Below, please find the latest articles to have appeared in print and electronic media about CSIS and its experts. For your reference, there is also a link to archived media coverage of CSIS.
Jennifer Cooke, codirector of the CSIS Africa Program, appeared on Voice of America's Encounter, "Zimbabwe in Crisis."
Susan Page, Regional Director for Southern and East Africa at the National Democratic Institute and Jennifer Cooke, Co-Director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discuss post-election violence in Zimbabwe, President Mugabe's attempts to cling to power, and the role of regional neighbors and the international community in bringing about a peaceful political transition with host Carol Castiel.Listen
April 19
A CSIS Africa Program event on the future of Kenya was quoted by the Washington Times, "Rivals Power Deal Fragile."
Kenya's new grand coalition government, sworn in this week to end a bloody political crisis that claimed over 1,500 lives, is just a "holding operation" that could still fail if deeper constitutional reforms are not enacted quickly, a top opposition party official said yesterday. Peter Anyang Nyongo, secretary-general of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), warned on a Washington visit that the power-sharing deal with the ruling Party of National Unity is fragile and could still break apart. "It's going to be a difficult marriage," Mr. Nyongo predicted in a briefing at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, "but the two partners have to put up with each other for the sake of the children. Once we have a new constitution, we may very well divorce." Read the article
April 4
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal, "Zimbabwe Hardliners Tighten Grip in Police Raids."
The bruising regime of Robert Mugabe, in its most aggressive steps yet to hold on to power in Zimbabwe after an apparent loss in Saturday's presidential election, arrested at least two foreign journalists and apparently raided the hotel room of a leading opposition figure. The police actions came as a troubling sign as the country waited in suspense for the release of official election tallies. Mr. Mugabe is among the most polarizing political figures in Africa, and the historic weekend vote has the potential to end his 28-year rule. [...] For the moment, it seems, the hard-liners are prevailing. Mr. Mugabe's first crackdown since the polling was aimed at Western media that his party has long painted as biased against him. "The whole Mugabe hardliner argument is that what is going on is an externally driven British and American effort to enact regime change ... aided and abetted by the external media," said Stephen Morrison, director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.Read the article
March 31
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, appeared on WAMU's The Kojo Nnamdi Show, "Zimbabwe Post-Election Analysis."
Observers already are questioning whether the much-anticipated elections in Zimbabwe will end fairly -- or whether they will end in violence. The contest could change the face of the country, which has been led for nearly three decades by President Robert Mugabe. Join Kojo as we get analysis of the results and discuss the future of the once-prosperous nation.GuestsJ. Stephen Morrison, Director, Africa Program, Center for Strategic and International StudiesRead more
February 25
Mark Bellamy, a senior fellow in residence with the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by Slate.com, "Obama Gets Dressed."
In case you were growing tired of fights over NAFTA, lofty rhetoric, and debates, the Democrats have a new spat du jour for you. Today, the Drudge Report posted a big, fat headline that howled, “Clinton staffers circulate ‘dressed’ Obama.” Accompanying the headline was a picture of Obama on a diplomatic trip to Kenya in 2006, wearing some type of traditional dress of the area—complete with a turban-looking headdress. The picture was taken while Obama was in Wajir, a rural desert area in the northeast of Kenya. I spoke with Mark Bellamy, a former ambassador to Kenya and a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who told me that Wajir is a pastoral town of about 5,000 people—almost all of whom are Muslim. Bellamy—who hasn’t declared his preference in the presidential race—didn’t recognize the “outfit” but said it wasn’t Islamic garb. He thought it was probably some sort of traditional Somali-Kenyan dress and that the people hosting Obama offered it to him as a sign of hospitality. “Wherever I travel I get dressed up in same way,” he said, "out of consideration for the hosts." Read More
February 24
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by Parade magazine, "The Other African Genocide."
A new report from the International Rescue Committee says the death toll in Congo has risen at an alarming rate: Some 45,000 people die there each month from violence and disease. In the last decade, about 5.4 million people have died—more than five times the number killed in the Darfur region of Sudan and the worst loss of life since World War II. These casualties are the result of civil war, lack of a stable government and the collision of warring factions, including Hutus from neighboring Rwanda. Why hasn’t the genocide in Congo received as much attention as the one in Darfur? “The violence-torn area of Congo is very remote,” says African-affairs expert Stephen Morrison. “With Darfur, the media and other advocates have been able to reach displaced Sudanese relatively easily.” Read the article
February 21
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the Washington Post, "No Bases Planned for Africa, Bush Says."
