremism in Africa: Pathways to Recruitment and Disengagement in 2020.  

Strategic Competition and Cooperation in Africa



[ © Institute for Security Studies ]

 European policymakers increasingly view Africa as a theatre of strategic competition with rising powers. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dramatically raised the stakes of geopolitical competition. It has heightened perceptions that Western interests are being challenged by rival actors, including in Africa. However, such interpretations tend to obscure Africa’s growing autonomy in an increasingly competitive international order.  

Trafficking In Medical Products In The Sahel



[ © Transnational Organized Crime Threat Assessment ]

 The Sahel has been a trade and migration route for centuries. A convenient transit area for products transported by sea from coastal countries, the region has become the epicenter of a growing market for trafficked medical products. Factors such as limited access to quality, safe, effective and affordable medical products, corruption among law enforcement and customs officers and a lack of border controls have contributed to the creation of an environment conducive to trafficking in and beyond the Sahel countries, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and the Niger.  

Cities as global actors: Bringing governance closer to the people



[ © Finnish Institute of International Affairs ]

 Globalization and extensive urbanization worldwide have brought cities to the forefront of global governance in a multilateral system designed and created for states. Cities have come to exercise power due in part to the inadequacy or ineffectiveness of inter-state action, but also because their democratic nature and immediate connection to the population make them legitimate actors. This Briefing Paper discusses the changing role played by cities transnationally as actors involved in global governance. It also seeks to increase awareness of the global rise of cities. The paper starts by exploring the empowerment of cities, followed by a discussion on the means through which cities exercise their power, as well as relevant policy sectors that constitute important parts of their global agenda. Finally, the Briefing Paper ponders the implications for the state-dominated international order.  

Reducing global inequality to secure human wellbeing and climate safety: a modelling study



[ © The Lancet Planetary Health ]

 For decades, climate researchers have highlighted the unprecedented emissions reductions necessary if we are to meet global mitigation ambitions. To achieve these reductions, the climate change mitigation scenarios that dominate the literature assume large-scale deployment of negative-emissions technologies, but such technologies are unproven and present considerable trade-offs for biodiversity and food systems. In response, energy researchers have postulated low energy demand scenarios as alternatives and others have developed models for estimating the minimum energy requirements for the provision of decent material living standards considered essential for human wellbeing.  

Irans Nuclear Endgame Warrants a Change in U.S. Strategy



[ © The Washington Institute ]

 International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors recently discovered that Iran had enriched uranium to 84 percent, just short of weapons grade. The revelation, acknowledged by Tehran, has underscored that a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—the nuclear deal completed in 2015 and exited three years later by the Trump administration—is unlikely. It has also raised fears about further escalation by the Iranian regime, such as refusal to cooperate with the IAEA or even withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. But Tehran may have unwittingly done Washington and its partners a favor by dispelling the illusory notion that the nuclear issue could be “parked.” The steady expansion of Iran’s nuclear activities and the lapsing of JCPOA restrictions mean that the danger of continuing the stalemate has mounted by the day.  

Corruption, Incoherent Energy Plan, and Poor Management Fuel Iraqs Power Crisis



[ © Emirates Policy Center ]

 Since 2003, Iraq has lost a significant portion of the US$ 80 billion or more invested in the country’s electricity sector due to corruption, mismanagement, political interference, security unrest, electric grid encroachment, and the absence of a practical electric tariff system. Since 2008, successive Iraqi governments have signed several multibillion-dollar contracts and agreements with power giants to build and maintain the country’s power plants. However, these efforts have been unsuccessful. Siemens and GE are likely to dominate the sector without a monopoly, as they have Iraqi partners interested in maintaining the status quo. Since 2008, successive Iraqi governments have signed several multibillion-dollar contracts and agreements with power giants to build and maintain the country’s power plants. However, these efforts have been unsuccessful  

Inside the stunning growth of Russias Wagner Group



[ © The Geopost ]

 American and European allies are mobilizing to thwart the rapid expansion of the Russian paramilitary group known as Wagner, run by a Putin-affiliated oligarch, as it captures key cities for Moscow in Ukraine and spreads its influence to Africa and other corners of the world. With tens of thousands of fighters, many of them now battlefield-trained, the Wagner Group’s emergence as a rogue military threat could become a serious global challenge in years to come, U.S. and European officials said.  

The Egyptian political economy under al-Sisi



[ © Clingendael ]

 Since the election of al-Sisi in 2014, the main drivers of Egypt’s economy have been its construction and extractive sectors. Based on official data, these sectors have done a decent job in boosting the country’s GDP that has increased faster than that of many of Egypt’s neighbours.  

Fuel Trafficking in the Sahel



[ © Transnational Organized Crime Threat Assessment ]

 The scale of demand for fuel in the Sahel countries is unclear. The ratio of registered vehicles to people is low and per capita daily gasoline consumption in region is estimated to be among the lowest in the world. The five Sahel countries, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and the Niger, are estimated to consume a combined total of just over 90,500 barrels of motor gasoline and distillate fuel oil (diesel) per day, or just over 33 million barrels per year, which is equivalent to over five billion litres consumed per year  

Somalia: Defection, desertion and disengagement from Al-Shabaab



[ © European Country of Origin Information Network ]

 The report provides background information and whenever available data about deserting and defecting pathways out of Al-Shabaab militant group. After distinguishing between the formal and the informal options, the report engages with the main challenges and consequences associated with them. Men, women, and children’s profiles, as well as forms of engagement with the group, are discussed as key determinants of potentially available pathways. Complementing this overview, which is based on research findings limited in scope and representativeness, the report relies on a pool of expert interviews which help shed some light on the unreported and underreported aspects of the issues at stake.  

Chinas Growing Naval Influence in the Middle East



[ © The Washington Institute ]

 Current Chinese basing capacity and force commitment in the region seem insufficient to support the level of economic and diplomatic engagement that appears to be Beijing’s new normal, so Washington should prepare for further expansion.  

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