Chris Olaoluwa Ogunmodede
WorldPoliticsReview
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Past articles by Chris:
At 20, the AU Has a Lot to Be Proud Of—and a Lot of Work to Do
Earlier this month, the AU commemorated the 20th anniversary of its founding. Debates about the AU’s role in Africa’s affairs and its effectiveness at grappling with the issues facing the continent have raged over the past decade, and they have intensified in recent years amid multiple challenges to peace, security and governance across Africa. → Read More
The UAE’s Africa Policy Is Full of Contradictions
For Africans, Dubai’s Expo 2020 presented the continent with an opportunity to capitalize on geopolitical shifts and changes to the status quo, including in the Middle East. But there remain questions about whether the tension between Abu Dhabi’s military-centric foreign policy and its economic ambition in Africa can be resolved. → Read More
Burkina Faso’s Coup Is Deja Vu All Over Again
In the latest in a string of military coups in West Africa, a group of army officers in Burkina Faso has overthrown the government of President Roch Kabore. Despite securing reelection comfortably in November 2020, Kabore proved unable to stem the tide of deadly Islamist attacks the country has experienced since 2015. → Read More
Mali’s Military Junta Is Winning the Battle of Public Opinion—for Now
On Jan. 14, Malians took to the streets en masse to protest tough new sanctions imposed by ECOWAS. Foreign observers who appeared shocked at the large crowds have likely paid insufficient attention to the Malian military government’s concerted effort to win the battle of public opinion against civilian elites, ECOWAS and France. → Read More
Mali’s Military Junta Is Winning the Battle of Public Opinion—for Now
On Jan. 14, Malians took to the streets en masse to protest tough new sanctions imposed by ECOWAS. Foreign observers who appeared shocked at the large crowds have likely paid insufficient attention to the Malian military government’s concerted effort to win the battle of public opinion against civilian elites, ECOWAS and France. → Read More
Mali’s Military Junta Is Winning the Battle of Public Opinion—for Now
On Jan. 14, Malians took to the streets en masse to protest tough new sanctions imposed by ECOWAS. Foreign observers who appeared shocked at the large crowds have likely paid insufficient attention to the Malian military government’s concerted effort to win the battle of public opinion against civilian elites, ECOWAS and France. → Read More
Africa Has More Leverage on Pandemic Inequities Than It Realizes
There are lessons in international relations Africa can learn from the pandemic, the most important of them being that statecraft is a necessity in foreign policy. Africa can improve its “leverage” in global affairs by being more proactive about public diplomacy, while also being clear-sighted in its global engagement. → Read More
Africa Seeks a More Equitable Partnership With China
The 2021 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which took place days after the Chinese government released a white paper detailing a new era of cooperation with the continent, resulted in major announcements on vaccines and climate. But there are some signs that Beijing’s African partners desire a more equitable relationship. → Read More
Blinken’s Visit to Africa Aims to Make Up for Lost Time
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently on his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office. For many observers, the trip is an attempt to make up not only for lost ground to China, but also for the previous four years of neglect and hostility toward Africa under the Trump administration. → Read More
Sierra Leone’s Tanker Accident Was a Preventable Tragedy
A fire disaster in Freetown’s Wellington district is merely the latest tanker-related accident on the continent. For many Sierra Leoneans, their frustration is palpable, as the problems of urban planning and administration that correlate with these kinds of tragedies are seemingly well-known but have largely gone unaddressed. → Read More
African Voices Speak Out for Climate Justice at the COP26 Glasgow Summit
Africa’s 54 nations contribute only about 3 percent of global carbon emissions annually, a point that has been emphasized by the wide array of African voices at the COP26 summit. For them and the continent’s public, the outcomes in Glasgow must not put an exceeding cost for the climate transition on Africa. → Read More
Nigeria’s #EndSARS Protesters Haven’t Given Up Their Fight for Justice
Last year, Nigerians took to the streets during widespread protests against police brutality, popularly known as #EndSARS. Twelve months after the bloody conclusion of the demonstrations, little has been done to bring justice and restitution to victims of abuses at the hands of Nigerian security forces. → Read More
The ‘New’ Africa-France Summit Is More Form Than Substance
This year’s Africa-France Summit took place against the backdrop of an increasingly contested French primacy in its historical sphere of influence. The challenges come not only from lingering local resentments over France’s colonial legacy but also from external rivals and crises in relations with regional governments. → Read More
Africa Won’t Miss the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ Report
The World Bank announced that it would discontinue its Doing Business report, after a probe concluded that senior bank management pressured staff to alter data affecting the rankings of China and other nations. The report was hugely influential for global investment, and nowhere was its impact more evident than in Africa. → Read More
The Overlooked Role of Western Multinationals in African Corruption
British American Tobacco, one of the United Kingdom’s largest companies, has been accused of paying bribes to the former president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe. The allegations come amid other reports of Western multinational corporations allegedly engaging in questionable conduct while operating on the African continent. → Read More
Guinea’s Latest Coup Is More Than Just ‘Back to the Future’
It might be tempting to view events in Guinea through the lens of what appears to be a familiar pattern in Africa and assume this is the same old story. That would obscure the particularities of this coup, as well as overlapping patterns that might be emerging in this and other recent military takeovers in West Africa. → Read More
For Nigeria, National Security Once Again Trumps the Rule of Law
Recent efforts to apprehend two campaigners for ethnic self-determination highlight the troubling habits of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, as well as a pattern of Nigeria making demands of its smaller neighbors and getting its way, even at the expense of international norms and diplomatic protocol. → Read More
Africa Is Changing Rapidly. The Discourse Around It Should Also
These are times rapid economic, political and social change on the African continent, even as cultural and artistic developments are positioning Africa to be a global pacesetter. But there is no single “African” narrative, and Africans must play a central role in making sense of the many trends shaping developments there. → Read More
Biden’s ‘Low Bar’ for Improving Nigeria-US Relations
President Joe Biden will need to combine prudence with creativity to forge a more productive relationship with Nigeria. Bilateral ties remain extensive by regional and continental standards, but they’ve been stymied in recent years by tensions over political corruption, security issues and human rights concerns. → Read More
How the #EndSARS Movement Upended Nigerian Politics
Nigerian security forces last week reportedly shot and killed at least a dozen peaceful protesters who had been part of a weeks-long uprising against police brutality. What comes next is very much in question, but the developments of the past month already have significant implications for Nigerian politics. → Read More