Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Africa

Biofuels and Certification

Henry Lee and Charan Devereaux — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:52:56 -0400

Liquid biofuels can provide a substitute for fossil fuels in the transportation sector. Many countries have mandated the use of biofuels, by creating targets for their use. If not implemented with care, however, actions that increase biofuel production can put upward pressure on food prices, increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and exacerbate degradation of land, forest, and water sources. A strong global biofuels industry will not emerge unless these environmental and social concerns are addressed.

Disorder in the Ranks

Robert Rotberg — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:14:01 -0400

The label "failed" remains a powerful way to describe those states that no longer serve their people. That harsh term sharpens the attention of policymakers and helps single out countries that should be of utmost concern. The threat of such state failure also focuses attention on the soon-to-crumble; it is those countries that need the most external help.

Empowerment Boom or Bust? Assessing Women's Post-Conflict Empowerment Initiatives

Megan Mackenzie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:47:20 -0400

Over the past decade, the term 'empowerment' has been generously employed and woefully ill-defined. In particular, women's empowerment has been embraced by such a vast number of development actors that it appears to be a unifying mission within development. Despite the boom in women's empowerment initiatives, there remains little critical analysis of the use of empowerment in general, and the perceived success or failures of specific empowerment initiatives. Using the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process in Sierra Leone as a case study, this paper examines how reintegration was described as a source of empowerment for women. Drawing from interviews and analysis of related policy discourses, it is argued that, rather than representing a radical shift in development approaches towards more inclusive and representative policies, empowerment projects are shaped by neoliberal ideas such as individualism, responsibility and economic order and carry implicit, gendered and disciplining messages about appropriate social behaviour.

The False Unity in Zimbabwe

Robert Rotberg — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:37:56 -0400

June 13, 2009

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe, who visited President Obama yesterday, needs all the American support he can get. Although the head of government of an impoverished and beleaguered nation battered by a decade of severe mismanagement and corruption, Tsvangirai is hardly in charge. President Robert Mugabe is still calling too many of the crucial governing shots.

Geospatial Science & Technology for Sustainable Development in Africa: Partnerships and Applications

Calestous Juma — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:31:57 -0400

This conference, co-sponsored by the Association of American Geographers and the Science, Technology, and Globalization Project, Harvard Kennedy School brought together members of public and private donor organizations with those from institutions and industry engaged in the application of geospatial science and technology to assess development needs, formulate responses to those needs, and successfully implement sustainable development programs in Africa. Its goal was to insure that public and private sector initiatives that rely on geospatial tools, techniques, and applications achieve a high level of integration in the areas of database requirements and standards, methodologies, and strategies for sustainability. Enhancing private sector linkages with government and nongovernmental initiatives already underway, as well as with ongoing academic and scientific research efforts, will help further capacity building and coordinate public policy applications across regions and themes.

Securitization and Desecuritization: Female Soldiers and the Reconstruction of Women in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone

Megan Mackenzie — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:56:03 -0400

This article focuses on the construction of "soldier" and "victim" by post-conflict programs in Sierra Leone. Focusing on the absence of individual testimonies and interviews that inform representations of women and girls post-conflict, this article demonstrates that the ideal of the female war victim has limited the ways in which female combatants are addressed by disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs in Sierra Leone. It is argued that titles given to female soldiers such as "females associated with the war," "dependents," or "camp followers" reveal the reluctance of reintegration agencies to identify females who participated in war as soldiers. In addition, I argue that men and masculinity are securitized post-conflict while women—even when they act in highly securitized roles such as soldiers—are desecuritized and, in effect, de-emphasized in post-conflict policy making. The impact of this categorization has been that the reintegration process for men has been securitized, or emphasized as an essential element of the transition from war to peace. In contrast, the reintegration process for females has been deemed a social concern and has been moralized as a return to normal.

Geospatial Science & Technology for Sustainable Development in Africa: Partnerships and Applications

Calestous Juma — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:43:59 -0400

The conference brings together members of public and private donor organizations with those from institutions and industry engaged in the application of geospatial science and technology to assess development needs, formulate responses to those needs, and successfully implement sustainable development programs in Africa.

Co-sponsored by the Association of American Geographers and the Science, Technology, and Globalization Project, Harvard Kennedy School

Frazer offers lessons on transformative U.S.-Africa policy

Beth Maclin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:51:09 -0400

Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer gave a public address," Solutions: A Transformative U.S.-Africa Policy," at Harvard Kennedy School's John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum on April 7, 2009. Belfer Center Director Graham Allison moderated the event.

