The iron-fisted Robert Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe for more than three decades. But as millions lined up to vote Wednesday, the authoritarian president has vowed to step down if he loses
Africa
Zimbabwe Heads to the Ballot Box, but Can It Finally Turn a Corner?
On July 31, Zimbabweans go to the polls to elect their next President. Will the 33-year-reign of President Robert Mugabe finally come to an end? His chief rival doesn’t think so.
After Another High-Profile Assassination, Tunisia Lurches Toward Crisis
Is Tunisia headed for Egypt-type turmoil? The prospect that the small North African country which ignited the entire Arab Spring movement could spiral into violence seemed more plausible on Thursday, after gunmen killed an …
Cameroon: Murder of LGBT Activist Illustrates Plight of Gay Rights in Africa
Eric Ohena Lembembe was a prominent LGBT rights activist in Cameroon, where homosexuality is punishable by up to five years in prison. He was a fierce campaigner for equality when others fell silent and was among the first in the …
Nelson Mandela: An Indispensable Life in Pictures
Nelson Mandela, the revolutionary-turned-prisoner-turned-president who led South Africa out of apartheid and into an era of political and racial reconciliation, passed away on Dec. 5, 2013. He was 95. As both the father of his …
After Morsi’s Ouster in Egypt, Tunisia’s Islamists Fear a Similar Fate
There’s one place that has watched the past two weeks of violence in Egypt with particular nervousness: Tunisia, the country that ignited the entire Arab Spring back in January 2011. With Egypt’s elected President now ousted …
Six Chinese Megaprojects Across the Globe
The Middle Kingdom has been extending its reach far into Africa, Latin America and Europe with a variety of contentious industrial and infrastructure schemes
How Egypt’s Turmoil Echoes Algeria’s Bloody Civil War
Millions of voters elected an Islamic political party to run the country, but the military stepped in, forced out the winners of the election and handpicked a group of politicians in their place. No, this is not Egypt in 2013. It …
Africa or Bust: Chinese Gold Miners Take Huge Risks
Hundreds of gold miners from southern China face destitution after they were deported from Ghana for illegal prospecting
Mandela’s Family Feud: As Global Icon Lies in Hospital, Relatives’ Squabbles Intensify
Was there ever a more edifying contrast than between Nelson Mandela and his descendants? While the 94-year-old icon of humanity lies in the hospital, fighting a recurrent lung condition stemming from his 27 years in apartheid-era …
After the Arab Spring, No Bloom for Arab LGBT Rights
Mounir Baatour, the leader of one of Tunisia’s secular opposition parties, was arrested in March for having sex with a man.
Obama Visits South Africa in the Shadow of an Ailing Mandela
Despite his packed agenda, Obama’s trip can’t compete with the media frenzy surrounding the health of South Africa’s 94-year-old former president
Libya’s Disaster of Justice: The Case of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Reveals a Country in Chaos
When NATO launched its bombing campaign in 2011 against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in Libya, the Western and Arab leaders who pushed for military intervention vowed to bring to justice the men who had conducted wartime atrocities …