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 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.

The WikiLeaks revelations aren't likely to do lasting damage, but CFR experts say they will make it harder to collaborate with governments such as Pakistan, hurt sensitive relationships, and hinder the open exchanges successful diplomacy requires.

CFR's Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies highlights examples of Nigerian civil society organizations. These organizations, Campbell says, have a significant "name and shame" role to play in impelling the country towards democracy.

Nigeria's upcoming presidential elections will upset the country's power sharing system. CFR's Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies cautions that campaign appeals to ethnicity and religion coupled with elections that lack credibility may destabilize the country.

CFR's John Campbell says deteriorating economic and social conditions in Northern Nigeria are behind the recurring upsurge in Boko Haram's activity. Campbell cautions that the circumstances enabling Boko Haram to operate may be taken advantage of by Al Qaeda or other international terrorist groups, though that has not happened yet.

CFR's Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies John Campbell discusses the importance of Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta to U.S. interests and highlights the need for a political solution.

John Campbell discusses Nigeria's upcoming presidential elections, and says credibility in the elections is imperative.

John Campbell says credible polls in Ivory Coast were a step in the right direction, but the runoff vote for the presidency will be the true test.

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.

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.

Asch Harwood and John Campbell write that in Nigeria, cell phones can both be used to instigate--and anticipate--violence.

This Contingency Planning Memorandum describes the events and trends that indicate Nigerian elections are following a violent trajectory and recommends U.S. policy options for preventing and containing fragmentation of Nigerian society.

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