Governance and Leadership in Africa: Measures, Methods, and Results

Robert Rotberg — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:42:32 -0400

Governance is performance-the delivery of high quality political goods to citizens by governments of all kinds. In Africa, as everywhere else, those political goods are security and safety, rule of law, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity and human development. The Ibrahim Index of African Governance, created at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, evaluates forty-eight sub-Saharan African countries according to fifty-seven variables.

Nasty, Brutish and Long

Monica Duffy Toft — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:29 -0400

It’s a busy time for civil wars. The Sri Lankan army has pushed far into Tamil territory, seeking a decisive victory. The killings in Northern Ireland show how spoilers try to gain advantage over rivals in any political process. Then there is the threat that recently pacified civil wars, such as those in Iraq and Sudan, will come back, while the global recession may push new ones forward.

China's Grand Bargain

Robert Rotberg — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:05:25 -0400

March 26, 2009

AS THE G20 group of nations prepares to meet next week to discuss the world economy, a grand bargain with geostrategic significance is implicitly being crafted between Washington and Beijing. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted as much when she said in February that the United States would not hammer China about its human rights violations.

Intrastate Conflict Program Advises on Governance in Africa

Beth Maclin — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:30:16 -0400

The Belfer Center's Program on Intrastate Conflict and Conflict Resolution (ICP) traveled to meet with leaders and officials in Rwanda and Malawi in January to discuss the 2008 Index of African Governance.

Searching for Oil: China's Oil Strategies in Africa

Henry Lee — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:16:25 -0500

Pressured by skyrocketing demand, Chinese oil companies have branched out across the globe seeking new oil supplies to feed the country’s economic growth. By 2006, China had made oil investments in almost every part of the world, including Africa.

Technological Innovation and Economic Development in Times of Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities for International Cooperation

Calestous Juma — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:42:27 -0500

The lecture will explore the role that emerging technologies can play in fostering economic growth and improving human welfare in Africa. It will re-examine opportunities for development cooperation between the United States and Africa in light of the current global food and financial and crises. It will draw on experiences on the linkages between economic growth and technological innovation in fields such as agriculture, health, energy, education, and environmental management.

The lecture will be from 12:30–1:30 pm, at the University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Building, 1 King's College Circle, Room 2172.

The Dark Side of Self-Determination

Joseph S. Nye — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:04:03 -0500

"Self-determination has turned out to be an ambiguous moral principle. Woodrow Wilson thought it would solve problems in central Europe in 1919, but it created as many as it solved. Adolf Hitler used the principle to undermine fragile states in the 1930's. Today, with less than 10% of the world's states being homogeneous, treating self-determination as a primary moral principle could have disastrous consequences in many regions."

Towards a Global Compact for Managing Climate Change

Ramgopal Agarwala — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:30:01 -0500

Despite an enormous amount of work done to persuade the world of the dangers of climate change and the need for quick corrective action, there is little progress toward a global compact for managing climate change. In fact, there are some basic differences of perspectives on climate change policies between developed and developing countries which may bedevil future global agreements on climate change for quite some time. Among the reasons for these differences are the issues of historical responsibility for carbon emission by the developed countries, the need for lifestyle changes in both the developed and developing countries, suspicion in the developing countries about the motives of developed countries and too much focus of current discussions on the very long-term and global effects of climate change.

Uniting Against Mugabe's Corrupt Regime

Robert Rotberg — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 11:02:24 -0500

DESPERATE Zimbabweans cannot understand why Africa and the forces of world order have abandoned them in their hour of need, when what is left of their once wealthy nation decays irredeemably. President-elect Barack Obama has spoken critically of Africa's irresponsibility. So have French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. All three want Africa to eject Robert G. Mugabe, Zimbabwe's unelected ruling despot.

Science, Engineering, and Economic Growth in Africa: Development Cooperation Challenges and Opportunities

Calestous Juma — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 22:25:40 -0500

Friday, January 9, 2009
9:00am – 10:30 am
The Lecture Room, National Academy of Sciences
2101 Constitution Avenue, Washington, D.C. (entrance on C Street)
(No prior registration required)

Special Guest:
Koji Omi
Founder and Chairman, Science and Technology in Society forum, Tokyo, Japan
Member, House of Representatives
Former Minister of Finance of Japan

An African Scorecard

Robert Rotberg — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:13:42 -0500

December 5, 2008

African governance is getting better. That is a major, surprising, finding of the second annual Index of African Governance, produced at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and released last month.