ACCRA, Ghana, Feb. 20 -- President Bush on Wednesday tried to calm deep fears about expanding U.S. strategic ambitions in Africa, dismissing speculation that he wants to build military bases on the continent as just "baloney." Talk of an Africa headquarters, however, "ignited a very negative and strong reaction across the continent," J. Stephen Morrison, co-director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said at a briefing before Bush's departure. "They've walked back from that," he said of the administration. "They're now in a quiet phase where they're trying to build up their credibility and their consultations." Read the article
February 21
Jennifer Cooke, codirector of the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the Associated Press, "Bush Seeks to Ease Worries of U.S. Military Power in Africa."
ACCRA, Ghana - In a country teeming with resources the world covets, President Bush sought yesterday to soothe African fears about American interests on the continent. He said the United States isn't aiming to make Africa into a base for greater military power or a proxy battleground with China.Jennifer Cooke, an authority on Africa for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Bush's altered approach to foreign aid is in part a counterargument to China's formidable presence.Read the article
February 21
Jennifer Cooke, codirector of the CSIS Africa Project, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal, "Two Routes to Building Africa."
President Bush's stopover in this war-ravaged African nation highlighted the huge development gaps in parts of the continent, as well as the unusual symbiotic relationship emerging between Western powers and China as they try to fill them. In aiding fragile African democracies such as Liberia, the U.S. and other Western powers are focusing increasingly on human development, including health care, education and good governance. They are hoping to avert short-term unrest while building long-term economic capacity. Read More (Requires Log-in)
February 21
Joel Barkan, a CSIS senior associate, was quoted by the Washington Post, "U.S. Policy in Africa Faulted on Priorities."
In his tour of Africa, President Bush steered clear of countries where stability, human rights and progress toward democracy have degenerated during his tenure, among them Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Uganda and Kenya. "While democratization has clearly been one of the three major stated objectives of the Bush administration -- the others being security and development -- democratization probably ranks third," said Joel Barkan, a senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "You can see it in several ways, but it's mainly the subordination of democratization to the so-called war on terror." Read More
Joel Barkan, a CSIS senior associate, was quoted by CNN.com, "Bush, First Lady Promote Low-Tech Health Solution in Africa."
President George W. Bush focused on a low-tech way to save the lives of African children Monday as he and first lady Laura Bush toured a Tanzanian clinic. . . The visit is "basically an effort to celebrate successes," said Joel Barkan of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Many Americans picture Africa as the "continent of gloom and doom," but Barkan said the president's message is one of "making progress." Read More
February 19
Jennifer Cooke, codirector of the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the Associated Press, "Bush to Remember Rwanda's Genocide."
President Bush on Tuesday called the 1994 genocide in Rwanda a reminder "That there is evil in the world and evil must be confronted."[. . .]"Although the economy has been doing very well and efforts on HIV have been remarkable, the political space and the democratization process has not gone forward," said Jennifer Cooke, an authority on Africa for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington Read More
February 17
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal, "President Invokes Religious Themes in Tour of Africa."
President Bush's current tour of Africa is widely viewed as a celebration of his historic efforts in battling poverty and disease here. But listen closely to Mr. Bush and his aides, and you might conclude that a higher power is at work -- and it's achieving near-miraculous results. This week, U.S. health officials touted a "spectacular" decline in malaria among children on the impoverished island of Zanzibar, just off the coast here. "From a malaria-positive rate of around 20% in 2005 in children … the rate today is so low it can barely be measured," ... Read More (requires login)
February 15
Stephen Morrison, Executive Director of the CSIS HIV/AIDS Task Force, was quoted by the Los Angeles Times, "New Life for African AIDS Patients."
