John Campbell says diplomacy and democracy--not firepower--is the best way to undermine Nigeria's growing Islamist threat.

John Campbell discusses Nelson Mandela's contributions to South Africa.

John Campbell argues, "Only genuine reform of Nigeria's political economy can pull it back from the brink."

In this Markets and Democracy Brief, CFR’s John Campbell and Asch Harwood note the potential dangers of elections in weak and divided African countries, but they urge continued U.S. support for elections because Africans themselves embrace them.

John Campbell says diplomacy and democracy--not firepower--is the best way to undermine Nigeria's growing Islamist threat.

John Campbell discusses Nelson Mandela's contributions to South Africa.

The independence of South Sudan is a call for celebration but many difficult issues remain unresolved, says John Campbell, Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies at the Council of Foreign Relations. The outstanding delineation of 20 percent of the Sudan-South Sudan border and questions regarding divisions of oil revenues between the two countries must now be addressed.

John Campbell states, "Rather than resolving the generations-long Sudan crisis, Juba's independence on July 9 merely opens a new chapter in a familiar, complicated story."

South Sudan's independence July 9 could encourage secession efforts elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, but elites in those countries will likely stymie those attempts at challenging colonial borders, at least for now.

John Campbell and Asch Harwood discuss the challenges facing Nigeria's newly elected president, Goodluck Jonathan.

Hostilities in Sudan might be relieved by a deal hammered out by former South African president Thabo Mbeki, but ethnic and religious divides, resource battles, and looming southern independence remain contentious issues, says CFR's John Campbell.

John Campbell says both Norway and Nigeria offer lessons for the Arab Spring countries on how to handle oil revenues.

John Campbell argues that the elections in Nigeria reveal the need for the United States and its allies to reach out to Nigeria's North.

The apparent victory of incumbent Goodluck Jonathan in Nigeria's presidential elections brings charges of fraud and ballot stuffing, similar to past flawed polls, writes CFR's John Campbell. It also deepens concerns about heightened rifts between Christians and Muslims.

John Campbell and Asch Harwood ask, "Can the new government in Abuja overcome Nigeria's many challenges?"

Gbagbo's arrest in Ivory Coast vindicates the results of the Ivorian elections and sets a positive precedent for other African states, says CFR's John Campbell. However, Alassane Ouattara must deal with hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and determine how to govern a severely divided country.

John Campbell says clarifying the distinction between the north and the south in Nigeria is relevant to understanding the debates and conflicts around who will be Nigeria's next president.

John Campbell says that the nomination of Goodluck Jonathan as Nigeria's presidential candidate places an even stronger premium on the credibility of the April 2011 elections.

These teaching notes, by author and CFR Senior Fellow John Campbell, feature discussion questions and additional projects for educators to supplement the use of the CFR book Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink in the classroom. In this book, Ambassador Campbell examines the country's postcolonial past and offers policy options for the United States to help promote political, social, and economic development in Nigeria.

John Campbell discusses the election standoff in Ivory Coast.

The Sudan referendum now underway will likely result in the south's independence, but unresolved disputes and population shifts require the Obama administration's continued intense diplomatic and humanitarian engagement, says CFR's John Campbell.

John Campbell reflects on the 2009 "underwear bomber" incident, and how it revealed the need for Americans to understand religion in Nigeria.