France says it will withdraw from Mali once an African peacekeeping force is in place. To keep Islamists at bay, the United States is considering increasing its military presence in the region. A better approach is to focus on fixing the governance issues that fuel radicalism to begin with, says John Campbell.

The radical Islamist group Boko Haram has contributed to widespread and deadly violence in Nigeria, but the government sercurity services are also at fault, write CFR's John Campbell and Asch Harwood.

The miners' strike reveals the growing frustration over the political bargain that ended apartheid but did little to ease systematic economic inequalities, writes CFR's John Campbell.

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

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 says that as oil-rich Nigeria continues to suffer from decades-long dysfunctional governance and tensions between the Christian South and the Muslim North are rising, Nigeria is in need of creative American diplomacy.

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

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

John Campbell asks what would happen if 2011 elections in Nigeria fail.

John Campbell discusses the death of Nigerian president Umaru Yar'Adua and its implications for Nigerian politics.

The exploitation of Congo's vast resources by competing elites and militaries for personal enrichment promotes insecurity and stymies development. Only very strong Western and African public outcry and a change in China's nonintervention approach might open the possibilities for change.

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John Campbell examines religion and security in Nigeria in the Routledge Handbook of Religion and Security.

Former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell explores Nigeria's postcolonial history and examines the events and conditions that have carried this troubled giant to the edge.

The radical Islamist group Boko Haram has contributed to widespread and deadly violence in Nigeria, but the government sercurity services are also at fault, write CFR's John Campbell and Asch Harwood.

The miners' strike reveals the growing frustration over the political bargain that ended apartheid but did little to ease systematic economic inequalities, writes CFR's John Campbell.

Weak governance and radical jihadists are at the heart of Mali's crisis, says CFR's John Campbell, who cautions that any intervention should focus on humanitarian aid and diplomacy, not the security threat.

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.

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.

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.

Nigerian President Jonathan's mishandling of the aftermath of a lethal car-bomb incident could spell heightened regional tensions in the lead-up to elections early next year, says CFR'S John Campbell.

With the death toll in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo likely exceeding six million, the UN peacekeeping force needs beefing up, and both the Rwandan and Congolese governments should punish nationals guilty of violence against civilians, says CFR's John Campbell.

The leadership void caused by the illness of Nigerian President Umaru Yar'adua could lead to domestic upheaval and a succession crisis, writes CFR's John Campbell.

The worsening political crisis in Guinea will require stronger UN involvement and greater efforts on the part of African leaders to avoid what could become a civil war and a massive humanitarian crisis, says CFR's John Campbell.