This western Kenya village was slowly dying five years ago. One in three people was HIV-positive, then a virtual death sentence. Coffin-makers couldn't work fast enough and the nearby hospital overflowed with HIV patients. No family went untouched, but stigma was so severe that few got tested and the word AIDS was rarely uttered. "This will rank in the top tier of his legacy issues," said J. Stephen Morrison, executive director of the HIV/AIDS Task Force at Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Read the article
February 15
James Lewis, director of the CSIS Technology and Public Policy Program, was quoted by the Los Angeles Times, "U.S. Will Try to Shoot Down Spy Satellite Gone Bad."
The Bush administration has decided to try to shoot down a failing 5,000-pound spy satellite, fearing its rocket fuel could turn into a deadly toxic gas if the spacecraft crashed in a populated area, officials said Thursday. The unusual operation, to be carried out in the next several days, would be the first U.S. attempt to shoot down a satellite since Cold War-era military tests ended in the 1980s. "It's basically taking technology designed for missile defense and using it to knock out a satellite," said James Lewis, an expert on military technology at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "This is interesting because it's new technology. The first time they tested it was a year ago." Read the article (requires registration with Los Angeles Times)
February 14
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by Reuters, "Africa Bright Spot in Bush Foreign Policy Legacy."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush travels this week to Africa, one of the few regions where he can claim globally recognized successes for efforts on AIDS and development in a foreign policy legacy dominated by the Iraq war. "There is a broadening arc of crisis in East Africa in the Horn. It's very much on Tanzania's door. It is very much on the African Union's door," said Stephen Morrison, co-director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read the article
February 13
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, and Jennifer Cooke, co-director of the CSIS Africa Project, were quoted by the Associated Press, "Bush to Visit Six Countries in Africa."
WASHINGTON - President Bush will find violent conflicts threatening nearly every corner of Africa when he begins a six-day visit on Saturday. But the continent's turmoil and trouble are not expected to be Topic A for the president."There's a preference in these trips ... to put the emphasis on things that make you happy and to avoid talking about things that make you sad," said Stephen Morrison, the co-director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Africa program. "This is not a conflict-resolution trip."There's fodder there. Bush gets kudos from Africa experts for surprising them with his anti-disease largesse, which is starting to pay some dividends. Said Jennifer Cooke, Morrison's Africa program co-director at CSIS, "This is something of a victory lap."Read the article
February 13
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the Washington Times, "Bush Looks to Highlight Africa Gains."
President Bush's upcoming trip to Africa is motivated in part by fears inside his administration that the billions of dollars in aid to the continent, and a new approach to how it's disbursed, will not be continued by the next president, top White House officials have said recently.PEPFAR is "the single largest infectious-disease campaign in the history of the world," said Stephen Morrison, co-director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.Read the article
February 11
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal, “Bush to Trumpet African Successes as Crises Cast Shadow."
President Bush starts a victory lap across Africa next week, celebrating his little-noticed but successful fights there against AIDS and malaria. But he also will be running hard to avoid the shadow of a growing number of political crises and controversies in the region. As Mr. Bush enters his final 12 months in office, advocates are praising his campaign to battle disease and promote economic growth in poor countries, especially in Africa. It has emerged as a bright spot in a foreign-policy legacy marred by controversy over the Iraq war.Read the article
Joel Barkan, a senior associate with the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Feingold Arranges Meeting on U.S. Efforts in Kenya."
As unrest between warring factions in Kenya continued for a sixth week, Democratic Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold convened African experts to tell his African Affairs subcommittee about U.S. efforts to defuse the crisis. Fierce violence was sparked by disputed presidential election results Dec. 27. Incumbent President Mwai Kibaki claimed he won a second term. Opposition leader Ralia Odinga accused the government of rigging the results and demanded that Kibaki step down and hold new elections. Kibaki told Odinga to take his case to court. [...] Joel D. Barkan of the Center for Strategic and International Studies recommended congressional sanctions in the form of a travel ban on members of both parties and their families, including children enrolled in American schools; a jam on Kenyan radio stations that broadcast hate speech; and a freeze on Kenyan assets.Read the article
February 1
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the Washington Post, "Nigeria's Oil Morass."
