Top Five Reasons Why Africa Should Be a Priority for the United States

Released in March 2013, this report from the Brookings Institution’s African Growth Initiative provides compelling information on why the African continent should be a public policy priority for the United States. The report is divided into five short sections, including “China in Africa: Implications for U.S. Competition and Diplomacy,” “Transforming the U.S.-African Commercial Relationship,” and “Advancing Peace and Security in Africa.” It’s a timely work that sets out a cogent argument and will be of particular interest to public policy scholars, journalists, and others interested in global politics.

[Source: Scout Report, Volume 19, Number 15, April 12, 2013]

• Mapping for Results: The World Bank

The effective visual representation of key demographic data through the use of dynamic maps is a powerful tool for policymakers, journalists, and others. The World Bank developed such a program in 2010 as part of the Mapping for Results website. So far, their team has analyzed over 2,500 World Bank-financed projects and geo-coded more than 30,000 locations spanning 144 countries. Visitors can look over the featured articles on the homepage to get a flavor of the projects here, which include stories like “Mapping for Results Goes Local” and “Mapping the Financial Sector in Africa.” Visitors can use the interactive map to view projects by country or indicator, which include population density, malnutrition, and infant mortality. Visitors can also learn about the Methodology deployed throughout the maps, which will be useful to those persons looking to understand the inner workings of this complex underta king. Visitors can sign up to receive updates about the site via Twitter or RSS feed.

• Mershon Center for International Security Studies

Based at the Office for International Affairs at The Ohio State University, the Mershon Center for International Security Studies “fosters interdisciplinary faculty and student research on national security in a global context.” On the homepage, visitors can learn about their upcoming events, read their biennial report, and also check out their newsletter. In the Publications area, visitors can read thoughtful publications like “Terrorism Since 9/11: The American Cases,” back issues of the Center’s formal reports, and the “Mershon Memo.” The Areas of Expertise section includes information about their key areas of interest, which include the use of force and diplomacy and institutions that manage violent conflict. The site also includes the News area, which features updates about their research, media appearances, and forthcoming publications.

[Source: Scout Report, Volume 19, Number 14, April 5, 2013]

1. The Egyptian Revolution Through Mubarak’s Eyes
2. You Can’t Change the Climate from Inside Washington
3. Flyover Country
4. Learning to Live with Bibi
5. When Tibet Loved China
6. In Sudan, the Front Line Is Everywhere
7. Mutiny in Kabul
8. Al Qaeda Country
9. Does the NRA Want to Turn America Into Afghanistan?
10. Is This Pakistan’s Tahrir Square?
11. The Three Most Dangerous Things About Threat Lists

[Source: Foreign Policy, 15th - 24th January 2013]

1. In the Time of Cholera
2. No Girls Allowed
3. A New U.S. Grand Strategy
4. The Answer Man
5. Why the U.S. Can’t Abandon Afghanistan

[Source: Foreign Policy, 7th - 10th January 2013]

1. Tell Us the One About the Robots, Mr. President
2. Running Toward Danger
3. Who Said It: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?
4. The All-Powerful President
5. The March to Mecca
6. Jerks vs. Waterboarders: The Best Reason to Pick Obama over Romney
7. Blue Planet
8. ‘Troubling’ Surveillance Before Benghazi Attack
9. Was a North Korean General Really Executed by Mortar Fire?

[Source: Foreign Policy, 23rd October - 1st November 2012]

1. Capital Flight
2. How Not to Lead the World
3. No Army for Young Men
4. Eight Ways to Deal With Iran
5. An Aircraft Carrier of One’s Own
6. The Top 10 Craziest Things Ever Said During a U.N. Speech

[Source: Foreign Policy, 25th to 27th September 2012]

The Mission of the EUISS is to find a common security culture for the EU, to help develop and project the CFSP, and to enrich Europe’s strategic debate. As a think tank it researches security issues of relevance for the EU and provides a forum for debate. In its capacity as an EU agency, it also offers analyses and forecasting to the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Occasional Papers are essays or reports that the Institute considers should be made available as a contribution to the debate on specific issues relevant to European security. They may be based on work carried out by researchers granted awards by the EUISS, on contributions prepared by external experts, and on collective research projects or other activities organised by (or with the support of) the Institute.

Occasional Papers will be available on request in the language – either English or French – used by authors.

Content freely accessible in PDF format. Please click here to access.

1. City of Men
2. Can Mexico Fix Its Image Problem?
3. Revenge of the MPs
4. A Shot in the Back
5. Welcome to Murdochia
6. Our Man in Damascus
7. Burns’s State nomination held up over Texas-Taiwan F-16 sales
8. Knesset of Fools
9. The People’s Republic of Rumors
10. This Week at War: Rumsfeld’s Revenge
11. Don’t Be Spooked by Pakistan
12. Palestine Lost

 [Source: Foreign Policy]

1. Think Again: American Decline - By Gideon Rachman

This time it’s real.

Plus: Why 10% unemployment is here to stay - By Tyler Cowen and Jayme Lemke

2. Grand Old Party - By Richard McGregor

5 myths about China’s Communists.

Plus: People’s Army is still liberating.

3. Where Do Bad Ideas Come From? - By Stephen M. Walt

And why don’t they go away?

4. Gucci in the Land of Genghis Khan - By Ron Gluckman

Plus: The inside story of how Mongolia struck it rich.

5. Making Fun of Pharaoh [An FP Slide Show]

Why Egypt’s long-standing dictator makes for a great punch line.

Plus: Three decades of a joke that just won’t die - By Issandr El Amrani

6. Homeland Security Hasn’t Made Us Safer [An FP Special Report]

And 11 more of the world’s most dangerous conventional wisdoms.

Plus: Scenes from the most paradoxical places on earth.

7. Killer Sharks, Captain Underpants, and Facebook? [An FP List]

The craziest conspiracy theories about Mossad.

8. Frenemies Forever - By Steve LeVine

How the U.S. stopped worrying and learned to love Saudi Arabia, all over again.

9. Wanted: Adult Supervision - By Aaron David Miller

There’s hope for Barack Obama’s plan for Mideast peace in 2011. He just needs to let Hillary Clinton lead the way.

10. Forget the Aftershocks - By Charles Kenny, The Optimist

Plenty of factors are holding back Haiti’s development, but last year’s earthquake isn’t one of them.

11. Eight out of 10 Experts Agree: Pakistan Is Terror Threat No. 1

FP’s Exclusive Terrorism Survey
Plus: The Pakistani assassin was no Lee Harvey Oswald - By Mosharraf Zaidi