Africa Needs More American Involvement—Not Less
Sub-Saharan Africa is facing headwinds it hasn’t experienced in more than 30 years. Since 2020, the region has been buffeted by coups, conflicts, and crises, with nine military takeovers in the past five years, more than the total number of coups d’état in the region between 2010 and 2020.
In 2023, the region had the highest number of state-based conflicts (28) in the world and accounted for nearly half of all internally displaced people (34.8 million) worldwide. Governments are trampling on democratic norms—manipulating election results in Zimbabwe (2023), jettisoning term limits in Togo (2024), and postponing elections in Senegal (2024). The junta in Mali kicked out United Nations peacekeepers last December. The one in Niger expelled U.S. forces in March. Russia subsequently expanded its footprint in both countries.
The current level of upheaval in Africa is staggering but not unprecedented. It recalls another period of turmoil and volatility on the continent in the early 1990s. Then, as now, the old international system was unraveling while a new world order remained unformed. Geopolitical shifts, such as the rejection of international norms and the rise of new major and middle powers, have rendered sub-Saharan Africa more susceptible to internal mischief and external manipulation.
But a painful moment of transition need not calcify into a permanent state. Under the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the United States invested heavily in African leadership and capacity, invigorated U.S. development and trade initiatives, and leveraged presidential engagement to counter the forces of disorder.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.