After insurgents attacked a link to a key oil export terminal on the Forcados River in Nigeria's Delta region in February 2006, it took a year and a half for Royal Dutch Shell to make repairs and get part of it running again. It took just two months for insurgents to shut it down again. The result: Just when oil-consuming countries want more high-quality petroleum to cool off high oil prices, a group of insurgents in the West African nation forced oil companies to stop pumping an average of 475,000 barrels a day last year, and at times as much as 600,000 barrels a day.[...] "It's one of the puzzling aspects," said Stephen Morrison, director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "If the Gulf of Mexico were in the condition of the Niger Delta, or some portion of the gulf were in semi-permanent Katrina-like condition with lots of guys with weapons running around stealing things, it would be a political issue."Read the article
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, appeared on Minnesota Public Radio, "Ethnic Violence Worsens in Kenya."
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan begins mediating the crisis in Kenya, but is it too late to stop the violence? Ethnic conflict following a disputed presidential election has left hundreds of people dead. Guests Makau Mutua: Interim dean of the University of Buffalo Law School and chair of the Kenya Human Rights Commission. Stephen Morrison: Director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read More
January 29
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, was appeared on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, "Bush's AIDS Funding Proposal Gets Mixed Reviews."
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is one measure that politicians on Capitol Hill and in the White House have heartily embraced. In Monday night's State of the Union address, President Bush once again praised the foreign aid program, and recommended a boost in its funding. But some critics say there's less to that increase than meets the eye. PEPFAR, as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is often called, was first announced by Bush at his State of the Union address in 2003. At the time, it got a lot of good press for being one of the largest commitments by any government to a single disease. Listen to the interview
January 20
A CSIS event with U.S. ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger was quoted by the Associated Press, "Kenya Opposition Calls New Rallies."
Kenya's opposition party, determined to bring down President Mwai Kibaki's government, called Saturday for another day of "peaceful rallies" despite the deaths of more than 20 people in this week's demonstrations. . . But David Throup, an associate of the Washington D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in a public conference call with Ranneberger that Odinga won by 120,000 votes. Read More
A CSIS event with Michael Ranneberger, the U.S. ambassador to Kenya, was quoted by Reuters, "U.S. Blames Kenyan Politicians for Latest Violence."
The United States on Thursday blamed Kenya's opposition and the government for the latest violence and said they must end their post-election deadlock for the sake of the Kenyan people. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the death of seven people in fresh clashes on Thursday was "terrible." More than 600 people have been killed in the past three weeks over the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki. [...] Speaking from Nairobi on Wednesday to a Washington think-tank, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger said he did not believe there was an appetite within the Bush administration to impose sanctions. "Sanctions are not on the table at this point. It is not useful to speculate on that," Ranneberger told the briefing at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read the article
January 17
A CSIS briefing on Kenya was quoted by McClatchy Newspapers, "Opposition to Disputed Election Easily Dispersed."
Helmeted riot police fired tear gas in downtown Nairobi Wednesday to disperse opposition supporters on the first of three days of nationwide rallies to protest last month's disputed election. One man was killed in the western town of Kisumu, the Daily Nation newspaper reported on its Web site, and in the Nairobi slum of Kibera, at least three people were reportedly hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Read the article
January 16
A CSIS event with Michael Ranneberger, the U.S. ambassador to Kenya, was quoted by the Associated Press, "Ambassador Urges-Sharing in Kenya."
Violence was down in Kenya on Wednesday, but the U.S. ambassador said it was "not going to be easy" to persuade Kenya's president and opposition leader to agree to power-sharing to remedy the outcome of their hotly disputed election. "Both have looked us in the eye and said they are willing to have a dialogue without conditions," Ambassador Michael Ranneberger said by telephone from Kenya.President Mwai Kibaki's one condition is that he will not step down, Ranneberger told reporters and others attending a conference at the Center for Strategic International Studies, a Washington think tank. Read the article
Joel Barkan, a senior associate with the CSIS Africa Program, had his commentary "Kenya in Crisis" quoted by Reuters, "Kenya Violence Reveals Deep Social, Ethnic Rifts."
Attempts to paper over deep social and ethnic rifts underlying Kenya's violence for the sake of a quick return to calm and booming economic growth may store up worse problems for the future. The explosion of violence after the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki — around 500 people have died — reflected failure to deal with huge wealth disparities and politically manipulated ethnic tensions going back decades. Joel Barkan, of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Kenya was at a crossroads. "One fork leads to continued chaos .... the other fork leads to the consolidation of democracy and renewed economic development." Read the article
January 10
Joel Barkan, a senior associate with the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the Guardian, "The Other Obama-Kennedy Connection."
