Ghana, the rising star: progress in political voice, health and education

Ghana has achieved remarkable progress in human development over the past 20 years while undergoing one of the most successful transitions to multi-party democracy in sub-Saharan Africa. As such, it provides a compelling example to explore the factors that have contributed to progress in both the provision of basic services (notably in health and education) and greater political voice for citizens.

Since the 1990s, Ghana has experienced a ‘golden age’ of political voice as it emerged from more than 30 years of alternating military and civilian rule. The space for political debate and expression has increased, and this has included a framework of formal rights, largely peaceful elections with two alternations in political power, and the rapid growth of civil society.

Can Argentina Capitalize On Its Vast Shale Reserves?

Argentina, once a regional energy leader, is now better known for financial busts and bombastic politicians than hydrocarbons prospects. Still, with a resource potential both vast and untapped, the nation has never been far from energy investors’ minds. The question today is just how much Argentina is willing to change and how this plays into a low oil price environment that is already negatively impacting investment elsewhere.

Argentina’s deliberate efforts to appease some of its international creditors, combined with an overhaul of the nation’s hydrocarbons framework have the potential to lure foreign investors back. The promise of a change of government– and potentially a more market-friendly approach – later this year should add to the country’s appeal.

A Ray of Light for Africa’s Dam of Discord

The mounting security concerns that have Egypt poised to send ground troops into Yemen also seem to have pushed Cairo into making nice with Ethiopia after years of tensions over the construction of a massive dam on the Nile River.

Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan reached a preliminary deal this week that could help whisk away the bad blood over Ethiopia’s plans to build the $5 billion Grand Renaissance Dam project. On Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi — who as defense chief in 2013 appeared to threaten to use Egyptian troops to stop the dam’s construction — had a kumbaya moment in his address to the Ethiopian parliament, promising a new era of trust and friendship between the two nations.

Μπορεί να αποφευχθεί ο εμφύλιος στην Υεμένη;

Ενώ κάποτε χαιρετίστηκε από διεθνείς διπλωμάτες ως πρότυπο για την περιοχή, εδώ και μήνες τώρα η Υεμένη φαίνεται να διαλύεται. Καθώς η διαμάχη μεταξύ των Houthis, που ελέγχουν τη Sanaa, και του μεταβατικού προέδρου της χώρας, Abdo Rabbu Mansour Hadi, ο οποίος έχει καθιερώσει μια εναλλακτική πρωτεύουσα στο Aden, εντείνεται, η Υεμένη είναι σε βαθύ κίνδυνο διάσπασης, αν δεν φθίνει σε εμφύλιο πόλεμο, ιδιαίτερα εάν αναλογιστεί κανείς την φύση των συνομιλιών για τις οποίες διαμεσολάβησε το ΝΑΤΟ, με στόχο μια νέα πολιτική συμφωνία. Τα δεινά αποτελέσματα αυτού έχουν φανερωθεί τις τελευταίες ημέρες, όπως είναι η σειρά θανατηφόρων βομβαρδισμών τζαμιών που προκάλεσαν το θάνατο σε περισσότερους από 100 πολίτες της Υεμένης.

Energy In Nigeria: Ghosts Of The Past, Present And Future

If electricity and the management of power sector reforms are key to Nigeria’s economic future, crude oil/gas – and the mismanagement thereof – is at the heart of its current mess. And the decline in oil prices since 2014 constrains Nigeria’s abilities to maneuver at a time when it needs maximum flexibility. Whoever wins the next election, will have to face the ghosts of Nigeria’s energy past, to set the country towards a brighter future. Add to this a volatile security situation, and the next President will face a challenging time. What happens in Nigeria will reverberate across West Africa.

A Marxist take on the 'Brexit' general election

The ideas of Karl Marx suggest that Britain’s general election will not define the country's relationship with the EU.