Somali Piracy Reflects a Troubling World

Rami Khouri — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:01:53 -0500

"Human beings should have as much right to security and the protection of the rule of law as ships carrying oil, tanks, cars and tennis shoes. That is a resonate lesson behind the Somali piracy -- at least in the Arab world."

Six for Six

Rami Khouri — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:55:52 -0400

"Somalia seems to offer more intriguing evidence about how governments often must come to terms with militias, insurgent forces and other such informal armed groups in countries around the Arab-Asian region -- and the roles these entities play where formal governments appears unable to deliver the basic requirements of statehood."

Biotechnology Support is Key to Africa's Economic Renewal

Calestous Juma — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:45:41 -0400

Calestous Juma, director of the Science, Technology, and Globalization project of the Belfer Center, writes that biotechnology "is emerging as a key driver of economic renewal in developing countries." However, he say, "controversies surrounding the safety of genetically-modified (GM) foods are threatening to undermine international cooperation in this emerging field."

Belfer Center Newsletter Winter 2008-09

Sharon Wilke — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:09:11 -0400

The Winter 2008-09 issue of the Belfer Center newsletter features recent and upcoming research, activities, and analysis by Center faculty, fellows, and staff on critical global issues. "What should the next president do first?" is a question raised in this issue. Belfer Center experts respond to the question with advice on what they consider priority issues of national security, climate/energy policy, and the economic crisis.

The Winter 2008-09 issue also features take-aways from the Center’s recent “Acting in Time on Energy Policy” conference hosted by the Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group. In addition, it spotlights Belfer Center Faculty Affiliate Richard Clarke and new Kennedy School Professor Nicholas Burns.

Economic Realities Must Guide Africa's Constitutional Reform Efforts

Beth Maclin — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:02:46 -0400

"African countries need new constitutional orders to cope with modern economic challenges, Calestous Juma said at a recent lecture....A major challenge is based in the constitutions and laws left behind for the newly liberated countries. 'What was being negotiated as independence was really an exercise in constitutional continuity from the colonial period through independence,' Juma said....While there is enormous pressure on African countries to focus on economic programs, they are unable to because the governmental framework left behind did not integrate the economic role of the colonizer into the new role of president."

Strengthening African Governance: Results and Rankings 2008

Robert Rotberg and Rachel Gisselquist — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:15:49 -0400

October 6, 2008

All citizens of all countries desire to be governed well. That is what citizens want from the nation-states in which they live. Thus, nation-states in the modern world are responsible for the delivery of essential political goods to their inhabitants.

The 2008 Ibrahim Index of African Governance

Robert Rotberg and Rachel Gisselquist — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:31:55 -0400

October 6, 2008

Small states, island states, and Botswana, and South Africa are the best governed countries in sub-Saharan Africa according to this year’s Index of African Governance

Strengthening African Governance: Small States and Islands Top 2008 Rankings

Robert Rotberg — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:10:05 -0400

October 5, 2008

Small states, island states, and Botswana and South Africa are the best governed countries in sub-Saharan Africa according to this year's Index of African Governance, released today by researchers at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Mauritius, an Indian Ocean island-state, tops the list of well-governed territories for the second year, the Seychelles is second, Cape Verde third, Botswana fourth, and South Africa fifth.

China into Africa: Trade, Aid, and Influence

Robert Rotberg — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:21:44 -0400

“Two myths have been concocted by the West on Africa: that the Western impact on Africa has been benign while China’s record in Africa has only been negative. The truth in both areas is more complex. This volume, China into Africa, brings out the complexity of the China story in Africa and illustrates why more balanced assessments are needed on Africa’s relations with the world”

--Kishore Mahbubani

Dean, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore

Only a New Constitution Can Guarantee a Better Kenya

Calestous Juma — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:38:39 -0400

"The constitutional orders put in place in much of Africa, following independence, were largely a continuation of the colonial economic order. The associated governance structures are being swept aside by globalisation, demographic change, and demands for democratic liberties."

Elegant Colonialism

Rami Khouri — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:50:52 -0400

September 3, 2008

It seems quite obvious to many of us that Italy's new agreement with Libya -- with its explicit apology and reparations for the colonial era -- is a new and disguised form of colonialism.