In his command of the US political stage over the past year, Barack Obama has inspired many a comparison to John F Kennedy. Both young senators brought a lofty message, an appealing young family and a movie-star aura to the presidential race. But the two men forged a less known link — before Obama was even born. The bond began with Kenyan labour leader Tom Mboya, an advocate for African nationalism who helped his country gain independence in 1963. In the late 1950s, Mboya was seeking support for a scholarship program that would send Kenyan students to US colleges — similar to other exchanges the US backed in developing nations during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Mboya appealed to the state department. When that trail went cold, he turned to then-senator Kennedy. [...] Joel Barkan, an Africa scholar at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said Kennedy's gift to Kenya helped forge a relationship with America that has remained strong for decades. "There's no other African country where there is such admiration for the US ... There has always been a disproportionate number of Kenyan students in America to study. Their children come here, their grandchildren come here," Barkan said.Read the article
January 6
Mark Bellamy, a senior fellow with the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the St. Petersburg Times, "Why a Stable Kenya Benefits U.S."
If you're wondering why you should care about the postelection violence in Kenya, just look at a map. Kenya may be a long way from the United States, but it's right next door to Somalia, a Muslim country and a failed state if ever there was one. And Somalia is just across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, where al-Qaida bombed the USS Cole in 2000, killing 17 American sailors. And Yemen borders Saudi Arabia, home to most of the hijackers who killed nearly 3,000 Americans on Sept. 11. [...] A close American ally, "Kenya has been an oasis of stability in a very volatile region," says Mark Bellamy, U.S. ambassador to Nairobi from 2003 to 2006. "It has really been on a path that we would like to encourage other countries to follow - up to now."Read the article
Mark Bellamy, a senior fellow with the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by Fortune, "Kenya's Stability in the Balance."
After doubts over the accuracy of presidential election results in Kenya sparked riots and disrupted transportation, analysts say the country's economy can recover-provided there is a swift political resolution to the crisis. Incumbent president Mwai Kibaki beat opposition candidate Raila Odinga in the Dec. 27 election. However, observers have criticized abnormalities in the vote-count process and both sides have launched accusations of rigging. Since Kibaki returned to the State House, hundreds have died as violent protests destroyed homes and livelihoods, while diplomats from Africa, Europe and the United States have pushed for a resolution. [...] "Kenya has been doing well for a nation that doesn't have much in the way of resources," says Mark Bellamy, a former U.S. Ambassador to the country and a senior resident fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. However, it will be "difficult for the country to rebound" if the ruling party rejects calls for a negotiated settlement, after widely cited problems with the vote counting.Read the article
January 4
Mark Bellamy, a senior fellow with the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by McClatchy Newspapers, "Was peace an illusion? Clashes raise questions about Kenya's stability."
Kenya always thought of itself as special, and the United States considered it a reliable ally in a dangerous neighborhood. As the rest of East Africa endured political and ethnic upheaval over the past decade, Kenya opened its doors to tens of thousands of refugees and built its economy into the powerhouse of the region. With its teeming wildlife, sparkling beaches, kind weather and hardworking people, it was a friendly face in a rough neighborhood. [...] "Kenya's value and effectiveness as a partner of the U.S. depends a lot on it being a stable and open society," said Mark Bellamy, who served as U.S. ambassador to Kenya from 2003 to 2006. "And if the Kenyan government is preoccupied with containing domestic unrest and ... using its intelligence services and police and military to manage its internal problems, then it's going to be a less effective partner." Read the article
January 2
Stephen Morrison, director of the CSIS Africa Program, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal, "Violence Grows in Kenya."
Kenya's marred presidential vote and the violence that has spiraled from it are threatening an island of stability in the otherwise volatile horn of Africa, as well as endangering U.S. counterterrorism efforts in the region. At least 260 people have been killed so far in fighting that broke out after election officials over the weekend said sitting President Mwai Kibaki won last week's presidential election and international observers criticized voting irregularities. "There's an enormous amount at stake for the U.S." in restoring order, says Stephen Morrison, director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Read the article
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