It is tempting to see the British general election, to be held on May 7th, as a pivotal moment in Britain’s relationship with the EU. If the Conservatives form a government, there will be a referendum on Britain’s EU membership by the end of 2017. If Labour does so, there will not. At the time of writing, the election is impossible to call, with both parties neck and neck in the polls, but neither likely to win enough seats for an outright majority.

Iran Comes to the Israeli Border

In Jordan, Syria’s war is everywhere. Over 600,000 refugees have fled to the country: Cities like Irbid and Zarqa teem with new Syrian inhabitants, and Zaatari camp, which houses 85,000 exiled Syrian Sunnis, is home to at least four donkeys named Bashar. Above it all, coalition cargo planes and screaming F-16s slice through the spring sky toward northern Syria and Iraq, daily reminders of Jordan’s role in the coalition airstrikes against the Islamic State.

Saudi Arabia and Iran Compete in Yemen

Militiamen loyal to the government of Yemeni President Abd Rabboh Mansour Hadi sit on top of tanks in the southern city of Aden. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

While the al-Houthi movement struggles to manage multiple regional challenges to its north, its rise to power in Yemen is a setback for Saudi Arabia on its southern flank. After the fall of the Yemeni government, Riyadh will have to capitalize on the al-Houthis' need for political and financial support to re-establish its influence in the country. But because Iran is trying to fill that support gap, too, Yemen has become another battleground where the two sectarian rivals will struggle against one another.

Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Transparency

Tools that promote a stable nuclear relationship between nations are characterised by a congruence of views on non-proliferation of weapon and vector technologies, fissile material control and strategic transparency; the last makes clear the strategic underpinnings that motivate weapon programmes. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which was negotiated in 1968 and entered into force in 1970, is the corner stone of all international efforts to provide stability within the bounds of a globally ‘iniquitous’ nuclear regulatory system by limiting access to nuclear weapons. The impetus behind the NPT was a stated concern for the safety of a world with many nuclear weapon States. It was recognised that the Cold War deterrent relationship between just the US and the Soviet Union was fragile. Having more nuclear weapon States would reduce security for all, multiplying the risks of miscalculation, accidents, unauthorised use of weapons and the hazards of regional tensions escalating to nuclear conflict. The concept of the NPT process was formulated by Frank Aiken, Irish Minister for External Affairs, in 1958. A total of 190 States have joined the Treaty, though North Korea, which acceded to the NPT in 1985 but never came into compliance, announced its withdrawal in 2003. States that have never joined the NPT are India, Israel, and Pakistan.

Το ράλι του δολαρίου: Τότε και τώρα

ΟMatt O’ Brien γράφει ότι το δολάριο βρίσκεται στο μέσον του μεγαλύτερου ράλι τα τελευταία 40 χρόνια. Όπως επισημαίνει ο Steve Englander της Citibank, το δολάριο, με την ισοτιμία των σταθμισμένων εμπορικών συναλλαγών, έχει αυξηθεί περισσότερο σε ποσοστό επί τοις εκατό τις τελευταίες 175 ημέρες σε σχέση με την αντίστοιχη περίοδο του 1976. Ο Menzie Chinn γράφει ότι τα στοιχεία παρακάτω καθιστούν δύο σημεία σαφή. Πρώτον, η ανατίμηση των τελευταίων έξι μηνών είναι πολύ ραγδαία. Δεύτερον, δεν είναι άνευ προηγουμένου. Ένα τελευταίο τέτοιο επεισόδιο ωστόσο –μετά από την εποχή Lehman και τη φυγή προς την ασφάλεια- ήταν βραχυχρόνιο. Πριν από αυτό, ήταν στην αρχή των κρίσεων της Ανατολικής Ασίας. Ο Justin Fox γράφει ότι αν και η πρόσφατη κίνηση εναντίον του ευρώ είναι δραματική, μας έχει απλώς φέρει ξανά πίσω στην 1η Ιανουαρίου 1999, όταν εισήχθη το ευρώ.